Both men bent their heads together to look at the handcuffs, effectively dismissing her presence. At first Thalya felt hurt, but she understood. Maybe Samuel concluded as she had there could be nothing lasting between them after all. She wondered around the lab, ignoring the men at the other end as they ignored her.
Eventually, she left the room and went back into the hallway, sitting on the bottom of the steps to wait for Samuel with only her bleak thoughts for company. The calls were getting stronger, harder to tune out and resist. Sooner or later, she would answer one of those calls. Thalya feared once she did, there would be no turning back.
Chapter Twenty-One
All the preliminary tests Shaun ran on the handcuffs showed they were of normal metal composites—chrome steel, nickel plating, and metal springs—nothing strange or different. He had one theory, that the steel might have been treated with something that evaporated off after a time. But he could come up with nothing strong enough to slow down or prevent a soulless from breaking free.
“Yeah, but the soulless still couldn’t even bend the cuff hours later.” Adam had been unable to do that when he’d shown the pieces to him, which scared the crap out of Samuel, knowing Abel controlled such a weapon.
Shaun frowned before he spoke, “I’ll need to do more extensive testing to figure this out. But we may never know for sure what the substance might have been.”
Samuel left the pieces of the cuffs with Shaun and went in search of Thalya. He knew why she’d wondered out of the room he acted like a bastard by ignoring her, but didn’t know what else to do or how to fix this.
The look of joy on her face when her wings formed…
Samuel clinched his fist as he walked down the hall. He couldn’t forget the way she radiated with happiness at being an angel. If she left him—he trembled. Not something he wanted to think about. He found her sitting at the bottom of the steps.
She turned at his approach. “Anything?”
“So far, nothing but ordinary metal. Shaun is running more tests that will take time. He’s got a theory it may have been coated with something that evaporated after a while. If so, he may never be able to figure it out, but I’ve got an idea. I think we need to go back to your condo and read Wilhelmina’s book from cover to cover. See if there’s anything in it. If not, then we can try to contact one of her sisters, if for no other reason than to tell them what happened and she’s missing.”
“Any idea how to find them?”
“I think Adam might be able to help us there. We can also do an internet search and see if there are any other Strauss bookstores in Italy. I remember Wilhelmina mentioning one of her sisters lived there.”
She stood. “Good idea.”
“Come on, let’s go.” Before he could think about it or stop himself, he reached for her hand. The need to touch her automatic now, but his reflexes were fast and he stopped the motion before their hands could connect. He could not touch her again. If he did, he’d never be able to let her go. Unsure how he would even be able to do so now. His need for her was an ever present ache, making him restless.
The drive back to her condo had them on edge just like the trip out. He had no choice but to go back to her penthouse. He’d left the book there along with memories. Memories of the most incredible hours of his life spent in the arms of the woman he loved.
Yes, he loved her but would it be enough to keep her by his side? How could he ask her to give up her immortality, her abilities and a chance to really make a difference in this world, just to be with him? Could he ask such a thing of her? He didn’t have the right. She was an angel, for crying out loud. People needed her.
But so did he.
They rode the elevator up to her condo, staring at the elevator door in front of them and not speaking until she got her door open. The entire ride a torture for Samuel.
“Why don’t you let me read the volume?” she said. “I can read it faster than you can and let you know if I find anything pertaining to soulless being incapacitated like I was.”
“Okay, but I’ll still need to read it. There’s a lot of valuable information in there.”
“Yes, but information Wilhelmina didn’t mean for us to see or know.”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not so sure about that.”
She hung up her coat and sat on the sofa, picking up the book he’d left on the coffee table and began to read. He didn’t go and sit beside her. Damn it, his actions now as before were not lost on her. Shit, what was he to do? His heart cramped from the emotional roller coaster and his stomach hungered. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. “I think while you’re reading I’ll run downstairs and grab something to eat.” Also, it would put some physical distance between them. It hurt not holding her in his arms again, knowing she could soon leave him.
She glanced up at him. “Okay, that’s fine.”
“Ah, since you’re no longer soulless does that mean you can eat human food now?” While he’d learned from Thalya some soulless, like her, could drink wine and brandy, they did not require human nourishment.
Her smile reminded him of the sun rising after a long dark day. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
“What would you like?” he asked.
“Hmmm, whatever you’re having is fine.”
“Okay, be back in a few.”
He didn’t go to the restaurant in the building, in truth he wanted a little time to clear his head. Instead, he walked a few blocks and got one of his favorites, a New York style pepperoni pizza. Samuel ordered a large and had to wait for it. Taking a sniff of the box after they prepared it, make it worth it to be gone for an hour. He also grabbed a couple of beers for them. He made it back to her condo, but had to rap the beer against the door. He couldn’t reach the doorbell. The door opened almost immediately.
“What is that smell?” Thalya asked as soon as she sniffed the aromas coming from the box. She stepped back to allow him in. “Scents for the soulless are another thing that is different. We can sense humans and even smell emotion to some extent, but scents, flavors are too closely tied to emotion and denied us. My mouth is watering from this scent alone. How interesting.”
