by S. J. West
“While I lead my team through the front,” Nina says, “Sophia should phase directly down to the dungeon to get Logan and Tristan out.”
“Robert only has two guards down there to watch Logan during the night,” Sophia tells us. “After I take them out, all I have to do is get through the electronic lock on the door to her cell. Josh made me a device that should be able to handle that.”
“You should go with Sophia,” Mason suggests to me. “Tristan will be more willing to trust you.”
I nod. “Ok.”
“I would like to volunteer my services for the castle-storming,” Malcolm says eagerly.
“Are you sure you’re up for a fight?” Nina asks, looking pointedly at Malcolm’s wolf-head cane. “Is that just for decoration or is there something wrong with you?”
“I was bitten by a hellhound,” Malcolm tells her, by way of explanation.
“A what?” Nina asks, looking confused. “Since when does Hell have hounds?”
“Well, if they aren’t in this reality,” Malcolm says, “just be grateful your Lucifer didn’t make them. They leave a nasty wound that doesn’t heal.”
“Does it hurt?” Nina asks, her interest piqued.
“I feel a twinge every once in a while,” Malcolm replies with a tight-lipped grin, refusing to say more.
I have to assume Malcom isn’t disclosing the other fact associated with his particular type of injury for a very good reason. The hellhound bite is really a curse that only Lucifer can lift. Yet, the price for his healing touch is the afflicted person’s soul. I feel sure Malcolm will never succumb to Lucifer’s demand. If anyone has as much pride as Lucifer does, it’s Malcolm. I know our friend will live with his pain for as long as he has to, no matter what the personal cost.
“Baruch and I will go with Nina,” Isaiah offers.
“Let me get the building plans of Robert’s manor so we all know where we need to go and where the others will be,” Brand says. He phases away, but returns only a minute later holding a rolled-up set of blueprints.
“Do you need our help?” Leah asks me as we look over the house plans.
“Not this time,” I tell her, Gabe, JoJo, and Chandler. “I think we can handle things.”
All I need is to rescue three of my friends but put four more in danger. I love them, but they aren’t the best fighters in hand-to-hand combat. Leah, at least, has her fire to help protect her, and Chandler can weave his music around our enemies to evoke certain emotions. JoJo’s coat is a great defense, but she isn’t good at physical combat. Gabe only has his foresight, which doesn’t do a lot of good during a fight like this. He’s good in a brawl against regular humans, but not against the superhuman strength of angels.
“Is there anything else we can do while you’re out?” Gabe asks me. Out of all of them, Gabe understands their physical limitations during a supernatural battle.
“Try to use your power to locate Jered,” I tell Gabe. “Maybe you can see something in this reality’s future that will help us find him.”
Gabe nods. “Chandler, JoJo, and Leah can help me with that.”
We have tried to find out what the future holds for this reality while still in ours, but it was always blank. Finally, we concluded that Gabe’s ability to see into the future would have to be used after we arrived here. Now was as good a time as any to put that hypothesis to the test.
“We’ll need to find you a sword,” Nina tells Malcolm.
“I’ve already got one,” Malcolm informs her, pulling on the upper portion of his cane to reveal the blade hidden within the shaft. “I wouldn’t come here unprepared.”
“Well, just stay behind me and we shouldn’t have any problem getting into the house,” Nina tells him.
“You know,” Isaiah says, causally placing one hand on the hilt of his own sword hanging by his side in its sheath, “just because you’re a War Angel doesn’t mean you have to lead every fight you’re in.”
“Uh, yeah, it sort of does,” Nina says cockily. “I’m the most qualified.”
“Haven’t we proven we can fight just as fiercely as you?” Baruch challenges, his chest puffed out slightly.
Nina sighs. “Listen, you’re both good fighters, but you’ll never be as good as me. It’s just that simple.”
“Well, if you’re anything like the War Angel I know,” Malcolm says, “then you are the best fighter here, besides me, of course. I was able to beat Aiden on certain occasions.”
