Watchers I

Watchers, Book One by Mona Whitlock Chapter One “Miss, I believe you gave me the wrong change.” Casey Bancroft stopped in her tracks and looked at the man seated at table four. His expression was not the one of patience. “I gave you a twenty,” he said. “My meal was $12.50. So that would leave me how much in change?” She tried not to let her irritation show. Tom Griggs, the manager, was just two tables away chatting with a regular. The last thing she needed to do was piss off a customer, especially since she’d been fifteen minutes late to work. “7.50,” she said. “That’s right,” he said, tapping the small vinyl folder she’d taken up front. “But you gave me $6.50 back, which is the difference of…” “A dollar,” she said, forcing herself to ignore the fact that this man was speaking to her like she was five. “I’m so sorry. I’ll correct it at once.” She walked back up to the register, where Lou was ringing up a ticket. “What’s wrong, Case?” Lou turned her large eyes to Casey’s face. Casey sighed. “I just need to get some sleep before I loose my job,” she whispered, moving to the register as Lou moved aside. She pushed a button and it opened. Casey glanced at her friend as she removed the dollar. “First I’m late, now I give that bozo at table six the wrong change…” “Your insomnia still acting up?” Casey nodded. “Yeah. Four nights in a row now. It’s a wonder I can work at all.” “What did the doctor say?”

“He doubled my Ambien, but it just made me loopy with the initial dose. Same with Lunesta. I feel like crap.” Lou put a comforting hand over Casey’s. Against Casey’s hand, the ebony of Lou’s skin made a stark contrast. “Talk to me on your lunch break, OK?” Lou said. “I may be able to help.” Casey was curious as to how her friend could possibly do that, but she had no time to ponder it. She had to rush back to Table Six just in time to be informed that she wasn’t getting a tip. “Perhaps it will help you concentrate on your math,” the man said as he left with his wife. Lou, who was seating a table nearby pulled Casey aside after they’d left. “Don’t be too upset,” she said. “They were in last week and left a lousy tip.” Casey forced a smile, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Her inability to sleep at night was starting to worry her. Whenever she did fall asleep she was jarred awake by odd dreams. Even though she couldn’t remember it, she knew it was the same dream almost every time. It worried her how many mistake she was making at work; it worried her even more how her fatigue would affect her class that night. She needed a job to pay her bills; she needed good grades to keep her scholarship. It was at times like these when she wanted nothing more than to just give up that she especially resented those younger students who had everything handed to them and yet were often so ungrateful. If only they knew what someone like her was going through. Not that she was complaining. She was still luckier than some, like a couple of single mothers in her class who worked two jobs to scrape by. But it was still hard. When she’d decided to go back to school she’d swallowed her pride and gone to her parents for help. But her father had refused. “If you’d stayed with Greg then you wouldn’t have to get a job and go back to school,” he’d said. “You got yourself into this mess, Casey. Get yourself out of it.” Across the room her mother had said nothing as she dusted the knickknacks.

“You really think I should have stayed with Greg?” she asked. “You know how unhappy I was, Father…” “So what?” he’d said, tossing his paper down on the table beside the recliner. “You think I’ve been happy with your mother all these years? Hell no. But ‘I do,’ is ‘I do,’ and Greg may not have been something out of a romance novel but he was a damn good provider and if you’d just waited he’d have been making enough money for you to both…” “Forget it.” Casey stood. “Just stop, dad. I’m sorry I asked.” Casey had stormed out then, past her dusting mother who’d just continued to stare blankly as she dusted the house of a man who hadn’t seen her as anything other than a maid and cook since her only daughter could remember. Is that why Jill Pence had encouraged Casey to marry so young, because she felt it her daughter’s perverse duty to have dinner on the table and look the other way when her husband came home late with lipstick on his underclothes? She remembered them arguing when she was little. “You’ve got everything you want. A car. Clothes. A shopping allowance. I’m a damn good provider.” It had been eerie how Casey’s “damn good provider” had turned out to be like her own father. It wasn’t surprising since they worked in the same company. Greg was a modern version of Will Pence. Within six months of their marriage he was finding excuses to stay at the office. Often Casey didn’t notice since she was taking art classes. But when she took a break from them she realized that her husband was less than pleased to have her planning dinners for two. After eating alone more nights than she should have, Casey filed for divorce. Maybe he was cheating, maybe he wasn’t. But she knew one thing for certain; Greg Bancroft had more interesting things to do than spend time with her. Her decision astounded her parents. “We don’t spend any time together so there’s no use being married,” she’d told them, but that had not been sufficient reason for her father, who’d told her not to come to him for help. Casey had not believed he’d really refuse her should she need him. After all, she was his daughter. But she quickly realized he’d spoken the truth. She’d enrolled in school nonetheless and asked for more hours at the restaurant where she worked part-time as waitress and hostess. Casey didn’t ask Greg to leave the apartment; she’d been the one to ask for a divorce so she thought she should be the one to go. He didn’t argue. In fact, when she told him she wanted out of the marriage he didn’t say much at all.

“If that’s what you want….” They had accumulated little in their short marriage and each left with essentially what they started with, which wasn’t much. Casey’s apartment on the other side of town was small and modest. She didn’t want to struggle financially while she finished art school. But she soon found that it was a struggle when a few minor disasters put her behind the eight ball. She had to have her wisdom teeth removed. Two weeks later, the transmission went out in her car. After that, her laptop died. She’d quickly exhausted her savings and the stress of living hand to mouth was what started the insomnia, which had only gotten worse. At the end of her shift she and Lou stood in the bathroom washing their hands. Casey stared at her reflection. The circles under her eyes looked as if they’d been painted on. “You’re looking rough, girl,” Lou said, her Creole accent as pretty as her face. “Let me help you.” “I don’t see how,” Casey said. “But at this point I’m open to anything. What did you have in mind?” “A trip to see Mama June.” Casey looked at her friend and smiled. “You mean the voodoo lady?” “Mama June is a priestess so don’t be disrespectful,” Lou said, but she was smiling even as she admonished Casey. “She can help you.” “How do you know?” “Because Mama June can help anybody. Now are you going to go, or are you going to stay up all night wishing you had?” “I’m supposed to go to class,” Casey replied. “You won’t be able to concentrate,” Lou argued. “Look at yourself. You can barely form a sentence.” Casey glanced back into the mirror. Lou was right. She looked haggard. No, she looked beyond haggard.

Casey sighed. “O.K. I’ll ditch class and go. But it’s only because I’m desperate.” They changed in the restroom. Casey put on a tank top, her favorite pair of faded jean shorts and flip-flops. But out in the New Orleans heat it still felt like too much clothing. Lou, as always, looked completely comfortable. Even though it was past dark now, the evening was still humid. Cicaidas hummed from trees bogged down with strands of Spanish moss, making them look like wraiths with their spindly arms stretched over the wrought iron fences of the cemetery the two friends passed. “Now this Mama June person isn’t going to cut me or make me dig up someone’s skull or something like that, is she?” Casey cast a nervous glance first at her friend and then at the graveyard. She loved the energy of New Orleans, but the hidden parts of it - the legends and the myths - scared her. It looked haunted, even in the daytime. “Mama June won’t do anything that will hurt you,” Lou said, her tone piqued now. “She won’t pump you full of useless chemicals like those doctors of yours, and you trusted them enough.” “I’m sorry,” Casey said, draping an arm around Lou’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to offend. This is just new to me.” She paused, thinking. “Do I have to believe in this a hundred percent for it to work?” They were turning the corner of the cemetery now and heading to a more tumbledown section of town. The well-maintained sidewalks were broken in places, the pieces pushed up by the roots of the cemetery trees. The women carefully navigated the uneven terrain by the dim yellow glow of the overhead lights. “You don’t have to believe,” Lou said. “Mama June’s belief is strong enough for both of you. All you have to do is give consent.” “Consent?” “Mama June doesn’t like to work her magic without permission.” She laughed then. “Unless she’s hexing someone. Then she doesn’t care.” Casey looked over, wondering if her friend was kidding and got the uneasy feeling she

was not. They were passing a row of clapboard houses now. Young men and women loitered on the front steps, their dark skin shiny with the sheen of sweat. It was too hot to be indoors and none of these houses seemed to have air condition from the looks of it. Laughter erupted from somewhere, a woman’s - soft and seductive. Casey’s eyes followed the sound to where a young man and woman stood locked together in an embrace. The man pulled the woman roughly to him and she grinned seductively before sliding a long, honey-colored thigh up his leg. Casey blushed and looked away. “Here.” Lou was pointing to a small blue house that looked tidier than the others, but different, too. Above a box of wilting impatiens, wind chimes made of bones hung from a piece of fishing line. Youngsters laughing in the street seem to fall respectfully quiet as they passed the house of Mama June. Casey followed Lou up to the porch. “Don’t be nervous,” Lou said as she knocked on the door. “She’s just a very nice old lady.” For a moment they heard nothing and then the door opened. The woman who stood there was striking, and if she was old then she’d had some kind of amazing work done to her face. Her cheekbones were high and her skin firm. Her hair was covered by a high wrap, its turquoise print matching the flowing dress she wore. When Mama smiled at Lou, the corners of her eyes crinkled ever so slightly, but it only served to make her look more beautiful. “Lou, baby!” Mama June said as she threw open her arms to embrace the girl. Casey stood watching as they two exchanged pleasantries. Then the older woman looked past Lou and focused on Casey. Her stare was intense, or was that just the way she had of looking at people. Casey couldn’t tell. “You brought a friend.” Mama June observed the obvious. “Yes,” Lou said. “From work. Her name is Casey and she can’t sleep. It’s bad, Mama June. The doctors can’t help her and I was hoping…” “…that I could.” “I don’t want to intrude,” Casey said, not knowing what else to say.

