Lightbringer

by Frankie Robertson

Emotion swept over his face too quickly for her to catch before he masked it. “I don’t have wings. Not in this form.”

  “But I saw—” What had she seen, in the chaos of the moment? Shadows. Light and dark painted on Linda’s living room wall. Cassie clasped Jared’s hand. *This is what I saw.* And she showed him.

  She shared Jared’s jolt of surprise, and the mix of horror and delight that followed.

  “What does it mean?”

  “It means…I don’t know what it means. And it doesn’t matter anyway. It won’t make any difference in what we have to do to stop Aelziroth.”

  Cassie searched her memory for the knowledge Jared had shared with her during their lovemaking. Wings were symbolic of strength and virtue among the Celestials, even if they were normally incorporeal. What do shadow wings mean? Why had he felt horror at her seeing them?

  Cassie took his hand, searching for answers.

  He’d closed off his thoughts on the matter, but she could see he was worried. Worried that he wouldn’t be strong enough to protect her on his own, without help. And keeping her safe was the only way he’d ever be able to rejoin his kindred. He didn’t want to fail again. It felt weird remembering another person’s memories. It was different from having a vision.

  Cassie bit her lip and turned away. They weren’t touching, but she was afraid if Jared saw her face, he’d still be able to read her. Her heart was being pulled in two. She knew their time together was limited. Knew that he cared for her. But his primary reason for being here, with her, was to find a way home.

  He couldn’t accept he hadn’t failed before, with President Lincoln. Not the way he thought he had. He needed to succeed this time, needed to be accepted among his brethren to be whole again. She wanted that for him, and not just because his success would mean her survival. Only she couldn’t help wishing he would want to stay. To remain here just for her sake.

  “What’s on your mind?” Jared asked.

  “Nothing.” Cassie picked up the breakfast dishes and carried them to the sink. There was no dishwasher in the small cabin. That was just fine. She needed the distraction to keep from feeling sorry for herself.

  “I’ll just take care of these before we do…whatever it is we’re going to do.”

  If they succeeded, she’d be alive, and he’d be gone—out of her life forever.

  She knew she was being maudlin, but damn it, she was falling for him and her heart was going to get broken—again. It was stupid, but there it was.

  I sure can pick ‘em. First a jerk who can’t handle who I am, and now a guy trying to catch the next train out of town—way out of town. At least Jared was a good guy. He wouldn’t betray her trust.

  Cassie rolled her eyes as she plunged her hands into the soapy water and began to scrub. Get a grip, girl. A demon was trying to kill her, and she was worried about her love life. She couldn’t help it. She wanted Jared and she couldn’t have him. Not for more than a few days, anyway.

  Cassie tried to get her mind back on more immediate concerns. “What are we going to do?”

  Jared picked up a dishtowel and began to dry. He carefully wiped one plate, set it aside, and reached for the other before he spoke. “I’d like to hide you somewhere safe when Aelziroth comes calling.”

  “I—”

  Jared held up a hand, stopping her. “But there is no such place. I could change your identity, hide you for a while, but you’d be constantly on the move.”

  She could keep Jared in her life and her bed as long as they were on the run together. It sounded adventurous: Bonnie and Clyde but without the crime spree. It was tempting—for about five seconds. She liked her life. She’d worked hard to build her client list. She had friends. And she couldn’t keep Jared away from the home he longed to return to.

  Cassie stilled, a soapy glass in her hand. Finally she lifted her eyes to Jared’s. “I couldn’t live that way.”

  “I know. And it would only delay the inevitable. Aelziroth has means beyond the usual to track you.” His expression was sad and grim and something else, something she couldn’t read.

  “How can I help?”

  “I don’t know if you can help,” Jared continued. “Aelziroth is very powerful. But you helped sing Gideon home, and …” Jared looked away. “I’m not sure I can do this alone.”

  Cassie wiped one hand on her jeans, then twined her fingers with Jared’s.

  Pride, ruthlessly suppressed. Worry. Fear—for her.

