Free Steal Me From Heaven by Toni Crawford

lights up like a bright wattage bulb. “No,” he says, “come back to me. You must not harm her.” I feel his caress and warmth touching my body. I wonder if his hands would feel electrified against my bare flesh. “Why have I never seen you in all those years before tonight?”
    “You cannot see Angels or Demons when you are…”
    “Alive?” I finish the sentence for him.
    “Yeah, something like that,” he says as he kisses the top of my head.
    “And you’ve never left me?” I ask.
    “Only once. When he began to transform you. I couldn’t stay and watch. I left. I could not find you when you were in your deep sleep either. My heart was breaking for you, for the life that was being depleted. If I had been strong enough to stay and watch then I would have been there to stop that Demon, Charles, from attacking you. I’m sorry.” He raises his hand and pushes my hair behind my ear with his fingers. I feel his skin touch mine. I am crying again. This time he wipes away my tears.
    “Do you love me?” I ask.
    “Always,” he says.
    “Even after what I have become? Even though we can never be together?”
    “Always,” he repeats.
    I want to change the subject. This one is becoming too serious. “Tell me about the first Vampires.”
    “There are many adaptations to the story, but I have seen the beginning with my own eyes. I was there. I had not yet fallen. My duty was to protect His body as He died. I failed. A Demon drew my attention away. While I was fighting with him until the death, a man snuck up the hill and kissed the feet of my Savior. His everlasting life is found in His blood. As soon as the man swallowed the blood, I knew I had been tricked. I ran to slay the man, but I was stopped by my Lord. He cast me out for my failure, or for my thoughts of murder—either one is a sin. Then He uttered a curse upon the man before He died:
    Your teeth shall be as poisonous as the serpent
    Never to see the sun again
    You shall roam in eternal darkness
    Forever to drink blood to remind you of your sin.”
    Malachi continued. “Only with evolution and the help of Demons did Vampires grow into what they are today. That is why the Fallen became involved, to try to repair the souls of the damned.”
    “I’m sorry,” I say.
    “For what?” he asks.
    “For what that Demon made you do.”
    “I never should have left my post. My eyes were to be on Him at all times. The Demon was my temptation, and I failed. I will not fail again.”
    “I know.” I don’t know why, but I lean back and kiss his soft lips. He pulls me up into him and returns the favor. My lips tingle with his touch. His hand reaches forward and cups my face. I am startled by the jolt. He is getting warmer and his light is shining all around us. I rise up away from him and take off my jacket. I want to feel his hands on me. After turning to face him, I take his lips with mine once again. We are breathless. My body is shivering in his hands. I mold into him as he rubs my bare back. My desire is burning brighter than his skin. I reach below for the button of his pants. He pushes me away.
    “No.”
    “I’m sorry,” I say. “I don’t know why I am so drawn to you.”
    “It’s natural at first. We will have to work at restraint. It will get easier with time, if Jacob does not kill me first.”
    “Jacob,” I say and stand up. “What am I doing? I am married now. We can’t do this.” I feel anxiety wash over me.
    “It’s all right. I said it is to be expected. He was fond of his Angel too.” Malachi looks away, but it is too late.
    “Who is she?” I stare at him.
    “Deborah, but she is gone now.”
    I breathe in and out loudly. “He said he never loved her.”
    “I never said that he did. I said he was fond of her. She lost her soul to her Demon lover. She wanted Jacob to transform her so she could change her lover too. She blackmailed him into changing her, but she didn’t know that a new Vampire cannot turn someone else for at