Serenity smiled to herself. Glory knew her too well.
She texted back. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m more worried about me and Emma if you don’t get some sleep. You’ll be a bear tomorrow.”
Glory responded with, “Grrr. Night.”
Serenity let out a sigh as she set her phone on the table and stretched her arms out in front of her. She knew that Glory would be fine, but she still hated that memories would no doubt be dredged up because of the topic of their conversation. Glory’s life hadn’t been an easy one. She had wonderful parents, no doubt, and they loved her. But, unfortunately, parents couldn’t pick their family members and family didn’t always mean friendly or loving. She didn’t want to go down that road tonight so she tucked those memories away for another time. Just as she was about to stand, she felt the temperature in the room drop a couple of degrees.
“Hey.”
Serenity’s head whipped around at the sound of the deep, silky voice. “What are you doing here?” she whispered through the smile that was threatening to split her face in half. She hadn’t realized how badly she had wanted to see him or how much she had needed him.
“What’s wrong,” Dair asked as his eyes narrowed and he knelt down in front of her.
She shook her head, unable to say anything for fear that she would turn into a blubbering mess and tell him about the events of the night and then beg him to make it better. Instead she just reached for him and, like she knew he would, Dair wrapped her in his strong embrace. His hand stroked down her hair and back and his whispered words soothed her. “I felt you.”
His words had her pulling away to look at him. “What do you mean you felt me?”
He started to do the whole shoulder shrug thing but when she frowned at him he stopped. “I could feel you were upset and that you needed me, like a string is attached to my soul connecting to yours and your soul was giving it a tug.”
“How come I can’t feel you?” she asked, then watched as Dair closed his eyes and his face was completely relaxed. She wondered what he was doing but didn’t have to wonder long because then she felt him. Cool waves of concern flowed through her and she knew it was Dair’s concern for her.
“Why, I mean, how,” she stuttered as he opened his eyes to look at her.
“I don’t know,” he answered, obviously having understood what she was asking. “I don’t understand it either. But I’m not complaining.”
Serenity smiled. “I’m not either.”
“Now, will you tell me what has you so upset?”
Serenity bit the inside of her cheek, giving herself time to think, to figure out how to explain the events of the night without causing Dair to flip his lid. In the end, she decided that there was no way for her to explain little Emma being attacked in such a way that wouldn’t have Dair fuming. Better to just rip the Band-Aide off quickly she decided.
“Emma was attacked by one of Mildred’s scumbags tonight.” The words flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to even consider that maybe she should first tell him that Emma was alright and that she was safe. Dair started to stand and Serenity could feel the air around them growing colder as his temper flared. “Wait, wait, Dair.” She stood quickly and grabbed his arm. “Maybe I should have mentioned that she’s here and she’s safe.”
“What happened?” The room seemed to dim as his power began to grow, and she could tell he truly was on the verge of losing control. Serenity had no idea what sort of power Dair wielded, other than being able to create dreams, but she imagined an immortal being was no weakling.
Serenity told him all that Emma had told her, and once she was finished she waited. Dair stood in the middle of the small kitchen. He was still as stone and his inhuman beauty was harsh as the anger and obvious frustration at having not been there washed over him.
“He didn’t.” He paused but she knew he wasn’t going to continue and she didn’t blame him. Serenity didn’t like to think about what could have happened either.
“No, he didn’t touch her, not like that.”
Dair let out a slow breath that seemed to help him gain some control. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to be with you. I know it must have been hard for you to handle.”
She knew how he meant it, and Serenity appreciated that he wanted to be there to support her and that he cared enough to want to care for not only her but Emma as well. “We managed. Besides, Emma is one incredible little lady. She’s made of stern stuff.”
“Where the hell was Raphael?” he growled, his previous anger coming back full force. “I thought he said he would be watching over the child.”
“He said he had been summoned by the Creator.” Serenity didn’t miss the way Dair’s shoulders tensed.
