Chapter 20

Fran was dreaming again. She and Dimitri were having a pleasant conversation over a lunch of pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob dripping with creamy butter and fresh potato salad. Harriet, Dimitri's pet otter, was searching in the picnic basket for treats he had hidden there for her. Each time she found one she squealed in delight and then dove back into the water to eat it. Dimitri brought Fran into his dream world to make sure that she and he were on the same page when it came to Raelyn's protection.

“She's up to something Fran I can feel it.” He said as he sipped on a ice cold glass of Sangria.

“I know Dimi but you and Alex need to trust her more. If you don't she will do something stupid to try to prove to you that she can hold her own.”

“Its just neither Alex nor I can abide the idea of her being in any kind of danger.” Dimitri confessed. “I know what you're saying is true however. I just don't know what to do about it.”

“She's a nurse Dimitri. She's used to handling responsibility. You two better get that solved quickly because I don't need any more work than I already have trying to keep her safe.” She said taking a sip of Sangria and looking pointedly over her wine glass at him.

Fran heard a rustling of grass and turned in surprise to see Micah standing behind her.

“Why are you invading Dimitri's dreams?” She asked a little irritated. She hadn't sorted out what was happening between her and Micah yet. She wasn't ready to see him quite this soon after their last encounter.

Dimitri laughed.

“I think I'll leave you two love birds to talk this one out.” He walked to the edge of the pond and set his wine glass down on a rock. Dimitri stripped off all his clothes much to Fran's embarrassment. She quickly turned her head and blushed crimson. Dimitri stretched, took a last sip of wine, and dove into the water to help Harriet find clams on the bottom of the pool they were swimming in. It was their favorite game.

“This isn't Dimitri's dream world, my lady its mine.” Micah offered smiling as he watched Dimitri swimming happily. Fran refused to turn around.

“I don't understand humans and their sense of modesty.” Micah laughed enjoying the slight coloring of her cheeks. His cheeks were turning red too but for purely a different reason.

“Dimitri is a fine looking man...as men go and he has a right to be as God made him once in a while. It is not a crime.

“Yes, well,” Fran stammered. “He's Raelyn's fine looking young man...as men go, and no other woman should be oogelling his....greater....assets....shall we say?....and God has nothing to do with what I'm fighting not to think right now.”

“And...so...if I were similarly.....dressed...you would be....uncomfortable...with another woman...seeing....my.....assets?” Micah was smiling broadly. Fran blushed deeper.

“I don't play well with others.” Fran lowered her head just a fraction trying to hide her eyes glittering with anger at the thought. “Just ask Raelyn what happened to the last....lady...that messed with what was mine. It wasn't pretty.”

Micah laughed enjoying the look on her face thoroughly. Nephilium were not known for tolerance when it came to their mates. Fran didn't know she was acting naturally.

“I really would have liked to have seen that!”

“No, you wouldn't.” Fran said matter of factly. “I don't share my men with other women and I don't care who doesn't like it.”

“Speaking about the men in your life....about us...” Micah began changing the subject.

“There can be no....us...you said so yourself.” She said frustration written all over her face. “Don't raise hope where there is none Micah. We don't want the heartache that goes along with it.”

“You make this so much harder than it has to be.” He sighed. “Let's make a deal, you and I. We are together in this place. Can we not enjoy each other while we're here?”

“So you will be my dream lover?” Fran said sweetly. The sweetness didn't reach her eyes. Micah didn't notice.

“In a manner of speaking.... Yes.” He replied relieved she was beginning to understand.

“And I can only see you when I'm here. Never in the real world. Never able to kiss you, to watch the sun rise at the beach with you...heck to just have dinner....” Her eyes were glittering with anger. “Is that what you are asking me to do?!”

“Fran...” He said slowly realizing too late something was wrong.

“I will not HIDE what I feel for you!” She exploded “What is happening between us is good and right and....”

Micah silenced her the only way he could...he kissed her.

Fran fought him for all of two seconds, but his lips were too soft, his mouth tasted too much like Godiva Chocolate, and she'd wanted him to do this for too long.

