Julien threw them a quizzical look.
‘He can explain it later,’ Olivia shook her head. ‘Issac hold your hand out flat, palm up.’
He did as he was told, and she laid her hand across his gently.
‘Don’t grip,’ she warned before turning to look at the others. ‘Okay, now you two.’
Julien lay his hand across the top of Olivia’s and then Davis laid his hand atop Julien’s. Olivia suddenly felt a little zap, like a minute bolt of electricity spike through their hands.
‘Do you two mind?’ she stared pointedly at Julien and Davis.
Julien looked slightly confused and Davis just looked annoyed.
With all of their hands joined Olivia reached for the compass and drew in an exhausted breath.
The world began to spin around them, the colors blurring together and darkening. They disappeared and the street around them once again came to life, with people laughing and joking their way down the street, completely unaware that anything strange had just occurred in their midst.
When the spinning finally stopped, the air was still warm but significantly less humid. The huge canopy of trees above them rustled as if in welcome. It was much darker, lit only by the pale moon and the brightly flaming miniature dragon perched on Olivia’s shoulder.
‘Where are we?’ Julien asked.
‘My home,’ Olivia replied. ‘Just through the tree line there is my house, but before I allow you to enter you must cross my protective wards. Just call it a little extra insurance. It’s not just Scarlett I have to consider; my husband and children are within those walls. I can’t afford to be wrong about you.’
‘I understand,’ Julien replied.
Olivia turned to Davis and nodded. They both stepped across the wards with no problem as the shield shimmered and rippled. Issac looked at Julien nervously and they both stepped across the boundary line. Again, the shield rippled and shimmered but allowed them to pass unharmed.
Julien took a step toward Olivia stopping suddenly with his eyes wide and his mouth open. Either side of her were two enormous cats, sleek, like panthers. One jet black and the other pure white, they stood at the height of her shoulder staring at him and Issac with icy eyes.
He felt a snort of warm breath and his shoulder length blonde hair blew forward. Slowly turning his head, he found himself staring into the large tawny eyes of a lion. No, not a lion he amended, as his eyes grazed over the creature’s body. It stood as tall as the cats, with the huge furry face and shaggy mane of a lion but its body was that of an enormous goat and its tail was a serpent, its head mounted at the end hissing with every swish of his tail.
‘A Chimera?’ Julien whispered in shock, ‘you have a Chimera?’
‘I have a Hydra too… apparently,’ she muttered under her breath.
Julien blinked, his eyes flickering momentarily toward the lake.
‘I also have the Gata,’ she reached up and stroked them both lovingly.
‘This is Lois,’ she stroked the white one, ‘and this is Clark.’
‘Lois and Clark?’ Julien repeated.
The Gata, having both been introduced, padded away. The Chimera satisfied he’d made his point headed over to Olivia.
‘Thank you, Hank,’ she stroked his soft furry face as he nudged her with his nose.
‘Hank?’ an amused voice spoke behind them, ‘you do like to upset Hades, don’t you?’
Olivia turned and smiled as Theo approached them, a baby monitor tucked into the pocket of his jeans.
‘Davis,’ Theo nodded in greeting.
‘Theo,’ he replied warmly.
‘Julien, Issac,’ Olivia introduced them, ‘this is my husband Theo.’
‘Welcome,’ Theo held out his hand.
Issac held up his hands, ‘uh probably best not.’
‘It’s nice to meet you Theo,’ Julien smoothly shook the offered hand.
‘Davis,’ Theo called over his shoulder to the man standing behind him, ‘why don’t you take our guests up to the house and give Olivia and I, a moment?’
‘Sure,’ Davis indicated for the other two to follow him.
Manny launched himself from her shoulder, flying ahead of Davis and the others, cutting his way through the trees to the house, where Olivia could hear Beau barking happily on the porch, waiting for his friend to return.
‘You’ve had a busy day,’ Theo turned to her, running his hands soothingly up and down her arms.
‘You saw?’
He nodded; it was surprisingly easy to tune his visions into his wife. He supposed it was the strong connection between them. It was everything else he seemed to be having trouble with lately.
