Bound by Time: A Bound Novel

by A. D. Trosper

  Isobel considered each of the questions. “So the Earth is really millions of years old?”

  He gazed up at the ceiling. “More like billions.” He brought his eyes back to hers. “But you must remember the Higher Powers are infinite. Billions of years isn’t so long to them.”

  She set the final pancake on the huge stack then started whisking two cartons of eggs up. What he said made sense. Especially when she thought of the things that afflicted people and the many plants that just happened to have the natural compounds to treat many of them. Would pure chance really have done that?

  Amelia showed up in the kitchen as Isobel removed the pan of scrambled eggs from the burner. Her friend’s eyes were worried as she crossed the room and threw a tight hug around Isobel. Then she stepped back. Isobel shifted, uncomfortable with the scrutiny as Amelia searched her face. “How are you doing?”

  Isobel gave a wry laugh. “You mean other than the fact that I have a demon trapped in my upstairs window that keeps trying to drive me insane and kill me? I’m doing fine.”

  Amelia reached out and took her hand, squeezing it, a worried look on her face. “I should have paid more attention to the aura I saw around you the day you left to come home.” She scowled. “And you should have told me. All those texts and phone calls, and you never said a word!”

  “You knew what was happening to me,” Isobel shot back. “You knew I was a channel like your grandmother and never said a word.”

  “I couldn’t.” Amelia’s expression begged for understanding. “My grandmother forbid it. No one can say anything until you start to remember and accept things on your own. The only loophole is if your life is in immediate danger. If you had called,” she crossed her arms, “and told me what was going on, I would have come sooner.”

  “I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Well that plan worked out well, didn’t it? I was worried out of my mind the whole way here.”

  An old woman walked into the room with a cane. She wore a loose dress and her short, curly white hair stood out against the deep black of her skin. It seemed at odds with the barely lined face it framed. Amelia turned with a smile. “Isobel, this is my grandmother, Rose. Grandma, this is Isobel.”

  Rose stared for a long moment. Long enough that Isobel started to wonder if she had pancake batter on her face. The old woman moved until she stood directly in front of her. “You, child, are going to be a powerful channel.”

  Isobel blinked. “How can you tell that?”

  “I can see it. You will be stronger than me. My, my, the power that radiates around you. A perfect instrument of the Higher Powers. I can only imagine what it will be like when you embrace it and know how to use it.”

  Isobel shook her head as the fear ingrained into her since childhood rose up. “I don’t think I can.”

  “Oh yes, you can,” Rose said, her voice strong and sure. She pointed her cane at Isobel. “And you will. I will teach you. Amelia should have trusted her instincts and brought us together sooner. Or that dark angel of yours should have found another like me. It would have made things so much easier for you.” She shook her head and made a clucking sound as she walked to the island and sat down. She fixed her eyes on Isobel again. “No matter. That can’t be undone. I’m here now and you, child, will learn.”

  Somehow, Isobel got the feeling she would be doing just as the old woman said. Rose shifted on her chair. “Once I get my breakfast in me I’m going to make a trip upstairs.”

  Isaac glanced sharply at her, a worried look in his eyes. Rose met his gaze. “Don’t you give me that look. This demon needs to be taken down a peg or two so I can teach this child without his interference.” She cackled, mirth filling her eyes. “He sure got a surprise last night. Thought he could mess with my mind and Amelia’s. Ha!” Rose slapped her palm on the island top. “Guess he wasn’t expecting me. Thinking he could come after my granddaughter like that. Well he learned good, he did. Didn’t hardly creep down the stairs all night after that.”

  Isobel couldn’t help but smile at the feisty old woman sitting in her kitchen. Amelia helped her serve up the plates of food. “So how come you and Amelia can see auras and I can’t?”

  “Amelia and I are auras. Different channels have different gifts. If a channel is part of a hereditary line, then they usually inherit one of the gifts of their line.”

  “So what is my gift?” Isobel took a sip of orange juice.

  Rose smiled. “What do you see?”