“Nonsense,” Mama June said, extending her hand. “If Lou says you need help then I will help.” She reached down and took Casey’s hand. “Three days,” she said. Casey’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?” “Since you slept.” “How did you…” “You’re stressed,” Mama June continued, her grip tightening on Casey’s hand. Her voice sounded far away now, as if she were reading something. “You didn’t think it would be this hard and you’re scared. You would sleep better if you didn’t feel so alone and unguided.” “Unguided?” Casey asked. “I don’t think I need to be guided.” Mama June dropped her hand. “It’s what I read in you.” It was a statement, delivered with certainty. “You have no man?” Mama June inquired. “Casey just went through a divorce,” Lou offered. “She’s not dating.” “Hmmm.” The older woman said. “I don’t want one,” Casey offered. “Hmmm,” Mama June said again and shot Casey a somewhat bemused, knowing look. “Come with me,” she said and turned to walk towards the back of the house. Casey followed obediently, glancing at the odd pictures and decor scattered throughout the house, which was lit only by candlelight. A large statue of the Virgin Mary stood in a corner, surrounded by fake flowers. On a shelf, a crude-looking doll with a realistic papier-mâché skull seemed to almost lear at her. They turned into a room where beads hung in the doorway. The walls were hung with heavy veils and the smell of some sort of

spicy incense hung heavy in the room. In the corner a crow preened itself on a stand and peered at Casey. Mama June gestured to a round table and instructed Casey to sit down. Casey did as she was told and watched as the older woman went to a tall, ornately carved cabinet and opened the double doors. Casey couldn’t help but gasp. It looked like something out of a museum display she’d seen featuring cabinets of curiosities that sometimes held macabre or morbid contents. The focal point of Mama June’s cabinet was a very real human skull, jars filled with preserved snakes and other animals, bones, bottles of what looked like dried plants and bags, their tops drawn tight with string. Mama June looked through those bags now and then said Ah-ha quietly as she withdrew one. She turned to Casey. “You need to sleep peacefully again,” she said. “This will do that for you..” Mama June sat down and opened the tiny bag and poured something that looked like powder into her palm “What’s in it?” Casey asked, trying not to sound too worried. “A priestess never gives away her secrets,” came the reply. “Do you want my help? Do you want to sleep peacefully again?” “Y-yes,” Casey said. The idea of another sleepless night or another day spent in foggy fatigue scared her far more than whatever lay in Mama June’s palm. “Yes,” Casey said resolutely, her blue eyes meeting Mama June’s brown ones. “What do I have to do? Mix it up and…” Casey never got to finish the sentence. The next thing she knew she was slumped over the table, coughing uncontrollably. She’d not even had time to react when Mama June blew the fine powder in her face. By the time she caught her breath, Casey realized her eyes were streaming tears and her nose was burning horribly. She was about to demand that the voodoo priestess tell her what was in the powder so she could convey that information to whoever was staffing the local ER when something strange happened. The symptoms disappeared and, strangely, so did the fatigue.

“How do you feel?” Mama June asked. Casey opened her mouth, searching for the right word. “Awake,” she said. “Totally awake. Not tired or anything. What was in that powder?” “A good practitioner never gives away her secrets.” Mama June stood and walked over, taking Casey’s hand in hers. Casey stood up. “Tonight you will sleep,” Mama June said. “Do not be afraid of what you find there. It is what you need.” Now Casey was confused. “What I find? Find where?” “It is late.” Mama June ignored the question and headed to the door. Casey picked up her purse where it lay on the floor beside the chair and rushed out after her. She wanted some clarification on the voodoo priestess’ statements but instead she ran into Lou, who demanded to know what she thought of the experience.” “It was…weird. I feel incredible,” Casey said. “Mama June said I’d sleep tonight but honestly I don’t think I’m ready to go to bed yet.” “You look better,” Lou said. “I mean, you look….recharged. Even the circles under your eyes are gone.” “I need to ask Mama June something,” Casey said. She looked around. “Where is she?” “She left,” Lou said. “She told me to just let ourselves out.” “Oh…” Casey shrugged. “I guess I can ask her later.” They walked back out into the night. Casey wasn’t ready to go home so they stopped at a small blues club to enjoy the music and have a drink. Time slipped away and by the time they left the bar it was past one in the morning. Men loitered in the alleys, staring. It wasn’t the best part of town. “Hey beautiful!” A handsome man with dreadlocks and a thick accent walked to them, trailed by his friends. “What are a couple of fine looking ladies doing out alone?” As he spoke, his friends began to form a circle around the women. Casey and Lou looked

nervously at one another. “We’re on our way home,” Lou said. “And we’re in a hurry. Come on, Case.” She took Casey’s arm and started to move forward, but the men blocked their path. “You shouldn’t be in a hurry,” the dreadlocked man said. “It is still early. There’s plenty of fun left to be had. My friends and I were going to back to my place for a smoke. Join us?” He was cordial, overly cordial. But his eyes were the eyes of a predator. “I don’t think so,” said Casey. But the wall of men had tightened. “We really think you should….” “Lucius!” They all turned to see a man come towards them from out of the shadows. He was tall, with black hair that fell to just below his shoulders. His skin was olive colored and in the shadows it was hard to make out his ethnicity. Was he Native American? Indian? Casey only knew one thing; she’d never seen a man so beautiful. His shoulders were broad, his chest well-muscled under his tight t-shirt. The dread-locked man stepped aside. “Gabriel,” he said. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.” “Apparently not.” The tall man moved past the other men, who offered no resistance and came to stand between the woman and Lucius. “I think they said they want to go home,” he said. Lucius put his hands up. “No worries,” he said. “I was just trying the gentle art of persuasion.” “That’s not I’m concerned about,” Gabriel replied. “It’s the next step if that hadn’t worked. You know what I will and won’t tolerate.” The dread-locked man put his hands up. “Very well,” he said. “Come on boys, let’s go.”

The men moved away with Lucius in the lead. “You shouldn’t be out here this late.” Gabriel was speaking now and Casey looked up, surprised to see that he seemed to be addressing her in particular. “Excuse me?” she said. “We’re quite capable of handling…” “You’re not,” he said. “You should be home. Asleep.” Casey felt taken aback by his words. Who was this man telling her where she should be and what she was doing. “Come on,” Lou said, taking her arm. “We need to go..” She pulled Casey along, but Casey couldn’t help but look back. The man who’d identified himself only as Gabriel just stood there, staring at her. “That was weird,” Casey said. “Yeah,” Lou replied, her voice tight. “Come on. Walk faster.” “Do you know that guy?” Casey asked her friend. “No,” Lou said. “Not personally. But I think I’ve seen him. Walk faster.” “Lou, what are you afraid of?” Casey was alarmed to see that Lou looked anxious. “Nothing,” she said. “But he’s right. Let’s just walk!” Casey followed her friend. Lou said nothing as they walked back to where they’d left their car. Lou said very little on the drive back to Casey’s apartment. Casey just assumed she was tired and a little embarrassed that they’d put themselves in danger. They said their goodnights and then Casey went inside. As soon as she closed the door she found herself yawning and discovered that she was incredibly exhausted. It was all she could do to stay awake through her shower. The bed had never looked even more inviting, the sheets had never felt softer. She was out in minutes, or what seemed like minutes. Then she heard a noise. Casey sat bold upright in bed and blinked. And then, in the glow of the lamplight coming through

her window she saw him. Gabriel was standing at the foot of her bed. Chapter Two She was up and on her feet right away. “What are you doing in my room?” “I came to check on you,” he said. Casey picked up the phone. “I’m calling 911!” She put the receiver to her ear and pushed the buttons, but the phone made no sound. “Oh my god…you cut the lines,” she said. “No I didn’t,” he replied. “Your phone just doesn’t work here.” “What do you mean? This is my apartment!” Casey pushed the keys frantically. She dropped it and reached under her bed for the baseball bat she kept there. “Stay back!” “Put it down, Casey.” His voice was calm. “I’m not here to hurt you.” “Then just get you, because….” She paused, even as she choked up on the bat. “Wait, how do you know my name? How did you get in here? You’re that guy from earlier tonight.” “Yes. I am Gabriel.” “How do you know my name?” she asked again. “I know a lot about you,” he said calmly, and moved slowly to where she stood. “I know your name is Casey. I know you’re divorced. I know you work at McAllister’s and go to night school.” He was in front of her now and it had happened so quickly she’d barely noticed. Casey tried to swing the bat back but her arms wouldn’t move. She could only watch helplessly as he removed it from her grasp.

“I know you’re afraid and lonely and scared and that until tonight you could not sleep.” He put the bat down. “I know you need a guardian.” “A guardian?” she asked. “That’s crazy. I’m a grown woman…” “Grown women don’t live in fear,” he said. “I’m not afraid,” Casey said. Suddenly she’d forgotten that the man in her bedroom - the man who stood less than six inches away and a full head and shoulders above her - was an intruder. Suddenly she was more interested in defending herself against what she considered some very unflattering assumptions. “It's nothing to be ashamed of, Casey. You should be thankful that I've come to protect you.” “Protect me? That's it...” Casey pointed to the door, her heart racing now because the man's words were proving her wrong. She was afraid, but not for any reason he imagined – at least not at the moment. What scared her as she stood there was how drawn she was to Gabriel. “You need to leave,” she said. “No. Not yet. I'm not leaving until you wake up.” “That's ridiculous. I'm awake now. Leave.” “No, Casey. I'm not going.” She raised her hand, not knowing what else to do. If he wouldn't listen to reason... She slapped him hard across the face. The sound of her palm striking his face resounded across the room and the faint stubble left her hand feeling as if she'd rubbed it across fine sandpaper. He didn't move for a moment. He just stood there with his face turned to the side from the force of the slap. Then he closed his eyes, sighed regretfully and grabbed her arm. His grip was like iron and Casey cried out in fear. “Let me go!” she cried, and when he didn't: “HELP!”

“You need to learn the consequences of doing something so short-sighted,” he said, and sat down on her bed. “I'm bigger and stronger than you are. And you do something as ridiculous at raise a hand to me?” He pulled her to him. “NO!” Casey cried, continuing her ineffective struggles. I am not going to let you rape me!” He looked at her, his expression somewhere between amusement and disgust. “Rape you?” he asked, his voice heavy with indignation. “What kind of man do you think I am? I'm not going to rape you. I'm going to spank you.” It was hardly the answer she expected, and Casey was nearly too surprised to feel relief that she wasn't going to be assaulted “You're crazy,” she said. “Insulting me won't help.” He pulled her over his lap and she landed with a thump that temporarily knocked the wind out of her. Gabriel took advantage of the moment to quickly secure her with a strong arm around her waist. “You need me to look after you, Casey, whether you want to admit it or not. You need someone to watch over you, especially since you've proven how poor your judgment is by hitting me.” “You're crazy!” she said again, but he ignored the insult and brought his hand down hard on her bottom. Casey was only wearing a short nightie that barely covered her panty-clad bottom. The first spank hurt worse than she expected and she kicked hard to get away, the only result being the unintended hiking up her of her nightie. His had found its target again, the loud SMACK! resounding off the walls more loudly than the one she'd given him. Casey cried out in spite of herself. She wanted to hurl insults, to curse him, to call for help but as her captor began to rain down a steady stream of determined blows all she could do was to cry out in pain and then sob uncontrollably as that pain became too much for her to bear. She was still struggling after he'd stopped spanking her, albeit more weakly.

