Glimpse: Book One of the Glimpse Quartet, page 30
“Thanks, G.” I lay my head on her shoulder for a moment.
“I got you. Always,” she squeezes my hand. “Just promise you won’t ditch me the next time some steely-eyed hunk comes along.”
“I promise,” I giggle, wondering for a moment whether I’ll ever see Liam again, but I push the thought out of my head as fast as it comes, knowing it’s probably better if I do not.
Chapter Forty-Five
Blair
With the exception of one sober night with my mother, I spend the first few nights of spring break eating dinner alone and failing not to dwell on Liam, his vague shape taking up more than a few pages in my sketchbook.
The nightmares are less frequent, now, but still ever-present. When I wake to a sound at the window Thursday morning, the sunlight streaming in is the only thing that keeps me from freaking out.
A second knock has me on my feet in seconds, the hair raised on the back of my neck—the same twinge of fear that I had weeks ago when someone—when Liam —I correct in my head, was following me.
Ignoring the tingle in my spine, I peek through the curtain to find Vaughn standing casually.
“What are you doing here?” I open the window.
“I came to rescue you.”
“Rescue me?” My heartbeat quickens as I wonder whether Liam has come back to town, and I curse the part of myself that hopes he has.
“From your boring spring break,” he clarifies. My chest deflates, and I feel the sting of disappointment mixed with my relief.
“And you thought you’d just drop by at—” I glance at the clock on my nightstand, “Wait, it’s already eleven-thirty?”
“You slept in late. Maybe you don’t need rescuing. Were you out late partying last night?”
“No, but I worked a double yesterday,” I press one hand to my face, covering a yawn. “You could have called first.”
“I’m nothing if not spontaneous,” he grins. Another huge yawn keeps me from responding right away. “See? You’re knackered. You need a break,” he continues. “What are you doing today?” He plops down on my unmade bed, looking out of place in my dingy room, dressed in his designer jeans and red shirt.
“Today happens to be my day off. And I do have a front door, you know,” I gesture to the window.
“I’m more of a bedroom window kind of guy. Keeps people guessing.”
“Yeah, guessing whether you’re going to attack them,” I grumble.
“That’s no way to thank your rescuer.” He tilts his head down and looks up at me through his lashes. His blue eyes are mischievous and enticing.
“Thank you for ruining a good night’s sleep and giving me a heart attack by sneaking in through my window,” I say, my voice acerbic.
“Technically I only snuck up to your window. I was invited inside.”
“Details,” I wave my hand in the air. “What do you want from me?”
“I take it you’re not a morning person.” He smiles, and I feel guilty for being so short with him.
“I’m sorry. What did you have in mind for today?”
“I’m glad you asked.” He jumps up from the bed and claps his hands together. “Hiking. Don’t you remember? And then I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“I hate surprises.”
“Nobody hates surprises,” he argues.
“Everyone hates surprises.”
“Well you’ll like this one. I promise.”
“Does it involve other people?”
“No.”
“Snakes?”
“No.”
“Bears?”
“Goodness sake, Blair. Who do you think I am? Get dressed. You’ll be fine.” He rolls his eyes, walking forward to put his hands on my shoulders. “Please?” His eyes are mesmerizing, drawing me in until I cannot refuse.
“Do angels have magic eyes?” I blurt out, remembering the similar hypnotizing power of Liam’s eyes.
“What do you mean?” His expression turns quizzical.
“Never mind.” I shake my head. “I have to get dressed. Get out—I’ll meet you out front.”
“I don’t mind sticking around.” He winks.
“Get out!” I shove him toward the window with a laugh. He climbs out deftly and then turns back to me.
“Don’t be long.” He smiles before he walks around the house. I make a quick trip to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get my hair in order before returning to my bedroom to rifle through my closet. I do not have any great hiking gear, but I put on my sturdiest pair of jeans and tennis shoes, opting for a blue long-sleeve shirt.
I check my mother’s room on the way out, but she is nowhere to be found. She must not have come home last night. Ignoring the worry building in my chest, I leave her another note to let her know I will be out for the day, and then at last make my way outside.
Vaughn leans against a commando green Jeep with his arms folded over his chest and dark aviator sunglasses covering his eyes. He looks like he walked right off a movie set.
“Ready?” he stands up straight as I approach.
“Ready,” I nod, “What happened to your Mustang?”
“She’s at home. You didn’t think I’d bring her hiking, did you?”
“I didn’t think anyone would be dumb enough to buy a Mustang in Oregon in the first place,” I shrug.
“Ouch! Get in the car already.” He walks around to the driver’s side, and I climb into my seat. He gets in beside me and starts the engine, which comes to life with a satisfying hum.
“How do you afford all this stuff? Does the angel thing pay? Because I want in.”
“I work for free, love.”
“Then where do you get so much cash?”
“Let’s just say I’ve accumulated a lot of wealth over the years.”
“That sounds shady.”
“Girls love a good mystery.” He winks at me. I narrow my eyes at him.
“Where are we hiking?”
