"Accidental Angel: Part 4" by Mandy Burnham

Erela stifled a yawn as she paused in the threshold to take in the scene before her. Moonlight streamed in through the open window, shining off Damien’s ebony wings as he sat beside Kaleb’s stretched out form. The youth lay in fitful dreams—tossing his head and moaning.

Quiet steps carried Erela over the worn carpet so she could drop to sit beside her brother opposite the winged-man who watched over him. She sighed and reached out to rest her hand over his sweating forehead in an attempt to calm him.

“He’s in pain,” Damien observed in a tense whisper. “Why did he smile before?”

Erela glanced up at his confused face and tried to smile, though it only came out as a sad stretch of her lips. She shook her head and returned her gaze to her unfortunate little brother. “Kaleb’s been hurt a lot in his life,” she started to explain. “It’s rare he shows it, though. He’s very good at compartmentalizing things—at ignoring his pain.”

“When he’s awake.”

Erela suppressed her gasp of surprise at his perception. A moment of reflection made her wonder why should she be surprised? Damien was also often restless at night. Maybe he suffered in the same way as her little brother.

“I hope he doesn’t get insomnia again,” she sighed, looking back to the young blond. “I don’t think he really slept for a year after our parents died—and that was only due to the meds I finally consented to put him on. Those idiot doctors…” She sighed and shook her head. The woman pulled her hand away since Kaleb had stilled and was once again breath easy.

Damien’s unspoken question hung in the air. She forced a smile and shrugged. “I tried everything to help him and those morons only wanted to put him on sleeping pills. When they threatened to try and take him out of my care for negligence, I let them.” Erela screwed her eyes shut against the memory of her little brother—lethargic and empty when awake, screaming in terror when asleep. “It was horrible. It was the worst thing I could have done to him.” Erela sighed. “He just needed time and someone to support him—and I let them do that to him.”

The woman turned her attention back to Damien. She smiled and shook her head. “You’re not sleeping,” she commented, keeping her tone low. “Are you okay?”

The TV flashed and she stifled her giggle when she read his answer. “I’m awake because I’m worried about you and Kaleb. How about a straight answer from you now?”

A second flicker illuminated Damien’s slight frown of worry before Erela turned to read his response.

‘I don’t want that Swift guy to find you again. If he does, I want to hear him coming.’

Erela smiled and shook her head as she gazed at him through the shadows. “Damien, you’re sweet. Go to sleep. We’ll be fine.”

She stood and walked towards the kitchen. Stopping before the doorway, she glanced over her shoulder to watch as Damien curled up in the corner. Even though he appeared to do as she asked, she could see his wary eyes keeping to Kaleb’s form as if he intended to keep watch over him all night. A slight smile crept over her lips and a flush rose in her cheeks. Erela shook her head and refused to acknowledge the heightened rhythm of her heart. It’s stress.

“Damien,” Erela whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “Damien.”

He lifted his head from his pillow of black feathers to blink his sleepy, grey eyes at her. “Hmmm?”

“I have to go straight to class after work tonight,” she informed in a whisper. “Will you keep an eye on Kal?”

Damien nodded.

Erela smiled. “There’re leftovers in the fridge. I’ll bring something sweet home for desert, okay?”

He smiled.

One thing Erela had to appreciate about those insanely busy days at the convenience store was that they seemed to be over before she knew it. Of course, every disgruntled customer felt like an eternity, but it was amazing how short several eternities could be when strung together. On the other hand, the busy days always made it difficult to stay awake in class.

Erela sighed as she heaved her backpack over her shoulder to head towards the computer room when the professor gave them time at the end of class to do some follow-up for their paper.

She fought to keep her eyes open as she tossed the stray strands of her wavy brown hair back over her shoulder.

“Hey Lieza,” she greeted as she dropped down into the last empty station in the computer room between the slender red-head and Bradley. “Hi Bradley.”

“Wow you look horrible!” Lieza burst out with her observation.

“Well, thank you very much,” she laughed as she shook her head. “You look lovely… as always.”

The other woman laughed and shook her head. “It’s only because I have to look like this for work.”

“Yeah… ugh… work.”

“Bad day?” Bradley asked, though he didn’t turn to look at her.

“Killer,” she answered as she reached up to rub her neck.

“Hey!” Lieza shrilled. “You two want to come with me to the Grabby Hand?”

“Won’t it be closed by the time we’re done?” Erela searched for a reason to avoid going to that disgusting bar.

Lieza laughed. “I meant now.”