“Shh, shh,” he said, turning her over onto his lap so that he was cradling her like a small child. For a moment all she could do was sob, then Casey remembered where she was and what had just happened and shoved herself off his lap. Wiping her eyes with the back of one hand, she pointed at him accusingly with the other. “You hit me!” she said between catches of breath. “I spanked you,” he said. “You hit me, remember?” He was exceedingly calm for a crazy man. “I had every right to!” she exclaimed, rubbing her bottom furiously and entirely unaware of what an amusing image she presented to her assailant. “You, you....” “...came to check on you and to inform you of my intentions to watch over you and protect you,” he finished for her. “A slap across the face is hardly a good way to say 'thank you.'” “I didn't say thanks because you're giving me something I don't want, didn't ask for and don't need!” She was sputtering the words, angrier now that the burn in her backside had given way to a solid, throbbing hurt. He had spanked her hard. “It doesn't matter,” he said, standing up from the bed. “Sometimes we get things we don't ask for.” He stepped towards her and tapped her on the bottom. “Sometimes we get things we don't think we deserve.” “Get out!” she said, her face burning with humiliation in the face of his calm. She felt as if this man was treating her like a child, as if he found her to be some helpless, amusing kittenish thing. “It is time for me to go,” he said. “But I will see you again.” “No you won't!” she said. “You stay away from me!” He turned back and smiled. “I'm afraid that's out of your control,” he said. Casey stood there and watched him walk across the room to the door of her balcony. He let himself out and she watched as the curtains fluttered to a close behind him. That was how he had gotten in, although she didn't understand how he could have scaled the side of the building to gain entrance to her apartment.

She rushed to the door, intending to lock it, to lock him out and hopefully call the police before he scaled his way back down. But Gabriel was gone. Casey leaned over the railing looking down. There was no way he could have gotten down and onto the street so fast. It was physically impossible. She looked around, feeling suddenly nervous and afraid. Who the hell was that man? What had just happened. She remembered their encounter from earlier in the evening, recalled how he had commanded the instant respect of the sketchy group of men and their leader – the one who called himself Lucius. She'd been to Mama June's right before that. The powder. It must have been the powder. What else could cause such odd hallucinations. “I'm losing my fucking mind!” she said, and walked back to her bed. She flopped down on the mattress, wincing as her sore bottom made contact with the bed covers. She clearly was having some sort of psychotropic reaction; there could be no other explanation. Strange, handsome men simply did not appear from nowhere, announce they'd come to protect you, spank you and then leave. She began to laugh, the sound a bit mad to her own ears. Tomorrow, she told herself, she'd go to a doctor and get a blood test, even if she had to pawn the last of her jewelry to pay for the appointment. She'd find out just what was in that powder and get some kind of antidote..something..to..help... She was yawning and the next thing she knew she was asleep. And then, almost as suddenly it was morning and the sun was streaming through the window and warming the side of her face. For a moment she panicked; had she overslept? But the clock on the bedside table said 8 a.m. Casey rubbed her eyes. Unlike other mornings when she awoke after little more than a full hours sleep she felt completely rested. The powder had worked, even if it had given her the craziest dream she had ever had. Images of Gabriel flashed through her mind, his handsome face, his resolute look when he had grabbed her and pulled her over his lap. “Crazy dream,” she said and sat up. But as soon as she did the soreness in her bottom became undeniable in its reality. She stood, trying to quell the panic in her breast, and walked over to the full length

mirror. Turning slowly, she lifted her nightie and pulled down her panties. Her firm bottom was still a splotchy pink and very tender to the touch. But even so she knew there had to be some sort of explanation. What had occurred the night before could not have been real. It was impossible. Even if some strange man did come into her house making wild claims of being her protector he could not have just disappeared off a fourth story balcony the way Gabriel had done. Casey shook her head in disbelief. What on earth had been in that powder that would cause her to do something like this to herself, for it had to be the only explanation. People walked in their sleep, attacked their spouse. Was it such a stretch to imagine that she'd somehow hit herself over and over under the influence of the mysterious powder Mama June had given her? She hurried back to her bed and sat down, wincing as she reached for the phone book on the bedside table. Quickly she thumbed through the pages of physicians' phone numbers until she found one that looked promising and started dialing the number. But halfway through she stopped. What if they thought she was crazy? The questions she planned to ask them didn't make any sense. She could hardly describe what had happened. Casey put the phone down and sat there nervously chewing her nails, uncertain now of whether she could call. Maybe the powder just need time to wear off. Perhaps the intense dream had just been the initial side-effects. The phone rang and she jumped. It was Lou. “So how'd you sleep last night?” her friend asked. “Fine,” Casey said. “Except...” “Except what?” “I had a weird dream. That guy was in it?” “What guy?” Lou asked. “That guy who made that creep leave us alone.” “The dark-haired one?” “Yeah,” Casey said. Then she paused. “Do you know him?”

“I've never seen him before, which is weird, because I grew up around there,” Lou said. “I didn't know the other guy either.” “You mean the one who called himself Lucis?” Casey asked. “No. I'd never seen any of them before. But I bet Mama June would know who they are. Why?” “No reason really,” Casey said, tossing the phone book aside and flopping back on the bed. Above her the spinning ceiling fan twirled slowly, churning the hot air. “The dream was just kind of weird.” “Must have been some dream,” her friend said. Casey's hand moved own to touch her sore bottom. She reddened with the memory. “Yeah, it sure was,” Casey said. “But that's not why you called – to talk about my dreams.” “No, I wanted to find out if you were going to class tonight.” “I have to,” Casey said. “I can't miss it.” “Darn,” Lou said. “Why?” her friend asked. “I told Tom I'd work till close and I was hoping you could give me a lift to Mama Junes. My car's in the shop and I need to take a book I borrowed back to her.” “I'll do it,” Casey said hastily. “No, you shouldn't go down there by yourself,” Lou said. “Remember last time...” The last time was exactly what Casey was thinking about. The dream had been so real, the man Gabriel she'd seen briefly so forceful in his disapproval of her being out at that time of night. Perhaps the dream was her psyche telling her not to be so afraid. “I won't be walking, I'll be driving,” Casey said. “It'll be fine.” “Are you sure?” Lou asked.

“Of course,” Casey said. After Casey got off the phone she dressed for work, amazed at how much energy she had after a good night's sleep. The realistic dream had apparently not affected the quality of her rest, at least and as the hurt faded from her bottom she turned her mind to other things, even though images of Gabriel lurked at the periphery of her psyche. She missed Lou when she got to work; she hated it when school forced her to work a different shift from her friend. She was just leaving when Lou came in and handed her the book. It was a paperback novel, a romance. Casey smiled. She hadn't been sure what she had been expecting, but a trade paperback with two star-crossed lovers on the front certainly had not been it. Casey tucked the book into her bag and headed for her class. It was a psychology elective and surprisingly, the topic of that night's lesson was dreams. Dr. Marcum, Casey's wiry-haired professor, paced the floor in front of the massive chalkboard. He was a man who stayed in constant motion as he talked – a short lump of nervous energy in an ill-fitting suit and wire-rimmed glasses. Casey wondered if he ever actually slept. “Freud divided the mind into three parts,” he was saying. “There's the Id – that's the part that houses our primal drive, desires, unbidden urges, wishes. There's the Ego – that's the part we use on a day to day basis with others – it's concerned with the conscious, the rational, self-awareness. Then there's the Superego. It keeps the Id in check and enforces the law of the Ego. Now, the Superego suppresses the impulses and desires and dreams of the Id. But at night, when you're guard is down in unconsciousness, that's when your Id comes out to play, so to speak. That's when it expresses its – your – hidden desires. Sometimes what we want may be frightening or embarrassing, so something of the Superego sneaks in and censors the dream, turning our desires into symbols we can more easily process. That's why we often wake up confused by what we've dreamed.” “Yes, Miss Bancroft.” Casey had raised her hand before she even realized it. “So if we dream something we're not comfortable with then it just stands for something else?”

“Not necessarily.” Professor Marcum crossed his arms and shook his head. “For instance if you're on a diet and dream of eating a whole pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream it may be because you want ice cream. It may be what you crave.” “But what if you dreamed that someone....” She paused now, unsure of where to go. “If someone forced you to eat ice cream?” he asked, and the crowd laughed. “You may not want to take responsibility for your actions,” he said. “Or you may not want to take responsibility for your desires. Who knows. You may be dieting too much and need the ice cream, but lack the will to force yourself to eat it. So you conjure someone to give you what you need and want, to give you what you can't admit you desire.” He paused. “Does that help?” “Yeah,” Casey said. But in reality that was a lie. The professor's analysis only made her feel worse. Did some part of her want to be protected? Did some part of her want a guardian to swoop in, save her and even spank her if she needed it? She took notes through the rest of the class, listened as her classmates described dreams that ranged from funny to horrifying. Professor Marcum avoided interpreting them, but that didn't stop the class from launching into their own amateur analysis. Professor Marcum was a master at losing control of his class, and soon Casey found herself looking at the clock and wishing the three hours would pass more quickly. It seemed to take forever, but finally nine o'clock came around. She was the first one out, but waited for a group of other students to walk with her down to the parking garage. It felt silly to take the precaution since she was arguably about to go somewhere more dangerous. And for what reason? To tempt fate? To perhaps catch a glimpse of a man she'd dreamed about? Casey drove to the part of town where Mama June lived. A light was on in the little house; that made Casey feel better. No one messed with Mama June, at least according to what Lou told her. At Mama June's, at least, she'd be safe. Casey knocked on the door and in a few moments the older woman answered, looking exotic and elegant at 9:30 on a hot, humid night.

