Sanctuary

“Hello Chad,” Evey’s soft voice called over to him.

Chad looked out the passenger window and smiled, “Hey Evey.” He got out of the car and walked over to her driver’s side door. When her window rolled down, he leaned against it pretending he was actually talking to a person, although his gaze was focused on the lit up dash. “How are you doing?”

“When you look this lovely, it’s hard not to feel good,” Evey answered making Chad’s smile widen.

“I can’t argue with that logic,” Chad said running his hand across her roof.

“Trevor left the key to the front door in my dash,” she opened the passenger door. “It’s all yours.”

Chad stepped back when the door came ajar then slid in the front seat to open the glove compartment. “How’s Trevor doing?”

Evey sighed, “I’m afraid Trevor isn’t here… he said something about letting off some steam by kicking some bad guy butt.”

Chad frowned, that sounded like Trevor but why didn’t he take Evey?

“Why aren’t you with him?” he asked putting a voice to his curiosity.

“He said he needed to be alone for a while,” Evey answered. “He’s upset because he’s afraid the conflict between him and Devon will upset Envy and cause her to lose the baby.”

Chad shook his head, “I don’t think it’ll come to that. Both of them are hard headed but they’d never intentionally hurt Envy.”

“He loves her,” Evey said sounding almost sad.

Chad nodded, “Yeah, I know.”

“So instead of thinking about Devon, he’s gone to take his pain out on something else?” Evey wanted clarification of the mystery of human nature. The more she learned the more curious she became.

“Why didn’t you follow him?” Chad asked avoiding her question. He had a feeling he knew which team Evey was on when it came to the two men.

“My scanners can only track him when he’s in human form. Trevor knows that and wanted to give me the slip. Before he left, he transformed into an owl and flew away,” Evey explained.

Chad retrieved the apartment key out of the glove compartment and went back to his car to get his duffel bag. Leaning back against his car, he gazed at Evey liking the car more and more every time he came in contact with her. “I guess there isn’t too much we can do about it then, is there?”

Evey sighed, “I guess not.”

Chad stood there a moment and took in the slightly dusty appearance of Evey’s body and smiled. “How would you like a nice bath and waxing?”

Evey started humming and Chad nodded, “One Sexton bath coming up… as soon as I change.”

“Chad,” Evey called as he approached the door.

Chad looked over his shoulder, “Yes?”

“Don’t wear a shirt,” Evey purred.

“Ah, you want the Sexton Sexy Special do you?” Chad appeared to think about it then winked at the beautiful car, “I think that can be arranged.”

Evey continued purring.

*****

Envy walked into Kriss’ penthouse apartment and immediately sank into the familiar comfort of the sofa. She already missed Devon… missed Chad… and every time she even started to think about Trevor she wanted to cry. The only reason she wasn’t crying was because of the baby… it had a calming effect on her. Mix it all together and honestly, she was starting to feel a bit numb.

Dean gave Kriss an odd look but Kriss shook his head, silently telling Dean that he’d explain everything later.

“This is a first rate mess,” Envy said softly and grabbed one of the throw pillows to hug.

Kriss sighed, “It’s not your fault that any of this happened Envy. Devon’s just gonna have to get it through his thick skull that he can’t attack the father of your baby at random.”

Envy lowered her chin to the pillow and hugged it a bit tighter, “He… he promised he wouldn’t attack Trevor.”

“When?” Kriss asked, curious as to why a promise like that had even been made.

“After we got back from that vacation with you and Tabby… they fought in Chad’s front yard. After that, I made him promise not to start anything with Trevor because I didn’t want to see either one of them hurt.” She bit her bottom lip feeling heaviness in her chest. They hadn't hurt each other but she was pretty sure she’d hurt both of them enough to make up for that.

Dean frowned, “Maybe you should remind your kitty cat of that promise.”

“Dean,” Kriss said warningly.

“What?” Dean demanded softly. “If Santos loves the girl then he should prove it by keeping his word.”

Envy exhaled loudly, “Dean does have a point Kriss.”

