Published by Laura Kreitzer at Smashwords
KEEPERS
A TIMELESS NOVELLA
LAURA KREITZER
Revolution Publishing Inc.
KEEPERS: A TIMELESS NOVELLA
Copyright © 2012 by Laura Kreitzer
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
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ISBN E-Book: 9781937790042
BOOKS BY LAURA KREITZER
Timeless Series
Shadow of the Sun
Soul Stalker
Abyss
Keepers: A Timeless Novella
Fallen Legion
(2012)
Halo of the Sun
(2013)
Summer Chronicles
Phantom Universe
Forsaken Harbor
Burning Falls
(2012)
Silent Forest
(2013)
KEEPERS: A TIMELESS NOVELLA
For Jenna Jepson.
If all women were as brave and selfless as you,
the world would be a more beautiful place.
Never forget that.
Wickedness sucks in the greater part of its own
venom, and poisons itself therewith.
—Michel de Montaigne
CHAPTER 1: KICK THE BUCKET
Time is a precious gift. I recently figured that out—more like it’d been forcibly thrown in my face like a mud pie. Today was another example to drive the point home, just in case I didn’t get it the first time. I stood at the foot of my best friend Gabriella’s gravesite, a myriad of emotions bombarding me. For whatever reason, I had an overwhelming urge to laugh, which was either ludicrous or, for some people, made perfect sense. Using my best judgment, I held it in.
“An entire lifetime buried under a ton of dirt and topped with an engraved rock,” Gabriella comically remarked as her hand glided over her tombstone. “Now I know I can be a pain, but this is a bit over the top, isn’t it?” She turned to me and grinned.
“I don’t think joking is appropriate,” I said, eyeing Gabriella’s sister Jenna for any negative reactions. Though who really knew what was appropriate for this kind of situation?
“Oh, Joseph. If anyone has a right to joke, it’s me,” Gabriella said in a sing-song voice. “I was the one who kicked the bucket, after all.”
“Kicked the bucket?” asked Andrew in his Italian accent. His expression was confused, while mine remained amused.
“It means I died,” Gabriella explained, as if this was normal. Hah.
Oh, no. This conversation wasn’t at all macabre. Not in the least.
Jenna laughed, a mixture of emotions that could only be described as hysteria. Andrew’s stare traveled back and forth between the two, looking as if he wanted to join in with Jenna. None of us wanted to relive the memories of Gabriella’s funeral.
“Sorry,” Gabriella said. “Either I go through this with a sense of humor or you’re going to see me cry.”
Andrew reached for her hand—he did that a lot. By their facial expressions, I knew they were having one of their mind-to-mind communications. I didn’t know if I should have been upset or grateful for their silent conversation.
“Then humor it is,” Jenna exclaimed. “When Gabby cries, there’s snot and eye boogers, and no one wants to see that. Trust me.” Got to give it to Jenna; she could make a joke out of anything.
At that, we smiled. Gabriella, however, visibly winced at the nickname Gabby, which only made me want to use it more often.
The gravediggers were in the process of removing Gabby’s (hah-hah) empty coffin and tombstone. People had complained that their loved ones’ gravesites were being destroyed by the hundreds of thousands of tourists that morbidly wanted to take their picture with Gabby’s grave. Now that she’d exposed herself as an angel, along with Andrew and the other angels, anything and everything that had to do with them had become a commodity. The cemetery Gabriella was supposedly buried in had to go on lockdown. To appease the owners and stop the outcry of the survivors of those buried there, Gabriella agreed to let them remove the empty casket and tombstone.
I wrapped my arm around Jenna and pulled her close. I bent down and whispered in her ear, “You realize this is where we first met?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how messed up it was for me to bring this up. Too late now.
She glanced up with her big, green eyes and smiled woefully. “How could I forget?” A second passed, and the dejection left her face as her grin widened. “Especially that kiss.” She snuggled into me.
Ah, yes. The kiss. How could I forget that? I returned the smile, remembering when I stopped by Jenna’s to check on her after Gabby’s funeral. A bottle of wine and many tears later ended in a kiss I couldn’t shake from my memory—one I didn’t want to forget. When I found out Gabriella had written letters to Jenna explaining everything but was afraid to send them because Jenna thought she was dead, I took it upon myself to mail them. So maybe it had been selfish of me to send them to Jenna without Gabriella’s permission, but I wanted so desperately to rid Jenna of her tears. And, okay, I’d hoped Jenna would hop on the first flight to D.C., which she did.
To this day, I did not regret it.
“Do we need to stay for this?” Gabby asked. She turned to the owner of the cemetery. He stared wide-eyed at the two angels. He’d been so quiet this entire time I’d forgotten he was even there.
“Sir?” Andrew stepped forward, as if he wanted to poke him out of his stupefied state. The owner remained silent, still gawking.