“You're back,” Mama June observed. Casey reached into her purse. “Lou asked me to return this book.” The older woman took it and smiled enigmatically. “Come in,” she said, moving aside. “Thank you.” Casey stepped inside. “Sleeping better?” Mama June asked. “Yes,” Casey said. “Very well...” “I sense a 'however,' in your voice,” the older woman said. “You have a question.” “Yes.” Casey put aside any fear that she'd feel silly. She had a strong feeling that only Mama June could answer what she was about to ask. “When I left here last night I had a dream,” she said. “It was about a man I saw on my way home. He...he stopped some guys who were harassing me and Lou.” “Dreams are common when you sleep,” came the practical answer. “Not this dream,” Casey pressed politely. “This dream was..different. It was like it was – had- really happened when I woke up. I know it's silly but I was wondering if you know the guy in my dream. Lou said you know everyone.” She paused. “His name was Gabriel.” “Gabriel.” Mama June put a hand to her chest and breathed the name more than spoke it. Her gaze turned to a stone angel in the corner, her eyes fixed on it as she asked the next question. “This man, was he beautiful?” she asked. Casey nodded. “Yes, you could say that.” Mama June looked back at her. Was it Casey's imagination or did she look a bit unnerved? “And the man he saved you from, what was he like?”

“Handsome,” Casey said. “But dark. His name was Lucius...” The clock ticked above them making the only sound in the room for nearly a minute. Mama June seemed lost in thought now. “Is something wrong?” Casey finally asked. “I saw that you needed protection,” Mama June said. “I just never imagined it would come from someone so powerful.” “Mama June,” Casey said, “What's going on? That dream seemed so real.” “Because it was...real,” Mama June said. “If he protects you then he must see a reason for it...” “I don't need protection,” Casey said. “I'm a grown...” “You have no choice!” Mama June said sharply. “If Gabriel chooses to protect you, then it is out of your hands! He is in control. He is always in control. And if Lucius has set his sights on you then you should be grateful, foolish girl!” Casey's response died in her throat. Mama June seemed intense, agitated, and she wasn't sure how hard she could press for information without angering the other woman. She still had no clue as to who these people were – this Gabriel and this Lucius – or why either would take an interest in her. “You should go,” Mama June said. “You should go home.” She opened the door, and as Casey wordlessly moved through it, Mama June took her arm. “Don't be afraid,” she said, her voice more kindly. “If Gabriel says he will protect you then you have nothing to fear.” Then Casey found herself alone on the porch, more frustrated than ever. Mama June's answers to her questions had been cryptic at best. They'd given her no insight into the mysterious man who'd made an appearance in a dream that had her waking up with mysterious marks. The insistence that she wanted and needed protection infuriated Casey. It reminded her of her father, who seemed to think she could not survive without a man.

“Fuck this,” Casey said. “I'm not afraid. I can take care of myself.” Her car was parked several spaces down from Mama June's house, but instead of going to it, she began to walk purposefully and defiantly in the opposite direction, taking the cracked sidewalk that ran past the cemetery. She didn't intend to walk far, just far enough to prove to herself that whatever the superstitious voodoo woman was afraid of wasn't real and couldn't touch her while she was awake. The moon was full, and the light cast long shadows in the graveyard. Branches of ancient oaks dripping with Spanish moss reached out like bony hands over the wrought iron fencing that separated Casey from the weathered tombstones and crypts. She began to feel anxious, as if someone were watching her. “It's just your imagination,” she told herself. “There's no one here.” And the sidewalk did seem strangely vacant compared to the number of people who'd been afoot the prior night. “Just a little further, Casey. There's nothing to be afraid of.” She said the words aloud but no sooner had they fallen from her lips then she heard the sound of a stick snapping. Casey stopped. She couldn't tell where the sound had come from. She turned, scanning the sidewalk, the other side of the narrow street and then the graveyard next to her with her eyes. “Who's there?” she said. There was no answer and Casey realized she'd walked past inhabited houses; the ones across the street were boarded up. She was alone. Or was she. Her uneasiness grew and she was sure she could now hear her own heart beating in her chest. She turned, eager now to get back to her car. “All right, Casey, you've proven your point,” she said. “And what point is that, pretty lady?” The voice came behind her and she instantly recognized the cold beauty of it. She spun, wondering where Lucius had come from. He was alone this time, at least. She began to back way from him, but then collided with a warm body. She spun again with a small, frightened cry and realized she'd run into him. But that was impossible; just

a split second before he'd been in front of her! “Why the hurry?” he asked smoothly. “It's obvious you can't stay away? Linger a bit; I'd like to get to know you better.” His hand moved to her cheek. The skin of his fingers was hot, and she noticed then that his eyes were going from brown to a bright amber that mesmerized her. “Please....” she said. “So polite,” he said with a sigh, smiling. His teeth were bright in his handsome, sculpted face. His breath smelled like hot cinnamon. “Yet so vulnerable...” She turned to run and then screamed as he gripped her arm to prevent her escape. His hand wasn't just warm, it was hot. She tried to jerk away but couldn't. His grip hurt, burned. She heard a whooshing sound and then saw a flash. Someone had jumped straight down from the tree above. It happened so fast she could barely comprehend what was happening. The painful grip on her arm was gone and Lucius was flying sideways, hitting the wrought iron fence with incredible force. But no sooner had he landed than he was on her feet, but her protector was between them. “I told you to leave her alone.” Gabriel's voice was heavy with warning as he and Lucius stared one another down. And Casey suddenly realized that she was on the ground. She wanted to stand and run, but fear and fascination rooted her to the spot. “She appeals to me,” Lucius said. They were circling one another now. Casey shook her head and blinked, looked away, and looked back at them. Was this another dream? If not, why did both men seem bigger now? “She's not for you, this one,” Gabriel said. Lucius made to move past him, towards Casey, his eyes yellow now. She screamed, but Gabriel grabbed him before he could get to her and pulled something from his side. A sword – a sword of fire. “No,” Casey's mind screamed. “This can't be happening...” Lucius put up his hands and smiled past Gabriel. His eyes changed color, darkening again to an amber brown. His smile had gone from frightening to mischievous.

“Fine, Gabriel. I'll leave her alone, for now. But really you should command more respect from your little charges. Is it really my fault when they stray into peril? And can you blame me when I come across them and make them my own. I do so enjoy them, especially when I know they once belonged to you...” “ENOUGH!” Gabriel raised the sword and Lucius chuckled, apparently delighted to have gotten a reaction from his rival. Lucius looked past Gabriel and winked. “Until next time,” he said, and then turned away. In an instant he was gone and Casey barely had time to ponder how he'd disappeared so quickly before she was being hauled to her feet. Gabriel's hand was on her wrist, his eyes looking at the skin just below it. She followed his gaze and gasped. There were distinct burn marks on the skin. “That was foolish of you, Cassandra,” he said. “Very foolish.” “Who...what...” She shook her head, trying to clear it. “What just happened?” “Come on. I'm getting you out of here.” He turned to pull her away but she jerked her hand from his grip. “No!” she said. “Not until you tell me what's going on!” “Cassandra..” He rounded on her, his tone low and authoritative, uncompromising “Come with me. Now!” She shook her head, trying to look braver than she felt. “Cassandra, I'm giving you one more chance. If you don't obey, there will be consequences.” She felt herself shaking, but still she defied him. “I'm not afraid of you,” she lied. “Then that,” he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Is a mistake.” She felt him squeeze her lightly and then darkness enfolded her. The last thing she felt was his strong arm catching her as she fell. Chapter Three They were back in her apartment. He was sitting on the bed, holding her hands in his own. She stood between his legs, facing him. Even sitting he was so tall she could look

directly into his eyes. “I take no pleasure in causing you pain, Cassandra,” he was saying. “But you apparently are someone who cannot listen without the threat of negative consequences. I thought punishing you once would be enough. I see now that my first lesson needs reinforcement..” Casey shook her head as his words sunk in. “No,” she said. “That was just a dream. It wasn't real. This isn't real!” She tried to pull away, but this time Gabriel was prepared. With one swift motion, he pulled her over his knee, trapping her from behind with the others. Held tight between his legs, with one arm restraining her around the waist, she could not move. She felt him raise her skirt and cried out in panic. “Please, don't!!!” But he was ignoring her and then she felt Gabriel's large hand descend on her panty-clad bottom with resounding, stinging force. She began to struggle, just has she had the night before, as she realized she was still sore and that this spanking would be even worse than the first. Soon her bedroom was filled with the sounds of his hand striking bare flesh, for her panties barely covered her bottom, and the plaintive wails of pain as he punished her vulnerable cheeks. Tears coursed down Casey's face and her fists pounded helplessly into the mattress as Gabriel's unflagging hand punished her mercilessly. She begged and pleaded, frightened and scared and confused over why she was being punished. “I'm sorry!” she cried, but wasn't sure of what to be sorry for aside from the rash decision to prove to herself that she could walk alone in what she'd been warned was a dangerous neighborhood. Then the pain of the spanking drove everything from her mind as her assailant tipped her forward and concentrated his efforts on her lower cheeks, striking her harder and more accurately than ever. Now she had no words for begging and merely bawled and kicked until all resistance fled and she collapsed limp and passive across his lap. Only then did he stop and she just lay there, her bottom throbbing almost rhythmically with hurt that seemed to go all the way through her.

He pulled her to her feet then, and turned her to face him as she'd been standing before the punishment. Instinctively she reached back to rub the hurt away, but he grabbed her hands. She could not fight him. “No,” he said, his voice low. “You will not comfort yourself. I want you to feel every second of pain. I want you to remember the cost of defying me. You will obey me, Cassandra Bancroft.” “Wh-wh-why?” she choked the word out. “I don't understand! I don't know why I have to!” “I won't lose another,” he said. “Wh-what?” She shook her head, more puzzled than ever. “Who did you lose? What does it have to do with me?” She was sobbing anew then. Was she going crazy? “I don't understand!” She cried. “Sweet child” He pulled her to him and the move was so unexpected she could do nothing more than relinquish himself to his embrace. “Of course you don't. And you likely never will. It's not your fault that you are who you are...” Casey pushed away. “What does that mean? Who am I?” Gabriel sighed. “That is yet to be revealed, even to me. But there is something in you that has caught the attention of Lucius. And trust me, if he ever gets his hooks in you then you will understand why I need to protect you. It is not for you to question. It is not even for me to question. What is merely is...” She stood and stared at him. He was beautiful, his glossy hair falling in waves to his shoulders. His face was angular, flawless. His eyes were ice blue. He had the same otherworldly look as Lucius, only less frightening. Even though he had physically hurt her worse than Lucius had, Gabriel still had a comforting quality about him that she could not understand. “So this Lucius wants to hurt me?” she asked.

