Virta turned the relic this way and that in her slender fingers. She finally set it back in the box at her feet and looked up at the General.
He was taking another drink of scotch.
"You said I'll have a real Earth assignment, besides Athan. There's a girl in trouble?"
The General nodded grimly. "Yes, and you know her well. It's Mandi."
Virta felt as though her heart had been kicked from her chest. Surely he was not talking about the same girl she'd begun to think of as a sister.
"Mandi? MY Mandi? What's wrong with her?"
"Just look for yourself." He turned his computer monitor around so that Virta could see it too.
It was the Watch Over program, only a much more sophisticated version than she'd seen before. The amount of detail available in the General's version was incredible. There were controls to monitor everything from the temperature in the room to heartbeats, smells, and probably even the number of flies on the wall.
Virta peered at the scene before her.
Mandi was out to dinner with a guy. It looked like a very swanky establishment. They sat in a corner by themselves, their hands entwined across the table. His plate was empty; Mandi's sat untouched. The girl's face was strained and had an unhealthy pallor.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling that well, Heath," Mandi said.
A slight sheen of sweat clung to her forehead. She removed one hand from his so she could dab at her forehead with her napkin. Her big brown eyes stared listlessly up at her date.
Heath was really big. Even though he was sitting in a chair, Virta could tell he was tall. Muscles bulged against his shirt. He had short, spiky, blond hair, dark brown eyes, and a healthy, even complexion. It was no wonder Mandi was out with this guy. He was just her type.
But Virta recognized something about him that set her heart racing and her stomach burning in anxiety. Unable to tear her eyes away from the screen, she addressed the General.
"S-Sir? Am I wrong here? He looks like an angel to me! Is he there to help her?"
The General grunted. "Good eye, Virta. Yes, he is an angel. But I'm sorry, no. He's not there to help her. Far from it. He's a Fallen One."
Virta gasped. "Oh god, no. That's what I was afraid of ..." her voice trailed off in shock.
Virta's eyes were locked onto Heath. The demon was casually sipping a glass of champagne across from the unsuspecting human.
No, not just any human, Virta thought angrily. MY human!
"Heath is one of Athan's top men," the General said as he watched the monitor. "Athan trained him personally. Plus, Heath is just a cruel prick who enjoys his work."
The General sighed and leaned back in his chair. "We have intel confirming that Athan sent Heath on this mission... to Mandi."
"To do what, Sir?"
"To hurt her, of course."
"But, why would Heath want to hurt Mandi?"
"Don't be an idiot, Virta," the General growled. "Why? Because he can. Because he was commanded to - and he follows orders. But more importantly, we think Athan is using her to draw you out. He knows you're watchful of Mandi, that you feel protective of her."
"Don't you have an angel you can send to save her?"
"Yes, we do." The General turned his sapphire eyes upon her. "It's you, Virta."
"Me? Mandi is my assignment?"
"Athan and his people want you down there. They're going to keep hurting innocent humans because of you, until they get you on their turf."
The General pounded on his desk, making Virta jump in her chair.
"Don't you see what's at stake here?" he thundered. "They have their eyes set on you, and they won't back down until you're twice the child of hell as they are. If they have casualties like Mandi along the way, it's nothing to them."
"No," Virta cried. "They're hurting people because of me? Oh my god, I couldn't bear that." Tears slid down her cheeks as she turned to the handsome couple on the screen again.
"It looks like they're just out for a nice dinner," Virta said, puzzled. "Other than Mandi not feeling well, things look fine. So what is he doing to her, poisoning her or something?"
"Just watch."
* * *
"Ready to go back to your place, sweetheart?" Heath whispered.
He had moved around to her side of the table, leaning down behind her with his lips brushing against her hair. His big arms were gently draped on her shoulders. He kissed her softly on the temple.
Mandi tried to smile. She had one hand clutching her lower abdomen. She was shaking in her chair. The look on her face registered pain.
"Yeah, I am. Could you take me home now? I just need to lie down for a bit. Maybe I'll start feeling better." She sighed. "Sorry about dinner. I know you spent a lot of money on me tonight."
He knelt down beside her, stroking her hair gently as he looked into her face. "Don't worry about that. You're what's important to me. Let's get you home."
He helped her up, holding her steady on her feet. He threw some large bills down on the table. Then, tucking her under his arm, Heath held Mandi against his body, supporting her as they left the restaurant.
