CHAPTER 3

The sun scorched the tar of the busy New York City street, capering and creating a mirage effect on its rough surface. The heat could give anyone a headache, Kael thought glumly, especially since he was not used to the heat on earth anymore. Reluctantly he knelt on the curb and bent over to touch the bloodstain where his brother had been killed. Immediately, Kael went into a trance as a vision appeared, transporting him into the past - to the exact moment of his brother's death...

... Logan stood tall, smiling proudly at the blonde woman walking by his side, her hand in his. Together they approached the traffic light and waited for it to turn green. His handsome features lit up as he gazed into the blonde woman's azure-coloured eyes. There was no mistaking it, there was a bond between her and Logan. And Kael couldn't help but notice how breathtakingly beautiful she was. Then he noticed a flash of something strange in Logan's eyes, but it was gone in an instant before he could ascertain what it was. As if on cue, he saw the woman unclasp her hand from Logan's before hastily looking around. Seconds later, swiftly and quicker than the untrained eye could see, she pushed Logan into the street directly into the lane of oncoming traffic. Kael watched, his breath stuck in his lungs, as he saw Logan sprawling through the air and landing in the lane of an oncoming taxi. Strangely, and despite the morning hour traffic, this lane was empty, and the taxi was driving unusually fast. It hit him so hard that he was flung high into the air before dropping to the earth like a bag of potatoes, landing in the exact spot where Kael now stood. The blonde woman then hastily moved away from the crowd who was gathering like flies, as they tried to catch a glimpse of the bloodied corpse lying in the street.

Kael felt sick to the pit of his stomach. But the vision continued. He watched as the woman pushed her way through the crowds. Then, to his surprise, she transformed. Of course – she's a demon. He growled. He should have known demons were behind this.

With jagged breathing, he watched as the vision showed how the demon scurried across the street, and then made her way into a deserted alleyway.

Kael came out of his trance and headed towards the alleyway to pick up the trail where it had fizzled out, but much to his dismay, the vision was gone and wouldn't return.

Angrily he curled his fingers into fists, tightening them so hard his knuckles clicked. With a heavy heart, he returned to the scene of the accident, and for a long while, he just stood there, staring at the bloodstain as his heart pumped painfully in his chest. He hoped this would elicit another vision or that he would simply get answers like ideas popping into mind, which happened now and again, but disappointingly, there was nothing.

"Was Logan a friend of yours?"

Kael's trail of thoughts was interrupted, and he swirled around. At the sight of the intruder, his blood curdled, and anger swished through his veins, scorching his insides.

"You!" he gasped. It was the beautiful blonde woman from his vision. After the initial shock and reminding himself that he had to be discreet with his line of questioning, he bit back his darkening emotions. So, summoning patience, he gulped down a breath of air before replying, "Logan is my brother."

"Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. You must be Kael. He spoke so highly of you. I still can't believe he's – dead," she rattled on.

"And you are?" He showered her with a look of suspicion and accusation, which she failed to notice.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Julia – Julia Welch. I was a close friend of your brother's," she responded, stretching out her hand in greeting. Kael ignored the gesture and with growing mistrust, he goggled at her.

"Just friends?"

Unperturbed that he had ignored her gesture, she brought her hands to her side and replied honestly, "yes, Logan was always so kind and sweet, and was somehow always there when I needed him."

Kael watched her intensely, trying to source out the truth from her in any way that he could, whether from her stance, the look in her eyes, or better yet, a confession, but getting to the truth, he would. She may not be the demon who pushed Logan into the street, but she could still be involved somehow. He had to tread very carefully.

"So, you were nothing more than friends, hey?"

Julia finally grasped his insinuation. He was implying that she and Logan had been in a relationship.

"No, no, we were just really good friends. Don't get me wrong, Logan was a great guy, actually, he was the sweetest, most kind-hearted man I've ever known, and absolutely gorgeous, I mean, with that sweet smile and all, but, no - there was nothing between us."

Wow, she could talk - and fast. He seriously needed to steer the conversation, and perhaps be more direct in his approach. Valuable time was seeping away and the more time he wasted, the longer Logan had to spend in that dreadful purgatory. He needed to dig deeper and find out what she knew.

"Do you know what happened here?" He pointed to the bloodstain marking the road.

"Oh, according to the police, it was more than likely that he tripped on the sidewalk and fell right into the path of oncoming traffic when that taxi hit him. So tragic." Tears welled in her eyes, but she hurriedly blinked them away.

"Surely there had to be dozens of witnesses. And perhaps he wasn't alone?" Then a thought occurred to him. "How did you find out about the accident?"

Not at all perturbed by his relentless interrogation, she willingly replied, "a friend of mine, Laura, witnessed the whole thing on her way to work. She works there." She pointed to an office block not far from where they now stood.

She continued, "when the police questioned her about it, she claimed she saw me walking with him before it happened. Can you believe that? Me walking with Logan in the morning, as if I don't have work to do? Anyway, they questioned me about it but, as I told them, I was at school teaching class at the time of the accident, which of course, they verified."

"So, you're a teacher then?"

