“Your woman is employed at the Seven Circles of Hell?” Masterson asked carefully.
David nodded. “Yes. But she’s not my woman,” he was quick to clarify. “She helped my mother a few weeks ago when - ”
Vlane cut David off before he could finish. “I am afraid I cannot help you, Mr. Corrigan.”
“Goddamnit!” David muttered, more to himself than anyone. “Who the hell is this guy that even someone like you fears him?”
The temperature in the room suddenly dropped at least ten degrees. Vlane’s polite, business like vibe chilled, too. “I do not fear Karthik, Mr. Corrigan,” Masterson said evenly, but there was no mistaking the steel in his voice. “But if the woman you seek has aligned herself with him, there is very little I – or anyone else – can do. It is a matter of ... free will.”
He owns me. That didn’t sound like free will to him.
“Please.” Until a few weeks ago, that word hadn’t even been in David’s vocabulary. Now it seemed that he was uttering it quite often. “I am not asking for anything other than that someone passes along a message on my behalf. That’s all. If she tells me to back off, then I will.”
Masterson’s wife leaned down and whispered something in his ear. For a few seconds, Vlane’s expression softened and he nodded slightly. The smile she gave him was powerful enough to light up the room. Jesus. What David wouldn’t give to have a woman look at him like that. No, maybe not any woman. One in particular.
“Are you in love with this woman, Mr. Corrigan?”
The unexpected question shocked him out of his wishful longings. “What? No, of course not. I just ...” David frowned. Why was he so intent on tracking down Ryssa? To make sure she was okay? To give her the present his mother wanted her to have? To look into those big gray eyes and allow himself to feel ... not like this horrible, empty shell?
“I just...need to see her again.”
Masterson watched him for several long minutes, a thoughtful expression on his face. “What is her name, Mr. Corrigan?”
“Ryssa,” David said quietly, looking at his hands. “Her name is Ryssa. I don’t know her last name,” he admitted.
That time there was a definite reaction. It was slight, but it was there. Masterson sat up a little straighter, interest replacing apathy in his features. “Jaxson.”
The familiar name had David snapping his head up. Almost immediately another man entered through the far door and stood before the desk. David looked at him and his heart dropped. This was Ryssa’s former roommate? This young, sculpted guy who looked like he should have been an Abercrombie & Fitch model?
“Mr. Masterson?” the blonde male model asked respectfully.
“Mr. Corrigan seeks assistance in contacting an acquaintance of yours.”
Jax raised his eyebrow and glanced at David. David had the impression that in the matter of a few seconds, the guy had completely analyzed and dismissed him as irrelevant. “What acquaintance would that be, sir?”
Vlane waited a moment before answering. “Ryssa.”
Speaking the name had an instant effect. Before he knew what was happening, David found himself pinned up against the wall. “What do you want with Ryssa?” Jax hissed. David blinked. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear the guy’s teeth were growing longer.
“Jaxson.” Masterson’s quiet warning cut through Jax’s angry fog. Jax released David and took a step back, but the look on his face was still thunderous. “My apologies, Mr. Corrigan,” Jax said through clenched teeth.
“I really must meet this woman,” Masterson mused softly.
Fighting off the urge to give the younger man a taste of his own medicine – he was a guest in Masterson’s home, after all, David nodded reluctantly at the surfer.
“I was told you could help me,” David said, straightening his jacket. “Obviously I made a mistake. I’m sorry to take up your time, Mr. Masterson.” He glared at Jax. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he’d figure it out without the help of the reclusive millionaire and his batshit crazy minions.
“Mr. Corrigan, please.” It was Masterson’s wife who spoke. David looked down to find her at his side, big green eyes pleading with him. The way she looked up at him had the image of another woman flashing into his mind. He blinked twice, sure that he was seeing things. If those big eyes were gray, and the hair was black instead of blonde, she could be Ryssa.
“You look just like her,” David murmured without thinking. “Are you related? Can you speak with angels too?”