“Crap!” She swore looking down at the grass. “Ok. The kissing here is good. That wasn't fair.”

“I wasn't trying to be fair my lady. I was trying to win an argument.”

Fran tried to resume her line of thought but Micah silenced her with another kiss. This time the kiss was much deeper and she pushed her body against his. He groaned into her mouth and then broke the kiss himself. They both were breathless.

“No telling where this will end up if you keep doing that.” Fran said sarcastically watching his hair turn from pink to crimson.

“You are so beautiful to me. I am enjoying myself immensely. You're all I ever think of anymore. I don't care where this ends up so the choice is yours my lady. You are free to stop and listen to me at any time.”

“Cheater.” Fran murmured under her breath. But she sat silently awaiting his explanation. Thank the stars Dimitri was near....Micah's kisses were....addictive. When he finished one she immediately wanted another. “We could well end up...”she eying Dimitri as he dove under the surface of the water.....”If you don't stop.”

“Yes, well,” Micah grinned like the cat that ate the cream, thoroughly satisfied that he had won their little argument, but secretly disappointed that she had given up so soon. His eyes took a long, languid perusal of her before he started speaking again. Fran released the breath she was holding. It was if Micah was deciding to end an argument again.....without the argument part.

“You are right. You and I are the same. In a way no one else could know. And before you protest I promise to show you what that is rather than tell you. You'll understand why when you really see.”

“But you can never tell anyone what we are...except Dimitri of course who already knows. We are special...or should I say you are the special one between us since you are untainted. And there are only a handful of us alive at any given time. We are called “Defenders of God's creation. Children of Lilith,Vampires as humans call them, see us as the threat that we are. And rightfully so because we are their deepest enemies. We are what keeps them from either spreading their disease to every human they see, or turning them all into food. We are the balance. The Almighty made sure that something as powerful as a Vampire had someone stronger to control it or the world would have been overrun with them long ago.”

“Valhalla Pride was not always so generous to humans or to us for that matter. They use to call us Dogs. I suspect some of the older ones still do. It was we who convinced them that humans could not be used for their experiments or their food.”

A human woman once hid and protected one of their princes and he never forgot it. She was nothing to him. He hated her in the beginning and she cared and protected him anyway. We helped him come into power, because we noticed his obvious change of heart. He did not forget the sacrifice of this woman. The Malice Clan blamed the contamination on her and killed her before any of us could save her. Valhalla had been one of their greatest allies before then. And so the rules that govern Valhalla came into being....with our help of course.”

“What are we?:” Fran asked. “I'm a little impressed with Valhalla....but”

“Get to the point?” He said flashing her his most brilliant smile.

“Yes.”

Micah sighed a false heavy sigh and shaking his head at her in consternation. “I try to educate them but....” He took off his shirt.

Fran was stunned. She knew that he was gorgeous underneath that shirt but she never imagined the deliriously beautiful body he was hiding..

“Well the view is certainly making me think about arguing with you again but what...” She'd let all her passion flow out of into her voice like the finest silk sliding down his spine and between his legs. The invitation offered was evident.

“Please be quiet woman!” He groaned. “You make me feel like a school boy at his first dance!” sure enough, Micah's hair darkened to an alizarin crimson and his eyes glowed like rubies, absolutely purple in their depths.

“Oh!” Fran cried. The tone of his voice was deeper; it prickled along her skin, wound its way through her chest, and made it hard to breathe.

He stood up and closed his eyes. Blue-black lashes feathering his cheeks like lace. He relaxed for a minute or two and then he bowed his back and then rolled his shoulders forward. Then he stood perfectly still.

Fran saw his body shiver just a little bit and then wings burst from his back. She startled and then she flew up from the ground. “Wings! You have Wings! On your back! With feathers....RED feathers lined in go... real gold! My stars Micah you're beautiful. All you need is a halo and …”

“There will never be a halo for me.” Micah interrupted sadly closing his eyes against the shame. “My holiness is forever gone. Taken from me by the council.”

“I don't care what you think they did. You're an angel” Fran whispered her eyes wide in wonder of him.

“Close.” He smiled at her heartfelt declaration. It was in a word...embarrassing. “We're Nephilium. Defenders. The product of an angelic father and a human mother.”

