Club Angel's Kiss

Raindrops pelted on my back like red hot knives. Each one stung worse than the other. Every spot where they hit slowly became numb in arctic, freezing cold agony.

Wisps of soaking wet dark hair stuck to my cheeks and forehead. My knuckles were turning white from the grip I held on the iron fence and the thicket of trees my eyes were locked on started spinning.

Nausea dropped into the bottom of my stomach like a brick. The all-too familiar sock-in-the-drier feeling welled up. My salivary glands started pouring excessive amounts of saliva into my mouth.

I sucked in a long breath of fresh, rain flavored air, hoping it would be enough to stop the coming onset of sickness.

Quite the opposite. My attempt did no good. The disgusting taste of muddy grass and thunderstorms glided across my taste buds.

Everything mixed together proved to be too much for my weak physique. I bent my torso over the fence.

The first wave hit.

The muscles in my stomach convulsed. A tremor shot from my head to my toes, and I watched as the contents of my stomach splashed to the sludgy ground. Every bit of the dinner Jett cooked swirled around with the splatters of rain still surging down from the relentless sky.

The mere sight caused another torrent of vomit to pour from my mouth, burning my throat with acid and bile and leaving a sick after taste along my tongue.

My legs gave out. I dropped to my knees on the dirt. Grimy water seeped into the denim of my jeans, mud squished against my already wet skin. My hands slipped on the wet iron bars. I tried to grab them for a sort of support.

They were much too wet and my hands were trembling as if I was in the middle of an earthquake. I fumbled around with the fence for a few moments to no avail. I gave up and wrapped my arms over my aching stomach.

Tremors and shivers continued to attack me, mostly from being frozen by the rain. I rocked from side to side in hopes of warming up enough to regain my muscle function. My family was waiting inside for me. They would notice me missing.

Zack would lecture me again, telling me to stop going to the cemetery if if caused me to react in such a way. He expressed he did not want me visiting the concrete squares until I responded better. He seemed tired of carrying me home in one of my fits.

Not even I understood why I kept visiting the fenced off square in the backyard. Every time the same things happened. I threw up, almost passed out, became unresponsive, and cried and sobbed until there were no more tears to cry.

I hated myself for it. This was the only thing in life that I loathed. Everything else was perfect. In the three months since Draegan told us the good news, my life aligned into something from a cheesy romance movie.

Zacky and I were closer than ever before. Draegan made a perfect addition to my guardians. Chalice took on the challenge of schooling Daniel; he was passing with flying colors. Speaking of Daniel my son let it be known that he loved his life and he loved his “vamp-ie playmates.” Joel started talking again, after stopping completely because of the torturous stint with evil Mrs. Harless.

My coven’s broke pieces had put themselves back together. Johnny was even getting better. He still had a bit to go. I simply appreciated his effort to be nice. Everyone did.

Over the sound of the pounding rain, I heard feet sloshing through the water close by. I attempted to glance around, but my spinning head stopped me from doing so.

I snapped my eyes shut and grabbed my head in my hands, groaning in misery.

Strong hands gripped my hips and pulled me into two cold arms. My left eyelid opened just a slit. The expression on Zacky’s face didn’t surprise me in the least.

He appeared disappointed, angry, and bothered. But, as he looked down at me, obvious, unconditional adoration shimmered in his eyes.

I smiled, my shaky hand reaching up to touch his slippery cheek.

He didn’t say anything as he turned and walked out of the cemetery gates, carrying me through the downpour to the backdoor. Using his foot, he pushed the door open and ambled into the empty kitchen.

I snuggled closer to his chest. The temperature was no better than how cold I already was, but the company certainly made me feel better.

We hit the stairs leading to the second floor a few moments later. That’s when he finally spoke to me.

“I can’t believe you did it again,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I thought I made it clear. I don’t like you going to the memorial site.”

“I know.”

“Then why do you keep going there?”

“I don’t know.”

Zacky maneuvered around Jimmy and Joel who were coming down the stairs the opposite direction. Joel pointed at me.

“Ammie!” he cried.

I wiggled my fingers at him slowly before we passed by them completely. Once they were out of view, I pressed myself to Zack’s chest again, our trek to our third floor room continuing.

Zacky made a face, screwing his features up in a scowl that was then directed down at me.