“Only by…” Mason is about to say, but doesn’t finish because Malcolm quickly raises a hand in his direction to stop the flow of his next words.
“Don’t give away my secret weapon against fighting a War Angel,” Malcolm tells Mason before looking over at Nina, mischief in his eyes. “I might be able to talk Nina into a sparring match later on. It’s been a while since I was able to fight a War Angel.”
“What happened to your friend?” Nina asks. “Is he refusing to fight you now?”
“He asked our father to make him human at his wedding to one of my nieces. Now, he’s just a puny human I could break in two if I wanted. But, he did teach me a few tricks on how to fight more like a War Angel.”
“There’s no way you can beat me,” Nina says boastfully. “No one ever has.”
“There’s always a first time for everything,” Malcolm tells her. “No one is invincible.”
“Well, I guess I will have to fight you now,” Nina says with a slow grin. “Just to prove you wrong.”
Malcolm bows in Nina’s direction. “I look forward to it.”
“I wouldn’t mind watching you beat Malcolm,” Chandler says. “Ever since Aiden asked to be human, Malcolm’s ego has gotten exponentially bigger. It might do him some good to be humbled for once.”
“Not that you would know much about what it takes to fight in real combat,” Malcolm says scathingly. “But if we need some background music for the match, I’ll let you know.”
“Background music?” Nina asks, at a complete loss as she looks between Malcolm and Chandler for an explanation.
“Chandler is a musician in our reality,” Malcolm tells Nina. “Though, I use that term loosely. He has thousands of pre-pubescent females fawning all over him back there.”
“Oh,” Nina says, looking at Chandler and nodding her head slightly, as if what Malcolm said has just cleared up a mystery for her. “He’s a dandy. That explains the hair and makeup.”
Chandler runs one hand over his slightly teased and hair-sprayed locks.
“I just got through performing a concert before we came here,” Chandler says in his own defense. “This is my stage hair and makeup. My fans expect me to look a certain way when they come see me play.”
“Well, in this reality,” Nina says, “it makes you look like a pampered peacock.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Malcolm agrees wholeheartedly.
“Ok, can we lay off Chandler’s fashion sense and get back to what’s important?” I ask, trying to save Chandler from any more embarrassment and get us all back on track.
“We’ll go first,” Nina says, resting a hand on Malcolm’s arm. “Isaiah and Baruch, follow my phase trail. Sophia, take the others to the lookout point. Once you see the fight start, phase Brand and Mason to the east wing of the mansion where you think Robert is keeping their friends. Then take Jess to the dungeon to retrieve Logan and Tristan. We’ll keep them distracted for as long as we can. Afterwards, we should all meet up at the safe house in the city to make sure none of us leads them back here to headquarters.”
“If you could give us just a moment,” Mason says, taking one of my hands with his, “I need to speak with my wife in private before we go.”
Mason doesn’t wait for anyone to give us permission to leave. He simply phases us to the concrete tunnel just outside the room.
“I’m not sure I trust Sophia,” Mason tells me, doing nothing to hide his worry.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because I know her counterpart in our re
ality,” he answers, looking troubled by what he knows.
“Do I know him?”
“Not directly. You’ve never met him in person, but you know of him.”
“Who is it?” I ask, apprehensive of the answer, considering Mason’s reaction.
Mason sighs as he looks down at our hands and twines our fingers together before saying, “Tristan’s father, Rolph.”
His answer catches me off-guard. I suppose I knew it was possible some of the female Watchers in this reality would have male counterparts in ours, but it seemed an odd coincidence that Tristan’s father would be one. Yet, perhaps it wasn’t so strange after all. Could it be the reason Tristan was allowed to come with us?
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
I had never personally met Rolph, but I did know he was loyal to Lucifer in our reality. He was the one who almost killed Mae, but Tristan defied his father and protected Mae from his cruelty. Tristan’s defiance broke his bond to his father, something no Watcher child had done before then or since. Now, to know that Rolph was here in this reality, but in the form of Sophia, I understood Mason’s misgivings about her trustworthiness.
