The big guy pulled me into his arms. I crashed into muscles. The alpha paid no attention to my struggling but buried his nose in my hair. He released me and I stumbled on the bedside table.
"What the hell is your problem?" I choked out, grabbing back some of my dignity.
The alpha smiled, making his eyes shine brighter. "You smell nice, like freshly baked cakes."
What?
I straightened. "I'm a ghost. A spiritual being doesn't have a scent."
Then again, this place had a similarity to earth. We could feel pain, bleed, and get injuries here. Our senses were quite alive in this world.
I sniffed myself. My nose didn't get a whiff of anything similar to what he said. Still, there was a scent.
"Hmmm," he whirred. "Whatever you say, Princess."
Ugh! Him and that name.
"I'm not a Princess," I shot back. "I have a name."
The alpha fetched the remote control for the TV and jumped back onto the bed. "Okay, how about I call you RedHead? You do have red hair."
I rolled my eyes. "My hair color is fire ombre."
It was a unique color blended between red and orange. The colors were almost identical to that of a blazing flame.
A deep chuckle floated around the room. "Did you just make that up? Which school did you even go to? There are primary colors and secondary colors. Yellow, blue, red, orange, green, purple. They even have tertiary colors. That fire whatnot is not in any of them. In no school do they teach you about this fire thing."
Unbelievable!
"Fire ombre is not one color," I explained. "It's a combination of two." I pinched the two shades of hair between my fingers. "See?"
"I don't see a fire ombre," he deadpanned. "I see a primary color and a secondary color. Red and orange. Therefore, you are a redhead."
Oh, you…
"I'm not a redhead," I gritted out. "You know what? Just call me Scarlet. That's my name. Scarlet."
He shrugged, dismissing me. "Whatever you say, Redhead."
This bastard!
I huffed. "How would you feel if I gave you a nickname?"
He beamed at the question. "You can call me Wolfie, that's my nickname. I'm not too in love with Sabastian. It makes me seem too pathetic."
I stared at the man in awe. Could he have no shame?
"Well, then Sabastian," I taunted in the sweetest voice known to any woman. "If you're going to continue to be childish and call me silly names, then I'll return the favor."
Sabastian wasn't a silly name. It did fit the man. He was as beautiful as his name. Too bad his personality wasn't as wonderful.
He switched the TV on and rested against the headboard. He seemed so relaxed and happy. The feature brought more to his beauty. To say he was trouble was an understatement. I had to find out why he wanted to kill me. If we had crossed paths before on earth, I needed to remember. It would be bad to die for someone else's sin.
"I'm going to see if Angel needs help," I announced.
Gold eyes left the TV screen. "You should respect people's boundaries. If she doesn't want you to follow her, there must be a reason why. Respect that."
How could I? This so-called reason could be something that had our names on it. I wasn't going to die or be manipulated in this world when there was a war going on on earth that I could help in.
I rested my hands on my hips. "And, her keeping secrets doesn't bother you at all?"
Strong shoulders bounced at the question. "It doesn't matter. If she tries anything, there's only one outcome."
Despite knowing the answer, I asked anyway, "And, what might that be?"
Sabastian shrugged.
I turned to the door. "Well, I can not just sit around and watch TV like you. I'm going out. She did say we could go sightseeing."
"Okay," he called out. "Bring back cake for me. A big one."
As if. I wasn't his errand girl. He wanted cake. He should get it himself.
I left the room and took the stairway to the first floor.
Angels were trustworthy creatures. It was rumored they couldn't lie. That was for demons. Regardless, they could manipulate the simplest of us. Angel seemed nice enough, but I didn't like secrets. It was better to have everything in the open. Life was so much better that way. There was something she wasn't telling us and I needed to know what it was.
I didn't even understand why she was here, miles away from her God. She was a Guardian Angel. Those creatures protected their gods at all costs. They never left their sides. Never. So, it was puzzling how she was here while her God went to the other end of this world alone. It just didn't make sense. Sabastian seemed to be okay with all this, but I wasn't.
I walked out into the busy street.
