Anna (Book 2, The Redemption Series)

by S. J. West

  “Malcolm,” Jered says, still standing in the doorway of the kitchen, “could I have a private word with you for just a moment?”

  Malcolm lets my hand go and walks over to Jered. Jered talks to him in a low voice. It’s obvious Jered doesn’t want me to hear what’s being said. I fear it’s the worst of news about Vala. I watch Malcolm closely as he listens intently to whatever it is Jered is telling him.

  Malcolm nods his head and says, “Do whatever you have to do.”

  Jered immediately phases.

  As Malcolm walks back to the table, our eyes meet.

  “Well?” I ask because I feel sure the conversation had to involve Vala.

  “Travis is doing everything he can,” Malcolm tells me. “We’ll just need to be patient a little while longer.”

  I’m both disappointed and filled with hope. At least Jered didn’t come back saying Vala was gone forever. There was still a chance I would be able to see my little friend again one day. All I had to do was be patient and try to keep my expectations realistic.

  The conversation at the table seems to be designed by Desmond, Daniel, and Brutus to help keep our minds off of what we had just been through and what was to come in the near future. They each told us tales about their lives that were both humorous and sometimes sad. It was obvious Desmond had it the hardest of the three. Being one of the few doctors available to the down-worlders in his hometown seemed to mean he had to deal with death on a daily basis. I feel sorry for him, and hope in time we can alter the living conditions of the down-worlders for the better, resulting in fewer deaths.

  Daniel seemed to have endless tales involving the children under his care. I felt sure Daniel and Linn would enjoy living in Cirrus, but I could also see how important his work at the orphanage was to him. I had a feeling no matter how hard I might try to get them to, he and Linn would not be moving to Cirrus.

  Brutus was chock full of funny stories concerning his exploits in thievery. He made sure to tell Lucas that what he did wasn’t right and that you should try to never steal. In Brutus’ case, I couldn’t chastise him too much. I knew he only stole from those in the cloud cities. Though, he did admit to stealing from an overlord in his own territory once.

  It made me wonder what the other overlords in the down-world of Cirrus thought about Malcolm. There was no doubt he was the richest of them all, but I had a feeling Malcolm’s wealth was one that had been acquired over a long period of time, not just one lifetime. He had been waiting for me to be born for a thousand years after all. I felt sure he kept himself busy during that time. It would certainly explain how he was able to afford to give so much of his earnings every year in tribute to the Amadors.

  After supper, Millie was true to her word and made Malcolm a warm bath in the claw foot bathtub which sat in the middle of a large bathroom connected to his upstairs bedroom. She laid out a pair of scissors and towels for him too.

  “You might want to trim up that mess on the top of his head after he washes, my sweet,” Millie tells me as she prepares to leave the room.

  “Good idea,” I reply. “He does look like something the cat dragged in, chewed up, and spit out.”

  “Thanks,” Malcolm grumbles, preparing to take off his pants.

  Millie walks out of the bathroom into the bedroom.

  “I’ll leave the two of you alone,” she says with a knowing wink, heading out the door. “I’ll tend to Lucas and get him ready for bed. You two take all the time you need with one another.”

  “Thank you, Millie,” I say, as I watch her walk out into the hallway.

  When I turn back around, Malcolm is already sitting in the water filled tub. He quickly submerges his whole body into the water to wet his hair. He sits back up and wipes the water from his eyes with one hand. When he opens his eyes, he looks over at me and smiles.

  “Would you wash my hair for me?” He asks. Though from the come hither look in his eyes, it seems like he wants me closer for more than just that simple task.

  But I can’t say no to him. I have absolutely no will power where Malcolm is concerned. I walk over to the tub and pick up a glass bottle labelled shampoo in frosted print from a metal basket hanging on the left side of the tub. I pour some of the clear liquid into my hand and set the bottle back down in its spot. I rub the shampoo between my hands and thread my fingers through to Malcolm’s scalp, working the suds into the thickness of his hair. I have to work at loosening the blood matted portions and have to ask him to dunk his head underneath the water to rinse the shampoo out so I can wash his hair a second time.

  “This feels nice,” Malcolm sighs as I continue to massage his head during the second washing. “I don’t think I will ever tire of your touch.”

  “I hope not,” I tell him, “because we’ll be with one another for a very long time.”

  “And it still won’t feel like it’s long enough.”

  I smile at the sweet sentiment. Then, swiftly push down on Malcolm’s head, forcing him to dunk it underneath the surface of the water again. He bobs back up sputtering.

  “Why you little vixen,” he says, swiftly spinning around and grabbing me by the waist with both of his hands.

  I soon find myself pulled into the tub and laying on top of Malcolm.

  “Malcolm!” I shout but can’t help but laugh because he’s laughing as he holds me to his naked body.

  A good portion of the water sloshes out of the tub and onto the bathroom floor from the physical activity, but there’s still enough to cover us.

  “Now my clothes are all wet,” I complain.

  “Then maybe you should take them off,” Malcolm says without a hint of shame at such a suggestion.

  I look up and see the teasing way he’s looking at me.

  “Then we would both be in trouble.”

  “But it might be worth it.”

