Cassie giggled. “The one that he thought no one knew about? Where he doused himself in cologne and was sweating through two layers of shirts? No, we were completely oblivious to that that one.”
She rolled her eyes and we chuckled. Yeah, James was not the smoothest cat when it came to women. For some reason, they made him extremely nervous.
“Looks like we don’t need to wait any longer to find out. Here he comes.” Adam pointed to the entrance to the café.
James walked decisively up to our table but didn’t sit. “I’m so sorry to interrupt your dinner, but I need to speak with you now, Max.”
“What’s going on, James?” Cassie asked, wiping her hands on a napkin.
“I think it would be best if I spoke to Max alone first. Sorry, Cassie.”
Cassie picked up her tray and cocked her head toward Adam, indicating that he should join her. “We’ll see you later then,” she pouted. When neither James nor I responded, she huffed and left.
“Soooo,” I began, having no real idea where to begin at all.
“Why don’t we go to the conference room? We need some privacy and you’re going to want to sit down for this.”
I stood, my fingers trembling slightly with nervousness. What could this possibly be about? It had been over a hundred years since the last of my immediate family had passed away, so it couldn’t be that. James usually only took people aside when they were about to come face-to-face with someone from their past. But I had no one left. My thoughts drifted over the possibilities during the entire walk. I was glad that James was leading me, because the next thing I knew I was taking a seat in a soft, plush leather chair having no recollection of actually walking into the building. I took a deep, not-quite-calming breath and waited for whatever bombshell he was about to drop.
“I was pulled into a meeting the other day at the Alpha’s office with a few angels.”
“Marco?” I asked. We had done a few missions together recently. Could the news be about that?
“Yes, Marco was there, but this is about you, not him.” James sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands.
“Just spit it out. Whatever it is, the suspense is killing me more that whatever you have to say to me.”
“I don’t know how to tell you this because I don’t really know what is going on myself.” He paused again for a moment before deciding to take a seat next to me. “Okay, here’s what I know. I was pulled into a meeting a few days ago and told to ‘prepare you’ for what will be a ‘life-altering event.’ Now, your guess is as good as mine as to what that means. When I asked, they refused to give me more details. They wouldn’t even tell me how to prepare you, just that you should stay calm when it happens and that you’ll understand soon.”
I leaned back into my chair, feeling as though the wind had been knocked out of me. “So what does this mean? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t understand either. That’s why I waited to say something. I was trying to find out more information. Marco seems to think it’s good news, but refuses to give me any details.”
I stood suddenly, my chair falling over and crashing to the floor. “I need to go see him. He’ll tell me whatever it is. He owes me after I cleaned up that mess of Dixon’s and kept his name out of it.”
A few years before, Dixon had called me in the middle of the night begging me to meet him in Zurich immediately and refused to tell me why. I agreed, knowing I owed him for the information he had given me about Nathanial, texted James to let him know I’d need a day off, and went to meet him.
When I arrived, I met him at the train station as requested. He sat on a bench, chewing on his nails with his knee bouncing a mile a minute.
“What’s going on, Dixon? What’s with the rush?”
He pulled me to sit with him on the bench and looked around nervously. “I, uh, screwed up. Bad. I feel wick about havin’ to call ya. I’m such a plonker.”
“Okayyy.” I dragged out the word, urging him to continue, feeling a little lost with his Irish slang.
“Well, I may or may not have accidentally-like swindled a bunch a bloody fae blokes outta a prized possession of theirs. And they want it back. Problem is, I fenced it. And the wanker won’t return it unless I pay him double.”
“So what do you need me to do?”
“I need ya ta get it back. I’m a right good elf and can get any information that’s out there, but I’m not very intimidating. And the thing of it is, I can’t go to the Council to help, since I’m not supposed to have it in the first place.”
“What exactly was it? Why did you need it?”
