by Elana Brooks
“It’s your decision.” Steve sounded grim. “As long as you’re sure it’s her you’re thinking of, not yourself.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
Rabbi Sensei gave him a wan smile. “Not at all, my friend. I’ll need your honesty to keep me on the right path in the days to come. Never fear to speak up if you see me straying.” His voice dropped. “For the way has become clouded and dim. To my eyes, and to my heart…”
Steve nodded and looked away.
Rabbi Sensei took a deep breath. He laid Keiko’s folded hands on her belly and gave them a little pat. Then he rose and went to a line of hooks on the wall, where Keiko’s clothes were neatly hung. He rummaged in the pocket of her slacks and pulled out something. Turning toward the door, he looked past Adrian’s shoulder and smiled. “I believe this is yours, now.”
Beverly brushed against Adrian’s side as she entered, although the doorway was wide enough she didn’t have to. He reached for her hand, and she twined her fingers with his before letting them slide free. The contact was warm and alive and achingly right. He longed to enfold her in his arms and hold her for endless hours. But she needed to deal with this first.
She took the medallion Rabbi Sensei held out and cupped it in both hands. She gazed at it for a long moment, raised it to her lips with the same gesture her astral form had used, then turned and walked to Keiko’s bedside. She looked down at the serene face. “I promise, I’ll do my best to live up to this as well as you have.” She shoved it into her pocket and turned to Rabbi Sensei. “I’m ready to make my formal vows to the Covenant.”
“I’ll schedule the ceremony for as soon as possible.” His voice softened. “Or if you’d rather, you can say them here, now.”
“Yes, please.” She shrugged. “I’m not big on fancy ceremonies.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Steve, Adrian, will you be her witnesses?”
“Of course,” Steve said.
Adrian didn’t trust his voice not to break. He nodded.
Rabbi Sensei took Beverly hands in his and looked into her eyes. “Repeat after me. I, Beverly Jones…”
“I, Beverly Jones…”
“Do solemnly swear…”
“Do solemnly swear…”
The words they spoke were familiar to Adrian from his own initiation and others he’d witnessed, but they resonated with new and deeper meaning now that the conflict they spoke of had at long last begun.
“…and to keep this Covenant faithfully until the Seraphim are defeated, so they may never again bring the waters of heaven to flood the Earth.”
“By all I hold most dear.”
Beverly’s eyes flicked to Adrian. “By all I hold most dear,” she echoed fervently.
“Amen.”
Steve and Adrian joined their voices to Beverly’s. “Amen.” So be it.
Rabbi Sensei held onto Beverly’s hands when she would have pulled them away. “Not yet. I need to implant the Memories in your brain. Just the standard three right now. After the rest of the Eight confirm you in your position, I’ll give you the ones only the Eight receive.”
She sighed and pulled one hand free to rub her temple. “Okay. What do I do?”
“Just look into my eyes.”
She raised her eyes to his and stilled under his steady gaze. Adrian shifted his weight from foot to foot. The process was much faster than watching the Memories, only around five minutes, but it seemed to take forever.
When it was over, Beverly freed her hands from Rabbi Sensei’s and rubbed them against the legs of her jeans. Turning to Adrian, she said, “What time is it, anyway? I’ve completely lost track.”
Rabbi Sensei glanced at his watch. “Just after one in the afternoon.”
“Thank goodness. The cafeteria is still open,” Adrian said. “I’m starving.”
“That’s not surprising,” Rabbi Sensei said. “You two take the rest of the day off. Eat a nice hearty meal, then get some rest.” He made a shooing motion toward the door.
Adrian hesitated. “Are you sure?” He resisted glancing at Keiko, but he was intensely aware of her silent presence. “We’d be happy to stay if you need company. And there’s bound to be work that needs to be done.”
