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ABOUT NINETY-EIGHT years ago, I had a cat. When I realized the job of a Neutralizer was entirely too complicated for pets, I allowed my neighbor in Versailles to adopt Pretty Kitty. There were some things a former cat owner would never forget. So even after all that time, the sound of vomiting was enough to wake me from a dead sleep. I tossed back the blankets and was on my feet in two seconds flat.
I scanned the dark bedroom in confusion, my eyes falling to the mussed bed sheets. Visions of Red’s magnificent body and all the ways I’d made use of it flashed in rapid cadence before my eyes. I shook my head when I heard more retching sounds from the bathroom.
Padding softly across the room, I pushed open the door to see Red hugging the toilet, her auburn locks falling in a veil to hide her face. She coughed and then spit a few times before flipping her hair back up and raising her head to reveal a pale yet flushed face. Her eyes were closed so I knocked my knuckles on the door to let her know I was there, before I reached out and brushed my hand across her forehead.
Her eyes flashed open, and her expression was one of alarm and then embarrassment. She clenched her lids shut and shook her head as she gestured me away. “Please just go back to bed, Vicente.”
I ignored her and grabbed a glass from beside the sink, filling it with water. She took it, then shoved me away again. “Seriously. I don’t need your help. Go back to bed. Or better yet, go to your own room.”
She tried to stand and wobbled, so I looped my hand under her arm and helped her. Her body leaned into mine, though the look on her face said she didn’t like it one bit. Still, she flushed the commode and let me lead her to the bed. Reaching for a bowl on the nightstand, she unwrapped a mint and popped it into her mouth, the sound of it clicking back and forth against her teeth the only sound in the room as I searched out and located my underwear.
“Don’t worry,” she said, pulling the blankets up to her chest and nestling into the plushy pillows. “This isn’t contagious. You’re at no risk of getting sick.”
I eyed her but said nothing as I moved around the room picking up articles of clothing and folding them neatly. Red’s eyes were closed now, though she cringed every few moments as I assumed waves of nausea overcame her. After I’d finished straightening the room, I moved to the desk across from the bed and picked up the phone.
“How can we help you, Mr. Prieto?” Max’s voice spoke even before I did.
“Could you bring some ginger ale? I’m in ...”
“Right away, sir.”
I hadn’t said what room. But then I also hadn’t announced myself when I picked up the phone and yet the clerk still knew to whom he was speaking. Shaking my head, I faced the bed again and saw Red sitting up and glaring at me.
“Go away.”
“Lay down.” I flicked my hand to her, using my magic to press her into the pillows, then I made my way to the bathroom. Running a rag under the cold tap, I wrung it out and neatly folded it a few times. She was sitting up again, watching me like a hawk, her eyes narrowed to slits. I placed the cold rag against her forehead and used a little pressure to make her lay back. “You’re running a fever.”
She wrinkled up her face and folded her arms over her chest. “No shit, Sherlock.”
There was a knock at the door, and I immediately stood to answer it. Glancing through the peephole, I saw David standing stiffly, a tray with a bottle of ginger ale and a glass of ice perched on his hand. I hadn’t put on more than my boxers, but I opened the door anyway and grabbed the tray from him.
“Thanks. How did you know I was here?”
“Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?”
I rolled my eyes with a heavy sigh, then shook my head and went back inside Red’s room. I placed the tray on the chest of drawers and poured the glass almost full before I walked it back to her.
It didn’t seem it should be possible, but somehow she managed to crinkle her face into an even deeper frown. I stared her down, holding the ginger ale out in front of me. Finally, she took it, her expression softening. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I considered ordering tea, but ginger ale seemed more appropriate.”
She eyed me over the rim as she sipped. “My guard is down.”
It took me a moment to understand what she meant. “I didn’t read that from you. At least not intentionally. It’s just what I prefer when I’m not well.”
“And I bet when you’re not well you’d prefer that the smokin’ hot guy you just banged wouldn’t see you at your worst, either.”
One corner of my mouth ticked upward. “Hmmm, I have to admit it’s been a long time since I banged a smokin’ hot guy, so my reaction might be a little off.”
Her eyes widened, and she laughed feebly. “You know what I mean.”
“You can fuss all you want to. I’m not leaving. For one, I’m so absolutely worn out by all of that ‘banging’—” I made quotation marks with my hands. “—that I’d never make it to my room. So, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the rest of the night.”
She continued sipping her ginger ale a few more moments, then she set the glass onto the night stand and exhaled a long sigh.
“Any better?”
Red nodded. “My stomach’s settling down. Thanks.”
She pulled the blankets up to her chin, and I could see that she’d started shaking. I rounded the side of the bed and slipped under the covers, pulling her body close against mine. She was wearing a T-shirt, but her skin felt hot enough to scorch me. Still, I wrapped my arms around her.
“S-s-so, t—t-talk to me. Don’t j-j-just sit there.”
“What would you like me to talk about?”
It took her a few moments to think of something. “Her. Tell m-m-me about her.”
My brows drew together in a confused frown. “About who?”
“The one you fell for. You’re an a-a-angel so the only way you’d be here is if you fell.”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. After a moment, I spoke, the tone of my words flat. “Her name was Esperanza, Essie for short. She was good and beautiful and vivacious. A widow at only five and twenty, she managed to retain control of her inherited wealth, and with that she chose to help those less fortunate. That is how I came to know her, as the benefactress of an orphanage.”
Silence filled the room as I allowed myself to get lost in thoughts of the only woman I’d ever loved. She’d had no magic, not an ounce of paranormal ability, yet somehow she’d sensed my powers the moment we encountered one another. Her eyes had glistened, wide and full of excitement. She might have followed me anywhere, even after I confessed my angel identity to her. She hadn’t demurred in the least. No fear or worry or concern at all. Only a heart brimming with love and wide open for all I might have shown her.
If only we’d had the time.
Red inhaled deeply, and when she released the breath, her body naturally eased in tighter to mine. I raised a hand and wiped away a sheen of sweat from my brow. I wanted to get out from under the heavy blankets but stayed put for now.
“So what happened?” Her voice sounded far away, and I thought she was probably just about to fall asleep.
“It was a long time ago. She died. A long, long time ago.”
Her head turned, feathery lengths of her hair rubbing against my arm. “How long did you have with her?”
I leaned down and kissed her forehead, not even sure why I’d done it. But for some reason, offering her that soft caress of my lips to her skin offered me comfort. “As long as we were meant to have.”
“Vicente?” Her eyes were closed now as she curled her shoulder into the crook of my arm.
“Mmm?”
“Thank you.”
Then her breathing evened out, and I knew she was asleep. I held her for a long time just like that. The room was devoid of nearly all sound, and the silence enveloped me like a comforting embrace. Finally, a long while later, my own eyelids turned heavy, and I leaned against the headboard as sleep overtook me.