I looked away.

Obviously, he was upset with me. I didn’t blame him, though. He made it clear that he hated me throwing these unnecessary fits. They were unwanted and gratuitous; they had no reason. And he was left to clean up the mess that I always ended up in.

A shiver coursed through my limbs.

Zacky walked a little faster up the second flight of stairs.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. My fingers played with the hem of my stained t-shirt.

“It’s okay.” Zacky entered our bedroom and closed the door behind him. He strolled over to our bed where he deposited me before heading to the dresser.

I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the ground. Zacky handed me a long-sleeved thermal and a pair of white pajama pants. I took them and laid them on the mattress beside me.

Zacky laid one hand on my thigh and the other on my face. He leaned forward until our lips touched gently. I kissed back, forgetting completely that I had thrown up only a few minutes ago.

I decided to keep that to myself. What Zack didn’t know could not possibly hurt him.

He pulled away, but kept his face centimeters from mine. “You don’t have to be sorry.”

It took me a second to figure out what he was talking about.

“I am the one who should be sorry. All I do is complain when you have these weird breakdowns when I should be consoling you, not condemning you. The fits are the only--” He paused. “--weird thing you do. What kind of mate am I?”

I grabbed his shirt in my hands. “The perfect one.” I pulled him down on top of me, bringing him back for another passionate kiss.

He cracked a smile against my lips. I giggled, my grip on his shirt collar tightening, pulling him closer.

Our kiss deepened. His left hand found its way to the metal button on my jeans. He pulled it apart and yanked the zipper down.

My body tingled. My heart pounded against my breast bone.

I snatched the front of his shirt and pulled it up, my palm going over all the cold muscles on his body.

In one quick move, Zacky pulled my jeans from my legs. He dropped them behind him and stood up.

I made a face. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” He pointed to my pajamas. “Get dressed.”

I collapsed against the mattress in defeat.

All of that trouble simply to get me into pajamas. Drastic measures were Zacky’s forte, obviously, the complete psycho.

“I don’t like you,” I whined.

“Yes, you do.” Zacky kissed the top of my wet hair. “Now, put some dry clothes on and get under the blankets. I’ll bring up hot chocolate and tell Daniel to come join you. Alright?”

“Thank you.”

Zacky kissed me one last time before walking out of the room. He left the door wide open to let Daniel in whenever he made it up. I stared at the hallway longingly, wishing Zacky would come back immediately.

I missed him when he left the room. I had come to hate being away from him for any amount of time. My adoration for my mate, the pull I felt toward him, the love I experienced when I looked at him or kissed him, had become to undeniably strong in three months.

I felt strange without him by my side. Something about being away from him made me feel out of place and confused. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t exactly enjoy the sentiment of being utterly awkward.

Slowly, I grabbed the thermal with shaking hands. I slid it over my head and onto my upper body. The warmth it provided managed to decrease the shaking by a slight degree.

I rose from the mattress, taking the pajama bottoms and pulling them onto my legs. My aching skin rejoiced at the soft fabric.

Still trembling, I dove under the warm blankets, burying my head in the soft, fluffy pillows. The pillowcases smelled of my conditioner and the gentle smell of Daniel’s blueberry shampoo.

I smiled.

Another perfect thing in my life? Motherhood. It was everything I ever hoped it would be. From loving my adorable son to playing with him and watching him and Zacky bond as father and child. I couldn’t imagine having a more perfect family. The thought was completely unfeasible.

Daniel, too, didn’t like me going to the cemetery. He told me on more than one occasion that my fits scared the living daylights out of him. Seeing his mother scream and cry like someone was ripping her insides out and watching his father try his best to console her…I could envision why he was scared.

Damn. Guilt ravaged my body about putting Daniel through that, yet here I was again, laying in bed, soaking wet with bloodshot eyes and a throat burning from a vomiting episode.

I was demented in so many ways.

“Mama!” I heard little footsteps trampling up the stairs. “Mama, Papa said I could come lay in bed with you!”

Daniel’s little head poked through the bedroom door and peered around. He caught sight of me and flew across the wood floor. Upon reaching the bed, he leaped into the air.

I plucked him from the air before he could land on me and laid him beside me.