“It’s a New York style pepperoni and cheese pizza. A personal favorite of mine. And I got a couple of cold beers,” he said, holding them up.
“Oh goodie.” She smiled.
For a moment the ache in his heart lessened.
“I’ve had beer and like wine or brandy, I don’t think I could ever fully appreciate it. I know I can now and I know humans enjoy pizza. I can’t wait to try it. All of it.” She turned into the kitchen and got out two plates, putting them on the round glass dining room table large enough to seat six.
He put the box and beer down on the table glancing at the dishes. “Have you ever used any of this?” he asked, pointing at the table and the settings.
“No, this will be the first time.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I bought them when I first got this apartment. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Wait a second.” Thalya walked out of the room in the direction of her bedroom and returned with two fat candles. Holding them up, she said, “Look what else I have.”
He could tell by the burnt wicks these at least had been used.
“Another quirk of mine,” she explained as though she’d read his thoughts.
“Perfect, our first date.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Samuel could have bitten off his tongue when he saw the flash of pain enter her eyes. This could be their first as well as their last.
“No. The theatre was our first date,” she said. “I believe this is our second.”
“You’re right.”
She placed the candles on the table and with a snap of her fingers, lit the wicks.
“Neat trick,” he said.
“Watch this.” She waved her hand and the overhead lights dimmed.
“You so come in handy.” He grinned. Samuel held her chair out for her to sit and opened the box. Heat
and the aroma of cheese, spicy tomato sauce, and pepperoni assailed them. Using a knife he found in her fully stocked kitchen, he pulled up a slice and placed it on her plate, but the melted cheese trailed from her plate back to the box. He cut it with the knife before sitting down and taking a piece for himself. She watched avidly as he picked up the pizza and folded it before taking a bite. With a flick of his thumb, he popped the top off his beer bottle and took a swig. “Mmm, hit’s the spot.”
Thalya copied his actions motion for motion. After she took a bite, the expression on her face said it all.
It reminded him of the look he had put on her face after they’d made love. Would he ever have a chance to do it again? Suddenly, his appetite left him. He dropped what remained of his pizza onto his plate and sat back in the chair drinking his beer, watching her eat. Lost in thoughts of what might become of them, but amused at her appetite. After she finished her third slice, he asked her, “Did you get through the book?”
“Yes.” She took a sip of her beer. “Wow. That was wonderful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. What did you find?”
“It’s got a lot of information and this is just one volume. I could only imagine what some of the others are like. This one is a little more modern though. It’s maybe about a hundred years old. There are a few dates referenced in there but mostly it’s about things Wilhelmina’s ancestors had observed and a few notes someone else has added to the margins clarifying a point.”
He watched her run her hands up and down the side of the beer after she placed it on the table. Momentarily distracted by her long slender fingers and the memory of them on him, Samuel had to force his thoughts back to her words.
“The only other thing was a written note stuck between one of the pages about our, well, the soulless’ aversion to technology.”
Already she distanced herself from being a soulless. Did it mean she also distanced herself from him? “Any reference to metals incapacitating soulless?” he asked instead of saying, ‘Don’t ever leave me. If you do, you take away a part of me with you. The other half of my soul is in your keeping.’
“No. But there is a reference to holy water.”
“Holy water?” That got his attention.
“Yes. It has a calming and quenching effect on our thirst for emotion. It won’t hurt us but it can satisfy our need for emotion for a while. But it has to be actual holy water. That is heavenly blessed water, not merely prayed over by a priest.”
“Interesting.” He frowned. “How do you get heavenly blessed holy water? I thought the priest blessings would be enough.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know and the book, at least this one, doesn’t elaborate.”
“Well that could be it. Water could easily evaporate but the blessing would remain. It might be what binds your strength. The question remains, how in hell did Abel get his hands on holy water? Heavenly blessed or otherwise.”
“No idea. As far as I know soulless can enter churches, at least I’ve been able to. Once. Nothing ever happened to me, but I’ve never tried to touch holy relics or holy water either. Wasn’t ever that curious.”
“Another reason to talk to Wilhelmina or her sisters. Let me send Shaun a text, see if this is something he can test for.” He pulled out his phone and texted Shaun this new information.
“He may not find anything. Water evaporates and it’s not like you can test the holiness of something.”
“I’m not so sure. What else does the book say?” He wanted her to talk about the passage he’d read. The section about redemption and how the soulless could get back their souls. How meeting one person can cause them to begin to feel emotion again, prepare them to receive a soul, if they but opened themselves up to the emotion of the other. Yes a rare occurrence, but it did happen. It happened when both loved.
“It talks about a lot of things,” she hedged. “Most of it is meaningless for us. Just stuff about who died by whose hand. What they were doing and why the hunter felt he had to kill a particular soulless. A list of the people the soulless had harmed. That’s what most of what the volume is about. But I do think it’s worth your reading.” She got up, grabbed both plates and took them over to the sink, keeping her back to him.
