Outskirts of Tortilla Flat, ArizonaDr. Brody Chappo did not wait for anything. Not for his supper, not for the phone to ring, and certainly not for his goons to come with his most prized possession. He’d spent the better part of two months digging in Germany, looking for the ancient Goddess Sirona, and he’d found her, only to have her stolen from his grasp by a no-good sleazeball of a lout. Jared Sikes was his name until he disappeared with her about a year and a half ago. Now, his name was mud.The trail had run cold for a while until his search came up with another name—Serena Sikes, Jared’s sister. Luckily for him, she owned a Jeep tour business and had a website for it, giving him full access to phone numbers and addresses. She couldn’t have made it easier if she’d tried. But then he hit another brick wall when he found out she’d taken some kind of leave from the business.It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that one of his goons saw her in town again. Dr. Chappo had immediately writ
Serena looked like her name implied, calm and serene. By the time Raphael had cleaned up his shattered mess in the kitchen and returned to the living room, she’d dozed off. He sat in the winged chair opposite the couch and watched her as he would a sunset, with awe and wonder. How could one appear so fragile and yet possess such fortitude? She’s a mystery, a puzzle begging to be solved. But should I be the one to attempt it?There were no easy answers, except to take each day one at a time. He would first let her heal and get to know her. Serena, that is. After all, he didn’t have a clue into her life. What he did understand, he was drawn to her like no other. He suspected a part of that had to do with how closely she resembled Sirona. But Serena didn’t know it, and everything she said, every move she made, he supposed, was uniquely hers, uniquely Serena. Or was it? Maybe her very essence was inexorably tied to Sirona’s soul, so that the two coexisted without knowing one from the othe
“If you think this is best, okay. Oh, about your home, Serena; you don’t have to worry. Everyone from work spent time over there fixing up the place since we knew you’d be coming home soon. We felt you shouldn’t have to come home and see any reminders of the attack.”“God bless you! I want you to know that if the big man upstairs hears me at all, you and everyone at work are the most blessed people on the planet! I’ll see you soon.”Callie laughed heartily while Serena tried not to. It hurt too much.She dreaded the confrontation once Raphael got wind of her change of plans. If he wasn’t in the foulest mood right now, this would surely do it. But this is my life, my decision. If there is danger to be had, I will face it alone and deal with the consequences. I’ve taken care of myself and others for so long that alone is what I’m used to anyway. And besides, I’m pretty good at it. She’d
Serena watched dumbfounded as Callie shoved the gorgeous behemoth out of the way to get to the guest bedroom.“Saucy wench! I think I’m in love, Raf,” Kemuel retorted with a wicked grin.Before she left, Callie winked at her and smiled. Raphael rushed over to help ease her onto a kitchen chair. He took the phone from her grasp. “Hey, how are you feeling? I hope we didn’t disturb you.”At first, she sat there in shock, numb. Raphael is here? Why is he here? And my girlfriend is not only safe, but has literally scolded two mammoth-sized men in my kitchen.“I’m just curious,” Raphael said while waving her phone around. “How exactly did you plan on using this to save Callie, and in your condition?”“Well, I thought I’d….” She tried to justify her actions and raised her hands instead in defeat. “Jesus, Raphael, I don’t know. I don’t know what I&r
People were idiots. Given the right incentive, Bull knew they’d sell out their families. It just so happened that Gertrude McFadden, volunteer at the information desk of the hospital, was in dire need of a new tire for her car. How did Bull know this? Well, he’d done some research and found out the name of said volunteer on duty. He watched her arrive for her shift and slashed one of them for her. Then, he walked into the hospital and up to the information desk, with a wig, mustache, and false teeth as a disguise. He poured on the charm he never knew he had.“Excuse me, ma’am. I parked next to a car in the lot out front and noticed one of the tires is slashed. I wrote down the license plate number. I thought maybe you could get the word out to whoever owns the vehicle. Here it is.” Bull handed the slip of paper to her.“Why thank you, sir. How kind of you to take time out to do this. Let me take a look here and I’ll…. Wa
“Serena, sweetheart. I’m here. You’re safe.” He could see her squinting and blinking, her eyes trying to find something to focus on and coming up empty. Being an angel, he had no trouble seeing in darkness. Right now, he didn’t see his goddess. He saw a broken woman holding onto a tenuous thread of sanity.“Raphael?” Serena gasped and reached out, groping the air for him. It’s one thing to show bravado in the daylight, but now he knew her to be a fraud. And in the darkness he could see how terribly vulnerable she really felt.“Raphael, help me, please,” she whispered franticly, swiping fruitlessly at her tears. “I’m so frightened! He’s coming for me, I know it. They’re all coming for me, and I’m going to die. Oh God, Raphael, I don’t want to die!”Promises be damned, Raphael went to her quickly and enveloped her in his arms of pure angelic power and strength. She clung to him with a viselike grip, her cheeks soaked with tears, her body trembling furiously. He kissed her hair, sending
Not until midmorning did Raphael and Serena finally make their way back to the safe house.“Emma will be coming by later,” he told her while he prepared for the return trip. He set her carefully in the car and closed the door. “She’s our Great Savior Mother. She can heal you, and you’ll be right as rain again.” He jumped in his side, and they were off.“Okay. But you’ve told me you’re a Savior, and you said that Saviors heal people. Why don’t you heal me?”She had been trying to absorb everything he’d been telling her all morning, but it was a daunting task, to let go of all she thought she knew to be true of this world and simply accept another truth in its place.There were angels on earth! They were here to fight against evil and protect and heal the human race. Raphael was one of ten immortals, called the Brethren. For the purposes of blending in with society, most had regular job
Raphael quickly escorted her to the couch. He feels so good, so solid with his arms strong around my waist. The mere touch of his hand gave her the confidence she needed to maintain her composure, as though it was normal to have angels and immortals as friends.But how did one carry on a regular conversation? What did one say exactly? So, how long have you been immortal? Who’ve been your picks for the Super Bowl since…its inception? Lord, but she didn’t have a clue. Things were different with Raphael; they already had a connection, but the others…. She looked at him and squeezed his hand. He gave her a smile that numbed her fears and warmed her heart.“Relax, sweetheart. I know what you’re thinking. But we’re people, too, with normal lives, as you can see. Forget about what we are for now and concentrate on who we are. We’re people with family and friends and jobs, and we’re here to help you.”“