Redemption (Book 4, The Redemption Series)

by S. J. West

  “Should we wait until he’s finished?” I ask Malcolm as the guard is just about to open the door to the lab.

  “I’m sure it’s fine,” Malcolm replies, not missing a step. “Rory has never been one to become flustered with the unexpected. It isn’t exactly a beneficial trait for the husband of a descendant.”

  I couldn’t agree more.

  “Dr. Wilde,” the guard says as we walk in, “you have some visitors.”

  “Just a minute,” Rory says, handling the ball of fire floating between the palms of his hands with precision and grace. He doesn’t look up at us, and I’m grateful for his remarkable concentration.

  I hear a distinct click and see a small square section of the wall behind him open up. The interior of the hole looks to be coated with some sort of ceramic material. Rory turns and places the ball of fire inside the opening. I hear another click and the small door closes, housing the fire within the safe confines of the ceramic chamber.

  Rory turns back around to face us.

  “Malcolm and Lucas!” he says with a cheery smile. “What a pleasure it is to see the two of you, again.”

  Rory turns his gaze towards me, and I see his smile falter.

  “Empress Annalisse,” Rory says, chancing a glance in the guard’s direction. “I wasn’t aware you were taking a tour of our facility today.”

  “I’m simply visiting with Overlord Devereaux,” I say, more for the guard’s benefit than anyone else.

  “You can leave now, Ronald,” Rory says to the guard. “I’ll take care of our guests.”

  “Sure thing, Dr. Wilde,” Ronald says, bowing in my direction rather stiffly before taking his leave of us.

  Rory waves a final goodbye to Ronald as the guard turns the corner in the hallway before returning his attention to us.

  His eyes return to me first. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this first visit with my grandfather. A warm hug in welcome? A simple ‘how have you been’? Perhaps, terse words to remind me that he has never wanted to have anything to do with me? Whatever it is I was unconsciously expecting, I didn’t get it. He simply stares at me like I’m a ghost. Maybe that’s exactly what he sees though, the ghost of my mother.

  “Rory,” Malcolm says, breaking the other man’s concentrated gaze on me, “I would like to introduce you to your granddaughter, Anna.”

  Rory looks at me with his eyebrows lowered like he isn’t quite sure what he should say to me.

  “Hello, Anna,” he finally says. Though his eyes tell me he knows how inadequate a greeting it is.

  I can see how conflicted he is about meeting me. So, I take matters into my own hands.

  I walk around the lab bench and give my grandfather a hug.

  “Hello, grandfather,” I tell him, waiting to see how he will react.

  At first, he keeps his hands down by his sides, but slowly, he lifts them and hugs me back. It’s not a reluctant action, but it doesn’t exactly feel natural either.

  I don’t want to make a big deal out of this first meeting. For one, we simply don’t have the time to catch up on the last twenty-one years of my life. I only have a few minutes left before I need to meet Mammon in the desert. Secondly, I don’t think he’s ready to connect with me yet. It would probably be better to give him some time to get used to the idea of me in his life anyway.

  Now that I know he exists, I want to try to build a relationship with him, if he’ll let me. Given the fact that he hugged me back, albeit hesitantly, I have to assume he’s willing to give me a chance. I have no desire to coerce him into a relationship. I just want to know him. He’s one of the few links I have to my mother here on Earth, and I plan to do my best to make him a part of my life.

  I take a step back from my grandfather.

  “We came to ask if you and Lora could look after Lucas for us for a little while,” Malcolm says to him. “There are some things that need to be done, and Lucas would be a lot safer here with you.”

  “Of course he can stay,” my grandfather says. “You know you don’t even have to ask, Malcolm.”

  Rory looks back at me. “Are you in danger, Anna?”

  “I’ll be fine,” I reply, not wanting to go into any great detail about my mission. I’ll tell him all about it when it’s over.

  “Did you dye your hair?” he asks, staring at my white mane before looking back into my eyes. “And I thought you had your mother’s eyes. Why are they blue now?”

  “It’s a long story,” I say. “One I would like to tell you about one day, if you’re interested in hearing it.”