“No. He wants to destroy you.” Casey took a minute to ponder this. She did not ask 'why' again. She knew even if she did she would not get an answer. “Does he know where I live?” “He knows everything about you, Cassandra. He's been watching you, waiting. Always. But now so am I.” “If he's always watching me, then why has this Lucius chosen now to come after me?” she asked skeptically. “I do not know,” he said. “They have their ways just as we have ours. When you are targeted then we step in.” “They? We? Who are you?” He stared at her and smiled enigmatically. “I have to go,” he said, and stood. In one swift, effortless move, he picked her up and laid her in the bed. She tried to rise but he put a hand on her forehead. The next thing she knew she was fast asleep. It seemed only minutes had passed before she was awake again. The phone was ringing and Casey, who was laying on her belly, lifted up her arm and fumbled for the receiver. “Hello?” she mumbled. “Are you all right?” It was Lou, again. “Yeah, I guess...” Casey ran her hand through her tangled hair and when it flopped back down on the bed she looked at her arm and saw the traces of the light burn where she'd been gripped the night before. But it couldn't be possible; that was just another bad dream. Her heart began to pound and it took her a moment to realize that Lou was talking. “...and Mama June is mad at me for sending you and she's worried now...” Lou was saying. Casey was trying to listen, even as she still stared at the burn mark. Quickly she sat up

and winced. Her bottom was still sore. Standing she rushed to the full length mirror and turned, lifting her skirt she still wore up as Lou droned on. “...she won't even tell me what's wrong, Case. But she said something about how things are out of her control now. What the fuck is happening?” Casey couldn't answer. She was looking in the mirror, examining the still-visible hand prints that marked her pale backside. Everything came rushing back to her – the trip to Mama June's, the encounter on the sidewalk with Lucius, Gabriel's intercession, the punishment afterward. She rushed to the window and looked out. Her car was right there, in its usual parking spot. She had to have driven it back which meant...which meant what? Was this a dream? Was it real? “Casey, I asked you a question! Answer me! I'm worried about you!” “Lou...I'm worried too. But I can't answer. Not now...” Casey's voice sounded flat, even to her own ears. “I've got to figure some things out, OK?” “Figure things out? Figure what out...” Lou's voice was shrill. “This is my fault! I'm the one who took you to Mama June..” “It's not your fault,” Casey said. “Nothing is anybody's fault. But I have to go, OK? And I'm not going to be at work today. I need to...I need to think. I'll see you tomorrow.” She hung up without saying goodbye, hoping her friend would forgive her, and dialed work. She told Griggs she was sick and wouldn't be in. She could hear the irritation in his voice, but he did not give her a hard time. Casey had proven herself a prompt employee and rarely took a day off. Normally the thought of taking a day off would fill Casey with dread. There were bills to pay, after all. But today the rent was the least of her worries. Casey feared she was going mad and for a long time sat in bed, twisting her hair and trying to make sense of what was happening to her. She'd gone to Mama June's after class; that much she knew for sure. But after she'd left, what had happened? She didn't remember driving home and yet her car was out front. Had she really encountered Lucius by the cemetery? Had Gabriel really come to her defense and then taken her home, where he'd made cryptic comments about her fate before chastising her like a child? Or had she blacked out and just imagined it all. She wanted to think so; the alternative was just too hard to believe. And yet the marks on her arm where fingers had literally burned into her skin were still there. So were the hand prints on her bottom, far too large for her to have made herself.

If it was real then she was being watched, not just by Gabriel but by the eerily beautiful Lucius. Gabriel had not warned her to stay inside, but had told her to use common sense. He'd corrected her for going out alone at night. Did that mean she could not go to school? Work the night shift? Casey felt trapped and frustrated. If this were real then either way she was in danger of being hurt by Lucius or physically punished by her protector. She picked up the music box from the bedside table and flung it against the opposite wall. “Goddammit!” Casey shouted the expletive, burying her face in her hands as she did so. For several moments she sat crying, her slim shoulders shaking with her sobs. “That’s right…,” the words were delivered smoothly, the male voice unmistakable. Lucius. Casey looked up, fear replacing anger. “Who’s there?” “Don’t hold back. Curse him. Your anger will remove you even farther from him. You’ll be so much easier to take then, little lost lamb…” Casey stood, her heart thudding in her chest. Were the words she head coming from inside her head? What was happening? She could sense him now, Lucius, somewhere in her room. She could not see him but she could feel him; his presence surrounded her, pressed in on her. She whimpered in fear and the cried out in panic when she thought she felt something brush her cheek. Casey pulled her hair into a pony tail and slipped her feet into flip flops. She didn’t even bother to change out of the outfit she’d fallen asleep in, didn’t even care how disheveled she looked as she fled her apartment. She just had to get out. She was confused now; she was sure it was Lucius’ voice she heard. Gabriel had said he’d be watching, that he’d protect her, but Lucius had been there, she’d felt his presence. It had been years since Casey had gone to church but now she made a beeline for St. Mary’s. She passed the stately façade every day, never stopping to look up at the stainglass depiction of the Ascension. Jesus, a golden halo above his head, his still-bleeding palms outstretched, looked down on the apostles with an expression blending love and pity as he floated upward to heaven. As Casey climbed the steps she looked up and noticed that Jesus seemed to be looking down at her now, the expression more intense. The great door clicked behind her when she shut it. A large statue of an angel sat in the corner of the hushed vestibule. Its folded wings rose high and arched above the shoulders; its hands were folded in prayer. With its slim shoulders and voluminous robes,

it looked weak and androgynous. “You like angels?” A priest was standing beside her. He was older, with a close-cropped white beard and a friendly smile. Casey glanced at him and looked back at the angel. “I’m not really sure. This one looks kind of sad.” “Perhaps it’s because it’s considering the state of mankind. It’s a sad state.” Casey regarded the angel’s upturned face. “Why should the angel care?” The priest chuckled. “Well, if they watch over us as some believe then that’s motivation enough. We humans can’t seem to stay out of trouble. If we have guardian angels, no sooner do they pull us out of harm’s way before we go hurtling back in. I’d imagine it’s thankless work.” “No one asked them to do it, though.” Casey was surprised at the harsh tone of her words. She glanced at the priest again, hoping he hadn’t noticed but could tell by how he stared at her that he had noticed. He was regarding her now, studying her face as she was studying the angel. “You’re not one of my regular parishioners,” he said softly. “Why have you come, child?” For one irrational moment she considered telling him the truth. I’m caught in some kind of battle between two supernatural beings… She immediately reconsidered. Better to be considered an enigma than someone with religious delusions. “I’m…scared,” she said. “And I thought I might feel safe here.” He took hold of her elbow. “If you’re being threatened or hit at home, we operate a shelter for abused women.” Casey shook her head. “It’s nothing like that. It’s different…somehow…” He fixed her with a quizzical look. “I don’t think I’d be safe in a shelter, and this isn’t something the police could help me with.”

He patted her hand. “Then the sanctuary is open if you’d like to go pray about it,” he said. Casey thanked him and went inside. She didn’t think praying would help, but if Lucius was really evil, then maybe he wouldn’t be able to get into the church. The sanctuary was empty except for two older women where kneeling in the pews, their lips moving in silent prayer as they fingered their well-worn rosaries. She found an empty pew and knelt down on the padded bench. How long had it been since she’d prayed. Casey looked up at the crucifix and felt nothing. Was this why she was going mad? Was God trying to punish her? She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Praying had never been easy or natural, even when she’d tried to do it regularly. She could hear someone approaching from the right and opened her eyes. An old man was hobbling down between the pews in her direction. She tried not to feel angry; he had the whole church. Why did he have to pick a spot right beside her. Casey sighed and closed her eyes again. “This was a good choice,” a male voice said. She gasped and looked up. The old man wasn’t there. Instead, she found herself looking into the eyes of Gabriel, who seemed larger than ever. Unnaturally large, in fact.” “What? How…?” Her eyes scanned the sanctuary for the old man. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Everyone else just sees what you first saw. Anyone who bothers to notice will see you talking to an elderly man.” Casey considered running, but knew it would do her no good. Her head was spinning. “He was in my apartment,” she said. “The other one. Lucius.” “No he wasn’t,” came the maddeningly calm reply. “He was!” Casey insisted, angry now. “I thought you were going to protect me. Or was that just a lie.”

Gabriel fixed her with a withering look. “I do not lie, and you watch your tone in this place or you will be severely chastised, child.” Casey backed down, angry at herself but too afraid of the power she knew Gabriel could and would exercise. She turned her face away and stared back at the crucifix, her vision blinded by tears of humiliation. “He was toying with you, getting inside your head. Lucius can make you perceive things that aren’t there. It’s all he has at the moment, and he will use what he has. What did he say to you?” “He….told me to keep cursing God, because it would separate me and make catching me easier.” “Were you?” Gabriel demanded to know. “Were you cursing God?” Casey felt stomach twist with fear. “If I tell you the truth, will you punish me?” “Perhaps. I will certainly punish you if you don’t tell me. Or if you lie.” Casey considered this. “I was,” she admitted in a quiet, scared voice. “I swore aloud, but I was so frustrated. I don’t understand what is happening to me. I don’t understand any of this.” She looked at him. His profile was perfect. “What are you?” she asked. “What do you think I am?” “I don’t know,” Casey answered honestly. “What I think can’t be possible, so why say it and feel like a fool?” “There are more things possible than you realize, Cassandra,” he said. “Why do you call me that?” she suddenly asked. “It’s what your parents called you when you were small. Only when you moved to Brewster Street and started going to Upton Middle School did you start insisting on being called Casey. You thought it was cooler…”

“How do you know that?” She raised her voice, unnerved. The two old women looked up from their prayer beads and scowled. “Tell me!” she whispered. “I told you. It’s my job to know. Now answer my question.” “You’re some sort of….” Casey looked up at the stained glass window, where Jesus was ascending upwards, towards those waiting with wings and golden trumpets. “…angel?” she finished the sentence with a question. “Am I right? Or just crazy.” “You’re not crazy,” he said. “Watchers, guardians, angels, heavenly host…we go by many names.” “It can’t be…” Casey looked straight ahead. “I have to reject this.” “You can’t,” Gabriel said. “You know it’s true. If it weren’t then you wouldn’t have taken refuge here, Cassandra.” “And you still can’t tell me why he’s after me, this Lucius.” She paused. “If you’re an angel, what is he?” “He’s an angel, too.” “He’s not the devil or a demon?” Gabriel smiled. “It’s all the same thing, really. We’re all angels. Devils and demons are just what they call the ones that don’t work for the greater good.” “So why is he after me?” “I told you, I don’t know. I only know what I’ve been told, which is that I’m to protect you.” “Can I reject your protection?” “No, you don’t have enough power,” he said. “You aren’t strong enough to reject it. You’re not strong enough to stop me from doing anything I wanted to you. You’ll do as I tell you now.” “So much for free will,” she snapped.