“That would have been the only thing that would have kept the angel away. He takes his responsibilities very seriously. I imagine he is not handling this well.”
“I reamed him,” she admitted. Dair shot her a sideways glance and a small smile appeared on his lips.
“How did he handle that?”
She shrugged. “He took it like a man.”
“Speaking of the angel,” Dair said as he cocked his head to the side, “where is he?”
It was Serenity’s turn to slip on a sly smile. “I sent him on an errand. He’s playing Santa tonight.”
“Presents for Emma?”
“Yep,” she said popping the p with her lips. “He’s so jolly; I figured he really fit the part.”
Dair laughed.
It was only a few minutes later when Raphael appeared in the kitchen with his arms loaded down with bags. Serenity’s eyes widened. “You don’t mess around do you?”
“I am not sure what you mean by that.”
Serenity waved him off. “Never mind. Let’s just see what the damage is.” They began going through the gifts and she was happily surprised to see that Raphael had done really well. He got Emma some challenging puzzle games, a cute pair of snow boots, a stylish scarf, hat and mitten set, several boxes that appeared to be some sort of girly crafts, and some books. Well, not just some books, he had actually gotten her seven books, and they weren’t just your run of the mill books. These were classics like Beowulf, Of Mice and Men, 1984, and The Iliad and the Odyssey.
“Do you think she will like these books?” Serenity asked as she flipped through a copy of The Scarlet Letter.
Raphael’s brow scrunched together. “She said that she was extremely intelligent. All of the books in the children’s section seemed much too juvenile for her. These books seemed to be more appropriate.”
Serenity just shook her head. She went and grabbed the wrapping paper from the hall closet and enlisted Dair and Raphael to help her get the presents wrapped and under the tree. Once the work was done, she thanked Raphael for his help and then turned to Dair. “I’m going to go to bed. If Emma’s anything like I was at her age, she’ll be up in just a few hours―too excited to sleep.”
Dair’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Is that my hint to come and tuck you in?”
Serenity’s cheeks flared with heat as she glanced at Raphael from the corner of her eye, but he wasn’t paying them a bit of attention. She gave Dair a subtle jerk of her head to follow her.
Dair watched Serenity walk towards her room. His eyes didn’t leave her form as he spoke to Raphael. “Thank you for being here for the girls.”
There was a long pause before the angel answered. “I am sorry that I was not there to protect her.”
“No one expects you to be perfect, old friend,” Dair said, his voice low. He didn’t wait for Raphael’s response. He knew no words would comfort the angel. He would deal with what he considered his failure in his own way.
As he entered Serenity’s room, he pushed the door gently closed behind him and smiled when she tensed at the click that filled the silence. He stood there watching her, mesmerized as she brushed her long brown locks. She was beautiful. Her inner beauty only made the outer that much more incredible, and he was le
ft breathless because she had chosen him.
“Are you just going to stand there?” she asked him, though her eyes did not meet his.
“What would you have me do, Princess?”
“Why do you call me that?”
“It’s your name. Sarah Serenity literally means princess of peace. It’s fitting if you ask me. So again, I ask you. What would you have me do?”
She paused and then finally looked up at him. Her eyes were full of the longing and ache that he felt inside of his own soul—an ache that only she could fill. Dair couldn’t remember a time in his very long existence ever feeling a need so strong as he did in that moment. He needed to hold her, to know that she was safe in his arms. Dair took a step towards her; his eyes held hers as he took another and another until he was standing inches from her. Serenity’s head tilted back so that she could look up at him. His hand reached up of its own accord, and his fingers brushed her hair from her face and then sank deeper into the thick strands until he was cupping her head.
“What are you doing to me?” he whispered as his eyes roamed over her face. “When I’m away from you all of my thoughts are for you. When I’m with you, regardless of how close I am to you, it is never close enough. What, Sarah Serenity, are you doing to me?”