  Rory nods his head. “Yes. I would like that very much.”

  I walk back over to Malcolm and Lucas.

  “We’ll be back to get you as soon as we can,” Malcolm tells Lucas. “We just need to take care of one more bad man and everything will go back to normal. I want you to be on your best behavior while you’re with Rory and Lora, all right?”

  “I will, Dad,” Lucas promises, throwing his arms around Malcolm’s neck. “Be careful of the bad man.”

  “Don’t you worry about us,” Malcolm tells our son. “We’ll be just fine.”

  Malcolm hands Lucas to me so I can get a hug too before we go.

  “We won’t be long,” I promise him, kissing him on the cheek. “And then you can tell me all about your adventures in Eden.”

  Malcolm and I have to force ourselves to leave Lucas, but we both know it’s for the best.

  When we phase back home, we find Lucifer, Jered, Brutus, Desmond, and my papa all standing in the sitting room embroiled in a deep discussion with one another. Everyone except Lucifer and my papa have swords strapped around their hips.

  “Are we preparing for war?” I ask them all.

  “Mammon hasn’t done much to earn our trust in the past few years, lass,” Desmond says. “Better over prepared than sorry later.”

  “I wish guns hadn’t been outlawed,” Jered complains, gripping the hilt of his sword. “I wouldn’t mind having one right about now.”

  Guns had been banned since the Great War. Every single one had been melted down and disposed of. If you happened to find one kept by a collector, it was useless. There was no ammunition to fire in it. There hadn’t been a war since, but most people agreed that had more to do with the absolute control the cloud cities had over every aspect of the down-worlders' lives than the availability of guns. Now if you wanted to fight, it had to be face to face in direct physical combat.

  “I’ll be right back,” Malcolm tells me, kissing me chastely. “I just need to grab a new shirt and your sword.”

  Malcolm phases to our bedroom.

  “How is Alto doing, Brutus?” I ask. “Is Kyna all right?”

  “Alto is doing as well as can be expected,” Brutus says, looking worried. “But, I have some bad news. Rafael Rossi’s body was found in some of the wreckage. I guess Baal didn’t want to give you the opportunity to kill him or give Lucifer a chance to trap his soul. I doubt he takes another form anytime soon.”

  Malcolm phases back into the room with a black t-shirt on this time. He slips the baldric with my sword over my shoulders.

  With mention of Baal, it makes me wonder about another Prince of Hell.

  “Is Levi still in Hell where I left him?” I ask Lucifer, fastening the belt of the baldric around my waist.

  By his expression, I can tell Lucifer was counting on my being preoccupied with what was going on and forget to ask about Levi. His eyes tell me he doesn’t want to say what he’s about to.

  “I …released him from that body. I couldn’t take the chance of you returning there to finish the job. I’m sorry if you think that was wrong of me, but I simply couldn’t risk your soul over a piece of scum like him.”

  “I understand,” I tell him. “I can’t say I wouldn’t have gone back to kill him.”

  “Anna?”

  I turn to see Vala and Luna walk into the room with Giles between them.

  I kneel down and Vala comes up to me. I hug her
around the neck and kiss her head.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t had much time for you lately,” I apologize. “I’ll make it up to you both after this is all over.”

  “Just be careful, Anna,” Vala says, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. “And watch your back. These princes haven’t exactly proven themselves to be trustworthy.”

  “I’m so close to being through with my mission, Vala. After this, maybe we can go back to something resembling our old life.”

  “No,” Vala says with certainty. “I don’t think we ever will, Anna. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll have control of Cirrus and the people of this down-world need you to help them. You’ll have a lot of work to do, but you can count on me to always remain by your side.”

  “I’ll need you,” I tell her, giving her one last hug.

  Luna comes up to me, and I pick the hellhound pup up in my arms. When I turn to look at the men in the room, they’re all staring at me oddly.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask. “Has something else changed about me?”

  Jered clears his throat. “Is it just me or do Anna and Luna look very similar now?”