Dixon shook his head vigorously. “I can’t really say what it is, but I was acquiring it for a third party. The fence was supposed to sell it to them on my behalf, but now they figured out what it is and are threatening to turn us both in. That can’t happen.”
“Who’s the other person? Why can’t they help you?” I knew I had no right to ask, considering what he did for me without qualms, but I needed to make sure this wasn’t going to come back and bite me. It didn’t seem on the up-in-up.
“It was Marco. He has his own reasons for needin it. But we need to keep both of our names out of it. Listen, all I need you to do is intimidate the sod. He’ll not wanna mess with the likes of you. Trust me.”
“I’m having a hard time believing I’m not gonna get in major trouble for this. It seems shady, Dixon.”
“I think I’m making it sound worse than it is. Just go in there, growl a little, bare your teeth. He’ll go runnin scared. None of the supes wanna mess with a Patronus, trust me.”
I rolled my eyes but agreed. I didn’t see much of a choice.
James scoffed, drawing me out of my thoughts of the past, but didn’t make a move to stop me. Just as I reached the door to leave, I heard his quiet voice. “It’s too late. Whatever it is, it’s happening tonight. I just needed to tell you before you were blindsided by it. Just remember, whatever it is, I’m here for you. We’re all here for you.”
I stood frozen in place. I had no idea how to process this information—or lack of information. It was too late to see Marco if this so-called “life-altering event” was supposed to happen tonight. My mind spun with the possibilities until I became dizzy. I leaned back against the wall closing my eyes and after a few stunned minutes, slid down it until I was seated.
I wasn’t sure when he did it, but the next thing I knew Adam and Cassie were there copping a squat next to me. Cassie threw her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, whatever it is, we got your back.”
“And Marco said this was good news, so maybe we should be getting champagne ready rather than looking like someone kicked your puppy,” Adam added with a playful punch to the arm.
I snorted. “Nothing ‘life-altering’ that has ever happened to me has been good. I can’t imagine what it is, but I’m sure it’s going to rank up there with puppy kicking.”
“There’s nothing that we can do now but—”
“Do you feel that?” I clutched my hand to my chest, rubbing it as if it would soothe the ache that now rested there. In the blink of an eye, a dull throb began to fill my chest, getting stronger with each beat of my heart. It wasn’t exactly a sharp, stabbing pain, but whatever the ache was, it was powerful.
“You look like you’re going to pass out. Are you okay, Max?” Cassie asked, taking a step closer to examine my now flushed cheeks. Sweat poured down me as I shivered involuntarily. I was too hot and too cold. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Something was seriously wrong.
The sound of James’s windbreaker sliding down the wall drew my attention. His head now rested in his hands and he was shaking it back and forth. “It’s happening.”
“What is happening, James? Why is he having a meltdown? I’m starting to get really worried.” Cassie placed the flat of her hand on my forehead, feeling for a fever.
I tried to speak, to explain what I was feeling, but there weren’t a
ny words to accurately articulate the immense feelings that now enveloped me. A second heartbeat now resided in my chest. A heartbeat that I yearned to be closer to, one that filled me with so many emotions at once—love, joy, peace, longing, hope, protectiveness, desire—that it overwhelmed me. My breathing stopped as my eyes rolled in the back of my head. I wanted to embrace this feeling and have it never go away and simultaneously push it away as it overwhelmed my body. It was too much, too fast. I didn’t know how to process it. My skin felt like it might burst with the next breath I took.
“Here, drink this.” Cassie shoved a bottle of water in my face. I gratefully chugged half the bottle before coming up for air. “Can I get you anything else? Do you want to lie down?”
I shook my head no as I continued to rub my chest to soothe the ache. James paced the room in between furiously typing out messages on his bracelet’s keyboard. Without speaking, James paused and cocked his head, indicating that we should follow him. With the choices narrowed to following him or watching me have some sort of breakdown, the decision was simple.