“Point or not, I don’t think this is the proper time to be saying it,” Kriss griped.

“If not now, then when? I have to start thinking about the little guy,” Envy said quietly. “I don’t think the club would be a good place to raise a child. I mean, it worked for Devon and his family… but I don’t want to bring my little boy up in a night club.”

“Of course not,” Kriss agreed “But what do you want to do, move back in with Chad?”

Envy whipped her head back and forth, “Oh hell no. Chad has enough to deal with. Last thing he needs is to take on my problems. Besides… he’s already living with the baby’s daddy. No, I think until everything settles down, I’m just going to pretend I’m a single parent.”

“Another apartment perhaps?” Dean offered before Kriss was stupid enough to suggest she stay with them… permanently.

Envy shrugged, “It’s an idea, but I always hoped I’d have a home when I finally decided to have children.”

Kriss’ expression immediately perked up, “HOUSE HUNTING!”

His outburst startled Envy making her snap her head up and blink owlishly at him. “House hunting?”

“Sure,” Kriss said. “You don’t want to be at the club when the baby is born, right? Finding a house and filling it with furniture and baby stuff would be perfect for getting your mind off things.”

“But where am I going to get the money for a new house?” Envy asked. “I make good money working at Moon Dance… but not that much.”

Kriss smiled reassuringly and gently took her hand, “Honey… that’s the last thing you have to worry about. I’ll help you get the house of your dreams if that’s what you want… and don’t you dare give me a hard time about it. That’s my godchild in there.”

To Envy’s amusement, he again pointed down at her lower tummy. She gave in to the smile but shook her head, “I can’t do that to you Kriss… and you don’t have that much money… do you? I mean… I’m a bartender and you’re a part time stripper.”

“The only reason I bother stripping is because it’s fun. I’ve got a savings account, stocks, bonds, and a few other things I’m not sure of the names,” Kriss said sounding almost ditzy. “I don’t really know anymore… but the man at the bank keeps referring to me as his favorite billionaire.”

“You are such a moron,” Envy said with a giggle and threw a pillow at him.

“Ow,” Kriss deadpanned when the pillow hit him in the face.

Dean hid his smirk knowing this was exactly what Kriss needed… someone to take care of, even if it was only for a short while. They were both bad for picking up charity cases it seemed.

He blocked out the playful bickering of his roommates and gazed down at the unforgiving city from the huge penthouse window. It was obvious Kriss was going to be busy for a while with Envy and in the end… Envy would have the security her and the baby needed. This was the perfect opportunity for him to once again stalk the Fallen hybrid that had been trapped with Misery.

Dean had found him completely by accident and since then had silently kept a discrete eye on him from a distance. After a few days of watching, Dean began leaving him small items such as fresh clothing, blankets, and an occasional edible from the nearby deli. The food wasn’t always eaten but then… human food was not a necessity. They could live with or without it. The clothing and blankets were taken each time though.

So far, the hybrid hadn’t exhibited any evil tendencies and avoided the other demons like the plague. It was a good sign of the hybrid’s mental state… but things had a tendency to change if such creatures were left alone for too long.

From what Dean had observed, the hybrid was more Fallen than demon and he’d bet his own billions of dollars that he could get the hybrid to trust him if given some more time. If that happened, then maybe he could save him from the strangeness of this world he’d suddenly been released into.

He closed his eyes remembering the man’s tears as he’d burst from the cave wall and fled into the night. That had been the clincher… demons do not cry.

“I’m going out for a while,” Dean said suddenly and headed for the door.

“Get some chocolate syrup while you’re out,” Kriss called out before Dean made it to the door.

Dean paused and glanced back at him, “Chocolate syrup, why in the world do you want that?”

“Chocolate milk,” Kriss and Envy said simultaneously.

Dean shook his head and left the penthouse, closing the door on amused giggling.

After the door closed Envy looked up at Kriss, “I didn’t bring any clothes with me and I’m starting to get sleepy. It’s been a long day… and night. Do you have anything I can change into?”