“I'm an angel?” Fran asked lifting his wings and gently touching one of the blood red and gold tipped feathers. “God these are sssooo beautiful!”

“You are my angel.” Micah whispered heavily into her ear. His voice was like warm honey sweet in her mouth, thickly sliding down her throat and making her shiver for more.

“As I said before you are Nephilium...you are half angel.” He never understood why she didn't listen closely to what he said.

“Will I be red like you?” She asked wondering what she'd look like.

“I don't know, my lady. Nephilium come in every color of God's rainbow. Only genetics can make that determination. Since no one has kept track of your heritage, we cannot know until you change.”

“Will you change me?”

“I am working on understanding what will happen. I need to know what it will do to you...to us...before I take any action. And no, I can't change you. You need only to be willing to take on your true form.”

“What do you mean....do to us?”

“Nephilium bind themselves to each other, much the way you and I were immediately attracted to each other, but unlike other male and female species, we become something else when we are joined with our mate.”

“There is a word you use in nursing that may help you understand what I am talking about....synergy. When you combine two medicines together you don't just get the effect of the two single medicines. They combine in your blood stream, react with your body chemistry, and become something more powerful within the body than alone. That is what will happen to us. That is what the council is terrified of. That is why until I know what will happen we will meet in this place only, and you will change only when I think it is safe for you.”

“The council cannot know that I have found the one I will love for eternity before all others. They thought by turning me into a vampire, I would never be able to find the one my heart belonged to, or she find me. Nephilium are well known for being fiercely loyal to their mates above anything else. The council will torture us both for their pleasure...and condition me again. They will have won then. Nephilium only mate once. I will never love again and they know it. Killing you will solve all of their problems.”

Micah sat down and Fran crawled into his lap and said nothing for a long, long time.

I love you. Was all she could think of to say and that just did not seem like enough. Tears fell like raindrops and she was helpless to stop them. Fran hated to cry.

“I know my sweet. I know. We will find a way. I promise.” He held her close for a while and just enjoyed her warmth, her breath, and the beating of her heart. She already meant more to him than his life. What was forbidden had happened so fast it was impossible to stop it or defend against it. The council had been defeated the moment they changed him. They just didn't know it......and neither did he.

“If this place is all there can be for us than I accept it. I will not do anything that endangers your life.” Fran said leaning away from him and softly stroking his cheek.

He kissed her again. Softly. Sweetly. Promising them both peace in the end. It was amazing to Fran just how much Micah could say with this touching of lips, so much more than words could ever accomplish.

“Enough sadness for one day my lady, Will you allow me to take you on a flight? I would like to show you what I have built here.” He said standing up offering her his hand.

Fran dried her eyes, deciding she would take from this glorious man what she could get. The fact that he loved her was enough for now. Fran stood up and took Micah's hand. Before she knew what was happening, they were aloft and soaring through the sky. She was not the least bit afraid....she was exhilarated.

After a time of soaring over mountain tops, coursing through deep valleys and skimming over oceans, Micah was taking Fran back to the grassy field where Dimitri was happily sleeping naked. As he dipped lower in preparation to land and Fran purposely rolled out from his embrace. And she was falling too fast.

She did not scream but did two quick tumbles in the sky before turning her head down heading for the water. She looked up at Micah once giving him a great beaming smile and a wink.

Micah was horrified. If he hadn't believed Fran was Nephilium he knew it now. They had absolutely no fear of heights. And she didn't either...the problem was she should have. She didn't have wings to stop her rapid descent and there was no pool in this place deeper than four feet. If he didn't do something soon, she would dive to her death. She was too close to the ground for him to fly and scoop her up from her plunging decent.

Flapping his wings frantically to hover Micah gathered up his energy into a ball and laced his hands together. He snapped his hands down with all of his strength. Just as Fran's hands broke the water...of course she was diving head first. He pushed the bottom of the pool down. If he did this right she would just have enough room and not break her back.