He slid under the blankets and snuggled close to me. I wrapped my arm around his tiny, frail, and incredibly warm body.

“Why are you wet, Mama?” Daniel questioned, looking at my face.

“I was out in the rain.” I pushed his bangs away from him face. “Have you finished your schoolwork?”

“Mhm!”

“Good boy.” I planted a kiss on his forehead. “What did you learn today?”

He pursed his lips, squinting his eyes, deep in thought.

I raised an eyebrow.

“OH! I counted to one hundred fifty without messing up! And I learned how to spell penguin, paper, and peanut.” He grinned proudly. “Chalice said I did even better than yesterday!”

“Yay!” I hugged him quickly. “Have you told Papa about it?”

“No. I’m going to tell him when he comes back. He said he was getting us hot chocolate.”

“Yes, because I’m freezing.” As if on cue, I shivered.

Daniel put his arms around my neck, nestling nearer me. “Am I helping?”

“Very much, sweetie,” I murmured. “You are my little heater.”

I had to admit, he did help a significant amount. His body heat melded against my lack thereof.

The shivers and trembling stopped after a few minutes thanks to the blankets, dry clothes, and Daniel.

My sick stomach left next. Thankfully.

I sighed. My eyelids drooped. I knew my exhaustion would eventually catch up to me. The attacks of hysterics drained me both mentally and physically.

Only the sound of the bedroom door closing was able to pull me from the brink of passing out.

I glanced at Zacky, then at the two steaming mugs in his hands.

“Hot chocolate for my favorite humans,” he announced, handing a pink mug to me and a blue one to Daniel. He leaned over me and kissed my forehead. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. I’m not cold anymore and my stomach feels fine.” I sipped the hot liquid very carefully. It burnt all the way down my throat and hit my gut like a baseball.

I coughed at the painful sensation.

Zacky sat down on the foot of the bed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m positive.” I took another drink. This one wasn’t as bad as the first, but it still made me cringe.

Daniel gulped a huge drink of his. “These marshmallows are huge!” he exclaimed.

I let out a short laugh.

“I gave you the big marshmallows, Daniel.” Zacky smiled brightly. “And Mommy got stuck with the cruddy ones in the little bag.”

I gasped. “That’s so mean!” I cried, laughing. “I see how much you love me, Zackary Baker. Hmph.”

Zack put his hands on my thighs and bowed forward. His mouth found mine again, his lips caressed mine affectionately.

I wound my free arm around his neck, deepening it, my eyes fluttering close. I tilted my head slightly.

“Ew!”

I broke the kiss without delay and glanced at Daniel, who had a hand shielding his eyes away from our kiss. His tongue was sticking out.

“I’m just a kid!”

Zack leaned back into his original position. I patted Daniel’s shoulder.

“You can uncover your eyes now,” I told him. “We’re done…And I’m sorry for scarring you yet again. Very, very sorry, sweetie.”

Daniel lowered his hand. “No more kissing in front of me. It’s weird.”

Zacky laughed. “Sure thing, little man.”

/ - / - / - /

12:13 AM.

12:13 AM.

12:13 AM.

The glowing red numbers stared at me from the nightstand. They were glowing in the thick darkness around me, only competed by the moonlight streaming in from the window and the light from the ajar bathroom doorway.

The alarm clock was the singular keeping me from losing the rest of my mind.

I ran my fingers through my hair.

Hours had passed since I finally laid down for the night at nine o’clock, and nothing had changed. I still remained curled in Zacky and my bed, nuzzled under the blankets and staring at the clock.

For some reason, I could not fall asleep. My head wouldn’t shut up, wouldn’t stop producing pictures of the backyard cemetery. This time, however, I was not throwing up or going into a fit. My stomach didn’t feel bad, but it did have a knot of something equal to dread sitting in it.

And, I was pretty sure if I did fall asleep, I would be plagued by nightmares. That could be the possible reason for my annoying insomnia.

12:14 AM.

I flipped over to my right side, having enough of staring at the time. I forced myself to close my eyes and attempt -- just attempt -- to fall asleep for a few minutes for the sake of my sanity.

The cemetery images faltered their intensity. My brain stopped tossing them at me, and most of my thoughts disappeared. All was quiet within my head. Peace started setting in. The bed suddenly felt incredibly comfortable and soft. My pillows were in just the right places.