This time it was everyone else who seemed shocked. Jax looked like he had seen a ghost.
“Mr. Corrigan,” Vlane Masterson said, “I think you had better have a seat.”
Masterson went to the small bar situated on the side of the office and pulled out a crystal decanter. He poured a drink and handed it to David. “Perhaps it is time to tell us what you know.”
Something in Masterson’s voice changed David’s mind about leaving. Suddenly he couldn’t fathom why he would want to. No, he should definitely stay and tell Masterson everything.
He accepted the drink gratefully and tossed it back, relishing the smooth burn. Masterson obviously knew his single malts.
David resumed his seat in the plush armchair. Rather than return to the desk, Masterson sat on a matching sofa, facing him, his eyes so oddly compelling that David had difficulty looking away. His wife sat down beside him, while Jax chose to remain standing, hovering slightly back and to the side. David changed his angle a little so he could see the younger man in his peripheral vision, unwilling to be surprised by another sudden, unprovoked attack.
“My mother passed away recently,” he said, steeling himself against the shards of pain that always came with saying those words. “I had hired a staff of nurses around the clock to care for her. When it became clear that she wasn’t going to get better...”
David’s voice cracked a little and he took a moment before he continued again. “Before she died, one of the nurses told her about a young woman who could help her.” He paused, as if reluctant to continue.
“Help her how?” Masterson prompted.
“This is going to sound crazy,” he warned.
“Indulge me.”
“The nurse said this woman could see to the other side, ease her passage from this world into the next. I thought it was total bunk, of course, but my mother was insistent.” He shook his head. “I could deny her nothing. So we summoned her.”
“Summoned her? How?”
David shifted uncomfortably, knowing how ridiculous what he was about to say would sound. “We went to the cemetery and chanted her name at midnight.” He looked at their faces, fully expecting so see looks of derision, disbelief, or even pity, but found nothing of the sort. If they thought he was a nutbag, they didn’t show it.
“And? Did it work?”
“Yes,” David admitted quietly. It still amazed him. “Later that night, Ryssa appeared at my door. I couldn’t believe it. I mean, it had be some kind of cruel scam, right? But she came in, and within minutes she had my mother wrapped around her little finger. They grew close very quickly.”
David reached behind him and rubbed his neck. “I didn’t make it easy. I didn’t believe... well, let’s just say I said a lot of things I now regret.” He could have sworn he heard Jaxson snort at this. He glanced up and sure enough, the guy looked like he wanted to do some damage.
“What changed your mind?” Masterson asked.
“When the time came, Ryssa came and got me. She held my hand and... I saw.”
Masterson leaned forward in interest. “What did you see, Mr. Corrigan?”
“Christ. I mean – no, I didn’t see Him. You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I saw ... an angel. His name was Zach. He talked to Ryssa like he knew her, and told my mother that he had come to escort her the rest of the way. My father was there, too. He died when I was just a kid.” He shook his head. “I thought I was imagining it, but now, I’m not so sure. Anyway,
afterward, Ryssa disappeared, and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”
Vlane digested that for a few moments. “Why do you seek her out?” he asked. “Did she not serve her purpose?”
“I don’t know,” David exhaled. “I just have to.” He chanced another look. Ana was giving him a gentle, supportive smile. Masterson looked mildly interested. Jaxson seemed to be pondering different ways to kill him. David wondered vaguely if this was what Ryssa felt like when he’d looked at her during those first few visits.
“Are you in love with her?” Vlane asked again.
Just like before, the question blindsided him like a Mack truck. David couldn’t say the words sitting right there in his chest, because they didn’t make any sense to him. “I barely know her.”
“That is not what I asked.”
“Love sneaks up on us sometimes,” Ana said softly, her voice gentle and melodic as she glanced at her husband with adoration in her eyes. “We aren’t looking for it, don’t expect it, may not even want it at first. But that doesn’t change the truth of it.”
