Fallen: William Read online

  “I can do a limited amount of healing when I’m at full strength.” He pulled her into his arms and tucked her head under his chin. “Enough to take away most of the pain.”

  “What do you mean at full strength?”

  “God may have taken our wings but He gave us other powers to help keep our brethren in line. All of the Enforcers have some kind of power. We’re stronger than most mortals. I can disappear and reappear in a different spot. Aside from being an Enforcer, I’m also an Avenger.”

  “What’s that?”

  Rubbing his chin against her soft hair, he was quiet for a moment. “When a fallen has been captured by an Enforcer, I’m one of a few who will be called in to punish the evil one. I take away all his power and make him mortal.”

  “That isn’t so bad.”

  “Honey, to a fallen who has been a superior being since his creation, becoming mortal is a death sentence. They have no way of coping with real life. Most of them become catatonic and spend the rest of their lives in mental hospitals.” A hint of sadness sounded in his voice. “It takes me a while to get over the guilt when I do something like that.”

  “Guilt?”

  “It isn’t always right to punish someone for lashing out in anger. The demon fallen are angry and jealous over the love God has for mortals. Some of them were never able to deal with their banishment. They are the ones who let the anger get out of control. That’s when I step in and stop them. I don’t always think it’s right, but thinking is what got me into trouble in the first place.”

  “How do you get your power?”

  “That’s the most enjoyable part. Every time we have sex, I get power. Each orgasm and climax releases energy that I can use. I store it away until I need it. I was able to heal you because I’m at full power now.”

  “Isn’t that convenient?”

  He could hear the sarcasm in her voice. “Maybe in a small way God is making up for our punishment. We’re able to get some joy out of life.”

  “I certainly enjoy the methods you employ to gather your power.”

  “I do too, and it hasn’t been so much fun in years. Being with you is definitely ensuring that I’m at full power all the time.”

  “All the time, huh?” Her hand slid down his belly to stroke his hardening cock.

  “All the time, sweetheart.” He rolled over and proved it to her.

  CHAPTER NINE

  “We have a problem.” Dominic sat down at the poker table next to him.

  “What sort of problem?” He folded his hand and looked at Dominic.

  “I’ve been looking for Thompson since Abby’s attack. I can’t find him anywhere. It’s like he’s fallen off the face of the earth.” The Cajun checked his cards and bet.

  “So we should assume he’s still around and lurking somewhere. He’s waiting for another chance at her.”

  “More than likely, but there are rumors going around in certain sections of the town. The story is that a True Demon has gotten a hold of a mortal and is trying to take him over.” Dominic placed another bet.

  “Shit. That’s the one thing we don’t need right now. I should be out looking for the demon but I can’t leave her. There’s no telling what Thompson might do if given the opportunity.” He slapped the table in irritation.

  “That’s what I’m here for. This situation is probably the reason why Mika’il has been so agitated lately. Damn, the guy got me on the river.” Dominic threw his hand in.

  “If that’s what he suspected was happening, why didn’t he just say so? Why would he say she was in the middle of it?” A thought hit him and he turned to Dominic. “Do you think Thompson is the mortal that demon is trying to take over?”

  “It’s possible. I’ll keep looking. He has to show up somewhere and when he does, I’ll be there.”

  William grabbed his chips. “I’m cashing in and heading over to her table. It’s almost time for her shift to be over with.” He slapped Dominic on the shoulder. “Good luck.”

  Dominic grunted and waved him away.

  He made his way to the blackjack tables and he knew the security cameras followed his progress through the crowd. The management had watched him since the first game he played at the Golden Phoenix. They couldn’t figure out how he won so often without cheating. He imagined their horror if Dominic started playing there as well. They would break the bank in minutes.

  He noticed one of the security guards standing by Abby’s table. He knew word had finally reached her supervisors that she was seeing him. They would be keeping a close eye on her. He had told her earlier if they started harassing her, he would take care of it. She had gotten an independent gleam in her eye and told him in no uncertain terms that she would take care of the problem. She didn’t need him to take over her life. He had no interest in arguing with her, so he had agreed. What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

  When she got off her shift, he was waiting outside the employee’s door. She flung herself into his arms and kissed him. He picked her up and whirled her around. She had never had a man so casual about carrying her. She had to admit his strength was a bonus, especially when they couldn’t make it to the bed and he just had to be inside her. He would lift her and take her against the wall.

  “Why do you carry me around so much?”

  “I like you close to my heart.”

  His answer melted her and she laid her head on his chest where she could hear his heartbeat. It stuttered and then picked up speed. She realized he was reacting to her being close to him. Looping her arms around his neck, she didn’t let him set her down. He looked at her and she saw the yearning in his eyes. It wasn’t just sex that he wanted from her. She was afraid to face what else he might want.

  Could she take the chance that he wouldn’t break her heart? Was it possible to believe that he loved her? God, she wasn’t good enough for him and once he figured that out, he’d leave her. How would she survive it? She heard her heart begin to beat in time with his. She was beginning to be swallowed up by him. She had watched her mother live as a shadow that only came alive when her father came home. Panic swelled in her. He almost dropped her when she pushed against his chest.

