Page 60 of Revelations

When she returned to the bar, Joe had moved their drinks over to a cozy table in the corner as far as possible from the patrons who were crowding the stage, chanting, “We want Rowdy! We want Rowdy!”

She smiled and tossed back another Jack and Coke with a self-satisfied grin.

No sign of the lead singer. The band members stood alongside the stage, instruments in hand, clueless expressions at the ready. Disappointed patrons began to trickle out. Pretty soon, there were only a handful of Marines left in the back corner throwing darts, while a George Strait tune played over the speaker system.

With the bad guy taken care of, and the bar less crowded, Greylyn basked in some much deserved rest and relaxation. Yes, that was exactly what she needed. Joe was a nice distraction. Their conversation was light, the bartender kept the drinks flowing. What more could she ask for?

A quick swish of air from the front door opening was followed by a zap of energy that radiated from her head all over her body, ending in her chest where it swelled to near bursting.

Her eyes scrunched closed as a hand came up to rub the piercing tension held at the bridge of her nose. She did not even bother to glance at the door to see what had caused the disturbance.

NO! NO! NO!

Her hands shook. The glass she still held in her other hand cracked slightly. Some of her drink spilled out, dripped down her hand, and drenched the tiny bar napkin on the table.

Joe leaned over to touch her arm. “You okay? Look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Worse,” she barely managed to squeak just before Kael’s shadow towered over her.

He shoved Joe’s hand away with enough force to rock him back into the wooden chair.

The Marine immediately jumped up, two hands reached out to shove the intruder back, their noses not even an inch apart.

“You got a problem, mister?” Joe shouted, and spittle flew in Kael’s face.

Greylyn knew that this would not end well. Joe was a fine-tuned fighting machine, but against a dark guardian, he did not stand a chance. The last thing she wanted was for her new friend to be caught in the crossfire.

“Stop.” She jumped in between them, pushing Kael backward. “Just stop.”

Turning to Joe, Greylyn stammered a lame excuse. “He’s just an overprotective ass, but he”—she flashed a warning glare at Kael—“doesn’t mean any disrespect.”

The scowl painted on the Marine’s face made it clear he wasn’t fooled. No, she would need to spin a convincing tale to get him to back down.

“Joe, I’m not an idiot. Okay, maybe sometimes I am. But I’m okay here. I can handle myself, especially with this blockhead.”

Sadly, Greylyn added, “It’s been really nice to meet you, but I need to take care of this”—she jerked her head at Kael—"by myself.”

Joe’s steely eyes remained locked on Kael, a silent warning. Straightening to his full, towering height, he gave her a curt nod. He recognized an order to stand down. “If you need me, I’ll be over there with some of my men. Just in case.” He marched over to the small crowd around the dart board game.

One night! Just one night to be…normal. Not even a full night, maybe a friggin’ hour or two. Just a few minutes of not being Greylyn the Guardian Angel, not fighting demons or other monsters. One night to not have to deal with him! Just one damn night, had that been too much to ask?

She rounded on him with fire spitting from her eyeballs. “What the hell do you want, Kael?” Despite the loud music still playing, she fought to control the volume of her voice so as not to alert the soldier boys in the back to trouble.

His eyes softened as he reached for her arm. She involuntarily flinched away, knocking the drinks on the table to the floor. Shattered glass and wasted whiskey pooled around her feet.

“I thought this would be a good time to talk. We seem to keep putting off a certain conversation.”

His tone was smooth, charming even. But Greylyn also detected a note of something else. Could it be fear? Apprehension? He was such a good actor, that she could not place the slight tick in his expression, the hesitancy hidden behind his darkened cognac eyes.

“So, you followed me all the way to the boondocks of North Carolina? Now? Right now? You want to discuss this…now?”

Oh, they had plenty to talk about. Starting with what had happened in Baltimore. But she just did not have the energy to do it right this second.

“Well, catching you when it’s a good time seems impossible, so…yes…now.”

His hand shot out to grab hers, but she stepped back quickly. Again, his eyes narrowed. The outstretched hand fell limply to his side.

Just as in previous times, all logical thought fled. Deep down, she knew that he wanted to discuss things, which she could not dare to admit to herself. What she needed to discuss was why and how he’d conjured a healing demon, even if she was grateful that it had saved Thomas. But the deaths paid for that one life…grief and guilt racked her soul.

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