Andrew and Gabriella exchanged an amused look, and then their wings simultaneously burst from their backs and spread wide. They were pearly white and sparkled in the sun. That snapped the owner out of his daze, and he stumbled back.
“Yeah. Yes, yes, of course you can leave,” the owner stuttered out. His eyes never left the brilliant glow of the angels’ wings.
I hid my laughter.
As we left the cemetery, Gabby bumped my shoulder and thanked me. It wasn’t like I’d actually done anything helpful, but I was glad to be there for her. I knew coming back to Oregon would be hard for her. We made our way between graves and to her car. She drove a cherry red Subaru, and the inside was just as immaculate as her house. Jenna and Gabby didn’t share the cleaning trait. Jenna lived life chaotically, and it showed, which was another thing I loved about her. Jenna was a wild, passionate tornado who ripped through my life and left a mark deep in my soul. Andrew and Jenna returned to Gabriella’s house while Gabriella and I ran errands, which included paying bills and signing papers over to her alter ego to keep her house as low-key as possible considering all the publicity she was getting.
Gabriella and I were quiet for most of the dr
ive back to her house. Memories of the past week made my mood grow somber. When we returned to the States after everything that had happened in Italy, President Lansberry congratulated us during a televised press conference that was shown all over the world.
After Avella was decimated, and the invisible barrier the Ladies of Light had placed around the city was destroyed, the world witnessed the devastation left behind. Images had been playing on the news for a week. People were finally able to understand the true threat the Ladies and the Empyrean Guard posed. There was a flood of support from individuals and several countries pledging their help in future battles. It came in the form of televised announcements, calls to President Lansberry, and even attempts to contact the angels directly. The angels’ popularity was quickly surpassing that of any other public figure.
We pulled into Gabby’s driveway. Waves crashed against the shore in a soothing cadence, and I was envious of the beautiful ocean view. A little girl’s playful scream and a loud bark broke the harmony, and Gabby grinned as she got out of the car. She ran toward the beach, and I followed. I knew Jenna had brought Gabriella’s dog to the beach house, but I decided not to tell her. A medium-sized black dog turned to face us. His tail went down, and he crouched defensively. It made me freeze in place, but not Gabby.
“Hercules!” she shouted.
The dog rose, and his tail flew up and wagged. He ran toward Gabriella, his body wiggling every which way as he tried to contain his glee. Everyone on the beach pivoted to watch the reunion of dog and owner. It was rare to see her this happy, and I couldn’t hide my smile. Jenna and Firen looked as if they’d been in a deep conversation before that, and Andrew and Jules were covered in sand. Jenna came over as we watched Gabby love on Hercules.
“Hey,” Jenna greeted. We hugged, and I inhaled the scent of tomato sauce. She loved her pasta. “Dinner’s almost ready. I just came out to check on Jules.” Her voice lowered. “The gifts are in the guest bedroom.”
I nodded. “Good. I know Gabby will be surprised.” I glanced up to see Gabriella shaking a hand in Andrew’s hair. Sand flew everywhere. “Not sure how Andrew will react, though.”
“With grace, I’m sure,” Jenna said.
I looked back at Jenna. “You’re probably right.”
The sun was setting, so everyone went inside. The house smelled delicious, and on top of the stove were two baking dishes of lasagna. Jenna had already set the table.
“What’s the special occasion?” Gabby asked, eyeing the food. With everything going on today, we hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Where food’s involved, we don’t need an occasion,” Jenna said. “Just ask Joseph.”
“It’s true,” I agreed. “Eating should always be an affair.”
After we ungraciously stuffed our faces with Jenna’s delectable meal, I excused myself from the table. On the guest bed were three wrapped boxes. Gabby had poked fun at me for owning one of these since we first met, so I thought it only appropriate she be given the chance to own one herself. Everyone went silent when they saw the gifts. Jules bounced in Firen’s lap as if it were her birthday.
“What’s this?” Gabby asked, looking skeptical.
“Just a thank you gift,” I said.
She shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”
“Yes it is.” I shoved a box in her hands. I handed the second one to Andrew, and his eyebrows rose in surprise. “I owe you my life,” I told him. “So don’t look so surprised.”
Andrew accepted it with grace, just as Jenna predicted. I placed the third box in the middle of the table.
“Who’s that for?” Jules asked, still bouncing excitedly.
“If you eat everything on your plate, you can have it,” I said, grinning. I knew it wasn’t a wise idea to bring gifts without giving Jules one too.
Jules shoveled food into her mouth, giving herself a tomato sauce mustache. Gabriella still held the box, checking it over and shaking it.
“What is it?” she wondered.
“Open it, Aunt Gab-ella,” Jules demanded through a mouthful of food. Firen held up a napkin, but Jules ignored it.
“We don’t talk with our mouths full,” Jenna scolded her. Jules was too busy scarfing down the rest of her food to say another word. Jenna rolled her eyes, something she and Gabby both did quite often.