“Just this little trail I found. It’s got a great view at the top.” We ride in silence, watching the road pass beneath us while he drives toward the coast. It is a long trip, but at last he pulls onto a narrow dirt road. My teeth rattle together on some of the rockier stretches, until finally he comes to a stop at the edge of a small grassy mountain. I cannot see the top from where we are parked, but the slope doesn’t look too bad.
“You call this a hike?”
“Okay, so maybe it’s more of a walk,” he agrees. “I was accounting for your frail human strength.”
“Don’t underestimate me,” I warn him.
“Alright little miss Oregon, get out of the car. If we start now the timing should be perfect.”
“Perfect for what?”
“Your surprise,” he raises his eyebrows, and I groan. We both step out of the Jeep and I wait for him to start on the trail.
“No cheating. I don’t want to look up and see you flying ahead of me,” I warn him.
“No cheating.” He makes a cross over his heart with his finger. The gesture is so boyish it disarms me, and I embrace the enthusiasm he has been trying to coax out of me all morning. He starts up the mountain at an easy pace, and I walk beside him on the trail.
“Can I ask about the whole angel thing?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Well, you said Liam was trying to use me to get back into Heaven. What else do the Fallen do?” I am too busy staring at him to pay attention to the ground, and my foot catches on a branch. I stumble forward, but his arm wraps around my waist in an instant and he keeps me from falling.
“Thank you,” I gasp, experiencing major déjà vu. I can almost feel Liam’s arms around me. A blush rises to my cheeks and I immediately look away, clearing my throat.
“Um, so you were saying? About angels?”
“Oh, right.” He starts walking again, and I follow him. “Most of the time they cause trouble for humans. They like to live large—a lot of them don’t want to go back to Heaven.”
“They don’t? Why not?”
“They revel in their powers here on earth.”
“I can’t imagine someone passing on a chance at Heaven.” I stare fixatedly at the dirt while I speak. The whole topic sounds ridiculous out loud. Up to now I had not given the whole Heaven thing that much thought—though I always believed in an afterlife; I could never believe my dad ceased to exist after he died. I always thought he had to be somewhere.
“You’d be surprised.”
“What, is Heaven not all it’s cracked up to be?” I laugh. He looks thoughtful.
“It’s not that. It’s just…there is less opportunity for power in Heaven.”
“That’s funny. I thought it would be the opposite.” I watch him now as we walk. His brow sinks in the middle, eyes quizzical.
“Well, in Heaven, angels have duties. It’s quite busy, actually.” I can tell he is trying to explain without giving too much away. “The Fallen prefer earth because they have no responsibilities. Not to mention the fact that down here they have dominion over humans.”
“Dominion? How so? Don’t they have to stay hidden?”
“No. I have more rules than they do because I’m a guardian. It is better if they lay low. But that’s not what I meant.” He takes my hand and helps me over a craggy pile of rocks. “Most of them enjoy using their powers on humans.”
“Powers?” I stop on the trail. He walks a few more steps before he notices, and then he stops and turns to face me.
“Yeah.” He shrugs. “Come on, I’m sure Liam told you all about that.”
I remember sitting with him on the hill, when he promised to show me what he could do. “We never got that far,” I mumble. This time I am the one who starts walking again, hoping that I can shake it off if I keep moving. Vaughn walks a little closer to me than before, and my heartbeat quickens. Part of me is exhilarated by his proximity. The other part warns me to keep my distance; I am not ready to get tangled up in another guy. Not when I am still reeling from Liam’s betrayal.
“I’m surprised. Liam tends to be a show-off.” For the first time I detect malice in his voice. It reminds me of the way Liam used to talk about Vaughn. Another memory comes unbidden to my mind, one of us sitting on Liam’s couch in his modest little bungalow.
“He didn’t show off to me.”
“I guess that makes sense. He needed to win your affections.” Vaughn smiles sadly. I feel the sting of shame in my chest.
“So what powers do the Fallen have?” I blurt out. I do not want to talk about Liam anymore. And I definitely do not want to see the pity in Vaughn’s eyes.
“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”
“I’m willing to take my chances,” I laugh.
“Very well. Gamble with your life, if you must.” He smiles. “Most of it is what you would expect. Angels are faster, stronger, more perceptive. They are also uncanny negotiators, but I don’t think that is a special skill. You humans are easily fooled.” He winks.
“Are you calling me a pushover?” I shove his arm lightly, and he shoves me back.
“Not at all. You are rock solid.”
“Is that all? They’re basically humans on steroids?”
“Well, there are the wings of course. And they can give you visions.”
“Visions? What kind of visions?”
“You know, they can alter your reality. Make you see things that aren’t there.”
“Can all angels do that? Or just the Fallen?”
“No, we can all do it.”
“So how do I know I’m here right now?” I try to keep my voice casual, but I am certain he can hear the terrified undercurrent there. He smiles at me.
“I guess you’ll just have to trust me.” I stare into his eyes far longer than necessary, amazed that I do not trip over anything. I clear my throat and blink the stare away, focusing on the trail again. It is getting steeper as we approach the top.
“Speaking of trust, where are you taking me? I’m worried you’re about to lure me into the woods.”