“We have class, and some a’us actually attend,” Bradley snorted.

“Suit yourself, you goody-goodies,” Lieza sang as she jumped up from her terminal and shouldered her bag.

“Honestly, who would want to go to a place called Grabby Hands?” Erela groaned. “It’s just asking for trouble.”

Bradley chuckled. “She’s a bit of a flighty bird.”

“I suppose.”

Erela struggled to broach the subject she needed to find answers for as the silence between the two deepened. What if Bradley didn’t want to help her? What if he did and she couldn’t do what he told her? She took a deep breath and pretended to work on her assignment. It wouldn’t do to fail after all.

“Wuzzup?” Bradley started for her.

“Huh?”

“Yer sighing like wind through a cracked winder. Wha’s up?”

Erela laughed a little and shook her head. Leave it to Bradley to open up a conversation like that. “You said they want to kill Damien. How do I keep that from happening?”

Bradley kept typing, but his lips pressed together like they did just before he started saying things he didn’t want to. “Listen, Erela,” he sighed, keeping his eyes glued to his computer screen. “We’re gonna pretend ya just asked a class question. Trust me; turn back and start type’n.”

She frowned and turned back to her computer as she bit her bottom lip.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered when he leaned forward, lowering his head to rest his cheek against the heel of his hand as if he was reading some of the papers scattered at his right. “This is just a precaution; I doubt they bugged off like I told ‘em to…

“About Damien though… Honestly, I dunno what ta do.”

Erela blinked back tears and leaned forward to point at his paper. “That can’t be it.”

“M’sorry, Erela—really—but m’role was find’n the blood-bound and then kill’n ‘em. Protect’n one’s not exactly something I gotta buncha experience at.”

“Well, if it was you… what would you do right now?”

Bradley chuckled a little. “I’d watch anyone who might have contact with ‘im. They always slipped up and gave me the right time and place as well as the weakness.”

“Weakness?”

“I knew how’ta fight, and I played defensive end in college ball ‘fore that blood-bound got ahold’a me—my one-over wasn’t a fluke,” Bradley continued, sitting back to his computer again. “In general, they’re powerhouses—untouchable. If ya don’t know their weakness, ye’ll never come out alive.”

“Is it usually obvious?”

“No.”

“But Damien has one?”

“You betcha.”

“Do you know what it is?”

Bradley looked at her and grinned. “There’s no way I’d letcha hang around ‘im if I didn’t.”

Erela bit her lip and frowned. If what he was saying was true, that meant Bradley had the knowledge and the ability to kill Damien. Would he do it? “What is it?”

Bradley chuckled a little. “That’s what I’m talk’n ‘bout. If they’re observ’n us, and if I didn’t keep m’head on, right now, they’d know as well as you.”

She flushed in horror at the thought.  “Do you think they’re watching us, then?”

“Dunno. Swift always resisted m’methods. Said they were ‘beneath’ ‘im. But that doesn’t mean ‘e hasn’t wised up since we last ran together—specially if ‘e thinks I might be on yer side.”

“Then what do we do?” she murmured.

“One thing they never did was leave,” Bradley sighed. “Once we knew the general area, we never had ta look further. I hate ta say it, but I think ya need ta run.”

“But… my school… my job… Kaleb…”

Bradley mashed his keys a little louder. “Damien’s life…” He waited while she considered the last of the list.

“Look,” he started again, “we already used my ‘get outta jail free’ card, and there ain’t no more in play. If they catch ‘im er you, it’s game-up. Ya have ta recognize that. Swift’s not the sharpest, but it would’n take ‘im too long ta figure out Damien’s weakness in a head-on fight. Once ‘e does… birdie-boy’s odds’a survival are ‘bout as good as a fish’s in a fry-pan.”

“You actually sound like you care,” she pointed out, unwilling to acknowledge the danger Bradley took so much care to point out.

“I hate blood-bound ‘cause I’m afraid of ‘em,” he started. “I hate blood-lords ‘cause they’re the real monsters. As far as I can tell, Damien ain’t got one—except ‘e hangs on yer every move like ye’re his blood-lord. That means fer now, ‘e’s okay in my book… I don’ like ta see innocent hurt.

“Plus…” Bradley glanced at her to offer a wide grin. “Swift always got under m’skin. If I can give ‘im a black-eye—literal or figurative—I’m all fer that.”

Erela chuckled a little and shook her head. “Now that sounds like my charming group partner.”

The man chuckled before growing sober again. “M’sorry this is the way it’s gotta be.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I appreciate your help.”