Angel of Tears

Chapter 1 : Raven

              I stood there looking up at the tall, victorian house in front of me. The paint on the rotting wood looked like it had once been a light blue, but the decades of neglect and sunshine had turned it into a washed out grey, giving the house even more of a spooky appeal. Shingles were missing here and there and a few of the windows were cracked.

              The house was condemned, but for some reason the owner of the land had refused to ever tear it down or renovate it. I could tell it would have been beautiful, rather than being the main setting in everyone's ghost stories around Arborville. But, who could blame them? Every once in awhile a brave student would venture in on a dare, and their body would turn up the next day with their throat slit ear to ear.

              I tightened my grip on the backpack slung over my shoulder, remembering why I was there. No one had dared me, but there was an energy that was drawing me here. One that I couldn't quite explain.

               I had just moved to Arborville to attend the university that was about three miles away. I worked in an old antique store with one other girl my age, Jenni. She had been the one to tell me about this place and all the murders that occurred there. I just had to see it for myself.

              Her warnings resounded in my head, but I pushed them aside as I climbed the three steps leading up to the front door. There was a green man as a door knocker, fueling my curiosity even more since Arborville was filled with hard core Christians. I wondered if a Pagan or Wiccan had lived here, which would explain all the superstition surrounding the place.

              I reached out to the black door handle. The antique metal was cool to the touch, despite it having been a humid and hot day. My fingers caressed the smooth metal before I took a firm grip and pushed my thumb down on the lever. I half expected it not to budge, but I heard a soft click and the door slowly slid open, revealing the inside foyer.

              The staircase leading upstairs was in perfect condition, despite the years of neglect. I closed the door behind me and then walked slowly into the living room. All the lights were off, but the full moon outside illuminated the room almost perfectly. It was as if I had stepped into a whole new world. The inside of the house looked nothing like the outside. Furniture filled the room, but it was all covered with dust ridden sheets.

              The chandelier hanging from the ceiling had spiderwebs but otherwise looked beautiful. It was an old style that held candles rather than lightbulbs, making me wonder if the house had any electricity in it at all. I walked over to the windows, stunned with what I saw. Although I could have sworn the windows had been cracked when I looked at them outside, they were in perfect condition from the inside.

              I was in such awe of the place that I couldn't stop exploring. The living room circled around into the dining room and then into the kitchen, where it stopped. After adjusting my backpack, I went back the way I had come and decided to make my way upstairs. The wood creaked under my weight, but it was solid and showed no signs of collapsing, so I continued my ascent.

              At the top of the stairs were two closed doors. One was directly at the top of the stairs and the other was on the opposite side of the rectangular landing. I slowly opened the door at the top of the landing, not quite sure of what I was hoping to find. To my dismay, it was just a bathroom and I closed the door again.

              Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I turned around. The door across the landing had creaked open just barely. Heaving out a sigh and locking in my iron will, I slowly made my way around the banister. A flickering light was leaking out of the crack like there were candles illuminating the space. I placed my hand lightly on the door and opened it the rest of the way.

              It was a bedroom that was decorated in black and such a deep red, it seemed black at first glance. The bed was huge and had heavy drapes that were tied open with thick rope. Dark paintings lined the walls depicting scenes of death and decay. But, what truly caught my attention was the man sitting on the window bench across the room.

               He was lounged across the bench, with one knee pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around it. He was intently gazing out of the window. All I could see was the back of his head. His black hair glinted with red tint under the light of the candle chandelier and just barely graced the collar of his black button up shirt, tickling the back of his neck.

              He didn't turn to look at me until I crossed the threshold of the bedroom. The moment he locked eyes with me, I felt my breath hitch and hold in my throat. It was as if his gaze was suffocating me. He let down his leg and stood up, never looking away from me.

               His beauty was like an Angel's. Strands of his hair curved down around his face, framing his black eyes that seemed to pierce through me. I could tell he was in perfect shape by the way his shirt hugged the curves of his shoulders and biceps. Black jeans squeezed his narrow waist. He wore no shoes or socks, stalking towards me quietly barefoot.

              He stopped right in front of me and finally spoke. His voice was deep. It resonated in my chest with every word, making my heart beat faster until I thought I might have forgotten how to breathe.

              "And what, pray tell, is your name?"

              I couldn't look away from his eyes. My neck was straining upwards to look into them. Even though I was wearing heeled boots that gave me an extra four inches, I still only came to his chest that was mere breaths away now.

              "Raven," I managed to croak out.