Fran plunged into the water and opened her eyes just in time to see the bottom drop out of the pool. And incredibly she saw blooms appear growing in the pool soil underneath the water where they didn't belong. There was a blossom that was half rose and half tulip. Another was half orchid and half passion flower, and still another was half calla lily and half Iris.

“Cool!” She thought and kicked down deeper to get a better look.

Micah saw Fran gracefully dive into the water. He saw the ripples of water work their way out into the pool until they disappeared and still Fran did not resurface. He saw bubbles rise to the top of the water and Pop! Pop! Pop! Then nothing more. He wasn't in time. He'd let her die. Dimitri got up and ran to Micah's side. Micah didn't even know he was screaming Fran's name. Just before Dimitri dove into the water after her, she surfaced for air.

“Flowers!” She cried. “There are the craziest flowers under there I have ever seen! Dimitri would you please put on some clothes!”

Fran dragged herself out of the water and immediately flopped down onto the grass. Micah was checking her for wounds as she talked.

“Oh my stars!” She cried breathlessly. Micah checked her facial bones for breaks.

“Micah the ground seemed to like.....grow....away from me...” She clapped her hands in pure joy.

Micah checked her arms and legs.

“And then the most beautiful flowers appeared....underwater!” Fran exclaimed.

He picked up her hand and felt that all the bones were in the right place.

“How did you ever get orchids to grow under water like that? Those things are hard to grow. I can tell you that! I've killed enough to know!“ Fran said looking seriously at him. Her eyes were beaming.

He picked her up from the ground and crushed her to him and let out a long ragged sigh.

“What are you doing?” She asked astonished..

Micah stepped back from her. His eyes clamped shut, his jaw working furiously because he was grinding his teeth, and his hand as he took it away from stroking her face was trembling.

Fran's eyes stretched wide. “Oh...did I scare you? I'm so sorry...”

Dimitri groaned from somewhere that she could not see.

“Micah?”

“Do not ever do that again!” He shouted at her.

“That's a first.” Dimitri said with wonder in his voice. “I don't think I have ever seen Micah get this angry at someone before and not be in the process of killing them.”

“Dimitri..” Fran sung uneasily backing away from Micah. His eyes were positively blood red surrounded by a thick black ring.. “Nnnooottt Hhheeelllpppiiinnnggg!”

“Dimitri!” Micah shouted.

Dimitri showed up still wearing his birthday suit. Micah didn't care. “Watch her. I have to leave! Too much power. I used too much power and now they will look for its source....AAhhh! I don't know how to change my color back quickly enough....but I will figure it out when I get back. Stay. Here. And protect her.....please!”

With a flash of energy Micah was gone.

Fran turned slowly to Dimitri. “What just happened? What did I do?”

Dimitri started slowly taking in the horrified look still on Fran's face. He needed to tread carefully here, or the young woman sitting before him was going to go into a full blown meltdown. She hadn't said anything about him being naked and now that worried him.

“Micah never knows when the council is checking up on him and so he has created this place where he can be who he really is. The price of being in the sanctuary is that he never uses great amounts of power here. The pool you fell into was only created four feet deep. Enough for me to swim in but not enough for a dive from such a great distance. Micah's power went wild because he was gathering it too fast.”

“That's why I saw all the crazy flowers underwater. He didn't have time to pinpoint his energy.”

Dimitri nodded.

“And you're here because...” Fran looked around slowly and then back at Dimitri, her horror still riddling her face. It was her turn to tremble uncontrollably now.

Dimitri winced...”It will be ok Fran I promise. Micah will find a way. This place is a sanctuary for me. A time for me to be away from....." Dimitri couldn't find the words to finish.

“Torment.” She said her eyes wild, tears falling freely now. “And I may have just killed you both.”

This was not going well. “Fran listen. Micah and I are old. This is not the first time....."

But just as Micah had left quickly, one minute Fran was sitting dripping wet in front of him and the next moment she was gone. He was trying to explain before she figured out all she had to do to leave was think about being gone.....again she was too damn perceptive for her own good.