Her breathing quickened and at some point her own hands had ended up on his chest and were now wrapped around his shirt as though she had to grasp him in order to stay standing. Serenity’s eye were glazing over, held captive by him.
“I’m not doing anything,” she finally answered and it came out in a breathy voice that had Dair’s stomach clenching with desire.
He leaned closer until his mouth hovered just above hers. He could feel her warm breath on his face and smell her sweet scent, and it only incensed his passion for her.
“I’m going to taste you now,” Dair whispered against her lips and he could literally feel his mouth begin to water for her. She nodded, unable to say anything and that had his confidence growing. He felt his own breathing increase just before his lips pressed against her. Her warmth flowed over him as she pressed herself closer. The hand that wasn’t wrapped in her luscious hair wrapped around her waist and pulled her even tighter against him. When Serenity’s lips parted allowing him entrance into the moist depths of her mouth, Dair fought the urge to lay her down on the bed, knowing it would only lead to things for which they weren’t yet ready. It was nearly his undoing when she slid her hands up his chest and shoulders until her fingers were running through his hair. Her soft groans and mewling were a red flag that it was time for him to stop.
Dair ripped his lips away from hers, pressing their foreheads together. He couldn’t speak, not yet. All he was capable of in that moment was breathing while attempting to stay upright. Serenity’s eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell as the breath rushed in and out. Dair could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she pressed closer to him. Dair’s eyes followed her tongue as she slowly traced her lips with it.
“Careful, love,” he told her in a near moan. “I can only take so much.”
To his surprise she chuckled as she opened her eyes and pulled back so she could look up at him. “I assure you that I am not purposefully trying to tempt you.”
“Princess, your very existence is enough to tempt me. I’m afraid there is nothing you can do to keep me from desiring you.”
Her lips pursed crookedly as she thought about his words. “I bet I could come up with a way to be less appealing. What if I never brushed my hair or bathed? Bet you wouldn’t want to get close then.”
“Your scent is the most intoxicating thing I’ve ever smelled. I have a feeling that would only draw me closer.”
“I’m not sure whether to be flattered or grossed out.”
Dair shrugged. “Just being honest.” They stood there staring at one another for several minutes. Neither of them was ready to let go. Dair didn’t think he would ever be ready, not in this lifetime or the next. As he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face he whispered, “I need to let you get some sleep.”
She nodded and then rose up on her toes to press a sweet kiss to his lips. She was out of his arms before he could deepen it. Dair watched as she climbed into bed and then he turned off the light for her. “Sweet dreams, Princess,” he told her. Serenity smiled at him as she drifted off to sleep. To his surprise, Dair felt a dream being drawn to his consciousness and realized it was for his Serenity. His brow furrowed as he thought about the fact that he hadn’t known beforehand that she was on the agenda. Closing his eyes, he reached into her mind and began to build the dream for her. Dair watched as Emma and Serenity hung out at the library together. The dream consisted mostly of Serenity pursuing a relationship with Emma. He wondered why this was the dream he was to give her when Serenity was already on that path.
Dair didn’t have time to contemplate it further because as soon as the dream was complete he felt the call of his Creator. His chest tightened as he gave Serenity one last look before traveling from her presence and into the presence of pure light. Dair knelt as he entered the Creator’s presence, and the warmth that enveloped him brought him immediate peace. Dair attempted to slow his breathing as he waited—for what, he wasn’t sure. It had been centuries since he was last summoned to the Creator, and he was not foolish enough to think that this was some coincidence. It had to be about Serenity.
“Brudair,” the deep voice rumbled and Dair’s hands clenched into fists as he attempted to remain calm. “It has been long since our last meeting. You have done your work well.”
“Thank you,” Dair said reverently.
“As of late, you have become enamored with an assignment that you were given. She is special, Sarah Serenity Tillman. She will serve a much bigger purpose than you can imagine.”
“I am more than enamored with her.”
“You love her,” the Creator confirmed. “And yet, love is not an emotion you were created for.”