Certain they were alone Olivia let out a shaky breath, stepping into the warmth and strength of Theo’s body as he wrapped his arms around her.
‘Theo,’ she whispered, her body trembling violently, ‘I killed an angel.’
‘I know,’ he frowned as he rubbed her back comfortingly, ‘but I’d rather it was him than you.’
‘They’re nothing like I thought they’d be,’ she mumbled into his chest as she blinked back the tears.
He was the only one who got to see her in rare unguarded moments like this, the only one who understood the pain and uncertainty she carried. When faced with a crisis she would do what needed to be done. She may come across as arrogant and, well, that mouth on her was no joke. She seemed to have no filter when faced with Gods and supernatural creatures that most people would run screaming from, but only he got to see the woman underneath. She felt things deeply, but she couldn’t allow anyone to see it. With the amount of power that she had, she couldn’t afford to show any weakness and he understood that, but it didn’t mean she didn’t hurt.
‘Theo,’ she sighed as she pulled back slightly to look up into his eyes, ‘sometimes I feel like we’re stuck on an LSD fueled merry-go-round that we just can’t get off.’
‘That’s why we have each other,’ he slid his hand along her jaw stroking her cheek with his thumb.
‘You ground me,’ she let out a breath, pressing her forehead to his.
‘As you do me,’ he leaned down, cupping her face gently with his hands as he kissed her gently.
‘I love you,’ she murmured as the kiss deepened and she lost herself in the scent and taste of him. With the craziness of their life she’d learned to treasure moments like this.
He wrapped his arms around her, tangling his fingers in her hair as they kissed like nothing else existed but the two of them.
Suddenly Olivia felt a huge furry head butt into her side, nudging her slightly. They broke apart and she looked down at Hank who swished his snake tail.
‘Okay,’ she sighed, ‘we’re going.’
He dipped his head in understanding then disappeared into the trees along with the Gata.
‘I suppose we’d better go deal with the others,’ she yawned. ‘I can’t see us getting to bed anytime soon.’
‘Well, if you will keep picking up strays and bringing them home,’ Theo chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her, and they walked slowly back to the house.
14
As they climbed the steps to the porch, Theo glanced down and frowned. Part of the wooden handrail looked as if it had been torn away, leaving only a splintered gap.
‘Issac,’ Olivia sighed. ‘It’ll be a miracle if he manages to heal Scarlett without doing her more damage.’
‘His new hands?’ Theo asked. ‘I saw in my vision, but it was unclear.’
‘His new hands look and work like normal hands, but instead of being made of bone and flesh, they are metal at their core, which makes them a lot stronger than he’s used to. It’ll take him a while to adjust.’
‘I see,’ Theo replied thoughtfully.
‘It seems a miracle from the Bone Man is always a little two sided,’ Olivia shook her head. ‘No wonder people are wary of him.’
‘Well at least he has hands now,’ Theo pushed the door open and waited for Olivia to step thr
ough before following her and locking it firmly behind them.
They followed the quiet voices through to the library where Davis was seated on the couch stroking Beau, who’d climbed into his lap and rolled over onto his back ecstatically. Issac hovered awkwardly and Julien stood in front of the fireplace, staring up at a strange looking sword mounted on the wall.
‘You like it?’ Theo asked as he stopped beside him.
‘Like it?’ he turned to Theo his eyes serious. ‘You do know what this is, don’t you?’
Theo nodded slowly.
‘It’s said to contain the spirit of a witch,’ Julien turned back to the sword. ‘It’s one of a kind and incredibly powerful, as well as being completely lethal.’
‘It does contain her spirit,’ Theo reached up and touched the sword gently. Although he barely touched it, it rattled ominously against the wall and Julien could have sworn he almost heard a hissing, like a breath being released. ‘She sleeps,’ Theo told him.
‘I’ll pay you anything you want for it,’ Julien replied seriously.
‘It’s not for sale,’ Theo shook his head. ‘It’s not technically mine; I’m merely holding on to it until its rightful owner comes to claim it.’