“I realize we don’t know her that well,” I say, “but from what I’ve seen so far, I can tell she’s just a mother who wants her child back. We can find out more about her later when we have time to talk with Brand in private. Right now, I think we’re going to have to trust her. Retrieving Rafe, Zack, and Tristan is our top priority.”
“I agree, but I wanted you to be fully aware of who you are going with,” Mason tells me. “She seems sincere in wanting to help us. I have no reason to think she will double-cross us in any way, but in case something happens while you’re with her, I wanted you to have all the information available.”
I lean into Mason and kiss him lightly on the lips. “Thanks for the warning.”
Mason wraps his arms around me, not letting me go before deepening the kiss.
It doesn’t matter how many times Mason kisses me, the effect is always the same. The pace of my breathing quickens and my body tingles from head to toe. I know some married couples lose that ‘in-love’ feeling after a while, but I don’t think that will ever happen to Mason and me.
“I wonder if they have matches in this reality,” Mason murmurs playfully, as he reluctantly pulls his lips away from mine.
“As long as they have beds, I don’t think it really matters, do you?”
Mason chuckles, taking one of my hands with his again. “Not in the slightest.”
“Let’s go get our friends first,” I tell him. “Then we can find somewhere comfortable to spend the rest of the evening together. I seem to remember you not allowing me to share a certain shower with you the last time we were here. I think you owe me a good back scrub for being so rude to me then.”
Mason raises his free hand palm-forward and says in his best Boy Scout voice, “I solemnly swear to scrub you from head to toe and everywhere in between.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Absolutely. And I never break my promises.”
“No,” I agree, hugging his arm close, “you never do.”
CHAPTER NINE
Sophia phases us behind a line of oak trees that face Robert’s home. It is a large colonial-style mansion with a grey stone façade and the pre-requisite ivy clinging to the corners of the walls. Parked in the circular cement driveway are four black, armored vehicles similar to the one I rode in earlier this evening with Lucifer.
“Odd,” Sophia says, studying the trucks. “There were only three vehicles when we were here earlier.”
“An unexpected visitor?” Brand asks.
“I would have to assume so,” Sophia replies, sounding a little troubled by the addition of another party. “No matter. We’ll deal with whoever it is if they’re foolish enough to interfere. This mission will go very fast once it starts,” Sophia warns us, keeping her eyes on Nina and her party as they make their slow advance up the steps to the front of the manor. “After Nina’s group draws Robert’s guards out, we will go in, extract our people, and get out as quickly as possible.”
“How are you able to phase inside the house?” I ask, knowing that a Watcher’s ability to phase is restricted to places that they’ve physically been to before.
“It was my home at one time, while Robert and I were together,” Sophia says, keeping her eyes averted from mine as she answers. “I know it almost as well as he does.”
Sophia appears to be embarrassed by her relationship with her fellow Watcher, and I can’t say I blame her for such a reaction. To me, it seems comparable to an incestuous coupling, since most of the Watchers back home always think of each other as brothers. Perhaps that was the reason children born from such a union looked the way they did. Was it evidence of God’s quirky sense of justice by adding another layer of punishment to His children’s unholy offspring for their added sin? I wouldn’t put it past Him. God is loving, but he also punishes those who blatantly ignore His rules.
“There they go,” Sophia says, keeping her attention on the start of Nina’s distraction.
The front door of the manor opens. Five Watchers walk out of its entrance while five others phase in behind Nina’s advance party. Unfortunately, I don’t get to watch what happens next. Sophia quickly phases us all up to the second floor hallway of the east wing, just as we’d planned earlier. Without losing more than a second, Brand and Mason let go of our hands. Sophia then phases the two of us down to the dungeon where Logan and Tristan are being kept. As soon as we phase in, Sophia lets go of my hand. Before I can even take my sword from its sheath on my back, she’s already ripped the heads off two unsuspecting Watchers, who were standing guard next to what looks like a vault door.
