by G. P. Ching
Abigail tossed her arms around his neck and fell into him, as ungracefully as she’d ever moved. “Yes. Oh yes, it’s enough. I know this won’t be easy, but we wouldn’t know what to do with our lives if it was, would we?”
He planted a kiss on her lips that left her feeling dizzy and more than interested in exploring the electric tingle in her belly. But the group of Soulkeepers who had gathered on the porch had other ideas.
Malini clapped her hands and whistled. “Hey, time to wrap up this mission, you two.”
Her face strangely hot, Abigail nodded and followed her into the house, hand in hand with her soul mate.
* * * * *
Abigail stood in the circle of Soulkeepers feeling oddly out of place. She couldn’t pass through the wall to get to the tower anymore, so the group gathered in the parlor. Lillian, Jacob, and Jesse stood near the fireplace but there was no fire. Without sorcery, it would take too long to light it. The twins sat on the sofa, hand in hand.
“I want all of you to know that the humans at Fermilab got out safely,” Malini began. “Mara made sure that the timing of the collapse allowed them to escape to the main parking lot. None of them remembers anything. After being influenced for so long, it will be days before they’re truly back to normal.”
“What about the hole? Do we need to find a way to cover it up?”
“No need. They’re calling it a sinkhole, a natural geological occurrence. The government shut down the Tevatron last September. No one was supposed to be in there anyway, so they’re not looking too closely at the damage.”
Awkwardly, Abigail stepped forward and gestured to get Malini’s attention. She had nothing to offer but her human wits and the bit of information she’d gathered from her time in Lucifer’s inner circle.
“What is it, Abigail? Just speak out, like we always do.”
She lowered her head. “Right. There are more, like Stephanie. The Watchers have been collecting people all year. There are six warehouses of humans as far as Colorado.” The passion in her voice increased with every word. “We have to free them before Lucifer has a chance to recover and take them to Nod.”
“You know where these warehouses are?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. We’ll split,” Malini said. “Abigail, I want you to create a map of each location and assign a small team of Soulkeepers of your choosing to each. Tomorrow, we act on your plan. For now, everyone break. Get some rest.” Malini looked at Abigail expectantly.
After a few moments, she got the hint. “You are all welcome to help yourself to a room upstairs.” She spread her hands and glanced at the faces around the parlor.
There was a clatter of movement and appreciative gestures. The room emptied, aside from Gideon and Malini, who frantically texted on her phone.
“Grace and Master Lee are still in Arizona,” Malini said. “They haven't answered my last text. We need someone to return to Eden to tell Dane and Ethan what’s going on. We’ll need Ethan for the mission, and if Dane’s strong enough, it’s time for him to go home to his family. The Michaels have been destroyed since he went missing.”
“What about the last Soulkeeper?” Gideon asked.
Malini frowned. “The person is from Sedona, Arizona. I only had a first name, Cheveyo. I couldn’t get an exact location and I’m not even sure if they are male or female. I didn’t get the details of their search before we lost service but they confirmed they’re giving up and coming home.”
“Do you want me to pop down there and make sure they’re okay?” Gideon asked, and then seemed to realize his mistake. “Oh, I can’t anymore. Sorry, Malini.”
“Don’t worry, Gideon. Grace’s last text indicated she was on a trail in the mountains. Terrible cell service there. I’m sure if we give her and Lee some time, they’ll find their way back to us.”
Nodding, Gideon rubbed Abigail’s shoulder. “I’m going to go upstairs and take a long, hot, human shower.”
Malini smiled. “I highly recommend it.”
He walked down the hall and rounded the banister.
“What’s on your mind, Abigail?” Malini asked, once he was out of sight.
Flopping down on the sofa, she let out a deep sigh. “I don’t think you should use me for this. It’s not like before. I have no power.”
Malini leaned forward, meeting Abigail’s stare. “Is that what’s bothering you? You feel weak and powerless?”
“That and I’m not a Soulkeeper. I don’t belong here anymore. Even my own house feels foreign. I’m not the same person. I’m vulnerable and clumsy. You shouldn’t trust me with something as important as this.”
Malini placed her small, brown hand on top of Abigail’s. “If anything, I trust you more.” Malini shook her head and walked to the window. “When you were a Watcher, I always wondered if you were truly loyal to the cause. You helped us, but I always had this feeling that you were only in it for you. I didn’t know for sure what you would do today on the platform. I saw three possible futures, and let’s just say this was the happiest of outcomes.”
“If you didn’t know what I would do, why did you turn yourself over? If I’d performed the sacrifice, you might be dead.”
“You could say I was increasing the odds of a favorable outcome. I had a gut feeling about you. I don’t think you could perform an act that evil in front of Jacob. I wanted you to know he was there, that he was watching. I knew it would break your heart for him to see the evil in you.”
Abigail rested her head in her hands. “You were right, of course, but I’d made my decision long before that. When I saw Dane in Hell, I couldn’t bear it. After he’d helped us the way he did and I knew how much his death would weigh on your hearts, I had to take action, even if it meant losing myself.”