“Your free will ends where the larger good begins,” he said. “You’re meant for something larger than yourself., Cassandra, and I’ve been told to protect you.” “What?” she pressed. “You still haven’t told me? And shouldn’t my guardian angel be watching me? You said you were just asked to. Is there even such a thing as a guardian angel?” “Yes,” he said. “But yours….” His voice trailed off and he looked down and then whispered. “I’m something more than a guardian for you. There are different levels of skills and abilities among our kind, just as there are among humans. I possess an elite set of skills - skills necessary to keep you safe.” “From what? Why?” “No more questions.” His voice was firm. He stood, taking her arm. “Come help a tired old man out of church.” How could she disobey him. Casey knew she had no choice. If she defied him he’d show up later and punish her. Gabriel was nothing if not consistent. She stood and took his arm. He towered over, her, and the bicep her hand rested on was big and firm. As she walked from the sanctuary into the vestibule, the priest looked up and smiled. She knew that he only saw her on the arm of an old man, not a large angel-in-disguise. She knew from childhood days spent in Sunday School that the Bible said that angels walked among men who were unaware. But what kinds of beings misled humans? And why? Gabriel took her back to her apartment. More time had passed than she imagined; it was nearly noon now. Casey went into the kitchen to make tea while Gabriel walked around, inspecting photographs and perusing her bookshelves in between peeking out the windows. She wasn’t sure if angels drank tea, but she made him some anyway, along with a sandwich. He took the tea but ignored the sandwich. There was silence between them as they sat in her living room. “Where are your wing?” she finally asked, not thinking of anything else to say. “Hidden,” he said. “Why?” “In our true form we would scare you.”

She thought about this. “I’m already afraid of you,” she said. “I’m as afraid of you as I am of the other one.” Gabriel sighed and put down his teacup. He stood, seemingly taller even now, and walked over. Kneeling down in front of her chair, he took the cup from Casey’s hand and put it on the table. Then he did something she did not expect. Lifting her smoothly from the chair, he sat down cradling her in his lap. He kissed her gently on his head. Under most circumstances, it would have all seemed ridiculous. But this felt natural to Casey somehow. A feeling of extraordinary safety and security washed over her. Gabriel’s arms were strong around her. “I’ll never let anyone hurt you,” he said. “If I cause you pain, it’s only the pain of correction and only meted out if I feel it is necessary to keep you safe. Understand?” She nodded, feeling suddenly languid and emotionally exhausted. She wanted to lay down and started to pull away but he would not let her. “It’s all right, Cassandra,” he said. “Just rest. I’ll hold you. You just rest…” Casey felt her eyelids growing heavy. She yawned in spite of herself. It was only noon. She never napped, but now as she nestled in Gabriel’s embrace she could not stop herself from drifting off into a safe - and for once, dreamless - sleep. Chapter Four He was gone when Casey woke up. She was back in her bed. She yawned and stretched before rolling over and looking at the clock. It was a little after three. She groaned and stood. Her day was more than half over and she’d not accomplished anything. Casey sat up, trying to remember the details of what had happened before she went to sleep. Again she felt disoriented. Had it been a dream - had all of it been a dream? Was she just now waking from a night’s sleep? She got up and walked into the living room where the two teacups and sandwiches had been. The table was empty. She ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly feeling extreme disappointment. Of course it had not been real. She went to the kitchen to get a drink and stopped as soon as she walked in. The sandwiches and tea cups had been moved to the counter by the sink. She went over and looked at them. Three bites were gone from one - hers. The other was untouched. But

still, did this prove anything? Casey bagged the sandwiches - she hated to waste anything - and drank the rest of her tea. She had no idea what she was going to do the rest of her day but knew the first thing would be a shower. She took an especially long time, letting the water wash over her relaxed and rested body. When she got out she toweled off and looked out the small window of the bathroom into the alley below. She wondered where Gabriel was, if he existed as anything beyond a figment of her crazed imagination. If he were real, was he standing in her house, invisible, watching her dry off? The thought unnerved her and she hurriedly pulled on a pair of white panties and matching bra followed by a well-worn pair of cutoff jeans and a form-fitting top with spaghetti straps. She fixed her hair into two long braids. A walk. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to take one, but Gabriel had not specifically told her to stay indoors. It was still hot. Casey decided to stick to her neighborhood, which had undergone something of a regentrification in recent years. Her apartment was housed in the upper floor of one of the refurbished row houses that lined a narrow, well-shaded street. As she walked she took in the sights and sounds - kids giggled as they played in sprinklers, an elderly woman fretted over hanging baskets. As she walked on, she passed a park where teenagers shot hoops in the hot sun. Sweat glistened off their sinewy frames, and she wondered how they could stand exercising in such oppressive heat. She turned left on Barmoral Avenue. It wasn’t a route she normally took, and she hoped new sights and sounds would get her mind off of things. The row houses here were nicer and made of old, pink brick. Dormer windows jutted out of their frames, the panes open, the curtains fluttering in the occasional breeze. A moving van was parked out front of one of the houses, a young couple struggling to lug a sofa up the ramp. When they saw her passing, the woman - who looked to be about Casey’s age waved her over. “Hey, I hate to be rude but we are dying up here. Could you give us a hand?” Casey had moved before and knew what a chore it was, even with help. She smiled and walked over. “Sure..” “Just lift here, on this corner.” The young woman moved over and Casey grabbed the edge of the ungainly sleeper sofa.

“Ready?” asked her partner, a scruffy-looking hippie type. “Yep,” Casey said. They began to move, he pulling as the women lifted and pushed. Within minutes they had the sofa in the dark maw of the truck. “Thanks,” the woman said. “You’re nice to do that.” “Yeah,” the guy said. “You do seem nice. It’s a shame…” Casey looked at him, not sure if she’d heard right. “Excuse me?” “I was saying it’s a shame,” the hippie guy said. “If you weren’t so pleasant it would be harder to deliver you up to Lucius.” “No…” A chill fell over Casey, making the sweat beading on her back and chest suddenly feel clammy. She backed away, but as she did she felt herself bump up against the woman, who grabbed her in a grip far tighter than she could ever have expected. She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could a white light filled the truck and she felt herself propelled sideways. She toppled over onto the couch she’d just helped move and looked up. She could see figures in the light, fighting. She recognized Gabriel, his outline bright. The others did not look so human. They were shapeless, morphing into thing she did not recognize - scary things. A sword flashed out. She heard a shriek, smelled burning cinders. The other thing rushed towards her but in a blink of an eye Gabriel put himself in its path. The sword thrust upward. There was another shriek and the shapeless thing he stabbed turned into a pile of ash that cascaded to the floor. The light disappeared and he stood there, looking more human except for the still-glowing sword in his hand. Casey looked from the weapon to the pile of ash. He lifted the sword and put it to his side, where it disappeared into some sort of invisible scabbard. “You left your house,” he said. Casey sat up. She was shaking. “You didn’t tell me I couldn’t.”

“I didn’t tell you that you could, either.” She got to her feet. She’d gone from terrified to numb. “I’m not going to ask your permission to do things,” she said. “I’d rather die, than live like this, OK?” “Death would be preferable to what you’ll experience at their hands,” he said. “And I’m not about to let that happen to you. From now on, Casey…” “NO!” she lunged at him, furious, and pushed him back a step. Gabriel’s beautiful face now wore an impatient scowl, but Casey was too angry to care. “I have to work. I have to go to school. I have a life to rebuild. I’m not going to live in fear of some….sci-fi fantasy bullshit threat…” “Casey…” His voice held a clear warning now. “Calm down.” “Fuck you!” she said. “I will not!” She felt his arm slide round her waist. He’d covered the short distance between them faster than anyone could humanly move and now she knew what was going to happen. And somehow she knew that if she cried and screamed somehow the sounds would go unheard to those just outside the truck. “No, no, no!” she cried as he sat down on the couch and pulled her effortlessly across his lap. She did not feel so brave now that she was trapped like this, helpless and waiting for the punishment she could not stop him from delivering. He pulled her shorts and panties down without preamble. He did not lecture. But he did not have to. Casey knew she’d erred in openly defying Gabriel. He’d told her the situation was out of her hands, and as his self-appointed guardian and protector he would do what it kept to keep her safe, even if it meant physically punishing her when she defied him or did something he deemed outside the realm of her best interest. He spanked her harder than he ever had before. Within seconds, the bare skin of her bottom was burning from the determined force of his blows. Casey rocked her hips back and forth, unable to do anything else to mitigate the discomfort. She pleaded, she begged, she promised. Gabriel said nothing, but only spanked. He loosened his grip long enough for her to think - for the briefest moment - that she could crawl forward off his lap. But all she achieved was to move up enough to expose herself even more. When he lifted one

leg, she found herself titled even further forward, her bottom pushed higher up. The skin on the lower portion of her bum was exposed and he took advantage of that now, peppering the tender ivory of it with his most aggressive assault yet. Casey screamed in pain, unable to pleas that would have just gone ignored anyway. By the time he finished, her bottom felt like a hot, throbbing balloon that could pop at any second. He lifted Casey to her feet so that she was facing him, standing between his legs. She instinctively tried to reach back to rub away the searing her on her backside but he took her hand. “No,” he said, and Casey was surprised to see him studying her face. “Train up a child in the way she should go, and when she is old she will not depart from it,” he said softly, as if speaking more to himself than to her. Casey recognized the words. Scripture. “You’ll look to me now for guidance, understand?” She could only nod. He took her home. She tried to not walk so stiffly but the pain in her bottom throbbed continuously. Gabriel walked at her side. She wondered what form he took to others and then realized it must be what she was seeing, judging by the envious glances she garnered from a few young women who passed them on the sidewalk. You want him? She wanted to say. Here, take him. He’s nothing but trouble. The were at her apartment. She stepped forward to open the door but as soon as she did she felt his hand on hers. “Wait.” She looked up at him. He was starting hard at the door, as if looking through it. “Step back…” He put his hand on her chest, forcing her backwards a few steps. Gabriel pushed the door gently with his finger and it swung open, much to Casey’s surprise. She was sure she had locked it. A chill went through her as he guided her inside. Something wasn’t right. She could tell that even before she saw the upended furniture, broken glasses and what looked

