Chapter 6

I opened my mouth in an attempt to interrogate my friends, only to snap it shut when I felt a presence behind me.

    And not just any presence.

    This one was clearly...angelic.

    "Thomas!" I cried, performing a ghastly pirouette in my chunky borrowed boots, almost landing smack on my face.

    Regaining my composure, I quickly realized that the person following me wasn't Thomas.

    Not even close.

   With an elegant nose, a smile to die for, and shoulder length pale blonde hair that swept across his broad forehead, he looked like a male Barbie doll. Even his skin was pale and flawless, which stood out in stark contrast to an animal sexuality that cloaked him like a blanket of mystery. But perhaps what caught my attention the most was his eyes. They flashed like jewels each time he looked directly at me – the color a bright, sparkling lavender amethyst.

    No "normal" person looked like that.

    I was starting to think my first impression of him had been correct. He did look like a life-size Ken doll.  

   Right then all I really, really wanted to know was why did every angel I encountered have to be so crazy delicious looking. Like they were sculpted by Aphrodite herself.

    With the exception of me, of course.

    I just stood there lost in his wild gaze, willing myself to look away and failing miserably.

    That's when I felt it.

    Something passed through me sent from him. I wouldn't call it passion exactly, but close. More like an overpowering animal magnetism.

    I didn't like it, not one little bit.

    Angel or not, he was seriously getting on my very last nerve.

    I opened my mouth in protest to say, "Back up off me, Ken..." but the words came out sounding more like, "Bash um off meh, Ken."

    Not very commanding, but hey...at least I tried.

    The sounds of people talking and footsteps scurrying about the crowded lobby made it nearly impossible to carry on a conversation. I strained my ears until, suddenly, it was almost as if he and I were the only ones standing in the massive room.

   His answering voice was a deep purr of power, meant for my ears only. "I wouldn't attempt to convince your friends that they look like a pack of zombies, if I were you."

   I raised an eyebrow, breaking free of his charm. "And what are you, the zombie patrol?"

   He shook his head. "Not exactly."

   Tapping my toe impatiently, I groaned, "Then what do you want, Ken?"

   "Why do you keep calling me Ken?"

   I slowly inspected every inch of him as if he were a tray full of delectable deserts. Dressed formally...uh, make that mostly formally, he had on a pair of black tuxedo pants, a dark purple dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a black tuxedo vest. A matching purple handkerchief lay folded gracefully in one pocket. He looked like a life size Ken doll dressed up as an insanely hot magician.

   I heaved a sigh. "It's kinda obvious, isn't it?"

   He frowned. "You need to get your eyes checked."

   Modest and cute to boot. How charming.

   "Yeah?" I turned to face him squarely, hands on my hips. "And you need to quit telling me what to do. I already had one angel try to boss me around. It didn't work out so good for him, if you know what I mean." I conveniently left out the part where I got my heart broken for being so stubborn.

   Eyeing me carefully, he extended a sinewy muscled arm. "The name's Sebastian."

   I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Accepting his hand in mine, I glanced down as my fingertips came in contact with his skin, and noticed the mark on his right forearm for the first time. Different than mine, his mark seemed to change shape each time I blinked reminding me of a hologram.

   I got no sense of malice from him. Only a dawning sense of the nature of his power. Although different, it not only matched mine in intensity, but it matched...perfectly, leaving me to wonder if he'd realized it too.

   Probably. Otherwise, why would he be here tormenting me?

    I gasped and tore my hand away, remembering what Thomas had said before unceremoniously tossing me out of Heaven without even saying goodbye.

   "You get one chance to form the perfect union. One chance, and that is all."

    Sebastian noticed my scrutiny and radiated humor as if he enjoyed watching me writhe in the memory of my lost love. I didn't find that part of him particularly attractive. However, his utterly breathtaking beauty hid a cutting wit, which I knew he'd use to slice and dice my feelings for Thomas if they got in his way. Even as we faced one another, I felt the unmistakable pull of two polar opposites attracting. Like our souls had just recognized each other.

    Simply put, he was the zig to my zag.

