Heaven and Hell (Beautiful Beings, #2) (5 page)

Moore, I realized with a smile.  His lap pillowed my head while his fingers played wickedly soothing games on my scalp, rendering my lids heavy every time I tried to pry them open.

I cleared my throat of sleep.  “Have I been out long?”

“Not too bad.”

I sat up, shaking the grogginess away.  “Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. It was really rather nice.  Watching you, so peaceful. You seemed far away, caught on a pleasant dream. You smiled, more than once. It was angelic.”

“Really?” I ran a skeptical hand through my hair, my gaze doubting his every word.

“Really. Darkness seemed to fade away without my need to fight it when you’re around. I can’t remember the last time I felt so calm, so at peace.”

“Good.  I’m happy to hear it.”

“You know, Lux, if I could change the past, I would.” He reached out a finger to softly trace my left cheek.

I harrumphed.  I didn’t really want to get into it again, but my anger quickly grew. “This isn’t some small error in judgment, Moore.  It’s not like your sister stole my lunch money or threw ketchup on my blouse.  She tried to kill me. She killed Dr. Kingsley… with her own bare hands. And you were right there with her.”

“Hey.”  He stiffened and sat up straight.

“I know,” I said. “I know.  You didn’t actually have a hand in killing him, but you were there, you knew what she intended to do and you let her.  She has you doing whatever she wants and she’s in complete control.”

“I have some control, too, and I’ll prove it to you, Lux.  I’ll change.  I’ll take full control and rid myself of the demons.  Shayne’s the one who wanted to get an angel, to get Asher, and a part of me was on board with her, but a great part didn’t want to follow through.”

“She still didn’t have to kill Dr. Kingsley.”

“I know.”  He nodded, his head heavy with remorse.

“It was just plain malice.”

“I know.  I hate that things turned out that way… you have no idea. I’m going to spend the rest of my days trying to make it up.” Staring at the floor, he kicked repeatedly at the carpeted floor, his face ridden with guilt.

“We have to find a way to break this curse,” I said.

He brought his gaze to me as a slow and reluctantly triumphant grin cracked his face.  “You’ll help me?”

“I’ll see.”  I wasn’t yet prepared to commit.

He reached for my hand. “There’s a light in you, Lux, so bright. It glows and radiates from you, warm and so appealing.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it.

No one had ever spoken to me in such a way, not even Lothario or Samuel.

“I knew about you.  Before I even laid eyes on you, I knew you were out there.  I knew you’d come for me, come to save me.  When I first saw you, so strong, fierce and so unbelievably beautiful, I wanted to kick myself for what I was.  I wanted to simply be a man, facing a woman, and love her.  But I’m cursed, through no fault of my own, I am what my parents made me, and I’m becoming something I dread. I need to free myself of this… and fast.”

“Before you meet the same fate as your parents.”

He nodded, and for the first time I saw fear in his eyes.

“But, hey, on the bright side, it gives me even more reason to be with you. Whether we find Brax or not, I know this will be a bonding experience for us both.

Taken in by his hopefulness and optimism, I smiled wistfully.  “Speaking of Brax, do you have any idea what happened to his parents?”

“He said they’d disappeared; something about some paranormal investigations.  I’d heard they were experienced experts in the spiritual world; anything and everything having to do with demons and angels.”

“Were they human?”

“As far as I know, yeah.  They just had an affinity for the paranormal.”

“If they had such great affinity, why’d they disappear?”

He shrugged.  “I don’t really know.  Could be anything.  It’s a dangerous realm to work in.”  He glanced at me with a cocked brow.  “As I’m sure you already know.”

I grinned, remembering the many hazards and dangers I’d encountered over the years.

“A realm so perilous,” he went on.  “That my parents couldn’t even fight it.”

“I’m sorry.” I shook my head regrettably and squeezed his hand.  “How awful to lose your parents while still so young.  It’s unimaginably tragic.  I can’t fathom what it must be like.”  I thought of my own parents, alive and vibrant, virtually untouched by the world that so consumed my life.

I gazed at Moore, wondering how much Brax was like him and his sister.  Living with the loss of his parents, he must have been tortured by it as well.  They all had opulent upbringings, rich and easy childhoods.

My gaze wandered around the plane’s interior.  It was almost obscene how luxurious everything was, and dinner… It had been worthy of a five star restaurant, served on fine china, and eaten with glistening silverware.  We’d drunk from crystal stemware and had daintily wiped our lips with linen napkins; no plastic forks or paper plates on this flight.

I turned to Moore, beautiful, his soulful eyes alternating between wickedly sensual and surprisingly angelic. He was truly breathtaking, as perfect as Michelangelo. Just as perfect as Brax was.

But, at least Moore had someone to share this journey with, he had a sibling, though it was hard to say whether that was a blessing or a curse.

The boy in my dream came to me suddenly, vivid in his need of me, in his desire to be saved, but utterly vague and obscured to the eye.  He was unrecognizable.  Before I could do anything, I had to find out who that boy was; who I was supposed to save.

“We should be arriving shortly,” Moore said.  “You still have some time to get a good night’s sleep.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ll go have a word with the pilot, make sure everything’s on track and then I’ll take a little snooze myself.”

The moment he rose, I stretched out on the sofa and slept soundly.  It seemed hours later when I stirred to the buzz of distant conversation, to the pilot announcing our approach to Heathrow and Moore gently pushing my shoulder, urging me to full wakefulness.

“Sorry to wake you, princess, but we have to strap ourselves in one last time.”

“Sure.” I got to my feet, groggy, but solid and headed to the passenger seats.

Belting myself in, my stomach growled its need to be fed.

Moore smiled.  “Of course, we do have a quick moment for breakfast.”