  “Not if you fall asleep during the middle of it,” I tell him.

  “I think it’s worth a try.”

  I shake my head. “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “No,” I say more stridently and phase out of the tub, my clothes dripping wet with bath water now.

  Malcolm stands up in the tub not in the least bit concerned that he’s completely naked in front of me.

  “Yes,” he says, only wearing a smile on his face.

  I have a hard time not looking down the length of him as he stands completely shameless before me.

  I clear my throat because it’s a little tighter than before.

  “No,” I say with a lot less conviction.

  Malcolm steps out of the tub and begins to walk over to me. I immediately phase to the bedroom. He walks out of the bathroom to find me. His skin is glistening from the water of his bath and his hair is still a mess, but for some reason, its disheveled appearance makes my heart skip a beat. I find it hard to breathe or even think as he approaches me. The evidence of his arousal at our play is extremely distracting. I try to keep my eyes focused on his face.

  “Yes?” He asks hopefully as he draws nearer, and I stand still.

  I shake my head, but I can’t seem to say no this time.

  “At least come over to the bed first,” I say, unable to deny him anymore.

  “I like the way you think,” Malcolm teases, sauntering over to me with an even bigger grin on his face.

  “Not for that,” I say feeling completely embarrassed now. “And, do you have a robe or something you can put on?”

  Malcolm stops walking towards as he looks at me in confusion.

  “Why?” He asks.

  “So you’ll be covered up in case this is an epic fail. Plus, I’m finding it really hard to keep my eyes on your face.”

  Malcolm chuckles. “Am I the first man you’ve ever seen naked?”

  “Of course you are,” I answer, wondering why he even feels a need to ask the question. “Who else would I have seen naked?”

  Malcolm shrugs. “I thought perhaps you and Auggie might have played doctor as children.”r />
  “Auggie was never interested in that sort of thing with females. We kissed but that was more of a test of our attraction to one another than anything else.”

  Malcolm places his hands on his hips.

  “And did you ever feel an attraction for each other?”

  I shake my head. “That was never a possibility for the two of us. All we could ever be was best friends.”

  “What would Auggie think about the two of us being soul mates?”

  “He would be happy for me. All he ever wanted was for me to find happiness with someone I loved, and I’ve found that.”

  “I will do my best to keep you that way,” Malcolm promises. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Anna. Nothing.”

  “Then please put on a robe before we try this,” I say to him, unable to keep myself from glancing down the length of Malcolm. “And why in the world would Celeste call that you’re Little Malcolm?”

  Malcolm’s cheeks grow red, and he starts to chuckle softly. He turns away from me because I think he might actually be embarrassed by my comment. He walks over to a door on the wall behind him and opens it. It leads to a walk in closet. He walks into it but quickly walks back out slipping into a dark green robe. He ties the sash of the robe to close the front opening before coming to stand in front of me.

  “Better?” He asks.

  “Yes,” I say, grabbing him by the arms to change his position so that he’s standing near the side of the bed. If the poison is still in my body, he should just fall backwards onto the mattress this way.

  “Are you sure it’s worth trying?” I ask him, remembering what happened the first time we kissed, and he wasn’t able to take in a breath. “Doesn’t it hurt to suffocate like that?”

  Malcolm quickly pulls me up against him.

  “For me, trying is better than the torture of not knowing at all,” Malcolm says. “And if this works…the possibilities are endless, Anna.”

  “I’m getting you all wet,” I tell him, realizing my water soaked clothes are drenching the front of his robe.

  “Hopefully, you won’t be in them long enough for it to matter,” Malcolm says in a husky whisper as he brings his lips down closer to mine.

  “Please let this work,” I sigh as Malcolm touches his lips to mine.

  Not wanting to waste whatever time we might have, Malcolm ravages my lips. I involuntarily whimper from the pleasure of feeling him tantalize my mouth with his. I wrap my arms around his waist as we taste and tease one another with our lips and tongues. A small glimmer of hope shines brightly that the poison won’t stop us from consummating our love for one another this time. At least until Malcolm stops breathing.

  I pull back just as he closes his eyes and falls back on the bed unconscious.

  I just stare at him as I stand there breathing hard and feeling completely bereft of hope that we’ll ever be able to make love. With a frustrated groan, I go to the other side of the bed and pull Malcolm up by his armpits so his whole body is lying comfortably on the mattress. I grab one of the pillows and position it under his head. Not seeing that it will exactly hurt anything now, I kiss Malcolm’s lips one more time before pulling the bedcovers over his body to keep him warm.

  I look down at myself and realize I don't have a change of clothes. It suddenly dawns on me where I might be able to find an outfit that would fit.

  My mother’s room.

  Chapter 12

  When I reach the door to my mother's bedroom, I'm hesitant to enter. I almost feel like I'm invading her privacy. It's a completely silly notion since she's been dead for as many years as I've been alive. Yet, I continue to stand in the hallway with my hand hovering over the door knob, trying to find the courage to enter her room.

  “Stop being stupid,” I whisper to myself, grabbing the handle and twisting it to open the door, hoping I'm not about to step into a Pandora’s Box of memories.