  “How can I—”

  Glass shattered as something crashed through the cabin window. Bright light overwhelmed the room. Sound slammed into her chest. She covered her ears—too late. The door frame exploded. Dave/Aelziroth burst into the cabin, dressed in black. The automatic weapon he carried jerked as he fired, sweeping the room. Bullets pocked the paneled walls. Splinters flew. Across from her, Jared staggered, fell. Lamps shattered, dousing the cabin in night. Moonlight silvered a path through the doorway. The dark shape that was Aelziroth turned toward her as if he could see through the shadows, the bore of his gun looking huge as he reached for her—

  Cassie’s knees gave out, and her stomach roiled. She clutched the edge of the counter and groaned.

  Then Jared’s arms were around her. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing. “What is it?”

  Cassie clung to his shoulders, his solid strength providing a reassuring anchor to the present. She blinked to clear her head. “A vision.”

  Jared didn’t put her down. Instead, he took her into the living room.

  “You don’t have to carry me. I can walk.”

  Jared settled her on the sofa so her head rested on the overstuffed arm. He looked pointedly at her sock clad feet. “You dropped a glass. I didn’t want you to cut yourself.” Jared knelt next to her.

  “Oh. Thanks. Sorry about that. I’ll clean it up.” If she was busy, she wouldn’t have to think about what she’d seen. Cassie started to sit up but the room tilted and Jared put a gentle hand on her shoulder to hold her down.

  “No, you won’t. I’ll take care of it.”

  Cassie frowned. “Are you always so bossy?” Her voice sounded wobbly even to her. She looked away. Jared is going to be shot. The image of blood blooming on his chest, of his body shuddering under the impact of the bullets and going down, replayed itself in her mind over and over. Her stomach churned. She knew what she had to do.

  “I’ve got to leave,” she said. “Now.”

  Jared’s eyebrows rose. “We talked about this. It won’t help. Aelziroth will find us eventually wherever we go.”

  “Not us. Me. I’ve got to go. If I keep moving I can stay one step ahead of him.”

  “You’re talking nonsense.”

  “Don’t patronize me! I’m not an idiot, even if I am merely a mortal.” The room had stopped its Tilt-a-Whirl spin.

  “You’re not merely anything.” Jared shifted his grasp and helped her sit up. “What did you see, Cassie?”

  The gentle tenderness of his voice sharpened her fear for him, but also shamed her. He didn’t deserve her harsh words. “I’m sorry. My visions don’t usually make me so, so …”

  “Unbalanced?” Jared offered with artificial innocence.

  Cassie gave him a sharp look, then realized he was trying to lighten the mood. “Nauseous. It’s gotten worse since I met you.” She returned the volley, trying to play along, even though her heart was hammering from what she’d seen.

  Jared grimaced. “Not the effect I usually have on women.”

  “So you say.”

  Jared grinned.

  They were silent a moment. Jared pushed a lock of hair off her forehead. “I didn’t share your vision fully this time. I only saw a collection of dark distorted images.”

  Cassie knew why he hadn’t seen her vision with her. It was because he’d died in this one.

  Softly Jared said, “Tell me.”

  Cassie stiffened and her breath grew short as the vivid memory of her vision replayed behind her eyes again. Shock and
terror and pain rolled over her as Jared was shot. She couldn’t stop it. Jared was dead, and Aelziroth was reaching out, focusing his evil on her.

  “Cassie!” Jared shook her gently.

  The room came back into focus. Jared was still alive. She reached out for him like a lifeline. Cassie sucked in a deep breath and fastened her gaze on his. “He’s coming. Tonight.”

  CHAPTER 13

  “IT’S ONLY ONE possible future. Nothing’s definite.” Jared wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure Cassie or himself. “Linda didn’t die on her kitchen floor, after all.”

  Cassie sat on the old tweedy sofa, wrapped in a throw he’d draped around her shoulders. “I know, I know. This isn’t my first rodeo.” Her face was still pale. She clutched the cup of tea he’d made for her with both hands and shivered.

  He hated seeing her so distressed. “What’s your event?” he asked, trying to distract her. “Bronc busting or bull riding?” It was lame, but it was the best he could do.

