Ronin

As we talked about the dagger and through possibilities of how the vampire could have ended up with it, the tension between us slowly dialled down a few notches. I even began to think that she had possibly realised I wasn't a threat.

All I knew for sure was that I couldn't take my eyes off her. She possessed a beauty like nothing I'd ever seen. If Heaven's angels all looked like her, I couldn't wait to die. With her silky-smooth porcelain skin that just begged to be touched, her svelte figure fitting black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, and her bare shoulders that needed nothing but my tongue on them, I was in trouble here. Real trouble.

When the conversation dried up, I decided to ask her some personal questions. "How long have you been hiding out here?" I asked, surveying the abandoned cemetery around me.

"In total? Years. But I've been gone for the last couple of months. I've been back about four hours," she replied. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed my bed? Then that buffoon came and ruined it."

"Where have you been? Do you have any idea how much of a legend you are?"

"Me, a legend?" She gave a bark of laughter, almost as if in disbelief, as a streak of sadness flitted through her golden eyes. "Try telling God that." The corners of her pink lips quivered as she spoke her next words. "I didn't know anyone even knew about me being on Earth."

I nodded. "Oh, yes. We're all taught about you, hunters I mean, from a very young age. Every hunter I know has always dreamed of meeting you."

Whatever anguish she'd shown a moment ago instantly vanished. Curiosity filtered into her eyes as she frowned. "Why? I'm really not that fascinating."

I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say. Why were we all taken with the idea of her? "I guess because none of us have ever met an angel. Sure, we have stories about you guys passed down the generations, but we've never actually seen one of you. Plus, some of us think you're going to be the salvation."

She laughed, a proper deep chuckle filled with amusement that sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine. "Salvation? You do know why I'm down here, right?"

"Yes. You told God and Lucifer to stick their petty argument and refused to pick a side."

A smirk tugged at one corner of her mouth. "Well, it didn't quite go like that. It was more a case of I didn't agree with either of their opinions. This..." she said, holding her arms out from her sides, "...was my punishment."

I frowned. "To float around Earth for eternity?"

She nodded and sighed. "Pretty much. Cursed to loneliness forever. The only thing that keeps me busy is helping the human souls pass over for their next life." She shrugged her shoulders. "Kept me busy I should say. I don't really do that anymore. Not unless I feel like it. So, I stay here, chilling out and wasting my eternity away."

A wave of heartache hit me square in the chest. What a horrible existence to have, to not be needed, or wanted, anywhere, by anyone, and to have to deal with that forever? I couldn't quite comprehend that. Eternity wasn't a time frame I could even begin to grasp the idea of.

Thoughts of the vampire and our peculiar situation sprung to mind. "I'm sorry he disturbed you. I had no idea where he was running and of course, even less of an idea I would find you in here."

Her face suddenly lit up, her golden eyes glazing over with wonder. "Do you live around here?"

"No, I'm about two hours away."

Her eyes dulled over, and her shoulders sagged. "Oh."

I knew I'd just popped her joy like I'd stuck a needle in a balloon. "Why did you ask?"

"No reason," she said, sighing.

I could feel a sense of restlessness in her, an underlying motivation for her question. Empathising with her situation, I wanted to poke a bit deeper, see if I could help in any way, even if just to see her smile again. "There must have been some reason behind your question. I don't bite."

She eyed me for several seconds and then replied, "I was only going to ask, if you were local that is, if you would perhaps give me a guided tour of the city. I've always wanted to see this place properly but have dreaded meeting all of the other creatures down there. I figured you would know where to avoid."

My heart did a double take as my mind raced with options and ideas. This was a golden opportunity if I'd ever been presented with one. "I'm here for a few days and I've always wanted to look around this place, especially the French Quarter."

Her eyes shone with brilliance, their golden depths becoming brighter with each passing second. Nodding so quickly her dark hair jerked backwards and forwards, she said, "Yes. That looks like one amazing area for sure. It's so beautiful. I've only ever passed over it—" she pointed up "—when I'm flying, but I want to spend some time there. I'm really drawn to this part of the world for some reason."

I drew a deep breath and plucked up some courage before daring to ask, "How do you feel about looking around it together? I really don't think you need to worry about any creatures considering...you know..." I pointed at the pile of ash at her feet.

Silence. She stared at me, blank and impassive. Seconds ticked by. I started to break out in a nervous sweat. Had I crossed a line? Was this going to be the end of our brief meeting?

"Together?" she said, breathing the word out.

I nodded. "Just an idea." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to appear nonchalant. "No pressure."

"You know people, regular humans, can't see me, right?"

"I figured, seeing as you've never been spoken of by them."

"You're going to look like you're talking to yourself if you walk around with me."

If looking crazy meant I got to spend some more time with this incredible angel, I didn't give two hoots. "I don't care."

She tilted her head to one side, like a puppy trying to work out something new. "Really?"

"Really. I don't care." I took a breath and swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'd love to get to know you better."

"I don't even know your name."

"Ronin," I said, holding my hand out.

She hesitated but then took it. The instant our skin connected, everything changed. The world around us seemed to fall away, as if it were a background being blended out by an artist, leaving only us stood in the centre. Our eyes locked once more, and a bright white light started emanating from her being. It flooded outwards, covering me and encircling us both.

Through my fingertips I could feel her heartbeat pulsing through my skin. Hot pins and needles flooded my arms, spread through my shoulders, and then cascaded down through my entire body.

Her eyes filled with wonderment and amazement, glowing more and more golden with each moment. Her irises seemed to move and swirl with colour, hypnotising me into staring at her even longer.

But then she took her hand back, jerking it away as if I'd just given her a nasty electric shock.

The second our skin disconnected, the entire thing vanished like someone had flicked a switch. I blinked several times whilst trying to figure out if I'd just imagined the entire thing. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out shakily as I glanced around to make sure I was still on Earth and not in another dimension.

"What was that?" I said, slapping a hand over my chest.

Staring down at her hand like she'd never seen it before, she stayed silent for a good minute or more. "Impossible," she breathed. "Absolutely impossible."

"What is?"

She looked at me again, except this time, when our eyes made contact, the sound of a pulse, and not my own, reverberated through my head. I sucked in a sharp breath and opened my mouth to ask her a question but I didn't get the chance.

"I need to go," she said.

With that, she spread her wings and took off, almost blowing me off my feet with the draft she left behind. All I could do was watch as the beautiful angel soared into the skies above me, leaving me alone and totally confused.