Getting up, he followed her, stopping in the open archway separating the kitchen from the living room. He placed his hands on either side of the walls, as much to brace himself for her answer as to stop him from going to her and taking her in his arms. “What did it say about redemption?”
“You know what it says. You’ve read the passage.”
“Yes I did, and it’s true. You do have a soul again. I am your redemption.” He didn’t add as you are mine, but he hoped she knew.
Her head dropped forward. Her long hair hung down, obscuring the side of her face. “I know,” she whispered.
He almost didn’t hear her reply, even though he had better than normal hearing. “And now you have a choice to make.”
“What would you have me do?” she asked her voice stronger, angry.
“Whatever your heart and soul tell you to.”
“What if one says one thing and the other says something else?” she admitted. Her voice trembled.
“Then you must decide.” His voice came out soft yet strong, but on the inside, he trembled too. “Make sure it’s a decision you can live with.” Please God, let it be one I can live with too, he thought.
She turned to face him.
He could read the anger and sorrow in her lovely tear filled eyes. His hands dropped to his sides. The racing of his heart and the tightening in his gut told him her answer. The chime of his cell phone cut through the silence in the room. He went back to the living room to get it from his jacket. The caller ID flashed a number he didn’t recognize. “Hello,” he answered.
“Oh, thank God! Samuel, it’s Wilhelmina.”
“Wilhelmina! Where are you?”
“Just listen. My battery is low. I’m still at my store.” Her voice sounded rushed, agitated. The static didn’t help but with his enhanced senses he could hear her. “I’m hiding below ground where the chronicles are stored. I know the place has been torched. I can’t reach the panel to get out. The way back is blocked with rubble. There’s an entrance to the below ground chambers on the floor in the workroom. It’s under the work block table in the center. Make sure all the cabinets underneath the block are closed or it won’t work. You with me still?”
“Yeah. I’m listening.”
“At the baseboard you’ll see where the cabinet door comes together. Follow that line. There is an indentation where the baseboard and doors meet. Press it. The cabinet should swing back and the floor beneath slide open. But I’m afraid something might have damaged the mechanism in the explosion, causing the entrance to cave. Take a look at it. See if you can get it to work first and clear the passage. If it doesn’t work, then the only other way down here is through the building next to mine. That will require taking out a wall, but do whatever you must.”
“Are you telling me there’s an underground chamber beneath your store?”
“Yes. Now, please let me finish. I’d prefer to use the entrance next door as a last resort. Opening the wall will likely expose the chambers where the chronicles are hidden, causing us to have to move, but my family will know what to do if it comes to that. One of my sisters and my niece are on the way, but you can get here faster and help protect our life’s works. That’s what someone tried to destroy. I’m trusting you, Samuel. Call me back at this number after you get here.”
“I’m bringing Thalya with me. I think Adam might already be on his way over. But we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Adam may not be able to sense me and he can’t use a phone. The last thing I want to do is let anyone else know I’m down here, so hurry.”
The line went dead. “You heard?”
“Yes, let’s go,” Thalya replied. “I think we’d get there faster on foot. Let me grab my weapons.�
��
He’d left his on the couch with his jacket. He put his short sword in the sheath at his back and put his jacket on over it to cover the blade.
When Thalya came out of the bedroom, instead of heading toward the front door where he stood, she turned toward her balcony.
“Where are you going?” he asked confused.
“This way is faster. Come on.” She opened the door and held out her hand to him. Without hesitating, he walked over to her and took her hand. They stepped onto the balcony and she shut the door. He followed her when she climbed up on the stone banister.
“Still trust me?” she asked.
“With everything.”
Thalya turned to face him and placed her arms around his neck. “All you have to do is wrap your arms around my waist.”
Samuel did as instructed.
Thalya jumped into the night, taking him over the side with her.
Samuel never took his eyes off her. They didn’t land on the pavement. Her wings unfurled behind her and they soared high over the crowded New York streets. The wind rushed by them, but under her wings he never felt the bite of the cold air, only the gentle brush of its passing.
Soon, they circled the charred remains of Wilhelmina’s bookstore. There were a few cars passing by and people walking toward the ends of the block, but no one directly in front of the store.
“I’ll cloud the perception of the drivers if you take care of the folks on the sidewalk,” Thalya said.
As they got closer, he sent out a strong compulsion for anyone passing by to look away. They landed safely on the sidewalk and found the building not as badly burnt, as he would have thought. The façade appeared intact, but the windows were boarded over and black soot marred the front. The fire had been contained between the brick buildings and the stores on either side of Wilhelmina’s seemed to have been spared any damage.
Boards covered the entire front door and a danger, stay out sign hung on it. Thalya ripped the board away from the door and they entered. She turned and replaced the board over the entrance. Unlike the exterior, the interior appeared in worse shape. The books in the store were ashes. Most of the shelves were blackened or broken. Curtains no longer separated the room.
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