Adam helped me to my feet. I was still shaking, but managed to walk by myself. We followed silently as James led us to the office of the Alpha. The walk wasn’t long, only about ten minutes, but in that time my body began to feel better. Whatever it was that caused this—overwhelming feeling and tightness—didn’t go away, but it was more as if I began to adjust to it. It was there, just as powerful, but my body somehow embraced it as just a part of me. An intense, frightening, and exciting new part of me.
We were buzzed into the antechamber of the Alpha. I plopped down into the soft, plush couch while Adam took his usual stance against the far wall (an old military habit, to be aware of all exits at all times) and Cassie propped up on the arm next to me.
“James, you have to say something. What are we doing here? Whatever’s going on must be huge if the Alpha is involved. Don’t make us walk in there blind, you’ve gotta give us some indication of what to expect.”
James sighed at Cassie’s pleading. “I don’t have all the answers; I promise you. I was just told that when ‘the event’ happens, to bring Max in. I assume they’re going to explain things to him.”
“You don’t have any ideas of what this might possibly be about?” she prodded again.
“I wish I did,” he mused, staring at the main door as if it held the answers.
For the next hour, we sat in silence as we waited for whoever was coming to fill in the gaps. I leaned forward, resting my arms on my legs and stared at the floor. My hand tapped absently on my chest, keeping time with the new thump that resided there. The longer I sat with it, the more I began to enjoy it. There was something comforting about it, knowing that it was a part of me. I didn’t need to hear it from the Alpha, I knew it would always be there. I smiled at the thought. Knowing it would never go away comforted me.
A loud buzz jarred my out of my thoughts, followed by the crackling of the speaker. “She’ll see you now,” the unseen voice announced.
I jumped out of my seat and exhaled the deep breath I’d been holding.
“Do you want us to go with you?” Cassie asked quietly. “For moral support?”
I smiled at her sweet gesture. “I’d like that, thanks.”
One by one we entered the spacious office. There were four stools positioned in a semi-circle around the desk. They had prepared for us. I took a seat in the center as my friends flanked me.
A rear door hidden behind a bookshelf opened and a tall, slender, dark-skinned woman with wildly curly hair that fell past her shoulders strolled in. She was dressed in a white robe and looked like a judge or choir member. I knew she wasn’t the Alpha, but I assumed she was one of his council.
“Welcome, Max,” she nodded with a slight bow, completely ignoring the others. “I’m Lucinda. I’m sure you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point, but I hope I can clear up some of the confusion for you.”
“That would be nice,” I replied, rubbing my hands on my pant legs to keep from rubbing my chest any further. I’m sure that would be a little awkward. For some reason, the gesture felt intimate and I didn’t want to share that with her.
Lucinda sat in the chair behind the desk, which was so massive she looked like a child sitting in it. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for quite a while now. It truly is a pleasure.” She smiled softly. I shifted my eyes to see if James had any reaction, but he looked as confused as I felt. “I know this will come to a shock to you, my dear, but you’re sort of a celebrity around here.”
“Huh? Why would I be a celebrity?”
She smiled softly and sat up a little in her chair. “Maybe I should back up a bit. It’s not technically you I was excited to meet. It was your soul.”
“My soul?” I felt like we were playing charades, and I didn’t know the topic.
“Yes, Max. Your soul. It’s a very special soul. And I know this will come as a bit of a shock to you, but your soul is half of the original soul ever created by the Alpha. Your soul started humankind.”
My jaw dropped to the floor, along with Cassie’s and Adam’s. James stood up and stumbled backward a step, knocking over his stool.
“Come again now? I’m what?”
Lucinda chuckled. “I apologize if I frightened you. I can promise you, the knowledge is nothing to fear. It should be embraced. Cherished.”
I stood motionless as I tried to process this information. No one said anything for a few minutes, each of us wrapped up in our own heads trying to make sense of this news. Of all the things I imagined her telling me when I walked through those doors, this wasn’t in the ballpark. It wasn’t even in the same galaxy.