I have to admit, I didn’t think she had that sort of viciousness in her, considering how sweet she looks. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised. A mother is capable of anything when the well-being of her child is at stake.
Sophia and I approach the stainless-steel door and notice that it’s slightly ajar.
“Why didn’t we just phase directly into the room where they’re being kept?” I ask her in a low voice, now knowing that Sophia once lived in this house.
“Robert built Logan this room after I left,” Sophia whispers back, looking at the cracked door with suspicion. “It shouldn’t be open at this time of night. Something is wrong. Make sure you stand behind me.”
Sophia walks up to the door and pushes it open further. The light from the outer chamber is allowed to filter into the dark, cement-walled space. I automatically see Tristan. He’s crouching in the far right corner of the room, watching the three who are standing in the opposite corner. I turn my attention to the group gathered there, and see two Watcher children who look identical to Mia, with black and white fur on their bodies and wings jutting out from their backs. The third person standing with them is not a werewolf, and he’s not a Watcher. He’s a rebellion angel I’ve never actually met in my reality, but I do recognize him. I’ve seen his pictures in Lilly’s homes. He was one of her dearest childhood friends. In our timeline, he sacrificed his life in order to save hers, and God had recently given him the job of protecting the descendants of Caylin and Aiden’s lineage.
His name was Will Allen Kilpatrick.
The two winged Watcher children stand huddled together. Will is gently running his hand over the top of one of the creature’s heads. At the sound of the door being pushed open, he immediately turns his attention toward us.
“Hello, Sophia,” Will says, turning around completely to face us. “I have to say, I didn’t expect to see you here this evening.”
“I came for my daughter, Will,” Sophia says, walking further into the room, full of purpose. “Get out of my way.”
Will smiles at Sophia, accentuating his boyishly-handsome looks. “You would rip your daughter away from her own family? Even I didn’t think you could be that selfish and cruel.”
“I
am her family,” Sophia says stridently. “She belongs with me!”
The two werewolves in the corner begin to whine and hug each other even closer, as if afraid of Sophia and her intentions.
“You’re deluding yourself if you think she wants to be with you,” Will scoffs. “She loves Robert and Dillon more than she will ever love you. As far as she’s concerned, you abandoned her.”
“If you had ever truly loved anyone more than yourself, you would understand why I can’t just leave her here,” Sophia tells Will, sounding on the verge of tears. “But a creature such as you can’t comprehend what true love actually means.”
“I love my daughter,” Will says, looking back at the two Watcher children beside him. “Dillon means a great deal to me.”
“She’s not even your own flesh and blood!” Sophia storms. “You let your wife sleep with my husband just so you could have one of our children. I don’t know how you talked Peyton into it, but it’s something I will never forgive. Never!”
“Is that why you ran away to join the resistance?” Will asks, dumbfounded by Sophia’s outburst. “Because of petty jealousy? As far as I’m concerned, Robert did Peyton and me a favor. There wasn’t any love involved in their union, Sophia. It was a business transaction. Robert’s services were paid for, not given. And, for your information, it was Peyton’s idea, not mine. She wanted to have a child. My only condition was that she have a child by another Watcher, not a human. I figured, if I was going to be a cuckolded husband, I should at least have the best that werewolf genetics had to offer, unlike that pathetic creature over there,” Will says, nodding his head in Tristan’s direction. “Why settle for an ordinary werewolf when you can have an exceptional one?”
“All you and Robert see in Logan and Dillon are trophies to be admired,” Sophia says in disgust. “They’re children, Will! And I’m going to be taking mine home tonight.”
Sophia strides determinedly towards her daughter. She reaches out a hand, but the werewolf Will was petting when we came in quickly hides the other one behind the safety of her outstretched wings. The child snarls viciously at Sophia, daring her to take another step forward.