  I walk in and close the door behind me. The room is dark now as night falls outside, and I can barely see where I'm going. I walk over to where I remember the nightstand being and turn on the light there. The faint illumination from the old fashioned lamp makes the room appear even more desolate. There's a sadness that hangs in the air, making me wonder if my mother's spirit has truly moved on, or if it lingers here, hiding in the dark corners of the room. I look past the bed and see a door which has been left slightly ajar. I walk around the ornate wrought iron bed and open the door further, finding my mother's closet. I see a chain hanging in the darkness and tug on it. A light embedded in the ceiling switches on. Every item inside the closet is neat and orderly. It’s as if someone came in here and lovingly preserved my mother’s possessions after her death.

  I let the tips of my fingers drift over the clothes on each hanger and can't help but wonder where my mother might have worn each article. I pull out a soft, dark purple turtleneck sweater. I stare at it and wonder what life event she might have experienced while wearing it. Did she wear it while she was pregnant with me? Did she have it on underneath her coat in the video I saw of her and Lucifer? I had no way of knowing, and she wasn't here to tell me the story of her life.

  I looked up from the sweater and let my eyes wander around the closet, realizing this was all I had to remember my mother by. I suddenly realize this is the first time in my life I'm able to connect to her in anyway. I'm surrounded by her things. Yet, I know virtually nothing about her. I have no idea what she liked to eat. I don't know what her favorite color was. Did she like to dance? Did she play an instrument? What made her laugh? What made her cry?

  She was my mother, but she was also a complete stranger to me.

  I quickly find a pair of jeans and a sturdy pair of walking boots to wear. I step out of the closet and over to the chest of drawers across from the bed where I find some undergarments. I quickly change out of my wet apparel and dress in my mother's clothes. They're a perfect fit.

  I feel a cool draft in the room and look over at the window to find that it's not completely sealed shut. I walk over to close it and happen to glance outside to the courtyard below. I see someone I didn't expect to seek me out again so soon.

  Lucifer is sitting on a wood bench in the middle of the courtyard Malcolm's home is built around. He's staring straight at me like he knew exactly where I was. He has to be here to see me, but I’m not sure why. There’s really only one way to find out.

  I phase to Malcolm's room and grab my leather jacket. Before I walk out the door, I go to the man I love and tenderly caress his cheek. His breathing is steady now, and I hope he gets some much needed rest after all that he’s been through. I fear there will be a lot more that we’ll have to endure, but I don’t have any doubts that Malcolm and I will meet any challenge set in our path and find a way to conquer it.

  It doesn't take me long to find my way out of the house and down to the private courtyard. During the warmer months, I can imagine the enclosure in full bloom with all the rose bushes scattered around and full grown trees now bare of leaves, dusted with snow. Lucifer is sitting underneath a small shade tree watching me as I approach, his expression indecipherable.

  I tuck my hands into the pockets of my jacket as I make my way over to him.

  I don't say anything to Lucifer, and he doesn't speak to me. I sit down next to him on the bench and hear it creak with the addition of my weight. I look down at my lap going over what I want to say to him in my mind first.

  “I appreciate you helping me save my family and handling Levi.”

  Lucifer doesn't say anything, but I can feel his gaze centered on me. Finally, I turn my head and look at him. His expression gives nothing away about what he’s thinking, and I have a feeling he's hiding his emotions from me on purpose. I don't think he wants me to know what he feels when he looks at me, but I'm not sure why it would matter if I did.

  “Why were you in your mother's room?” He asks, turning his head to look away from me and up to the window of my mother’s room.

  “I needed a change
of clothes,” I tell him.

  He looks back at me and stares at the jacket I'm wearing.

  “The jacket isn't hers. It used to belong to Jess,” he comments knowingly.

  “Yes, I know,” I say. “Jered told me that you and Jess used to be friends.”

  Lucifer lets out a harsh laugh but doesn't say anything else on the matter.

  “Can you tell me what you plan to do with the princes now that you have them back?” I ask point blank.

  “You're rather blunt,” he says, looking at me with a wry grin. “You sounded just like your mother. She was never one for beating around the bush much either.”

  “Are you going to tell me?” I prod.

  “All you need to know is this. As long as you don't bother them, they won't bother you.”

  “You know I can't do that. I'm meant to retrieve their seals and take them back to Heaven.”

  “My father doesn't need the seals,” Lucifer says with a twinge of disgust in his voice. “All he wants to do is cause a ruckus down here that isn't necessary. Either that or he just wants to weaken me by having you kill all my brothers. Do you intend to kill me too, Anna?” Lucifer asks. “Are you really so vicious that you would kill your own father just to do God's bidding?”

  I don't have an answer for him. The truth is I'm not sure if I'll be able to kill him if, or most likely, when that moment comes. I’m simply trying to take things one step at a time.

  So I decide to change the subject...

  “You still haven't said what you plan to do with the princes now that you have them back,” I remind him.

  “It's none of your concern. Like I said, stay out of their way and they will stay out of yours. I've also told them that this house is off limits to them. You're safe for as long as you remain here.”

  “How did you get them to agree to that?”

  “I told them if they didn't stay away that they would meet the same fate as Levi.”