“Oh, Amber, dearest!”

Abruptly, the scenery changed. My bedroom evolved into the living room of my old house. Well, a trashed, ransacked version of my living room.

All the furniture sat overturned. Paint peeled from the walls. Cracks and chunks split down the walls as well, exposing the other rooms that resided on either side.

I looked around.

The room appeared to be pulled right from a Silent Hill videogame. It gave me the creeps.

“Oh, Amber, dearest!”

I turned toward the archway.

Mom stood in the jagged opening, hands on her hips.

I cocked my head. “Mom? What are you doing here?”

“The same thing you’re doing here, you funny girl.” She strolled over the flimsy floors. “Did you find anything yet?”

“What -- what am I supposed to be looking for, might I ask?” I moved to cross my arms over my chest, but stopped when something caught on the fabric of my shirt. I glanced down, lifting my left hand into my line of view.

On my ring finger sat a white gold ring with a black diamond the size of a doorknob.

My mouth dropped open.

“Shi-it!” I sang. “This is a rock! Where did this come from?”

“Are you feeling okay, Amber?” Mom questioned, kicking an armchair to the side. “You should recognize your wedding ring. You’ve only been wearing it for twenty years.”

Twenty years?!

I glanced back at my hand. That would make me forty-two-years-old. Yet my hand held no signs of that. My skin was the perfect shade of pale white. No spots, no wrinkles were visible.

As Mom lifted a rug and peered underneath, I walked to the mantle against the back wall.

The mirror leaning against the wall showed me an image I wasn’t expecting. The face staring back at me almost looked like a complete stranger. I knew it was me by the structure of my face, but everything else was…different.

My skin resembled a porcelain doll, my eyes glittered many different colors under the lights, just like Inez’s did the first day at Hawthorne Groceries. My hair hung straight as a board passed my shoulders and the bright smile on my pink lips shined.

I stared at myself in shock.

I was fully aware this was a dream brought on by my visit to the memorial site, but I could get used to this. A beautiful wedding ring, the looks of a professional supermodel.

Woo. What a dream.

Mom stepped behind me. She rested her chin on my shoulder and joined me in my gawking at the reflection.

“Who would have thought my little girl would be this?” she whispered. “A beautiful vampire, a mother and grandmother, a wife, and a queen. The/I] queen, better yet.”

I smiled.

Pardon? Grandmother?

I jerked awake. The darkness of my bedroom greeted my eyes once more and the warmth of the blankets made everything feel better.

I glanced to the nightstand.

12:20 AM.

With a growl of frustration, I threw the blankets back and climbed out of the bed. I walked across the room and pushed the door open.

I ventured down two flights of stairs in the dark, relying only on my sense of touch to make it without tumbling to an untimely death.

Grabbing the banister, I twisted around it and jumped off the bottom stair into the living room.

“Hi,” I muttered, scanning the surprised faces of my vampires. “I can’t sleep.”

Rave laughed from where she sat with a wide awake Joel in her arms. “Same for this little prince. He’s been awake since five in the morning and he still hasn’t fallen asleep.”

I felt Joel’s pain. I would do anything to get a good night’s rest, but I had a mental block against it.

Zacky held out his arms.

I walked to the couch and plopped down in his lap. I cuddled to his chest. His arms wound around my body.

I laid my head on his shoulder.

“Why can’t you sleep?” He kissed my hair.

“Nightmares.” I shuddered.

Zacky played with the ends of my hair. “Okay. Try to go to sleep now. I’ll protect you from the evil nightmares,” he whispered directly in my ear.

I shook my head. “I doubt you can.”

He didn’t say anything else to me. He and Draegan struck up a conversation about the storm outside.

I listened, hoping it would lull me to sleep from boredom.

But, that didn’t happen.

Instead…

“I can see it as you turn to stone. Still clearly I can hear you say, don’t leave, don’t give up on me. Two weeks and you ran away.”

I slowly opened my eyes.

That was my ring tone…Adam’s ring tone.

I leapt off the couch and streaked to the front door, where I snatched up my bag and dumped the contents on the ground. My cell phone fell beside my feet.

I grabbed it and flipped it open.

One unread message…

I pressed okay, and the text message popped up to the screen.

“We’re baaaaaack.”