Sniegoski, Thomas E - Where Angels Fear to Tread by Sniegoski Thomas E

Author:Sniegoski, Thomas E [Sniegoski, Thomas E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ROC
Published: 2012-02-25T14:40:03+00:00

The sun was going down, and the tide was rolling in.

Remy reclined in his beach chair; his entire body hurt.

“Are you all right?” she asked him.

He turned his head to see Madeline sitting there beside him, her silly beach hat still adorning her lovely head.

“I think I got my ass kicked pretty good,” he said. Even talking hurt him. His jaw throbbed painfully with the beat of his heart, and the muscles in his neck and stomach were aching with even the thought of movement.

“What happened back there?” Madeline asked as a gust of warm wind came off the ocean, nearly stealing away her hat. She gripped the brim, tilting her head down to ride out the breeze.

Flecks of sand irritated his eyes, but he stared ahead at the roiling ocean slowly making its way up the beach toward them, toward the end of their days together.

“I’m not sure really,” he said. “The people who attacked me—they were missing their souls.”

“That doesn’t happen all that often, does it?”

“Not usually,” he said with a shake of his head that hurt way more than it should. “Something has taken their souls and left them angry, destructive shells of what they once were. Without a soul, they’ll just lose the will to live, and eventually waste away.”

“What about their leader?” Madeline asked. “He didn’t seem like he was going to be wasting away any time soon.”

“No, he didn’t,” Remy said, remembering the gray-haired man’s cold, lifeless eyes. “Something tells me he wasn’t using his soul all that much even before it was taken.”

They both fell silent for a while, staring out across the ocean. The pain of his body had started to subside, which meant he was healing; one angelic aspect that he’d never made any effort to suppress.

“This is nice,” he said finally, reaching to take her hand.

“It is,” she said, “but you know it’s not real, right?”

Remy sighed, not wanting to see the truth in her gaze.

“I know. But I really don’t care. I’ll see you any way I can.”

He felt her smile at him, and his heart did the same kind of acrobatics it had done when they’d first met.

“You’re sweet,” she said, leaning over to kiss him. “But you really should get going.”

“You’re probably right.”

They kissed briefly, and then Remy stood up. He was no longer wearing his shorts; he was in his work clothes.

“Looks like I’m waking up,” he said, giving himself the once-over.

“Looks like you’re right,” Madeline said, leaning back in her chair as if to relax.

“See you later?” Remy asked.

“You bet,” she said with a smile, and closed her eyes.

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