  “I don’t know.” Isobel shrugged. “I’m not sure I ‘see’ anything.”

  “You’ve never seen anything unusual apart from Xapar’s influence?”

  Isobel stared at the table for a long time. “I’ve seen ghosts.” She looked at Rose. “Does that count?”

  Rose nodded. “You are a spirit. It seems you have inherited your mother’s ability to speak with the spirits of the dead.”

  Isobel snorted. “Great. You and Amelia can read auras, and I see dead people.”

  “Connecting with spirits is a good gift. Much can be learned from them.”

  “What other kinds of gifts are there?”

  Rose took a long drink of coffee before answering, “There are empaths which can read the emotions of others, including demons. They are very good at zeroing in on the location of demonic activity. There are also visions, which can see present and future events, and sensors that can sense the location of demons. As you can see, the gifts are varied. There are more, but you have plenty of time to learn about them.”

  They had just finished their meal when Damien burst out of the family room, his eyes worried until he found Isobel. She stood up, her pulse jumping a little at the panic in his face.

  His shoulders sagged in relief as he entered the kitchen at a more sedate pace and enfolded Isobel in his arms cherishing the feel of her cheek against his bare chest. “When I woke and didn’t see you…” He couldn’t describe the fear he had felt. He looked over at Isaac. “Thank you for coming and for watching over her.”

  Isaac smiled. “Of course. Lucian is here too.”

  Damien nodded. “I remember, though barely. You arrived just in time.”

  Isobel frowned. “You mean Lucian was right? You really came that close?”

  “If he’d held that level of power for much longer he would have burned his soul’s energy up.” Isaac grimaced. “It would have killed him.”

  Her heart skipped as her chest tightened around it. Isobel reached up to grab Damien’s face in her hands forcing him to look at her. “Don’t you dare do that again! Do you hear me? You are not going to die for me.”

  Damien smiled down at her, love softening his incredible blue eyes. “Vita mea pro tua, semper. Meae deliciae.”

  He’d said those words to her before; Isobel remembered them. My life for yours, always. My love. “No.” She glared at him. “You will not do that.”

  Rose chuckled as she sipped her coffee. “You might as well give up. A dark angel will die for his channel if he has to. Even those not bound to a soul mate. You will sooner move a mountain than convince him his life is worth more than yours. You might as well save your breath, child.”

  Damien sagged and sat in one of the chairs feeling the residual weakness from the energy drain. Isaac looked at Isobel. “Get him a plate of food. Sleep has restored his soul’s energy. Now he needs to restore that of his body.”

  Isobel quickly piled a plate with pancakes, bacon, toast, and eggs. Then she poured a tall glass of orange juice and set both on the island in front of Damien. He caught her hand and kissed it. “Thank you, meae deliciae.”

  She watched in fascination as he ate two full plates of food and drank three more glasses of juice. When he finally sat back the haggard look had left his face and he looked once again like a strong, indestructible angel. Her angel.

  Rose stood. “Well, I think it’s about time I have a chat with this demon.”

  Isaac rose smoothly and gently took her elbow. “I am still uneasy wit
h you doing this.”

  Rose snorted. “That demon wanted a piece of my mind, and I’m going to make sure he gets it. I doubt it’s going to be how he wanted it though.”

  Isobel followed them through the house with Damien behind her. Both men had their wings out and their combined light was like a miniature sun brought to Earth. She stumbled slightly on her way up the stairs; it was hard to see through squinted eyes.

  Rose glanced back. “Once you embrace your power, child, the light will be far more bearable to your eyes.”

  Isobel said nothing. Uncertainty and anxiety still filled her at the thought of letting in what had killed Rihanna. When they reached the landing, dark energy retreated before the light of the two angels. Isobel thought it also shrank back from the old woman who planted herself in front of the window.

  Rose pointed her cane at it. “You’re a mean one, you are. Thought you could just traipse your evil essence down the stairs and attack me, attack my granddaughter. Well I got news for you, buddy. You picked a fight with the wrong channel. You’re going to sit here in the window and leave people alone for a while. I’m going to make sure of that.”