David felt rather dizzy. “I don’t know what the truth is anymore.”
“Then I suggest you figure it out, Mr. Corrigan,” Vlane said pointedly. “Ask yourself why you feel compelled to see this young woman again, and when you can accept the answer, contact me.”
Without conscious effort, David rose to leave.
“Oh, one more question, Mr. Corrigan, if you don’t mind.” David paused by the door and turned back to look at Vlane Masterson. “This nurse that told you about Ryssa. What became of her?”
David looked surprised by the question. He furrowed his brow. “We never saw her again. She was only there that one night, relieving another nurse who had fallen ill with some kind of twenty-four hour thing.”
Vlane nodded, as if that was the answer he had expected. “I look forward to hearing from you, Mr. Corrigan.”
Chapter 8 – Angels and Demons and Vampires, Oh My
Jax stood unnaturally still for long moments after David Corrigan left, his eyes surreptitiously seeking out Ana Masterson. The resemblance was uncanny.
“Why did you not tell me of Ryssa’s special powers?” Vlane asked him bluntly. His voice was even, controlled, but his eyes flashed. When Jax petitioned for her release from Karthik at the same time as his own, he hadn’t mentioned any special gifts. Vlane believed, as he was meant to, that the girl was just a preferred source of food.
His new master’s displeasure pulsed in subtle waves of unseen energy. Vlane was at the top of the Extraordinary food chain; being uninformed obviously did not sit well with him. Jax regretted that, but there was little he could do.
Jax forced his eyes away from Ana and met those of his new master. “I cannot speak of it.”
Vlane’s eyes narrowed. “Cannot or will not?”
The clenched jaw and fists made his answer redundant. “Cannot.”
* * *
“A binding?” Vlane murmured, his umbrage morphing into curiosity. Jax’s entire body tensed, confirming his suspicions.
“What is a binding?” Ana asked. Fairly new to this world of Extraordinaries, she had much to learn. Vlane’s eyes softened as they always did when he looked to his bride.
“It is similar to an oath or a vow, but it does not have to be given willingly. It is especially powerful when invoked with magickal blood, such as that of an immortal.” He looked back to Jax and narrowed his eyes. If the young vamp had been using the female as an exclusive food source, that kind of bond would extend far beyond simple loyalty and trust.
Ana nodded as she picked up her husband’s thoughts. “Jax is protecting her. But David Corrigan could speak freely, because he has no such bond.”
Vlane smiled in approval. “David Corrigan is a human. His whole existence is based in the mortal plane. He does not fully understand the knowledge she has revealed to him.”
“Isn’t that dangerous? For both of them?”
“Given his reticence, I doubt he has openly spoken of her with others. He was clearly uncomfortable.” Vlane gave a half smile. “And who would believe him? Mortals would scoff, and he is not the type to cavort with Extraordinaries.”
Having lived most of her life among mortals and being unaware of preternatural beings herself until recently, that was something he knew Ana would readily understand. “David Corrigan is a wealthy, well-respected businessman in the local community. If he started talking about angels and seers, that could change quickly.”
“Unfortunately,” Vlane continued with a frown, “David Corrigan can no longer include himself among the uninformed. He struggles with even the limited knowledge he now carries.”
“He only knows of Ryssa.”
“We cannot be sure of that. David Corrigan is a clever, intelligent man. If he has been using his own methods to seek her out, he may have inadvertently been exposed to others.”
“He showed up at the Seven Circles one night,” Jax confirmed. “He never should have made it over the threshold, but he used Ryssa’s name. After that, Ryssa begged Gunther not to let him in anymore. It was for his safety as well as hers. Karthik demanded recompense for providing the means for a human to enter unescorted.”
“It took a lot of courage for David to come to you,” Ana said.
Vlane cupped his wife’s face tenderly. “Courage, yes. David Corrigan is a man of strength. But I have seen inside his mind, love. His feelings run far deeper than even he is willing to admit. He will do whatever it takes to see the woman again, and it might just get him killed.”