Prior to seeing this special world Micah had created, Fran had been researching the FBI, the CIA, and other protection organizations and realized she needed a team to protect me. Unfortunately, she couldn't have a team because I couldn't be protected by just anybody. Now that she was back in reality she was not feeling tired, thanks in part to the five Pepsies she just drank over the course of her shift at the hospital. And today miracle of miracles she, Raelyn and Alex were working together.

It was not a bad day at the ER as days go. It was not too busy although Fran never sat down longer than a couple minutes at any given time. It was night, and there was only a unit clerk working, so she had three patients and was doing the job of the tech too. When other nurses needed it she started IV's, gave meds, answered dispatch, did EKGs, and took patients to the different floors when they were admitted to the hospital from the ER.

“There's an old man asking specifically for you.” I said with a sarcastic smile on my face. Fran could hear an old man yelling for his favorite nurse and a clanging sound accompanying it. “He's swinging his cane at Trish. Could you go in there and calm him down please?”

“Great!” Fran growled. She already had a young woman in 7B faking seizures to get her gorgeous husband's undivided attention. A belligerent 12 year old in 2A with what looked like a urinary tract infection roundly cursing her mother out in exactly 10 minute intervals, and a 78 year old woman with a nasty cough and a slight fever, who's heater went out in her house and she'd come to visit the ER for a while to get out of the cold. Fran was tired of the complaints that didn't belong in the ER but still took up their precious time. When the 4 year old accident victim came in over an hour ago with serious and life threatening injuries, they still had to take care of these patients. he took a deep breath to calm herself and put on her best nursey smile.

She grabbed the chart and entered 3A.

“Hello, My name is Fran and I'll be.....” Was all she got out.

“Good evening my lady.” Micah smiled looking for all intents and purposes like a 86 year old man complete with long white beard and snow white hair. Only Fran could see the glowing rubies that passed for his eyes.

“Micah! Are you Ok? I won't do that again I promise!” Fran apologized emphatically.

“I am fine my lady. The council knows nothing I assure you.” He said immediately understanding her apology. “Their little spy only saw a surge of power for a fraction of a second and then it was gone. He was so nonplussed by the incident that he contacted me telepathically and I told him that I was working on a resurrection spell to discipline out of control vampires rather than killing them outright. I asked if he wanted me to repeat it so he could check my work, but he was terrified. He left without saying goodbye. Hurt my feelings actually, since I wanted an excuse to use that spell on him. I think he is turning teenage girls in the city but I can't prove it yet. A resurrection spell used on a vampire would temporarily bring him back to life. Then he would spend days “turning” into a vampire again. When it was finished he would be weak as a kitten like the first few days he was turned....without the driving thirst of newborns of course. It's extremely painful I can assure you, but it is better than killing them I suppose.”

“So everything is ok with you?” Fran pressed. Micah was pleased with his new ability. She was not.

“Have no fear my lady, I am fine.”

“Good.” Fran said her eyes hard. “Now leave.'

“What? Fran I said I'm ok. You don't need to..”

“Yep! And I intend to leave you that way. I could have killed you Micah and ruined the very thing that is probably keeping Dimitri alive and sane. I won't give myself another chance to screw up. Get out! Now.”

Micah started coughing as a nurse passed by the room door. “Oh nurse!” He called. Trish poked her head warily into the room. “I'm cold and this nurse won't take my temperature. Will you please see what's wrong with me?”

“Sure” Trish said picking up the tympanic thermometer. Before Fran could stop her Trish set the monitor at Micah's temple and swiped it across his forehead. Her eyes went wide. “68 Degrees.” She whispered. She did it again. It came out the same. “What have you been doing in here?” Trish yelled at Fran and ran out of the door to get Raelyn.

“Get out of my ER old man! You're causing trouble.” Fran spat out.

“I will not when you are acting this way.” Micah ground out. “I can be unreasonable too when I want to be.” He curled up in a ball and started shivering.

“Micah stop that!” Fran ordered getting close to him. “You not sick, you're dead! Now get up off that table and...”

Trish came rushing back in and picked up her stethoscope. “I need to take your vitals, please.”

Micah slumped back pathetically. "Why is the bad nurse not seeing to my needs? I thought she liked me.”

“Yes Trish,” Fran smiled sweetly. “Use the stethoscope to hear the nice man's heart...beat!” Fran backed away and leaned casually against the wall.