  I look down at Luna, and she looks up at me. White hair, blue eyes. We really do look a lot alike now.

  “Is anyone else going to mention the other thing?” Brutus says.

  “What other thing?” I ask, perplexed by the meaning behind his question.

  “You look,” my papa says staring at me with a conflicted look on his face, “all grown up. I feel like I left a girl and came back to find a woman in her place.”

  “I think part of the problem is the hair,” Desmond says sagely, nodding his head as if he agrees with himself.

  “Does it make me look old?” I ask, worried the white hair may have aged me before my time.

  “It’s not that exactly,” Brutus says, shifting his feet and looking uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation, even though he started it. “It makes you look…uh… I can’t even say the word with both your fathers standing in the room.”

  Malcolm smiles at me. “I think what Brutus is trying to say is that it makes you look sexy. I, of course, have no problem saying the word. You’re my wife. I should find you sexy. But I think it's making the others feel a bit uncomfortable.”

  I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment and decide to change the subject. I kiss Luna on the top of her head and put her back down beside Vala.

  “Is it time to go yet?” I ask, desperately wanting to get Mammon’s seal and finally finish my mission.

  “We can go now if you want,” Malcolm tells me, “but we’ll be a few minutes early.”

  I walk over to Malcolm and take one of his hands with my own.

  “I know it’s not in your nature to be somewhere early, but I would really like to go now if you don’t mind. I’m ready to get this over with.”

  “Be careful, Anna,” my papa says, coming up to me and giving me a kiss on the cheek. “I'll be waiting here for you.”

  “Hopefully, this won't take very long,” I tell him. “We'll be back as soon as we can.”

  Malcolm phases us to the spot in the Sahara desert that was once the Earthly birthplace of the Watchers, my devoted friends and protectors. I realize that this moment isn’t just the last step in my mission but theirs as well. They’ve protected the lineage of my family for a thousand years, and after such a long vigil, their promise to Caylin will finally be fulfilled.

  It’s nighttime in the desert. The full moon’s light shines against the snow covered dunes giving them the illusion of sheets of ice.

  After everyone phases in, we wait.

  “How much longer?” I ask Malcolm.

  “Couple of minutes,” he tells me, squeezing my hand reassuringly. “How are you feeling?”

  “Excited but worried at the same time.”

  “Hopefully, after this is over, all you’ll feel is relieved.”

  “Do you think the people of Cirrus will accept me as their ruler?” I ask, not forgetting that after this mission is over I have another one waiting for me.

  “Sorry for eavesdropping,” Jered says behind us, “but I actually know the answer to that question.”

  Both Malcolm and I turn around to look at Jered and the others.

  “How?” I ask.

  “After you and Malcolm went to get Lucas, I went to Stratus to tell Travis he could stop his search. When we got to Travis’ workshop, Gladson and Barlow were there waiting for him. I guess they’ve been working on the next propaganda video Gladson wants to air. Apparently, the citizens of Cirrus have been less than pleased with their emperor of late. Levi implemented martial law over the city soon after we got you out of there. He’s been arresting people on trumped up charges for no apparent reason, except to create fear and chaos. Almost everyone there has been saying you were the smart one to leave when you did. They want you back so you can take control away from Levi. After you announce the death of the Emperor of Cirrus, the people will most certainly want you to take charge. Since there isn’t a male heir, there won’t be anyone to fight you for the throne.”

  Jered’s words alleviated at least one of my worries. I had my doubts about the populace of Cirrus willingly accepting me as their ruler. I wasn’t an Amador by blood, and the family had ruled Cirrus pretty much since it first floated into the sky. At any rate, my plan to rule Cirrus and bring its citizens into a new age seemed to be one thing I didn’t have to worry about too much.

  “Well, well, well,” I hear Mammon say behind me, “what a welcoming committee. The last remaining Watchers on Earth all in one place. I feel flattered all of you wanted to come see me.”

  “We’re not here for you, you egotistical bastard,” Desmond says, not even trying to hide his disgust for Mammon. “We just want to make sure you don’t try to back out of this deal or use it to hurt Anna in some way.”

