[The Watchers 20.0] Dominion - Enduring

by SJ West

  “I need to know,” he begs, looking worried over Liana’s welfare.

  “It’s nothing that will harm her,” I reassure him. “I simply gave her one of my seals.”

  Cade instantly looks confounded by my answer. “Why would you do that? I thought it was the power from the seals that made it possible for you to leave Hell.”

  “I took a calculated risk giving it to her,” I say with a nonchalant shrug. “It seems to have worked out though.”

  “But why would you risk your freedom like that?” he asks, still looking baffled by my decision.

  “It’s possible that I could have been placing my ability to travel between realms at risk,” I acknowledge. “It’s also possible that I did the one thing I needed to in order to save it.”

  “How so?”

  “When Anna first began collecting the seals, I could feel a connection develop between us. All of the hate and anger that the seals absorbed through the years began to change her and strengthen her tie with me. It was like we were connected by an ethereal cord that allowed an exchange of energy between us. Somehow, as the power of our connection to one another became more solid, it also began to alter her physical appearance. After I absorbed five of the seals from her, the connection between us lessened, but it remained, just in a weakened form. I’m not sure if I would have been able to traverse the veil between Hell and Earth if I hadn’t still been bound to her through her children. I assumed that once her children were born my bond with Anna would disappear. Did you notice anything different about Anna when you last saw her? About her physical appearance?”

  “Yes,” Cade verifies. “Her hair and eyes are brown now.”

  “That’s just what I suspected would happen.”

  “But if you’re connected to the children anyway, why give Liana a seal?”

  “Call it an insurance policy,” I say. “I needed to make sure my bond with at least one of the children is so strong it’s practically unbreakable.”

  “Which seal did you give her?”

  “Her grandfather’s seal of silence,” I say, gaining a small amount of pleasure in the fact. I’m sure Lucifer has seen his granddaughter by now. How ironic that she now carries the seal that he once did. He’s probably even guessed why I decided to give her that particular seal. With her ability to phase into Heaven, she can act as a harbinger of eternal damnation to millions of trapped souls just like Ravan Draeke did on alternate Earth.

  “Is there a reason you gave her that one and not one of the others?” Cade asks. “Or did you do it just to hurt your father?”

  “Both,” I freely admit. “More one than the other though, if I’m being truthful.”

  “What is it that you hope to gain by giving her that seal, Helena?” he asks warily.

  “Nothing, for the moment. If I were you, I wouldn’t concern myself with why I do certain things. I can promise you that she won’t be hurt by having the seal. It won’t kill her.”

  “Will being connected directly to you change who she is destined to become?”

  I shrug. “How am I supposed to know the answer to that question? I might be extremely powerful, but even I can’t see into the future.”

  “What’s to prevent her from taking the seal to Heaven when she gets older and returning it there?”

  “She could,” I say cautiously, not wanting to delve too deeply into this subject. “But that would simply break the seal open and cause its destructive forces to be unleashed. That’s exactly why Anna had to wait until she had all seven seals before returning them to Heaven. If she had tried to take them back one by one, they simply would have broken open. Once they were bound together inside her, she could have returned them because their collective energy was strong enough to keep them intact. It would have been a good plan, but it was doomed to fail once she became pregnant.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Two of the seals were transformed into the twins’ souls. If I had allowed her to phase back to Heaven, she would have automatically released the seals she had left because of the pain they were causing her. Those seals would have broken open and caused all kinds of havoc.”

  I pause in my explanation because I finally realize a great truth that I had been blind to before now.

  “He played me like a fiddle,” I mutter to myself, unable to believe how easily I had been manipulated.

  “He who?” Cade asks, looking puzzled by my self-admonishment.

  “Your father, that’s who,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I can’t believe I did exactly what He wanted me to without even realizing it until now. Here I thought I was being clever when all I did was follow His plan from the start.”

  “Oh,” Cade says as realization finally dawns on him too. “You believe God wanted you to take the five seals Anna had left because He knew if she tried to return them to Heaven, they would open there.”

  “Yes. Clever old fool. Well … I guess it’s me who turned out to be the pawn. I ended up doing exactly what He wanted.”

  “So, you believe God always planned for you to walk the Earth? Not to sound ungrateful that you’re here, but why would He want that to happen?”

  “Why don’t you ask Him?” I ask irritably. “He’s the one who seems to have all the answers. Apparently, I’m being used by Him just like the rest of you. At least you knew it though. I didn’t have a clue, which just makes my stupidity even more unforgivable.”

  “You’re not stupid, Helena,” Cade says, attempting to console me. “You’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.”

  I look at Cade and sigh. “If only you were just saying that to get me into bed, but you’re actually being sincere.”

  He chuckles. “Do I need to take you to bed and ravish your body just so you’ll stop obsessing over it?”

  “Yes, please!” I say eagerly, feeling my mood instantly perk up with the possibility of a little morning delight with Cade … in his bed … naked on top of me. Or vice versa. I’m not opposed to doing all the work.

  Cade holds my gaze with his own for a long time. Again, he looks deeply into my eyes as if he’s searching for something in particular.