like claw marks down the wall. The place was trashed. “What…?” Casey walked to the center of the room, dumbfounded. “Why?” “Lucius minions don’t like to lose,” he said. “What you see here is the aftermath of a demonic temper tantrum.” Casey shook her head, blinking back tears. “How am I ever going to put this all back together?” “You’re not.” He snagged a backpack from the coat tree by the door and shoved it into her hands. “Pack what you need. You’re not staying here anymore.” Casey just stood there, holding the pack and looking at him with disbelief. “What do you mean? I can’t leave! I have a life..a job..” “Not any more,” he said. “You’re quitting.” “No…” she began. “Yes you are,” he said. When she didn’t start filling the pack he snatched it from her and began walking from room to room, filling the pack with clothing and other items. He knelt down and grabbed a handful of panties and bras, stuffing them in one of the pockets. “You’re quitting your job, dropping out of school, and coming to stay with me. It’s clear that they’re going to harass you here. They won’t dare do something like this to my place.” “Gabriel, please…I can’t just…” “YOU WILL!” He stood, towering over her. “Or do you need another reminder of just who is in control here.” Her bottom was still throbbing and now helpless tears coursed down her face as she looked around, the realization dawning on her that her days of making her own decisions were effectively over until further notice. Defying Gabriel came with painful consequences. She felt that he was regressing her, that he saw her as nothing more than a ward to command. And she was powerless to stop him, just as he said.

She knelt numbly and picked through her clothing, choosing comfortable, casual items. Blue jeans. Socks. A nightie. Her well-worn Rainbow flip flops. Her makeup bag. Hairbrush. The teddy bear from her childhood, its one remaining eye hanging by a thread, sat on the center of her bed. She shoved that in the bag and glanced over to see Gabriel flash her a quick grin. She blushed angrily. “Anything else?” he asked. “Would it matter?” “Don’t snap at me,” he said. “It isn’t wise.” She flushed deeper and shook her head. “No,” she said, trying to keep the resentment out of her voice. “Nothing else…” “Good. Let’s go.” She followed him out of the apartment, her mind racing with questions. What would she tell her landlord? Her boss? Lou? Would she be able to continue school? How long was Gabriel planning to put her future on hold? Would she ever get her life back? She longed to demand answers, but it was all she could do now to keep up with him as he walked a step ahead of her, seemingly expecting her to follow obediently. Gabriel looked around as they walked, his eyes casing everything and everyone around him. She noticed his hand was at his waist, poised to snatch the invisible sword. His nervousness made her more nervous. She quickened her pace to follow him. The questions, she decided, could wait. He turned at took her forearm when the reached a pick-up truck. It was black with a black camper shell, hardly the vehicle she would have picked for an angel. “Get in, Cassandra.” He opened the door for her. Charming. She sat down and watched as he reached around her to fasten the seatbelt. As he leaned over to click the fastener, his hair brushed her face. It smelled like pine and sunshine. Gabriel went around and got into the driver’s seat. As he did, she turned and looked through the glass window into the back of the truck. Even though it was dark, she could make out a veritable arsenal of unusual weapons - crossbows, odd looking knives, swords. “What is that stuff?” she asked, unnerved.

“Turn around, Cassandra,” he snapped, and stop asking questions. She bit back a response. He’d prove he could punish her anywhere, at any time. She didn’t want to push him. She sat back and looked forward as he edged into traffic. He picked up speed almost immediately. Casey watched as the neighborhood faded away. They were heading out of town, into the outlying areas where alligators and snakes were the primary inhabitants. A thousand questions still played through Casey’s head. Where was he taking her? They turned off the main road. Casey looked up and saw they were passing the old fire tower. They were on the hard-packed dirt path to the old ranger lodge. The state had sold it during the last budget crisis. Vacationers now rented it in the summer - usually groups of outdoorsmen who enjoyed hiking or canoeing the inhospitable Louisiana back country. Gabriel guided the vehicle up in front of the lodge and cut the engine. Without a word he got out, came around to her side and opened the door. When he started to reach for the buckle, Casey grabbed it first. “I can unsnap my own seatbelt,” she hissed. Gabriel just smirked. “Of course you can.” Casey wanted to slap him but instead got out and pulled the backpack off the seat. She slung it over her shoulder and looked around. Huge oaks towered over the old ranger lodge, their branches weighed down with more Spanish than it looked as if they could possibly bear. A mosquito buzzed by her ear, its high-pitched whine doing nothing to improve her mood. “Come on,” he said. She followed him into the lodge. It was large and sprawling and open - typical of the ranch-style popular in the sixties when it was built. The floors were covered in beautiful heart pine. The furniture was clean although not modern. A map of the fire district still hung on one wall. “Your room is over there,” he said, pointing to a doorway to the right of the map. “I’ll be in the room next to you. If you get scared in the night all you have to do is call to me. Even if there’s not really anything there I’ll come, just to make you feel safe. I’ll be there if you need anything..” “What about answers?” she asked. “You never gave them to me, Gabriel. All you’ve done is tell me what to do and punish me when I resisted. But I meant what I said. I

deserve to know. What am I supposed to tell my boss? My school? I have work, classes..” She dropped the pack at her feet and spread out her hands. “This isn’t home. Nothing is familiar to me. How can you expect me to accept this without explanation?” Gabriel sighed. “I told you,” he said. “I know nothing more than you do, Cassandra. As for your other commitments, for now they are on hold. If it helps, look at the big picture. The aggression being displayed by Lucius and his followers is far more than any of us expected this early in the game…” “It’s not a game,” she said, insulted. “This is my life.” Gabriel was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right and that was a poor choice of words..” Casey wondered how many other people besides her had garnered an apology from an angel. She figured it wasn’t very many. “Before you start to feel too put out, realize that at the rate things are progressing, your presence may endanger others - your friends, your co-workers. The more Lucius is thwarted the angrier he becomes. His anger makes the veil between our worlds thin. Others will see. Neither side can have that.” He paused. “There will be casualties if that happens, Cassandra.” “You mean people will..” She couldn’t say it. “Die,” he said, completing the sentence. “Can you please find out why this is happening?” she said. Anxiety tightened her chest like a grip. “Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard if I only knew…” “It’s been decided to let things unfold,” he said. “There are pitfalls to giving out information. It can be to tempting to some.” He walked over and looked out the window. “You might be surprised at how that information might be used. The most despicable betrayals are sometimes born from putting trust in those who never deserved it in the first place.” He was speaking in riddles again. It made Casey’s head hurt. She felt tired and drained. The shadows outside were getting long. She yawned.

“You need to sleep,” he said. “I already took a nap today,” she said. “You’re still behind on your rest,” he answered. He walked over and picked up her pack. “Come on. You’re going to lay down.” It wasn’t a request. It was a statement. And Casey was too tired now to object. She followed him into her new bedroom. The view beyond was ancient oaks in front of a marsh. The sun was starting to sink over it. “Lay down,” he said. She did. He laid down beside her. “It’s going to be all right, Cassandra,” he said kindly. His voice was so full of authority that she allowed herself to believe it, and fell asleep in the safety of his promise. Chapter Five How could she have slept all afternoon and through the night? She wasn’t sure, but she had. And when Casey opened her eyes it was to the glow of dawn coming in through her window and the smell of bacon frying in the kitchen. For the first time, she was sure that what she’d experienced before she fell asleep was not a dream. Gabriel was cooking in the kitchen. He was shirtless, his back to her. His shoulders were broad and muscular but on his upper back were two ridges that she knew were extra muscles that held the wings she still could not see. He turned. “Good morning,” he said. He walked over and put a plate on the table, a single plate, beside a glass of orange juice. “You don’t eat,” she observed. “No,” he said. “We don’t eat.” She sat down and studied the food. Grits. Eggs cooked to perfection. Bacon. For someone who didn’t need food he certainly seemed talented at cooking it.

She picked up a piece of toast. “So you don’t have any of the same needs as humans?” He went to the fridge and took out a carafe of orange juice and placed it on the table beside her glass. “We have some of the same needs,” he said. “But not all of them.” Casey started her breakfast. It was eight o’clock and she was expected to be at work in an hour. That wasn’t going to happen. She couldn’t figure out any good way to tell Griggs that she wasn’t coming back. She asked Gabriel if he had any suggestions. “Just tell him the truth,” he said. “Unforeseen circumstances. You’re a waitress. It’s not like waitresses don’t quit all the time.” She frowned. “You think just because I have a low-paying job that I’m a slacker?” she asked. “Maybe when I call I’ll just tell him that I’m being held against my will at the old ranger lodge. Maybe I’ll ask him to send police.” “If you want to be responsible for the deaths of the police then go right ahead,” came his maddeningly calm answer. “And if you want to start your day over my knee then you just keep up the challenges.” “I hate being treated like a child,” she said. “Then don’t act like one.” He took her empty plate. “I have a question,” she said. “I’ve thought about it because something’s not adding up. And I think I have a right to know.” “I can’t promise I’ll answer,” he said. “But I promise to listen.” “What happened to my guardian angel?” Gabriel looked down, clearly uncomfortable with the question, but Casey pressed on. “You started to tell me the other day,” she said. “But you didn’t. Why?”