  Cassie gave him a look. “Pig wrestling.”

  Ouch. Jared affected an exaggerated wince.

  The vision might not have been her first, but this one had affected her more strongly than any before. She’d joked about him making her sick, but her visions had been getting more vivid and causing greater physical reactions ever since they’d met. Could she be right? Did it have something to do with him?

  Celestials didn’t have much recent experience interacting with Progeny since they’d adopted a mostly hands-off policy—and he hadn’t exactly been hands-off with Cassie. Did close contact with Celestials affect their descendants? Being in the Terrestrial Realm for so long fogged his memory. There was so much he didn’t remember.

  “So what are we going to do?” Cassie’s voice was stronger, and she was getting her color back.

  Jared smiled, heartened by her quick recovery. “The events in your vision took place at night. That leaves us about seven hours to prepare. That thing Aelziroth threw sounds like a flashbang. You saw what happened afterwards because you were watching with your inner vision. In reality, you’d have been blind and deaf for several minutes.”

  “Helpless.”

  “That’s what they’re for. But we’ll be ready for him. I brought ear and eye protection as well as firearms. We won’t be helpless when he gets here. We’ll turn the tables on him.”

  “We could just leave.”

  “You already rejected that idea. Besides, we can’t count on you having another vision to warn us next time. And there will be a next time. Aelziroth will keep tracking you down until we stop him. At least this way we know how and where he’s going to attack. It gives us an advantage.”

  Cassie pulled the throw tight around her shoulders. “Okay. Do you have Kevlar vests, too?”

  Jared grimaced. “I wish. And I doubt the stores in Pinetop or Show Low carry them.”

  Cassie frowned. “Okay, we’ll be ready for the flashbang. What else will we do?”

  “I’ll teach you to focus your power, and call upon the Celestial Realm for more. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s worth a try.”

  “My power? I don’t have any power. I just get visions when I touch people.”

  “Everyone has power to resist evil. You do it every day when you choose to be kind or generous even when you don’t feel like it.”

  “This isn’t the same thing.”

  “No, but it your gift draws upon your spirit in the same way. Everyone has a bit of the Light within them. If you focus on that, on the music in your soul, you’ll make it harder for Aelziroth to weaken you with fear. And I hope it will also make him more vulnerable.”

  “Vulnerable to what?”

  Jared hesitated. His plan seemed pretty threadbare, but it was the best he could come up with. “I’m going to trap him with a symbol of power and shoot him.”

  Cassie put a hand on his. “But he’ll have a vest, won’t he? And if you do get past it, you’ll kill Dave, too.”

  “He tried to kill you, Cassie. Even before Aelziroth possessed him.”

  “I know. It’s just…he doesn’t have a choice in what he’s doing now. And killing someone is a big deal. Especially for you.”

  Jared glanced away. He’d do whatever he had to do to keep her safe, but he didn’t want her to worry for him. “I’ll try to just wound him. If we’re lucky, Aelziroth will flee Dave’s body, leave this realm, and Dave will survive to face Terrestrial justice.” He turned back to meet her eyes. “But I’m not going to give Aelziroth another chance to kill you.” If he got a head shot he was going to take it. Dave could take his chances with the ultimate Judge.

  Cassie set her mug down on the side table, her expression serious. He could see in her eyes she wasn’t fooled. He should have known better than to try to dissemble.

  “Aelziroth is more powerful than you because he’s possessing Dave, isn’t he? He isn’t using part of his strength to create a body. Why don’t you do that?”

  Jared stiffened and stared at her in shock. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.

  “I don’t mean you should hijack someone’s body. You could use mine. Then you could fight Aelziroth on equal footing.”

  “Absolutely not!” He stood up and paced away from her, feeling slightly sick. Even if he knew the secrets of the Apostate u’dahmi, it would be out of the question.

  Cassie was silent. Jared turned to look at her. Her brow was furrowed like she was trying to remember something.

  “I’ll save you the trouble of sifting through all that stuff you got from me,” he said harshly. “Possession destroys the host. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. The physical damage is bad enough, but the person who’s ridden is never the same afterward. I won’t do that to you.”