"Yes." She smiled proudly, but then her smile faded as if remembering why they were there. "I'm sure glad they finally got hold of you, though. The police told me that, according to their records, you and Logan had died ten years ago in a car accident. Isn't that the strangest thing?"

Kael's skin prickled and his face paled. Even his heart skipped a beat. He had not once considered the consequences of returning to earth, nor what the police might have discovered once they ran Logan's thumbprints through their system. They would obviously have been quite surprised as he had died ten years before. This was the second time his poor brother had died in such a tragic way. Fortunately, new bodies were created for them once they had died, and another one for Logan after this death. Of course, they were replicas of their old versions, but more powerful and obviously immortal in the sense that they never aged. Hastily he changed the subject.

"You mentioned earlier that Logan was always there for you, would you care to elaborate?"

Once again, she was not perplexed by his interrogation, even though they were similar to those questions the police had raised with her. She guessed she would be just as eager to find out what happened to Logan if he were her brother, so she eagerly complied.

"We were neighbors. He lived in the apartment right next door to mine," she replied with a soft smile.

Kael's face lit up. "I don't suppose you have the keys to his apartment by any chance?"

"He always kept his keys under the pot plant by his front door. He joked that they were safer there than in his pocket." She smiled fondly at Logan's memory.

"Great. What's the address?" Kael asked eagerly. A faint light of hope triggered in and started to dissipate the dark clouds of apprehension that had been crawling around him since the news of his brother's falling.

"Actually, I could give you a lift. I'm heading home now. I just wanted to bring him flowers." She pointed to a bunch of white carnations lying against the traffic light, which he hadn't noticed before.

"Bringing him flowers, here where it happened, just felt like the right thing to do, if you know what I mean?" she uttered, hoping she didn't sound crazy.

Kael nodded in understanding. Somehow, he knew she was telling the truth, and she didn't appear to be hiding anything.

With less aggression in his voice, he added, "thank you for the flowers. I'm sure he'd appreciate them. And yes, I'd also appreciate a lift."

As they walked away from the accident sight Julia shivered, "I still can't believe this has happened and to Logan of all people. He was such a nice guy."

As Julia drove them towards her apartment building, she could sense Kael's glare fixed on her. It was intense. At first, she tried to ignore the pull it had on her, but it grew to such an extent it felt as though there was a string attached and it was forcing her to look at him. Finally, giving in, she fixed an anxious gaze on him, and just for a moment, their eyes locked together. It may have only been for a moment, but it was power-packed with electric volts and not deadly, although it left her feeling vulnerable and needy, and wanting more.

Kael hastily severed the connection, but it had already left its mark. A fierce sting like a bolt of lightning had soared through his veins, dizzying his senses. His breathing became jagged and he battled to swallow. What on earth was happening to him?

Confused by the strange electricity coursing through her veins, Julia tried to focus on her driving instead. She held onto the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles started to turn white.

An awkward silence ensued, enveloping them as they drove. There were so many questions that Kael wanted answers to, but he knew he would have to pace himself in order not to accidentally divulge any information about the existence of angels. Logan had been Julia's guardian angel, which was clear to him now, but a vital question that nagged at him was whether Logan had told her the truth about who and what he really was. Angels were forbidden to disclose that information to mortals unless the need arose.

And there was the fact that Julia was extraordinarily beautiful; he could not deny that. There had been a definite spark between them, but he was certain if his brother had felt a similar experience of attraction, he would never have acted on it. Besides, Logan always laughed at temptation. Humour was his antidote to everything. Plus, he was steadfast and reliable and took his task as a guardian angel very seriously. He wouldn't succumb to temptation. Surely? Not even if the person he was supposed to guard was this beautiful woman. Would he? With an intense gaze he glared at Julia again hoping that the truth would simply appear in his mind as it sometimes did, but there was nothing.

The awkward silence that surrounded them was much too uncomfortable for Julia. And there was her character flaw - her natural abounding curiosity that always got the better of her, and which always managed to get its way. So, she finally broke the silence with an ultimatum in mind. That was to fish out more details about Kael. Not only was he drop-dead gorgeous, but he was extremely interesting too, perplexing even, and then there were things that didn't quite add up. Mystery – oh how she loved a good mystery.

"So why on earth would the police think you and Logan had died in a car accident?"

This unexpected question hit him like a punch to the stomach.

"We, uh, - we were in an accident," he stuttered before turning around to stare out the window. An uncomfortable silence ensued again.

Really, nothing more? Disappointed, Julia sighed softly but added, "well, I'm so glad you survived."

He almost choked and turned to look at her in surprise. That comment had been unexpected. She didn't even know him. He was even more perplexed when he noticed her smiling at him. Heaven's she was beautiful, so much so, that he found it hard to breathe again. Chiding himself silently, he tore his gaze away from hers and pretended to focus on the scenery outside as they drove along. Could it be true, had his brother fallen for this woman, thus breaking a cardinal rule and crossing the boundaries between mortal and angel? Was that the reason for his fallen status? He clung to a thin thread of hope. It's not true. Please let it not be so.