'Oh, suddenly you're a fan, Scott Hamilton?'
'Nope, but you are. It was just a fall.'
Maybe it had been just a fall, but the thought of Seth getting hurt had made my heart seize up. 'No, no. Let's go. I'm hungry.'
The expression on his face informed me that he knew I wasn't that hungry, but he didn't fight me anymore. When we'd shed our skates for normal shoes, I was pleased to see he didn't walk with a limp or anything. That would have really been too much: him getting hurt and having it be my fault.
'I'm not made of glass,' he told me as we drove to dinner. He was remarkably good at guessing my thoughts. 'You don't have to protect me.'
'It's instinct,' I said, lightly. But in my mind, I recalled the grim conversation he'd had with Erik. They were mortal. They could get hurt. They could die.
It was something I'd witnessed over and over throughout the centuries. Each time I grew close to a new mortal, I'd try to pretend that it wouldn't happen to him or her. But it always did, and eventually that cold reality would hit me, no matter how hard I tried to push it aside.
In fact, that knowledge consumed me for the rest of my night with Seth. I knew it was stupid to make such a big deal out of one fall, but I'd seen too many small things lead to disaster in my life. Lying in bed beside him later on, I found myself thinking back to a series of events that had also started small and ended in tragedy.
Several centuries ago, I lived in a small town in southern England. I'd called myself Cecily then and worn a body with flaming red hair and big, man-eating eyes the color of sapphires.
Funny thing about the Middle Ages. Modern folk always harbor this image of devout, God-fearing people strictly adhering to the letter of divine law. While they were certainly devout back then, that whole adherence thing left something to be desired—even among the clergy. No, scratch that. Especially among the clergy. Powerful churchmen often lived very well in an age where commoners desperately tried to scratch out a living. Ironically, that desperation contributed to the Church's wealth since the population hoped their lots would improve in the next world and gave money accordingly. Wealth and power lead to corruption, however, and the bishop of the town I lived in was one of the most corrupt around.
And I was his mistress.
Ostensibly, I worked as a servant in his household, but most of my laboring occurred in bed. He fawned over me and kept me supplied with nice clothes and other trinkets, and everyone knew about our relationship. People accepted that it was technically wrong, but most just lived with it. A lot of other bishops—and popes—had mistresses too, and like I said, not everyone was as devout as modern romantics like to believe.
Simply living in sin with a crooked bishop didn't satisfy my job requirements. After all, I was a real go-getter in those days, and it hadn't taken too much to lead him astray. If I hadn't done it, someone else would have.
So, I slept around on him when I could, getting regular fixes and a great deal of entertainment along the way. One day of said entertainment came from two monks who pulled knives on each other after discovering I'd slept with both of them. I don't know what good they thought it would do. I hardly ever saw them anyway since their monastery lay so far outside of town. Besides, considering how mediocre both liaisons had been, I didn't have much interest in revisiting either one.
Nonetheless, they fought ferociously, drawing a lot of blood until a local priest managed to separate them. I watched the conflict with an innocent face, hidden among the enthusiastic crowd. No one suspected my involvement, save the intervening priest.
His name was Andrew, and I adored him. Bishops performed masses and other sacraments, but they also had administrative responsibilities. Consequently, Andrew performed a lot of day-to-day ministering. He frequently visited the house where I lived and would speak to me both as a friend and a pastor while traveling to and from his duties.
'Do you hate me?' I asked him after the fight.
We sat in the garden outside the bishop's house. A couple other servants tended the grounds nearby but were still too far away to overhear us. Andrew hadn't specifically cited my involvement in the fight, but he had mentioned the incident when he arrived, lamenting what a shame it was that two brothers had been driven to such extremes.
Closing his eyes, he tipped his head back into the sunshine. A heavy gold cross—a gift from my bishop that Andrew continually wanted to sell—rested on his chest, gleaming in the light. 'No, of course not.'
I studied him, admiring his young, handsome face and thinking the real shame was his celibacy. Wind ruffled his silky brown hair, and I imagined running my fingers through it.
'You sound disapproving.'
'I disapprove of sin, not of you.' He straightened back up and opened his eyes. 'You I pray for.'
I shifted uncomfortably. I didn't like being prayed for. 'What do you mean?'
He smiled at me, and I nearly sighed at his beauty. I longed to have him as a conquest, but he'd proven resistant so far. Of course, that only added to his appeal. I sometimes felt that if I could ever taste it, the energy from his soul would feed me for a lifetime.
'I pray for your physical and spiritual health. I pray you will sin no more. I pray you will find some man you can marry and have children with.' He hesitated. 'Although, I'd prefer it more if you took vows.'
I arched an eyebrow of surprise. 'Why?'
'Why not? You read and write. You're more educated than half the brothers at the monastery. You'd be a great asset to the abbey.'
I tilted my head so that some of my hair spilled over my face, knowing how the light would set it ablaze. I held onto his gaze tenaciously. 'Is that the only reason why? Or do you just like the idea of me never being with another man?'
Andrew looked away and took a long time answering. 'I'd like you to be my sister in Christ,' he said finally. 'We all struggle with temptation, and I would like to see you removed from it.' With that, he stood up and straightened the kinks from his body. I remained sitting. 'I should leave. It's getting late.'
He started to walk away, but I called after him. 'What about you? Do you struggle with temptation?'
He stopped walking and glanced at me over his shoulder. A small smile, rueful and sad, played at his lips as he regarded me. 'Of course. You are my great temptation, and you know it. I'd like to be free of that as well.'
'Are you sure?' I asked softly. Shaking his head, still smiling, he left the garden.
That had been our last truly happy day together….
Back in the present, in bed, sleepiness started to take over and interrupt my recollections. I put a bookmark in my thoughts, reluctant to leave the memory of when life with Andrew had still been sweet and good. I hadn't been able to stop that story's ending, but as I rolled over and studied Seth's sleeping form, I vowed history wouldn't repeat itself.
CHAPTER 10
When I came home from Seth's the next day, there was another note stuck to my door reminding me about the package. I plucked it off and went inside, surprised to find Vincent there again. I'd figured his angel business would be keeping him busy elsewhere.
'How's it all going?' I asked. I rummaged through my cupboards, looking for food. I'd skipped breakfast. 'I mean, if you can tell me without having to kill me.'
He sat at my kitchen table, leafing through newspapers. 'Ah, well, still can't give you details, of course, but I can say that…um, well, progress isn't being made as quickly as we'd like. There's leftover lasagna in the refrigerator if you want it.'
I opened the refrigerator door. Sure enough. 'Wow. Did one of the angels conjure this up for you?'
'Only if you consider Yasmine's cooking a type of conjuring.'
I uncovered the casserole dish. It looked great. There might be magic afoot after all. I put a piece in the microwave and set the timer.
Sitting down across from him, I peered at the spread out newspapers and remembered finding them left out the other day. 'You sure like your news.'