Rabbi Sensei shook his head and ushered them firmly out of Keiko’s room, closing the door behind them. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I have many friends available to support me.” He nodded to Steve, who nodded back gravely. “You and Beverly have more than earned a brief respite. And I suspect you have a great deal to talk about. Take this opportunity to resolve whatever lingering issues remain from your separation.”
He reached for Adrian’s hand and Beverly’s, drew them together, and wrapped his hands around their clasped grip. “And to enjoy your reunion. Against all odds you’re alive and together. I’d say that’s worthy of celebration. Rest assured, your happiness doesn’t increase my sorrow. On the contrary, it gives me hope that my own situation might have a similar happy resolution. Know that I rejoice with you and encourage you to take full advantage of every moment you have with each other.” He released their hands and pointed at them. “Because starting tomorrow, you’re both going to be extremely busy. The Eight are meeting first thing in the morning, Beverly. The conference room. I’ll see you there.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.” She grabbed Adrian’s hand and practically dragged him down the hall. Adrian acknowledged Rabbi Sensei’s words with a wave as he followed her.
As they approached the turn toward the elevators, he glanced back. Rabbi Sensei and Steve finished a quiet conversation and exchanged a heartfelt embrace. Then Steve headed down the hall in the other direction, and Rabbi Sensei went back into Keiko’s room alone.
Neither Adrian nor Beverly said much on the way down to the cafeteria or while they ate. The bowl of chicken and vegetable soup was delicious after days without actual food. But Adrian filled up surprisingly fast. He pushed the bowl away when there was still a good third of the soup left.
Beverly scowled at her bowl. “Much more extended astral travel and my stomach’s going to shrink to the size of a thimble.” Her eyes flicked to Adrian’s, then away.
Okay, now she was just baiting him. He shrugged and did his best to look noncommittal.
She gave him a wry smile. Jumping up, she grabbed his hand and tugged him to his feet. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
“Your place or mine?” Damn, it was hard to keep his voice light.
“Mine, if you don’t mind the stairs.” She shot him another of those ambiguous glances. “I’ve got everything we might need.”
Did that mean what he thought it did? He hoped so. He ached for her deep in his gut. But she was in a strange, mercurial mood. He’d have to be careful not to push her.
Chapter 37
The city streets were so perfectly ordinary, it was hard to believe the past few days hadn’t been the dream they felt like. News of the Seraphim’s existence must not have leaked yet. Adrian imagined the scene in Times Square when the news ticker started running the headlines. Aliens Exist! Sentient, Hostile Creatures Poised to Invade Earth! Every tongue in New York would be frantically wagging. They’d be lucky if there weren’t riots.
But there would be a short span of peace before the storm broke. He followed Beverly as she moved through the crowds at a determined trot. By the time they reached the top of the stairs and paused while she unlocked her apartment, he was as breathless as she was. Long days of lying motionless were going to wreak havoc on his body’s conditioning.
She held the door wide and motioned him in. After he entered, she pushed it closed and deliberately worked all the locks. Then she turned and looked at him, one hand still on the door, biting her lip. “Adrian…”
Wordlessly he held out his arms. She flung herself into them and wrapped hers so tightly around his chest he could barely breathe. He returned the pressure, knowing she needed hard, solid contact with the physical world. He needed it, too. He needed the constricted ri
bs, the point of her chin digging into his shoulder, the stray strands of her hair tickling his nose, the need to shift his feet as she pushed him off balance—all the little discomforts that told his subconscious mind this was physical, flesh, real. Bodies as well as souls.
After a long time she pulled back. “I’m so sorry. For running out on you. God, I broke up with you by text. How rude was that?”
He brushed her hair back from her face. “But you came back.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, after Steve told me about the soul bond. When were you planning to tell me it could kill us? That would have been useful to know back when I was deciding whether to quit my job and join this crazy cult.”
“I only found out myself when I came back to headquarters. After that—it didn’t seem like it was going to come up.”
