Blood of Dragons (17 page)

I do not even offer to create the shelter for Kallen and myself.  Isla has created a small shelter that is clearly separated down the middle to eliminate any possibility of touching Garren in her sleep.  Kallen is not quite as extreme.  I may be inside it but it is still Xandra’s body.  He will not take any chances that something happens to it.

When the shelter is created, it blends perfectly into the forest.  It looks like nothing more than a clump of dead branches and brush.  I crawl inside of the tight space after Kallen and marvel that we both fit.  Then I remember I am in a body almost half the size of my normal one.  With this body, we can not only both be in here but we can do it without touching in the slightest.

When I’m situated, I sit back against the shelter and marvel at a feeling I never have when I’m not Fallen.  I am sleepy.  I had not realized it while we were walking but now I find that I can barely keep my eyes open.  Since conversation between Kallen and me is nowhere on the horizon, I let my eyes close and it does not take long to fall under the spell of sleep.

Chapter 21 – Xandra

With Kallen gone, Raziel’s cave feels too lonely.  I have to get out of here.  Sitting down on the bed again, I search for some sort of hint as to where Raziel’s home is among the Angels.  Nothing.  Not even a hint seeping into my mind.  That’s just annoying.

Finally, I’m struck with a great idea.  I close my eyes and focus.  When I open them, I’m standing face to face with Adriel.  I’m pretty sure I startled her but she’s trying not to let it show.  We’re standing in front of the door to the Shadow realm.  A slight chill runs down my spine at the thought of being anywhere near it.

“Hello Raziel,” she says somewhat tentatively.

“Nope, still me in here,” I say with a sigh.

Adriel shakes her head.  “This is very disconcerting.  Why are you here?”

I give her a sour look.  “Thanks for the warm welcome.”

She becomes sheepish.  “Sorry, it is just not normal for an Archangel to appear like you just did.”

Great.  I’m still committing Angel faux pas.  “I need your help.”

Adriel puts her hands on her hips.  “I thought you were going to visit me from time to time just to see me.  Not only when you need my help.”

I raise my eyebrows and then look down my body and back up to her.  “Well, I’d love to do that.  But I would rather do it when I’m in my own body.”  Is it my fault that disasters follow me wherever I go?  I’m not even going to mentally answer that.  I don’t think I’d like the answer.

She sighs.  “I guess your current situation is a little pressing.”

“
A little pressing?
  Did you take a course in underreacting to situations or something?”

Her hands are back on her hips as she narrows her eyes in my direction.  “You certainly do not sound like one who is about to ask something of me.”

My turn to feel sheepish.  She is an Angel, after all.  They see, and do, strange things all the time.  Maybe this isn’t the craziest thing she’s ever seen.  I bet it still ranks up there in the top ten, though.  “Sorry.”

Making an ‘out with it’ gesture with her hand, I get to the reason I came to her.  “I need to know where Raziel lives.  Whenever I think of going home, I think about my homes instead of his.”

Adriel chuckles and shakes her head.  “You always ask the strangest things.”

“Why is it strange to ask where Raziel lives?”

She tilts her head.  “You really know nothing of our lives, do you?”

It would be wrong to lie to a friend.  “Nope.”

“The Archangels reside in the garden on the other side of the commons.”

“Thanks, that was helpful.”  Okay, I’m just a tad bit rude at the moment.  I look at her narrowed eyes and say, “Sorry again.  I’m just exhausted and still freaking out about this whole thing.”

To my surprise, Adriel smiles kindly.  “I am impressed you have made it this long without going crazy.”

I snort.  “Don’t be too impressed, I’m quickly on my way to it.”

“Come, have a seat,” she says, pointing to a bench that just magically appeared next to her.  I follow her lead and sit down.  “Why do you think this happened?”

I sigh.  “Kallen told me that Raziel thinks it happened because he was so miserable about me marrying Kallen.”

Adriel’s eyebrows knit together.  “What a mess Raziel has made of things.”

I cock my head to the side.  “Are you supposed to talk about Archangels like that?”

She gives me a sour look.  “You say that as if you are not thinking the very same thing.”

I smile.  “True.”  I lean my head back against the bench.  “I don’t understand why he did all of this.  I mean, I’m grateful that he saved me from such an unhappy existence but it’s like he hasn’t really let me go.”

Adriel nods.  “That seems to be true.  I believe he misjudged his ability to commit to the choice he made.”