Kriss nodded, “In the second bedroom.” He pointed at a closed door then winked at Envy, “that’s where I sleep when I’m pissed off at Dean. The dresser in there has some of my larger shirts and a few pairs of boxers… help yourself.”

“Do you guys fight often?” Envy said worriedly, not wanting to take Kriss’ refuge away from him.

“Only when he’s being a dick,” Kriss smirked then jerked his thumb toward another closed door. “That’s his spare room if I run him off.”

Envy couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re a nut… you know that?”

“My life’s ambition,” Kriss sighed playfully then started for the kitchen. He needed to make a new grocery list before his and Envy’s cravings started kicking in. He stopped in mid stride and turned toward the front door. Scratch the list… he wanted pickles right now. “I’m going to clean out the grocery store… don’t wait up.”

Envy waited until he was gone before slowly getting off the sofa to go check out her room. Closing the door behind her, she opened the dresser and giggled at some of the shirts he had in there. Some were cute with little baby animals on them, some had funny phrases, and others were just solid colors. Choosing a plain black shirt and a pair of Sponge Bob boxers, she placed them on the bed and lifted her shirt over her head.

Her reflection in the mirror caught her eye and she caressed the soft, smooth skin of her tummy. She cocked her head to the side trying to picture her belly full with the child and turned to the side to examine the concave slope of her belly.

“I wonder who you’re going to be like,” she said softly to the growing baby. “Are you going to be like me, wild and hardheaded… or will you be like him, smart and hardheaded? I hope I make a good mother for you and I know Trevor will be a good daddy.”

Envy smiled at her reflection, envisioning the small soul nestled there. “You’re already blessed… do you know that? You’re gonna have so many uncles and godparents protecting you that I can bet you won’t even get a paper cut.”

She saw movement behind her in the mirror’s reflection and swung around to see what it was. Moving closer to the balcony window, she pushed the curtain aside and gasped at the beautiful white owl sitting on the railing watching her with deep dark eyes.

The owl cocked its head to the side as though trying to determine what she was before turning its head in the opposite direction. Envy had never seen one so close before and was afraid that if she looked away it would vanish.

The owl turned its head once more toward her before turning its back and leaping from the railing. Its wings spread out catching the draft and it flew off over the city toward Angeles National Forest.

Envy remembered reading somewhere that owls were a sign of wisdom and she hoped it was a sign that she was doing the right thing.

*****

Aurora held tighter onto her small sword and looked back up the side of the building searching for any sign of Samuel. She couldn’t believe she’d been careless enough to let him sneak up on her like that. It had been an incredible stroke of luck that she’d gotten away from the roof of the skyscraper in one piece.

As she fell, she’d resigned herself to the fact that this was really going to hurt but an unusual savior had helped her out. On that particular skyscraper were statues of hawks that luckily protruded out from the sides. She’d been able to grab hold of one in mid-fall and swing herself beneath it so she was hidden from Samuel’s sight when he looked down the edge of the building.

It felt like she had been holding on for eternity when the sense of his aura finally started to fade. After she was sure Samuel had gone, she pulled herself up and was able to crawl on top of the hawk’s head.

Tired and out of breath, Aurora leaned back against the wall of the building to rest for a moment. It took her a few minutes to catch her breath but any breather from Samuel's obsession with her was more than welcome. In her mind, she knew why he kept coming after her… lust, plain and simple.

She wouldn’t deny that Samuel was desirable but that was the allure of the more powerful demons. They were beautiful to look at until you saw what was beneath their exterior. Samuel was more beautiful than most demons, but in a lot of ways he was much darker than them on the inside.

She’d been avoiding him as well as she could and it looked like she’d finally lost him again… at least for now. Being anywhere near him left a queasy feeling in her stomach and Aurora didn’t know how much longer she could keep fighting him before giving in to what she was used too.

She hated him but at the same time almost craved what he offered… what she had accepted after so long with him. Being on her own was exciting… but it was mixed with an equal amount of fear.