Turning back toward the parlor, the last rays of twilight framed Malini’s torso. “And that’s why I trust you. That type of selflessness is hard to find.”
“But—”
“I don’t need your sorcery. I need your true strength.”
“But—”
“Your true strength, Abigail, is your heart, your mind, and your brand-new soul. Someone like you who has come so far, who has journeyed through Hell and chosen a life of faith, is the most useful of all. It’s easy to choose what’s right when right is your only choice. You’ve seen the evil that could be and rejected it. I need you. I need your experiences.”
Abigail leaned back against the sofa, hugging herself. Malini’s words rang true. After staring into the face of evil, Abigail was sure she would never go back there. Lucifer wouldn’t waste his time trying to tempt her again. He knew what she was capable of now.
“Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll make the maps and build the teams.”
Malini approached and sat down next to her. “There’s more.” She placed her hands around Abigail’s. “I want you to teach the Soulkeepers. No one understands Watchers like you. Nobody understands evil like you. Lillian is a Horseman and belongs in the field. She’s never been comfortable running Eden and we are going to need her here when Lucifer regroups. I want you, and Gideon if he’ll agree, to run the school and help us teach the new Soulkeepers.”
Abigail’s mouth fell open. “Can I … go there?”
“You can. Dane made it through and so can you. I’ve seen it.”
“Then, yes, Malini. Yes. I will gladly share what I know with the Soulkeepers. I’ll talk to Gideon. I’m sure he’ll help, too.”
“Welcome to the team, Dr. Abigail Silva, human and honorary Soulkeeper.” Malini shook her hand formally and then pulled her into an embrace.
For the second time that day, Abigail’s heart swelled with gratitude for the new life she’d chosen.
* * * * *
A single red candle burned on her dresser, barely illuminating the room that was now too dark for her tastes. Behind the bathroom door, the groan of the pipes shutting off preceded the clank of the shower door. Drawers opened and closed and bottles clanked together. Gideon.
“You look beautiful.” Gideon’s voice was all gravel, low and rough.
She spun around. Framed by the bathroom light, he adjusted the towel wrapped around his waist. Stray drops of water lingered on his broad chest. With his hair slicked back, his left eyebrow was slightly lower than the right, a human imperfection she hadn't noticed before. Somehow it made her heart beat faster and her fingers ache to touch him. Human feelings didn't make sense, but she liked them.
“I didn’t know you were watching.”
“I wasn’t. Good timing I guess.” The corner of his mouth twitched.
Her insides fluttered. A hot tingle rose up her chest to her cheeks. She smiled. “It used to be if I didn’t like something about my body, I could snap my fingers and change it. I guess this is me now. This is the only body I have.”
“It’s a good body. You’re perfect, just as you are.”
She stepped closer, suddenly nervous. She forgot to breathe. When she remembered, her breath was too loud and shaky. Padding on bare feet, she traversed the space between them and placed her palms on his bare chest.
He closed his eyes. Warm hands found her face. Thumbs traced her mouth.
She met him halfway. Full lips. Warm breath. The kiss was soft at first, searching. Every sensation was sharp enough to cut to her soul. He pulled her closer, until her nightgown pressed into his chest.
Gideon’s touch used to cause a painful, blistering burn. The fire he ignited now didn’t hurt. It was a different burn, the dull, hot ache a woman feels for a man. As his fingers threaded into her hair, she rose up on her toes, her hands gripping his shoulders. She wanted to be consumed by this fire. She couldn't get enough of it.
Chapter 35
Mara and Henry
For Mara, time had no meaning anymore. Inside her glass house in the In Between, she played the universe like a musical instrument. The planets and stars spun at her fingertips. Galaxies expanded or contracted at her will. She didn’t know why Aldric thought this would be difficult. For her, it was as easy as breathing. For her, it was what she was born to do.
Of course, she had a faint memory of difficulty. An eternity ago she’d had to learn to keep the planets spinning at different speeds. She’d practiced splitting herself and visiting Earth during specific periods of time. But for her, the past, present, and future were as one. She was beginner, novice, and expert, all in the same immortal body. And with a hand in everything, it was easy for her to help the Soulkeepers.
A crystal tube spanned floor to ceiling in the center of her palace, the result of lightning striking the sands of time. The shiny black crystal glinted in the sunlight. Mara concentrated, and soon images played out across the glass.
Jacob and his mom broke into a warehouse in Ohio. The faces of skeletal-thin prisoners beamed as the Horsemen killed the Watchers and wrestled the human guards to the ground. Mara clapped her hands. The human captives were freed by the authorities who swept in, anonymously tipped off by the team who had done the real work, the Soulkeepers.
The scenario played out again and again: Ethan and Jesse in Colorado and then Indiana. The twins in New Orleans and then Mississippi. By the time Jacob and Lillian reached the sixth warehouse, the remaining Watchers had fled. Mara giggled. Left without instructions by the Watchers, the influenced human captors gave up without a fight. The Soulkeepers had won this round.
Smiling at her work, she walked to the wall of her glass estate, thinking about all the people returning to their human homes. Proud of the part she’d played in it, she looked out across the blowing sand. There was something she was forgetting. Something important.