“There must be something we can do,” she said, taking her husband’s hand and letting the magick of their bond flow through them. Something I can do, she added in his mind.
Vlane knew immediately what she was talking about. Ana was a rare Fae, the only known one in existence. Because of their ability to grant wishes, the race had been the target of both mortals and immortals alike. Like animals, they had been hunted, captured, and used to near extinction. Ana’s presence proved that some of them had survived, but was also a reminder of just how deeply they had gone into hiding. Her true nature and abilities were known only to Vlane and a select few of his bloodline or those who, like Jax, had willingly bound themselves to keep her secret and guard her life.
“Not even your magic can break a blood contract, love. And I have no wish to expose your abilities to Karthik just yet.”
“You worry too much,” Ana said against his chest. Her hands made little petting motions meant to soothe, that light touch accomplishing more than any amount of force ever could.
“Where you are concerned, that is not possible,” he replied. His wife was the other half of his soul, his light in a world of darkness. He had waited over five hundred years for her; he was fiercely protective of her now that he’d finally found her.
“But we are getting ahead of ourselves. It may be that Ryssa is content where she is.”
Jax was unable to completely silence his disagreement on that, lamely attempting to cover the sound with a cough. Vlane caught the not-so-subtle hint and smiled. “Or not. Still, when one sells their soul to a demon of their own free will, there is little that can be done.”
Jax coughed again. Vlane looked at him questioningly, but the younger vamp’s expression gave away nothing.
“Ryssa sees angels, right?” Ana said after several moments passed in contemplative silence. “Maybe Armand will have some ideas. That is kind of his area of expertise, right?”
Armand was even older than Vlane, and a former monk.
“An excellent idea,” Vlane agreed. “Come. He will be most anxious to hear of this.”
“She sees Angels,” Armand murmured after hearing Vlane recount David Corrigan’s visit to him and Vlane’s sireling, Kristoff. He looked from one to the other. “Are you certain?”
“That is what Corrigan said,” Vlane confirmed. “When it was time for his mother to pass on, Ryssa took his hand and he claims he saw an angel, as well as
loved ones that preceded her in death.”
“Extraordinary,” the former monk murmured.
“What is capable of seeing through the realms like that, Armand?” Vlane prodded. Having spent a good many years with Armand, he knew that the ancient vamp was more likely to immerse himself in his own musings for long periods of time than to speak aloud.
“Angels, of course,” Armand answered absently.
“Angels?” Kristoff scoffed. Much younger than either Vlane or Armand, he retained more modern-aged human characteristics, including a healthy dose of skepticism. “I didn’t think they liked slumming down here on the mortal plane.”
“They don’t,” Vlane agreed. Of all the Extraordinaries, Angels were the most removed from the day to day life on earth. Besides the Reapers who escorted mortal souls into the afterlife, most Angels dealt with humans sparingly and only if ordered to do so. Direct involvement was extremely rare, and was done without human knowledge or recognition.
“They do if they are Fallen.”
“Fallen?” Vlane furrowed a brow.
“Angels cast out of heaven,” Armand clarified. “It does not happen often.”
Vlane cast a look over at Jax, who was sitting quietly in the corner. He said nothing, but met Vlane’s gaze evenly, silently confirming they were on the right track.
“Why would an Angel be cast out of Heaven?” Vlane asked.
Armand stroked his jaw. “Disobedience, primarily. Giving in to temptations of the flesh or carnal pleasures is usually the most common offense, but second-guessing the Plan happens, too. Sometimes an Angel cannot see the big picture, and takes it upon him or herself to do what they think is right instead of what they are told to do.”
“It seems to go against the tenet of free will.”
“Not really,” Armand countered. “They, like we, have a choice. If they break the rules, there are consequences. The choices, the consequences – they are all part of the Plan.”
Fallen Angel: Mythic Series, Book 2 Page 8