  The evil in the window seemed to swell, and Rose shook her head. “Oh no you don’t.”

  She closed her eyes and chanted in a low voice. A different, golden-white energy filled the room and seeped into the walls. The black veins of shadow that had spread across the entire landing contracted and pulled back until they radiated only a few inches from the window.

  After a long time the new energy faded, and Rose leaned on Isaac. “That should do for now. He might still slip out in little bits here and there, but not with the power he has been. I’m no Eusebia. I can’t do what she did although I can see it, frayed and cracked as it is. Though the demon will eventually break past my wards, we should have a few weeks of relative peace with only minor annoyances.” She turned and fixed her dark eyes on Isobel. “Which gives us time to work, child. You were meant to take down demons like this, but you can’t do anything without learning to embrace your power. Come,” Rose moved toward the stairs, “we might as well get started.”

  They settled back in the family room since Isobel was more comfortable there. It was as far from the window as she could get while in the house. Rose settled at the far end of the sectional then glanced up at Damien and Isaac as Sorsha climbed into her lap with a purr. “You can drop your shields now. Take a break for a while.”

  The bright sunlight outside seemed pale and dim after the light from the two angels. Isobel suppressed the uneasy feeling in her gut. “Can’t we go to Damien’s house? It’s just next door.”

  Rose shook her head. “I wish we could, child. The magic I worked on the window requires that I remain close. Even a short distance such as Damien’s house would make the wards fail. Until we can get this under control, I must remain on the property.”

  Amelia settled on a cushion near Isobel. “Now,” Rose pinned Isobel with her dark, determined eyes, “the first thing you are going to do is rid yourself of the fear.”

  Isobel laughed softly. “If it was that easy don’t you think I would have done it already? Rihanna died because of this. I lost my mother at the age of twelve to her power.”

  Rose pursed her lips and nodded. “So you did, but it was her choice to pull that much power. The demon she faced was much stronger than her. In the end that much power combined with her dying gave her what she needed to save your life. You are much stronger than your mother.”

  “You knew my mother?” Isobel asked, surprised.

  “Channels have a way of finding each other as we move about life.” Rose glanced at Amelia. “After all my granddaughter found you, didn’t she?”

  Isobel looked at her friend. “You’re a channel?”

  Amelia smiled. “I told you I had gifts.”

  “Who is your dark angel?”

  Her friend shook her head. “I don’t have one yet. Isaac watches over both my grandmother and me.”

  Rose nodded. “Amelia is a new soul. I’m sure a dark angel will be assigned to her soon.” She shifted slightly in her seat. “Now back to you. As you can see, a channel can live to a ripe old age. There is no need to fear as you do. If your mother had been able to wait for Aiden or even for a free agent to arrive she would still be alive.”

  “A free agent?”

  “A dark angel that doesn’t have any one assignment and instead goes where he is needed most—like Lucian. Now, pay attention. You’re going to close your eyes and try to relax.”

  Isobel obediently closed her eyes while Rose instructed her in relaxation techniques. She sensed Amelia doing the same.

  Damien watched the three of them thankful Rose had come. He should have brought an experienced channel sooner. If he had realized how hard it would be to get Isobel to embrace her power he would have. This was the first time in all of their lives together that she hadn’t welcomed it.

  The morning wore on as Rose coached the younger women her voice strong and commanding. Damien and Isaac left the room when a disheveled Lucian wandered out of the master bedroom. They joined him in the kitchen as he piled food on a plate and sat in companionable silence while he wolfed it down.

  Lucian filled another plate and walked back to the island. “So, tell us what happened. You looked like hell when we got here.”

  While his friend worked his way through the remainder of the breakfast food, Damien told them how Xapar had attacked and nearly driven Isobel to suicide. Lucian shook his head. “That was a little too close, Damien.”

  Damien ran a hand through his hair. “I know. I’ve lost her to humans and natural disasters but never to a demon. I don’t intend to start now.” He looked over at Isaac. “We need to find that vial of Saint Januarius’ blood. The one the priest saved during the earthquake in Naples.”