“Hmph.” She glanced away. After a moment she asked, “So would you have created the bond in the first place, if you’d known? That you were putting your life at risk to save mine?”
“Yes.” He didn’t even have to think about the answer. “I knew you were our best hope against the Seraphim. And I was right.”
“I guess.” She studied the collar of his shirt intently. “Is that the only reason?”
He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. For a moment her eyes shifted around, focusing anywhere but on his. He waited until she finally quit evading his gaze and looked into his eyes. “Then, yes, but not anymore. Although right from the first, I knew there was something about you. It just took me a while to understand.”
She swallowed. Glancing away again, she smiled crookedly and shrugged. “I didn’t even know why I’d come to that stupid yoga class. I hated it. But you were so hot. All I wanted to do was sit down and watch you.”
“Maybe I can give you a private demonstration sometime.” He quirked his eyebrows at her. “I’ll even show you some of the more advanced poses.”
Her smile became more genuine. “I’d like that.”
His voice went husky. “Whenever you want.”
“Mmm.” Their gazes locked. He bent his head toward her. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up to meet him. He kissed her, gently at first, then deeper and harder as she responded. She pressed her body into his and opened her mouth. Her hands roamed his back and shoulders. Joy and pleasure and desire washed over him.
Abruptly she broke away, breathing heavily. “God, Adrian, I want you so much. But no matter what Rabbi Sensei said, I feel awful about being happy when he and Keiko might never be together again. How can we just jump into bed like we don’t even care while she—” Her breath caught in a sob.
“I know.” He’d forgotten for a moment in the sweetness of her touch. Now grim reality settled back around his heart. He rubbed his eyes. “But it’s not like that’s going to change any time soon.” A rueful smile worked free of the bleakness. “And he practically ordered us to.”
“He did, didn’t he? I guess we shouldn’t disobey.” Beverly sniffed and scrubbed her eyes, then burrowed back into Adrian’s embrace, burying her face in his chest. He held her close, trying to convey everything he felt by the pressure of his arms and body.
Eventually she looked back up. “And I know he’s right. Keiko would tell us the same thing, if she could. She’d be delighted we’re together and happy.”
Adrian squeezed her tighter. “I’m sure she would.”
Beverly’s eyes went soft and distant. “She once told me she would risk any pain, brave any fear, for even a chance at love. Even if it was only for a day.”
“A day may be all we get.” He didn’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it, but the truth had to be faced. “A week, a month… We’re going to be fighting the Seraphim, and we both know what could happen.”
She shuddered but didn’t look away. “Does it matter? Rabbi Sensei and Keiko have been together for twenty years, and it’s not like that makes this any easier for them. It probably makes it worse.”
“I know it does.” He stroked her hair and tried to make his voice teasing. “Twenty years sounds pretty good to me right now. Although forty sounds better. Fifty, sixty, seventy…”
“Really?” She pulled completely free of their embrace and stepped back, staring at him. “You really mean that?”
“Yes.” This wasn’t the romantic setting he’d pictured, but there wouldn’t be a better moment. He pulled the little velvet box out of his pocket and held it out toward her. “I… Beverly, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. However long or short that ends up being. Will you marry me?”
She stared at the box in his hands, wide-eyed and silent.
Oh, god. This wasn’t how she was supposed to respond. Had he screwed up somehow? He frantically reviewed his words, trying to figure out what he’d said wrong. “I know this is sudden. You don’t have to answer now. Think about it for as long as you need. I just… It won’t be easy, I know. My family will probably take some time to warm up to the idea. I mean, once they get to know you it will be fine, but I don’t think they ever expected me to bring a white girl home.” He swallowed. Now that had been the wrong thing to say. But he couldn’t call the words back.
Desperate to correct his mistake, he went on. “And I know your family will probably be hesitant at first, too. I don’t mind. I’ll do whatever it takes to show them I love you, that I can be a good husband for you. I don’t even care if they can never accept me. As long as you can, that’s all that matters.”
