Chapter Seven

My life didn’t flash before my eyes.

I didn’t see my parents, the hard work they had accomplished to give me a somewhat normal childhood. I didn’t see the sun, the flowers, the small little things in life that made me happy.

All I saw was the regret in my life. The things I didn’t do, the things I didn’t have the courage to step forward and take part in. I didn’t try out for sports, go to school dances, or ask out the cute guy at the coffeehouse.

I didn’t do the big audition.

I blended in.

Played it safe, so I didn’t get rejected.

As I watched the hulking guard’s heavy footsteps resonating against the cold, damp floor, his menacing gaze fixed on me, the weight of his threat consumed my thoughts. In that moment, a surge of regret washed over me, accompanied by a bitter taste of unfulfilled potential. The vivid images of all the untapped possibilities, the uncharted paths I could have taken, and the wonderful experiences I could have embraced flooded my mind.

I could have laughed, seen, felt, ran, and explored. Let go of the longing. I mean, I’d never even fallen in love. Nearly thirty years old and I had never in my life told a man I loved them.

Because I couldn’t keep them, didn’t know if they even wanted to. Hell, I couldn’t even get past the first few dates. Too scared, too worried about rejection and what it might lead to.

I played it safe.

I had held back for so long; I didn’t know what it was like to be an adventurist. I envied so many who could throw themselves into a crowd and take over with a joke, a smile, a laugh.

Regret, disappointment.

I could have done so much more. I didn’t live.

At least I helped a few in my time, Amanda being the turning point. I’d had no one rely on me, and maybe that is what it was, but that tiny push helped me get those women out.

The rest of the women? Not so much. How long did I let myself just follow like a blind little sheep and wait until the butcher came for me? What more could I have done if I had acted earlier?

Guilt churned in my gut.

I could have died sooner, but at least more could have escaped.

I didn”t see my life flashing before my eyes because I hadn’t done enough, explored enough, had enough of a life worth having a rewind.

Or it could be the fact I killed a guy.

But that was in self-defense!

Surely, they don’t count that.

I groaned and felt the gentle touch of my hand gliding over my stomach. The fabric that draped over it is incredibly soft, caressing my skin. Surprisingly, it remains untouched by any stains or dampness from my blood. Strangely, I don’t sense any pain. I actually feel rested and not like someone has stabbed and punched me twice in the gut.

My eyes fluttered open and above me isn’t a dumpster, tall buildings, and a clouded sky but dark drapes that meet at the ceiling and flow beautifully downward to wrap around a large four-poster bed I’m lying in. The comforter is a dark, silky crimson. My hands, calloused from gripping a stripper pole, pick at the fabric and I pull back, afraid to damage it further.

When I sat up, I took in the rest of the room. It’s dark, the only light being candelabras filled with ivory and crimson colored candle sticks casting shadows around the walls. Instead of being transported to the bowels of hell, I feel like I”ve stepped into Bram Stoker”s Dracula.

The furniture is dark cherry red, and the embellishment is fancier than I have ever seen. Hints of gold fluttered in the light around the handles of the drawers. To my right, the nightstand held books, while the left one next to me contains gauze, stitching, and other medical equipment.

I touched my body which is draped in a white gown. It cinched at the wrists, with a high collar, and when I look under the sheets, it’s fairly long.

“I really got transported back in time,” I muttered to myself.

That was the only logical thing that could have happened.

I twisted my body, ready to get out of the bed, but I felt a twinge of pain. I groaned louder this time, and someone immediately threw open a curtain, causing me to gasp in shock.

A mysterious figure, shrouded in a cloak as black as night, glided into the room. The whisper of his wings echoed in the silence, sending shivers down my spine. His imposing aura commanded every inch of the space, suffocating me with its weight. I sank into the bed, feeling a sharp pang in my gut, but I refused to let my gaze waver from the hood obscuring his face.

As if I woke from a dream, I remembered who this cloaked figure was. The dark angel that came to me in the alley.

My hand went to my mouth to cover my gasp. I knew I shouldn’t stare, but I was in awe of this person. He wasn’t a creature or a monster. I mean, he spoke. That was what the difference was, right? If they could talk to you, they weren’t a beast or an animal. They had thoughts and feelings, so I could talk to them.

Crap on a cracker, why am I justifying this?

He stared down at me. At least I think he was he. He did have a cloak over his head.

The figure was astonishingly beautiful, he cast an enigmatic aura. Although his face remained hidden from me, the alluring air of mystery surrounding him alone captivated me. If this was what those romance novels referred to as “dark and mysterious,” then this guy knocked it out of the park.

Plus he had wings.