  Cassie’s eyes narrowed. “But you used to do it. Not you personally. I mean Celestials in general. Possession’s not as dangerous when the host is willing. You even called it a ‘high.’ I doubt Dave volunteered. He’d probably fighting Aelziroth. Wouldn’t that give us an advantage?”

  Jared wiped a hand over his face. His fear for her made thinking difficult. It was a reasonable suggestion—if he didn’t care what happened to Cassie. He’d never ridden someone before, and Cassie wasn’t going to be his first. This was one thing he did remember from the Celestial Realm. The potential for hurting her was too great. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to do it. I am not going to use your body to battle someone who wants to kill you. That’s final.”

  Cassie glared at Jared. Yeah, he wanted to protect her, but he didn’t have to be so high-handed about it. Are all Celestials like this? “This is my life we’re talking about. What if you get shot like Gideon? I can’t send you home by myself. You’d die. Who would protect me then?”

  “I can’t use your body without endangering you!” Jared shouted, flinging his arms wide. Fear and anger twisted his features. He hung his head and sucked in a deep breath. A moment later he lifted his eyes back to hers. His voice was steady again. “I couldn’t occupy your body for more than a few hours without hurting you. If I didn’t vanquish Aelziroth completely, you’d be alone, at his mercy.”

  Cassie drew a breath to answer, then stopped. She’d seen something about this when she’d bonded with Jared, but she couldn’t quite grasp the memory. She’d shared his knowledge when all his barriers were down, but she couldn’t always access the information she wanted. “Why?” she asked softly. “What will happen to you?”

  Jared wouldn’t meet her gaze. “It doesn’t matter. Just believe me, please. Possession is too dangerous for you. I’d do it in a second if it would save you, but it’s just too big a risk.”

  Suddenly the knowledge took form, bubbling up from her subconscious. He couldn’t possess her, then reform his body again when he left hers. Not without help from the others. His spirit would be adrift. He’d die unless someone from the other side pulled him back to the Celestial Realm—and that didn’t seem likely at this point.

  Jared must have seen the und
erstanding in her face. “That’s not important.”

  I’d do it in a second…

  She knew he would too. The idiot! He’d kill himself to protect her.

  Memory of her vision flashed through her mind. Jared stumbling and falling in the dark as bullets struck his body.

  Her control snapped, fear fueling her fury. She jumped to her feet, arms rigid, hands clenched. “Not important?” Her voice was shrill. “How dare you!”

  Jared stood and reached for her. Tears welled in Cassie’s eyes as she swung and landed a fist on his solid chest. “Don’t you dare sacrifice yourself for me!” She hit him again with the other fist. “What are you thinking? You won’t risk me, but you think you’re expendable? Well, you’re not!” She landed a third strike. Jared caught her hands, but Cassie continued shouting. “You can just forget about doing anything stupid, you hear? I need you!” Her voice caught on a sob, and Jared pulled her against his chest.

  She struggled, but her arms were trapped. The fear of the last few days boiled up and out of her control. A demon wanted her dead. Her home had been invaded, her car blown up, Linda’s house was a shambles, and her only hope of surviving was Jared, a Celestial who was on the outs with a bunch of stupid, self-righteous morons who couldn’t find their Celestial asses with both hands. *Get your frickin’ act together and help us!* she shouted into the heavens. *Do you hear me?*

  Jared chuckled. *They heard.*

  Cassie sensed Jared’s amusement but she didn’t share it. *And you?*

  *I heard you too.* His warmth flowed around her, into her.

  *But did you listen?* Cassie wondered as her tears slowed.

  “It’s my life and my decision.”

  Cassie heard the resolve in his voice and knew there was no arguing with him.

  She could be stubborn too. “Then I’ll run. I’ll keep running until he gets tired of chasing me. Or until Dave’s body gives out. I won’t let you throw your life away for me.”

  “Aelziroth will find another person to possess. He won’t stop until he finds you. He can’t. That must be why he was summoned. He’s like a tracking dog that’s been put on your scent. He will always find you.”