“So that’s why I feel like I have two heartbeats now? Because I’m half of the original soul? I don’t get it. Why am I just feeling this now then?”
“Well, that’s not quite accurate. Yes, you are half of the original soul, but that’s not why you feel a second heartbeat—”
“Wait a minute. You feel a second heartbeat in your chest?” James interrupted.
“Yes, I do. It took me a while to realize what it was, but I’m pretty sure that’s what it is.”
“Then that means…” James trailed off, his hand covering his mouth as if it were trying to keep in a secret.
“Yes, James, that’s exactly what it means.” Lucinda nodded, steepling her fingers.
“Does someone want to fill me in?”
“Oh boy, this is going to be interesting.” James laughed weakly. It was beginning to freak me out.
“Hello? Are you going to answer me?” I rubbed my palm over my chest again and felt slightly soothed. No matter how they explained it, I knew it couldn’t be bad news. Whatever this meant, it felt right. It was nothing to be afraid of.
“I’m sorry, Max. I didn’t mean to leave you hanging like that. To answer your earlier question, you’re feeling the heartbeat now because it belongs to your soul’s mate. The other half of the original soul has come to this realm and when it did so, yours acknowledged it.”
“My soulmate. My soulmate is here? Now?” I stood, ready to run for the door. “Tell me where she is so I can find her before her decision is made and she has to leave again. I have to know her.”
“Don’t worry, Max. You’ll have plenty of time to get to know her. She’s not here awaiting transfer. She’s here transitioning to become a Patronus, like you.”
I could see out of the corner of my eyes that Cassie was now openly crying. Adam was trying to comfort her but seemed dumbfounded by the news. James on the other side of me just sat rigid in his chair, unblinking.
“So—so she’ll be here with me? Forever?”
Lucinda smiled brightly. “Yes, Max, forever.”
Chapter Six
“Can I see her now?” I’d get on my hands and knees if I had to.
“Of course. She’s in the medical center, in the transition wing. I’m sure you’ll know her when you get close enough.”
I practi
cally ran out of the room with James, Cassie, and Adam on my heels. I still had a million questions, but nothing seemed as important as going to her in this moment. “Thank you, Lucinda. Thank you for telling me. For bringing her to me.”
Lucinda nodded once and gave me a small wink. “You’re quite welcome. Trust me, after the thousands of years you’ve been apart, you’ve earned it.”
I ran to the medical center, almost knocking down several spirits and a few Patroni in the process. I could hear Cassie and James calling as they trailed me, but I refused to slow down. I had to see her. I needed to see her. More than air to breathe or food to eat, being close to her was more important for my survival than anything else.
As soon as I stepped foot into the building, the pressure in my chest lightened. In fact, my heart seemed to practically be singing. I somehow knew exactly where I needed to go. I was like a magnet being drawn toward something. It pulled on me, urging my feet forward. I couldn’t wait to see her. To know her. To love her.
I found her room and was about to step inside when a strong hand grabbed me and pulled me back. “Wait, Max. Before you go in there, you need to remember something,” James warned.
I shrugged him off. “Whatever it is, James, it can wait. I just need—”
“No, you need to hear this before you do anything else.” His tone was insistent, and I knew he wouldn’t let this go until I heard him out.
“Fine. What is it? What’s so important that I must hear it right this moment? Because I promise you, nothing is more important than the woman on the other side of those doors. Not anymore.”
James nodded. “I understand that. But what you need to understand is what you’re going to see when you step through that door. Remember where you are, Max. This is the transition wing, meaning she just died. And while I’m not sure how yet, it probably wasn’t peacefully in her sleep. It’s going to take some time for her body to heal. Her current state might be a bit of a shock to you, especially given how heightened your emotions are right now. Don’t freak out when you see her. That’s all.”
Atone (The Patronus: #2.5) Page 4