He flipped the box open and pressed it into her hands. She took a sharp breath when she saw the ring inside. But she held it awkwardly, staring at it, still not saying anything.
He ran a hand over his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess there’s lots of stuff we should probably talk about first. Money—well, that shouldn’t be a problem. The Covenant pays us both well. We’ll only need one apartment; I don’t care which. Kids—I’d like to have some, eventually, but only if you want to. And we should probably wait until after the war is over. Although whatever you want, we can talk about it. What else? We can work anything out we need to, I know we can.”
Still she was silent. Damn, he’d been wrong about how she felt. He should have waited, moved more slowly. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, after all, even though it felt like several lifetimes of experience had been packed into that short time. He just hoped he hadn’t blown his chances forever.
“I’m sorry. I was stupid—this wasn’t a good time. I planned to take you somewhere nice, make everything perfect for you. It’s okay. Here, I’ll hold onto that until some other time.” He reached for the box.
She clung to it. His fingers closed around hers. “You bought this for me,” she whispered. “Before—”
“Right after we came back from the moon.”
“All that time, while I was buying a plane ticket, and hating myself, and making myself sick, you were—”
“It’s all right, I promise. I’m not upset about that, not anymore.” God, she’d had a relapse of her bulimia because of him? Maybe she really would have been better off if she’d never come to that yoga session. But it was far too late to do anything about that now. Because of the soul bond she was stuck with him. He just had to smooth over this blunder quickly before things deteriorated any more. “Look, let’s just forget I said anything, okay? Really, I’m fine just dating. I know marriage is a big commitment, and if you’re not ready for that on top of everything else, I get it. We can go back to—”
“Yes,” she said.
He swallowed, his heart heavy. “Do you want me to leave? Because I—”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” She pulled the ring out of its box and tried to put it on, but her hands were shaking so much she couldn’t.
For a moment he couldn’t move. His pulse pounded in his ears. Then he grabbed for her hands. “Here, let me help.”
His hands were shaking as much as hers. They dropped the box and nearly fumbled the ring as well before he managed t
o slide it onto her finger. It settled into place, gleaming gold and sparkling diamond, a little loose. “The jeweler said we can get it sized to fit you, although maybe we should wait until you get to whatever weight you’re going to end up.”
“It’s perfect.” She turned her hand wonderingly, then clenched it into a fist. “I guess I never thought—Oh, Adrian, I love you so much. There’s nothing I want more than to be with you forever. But married, god—you want to marry me…”
“And you said yes. No changing your mind.” He stepped close and put his arms around her.
She melted into his embrace. “I won’t.” She went for his mouth hungrily, and he responded, holding nothing back, setting aside everything that filled his heart except the profound joy of their union.
Both their shirts ended up on the floor before either of them spoke again. Adrian stroked Beverly’s breasts through the satiny fabric of her bra, then went searching between them for the clasp.
“It fastens in back,” she murmured.
“Fifty-fifty chance and I missed it.” He made quick work of the hooks and eyes once he found them. “Not as graceful as last time,” he said as he slid the straps down her arms. “We can still do this astrally, if you’d rather.”
She stretched luxuriously, then gasped as he bent to take one nipple in his mouth. “No way,” she said between sounds of pleasure. “I don’t… ah… want this to feel… oh, yes, please… like a dream, afterward.” She put her hand to his face, caressing both his cheek and her breast.
He reveled in the sensation of her firm nipple against his tongue, and the way she moaned and squeaked and pressed closer with every suck and stroke. “It won’t,” he murmured as he switched to the other side.
As he moved on to her throat and neck, she caught his hands and pulled away. “Come on. Do you know how long I’ve wanted you in my bed?”
He followed willingly. “How long?”
She shimmied out of her jeans and kicked them aside. “At least since that night you came here astrally. I imagined you bending over to kiss me, and tucking me in… I had to block so you wouldn’t see it.”