She felt something for Samuel… had enjoyed his body and for brief moments even enjoyed his company. In the other dimension, she’d escaped him countless times only to be cornered by demons that were not a part of his army. She’d come so close to being killed and a tiny part of her had welcomed the thought of freedom… any way she could get it.

Samuel had always shown up just in time to save her… played the hero several times. She wasn’t a fool though. He hadn’t rescued her because he loved her and he’d always punished her quite brutally for running away. She’d been his property… his to be cruel to… his to make love to. Now that she had her weapon back maybe she had a chance of breaking away from him completely.

Looking down at the blade in her hand, Aurora sighed heavily. She’d discovered the weapon at a young age. She’d been an orphan and for the longest time had thought her name was Street Rat. It had been a demon that first called her by her real name… right before he tried to kill her. While defending herself, she’d felt the blade just appear in her hand… she’d won that fight.

She never learned how the demon had known her name but in the end it didn’t really matter if it was her name or not. It was a far cry better than Street Rat.

After that, the blade had been her protector until she’d been pulled into the rift. She had spent the last few thousand years in a demon controlled realm and under Samuel's rule. The weapon had never appeared to save her within the rift… no matter how much trouble she’d gotten into. She sighed wishing there was someone she could talk to about it… ask the questions that needed answering.

The blade suddenly shone brightly as it was absorbed once more back into her body. Since the blade seemed to think she was safe, then she probably was. Aurora felt relief ease her tense muscles and decided it was time to get down from this building before someone saw her.

She looked down over the edge of the massive concrete hawk and inhaled as the wind rushed upwards lifting her hair around her face. She was still so far from the ground and she wasn’t about to dive off for two reasons. Reason number one… she’d probably hurt herself and two, the main reason, she didn’t want anyone to see her.

She’d thought about dying while in the rift but she had a chance at freedom now… she no longer wanted to die, so diving face first from a skyscraper was not a choice.

Climbing out onto the wing of the hawk, she looked down at a balcony several stories below and judged the distance. Aurora gripped the edge of the wing and swung herself toward the balcony enjoying the feeling of freefalling. Landing in a silent crouch, she gazed into the window and froze.

Between the part in the curtains, she saw movement and leaned closer to get a better look. Her lips parted when she saw a woman in a short silky nightgown smile coyly at a man sitting on the sofa across the room from her. The lady eased the silk from her shoulders, letting it hang down over her arms… exposing very little covering underneath.

Aurora moved her gaze to the man seeing his eyes darken with passion. He stood up and removed his shirt, tossing it over his shoulder before stalking toward the woman like a cat slowly moving in on its prey. The woman smiled again and let the silk fall the rest of the way to the floor… exposing all she had to offer.

The man closed in and took the woman in his arms. They shared a passionate kiss before the man reached down and took hold of her, lifting her up. Her long legs wrapped around his waist and when he adjusted her slightly, the woman tossed her head back exposing her throat.

Aurora’s breath quickened when the man’s lips descended on the offered flesh making the woman in his arms shiver. He turned and walked them into another room, closing the door behind them and blocking her from seeing anything more. Aurora felt the small sad smile that caressed her lips and for a moment wished she was human.

She swung around and leaned against the building, slowly sliding down the wall until she was sitting with her knees drawn up in front of her.

She’d spent her childhood hiding what she was… trying to pretend she was human. Her one wish had always been that she was human. If she had been, she wouldn’t have found the hell she did at Samuel’s hands and she’d have been free to love anyone she chose.

It had been a boy her own age that informed her of what she really was. His name was Skye. To the humans, he’d only looked about seven years old… the same as her, but she’d known the truth. He’d been her best friend for a long time and the only company that either one could trust.

They would just smile when the humans mistook them for siblings, their coloring was almost the same and by human standards they were considered beautiful.

Skye had told her stories about the Fallen… and the demons the Fallen had inadvertently created. He should know… he was one of those creations but it didn’t bother him. He once told her that he enjoyed looking like a Fallen because it was better to be an angel than a demon. He’d also warned her about the fears humans had and that if they ever discovered what she really was… they would try to kill her.