Trish took the blood pressure cuffs off of the wall and put it on Micah's arm. To Fran's astonishment she heard Trish say. "Heart rate 70 beats per minute. Blood pressure 120 over 80."

Trish left the room again. Fran looked at Micah incredulously. She moved warily closer to him to feel his forehead.

“Please dear woman don't look at me that way. What kind of spell caster would I be if I couldn't make that silly girl hear what she needed to. I don't have to have a heart beat to make her hear one...” Before she could react Micah snatched her arm.

“How many sunrises have you seen without sleeping?” He commanded.

Fran wasn't about to answer his question. Her eyes were murderous.

“One, two, three....six! Fran you have gone six days without sleeping? What the hell ever for?” Then he saw it. She didn't want to return to the sanctuary and endanger him and Dimitri.....and something else....she was having trouble keeping up with Raelyn. Her answer to both problems...don't sleep.

“This drink you have been ingesting works better than any stimulant that you could have injected.” He said angrily.

“I know that. Pepsi is my friend.” She said trying unsuccessfully to jerk her arm away from his. He was simply too strong.

“I am taking this “Pepsi” out of your body so you can get some rest.” He said testily. “By all that's holy woman you sorely try my patience!” His power surrounded her like a warm soft blanket just out of the clothes dryer.

“Micah that wasn't a good idea.” Fran said just before she passed out. Micah caught her before she hit the floor.

“Yes it was.” He told her slumbering form.

Just then Alex and I came into the room to an old man standing up holding Fran in his arms as though she were a small child. Trish had called me into the room to handle Fran's seemingly neglect, since I was charge nurse that night.

“Micah?” I questioned.

Micah nodded broadly shifting Fran's body easily so he could give me a little wave.

“What did you do?” Alex questioned.

“It's what did we do my boy. Damn all Lilith's children to the deepest pits of hell.” Micah swore under his breath. “I'm taking her home.

“What do you mean we?” I questioned angrily.

“I have worried her unnecessarily. That is what I came here to rectify. But you two! What did you think she was going to do when you two went out scouting the other day while she was sleeping? She woke up and both of you were gone” He looked pointedly at me. “You did not tell her where you were going nor when you would be back. You told no one.”

“She was sleeping....” I stammered.

“She is your guardian Raelyn, your defender. It is her duty to know where you are. Since that day she has not slept to make sure she does not miss hearing where you are.”

“Fran said nothing.” Alex offered awkwardly.

“It is beneath a Defender to complain about his duty or his charge. She would rather have her tongue cut out than let such things slip past her lips. I am taking her home now to rest. We will discuss this further when I am sure she will recover.” Micah retreated to the rear of the ER. Sweeping through the glass double doors and out into the parking lot. People continued to stare as the doors swished closed again.

“Ok,” I commented. “He's pissed.”

“Guard your mind Rae I have to clean the mess that Micah just left us.”

Guarding my mind was something I have been working really hard at with Micah and Alex. Its almost like daydreaming, except I am not oblivious to what is happening I just cannot be affected by it. I can see what is going on around me but until I am touch I cannot hear a sound. It has been a struggle to learn and control guarding my mind. I seem to be able to control it better when Alex is with me.

There were people standing in the hallway murmuring amongst themselves about an old man whisking away one of their nurses.

Alex concentrated for a moment and everyone from the janitor to the patients froze just for a few seconds. Then they began moving again like they all had started to do something and now had forgotten what it was.

“Nice” I said.

“He's pretty thrilled Fran thinks he's handsome.” Said Alex with a smile on his face. “It's about time.”

“He is happy for the first time in centuries," Said Dimitri letting the deep concern for them carry into his thoughts. “He is pleased that she finds him not handsome but stunningly beautiful as he once was, but more than that he is humbled to find the one person in the universe he can unconditionally give his heart to. He believes that God has not forsaken him as he thought. Micah has hope now where there was none before. And they are both in a lot of serious trouble.”

Author's Note

*This is my first time writing for others to read, so please feel free to comment and/or critique. All feedback welcomed!*