‘And who would that be?’ Julien asked curiously.
‘I have no idea,’ Theo shrugged. ‘She’ll let me know in time.’
‘How did you end up with it in your possession?’
‘I took it from a demon named Zachary when I killed him,’ Theo replied calmly.
‘You?’ Julien blinked in surprise, ‘you were the one who killed Zachary?’
‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘I hope he wasn’t a friend of yours?’
‘Me?’ Julien laughed. ‘God no, I hated the little maggot. The world’s a better place for his absence, as far as I’m concerned.’
Julien stood and studied the softly spoken man. Theo seemed so self-effacing, so ordinary, yet he spoke of killing a demon with the kind of nonchalance one would use when swatting an annoying fly. And not only that, he was married to a Guardian, arguably one of the most powerful women in existence, even if she wasn’t exactly aware of that fact yet. There was so much more to Theo than met the eye and Julien found himself extremely curious to get to know this enigmatic man.
‘Issac,’ Olivia spoke softly from the doorway, ‘I’ll take you to Scarlett if you’re ready.’
He nodded and moved to follow her.
‘Would you mind?’ Julien interrupted. ‘I’d like to see her.’
Olivia glanced over at Theo, who nodded after a moment.
‘Come,’ Olivia turned and headed up the stairs. ‘Keep your voices down though, the children are sleeping.’
They followed her into a small cozy room, but even as they entered, the smell of death and decay lingered in the air. Olivia frowned, almost having to cover her mouth as Julien brushed roughly past her and approached the bed. His eyes filled with horror as he took in the damaged body on the bed. Although she was covered lightly with a sheet, blood and pus had begun to seep through her dressings onto the bedding. Her face was barely recognizable through the swelling, bruising and cuts, but her wings…
Her once magnificent wings were crushed, bent at odd angles, bone sticking through bloodied skin, feathers missing and part of one of her wings smelled putrid and was beginning to turn a nasty black color.
‘No,’ Julien breathed heavily, his eyes filling with pain as he sank down at the side of the bed. ‘Why didn’t you listen to me?’
He reached for her, his hand shaking as he stopped inches from her face, wanting to touch her but afraid of causing her pain, even in her unconscious state.
Any concern that Julien was lying about his connection to Scarlett fled in that one moment. Olivia could see the pain and fury in his features. He cared greatly for her, that much was certain.
‘I will make Thomas pay for this Scarlett, I swear,’ he ground his teeth together. ‘I will make them all pay.’
‘Brother,’ he felt Issac lay his hand on his shoulder, making sure he didn’t flex his grip. ‘I will take care of her now; give us some space. You don’t need to see this.’
Julien stood slowly his eyes fixed on her ruined wings.
‘Can you save them?’ he asked quietly.
Issac glanced over at her thoughtfully.
‘I do not know yet,’ he frowned, ‘there is a lot of damage. The blood flow has been severed and rot has already set in. I am certain I can save her, but she may lose her wings.’
Julien closed his eyes painfully, forcing a slow breath from between his thinned lips. After a moment he opened his eyes and took one last look at Scarlett before turning and stalking out of the room without another word.
Julien didn’t stop, but moved quickly back down the stairs and fumbled with the lock on the door, spilling out into the night air and stumbling to the edge of the porch, leaning on the railing and dragging in a deep breath to try and get the stench of rotting flesh from his nostrils. His hands shook and his body trembled as he fought for control, waves of helplessness and anger washing over him.
‘Julien?’
He didn’t need to turn to recognize Davis’s deep quiet voice.
‘I had one job,’ Julien shook his head, looking up to the dark starlit sky. ‘For two thousand years she has been my only care. Protect Scarlett. That was it, but in the end, I couldn’t protect her from herself.’
Julien felt Davis step closer placing his hand comfortingly on his shoulder.
‘She loved him,’ he breathed. ‘She loved him so much she was willing to sacrifice herself to save him.’
‘It’s what we do for the people we love,’ Davis murmured. ‘You need to forgive yourself Jules. Scarlett made her choice. It’s called free will for a reason.’