Where the sand collected into a dune, a pale gray horse with a straight-backed rider stood watching over her realm. Henry. Splitting herself, she arrived on the dune behind Reaper, dressed in a silver gown and heels.
“Hello, Henry.”
The horse startled, and then pranced in a circle at the rider’s coaxing. Henry slid down from the saddle in front of her.
“Mara, do you remember me?”
The corner of her mouth twisted skyward. “Just because I became Time and have a universe to control, doesn't mean I would forget the love of my life—er, death.”
His eyes wrinkled at the corners. “I thought I’d have to move on to see you again.”
“I changed the rules.”
“I see that.” Henry slid his gloved fingers over the ends of the leather reins. “Excellent work saving the world.”
“It was the least I could do. I’ll always be a Soulkeeper at heart, after all.”
He stepped forward, until the front of his riding coat skimmed her dress. “Mara, I know you have your own place here, and your own immortality, but I was wondering if you might like to share mine again. Or we could meet in the middle. Maybe a picnic, or a hunt. I miss you, Mara. I want to pick up where we left off.”
She placed her hands on his chest and leaned into him, brushing her cheek against his. Her lips found his ear and her eyelids fluttered closed. “Mmmm. I want to pick up exactly where we left off.”
When she pulled back, they were in his darkened room. Henry raised his eyebrows and the candles flamed to life. She wrestled the riding jacket from his shoulders and kissed him hard, her lips frantic and needing. In one smooth motion, he scooped his hands under her, wrapping her legs around his hips, and slammed her back against the stone wall. What might have bruised her human body merely ignited her immortal one. She pulled him closer.
“I love you, Mara.” Henry's hot breath caressed her ear.
“I love you, too, Henry. Today, tomorrow, and always.”
Epilogue
Behind the doors of their cheery yellow home, Carolyn sipped her coffee across from John, who flipped through the Paris Daily newspaper. Only a day ago, they'd returned from their cruise, but Carolyn had worked hard to catch up on the town gossip.
“It’s a miracle, John. The Westcotts got their daughter back!”
“Uhuh.” John sipped his coffee and turned the page.
“Martha said that Stephanie Westcott doesn't remember a single thing that happened to her. Well, of course, they took her to the doctor. She’s lost a bunch of weight but she’s gonna be fine. Strange though about the not remembering.”
“Uhuh.”
“Dane Michaels came home, too. Just showed up on Luke and Mary’s doorstep. Well, the boy was half starved to death but he’s going to be okay, too. Guess what, John? Guess what?”
“What, Carolyn?”
“He doesn’t remember a thing either. Not a thing. Neither one of them can remember anything that happened while they were gone.”
“Uhuh.”
“It sure is a blessing they are home.” She took a long sip from her coffee mug and allowed her eyes to wander across the street. That man was there again with Abigail. What was his name? Gideon. He didn’t ever seem to leave. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the place where the couple sat on the dark blue porch.
“Lillian couldn’t remember either,” John said from behind his paper, bringing Carolyn back to their conversation.
She lowered her voice. “You are right about that, John, and she was missing for over a year.” Leaning her chubby face against her palm, she drummed her fingers on the table. She sat up straighter in her chair. “I think I know what’s going on here.”
John lowered his paper and met her eager stare. “Are you going to tell me?”
“Aliens.”
With a snort, John returned to his paper.
“Alien abduction, John. It’s just like that movie Fire in The Sky. They probably did all sorts of tests on Stephanie, Dane, and Lillian that we’ll never know about. Tests to see if the aliens could survive on our planet. Anal pr
obing. Then they wiped their memories clean.”
John chuckled.
Carolyn banged her fist on the table. “What other explanation could there possibly be?” she squealed.
Flattening the paper on the table, John flipped back to the front page. In bold font across the top, it read, FBI THWARTS HUMAN TRAFFICKING. John read the story aloud. “The largest human trafficking ring ever found in the United States was toppled yesterday when government officials freed hundreds of people from six warehouse prisons. Working on an anonymous tip, authorities reportedly stormed the warehouses and apprehended twelve suspects. Adding to the mystery surrounding the tip, the suspects were found incapacitated upon arrival and a few of the captives had already been freed. Hundreds of others have been reconnected with family members. Authorities speculate that the captives had been drugged, as none of them have any memory of their time missing.”
Carolyn stared at John blankly. “I guess that would explain things.” She laughed. “Martha is going to be so disappointed it wasn’t aliens.”
It was John's turn to laugh. “That hat she wore to church last month looked like it was alien enough, I’ll tell you that much.”
“Oh, John.” Carolyn slapped his arm playfully.
He flipped back to the sports section until Carolyn’s hand grabbed his arm and shook. “John, look. Abigail’s crossing the street. She has a letter in her hand. Do you think the postman brought us another cruise?”
John shrugged and pushed his chair back from the table. By the time Abigail reached the porch, they were standing in the open door.
“Good morning, Abigail. How are you today?” John asked.
“I’m well.” Abigail held out a beige monogrammed envelope. “I have something for you two.”
“Is it another cruise?” Carolyn quipped.