  “If you told me what it is you’re waiting to see in my eyes,” I say, “I’m sure I could make it appear.”

  He breaks the intensity of his stare and smiles. “I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. You’re not ready yet anyway.”

  “That excuse is getting a little old,” I tell him, feeling annoyed. “What’s to stop me from just taking what I want from you?”

  The smile on his face instantly vanishes, making me wish I could take back my words.

  “Would you really rape me just to satisfy your own needs?” he questions. “Could you be that cruel to me?”

  “That’s not what I said.”

  “That’s exactly what you said. If you took what you wanted from me by force, that’s what the humans call rape, Helena.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you,” I say, feeling a strange sensation form inside my chest. I think it might be a form of guilt for even suggesting I would harm Cade in such a vicious way. Since I’ve never really felt it before, I’m simply making an educated guess. “You have to know by now that I wouldn’t intentionally hurt you.”

  “Where you’re concerned, everything is questionable.”

  His words wound me more than I’m willing to admit, so I remain quiet on the issue and quickly decide to change the course of our conversation to something less serious.

  “So are we going to Lucas’ party?” I ask. “Or are you too ashamed to be seen with me in public?”

  “I would like for us to attend it. Would you be willing to go?”

  “Yes, if for nothing else than to see everyone’s faces when I walk into the room. Who else will be there?”

  “Anna and Malcolm’s family, the other Watchers, and all my brothers.”

  “Are you certain this was an invitation to a party and not an ambush?” I have to ask, considering the number of War Ange
ls who will be present.

  “Anna promised me that no harm would come to you while you’re there.”

  “And, of course, you would have known if she lied to you.”

  “Yes. I would have, but Anna would never lie to me anyway.”

  It only takes me a moment to make a decision.

  “Do I need to bring a present?” I ask. “Isn’t that part of the tradition for these events?”

  “You can, but I don’t think anyone expects you to bring anything.”

  “What are you taking?”

  “My brothers and I had something specially made for Lucas.”

  I wait for Cade to provide more details about his gift, but when he doesn’t, I have to ask, “So, what is it? Or are you going to make me wait until Lucas opens it at the party?”

  “Well, I was thinking about showing it to you, but making you wait to see it sounds like a lot more fun.”

  “Can’t you just tell me what it is?” I ask, finding myself uncharacteristically curious to find out what a group of War Angels would give a seven-year-old boy.

  “Of course I could, but what would be the point in that?”

  “I can’t believe you’re teasing me so unmercifully!”

  “And I can’t believe you’re getting upset about a birthday present that isn’t even yours,” Cade laughs, finding my aggravation amusing.

  “Whatever,” I say, deciding to drop the subject. “What should I buy him? You’re his best friend. What’s something he would enjoy?”

  “Hmm, that’s hard to say. He has so much. Finding something that he doesn’t already own might be difficult. He does enjoy eating candy, though. Maybe we could put together a basket of different candies for him to share with the other children who will be there.”

  “Who makes the best candy on Earth?”

  “I’ve heard there’s a candy store in Virga that has the best chocolate in the world,” Cade tells me. “We can go there and check it out. We have a few hours to kill before the party is scheduled to start anyway.”

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing Virga, actually. I haven’t been there yet, and who knows if I’ll ever have a chance to visit it again. Do you know what part of the city the store is in?”

  “I’m sure it won’t be too hard to find,” he tells me, holding out his hand for me to take. “Are you ready to go?”

  I place my hand into his. “Do you think I’m overdressed for the party? Should I change before we go to it?”

  Cade looks me up and down appreciatively. From the slow smile that blossoms on his face, I already know what his answer is before he even says it.

  “The dress is prefect,” he tells me, bringing me closer to him for something more than just phasing.

  As he bends his head to kiss me, I take a quick, deep breath and allow myself to melt into him. It’s then that I decide I’ll need to whisk Cade away from the party before Silas and Hale enact the first stage of my plan. If he finds out what I’ve coordinated behind his back, I think I’ll lose what ground I’ve gained in our relationship. No, I need to keep him in the dark about the details. He may care for me, but he’ll end up seeing me as a monster if he finds out what I’m about to do. I can’t let that happen.

  He’ll simply have to remain in Hell for the time being.

  There’s no other option.

  Chapter 11

  (Anna’s Point of View)

  I ask Malcolm to take me to Cirrus a couple of hours before Lucas’ party is scheduled to begin. I need to see the destruction that my cloud city has endured with my own two eyes. Jess and Mason offer to look after Liana and Liam for us while Vala asks to tag along. I think she understands I need someone who loves Cirrus as much as I do to be with me. That’s not to say that Malcolm is indifferent to the damage our city has suffered, but Vala has been my constant companion since childhood. We both grew up there, and only someone you share memories of a place with can fully grasp how such devastation affects you.

  “Thankfully, the palace was built incredibly well,” Vala reports as she, Malcolm, and I stand out on the veranda connected to our suite of rooms in the palace. “When I came here yesterday with the others, we only found a few cracks in some of the walls and ceilings, but overall the structure is sound and safe enough for us all to move back into when we’re ready.”