He rose and headed for the galley, returning moments later with a tantalizing tray of fresh fruit and a variety of pastries.  He also had two steaming cups of coffee.

Setting the tray down with an awkward clatter, he gazed sheepishly at me.  “Sorry, I’m not as adept with service trays as Suzanne is.  Seeing how she’s detained at the moment, I thought I’d step in and give it a try.”

“Detained?” I looked back to find the flight attendant slumped over the last passenger seat at the rear.  My hunter instincts immediately kicked in as I unlashed my seatbelt and rushed to her side.  One quick glance at the peaceful curve of her lips and the relaxed shutter of her eyes and I knew I’d overreacted.  She was simply asleep.

Turning to the front of the plane, I caught Moore’s pained expression.

“You seemed surprised to find her sleeping.  What did you expect?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?  For suspecting the worst of me?”

“I know you’re fighting this, Moore, but that doesn’t mean you won’t slip up and do something bad.”

“You thought I’d drained her soul, didn’t you?”

“It’s what I’m trained to look out for, Moore.  And you know full well that you have the capacity to do it, too.”

He stared at me, his eyes dark with confusion and hurt.

“I’ll even bet you thought about it, didn’t you?” I approached him, my gaze never leaving his.

His eyes darted away with guilty speed.

“Didn’t you?”

He slowly nodded. “But the important thing is I didn’t act on that thought.  Surely that’s worth something.”

It was. I chewed on my lip, fighting the urge to rake my fingers through his hair and reassure him.  He seemed so utterly distraught, so earnest in his desire to beat the curse he was born with. I looked up at him, my eyes full on him. “I’ll have to keep an eye on you, don’t I?”

Moore gave me a small smile. “Better you than anyone else.”

The pilot announced the need to be seated and buckled up.  Moore gestured to the seats and I dutifully sat down, belting myself in once again.

For a long moment we sat in silence, picking at the pieces of fruits he’d brought.

“I’m happy you didn’t do anything to Suzanne.  I guess it must take a lot of willpower to control your urges.”  I reached over to grasp his forearm.  “I’m sorry I suspected you, but I really am happy with your show of restraint.”

He took my hand and immediately brought it to his lips.  “I meant every word I said about my combat with this and I will spend every minute of every hour proving it to you.”

Averting his gaze, I pulled my hand free and reached for a croissant.  The emotions that suddenly filled me were far too intense, far too deep and I feared love would actually appear in my eyes should I look at him.  I wasn’t ready; not yet.

“I’ll help you,” I said through bites of my croissant.  I knew the weight of my emotions clung heavily to every word.

“I’d be forever grateful.” He leaned closer and kissed my cheek; a sweet kiss that lingered and promised. I knew he wanted to kiss more than my cheek, but he held back, gazing at me with his soft eyes.

The wealth of emotions I’d been struggling with took on mammoth proportions.  My head spun, my heart pounded and my palms moistened.

“It’s so good, being this close to you.”

“Moore, I’m not really sure what I want right now.”

Confusion veiled the approaching earth as I looked out the window at British soil.  With barely a bump, we arrived in London.

Chapter 5

A
fter thanking the crew for a perfect flight and confirming our return departure, we left the elegance of the Global Express and got into the regal limousine that awaited us.  The thirty minute drive was filled with trivial facts and fascinating stories as Moore pointed out various buildings of interest. Within what seemed like mere minutes we pulled up in front of The Savoy and were ushered to our room.

“Welcome to your weekend abode,” Moore said as he pushed the door to our suite open.

The suite was an experience in itself.  Large enough to fit a good sized family, it was tastefully decorated in Edwardian style and overlooked the courtyard.  I was instantly enchanted. 

“And, as you can see,” Moore said as he headed to the door on the left. “This is my room.” He crossed the span of the gracious living space and opened the door on the right.  “Your room.”

“This really is something.”  I was almost afraid to enter. Everything screamed don’t touch and definitely don’t break, or you’ll pay dearly.

“If you want to freshen up, shower, what have you, the bathroom is over there.  When you're ready we can have a real bite to eat at the River Restaurant downstairs, but we can take a quick walk before lunch and take in a few sights on the way.”

“And what’s this?” My fingers ran over the edge of a small envelope propped up against the lamp on the end table.  Moore’s name was elegantly written on it.

“Why don’t you open it and see?” he suggested, a mischievously boyish grin on his face.

Picking up the envelope, I gazed at him, hiding my childish enthusiasm.  “But this has your name on it.”

His smile broadened.

I flicked open the flap and pulled out two tickets.  “What is it?”

“I don’t know.  What do they say?”

“Anne Boleyn, at the Shakespeare Globe Theater.”

“Hmmm, who’s that?” he said with a comical grin.

“You who knows everything about England.  It’s Henry VIII’s second wife, silly.”

“That sounds like the making for an interesting play.  I certainly hope they’re good seats.”

I hid my excitement.  I was thrilled at the thought of seeing an English play.

After a luxuriously long hot shower, I slipped on the pretty cocktail dress that fit like a silk glove and we headed down to the River Restaurant for a cozy and tasty lunch.  I wanted to weep as I took the last bite of my peach melba.  “This is absolutely delicious. I never thought anything could be so yummy.”

He raised his eyebrows and leaned in, his mouth so close to my ear, his breath felt like a kiss. “I know quite a few things even yummier.” His eyes were dark and full of desire. He took a deep breath, ran his hand through his thick wavy hair and said,“I’m sorry, Lux, I didn’t mean to… you’re so beautiful in that dress, and the lighting…”

I patted his hand. “It’s okay, Moore. I like it when you notice what I wear.” I smiled. “I have to admit, it feels good when a man appreciates everything about a woman.”