“Which leaves me right smack in the middle of the whole thing.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“It sucks.”  I turn my head far enough to see her and she has an expectant look on her face.  I sigh and sit back up.  “I don’t know.  I have these memories now about how Raziel and I would have been.”  I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.  Adriel tries to hide a smile.  She fails.

“It is interesting to hear you say that as a bad thing.  Most female Angels would love to have those memories in their heads.”

I raise my now heavier brow.  “You included?”

It’s her turn to blush.  “Archangels do not choose mates among Angels.”  But it sounds like she would like it if they did.  At least, if Raziel did.

I shake my head.  “Mates.  You sound like you’re talking about pandas in a zoo.”

She shrugs.  “Angels do not look at things the same way that humanoids do.”

“What does that mean?”

She takes a minute to find the right words.  “It means that the coming together of two bodies is such a small part of being a soul mate of another.  It is the meeting of minds that makes things last and provides the fodder for being partners for eternity.”

I look at her suspiciously.  “And the thought of having sex with this body,” I wave my hands up and down my new physique, “does nothing for you?”

I’m happy to see her blush again.  “Nothing.”

“I see that.”

She gives me a sour look.  “You were wondering where the Archangels reside?”

Guess she doesn’t like the direction this conversation was going.  “Yes.”  I stand up and look around but there’s not really much to see.  The door to the Shadow world and a lot of nothing else.  “Where are we?”

“Shadow realm.  It’s pretty blah on this side of the door you can see,” Adriel says standing up as well.  She holds her hand out to me.  “Here, I will bring you to where you want to be.”

I sigh in relief and take her hand.  “Thank you, I’m exhausted.”

In the blink of an eye, literally, we’re back at the commons that she was talking about earlier.  It’s where I started off when I first became Raziel.  I feel like I've gone around in a big, stupid circle.

“If you go through there you’ll find what you are looking for,” Adriel says, pointing to an archway at the end of the commons.  The kind smile is back on her face.  “Good luck, Xandra.  I hope this is resolved soon but if you need my help again, you know how to find me.”

I give her a quick hug which makes her uncomfortable and causes the Angels around us to stare.  Yup, another Angel faux pas.  I’m just racking them right up.  “Thank you,” I say stepping back from her.  She nods and disappears.

I try not to grimace as I turn to face the other Angels.  I walk forward as I try to pretend I know what I’m doing and where I’m going.  Fortunately, the Angels make a path for me just like they did earlier and they unknowingly show me the way.  If any of them try to talk to me, I’ve decided I’m just going to ignore them.  Ray said that Raziel is moody a lot so hopefully they’ll just think I’m feeling down.

I walk through the archway and everything has changed.  There is no longer a constant chatter to be heard like in the commons.  It’s silent.  Silent and serene.  There is serenity on this side that is greater than anything else I have ever felt.  It feels like I could lie down on the plush grass and roll around in it; covering my skin with its scent and scrubbing away my negative feelings.  Sort of like taking a serenity bath.  I’m not going to do it but it sure is tempting.  My ‘woe is me’ thoughts feel like they’re leaking out of my ears and being chased down my skin to the ground. 

My thoughts are interrupted by a moving shadow I see out of the corner of my eye.  I turn in that direction and see an Angel I have never met before.  I suspect I don’t want to meet him now.  There’s something different about him.  Something that makes the serenity slither off my skin and take off in the opposite direction.

His hair is black and silky looking but that doesn’t seem right.  From the expression on his pale face which is pulled up into a rather impressive sneer, it seems like he should have greasy hair slicked back from his forehead.  His body is like any other male Angel body.  Perfection.  If you like the tall, dark and handsome look.  Um, like Kallen.  This guy is definitely not like Kallen, though.  The air around him seems to hiss.  I can almost see the air molecules trying to shy away from him.  If
air
doesn’t like him, I’m positive I won’t.

“Raziel, you should be tending to your flock.  You know how restless they get when they cannot admire your beauty.”

Jerk.  “I am taking the day off.”

I’m pretty sure his laugh has left a layer of slime on me.  I have to catch myself before I start trying to rub it off.  “You, take time off?  Are you trying to grow a sense of humor?  If so, this is the garden to do it in I suppose.”

“Are you always such an ass?” I ask.  Oops.  The surprised look on his face tells me that he’s not used to Raziel saying things like that.