  As I look out across the great expanse of my once-beautiful city, I see that quite a few buildings weren’t made as well as the palace and now exist as piles of rubble littering the streets around them. So many lives will be altered by the events that have taken place here in the past few days, and so many of my citizens will have to adjust to the new reality of their existence. Those without homes to go back to will need to be relocated until new buildings can be constructed. The extent of the damage makes me realize that hundreds of decisions will need to be made in a very short amount of time if we want to move people back to Cirrus within the next few weeks.

  “I don’t see how we can have the election, considering the amount of work that needs to be done here first,” I tell them both.

  “Don’t worry about the election, my love,” Malcolm says. “Your father spoke with Olivia Ravensdale while we were in Hell. Supposedly, she asked for an official delay and had the election pushed back until Cirrus is back to normal. Catherine will just have to cool her heels for a little while. I think we have enough to worry about without adding her unfounded attempt to usurp your throne to the list.”

  “I still can’t believe she thinks I murdered Auggie just to rule Cirrus,” I say, feeling my temper almost get the better of me over Catherine’s hurtful accusation. “If she knew one thing about me, she should have known that I loved her son like my own brother.”

  “Helena and Levi have poisoned her mind against you. She lost her only son and control over her cloud city within a very short timeframe. It was bound to cause a psychosis, and the two of them took advantage of her state of mind.”

  “Befriending Helena seems almost impossible when I think about the things she’s done to cause me pain.” A feeling of hopelessness threatens to consume me when I consider the impossible task I’ve set for myself. How am I ever going to make peace with Helena if she continues her attempts to ruin the life I’m trying to build with my family?

  “You have never failed at anything you set out to accomplish,” Vala reminds me, sounding proud of the strength she sees in me. “Look at the miracles you’ve worked with Malcolm and Lucifer. They’re two of the most bullheaded men who have ever walked the Earth. Yet you finally made Malcolm realize he can’t live without you, and you showed Lucifer how strong the love between a parent and a child can be. Who else in the world can claim those two things? No one but you.”

  “She has a point,” Malcolm agrees. “If anyone has a chance of becoming friends with Helena, it’s you.”

  “You’ll need to make an effort not to hate her so much too,” I remind him.

  “I’ll do my best,” he grumbles, “but I’m not even on good terms with Lucifer.”

  “Then you and Helena have something to bond over: your mutual dislike of my father.”

  Malcolm chuckles. “True enough, my love.”

  I twine an arm around one of Malcolm’s and wave Vala closer to my side until I can place the palm of my hand on her head.

  “I want to go to my papa’s house,” I tell Malcolm. “I would like to see if it survived Cirrus’ plunge into the ocean’s depths.”

  Malcolm phases us to the home where I was raised.

  Thankfully, we find the Greco household mostly intact. The structure itself has withstood any major damage. However, the furnishings and such inside are a jumbled mess, but that was to be expected. I’m just grateful that my childhood home is still standing. We all walk up the grand staircase to my suite of rooms in the house. As soon as I step through the doorway of the front room, a plethora of memories suddenly comes rushing back to me all at once. Most of them involve the woman who was a constant source of love and encouragement in my lif
e and the closest thing I had to a mother on Earth: Millie.

  No child could have asked for a better surrogate mother than Millie. She was always kind and loving and never shied away from telling me exactly what she thought, especially if she believed I was doing something wrong. I miss her counsel on the day-to-day events in my life. I know I could go to Heaven and visit with her if I wanted to, but it just isn’t the same. Sporadic visits with loved ones are a far cry from having them by your side every single day.

  As I look around the room, I notice the glass doors leading from the living room to the large terrace are shattered. It isn’t an unexpected sight. Most of the glass in the city will have to be replaced. I walk over to the wrought-iron doors and swing them open to look out at my city from this vantage point.

  There’s an unnatural quiet surrounding my home. Cirrus feels like a city of the dead instead of a thriving metropolis. The sooner we get its residents back into their homes and businesses, the better.

  I feel Malcolm come up behind me and wrap his arms around my still-swollen waist. I make a mental note to ask Desmond about that miracle cream that will help shrink my abdomen in a shorter amount of time than nature would normally allow.

  “Do you remember what happened on this balcony?” he asks, pressing his warm, full lips against the crook of my neck, tenderly sucking on the sensitive flesh there.

  “You held me for the first time,” I reply, leaning back into his arms as I begin to remember that fateful night. “I didn’t know who you were, but I did know your touch helped ease the pain I was feeling from absorbing the first seal.”

  “And you knew that you loved me,” Malcolm reminds me, trailing his lips up my neck to gently tug on my earlobe with the edge of his teeth.

  “And that I loved you,” I agree, finding immense joy in the feel of my husband’s touch.

  “Uh-hmm,” I hear Vala say, “should I make myself scarce for a while? The two of you look like you might need some alone time to get matches.”

  Malcolm stops kissing me to look over at Vala, who is standing beside us. “And how in the world do you know about getting matches?”