Page 20 of Scrooged for the Holidays
I nearly groan at his crassness. “I didn’t say that. But living moment to moment while she’s here won’t stop us from doing our job. She’ll still spend her nights with us, seeing what she needs to see.”
“You’re being serious?”
I nod in a terse motion.
“I think it’s a mistake. The only way to go about this is how it’s always been. We can’t get involved beyond that. We aren’t part of her future.”
I swallow the lump forming in my throat. Sam rarely ever talks about his future visions. Those are between him and the people who need to see them. But what he said, the “we” part of his statement, is what hit me in the gut.
“You’ve always said you can’t see our futures, Samael. Or any angel-kind, for that matter.”
He runs his hand through the silken threads of hair on top of his head. “I can’t. What I meant is we are not in hers. I’ve already begun to get flashes, and like the others, she doesn’t stay here.”
“But if you can’t see ours, then maybe—”
“Remiel,” he barks. “This place, you know it’s not meant for humans, and we’re not leaving Elysian Pines. When we agreed to be the guardians here, we bound ourselves to protect it, to help those in need, for as long as we walk this earth.”
“Breaking news: Kissing someone doesn’t tie you to them forever,” a voice cuts in.
Both of us turn to see Kai entering my office. He shakes snow from his long hair and stalks over to us, anger still shooting out of him like lasers.
“You know damn well that if she allowed it, you weren’t going to stop at a kiss, Malachi.”
The two beings stare each other down, their gazes full of fire and ice.
“Even so, what does it truly matter?” Kai asks.
“How many times must I say it? She’s our job, our duty. She’s not here to be played with. She’s here to learn lessons.”
“Which will happen,” Kai argues. “You had no right stopping me from kissing her.”
“I had every right. You were leading her down the wrong path.”
“And what path is that?”
“You were distracting her with passion and pleasure. She needs to feel the pain of her choices.”
“You’re overthinking this.”
“Correction, I’m the only one thinking this through at all. The two of you have lost your goddamn minds.”
Kai looks over at me, his eyebrow raised. “What are you feeling, Remi?”
My green eyes hold his steadily, searching those warm brown depths. I see a quiet plea there, a hope I’ll be in his corner. But the truth is, I don’t take sides. My place in Elysian Pines is to see to everyone, whether they belong to this town forever or a fleeting moment. Sam. Kai. Greer. All I want is what’s best for them all.
“As I was telling Sam, I think it’s best we see how things play out.”
Kai nods. “That was my feeling, too. It’s why I wasn’t going to pull away in the bar. Greer needs more than just a few dreams to change her path.”
“You think your cock is the answer, then?” Sam looks at me. “Or should I say cocks?”
Kai throws up his hands. “What the fuck is your problem, Samael? You’re being an asshole.”
Sam rolls his broad shoulders back. “I’m attempting to get my point across, since apparently both of you aren’t thinking with your brains.”
“Oh, you got your point across alright,” Kai snaps.
I stalk over to them and put my hands on their shoulders. The golden light of my aura expands out of me, a mix of hope and love instead of animosity. The intensity of the air around us eases, but by the grind of their teeth, I know they’re fighting it, attempting to remain angry like petulant children.