              He smiled at me like a cat would smile at a mouse it intended to play with before devouring. "That does not seem very fitting for you."

              He reached up and played with a strand of my blonde hair. It was such a fine blonde, it could be mistaken for white or silver. He twirled my curl with his index finger and then raised it to his nose so he could breathe me in.

              "You smell of Dahlias. Such a sweet smell."

              I couldn't move no matter how much I urged my body to. I wanted to put distance between us. But the more I wanted the distance, the more I desired him. The conflicting feelings made me angry, and the anger built my courage up enough to speak with steel in my voice.

              "Please don't touch me."

              His smile faltered a bit, but came back so quickly I wondered if I had imagined it. He dropped my curl and backed up a step. "My, my, my. You have quite the willpower. I can sense the ferocity in you. Perhaps you should be called kitten instead."

              The comment confused me. Kittens didn't strike me as a ferocious animal. He let out a chuckle. The noise made me sigh out involuntarily. He must have noticed my confusion.

              "You are a kitten now, but a tiger you can become."

              He stepped up to me again and I felt my anger flare like it never has before. Without realizing what I was doing, I raised my hand. The echoing sound of flesh on flesh let me know it was much too late to change my mind. He stayed where he was with his face turned to the side, a red mark burning on his cheek. With the break of eye contact, I felt normal again, but I didn't move from where I stood.

              He stayed turned away with his long hair shielding his eyes from me as he asked, "Why have you come here?" His smile was gone and his voice no longer held the playfulness it had before. Now it was icy, distant.

              "What's your name?" I ask, blatantly ignoring his question.

              He looked back at me now, surprised by my inquiry. I expected to feel frozen again once our eyes met, but nothing happened. Whatever he had done before, he wasn't doing now.

              "Why do you ask?"

              "Because I want to know."

              He frowned down at me. I didn't think he was going to respond, but to my satisfaction, he did. "It's Cass."

              "Something drew me here, Cass. Was it you?"

              "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now leave before you test my patience more than you already have."

              He turned around to go sit back at the window, but I wasn't done. I needed to know why I felt this way and he was the only one who could provide me any answers.

              "Why are you here? The house looks condemned from the outside, but the inside looks untouched by time and this is the only room not covered in dust and cobwebs. Why?" I demand.

              I felt the air thicken with electricity and I immediately regretted not leaving when he warned me to. Cass turned around and stalked towards me again, but this time it was more like a predator than a sexy prowl like before. This time I was scared and once again, I froze. He placed his hand at the back of my head, weaving his long, elegant fingers through my curls and tightening his hold, so that I couldn't move.

              "You don't belong here. Now leave and don't come back." His lips were so close to mine, I thought he might kiss me. His black eyes stared so deeply into my ice blue ones, it was as if he was trying to read my thoughts. And he succeeded in doing so because with one breath his soft lips were upon mine and his tongue was invading my mouth. He kissed me with more passion than I had ever felt before and he kissed me so deeply and for so long that I began to feel like I was suffocating.

              I placed my hands on his chest to shove him away, but I could feel his pecs flex as he held his ground. Finally, he broke away from me. "Now sleep, and forget," he whispered against my lips, and kissed me once again, more gently, before my vision blurred and then I blacked out.

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              I was vaguely aware of being carried. The steady bouncing rhythm was soothing, and had it not been for my profound curiosity, it might have lulled me back to sleep. But I wanted to know who was carrying me. And why for that matter.

              My body was cradled the same way you might carry a young child to bed after they had dozed off. I slowly lifted my head to see who this mysterious person was without alerting them that I was awake. The sight of the man holding me was breath taking. For a moment, I wondered if I might be dreaming.

              He had auburn hair that glinted red under the light of the full moon. It was a bit past his ears and curled around his neck in the back, but his bangs had been styled to sweep up and to the side so you could see the beautiful outline of his high cheekbones. Although as he walked, wisps of those bangs would fall slightly over his eye -- whoa, those eyes! They were strangely ethereal, glowing the deepest of blues. I wondered if it was the moon causing this effect.

              I felt his body tense up, as if he were treasuring me and holding me even closer than he had. But then I realized that he had simply noticed I was awake. In my state of awe, those beautiful eyes turned down to look at me. He raised an eyebrow, inquiringly.

              "You're awake," he stated. That voice! Was this a man or a god come to whisk me away? "Why is your mouth hanging open like that? Are you having problems breathing? Please tell me you're not about to hurl."