  Mammon holds one hand up and pledges, “I, in no way, will harm a hair on Anna's beautiful head. You have my word.”

  “Which doesn’t mean a whole hell of a lot to us ,” Brutus grumbles. “We know you, Mammon.”

  Mammon shrugs his shoulders like he isn’t worried in the slightest what the others think about him.

  “Why don’t we just get this done so I can leave,” Mammon suggests, holding his hand out to me.

  Without hesitation, I walk up to him and take the hand he’s holding out. He isn’t the only one who wants to get this over with as quickly as possible.

  Mammon wastes no time. I immediately feel the pain associated with a seal transfer hit my body like a mountain crashing down on top of me. I fall to my knees but Mammon doesn’t let go of my hand until the transfer is complete. Once it is, he removes his hand from mine.

  Malcolm kneels down behind me and gently begins to rub my back, doing what he can to alleviate a small portion of the pain.

  “I’ve kept my word to your daughter, Lucifer,” I hear Mammon say, as if to make sure my father remembers that important fact.

  “I won’t trap your soul,” Lucifer promises, his voice getting closer as he walks over to me.

  “Then I’ll take my leave,” Mammon responds, sounding pleased that the terms of our agreement have been met.

  Mammon phases away, and Lucifer kneels down in front of me.

  “Anna,” he says gently, “do you want to wait until this pain subsides before I give you my seal?”

  I shake my head vigorously.

  “No,” I say, struggling to take in a breath, “give it to me now so I can be done with this.”

  “All right.” Lucifer covers one of my hands with his. “Phase to Heaven as soon as the transfer is complete. My father will take care of the rest once you get there.”

  When I feel Lucifer’s seal enter my body, I scream out in pain and squeeze my eyes shut. My body feels like it’s about to explode because all of my internal organs have just been lit on fire.

  “Malcolm,” I hear Lucifer say, “stop touching her. She’s almost ready
to phase.”

  I feel Malcolm’s hand move away from my back.

  After the seal has been completely transferred, Lucifer takes his hand away, and I immediately phase to Heaven.

  I feel someone grab a fist full of my hair and yank my head backwards so hard I'm surprised my neck doesn’t snap in two like a twig.

  When I open my eyes, I see the smiling face of the one person I didn’t expect to see, at least not in Heaven.

  “Hello, sister,” Helena says.

  Chapter 20

  I begin to wonder if the pain from the seals is causing me to hallucinate. If they are, I suddenly find myself in a hellish nightmare. It isn’t possible for Helena to be in Heaven. Yet, she’s standing right over me pulling my head back so far I start to make choking sounds.

  Past Helena’s smiling face, all I see is darkness. It’s only then that I realize I’m not in Heaven. I’m in Hell.

  I hear the loud boom I heard the last time I was in Hell when Lucifer kept trying to phase down. The sound tells me that someone is desperately trying to get into Hell, but Helena is stoutly refusing to let that person inside.

  “You poor thing,” Helena croons sympathetically as she stares down at me. “All those seals crammed inside your frail little human body. It must hurt like the devil.”

  Helena giggles at her own twisted version of a joke as she continues to look at me.

  “I love the hair and eyes by the way, sister. I suppose you assumed the seals led to your stunning transformation. At least, that’s what I was counting on. I hoped you wouldn’t figure out the truth before I was ready. All that lovely anger and hatred you lavished on me while you tortured poor Levi helped make me stronger than I’ve ever been before. After every seal you’ve absorbed, our link to one another was made stronger. And with the added power you gave me while you were here with Levi, I was able to use it to intensify our connection. That’s how I was able to make you phase to Hell instead of Heaven. You were too weakened by the seals to even realize what was happening until it was too late. Now that our bond to one another is complete, you’ll always feel me, Anna. Well, at least for as long as you live anyway…”

  I feel one of Helena’s hands caress the side of my face as if she’s attempting to bring me comfort, but I know her better than that. Her hand slides down the front of my exposed neck and slips underneath my shirt until it comes to rest over my heart.