    I had promised Thomas that I would wait for him, but he sure as hell was taking his sweet ass time to come back to me. If I wasn't careful, I could end up accidentally forming a permanent bond with the wrong angel. I needed a distraction. And fast. The only thing I could think of to buy more time until Thomas returned was to keep his mind on something else. Something other than me.

   "Well, Sebastian," I began, trying out his name. "You seem to know an awful lot about zombies. Care to enlighten me?"

   "First off, they're not zombies."

   Oh no, here we go again.

    "What-evs." I folded my arms across my chest. "Then what do you suggest I call them?"

    His perfect answering smile made my heart squeeze. "They are simply called the undead."

    I narrowed my eyes. "And what makes you the expert?"

    He glanced behind me, then smirked. "I know who made them, and how." Returning my naked stare, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "More importantly, I know why."

   My turn to smirk. "I do too..." but I didn't say the words out loud.

   Just keep him talking.

   Unfolding my arms, I tried to act like I was hearing this story for the very first time. "I'm listening."

   "While you were busy getting your beauty sleep, a witch named Serenity created a poison and purposefully targeted teenagers. Once ingested, the poison causes a violent death, and then a re-birth of sorts. Your friends are not really your friends. At least, not anymore. Unhindered by conscience, compassion, or even remorse, they are completely under Serenity's control. To make matters even worse, the undead possess superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. Due to the fact that, somehow, they still manage to appear normal, they blend in perfectly with society and don't realize anything's wrong with them. No one will even know they're hiding among us, until it's too late. Kalamazoo was ground zero. The poison turned a small group of the undead into a huge group of the undead, and then turned all of America into Land of the Living Dead. Within a month, the entire planet will become infested. And trust me, when Serenity finally unleashes her army on a massive global scale, all hell is going to break loose."

   Okay, maybe I hadn't heard that part before.

    "What happens to my friends...uh, I mean...what happens to the undead after that?"

    He shrugged. "That's probably where the Angels of War come in."

    "Angels of War?" I repeated.

    "You and I were lucky to escape Serenity's wrath. Those not so fortunate were also poisoned, allowing Serenity to possess control over their supernatural powers when they refused to relinquish their souls. Otherwise, Serenity feared the angels might rise up and ruin her plans for..."

    "World domination," I finished for him.

    He nodded. "Exactly. The angels under Serenity's control will deal with the undead once they have served their purpose."

    My thoughts returned to Vycandor. Had Thomas been wrong about him? Had he really been so susceptible to the Dark One's influence that he went with them willingly? Or had he been poisoned because he refused to give up his soul like me?

    I had to know the answer.

    Glancing over my shoulder, I found my friends mingling around multiple vending machines at the back of the lobby. Maybe I could hitch a ride.

    I glanced quickly at Sebastian, then just as quickly looked away. "I gotta go."

    He grabbed me by the arm, clearly astonished. "I know you're not leaving to meet up with Vycandor."

   I gasped in surprise. How did he know?

    Jerking away, I hissed, "One, don't ever touch me. Two, don't ever touch me." When he didn't respond, I added, "If you've got something else to say, right now would be a good time to keep it to yourself."

    "Vycandor is an abomination, Chaos. He can't be trusted."

   So much for keeping it to himself. Someone can't follow basic instructions.

    I seethed with anger. "Let me be the judge of that."

    "It's your funeral." He shook his head and sighed when he realized I wasn't backing down. "Fine, then I'm coming with you."

    I started to walk away, then turned back around. "No, you're not."

    "Yes, I am. You and I are in this together whether you like it or not." I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. "The fate of mankind hangs in the balance. Don't let your stubborness get them all killed."

    "Be that as it may, I need to face Vycandor on my own terms. We have unfinished business." Sebastian tried to argue. I cut him off. "That's the deal. Take it, or leave it."

    He frowned. "Fine. I'll just hang around in case you need help."

    "I won't."

I was sure...well, I was mostly sure (hoped was more like it) that when Vycandor saw me again, he wouldn't have a raging case of the munchies and mistake me for a bag of nachos.

The really spicy kind.