              I hadn't even noticed that I'd been gaping. Blushing, I snapped my mouth closed and just shook my head to let him know I was okay. My eyes probably looked like giant saucers. How embarrassing.

              "Who are you?" I whispered.

              His sexy mouth smirked down at me. "You don't need to worry about my name, darling."

              That comment did nothing but make me suspicious. The only reason I wasn't panicking at this point was simply because of how gorgeous he was. I'd let him do whatever he wanted to me.

              "Why are you carrying me?"

              "Would you like me to put you down?"

              I pursed my lips, wanting anything but this hunk to quit touching me. He laughed and that smile made me want to melt in his arms, especially when I noticed the dimples on both of his cheeks.

              "I'm carrying you because I found you passed out on the street. I found your wallet in your backpack and realized you were a college student, so I was bringing you back to campus. I'm glad you woke up, though, because I have no idea where to bring you once we get there."

              I looked around us and indeed noticed that he was taking me in the direction to the University. Why had I been out here?

              "Where did you say you found me?"

              "About a couple blocks back. There was a sorority party going on. Were you there?"

              Sorority? No way in hell would I ever be caught dead at one of those. I stayed away from the preps, preferring my grunge look. But, I did feel groggy, as if I was drugged. Had I been drinking? Is that why I don't remember anything?

              "No, I don't think I was. I don't know why I was out here." After a few moments of walking in silence, I decided that I should probably walk. As much as I wanted this man to hold me more, I didn't want to seem like a girl who was wooed so easily. Normally I wasn't, and the abrupt change of how I would avoid men like the plague unsettled me a bit.

              "You can put me down now if you'd like."

              His grip tightened on me ever so slightly, as if he were reluctant to do so. He stopped walking, though, and knelt down to plant me on my feet. As soon as my boots touched the pavement, I fell to my knees. My legs couldn't support me, even when I attempted to stand again. The stranger had kept a hold of me slightly and was now kneeling next to me.

              "Perhaps not then," he said. He was so close, I could feel his breath on my ear.

              "Um... Yeah... I.... I guess not," I murmured, flustered.

              He picked me up with ease back into a cradle position and continued to walk. I was acutely aware of the fact that I was in a black skirt and his warm hand was only inches away from my rear. I was also wearing a corset tank top with a black vest overtop of it, and I knew if he looked down, he would get a full view of my voluptuous bust. But, he continued to look ahead as he walked. He made it seem like it cost him no effort at all to carry me. He wasn't shaking or anything even though he claimed to have carried me almost a mile by now.

              "Aren't you tired?" I asked.

              His eyes widened as he glanced down at me. "Of course not. You aren't that heavy and I don't tire that fast."

              "Oh." The nagging in my head wouldn't stop. I needed to know more about this guy. "Won't you please tell me your name?"

              "Why does it interest you so much?"

              "Why? Is it not normal to want to know the name of the man fondling me?"

              He grinned at that. "Fondling? If you think this is fondling, I could provide you with a proper lesson of the topic if you desire, my dear."

              I felt myself grow hot at the comment. I couldn't tell if he was making a genuine offer or teasing me, and what's more, I couldn't tell if I liked it or not.

              "That's not what I meant. I... I simply want to be able to properly thank the man who saved me from the streets tonight. Who knows what would have happened if someone more unruly had found me instead."

              His eyes darkened at the proposition of someone taking advantage of me. The gesture touched me that, even though he didn't know my name either, the thought of something so filthy happening to me upset him. He finally sighed out in defeat.

              "It's L--... Um... Lee."

              "Lee, like short for Liam?"

              "Uh, yeah sort of, I suppose."

              "Uh-huh. Okay then, Lee. My name is Raven."

              "Raven, huh? Doesn't seem very fitting for you."

              Where had I heard that before? The comment seemed awfully familiar. It was almost like deja vu. Silence surrounded us once more. It didn't feel awkward, though, as Lee carried me. He never once lost footing, continuing to maintain a firm, but gentle grip. I simply settled in his arms, enjoying the touch of such a strong, attractive man. It was a touch I had not experienced in quite a few years.

              Much to my dissapointment, the university started to come into view. That meant I'd have to part with Lee. But it was probably for the best. I didn't need a man distracting me from my studies. If Lee were around constantly, I'd never get anything done.

              "Where do you live?" He asked. Strange, he almost sounded sad.

              I looked up, noticing that he hadn't even glanced down while he spoke. "The other side of campus. It's building number six hundred and sixty six."

