Fallen Angel

Chapter 65: Brannon

With a disgusted huff, I turned off the television. The humans were blaming the weather for the ship. All in all, it was a wasted effort and, it wasn't my idea.

Chloe had woken, seen the ship and said it would be a great way to take down a lot of lives in one go. Sure, she was right and yes, heaven would know it was me but it wasn't how I wanted things to play out.

My fingers rapped over the wood arm of the lounge I was sitting on, staring at the black screen of the television. Aside from the ordeal with the ship, I was in a low mood because of seeing Emily. To make matters worse, Chloe bitched about leaving the island and how she didn't get to go for a swim. It grated against me and made me reconsider the company I kept.

To compare Emily and Chloe was stupid, they were vastly different. They both had their positives and negatives but honesty ruled in my mind and it was Emily all the way. She was my first love and no one will ever be as good as her. Chloe was just a distraction and it was a horrible thing to think and to do but it was the truth.

The house groaned, creaking as the wind pushed against it. I looked at the door to the bathroom, Chloe was taking forever to get ready. She'd been insistent that she had to come home to shower and change. I didn't want to be here; it was too risky. Not just because any member of her family could walk in here and see us but because the house was freakishly enchanted.

I shivered, feeling a frost encase the room. Realising that I'd been caught again, I began to drift into the air when a spike rammed into my foot. Groaning in pain, I looked up at the beautiful angel that caused my misery in so many ways. No longer emotional suffering, she now caused physical pain.

"There, no running away. So that you know, it's a spike lock. Won't do any damage to you but it keeps you in place. No running away anymore Bran, the spike is locked to me, so where you go, I go."

With a supreme smile Emily sat on the end of the bed, leaning on one hand.

"And the place is frozen. Of course, the only occupants are in this room but we have a lot that we need to discuss and I don't want her listening or contributing. We are going to talk about this, like rational adults. Your father knows that I have come after you again, Michael doesn't. I lied and said I was going to the bathroom. I left my phone behind so that I couldn't be tracked."

Ah, so that's how you did it. Chloe probably had her phone with her, considering that the thing seemed to be permanently attached to her hand, it was certainly possible.

Emily leaned forward, resting her hands on the arms of the chair as she lowered to me. The frown was mighty but there was a certain desperation lingering underneath, it was a curious sight.

"I lied for you to protect you. You think that heaven is pissed off, well you'd be right about that. Your poor father is going to have to somehow wrangle his way into keeping you a free person Bran, heaven is vying for blood. They want you locked into hell. That means no more roaming the planet, no more doing as you please. So that's why I brought the spike lock. You will behave, you will stop the mass deaths and you will make life easier for your father when the eventual negotiations happen. Now, we both know that the purity spell cannot be broken. I have to become pure for it to disappear and as much as I am trying, I am still finding it difficult. It seems that someone has ingrained his darkness into me."

I couldn't help but smile, it wasn't exactly the time for it but to know that I had affected her made me feel a little better. It was the tiniest ray of hope.

"I don't know what you're expecting Bran, everyone that I have asked said that it cannot be broken. There are no alternative spells, no purging it from my body."

She sat back onto the bed with a heavy sigh, looking dejectedly down at the carpet. Pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket, I looked at it and then to her as she gazed sadly at it. It was the house plan, the piece of paper that I'd left on the bed for her to find.

"I want this Bran, I really do. You made me feel so happy and loved, I felt wanted and no one has ever made me feel as good as what you did. I escaped from Arcaedia's apartment for you, to be with you. You were always in my thoughts; you were what kept me sane when I had nothing. I prayed that you would find me and that you would save me from the nightmare. When the days passed by and I didn't see you, I hoped that you were happy, maybe you might have moved on but it would be okay so long as you were okay."

Wiping the tears away, the piece of paper was folded and returned to her pocket.

"I want that for you now as well but I believe that you're not happy, aside from the obvious of course. You've moved on but I see a man that looks like he's made the wrong choice, that he regrets his decision. I'm not trying to persuade you to ditch her, if you're happy then that's what counts but I see the sad face and I see shame."

Emily looked up at me with sincerity.

"Tell me Bran, tell me what's going on in your mind. Make demands if you want but be reasonable about them. You can't ask for the impossible and then complain when the demand cannot be met."

She reached out and took my hand.

"What do you want Brannon?"

As I swallowed, it felt like something hard was moving down my throat. Painfully sliding down and ensuring that I suffered more. Gripping her hand firmly, I looked into those beautiful purple eyes, remembering how I wished that they would remain that colour and not become red when she became a fallen angel.

"Come on, tell me." She implored softly.

"I want an eternity with you in my arms, as my wife and my lover, the mother of my children, my best friend and confidant. That is what I want and I won't accept anything less than that. If you can't provide that then you need to go away and leave me alone. Stop tormenting me because you're only making it worse by coming here, trying to be my friend. I haven't asked for world domination; I haven't even asked for a god damn fucking dime. My request is not unreasonable considering that you said that you love me and that you want the same. Instead of coming here for the big talk, maybe you should have gone over Michael's head. Go and see the big cheese, let him figure it out."

Emily sighed as she stood, the pain in my foot lessened.

"Fine Bran, I'll go and try to figure it out. But I have some demands of my own. Ditch Chloe, you want back into my life well, globetrotting with a vampire that wants into your pants isn't helping your situation. No vices of any kind, find a quiet hotel and behave yourself. And the lock stays, so don't bother trying to negotiate your way out of it."

As soon as she disappeared, the room returned to normal and I knew that I would have to say goodbye to Chloe. It would have to be for forever, I doubted that she would want to be anywhere near me after I effectively dumped her.

Now more than ever, I really regretted dragging her into this. It wasn't fair, she was so sweet and deserved so much more.