  “I need to be alone.” She dug in her purse for her keys.

  “Wrong answer. I’m not leaving you alone until we know for sure where Thompson is.”

  “He isn’t here anymore. He’s probably moved to Vegas. I need time away from you, William. You’ve totally overwhelmed my life. I should have known that would happen when I said yes to you.”

  “I’m not trying to take over your life. If I wanted to, I could do it without a word of protest from you. You’re running scared and it doesn’t suit you.”

  “Doesn’t suit me? How do you know what suits me and what doesn’t? I’m the only one who does and you can’t make decisions for me.”

  “What decision have I tried to make for you? What’s wrong?”

  “You’re crowding me. I can’t breathe and I need time to think about everything. So please, leave me alone tonight.”

  He stepped back and glared at her. “Ok, I’ll follow you home.” He held up a hand to stop her protest. “I didn’t say I would stay. I’m following you home to make sure no one else does and then I’ll leave you alone. Thompson isn’t gone and I’m afraid he’s waiting for another moment like this one.”

  She didn’t say goodbye as she climbed into her car. She saw him standing in the same spot she had left him in her rear view mirror. How was he going to follow her home if he let her get that far ahead of him? It didn’t matter right then. All that mattered was the need she had to get away from him and think. She concentrated on driving until she pulled into her driveway. She unlocked her front door and turned to see William drive off.

  She couldn’t believe the sense of sadness and loneliness she felt knowing she wouldn’t be sleeping in his arms that night. She realized just how much he had become a part of her life as she moved through the rooms of her house. She could smell a faint hi
nt of his cologne throughout the rooms. In her kitchen, the coffee mug he always used was sitting on the counter where he had left it that morning. The novel he was in the middle of reading lay face down on her coffee table. In her bedroom, his clothes were folded neatly on the chair in the corner. Tears welled up in her eyes as she got ready for bed. She slipped under the covers and curled up around the pillow he always used. Fighting the tears, she was determined there was no way she was going to cry over him.

  * * * *

  She jerked awake and stared up at the ceiling. It had taken longer than normal for her to get to sleep because William wasn’t there to share her bed. She rolled over and closed her eyes. The loose board in her hallway creaked. It only did that when someone stepped on it. She felt her pulse start to race. She knew it wasn’t William. He wouldn’t have broken his promise to her about staying away from her tonight. A scraping sounded right outside her door.

  “William,” she whispered, wishing there was some way she could call him for help.

  A slight flash of light and William was standing beside her bed. She stared at him in surprise. Her eyes shot from him over to where the door was starting to open. She wanted to cry out when a black clad figure slid into the room. She felt William’s hand touch her shoulder for a second before he moved to meet the intruder.

  “Thompson, we were wondering where you had gotten to.” William spoke as the lights came on.

  Thompson stood blinking in the sudden brightness. She was shocked to see the man. His clothes were ragged and dirty. His hair hung in greasy clumps over his mud-streaked face. There was nothing to remind her of the sleek lounge lizard he had been. His eyes focused on her and she shivered at the intense look of hatred and lust burning in them. Without acknowledging William, the man headed towards her bed.

  William reached out trying to grab the man’s arm as he went by. Thompson spun out of the way and turned to hiss at him. William’s face registered surprise before his eyes narrowed and he studied the man. William had studied everything there was to know about Thompson and his instincts were telling him this wasn’t the millionaire. It was Thompson’s body but the spirit inside was a totally different entity.

  He started to weave a net from his power. He didn’t want Thompson to harm Abby before he could stop him. Tossing the net out, he watched in amazement as the man dodged it and raced towards the bed.

  “Stop.” He threw up a wall of power blocking Thompson from her.

  Thwarted in his attempt to grab her, the man spun around and snarled at William. His eyes turned a deep red and his teeth lengthened to fangs. The creature looking out of Thompson’s eyes was not human.

  Shit. Dominic, I’m in trouble here. William threw out a line to the other Enforcer.

  What’s wrong? Dominic’s voice sounded instantly in his head.

  I’ve found Thompson, or more truthfully, he found Abby. I think I know who that True Demon was after.

  Shit is right. I’ll be there shortly.

  As quick as you possibly can because I don’t think I can take this one on my own.

  The power emanating from the demon rolled in waves over him. He wasn’t at full strength either because he had been hiding his presence from Abby. The creature leapt at him and he barely had enough time to get out of the way. He felt the burning of its breath and smelled the awful stench of its body. He hated fighting True Demons because they never understood they couldn’t win. He always ended up feeling like he was beating up a stupid animal that didn’t know any better.

  Stupid animal might be an apt description of them, but don’t forget they are cunning and dangerous in a different way than our brethren. They will try to survive at any cost to them. Our brethren will run before they allow themselves to be hurt in any way.

  Why aren’t you here? Thompson missed his body by inches the second time. He saw the claws transforming the man’s hands into lethal weapons. This demon is strong enough to change the body he’s using.

  I’m not at full power and I don’t want to use what little I do have by transporting myself. I’m only minutes away.

  Those might be minutes I don’t have. He felt the sting as one of the claws caught his arm.