  Both of them fell silent, lost in thought. Isaac was the first to shake his head. “I have no idea. It was in Italy in the 1940s. I have no idea where it went in the chaos of the time or which priests it would have been entrusted to over the years.”

  “I don’t know either,” Lucian said. “We can start making calls though. I’m sure one of our brotherhood knows since it’s a rather important object.”

  “It’s a start.” Damien sighed. “I hope it doesn’t take too long to track down.”

  Isaac frowned. “At least Rose was able to buy us some time. Even if we had the vial right now Isobel couldn’t use it. Not until she embraces her power and learns what to do with it.”

  The sun climbed to its peak and then began its descent and still Rose drove Isobel on. Lucian left briefly and came back with bags filled with hamburgers and French fries. Rose only paused in her instruction long enough so they could eat before pushing Isobel back to the task at hand with Amelia helping along as support.

  The next week passed in the exact same manner. Damien smiled on the third day when Isobel turned to him with a look of wonder. Her power flowed around her in a beautiful halo of golden-white color. Once Isobel could embrace it at will, Rose pushed her to use it.

  Damien and the men who were like brothers to him spent the time getting in touch with various dark angels around the world. Unfortunately, it seemed the location of the vial was a well-kept secret.

  Each night, Isobel dragged herself up to her bedroom thankful to Rose for what she had done to the window that allowed her to return. Now that she had embraced her powers and her memories were returning the reoccurring nightmares had stopped. Every night she collapsed and the refreshing sleep she desperately needed helped her grow stronger.

  Damien refused to leave her alone upstairs and slept by her side making sure she was safe. If Xapar broke through he would reach her easier in her room. There was only one downstairs bedroom, and they couldn’t all sleep in it so they spread out everywhere. Amelia took the family room while Isaac and Rose occupied Isobel’s parents’ room. Lucian slept on the sofa in the formal dining room usually with the cat curled up on his chest.

>   Another two weeks passed before Xapar managed to break a small crack in Rose’s work.

  Isobel felt it first. She woke in the middle of the night with Xapar’s whispers filling her mind again. Immediately, she embraced her power and felt it flood her almost drowning it all out.

  Though she was glad to have some defense, Isobel immediately saw the limits. She was limited in how long she could hold her power just like the dark angels. She stared up at the ceiling while Damien’s chest rose and fell steadily in sleep. Isobel turned so she could gaze at his face, drawing comfort from it though she refused to wake him. He only slept for short periods as it was.

  She sensed Xapar change his course of action. His evil presence slipped downstairs. Although Rose was down there, Isobel still felt uneasy. Xapar was trying something new; she felt it. What if he went after Amelia? Although she was a channel as well, Isobel knew what Xapar was capable of and her friend didn’t.

  Isobel rose quietly and walked out onto the landing. The window pulsed with malignant light. Surrounded by her power Isobel felt no fear of Xapar. She descended the stairs quietly sensing the shadows that slid over the wall. Something else was there besides Xapar.

  The dark and quiet house seemed to hunch around her. Isobel crept through the foyer and into the dining room. A quick glance told her whatever was in her house wasn’t in the kitchen. She turned toward the family room. Dark energy oozed through the doorway; it crawled across the walls and crept along the floor. It wasn’t as strong as Xapar’s.

  Isobel’s heart leapt in her chest. Amelia! She ran into the family room and skidded to a halt, a cry catching in her throat. A tall, bulky figure bent over the couch, one smoky hand reaching for her friend.

  “No!” The demon jerked away as Isobel threw herself over the couch hitting its chest and taking them both to the carpet. Isobel barely noticed Amelia’s cry of alarm. The demon had Isobel’s full attention as she grappled with it. Though her power flowed through her she wasn’t sure what to do with it. A shadowy hand closed around her throat. She curled her legs up and kicked out. It grunted and the hold on her loosened. Bright, white light flooded the room. A gust of air blew over her, and the demon was thrown backward. Damien crashed into the shadowy figure and knocked it to the floor.