A wicked glint flashes in his eyes. “As much fun as that sounds, I assure you there are no woods at the top of this mountain.”
“What is at the top?”
“You’ll see.”
“Remember? Surprises and I don’t get along too well,” I roll my eyes.
“That may be, but I am desperately trying to teach you how to have fun.”
“Thank you, surrogate Gia.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Gia is cool—and she happens to be your best friend.”
“Both true,” I sigh. “Everybody wants me to have more fun.”
“Is that a bad thing?” The trail grows smaller and he takes the lead. Every so often he glances back to make sure I am still with him.
“I guess not. But I don’t have a lot of time for fun. Not when my mom is such a wreck and I’m paying the lion’s share of the bills.”
“Yikes. No wonder people think you need to have more fun.”
“I’m serious, Vaughn. I spend half my time at the restaurant so I can pay the bills. And I spend the other half working hard at school so I can go to college and try to get a better job so I can get my mom out of that rat hole we call a house,” the words come out in a single breath, tumbling out like they have been waiting there for ages. I realize it may not be wise to confide in Vaughn after what happened with Liam; I should be more careful about divulging my secrets.
“I don’t think it’s your job to take care of your mom. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve done your part. It’s time to start living for you.”
“That’s very guardian angel of you,” I mutter. I do not know why I’m so annoyed. And I do not understand why I can’t stop comparing him to Liam, but Vaughn’s advice sounds so selfish. Liam never would have told me to forget about her. Then again, Liam failed to mention he was planning to sacrifice me, so what do I know?
“Look, I’m sorry.” He glances back at me. “It’s not my place. I just don’t want you to let your whole life slip away.” I follow behind him quietly, contemplating what he said. It almost sounds like he cares about me.
After we crest a particularly steep incline, he stops and turns to face me.
“Look, I’m sorry about bringing up your mom. This is supposed to be a vacation for you. So let’s forget about her, because we’re about to reach the summit and see your surprise.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one showing you around? I’ve lived here my whole life and, don’t take this the wrong way, but I get the feeling you’ve never been here before.”
“No offense taken,” he chuckles, “You are the only thing I enjoy about this quaint town.” The only thing? I can’t stop my blush, so I look down and try to hide it from him. He reaches out a hand and I take it, looking back up to see a boyish grin spread over his face. “Ready?” His eyebrows lift encouragingly. I nod and follow him up one more incline, my breath growing heavy as we crest the mountain.
“Oh my gosh, Vaughn.” I take in the sweeping landscape of the Oregon coast. From this vantage point, we can see the shoreline stretching out for miles on either side of us. I know that if I had his eyesight, I would be able to see Jackson Pier in the distance to my left. Green stretches out in front of us until it plunges down rocky cliffs to the ocean below. As I scan my head back and forth, I finally see the focal point of the image in front of me: a huge white lighthouse resting on a hill at the coast.
“I was wondering when you’d notice,” Vaughn says behind me. I can’t take my eyes off the lighthouse to look at him, but I can hear the smugness in his voice. I am too fascinated with the view to be bothered by his attitude, so I just keep looking at the way the afternoon light hits the ground, lighting the trees from within and casting the whole landscape in an earthy glow.
“I didn’t realize how long that took us.” The sun is beginning its final descent in the sky. Disappointment seeps into my voice; we can’t reach the lighthouse in time to see it before the sun sets.
“There should be enough time if we leave now,” Vaughn says, always answering my unspoken questions. My face must be easy to read.
“Vaughn, even if we fell down this mountain and sped the whole way, we would never get there in time. But it’s still a beautiful view. Thank you for bringing me here,” I glance back at the lighthouse, filled with longing.
“Who said anything about driving?” I turn back to see Vaughn pulling his shirt off over his head.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking you to see the lighthouse. Did you think this was your surprise?” His dimples are charming, and hard as I try, I cannot take my eyes off his well-defined torso. Embarrassment floods my face.
“I don’t understand,” I breathe.
“If you’ll quit ogling me and come here, I’ll show you,” he beckons me. I take a step toward him, and his wings expand from his back so quickly they send a breeze my way. I jump back a little, shocked to see the brilliant white feathers again. He laughs at my response, stretching his hand out for me to take again.
“You want to fly there?” I finally understand. He nods, the devilish look back in his eyes. My hand shakes as I place it in his. Without missing a beat, he yanks me closer and picks me up as if I weigh nothing, cradling me against his chest.
“Ready?” he asks. I gulp and give him a slight nod, wrapping my arms around his neck. Without warning, he launches into the air, hurtling forward at amazing speed. I let out a scream, closing my eyes and tightening my grip around his neck as my stomach lurches into my ribs.
“Relax,” he laughs over the wind, slowing down a little. I force my muscles to relax one by one until I finally manage to open my eyes. He is smirking at me, but I laugh in spite of myself. I even take a peek over his shoulder, shuddering when I see how high we are flying. Above me, his brilliant white wings glide through the air, carrying both of us with little effort.
“This is amazing.” I can feel the smile light up my face as I look around us. The wind on my face is so freeing that I throw my head back and let it wash over me fully.
“Still hate surprises?”
“This one is growing on me.”