“Why does it matter?” he asked. “I’m here now.” “Is he dead?” she demanded to know. Gabriel stood and picked up the plate. His face was hard now, almost angry. “No,” he said. “He’s not dead.” “So where is he?” “I can’t say.” Casey stood and flung her chair to the side. It was a reckless move and he rounded on her. “This is your last warning,” he said. “There’s a thick leather strap hanging in the bathroom. Do one more thing to cross me and I’ll bend you over the sofa in the front room, bare your bottom and thrash you until you are screaming for mercy.” The words were delivered coldly and without a bit of hesitation. Casey’s bad temper was quickly crushed under the heaviness of the angel’s threat. He sighed. “I have to go outside and do a short sweep of the perimeter. You’ll be safe in here. Just stay inside, Casey. There are some books - not many - but there are some. I think I saw some titles on natural history and a few novels. There’s a television. No cable but the antenna does pick up a signal. Later we can take a short hike if you want, but for now…” “I know,” she said. “Stay indoors.” “Good girl,” he said, and smiled at her. It amazed her how easily he could go from strict authority figure to disarmingly charming. He pulled a black t-shirt from off the counter and donned it. Casey watched as he went out through the kitchen door. Not knowing what else to do, she dried the dishes in the kitchen sink. She’d decided not to call work. She wasn’t a good liar and knew she wouldn’t be able to explain why she was quitting. She knew she was a valuable employee and Griggs would just try to talk her out of it. If she didn’t show up he’d take care of everything. She’d just be fired. It would be a black mark on her work history but she doubted it would hurt her too much.

The television picked up two channels - both broadcasting morning news shows. A selfhelp author was on the Today show. Good Morning America featured the latest celebutante’s legal troubles. Casey switched it off and perused the bookshelf. She quickly decided the field guides would do no good to someone who was stuck in the house. The other choices were trade paperbacks - sci-fi, romance and a spy thriller. She picked up the sci-fi, thinking nothing in the plot could be as weird as what she was experiencing. She read the first page four times but could not absorb the plot. “Casey!” She put the book down, straining her ears. Had she heard her name? “Casey!” There it was again. She sat up, listening. It was a female voice. Familiar… “Casey!” It couldn’t be. How could she have found her out here? “Lou?” “Casey! Come out, girl! I’m worried about you!” Casey walked outside, expecting to see Lou’s battered Ford Taurus. But it wasn’t there. She began to feel uneasy. “Lou?” “It’s not Lou.” Gabriel was at her side. The air suddenly felt thick and heavy around them. “Didn’t I tell you to stay inside?” he said, grabbing her arm. He gave her a shake that made her feel like a chastened child. “You know they can change form.” Yes, she knew, but she wasn’t used to the concept. “Get back in the house.” He turned her and punctuated the order with a hard swat to the seat of her shorts that brought tears to her eyes. He followed her inside.

She turned on him once he shut the door. “I thought you said it would be safe here, that they wouldn’t come to where you live.” “They won’t come inside,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean they won’t try to lure you out.” “You could have warned me,” she said. “I was counting on you to figure some things out for yourself.” “You pompous bastard,” he said. “How dare you condescend to me when you apparently don’t know what’d going on any more than I do!” He dropped the blind he was looking through and turned back to her. “I warned you, Cassandra,” he said. “I warned you to behave but you have again chosen to ignore me.” He reached for her and she knew she was in for a spanking. But this time she was determined to defy him. After all, how much worse could it be? Casey dodged away from him, circling around and moving to the door before he could stop her. In a second she was opening it and was through it. “You don’t know any more than I do!” she said again, loudly, as he followed and beckoned her back. “Don’t be a little fool, Cassandra,” he said. “Come back into the house. Now.” “Not until I get answers,” she said. “Or until you admit that you are as clueless as I am!” “Bravo!” a voice said from the shadows and Lucius stepped from behind a thick oak. He looked from Casey to Gabriel. “I like her style,” he said. “I really do.” He paused. “I always did.” “Yeah, you liked her all right,” Gabriel said, his voice laced with disgust. “Liked her so much you turned your back on her. She was your responsibility, Lucius. You were given a position of honor when you were chosen to be her protector. And what do you do as soon as you find out that she’s destined for something greater? You sell her out to the Dark One for your own advancement.” Casey shook her head in disbelief and pointed at Lucius as she looked at Gabriel.

“Him?” she asked. “He is my guardian angel?” “He was,” Gabriel said. “But he betrayed you for his own benefit. He’s Fallen now, Cassandra. He’s nothing but a predator. All the good he ever did for you he’s waiting to undo. He serves a new master now..” “A better one,” Lucius said. “At least my master has shown me what is to be. Stupid Gabriel. That you don’t even know is the height of irony…” He stepped towards Casey but Gabriel blocked the way. In a flash of light Lucius doubled in size, his skin turning to a glowing black. Wings shot from his back and his face transformed from beautiful to a fierce mask. His ears enlongated, and a forked tongue snaked from between pointed teeth. Terrible to behold, Gabriel had said. And he had been right. Casey wasn’t prepared for the sight, but she was less prepared for Gabriel’s transformation. He grew in size, too, and she fell and scrambled back when he spread and beat his massive white wings. His face was still beautiful, his hair still long and glossy. But his visage was a warrior’s visage, almost primal in its concentration as he faced Lucius. The air stirred again as they flew at one another and clashed. The sound was like thunder. The ground shook. Casey screamed and turned to scramble behind a nearby oak. The clanging of their swords seemed to come from inside her head. She screamed with the pain of the noise and lay on the ground, watching in fear and awe with her hands held tightly over her ears. Lucius had managed to get Gabriel in a headlock, but Gabriel thrust his upper body forward, sending the turncoat angel into the top of a nearby pine. It snapped off like a matchstick, the top of the tree and the angel hurtled to the ground with a boom. Gabriel didn’t wait. He flew to where Lucius fell, but the dark angel was on his feet. The two clashed in midair again, their swords clashing, their muscles heaving with exertion. For the first time, Casey realized that her fate was hanging in the balance and while living under Gabriel’s rules wasn’t easy, the unknown frightened her even more. She could feel Lucius’ intent radiating from him, and it was not good. She believed Gabriel now, believed what Lucius had in store for her was worse than death. They crashed through a stand of palmetto, ripping the deep-rooted plants form the ground as they fought. Dust filled the air, which sizzled each time a blade found its mark. Gabriel had Lucius in a headlock now, but it didn’t last long. Lucius twisted his upper body and flung Gabriel to the side into an oak, which shook violently. In a flash the dark angel was

over Casey’s new protector, his sword poised over him. “NO!” Casey stood up. “Wait! Don’t kill him! I’ll go with you! I’ll do what you want!” Lucius stopped and looked at her. His eyes were glowing red. Casey swallowed the scream of fear. She could smell the hot smell of ash coming from his body. “You’d willingly relinquish your soul? You’d give it to me?” Her soul? Was that what he wanted? He was still looking at her, a cruel smile curling his lip and exposing his pointed teeth. “You would allow me to extract it slowly, exquisitely, for my own amusement? You would willingly submit to the torments I have in store. And all so your new guardian could live with the shame of knowing you rejected the protection that he criticized me for not offering?” The words terrified her, but something was guiding Casey now. As reckless as her words seemed, it felt right to say what she was about to say. “Bluff him,” something said. “Yes,” she said, her voice shaking. “I don’t want him to die. So if it’s what you want…” Lucius turned, opening his massive arms. “Come, child,” he said. Casey looked down at where Gabriel lay, limp. He could not help her now. So why was she not more afraid. She took a step. Then another. She was a meter away when Gabriel leaped to his feet and ran his sword through Lucius’ back. It went up through his heart and out. Lucius arched and screamed, his pointed tongue darting like a convulsing snake. Then his body became a heap of dust. “Good job.” Gabriel shook the dust off his sword. “Finally, you listened.” She stared at him, dumbfounded. “You wanted me to bluff him?” “It was the only way to be assured a win,” he said. “We were too equally matched. I needed an advantage, Cassandra, and you were that advantage.” He reached out and took her hand. He was normal again. It was a relief.

“Come, we have to go inside.” She took his hand. “I can go home now, right?” she asked as they entered. He locked the door and turned to her. “No,” he said. “The dark forces will not allow Lucius’ death to go unanswered. You have sealed your fate.” Casey shook her head. “No,” she said. “I won’t accept that.” “You will. And you will obey me.” He took her arm and walked to the bathroom, where the strap hung on the wall. Casey struggled as he took her to her room and pushed her facedown on the bed. It was again without preamble that he removed her shorts. The strap was far worse than his hand and he had not lied. Casey was soon screaming with pain as she paid the price of disobeying him. When he was finished her bottom was glowing a bright red and throbbing with a deep, unrelenting pain that caused her to dance from one foot to the next. “There is no room for disobedience, Cassandra,” he said. “Defiance will be dealt with. I will keep you alive.” He held her to him and her body shook with sobs as he cradled her against his chest. His shirt was soaked through with sweat. He smelled of cinnamon. The warmth of him should have been cloying on the hot day but it was not. “Ssshhh,” he said, tipping her face up to him. She looked into his eyes. They were beautiful - so beautiful. She was mesmerized, captivated. She could not move, not even when his mouth descended on hers in a kiss that was as authoritative and demanding as his other actions. “No defiance.” She heard the words in her head but knew he was speaking to her. “Submit.” She did, falling backwards on the bed and opening her legs to him, even as she whimpered pitifully when his large hands found and squeezed her sore bottom. She felt his hand travel down. A finger slipped inside of her and she screamed, arching up against him. Her nails raked his back, sliding over the protrusions that housed his wings, as his

finger withdrew and something took its place - something larger and harder than anything she could imagine. He thrust into her hard, repeatedly, unrelenting; the only thing that kept her from being propelled off the bed was his tightening grip. His body was consuming her, dominating her, claiming her. She felt like she was becoming one with him. Nothing had ever come close to the feeling he was giving her. She screamed as she came, feeling him pump his hot seed into her. Her legs clutched around him, holding him to her and in her for what seemed like forever as he filled her. When he finally relaxed his grip, she felt unusually weak and spent. Gabriel laid her gently on the bed, looking down at her with a mixture of affection and wonder. “I didn’t know,” he said. “I didn’t know or I would have told you. I promise..” “What?” she asked. “What would you have told me?” “The plan,” he said. “We are the plan. You and I…” “What?” She shook her head, trying to understand. “The sons of God came down and mated with the daughters of men…” he said, quoting a passage from Genesis that had sparked much debate among both theologians and laymen alike. “Our child,” he said, putting a hand protectively on her belly. “He will do great things.” Casey couldn’t speak. Child? She looked at him, feeling only love and happiness and peace, even though in the back of her mind something told her that this was just the beginning of what would surely be a perilous, wonderful journey. “Are you going to leave me?” she asked. “Never,” he said. “You are mine now, Cassandra. I will never let you go.” The End