Gabriella pulled the strings of the bow and ripped open the wrapping paper. Andrew followed her lead. She stared at the box for a few seconds, then her eyes found mine.
“No,” Gabriella said in disbelief. She suspiciously watched my expression to see if this was a trick. “No,” she repeated. “What’s really inside this box?”
Andrew twisted his box around, reading the outside. His face was so serious that I worried I’d offended him. Then his lips twitched. He glanced up at Gabby, and they had another one of their mind-to-mind conversations.
“Hey, none of that,” I said and stepped between them.
Gabriella tore through the box and pulled out the shiny phone still wrapped in plastic. “Joseph.” Her voice was awed. “You shouldn’t have.” She stood and hugged me.
My breath left me in a whoosh of air. “Can’t. Breathe.”
“Oh, sorry.” She backed away. “Thank you so much.”
“This is the Miracle Phone?” Andrew asked from behind me.
I laughed. “Allegedly.”
“This is a generous gift. I do not deserve it.”
Jenna mouthed, “I told you so,” from behind Andrew. He held his hand out, and I accepted.
Andrew and I weren’t exactly sharing bunk beds like best of friends, but he’d proven himself a true warrior in Italy. Plus, he tried to save my life when the Soul Stalker had gutted me, even though Gabriella was hurt too. I knew he mostly did it for her, but who was I to complain? A hero was a hero, no matter his motivation.
Gabriella turned on the phone. I’d already had it activated with a blocked number to help protect her from the media. The only reason her house wasn’t swarming with news vans and tourists was because I had the title of the house transferred into the fake identity the FBI had given her in the fall. Now that all the bills were also being sent to her alter ego, I hoped our visit would remain an uneventful one.
“I have thirty messages already!” she exclaimed.
That pulled me up short. Had the media already figured out her number? There was no way. I made sure of it. Before I could dwell on it for too long, Gabby held the phone to her ear and listened to the voicemails. She grinned, rolled her eyes, and shook her head as they played. Andrew had a similar expression on his face.
“They’re all from Chris,” Gabby explained, noticing my questioning look.
I grinned. Of course! Chris was an Empyrean Guard who’d gone rogue. After Gabriella saved his life by healing him, he’d made it his purpose in life to protect her. He’d wanted to come to Oregon with us, but he was already conspicuous enough considering his massive size and Greek god choice of clothes. Gabriella politely asked him to stay behind until she returned, and he reluctantly agreed. Before we left D.C., though, I gave Chris the number to contact her. I warned him she wouldn’t answer until I gave her the phone, but that clearly hadn’t stop him from trying.
“Nothing’s wrong, right?” I wondered, worried about the number of messages. Andrew had a direct mental link to all the Halo of the Sun and Guardians, so we’d know right away if something were wrong. However, Chris was neither of those and therefore couldn’t mentally warn Andrew. I’d decided not to give Chris my number, knowing he would call every five minutes to check on Gabriella. Had I made a mistake?
Gabby shook her head. “He’s just worrying about me, that’s all.”
With how overprotective he was—more than any of us—I wasn’t that surprised he’d called. But to leave thirty messages? Gabriella had more patience than me, that was for sure. Andrew never said a word about it, at least not that I’d heard. He learned quickly, as had I, that you don’t argue with Gabriella. Well, you cou
ld, but why? She could argue any point and make you believe it. She could probably sell ice to an Eskimo.
“Out of thirty messages, two were from Mom and Dad. The rest were Chris,” Gabriella said as she lowered the phone.
“They called me too,” Jenna informed.
“Yeah? I should probably call them back.” Gabriella excused herself from the table.
Firen had stayed quiet during our exchange, though that was normal. Jules sat in her lap as Firen wiped her tomato-stained mouth.
“I ate everything!” Jules exclaimed. “Can I have my present now?”
“Of course.” I handed it to her.
Jules ripped into it and held up the plastic DVD case. “Charlie Brown!” she squealed. “Momma, momma, momma! Can I watch it now?”
Jenna looked amused. “Sure, sweetie.”
The rest of the night was uneventful until about three in the morning. The doorbell rang. Firen and Andrew beat me to the door. It was a reporter. I feared this might happen, even though the house wasn’t technically Gabriella’s on paper.
Here we go.
CHAPTER 2: PUT A SOCK IN IT
It was official: I needed a larger house. When I moved to D.C., I knew one day I would want a family, so I made sure to keep that in mind when I went house hunting. However, I had not predicted that a group of immortals would be taking up residence in my extra bedrooms for a few days. Exhaling a heavy breath, I collapsed onto the couch in my living room. Next to me, Jenna smiled. She looked just as exhausted as I felt. After a quick trip through a portal from Oregon, thanks to Lucia’s gift, we’d spent the majority of the day dividing bedrooms and trying to find enough blankets for everyone.
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