His Aston Martin was waiting at the front, and he set her down carefully in the passenger's seat. After buckling her in, Heath climbed into the driver's side and took off, peeling out of the parking lot.
Suddenly, the scene switched to Mandi's small apartment.
Heath was carrying Mandi through the door. Her face was pressed against his broad chest for comfort. He held her like a baby, as if she weighed nothing. Heath shut the door with his foot, then freed one hand to turn the lock.
"Let's get you into bed," he crooned. She mumbled and buried her face deeper into his chest. He chuckled down at her.
Crossing the floor in a few large strides, Heath smoothly set her down on the bed. Removing her shoes, he carefully position her body and then covered her gently with a blanket.
Heath sat down on the side of the bed next to her. He supported himself with one hand on the bed, while the other was softly stroking her face and hair.
"Heath, I don't want you to go yet," she said, opening her hazy eyes to gaze up at him. She placed a hand on his bicep, which didn't even begin to wrap around it. "Will you stay with me tonight? I mean, just hold me; talk to me?"
His warm eyes looked down at her. "Of course I will, Mandi. You didn't even have to ask. I was going to stay and watch over you; take care of you."
She nuzzled her face against the warm hand that was cupping her cheek. "Thank you," she murmured.
Then she tried to sit up a little. "I was going to talk to you about some things tonight, if the evening had gone better for me."
"Take it easy, Mandi," he said, gently easing her back down onto her pillow.
"I know - " She paused; swallowed; and started again. "We've just known each other for a week. But, I feel like I've known you forever. Like you are the guy I've been looking for all my life. And... I have to confess something to you."
He pushed a tendril of hair behind her ear. "Go on, sweetheart," he said, a soft smile on his lips.
"I normally don't... wait...to, um, you know...BE with any guy I'm attracted to." Her eyes were cast downward and her lip shook as she struggled to get out the words.
"But, I sensed something different about you from the moment we met. I wanted to get to know you first... let you get to know me, and see what developed. I wanted more from you than a one-night stand. And I get the sense that maybe, you feel the same way I do."
Her eyes finally looked up at him, searching his face for a reaction.
Heath was smiling sweetly down at her. "I do. I feel exactly the same. I was going to have this same talk with you over dinner at the restaurant... and afterward. I wanted to tell you and show you how I really feel."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Heath. I wish I didn't feel so beat up... I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. I ruined the evening by being sick."
"No. We're still together. It's perfect. Except for you being sick, of course. You should let me take you to the ER. Are you sure you don't want to go?"
She nodded. "Just as sure as the last twenty times you asked me." A small smile found its way to her face.
"I've got a doctor appointment in the morning. This doesn't seem to be getting better on its own. It's like... oh god, I don't want to gross you out. But, I'm bleeding... down there, and it's not my time of the month; it's not the same at all. I hurt too, inside and out."
She sat up a little more, pulling the blanket off her. "And look at this," she raised the hem of her dress up just enough to show him her bruised thighs. "I don't understand where this came from. I, uh, haven't had sex in weeks, so... it's not that."
"Good god, Mandi," Heath gasped. "You need to get to the hospital right now. Maybe you were drugged at a party and abused. I'll call the police."
"No," she cried, grabbing ahold of his arm again. "That's not it. These just showed up over the last few days, and I haven't been anywhere since I met you on Friday. Besides work, I've only been with you."
Her eyes took on a playful glimmer. "And it's not like we've even been intimate yet." She managed a little smile as she pulled the hem of her skirt back down.
She gasped in pain then, clutching at her lower abdomen. Heath stroked her back, soothing her.
After a moment, she said quietly, "My Mom had a blood disorder and Grandma had it as well. I don't remember what it was, but they had easy bruising, bleeding, pain... Maybe I inherited it, and I'm getting the symptoms. I don't know. But the doctor will run tests tomorrow. I know I'll be OK."
Heath eased her onto her back and tucked the blanket around her again. Then he went back to caressing her face and hair. "You better be OK," he said, his eyes full of worry. "It makes me sick, the thought of something happening to you..."
She nodded. Then suddenly, her demeanor became shy, hesitant. "I know we're both ready to take this relationship to the next level, physically. And... I want you," she whispered, "very much. And I know you want me. I thought tonight would be it... our first time. But, I'm afraid we'll have to put it off until I get healed up."