They were undeniably his most beautiful attribute. The feathers, as black as the night sky, were beautiful. They glistened and danced in the flickering candlelight, absorbing every trace of illumination in the room. My gaze traveled over their colossal size, extending beyond his head and elegantly sweeping across the floor.

It must be uncomfortable, but it matched his aesthetic.

Mysterious, dark, brooding, skeleton hands, and probably a skull for a face. Yet I’m not scared at all.

And I didn”t feel scared when I thought he was going to take me to hell. I had given up then, though, I was literally dying in an alley. The moment I was stabbed, all the fear dissipated. A dark angel kneeling beside me was just the cherry on top.

Yet still, I’m healed, and I have no fear of him now.

Weird.

His feathers shuffled which brings random questions to my mind.

I wonder if he molts.

He tilted his head and brought one of his wings around to inspect it.

Oh crapola, did I say that out loud?

I wait for him to speak, to say something. He was the one who barged into the room, but he stood there and said nothing. His wings and his chest rose and fell with his breath as he settled and stared at me again. As time went on, we still sat in comfortable silence.

I don’t have the panic that he was going to hurt me. He could have already done that. I thought he was the one who’d brought me here to heal me. He could have done what he wanted to by now, discarded me, let me die, but nope, he’s just standing there. Watching.

Kinda getting awkward now, though.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the dark curtain opened again.

“Wonderful, she’s awake.” The feminine velvet voice broke the awkward tension.

One of the brightest people I had ever seen came into the room. When I mean bright, I mean literally glowing. Her skin was snow white, her hair equally so. Even the fitted suit she wore was white with hints of gold and powdered blue accents that screamed she is sophisticated. Her hair was slicked back, her glasses perched at the end of her nose as she meticulously stirred a small spoon in a teacup.

“I need you to drink this. It should fully close the wound from the inside within twenty-four hours,” she said.

She handed it to me like I was going to take it, and maybe I should because she looked like she knew what she’s doing. Yet, still I paused and gazed at her and the dark figure behind her I dubbed as the Grim Reaper.

Because he had a scythe when he came to me in the alley. He’s got the whole I’m the angel of death thing going on.

“No, he isn’t the Grim Reaper,” the woman mused.

I slapped my hand over my mouth.

I did not just say that out loud.

“You certainly did.” She smiled. “I guess we should do some introductions first. It is only fair.” She set the teacup down on the nightstand and patted down her suit. “I am Athena. Goddess of Wisdom and various other things,” she waved her hand dismissively. “And this is Thanatos, God of—”

The figure behind her cleared his throat.

Okay, so not Grim Reaper.

She is who, and he is what?

I let out a whine of confusion. “Back up a bit,” I pointed to both of them.

They both took a step back, but I merely meant Athena’s words. But I appreciated the newfound space.

“You said your name is Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, and he is Thanatos—” I pointed.

They both nodded.

“Like, that is just your name. You aren’t actually–?” I swallowed.

I hit my head.That was the only way this was all real. I was dreaming. I was still on the dingy cot. Someone slipped me a roofie, and I was waiting for the effects to wear off and I would have to go to work in about an hour.

There is no way that she was the actual Athena, and that was Thanatos? I’m not great with the whole Greek God thing, but I can’t remember for the life of me what exactly he was the god of?

Probably death.

“Yes, Juniper. I am Athena. Although, I updated my wardrobe to match the current century. Thanatos and a few others do not, depending on their duties.” She looked back at Thanatos, but his hood was still looking at me.

Why does he look like the Grim Reaper then?

I let out a breath and rubbed my temples. I hissed, feeling the bruise on the side of my head where the guard smacked me.

Thanatos lunged forward, pushing Athena out of the way, and a snarl came from deep inside the hood. “Are you in pain?” He asked, angrily. Shadows enveloped him and came around the bed. They circled me, going around my body and touching my forehead like they were fingers.

I jumped at the sudden abruptness. “Just a little. I got knocked out,” I snapped, and rubbed my head again and waving the shadows away from me.

What a twat, he just yelled in my face.

Thanatos reared his head back, his shadows dropped away from me.

Athena barked out in laughter. “Thanatos, you cannot yell at her. You need to be compassionate and use your voice softly.”

Thanatos looked between the both of us until his shadows around his body exploded around the room.

“Y-you heard her!” Thanatos” voice was flustered, trying to find the words. “Give her something. I don’t want her in any pain!”

Thanatos bustled out of the room and threw the curtain away in a huff.

My face softened immediately and my mouth dropped.

What. The. Hell?

Athena chuckled, picking up the tea. “Yes, you said he was a twat, out loud.”

I groaned and took the tea from her. Deciding it was best just to drink whatever she gave me.

Maybe it would be best to die if it was poison.