Davis dropped his hand as Julien turned around. He blew out a shaky breath as he leaned back against the railing, turning his pale blue eyes on Davis, his brow furrowing.
‘I never wanted you to get caught up in all this Davis,’ he admitted quietly.
‘Yeah, I got that from the way you left my apartment two weeks ago,’ Davis replied dryly. He nodded back over his shoulder toward the house, ‘but did you forget who I was related to?’
Julien’s mouth curved slightly.
‘She’s quite something, isn’t she?’ he stared up at the house. ‘I can guarantee Thackery is throwing a fit even as we speak. I can see why Sam likes her so much.’
‘Jules, I’m as much a part of this as you are,’ Davis leaned back against the railing beside him, his hands tucked in his pockets, ‘whether you like it or not. You can’t keep things from me because you think you’re protecting me, and you can’t just keep disappearing on me. That’s not how it works.’
‘I don’t want you to get involved,’ Julien pushed away from the railing and paced angrily. ‘You can still walk away; getting tangled up in this mess is going to get you killed.’
‘I don’t walk away from family,’ Davis pushed away from the railing just as angrily as he faced Julien, ‘and I don’t walk away from the people I care about.’
‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this,’ Julien growled as he raked his hand through his messy hair and gripped hard in frustration. ‘It was just some fun, a tease, because I never thought you’d feel the same. Then it was friendship, a friendship I treasured above all else, it was never supposed to become… this.’
‘Whether you wanted this or not, isn’t the point,’ Davis replied quietly as he fixed his steely gaze on Julien, ‘you don’t get to make my choices for me.’
‘You still don’t get it, do you?’ Julien growled again, stepping forward and grasping the back of Davis’s neck and pulling him close, until their faces were barely inches apart. ‘I’m old Davis, I’m already over two thousand years old. I will never age,’ he swallowed hard and closed his eyes briefly as he fought the churn of messy emotions pounding in his head, in his heart, in his gut. ‘You will grow old; even if you survive the dark days ahead, one day
I will have to bury you.’
Davis reached up slowly, grasping Julien’s wrist as he held the back of his neck with a gentle grip. Squeezing once, he pulled Julien’s hand away and stepped back. Without saying a word, he turned and headed back to the front door.
‘You can’t tell me that as you age and I don’t,’ Julien spoke softly, his voice filled with regret, ‘that you wouldn’t resent me?’
Davis stopped and turned to look at him.
‘I guess we’ll never know, will we?’
Then he turned and walked away.
Olivia shifted awkwardly in the chair. Her neck protested at the sudden movement, stiff and painful from the angle she’d fallen asleep at. She shifted and yawned, noticing that someone had laid a blanket over her. She blinked and looked up. Sunlight was streaming through the window, filling the room with warmth. The window had been opened to let in the breeze, clearing the room of the smell of sickness and death.
She glanced over at the bed to find Scarlett sleeping peacefully; her face no longer bore any signs of the abuse she’d endured. Her jaw was once again realigned, the swelling and bruising vanished. The only hint of her mistreatment was a few tiny smears of dried blood and dirt. Her body, now exposed from the sheet she’d been covered with was likewise free from cuts, burns and bruising.
Issac sat patiently at the other side of the bed, leaning over, his face lined with exhaustion as he painstakingly ran the tip of his finger along every tiny individual bone and feather in her wings.
‘Issac,’ Olivia muttered as she sat up, ‘have you been doing this all night? Have you even taken a break?’
‘I can’t,’ he shook his head tiredly. ‘Most of her injuries were easy enough to heal, although there was a lot of internal damage to her kidneys and her liver. Her broken ribs were crushing her lungs; we’re lucky they weren’t punctured however she’s breathing a lot easier now. It’s her wings,’ he concentrated on the next tiny bone. ‘They’re not exactly like a bird, but they’re very fragile and complex. If she’s got any hope of using them again, each tiny blood vessel, muscle, bone and feather will have to be healed individually. It’s probably going to take me a while.’
The Veritas Page 17