My mother Deanna knew of Destiny Peak. When she possessed me, all our thoughts and experiences blended with mine. It wasn't a pleasant experience. Knowing and seeing everything your parents did together.
I shivered at the memory.
At least there was light at the end of that tunnel. I got to know about Destiny Peak. No human or creature lesser than a deity could enter into the sanctuary. The Pool of Desire was there all right. But, no lethal soul could access it. In other words, neither Sabastian nor I would be able to make it inside the Peak to get access to the pool.
I didn't know why Angel didn't relay such a crucial detail. If she didn't do that, then there must be something else she was hiding.
The scent of cakes stopped me in my tracks. I turned to see a bakery across the street. My stomach rumbled at the amazing aroma dancing in the air. It would be a shame to not get something. Not that I would be getting it for Sabastian but still. I didn't even have any money. In this world, it seemed they used coins. Maybe if I got a glimpse of what the coin looked like, I could summon some.
I scanned the streets.
There were a few kids down an alley, playing a game. Maybe they would have the coins. Sure, they wouldn't mind sharing that detail.
I strolled in the opposite direction from the pastry shop down the alley. The children didn't even notice me until I was beside them. They were all crouched down on the ground in front of something.
"Hey, guys," I smiled at the four boys.
The tallest boy with the palest skin of the four chaps glanced at me through the corner of his eyes. The other tan-skinned with crystal blue eyes looked at me but only for a second. The slim, whisky-colored skin one didn't even look up at all.
The shortest of the four smiled at me. "Hi, Miss." This one had shoulder-length black hair with pointy ears. "Can we help you?"
"Well," I tapped my finger on my chin.
Was there any way to ask for money without coming off as a creep? These boys seemed like they were ready to either attack or run.
"What you guys doing?" I asked, trying to ease in my absurd question.
The pointy ears one was the nicest. He, also, seemed like the youngest. A vampire, a wolf, a warlock, and a fairy. All four creatures played together in harmony. Only if earth was this acceptable.
These boys didn't seem to be older than twelve. Except for the fairy. He appeared younger. But, fairies' appearances were often misleading. For all I know, he could be the eldest.
Again the fairy answered, "Marble. We're playing marble."
Marble. It made sense since several marbles sat into a small, chalked drawn ring.
"Is there a prize?" I inquired.
The little fairy nodded but didn't elaborate, instead he looked at the other three boys.
"Can I play?" My question got all four boys to look at me.
I couldn't help the satisfactory smile it provoked.
The vampire straightened and buried his hands in his pocket. He accessed me. Their leader. Odd. He was the tallest anyhow. A smirk slanted the wolf's lips.
"If you can conjure marbles then you can," the warlock stated with ease. He sensed we were alike.
I didn't even pretend to not know what he was talking about. "Okay, but if I win you'll have to answer any question I ask."
The four boys shared glances.
"And if any of us win, you'll have to do whatever we want," the vampire said.
Oh, not good. It was safe to say they were all little brats. They might just want something impossible. Still, I needed to see the coin. I could just turn and walk away but these boys would never forget that. If I wanted their respect, I would have to earn it. A lesson my father taught me centuries ago. Mother's way of earning respect was eliciting fear. Father's was by winning the game his opponents played.
My lips stretched wider. "Okay. What are the rules?"
I visualized the marbles in my head and rubbed my fingers in my fist. One by one the marbles appeared in my palm. Six, to be exact.
The warlock stood. "The rules are simple. You'll have to place three of your marbles in the ring. If you can knock out all our marbles and take us all down, then you win."
Hmm, they couldn't be serious. Then again, they all seemed pretty confident. 'Never underestimate your opponent' was another rule of father's.
"Okay." I crouched down and placed three of my marbles in the ring.
On my way back to my feet, I caught a glimpse of two of the boys. The colors of the warlocks and the fairy's eyes glowed. The brick buildings cornering us in the alley fell away. Green grass replaced concrete. The marbles were now as large as boulders. They remained in a ring guarded by the five statues. One of each boy and me. I glanced behind me down to an endless pit.
"Oh, and if you fall off the cliff, you're disqualified," the vampire laughed.
Damn it! What the hell did I get myself into?