              His mouth turned up into a sly smirk. Something had amused him. My guess being the building number because I had the same reaction when I recieved my dorm key. Man, I couldn't wait to see him burst into laughter when I told him what my room number was.

              He made his way through the gates. Everything was so quiet, not even the birds were chirping. How late was it? The moon was still high in the sky, casting everything into a bluish glow. It was beautiful. I couldn't help but admire the trees. They were black, outlined in white and blue from the full moon, almost eerily.

              "You seem quite fascinated," Lee remarked.

              I nodded. "Everything at night is just so peaceful. It makes it hard to believe that in the morning a bunch of noisy college kids will be everywhere."

              "Yes, the darkness is quite magical, isn't it? Many fall victim to its ethereal beauty, losing themselves in its sweet melancholy."

              I couldn't help but notice that his tone had become quite nostalgiac. "Do you know any of those victims?" I inquired.

              He looked down at me, surprised. "I consider myself one of the many. Perhaps the largest of them."

              I couldn't help but smile a little. "I would consider myself one as well, I suppose."

              He returned my smile faintly as we finally approached my dorm building. The buildings at this university had the floors labeled by letters rather than number. I lived on level R. When we got to the elevator, I pushed the buttons for Lee, since his hands were occupied. Once inside the steel contraption, he broke out into a huge grin, showing off his dimples.

              "What's so funny?"

              He let out a chuckle. "Just a thought. I've heard many people have fantasies about having fun inside of elevators. There'd certainly be no one around at this hour to interrupt."

              I felt heat rush up my face as it dawned on me what he was implying. I looked up at him as if he were an alien, unable to find my words. He continued grinning at me with a light in his eyes.

              "Like I said, it was just a thought. I wouldn't act on it, of course."

              I wasn't quite sure if that dissapointed me or not, but I just clamped my mouth shut. Relief swept through me when the elevator binged, signaling our arrival on my floor. Lee stepped out and I directed him to turn left. When we came to my door, he stopped. I thought he might laugh, but he did the opposite.

              A darkness crept into his blue eyes. I could see his jaw tense and he pursed his lips together.

              "You must have terrible luck."

              "I just believe it's fate," I reply.

              I fished my key out of my vest pocket, and leaned forward to insert it into the keyhole. Lee didn't look away from the numbers on my door that read 129 until I turned the knob and it swung in. As he entered my humble abode, I couldn't help but recite what both of us had thought upon coming across the combination of coincidences. I lived in building 666, on level R, and in room 129. Both of us had come to the same conclusion.

              "You know what it means, don't you?" I asked as he set me on my bed.

              He knelt in front of me with his head hanging, avoiding eye contact. "Revelations 12:9 -- 'And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world...'"

              "...'he was thrown down to Earth, and his angels were thrown down with him'," I finished.

              He looked up at me then, his eyes looking so deep into mine, it was as if he were trying to see through into my soul. He brought a hand up and cradled my cheek.

              "Are you afraid?"

              "Of what? You? I'm not sure I could ever be afraid of you."

              "Not even if I were the devil himself?"

              I paused. He couldn't be serious surely. But his eyes never wavered, and his expression was stern. I knew he wanted me to answer honestly.

              "Even the devil must have a heart. If you were the devil himself, you'd only be proving to me that he is much more kind and caring than history makes him out to be. My only fear would be for him having to stand on his own against the universe with no one there to offer solice to him."

              He smiled sorrowfully. What had this poor man gone through to be able to make a face like that? His hand came away from my cheek. I instantly missed the absence of its warmth. With a fluid motion, Lee arose and walked towards the exit. He came to a stop right before the threshold and turned around to look at me, serious once more.

              "I was offered solice once, ya know. And I had to pay for it. But I did not pay for it with as high a price as my friend did, and he has never once been offered solice. You have nothing to fear Raven Asche, because you are not meant for the devil."

              With that, he turned and walked out of my room, closing the door behind him. I couldn't quite grasp what he had been trying to convey. Most people, once they found out I was Wiccan, went out of their way to say only the devil would want me. But, I suppose Lee was not most people.

              I tried to stand from my bed. My legs had found their strength again and I was able to make it to my bathroom to get ready for bed. Once I was finished washing, my feet stumbled for the bed, more than eager to collapse. I laid my head on my fluffy pillow, letting Lee's words repeat themselves over and over again in my head. Which left me with one lingering question before I was whisked away to dreamland: If I was not meant for the devil, then who was I meant for?