The air rushed from Dair’s chest as though he had been punched. It was one thing to know something, but then to be told by the very being who knitted you together was something else entirely.
“Am I not capable of love?” he asked, still not daring to raise his head.
“That is not what I said. I said you were not created for it. You have served me faithfully. The number of lives that you have helped is countless. You have helped shape history for the better and yet you will never truly know the impact you have had simply by making the dreams that inspire and guide.”
“I’m honored to serve you. Can’t,” he said then paused and took several slow breaths, “can’t I love her and serve you at the same time?”
“There are times that you are allowed to see the puzzle, not just the particular piece that you are weaving in the moment. Sometimes you get to see exactly what will happen if your assignment follows the path laid out for him. Then there are other times that I deem it better for you not to know. I think it is time you see the greater picture when it comes to Sarah Serenity Tillman and Emma Whitmore.”
That was all the warning he got before his mind was suddenly bombarded with images. Serenity was climbing out of her car in the driveway that he recognized as Mildred’s. The woman’s house came into view as he watched Serenity walk to the front door. Her face was one of restrained anger. She pounded on the door as she called Mildred’s name. But when the door finally swung open, it wasn’t Mildred who stood there.
Dair felt all of his muscle’s tense as the man who had answered the door leered at his Serenity. He looked as though he hadn’t bathed in weeks―his hair was greasy, his teeth yellow, and not all of them there. But it was his eyes that Dair would never forget. They didn’t have the glassy look of a drug addict. This man’s eyes were dark, soulless, and filled with complete evil. The longer he stared at Serenity the more wild the gaze became. It was obvious he was excited about the unexpected intrusion. Dair could practically see the man salivating, and it just confirmed even more that there wa
s no conscience left in the human standing before Serenity.
“I’m here for Emma,” Serenity told him sternly.
The man laughed. “Well, she can’t come out to play, but you. . .” His eyes followed down her body and back up again. “You can certainly come in and play.”
Dair knew that Serenity was protective of those she loved. He knew that she was strong and fearless when she needed to be, but he was still shocked when she shoved the man back and stormed into the house calling Emma’s name.
He wanted to go to her, needed to protect her, and yet he couldn’t move. Instead he could only watch in his mind’s eye as the woman he loved argued with Mildred, who had emerged from the hallway. Both of their arms were flailing wildly as they yelled at one another. Emma then appeared from the hallway as well, and the fear on her face could not be hidden. That seemed to set something off inside of Serenity. But before she could move towards the girl, Rat suddenly had a gun pointed at her.
Dair choked on the air that wouldn’t go into his lungs. He couldn’t breathe as everything seemed to suddenly move in slow motion. He could tell that Serenity knew the man intended to pull the trigger. Resolve settled in her eyes settled on Emma. Her mouth was moving but Dair couldn’t hear anything above the roar of his blood pulsing through his body. When Emma was finally by her side she started to push Emma behind her. The whole time Serenity was whispering to Emma, the man with the gun was steadily talking, describing in disgusting detail how he planned to use Serenity. He planned to kill Emma and then Serenity would be his. Serenity’s head snapped up at that comment and she shoved Emma behind her just as she had said she would. She lunged towards the man to keep his attention on her and off of Emma. And so when the gun went off, little Emma was safely out the front door.
Dair watched helplessly as Serenity fell to the floor. The shot was pointblank in the chest. Blood seeped out around her body and though he could hear Mildred yelling, and the man yelling back, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Serenity’s still form. Suddenly the scene changed and he was no longer in that death-filled house. His breathing was still ragged as he tried to gain control of himself after seeing his worst nightmare come true right before his eyes. Finally, he looked around and saw that he was in a huge room filled with thousands of people all staring up at a stage that was decorated in red, white, and blue. On the center of the stage was a podium and standing at the podium was a pretty black woman dressed in a red suit. She stood tall and confident as she stared out at the cheering crowd. After a few moments, she raised her arms and the room fell into expectant silence.