For years she and Skye had stuck together, moving from village to village every few years before the humans could catch on to the fact that they weren’t aging like normal children.

She still remembered the last time she’d seen Skye. He’d smiled at her before walking into the forest with several of the village men who were taking him on a vision quest.

That was the day the demons had come… so many demons. The earth shook with their arrival, killing anything that got in their way. The ground beneath them had opened up and actually sank before a great crack raced through the center of the village square.

Aurora could only stand there and stare in terror at what was happening. A demon roared and came running at her and she’d stumbled backwards just as three men rushed in between her and the demon, blocking its path. She gasped waiting to feel the hard ground beneath her and screamed when the earth started to rise up around her.

One of the human men, a village warrior, dove down after her but was caught in midair by another demon… that was the last she saw of him. Other humans were falling in with her, screaming all the way and it suddenly dawned on her that she’d fallen into the huge crack. Her wings, only a smoky shadow to the naked eye, appeared and she tried to return to the surface but an inexplicable force continued to pull her down… away from the home she and Skye had chosen.

Before the screaming had stopped, the whole village had been sent into the rift… trapping humans and demons alike. She closed her eyes trying to block out the memory of what had happened to those humans and turned her thoughts back to Skye. She was glad he had went on his vision quest… was glad he hadn't seen any of it. The only hope she held onto now was that he was still alive and living a full life.

Bringing herself back to her present predicament, Aurora leaned toward the glass peeking in to see that the human couple had not come back out of the far room. Reaching up she sighed when the door easily opened and she slipped inside, running soundlessly across the carpet and out into the hallway.

Once at street level, she made sure to keep to the well-lit areas just in case Samuel reappeared for another fight… a fight she wasn’t so sure she could keep winning. She didn’t really keep track of where she was going or how long she walked… all she wanted was one night of peace… to rest.

When was the last time she’d truly slept without the fear of being accosted because of what she was? It had been before she was dragged into the rift. And the only moment of happiness she’d found since coming out of the rift was with a man in the subway tunnel.

She reached up and touched the necklace she was still wearing and was caught between melancholy and the thrill of the stolen moments of bliss. It was a memento, something to remember him by because she knew she’d never see him again.

Aurora jerked her gaze up to the fence she was walking beside and looked around tucking the necklace back inside her shirt. For the first time since coming out of the rift, she didn’t feel any demons near her. Wrapping her fingers around the tall chain link fence, she stared across the parking lot at the huge building it surrounded.

She didn’t know how to read the words that were lit up in red across the top, so for the lack of demons in the area she pretended it read Sanctuary and smiled. Within moments, she had scaled the fence and made it to the roof of the building.

Moving silently out of habit, she curled up against the only door leading into the interior because it had a small overhang that would keep the sunlight from waking her too soon. Another smile appeared on her face as she felt safety here… a place where she could finally rest.

She lay there with her eyes closed and stretched her senses out feeling all of the boundaries surrounding this place. She didn’t know why or how… but she felt like she was on an island in a sea of demons and they couldn’t come out of the water to get her. Opening her eyes, she inhaled sharply when she did indeed feel the demon energies around the perimeters of the barrier.

Aurora felt their rage and frustration as they tried to break through and couldn’t help but smile… they would not get her this night.

Chapter 3

To say Skye was confused was an understatement. He’d somehow gone from one prison into another, not realizing until it was too late. When he was unexpectedly freed from the trap that had imprisoned him and Misery together, he’d stalked the she-demon knowing she planned to release the demons that had been pulled into the rift.

A large part of him actually hoped that Misery would succeed in her quest, but not for the reasons that some might believe. Just because he was a demon didn’t mean he liked his own kind.

For centuries, he’d held onto the hope that Aurora was still alive in there somewhere and was trying to find her way back through to this world. However, when he saw what crawled out of the rift Misery opened, his hopes had crashed down around him and he was still in mourning. There was no way that Aurora could have survived among all of those monsters.