  That wasn’t good. Make sure it doesn’t spread.

  He could feel a tingling already starting to move up and down his arm from the wound. True Demons had a poison on their claws that could paralyze him if he didn’t take care of it. He took a little bit of his power and created a tourniquet to stop the poison from traveling. Thompson was heading towards him again. He threw out his fist and landed a solid punch to the man’s stomach. The demon’s fetid breath washed over his face making him gag.

  “She’s mine.”

  “No, she isn’t.” He slammed another punch to its face. Blood spurted from the nose and dripped on the floor where it left burn marks. He felt the skin on his hand start to burn.

  He glanced towards the bed to see if Abby was still okay. He felt an anxious jolt when he saw the empty bed. Where had she gone? Another swipe of claws caught his attention. He knew he couldn’t let her disappearance distract him. He would need all of his wits to keep both of them alive.

  Another punch to the head didn’t seem to make any difference to the creature. He knew the demon didn’t care if the body housing it was destroyed, it would go out and get a new one. He swung a roundhouse kick to its leg and drove into the kneecap. The leg buckled and the demon lurched. A vase crashed over its head. William felt his eyes widen and his heart jump when Abby appeared behind the demon. She had crept up and hit the thing on the head. Weaving, it swiped at the blood running down its face.

  It whipped around, reaching out to grab her. He threw his arms around its body while he ignored all the burns caused by the blood. He couldn’t let it take her. Dominic appeared in the room and pulled her out of the way while facing the demon. William let it go and moved to Dominic’s side, placing their bodies between her and the creature.

  “I’ll not fight the both of you.” It pointed a clawed finger at Abby. “The girl is mine and I’ll get her someday.”

  “Over our dead bodies.”

  “That can be arranged.” The demon disappeared in a haze of sulfuric smoke.

  William turned to look at Abby. Backed into a corner of the room, she was shivering and her eyes were filled with tears. He took her into his arms and held her tight, trying to make her feel safe. He ignored the twinges of pain she caused as she ran her hands over his arms and up his shoulders to wrap around his neck. Dominic allowed them a few moments of comforting each other, then he touched William’s shoulder.

  “We need to get your wounds taken care of. True Demon’s blood is almost as deadly to our kind as the poison on their claws.”

  Dominic led the couple into Abby’s kitchen. Earthenware bottles and towels appeared on the table. He gestured for William to take a seat. She sat in the chair next to him not letting go of his hand. He knew she was scared but she was handling her fear well. Not many mortals had run-ins with True Demons and it could be a terrorizing experience. He hissed as Dominic poured some liquid on the burns.

  “This is a distilled mixture of belladonna and opium.” Dominic touched a damp towel to the large cut on his arm.

  “Isn’t belladonna deadly?” she asked, not taking her eyes off of William’s wounds.

  “It is to mortals. For reasons I haven’t been able to figure out, belladonna is a healing agent for fallen angels. Our cell structure is different so it might help us break down the poison differently. I’m an herbalist, not a doctor. All I know about any healing comes from trial and error.”

  “Why don’t you just heal yourself like you did me the other night?”

  “First, I’m not at full strength. That fight depleted me pretty much to empty. Secondly, wounds by True Demons can’t be healed using our power. It was the same when we were angels. Maybe God’s trying to even the playing field a little bit by giving them this advantage over us.” William drew in a breath as Dominic clea
ned a particularly deep burn.

  “So what was that thing? I know it looked like Thompson, but that wasn’t the same man that harassed me.”

  “It was and it wasn’t. When a True Demon possesses a mortal, it takes over the body. It will dig into the mortal’s mind and find old hatreds or obsessions, like Thompson’s for you, and use them to cause pain. So there are pieces of the mortal still left in the body, but mostly it’s just the demon running things.” William watched as Dominic closed all the bottles and then made them disappear.

  “What’s a True Demon?”

  He pulled her on to his lap and hugged her close. “A True Demon is a creature that has been around as long as there have been angels. The balance of nature demanded that if there were to be beings of ultimate good then there must be some of ultimate evil, so True Demons were created as counterparts of angels. Before the Fall, we would fight them because it is our nature to abhor evil. After the Fall, there were far more fallen preying on mortals than True Demons, so the Enforcers focused on them. We have to or nature would become unbalanced and destruction would follow. The True Demons still cause trouble and we take care of them when we can, but we tend to ignore them if they aren’t directly involved in our problems.” He looked at Dominic over her head.

  Thank you.

  Dominic smiled and nodded. You’re welcome. Take your woman to bed. I’ll keep watch the rest of the night. You need to sleep off the effects of the poison and the belladonna.

  One of us should notify Mika’il about this.

  I’m sure he already knows, but I’ll tell him anyway. It looks better if it seems we are cooperating with him.

  You’re right. I’ll talk to you later on in the morning.

  I’ll be here.

  He stood up and carried Abby to her bed. The burns on the carpet had been taken care of. He laid her down and covered her up. She grabbed his hands as he started to pull away.

  “Don’t leave me.” Her eyes held fear.

  “You didn’t want me here to begin with. I won’t force myself on you just because you’re scared.”