The Beckoning of Broken Things (The Beckoning Series)
Page 29
She gives each of us a piercing glare. It causes my stomach to lurch.
“As for you,” she says to me, reaching for me with her hands.
I take them and a searing volt of electricity rocks through me, making me want to shriek. Instead, I inhale and exhale deeply, giving Daniel a scorching glance out of the corner of my eye as he suppresses his own laughter.
“You’ve been told the risks, yes?”
For a moment, I’m mesmerized by the glowing words, falling from her mouth, floating about her head like golden fog until they dissipate. I blink and try to focus on what she’s saying. “Uh, yes…yes, I’ve been told the risks.”
“You’ll need to prepare well. Not only will you learn from your consorts…”
Daniel hisses in a sharp rush of air. “There are no consorts. There’s only me.”
The Record Keeper turns her head and glares at him until he stills and appears contrite. She turns back to me. “Not only will you learn from your consorts, you’ll be tutored more from Tom the falconer and from Betty, as well, before your departure.”
I smile and blush. Crazy Betty has let it be known that she wants to adopt me. I politely told her that I had a mother and father, and that although they are dead, they still serve as my parental guides.
“Who’s gonna replace your aunt, then? You don’t need someone throwing you in the loony bin just because she gets her knickers in a twist, now do you?”
“Good point.”
“And this will be more of a Numina adoption. That’s different.”
“Different how?” I’d asked.
“Oh, it’s sort of a sacred trust thing. It would mean I’d be in charge of your supernatural upbringing, the way it should have been done.”
“Supernatural? I thought I was human with a twist.”
“Oh, no, child. You’re bona fide supe. Your daddy, he had himself some skills, too. He just let his flounder.”
“What?” Why do I always find things out in reverse?
“I’ll tell you all about it. But for now we have to get to an emergency Numina meeting. Are you in or out with me adopting you, Numina-style?”
“I’m in. You don’t get to tell me what to do though.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, child. It’s too much fun watching you get into and out of the messes you find yourself in. You’re better then TV.”
I didn’t know whether to thank her or not at that moment, but I’m sure she meant it with warm affection.
“Marissa!”
The Record Keepers voice snaps me back to attention. “Yes, ma’am?” I say, my face becoming a brilliant shade of red.
“Present your dog.”
“Oh. Yes. Sober, come here.”
Sober is none too keen to stand before the Keeper of Time and Records v5.5.1. He’s been huddled behind me the entire meeting.
“Sober, come.” I tug on his leash.
“I’ll do it, Marissa,” a gentle male voice says.
I look up into the blue eyes of my soul bound lover. He sure makes me melt inside.
“We have a bond. Who do you think rescued him from your aunt?”
I feel a whole mess of stuff in that moment - shame, gratitude, confusion, and warmth. “Here,” I say, handing over the leash. “But he’s still mine.”
“Always will be, dulzura,” he says, leaning over to give me a kiss on my cheek.
Who are we talking about? You or my dog?
You’ll just have to find out, won’t you? A mysterious grin spreads across Daniel’s face. He leans over and takes Sober’s muzzle in his hands. Whispers something in Latin to the dog.
Sober stops shivering, stands up proudly, and shakes out his coat as if to say, “I’ve got this.” He looks at Daniel, looks at me, and wanders up to the Record Keeper, his wings unfurled.
Both Crazy Betty and Tom come up to me, standing on either side. They put their arms around me and hold me close. I have to admit, it does feel great to have these two esteemed elders guiding my way. I beam with pride at my dog.
The Record Keeper takes his muzzle in her electric hand.
He yips, jerks away, and cowers, looking back at Daniel.
Daniel’s mouth moves as if he is saying something only the dog can hear. Once more, Sober calms and steps toward the Record Keeper.
Once again, she softly grabs his muzzle. This time he stiffens, but does not pull away. The Record Keeper’s golden light rolls over my dog’s head. It curls around his chest and belly and moves along his back. When it reaches his wings, it combines with Sober’s colors, creating a new, gorgeous hue.
He looks beautiful. Crazy Betty is sniffling beside me. Even Tom clears his throat. My eyes fill with tears.
“You are a warrior dog and Demon Slayer. You are the noble companion to the Light Rebel. Welcome to the Numina,” the ancient woman declares. She releases her hand, but the colors surrounding Sober stay the same.
Sober wags his tail and puts his front paws on her shoulders, licking her face.
“Oh, my,” the great elder says. “Well, this is a nice thank you. Okay. Alright. That’s good.” She almost looks giddy as she gently pushes away my canine from bestowing slurpy kisses.
She pushes her hand into her voluminous skirts and retrieves a golden glowing dog tag. “Son, will you do the honors?” she asks Daniel.
“I’ll be happy to. This dog means as much to me as he does to his owner.” He unbuckles Sober’s collar and quickly affixes the new tag. “Marissa, you should be the one to put it back on,” he says without looking at me.
I move away from Crazy Betty and Tom and stride over to my dog. “Thank you,” I say softly to Daniel.
“You’re welcome.”
Our eyes lock for the briefest of moments and huge waves of feeling, care, and caution are exchanged. Then a calm certainty washes through me. This - this entire thing - the soul binding, falling in love with Rafe, making a decision to go see the three sisters - it is all part of a larger plan than my mind can comprehend. I’ll make a good choice, I just know it. I’ll make the right choice. None of us need to worry or fret about the future.
Daniel nods, as if he understands. His shoulders relax. A loud sigh comes from Rafe’s direction as if he has released something, too. I look over at him, and he smiles. I crouch before my dog and buckle his medal around his neck. His adoring eyes meet mine. “You’re a good, brave dog,” I tell him, tears spilling from my eyes. “You’re the best dog in the whole world.” I grab him and hug him as cheers and celebration erupt all around us.
“Quiet, everyone, quiet!” The Record Keeper’s voice quashes the hubbub with ease. “We have one more ceremony to conduct. Betty? Tom? Would you join us up here?”
The two elder sorcerers stride regally up to the Record Keeper.
“Light Rebel, join hands with these two.”
I take their hands, and we form a triangle. Light sears between us all, fusing our hands, our minds, our bodies, and our hearts. It’s a strange synthesis of our combined energy.
“From this day forth, Tom and Betty are your sacred guardians. You exist in a trinity.”
The minute she says the word “trinity,” a gushing fountain of light erupts between us.
Crazy Betty throws back her head and laughs. “Oh, my, child, I never knew it would be this fun to adopt you. Oh, my! We’ve done it now. We’ve combined our energies. Can you feel it, honey girl?”
I scrunch my face and smile at her. She’s beaming at me. I feel suddenly shy and awkward. I mean, I worked with her for years when I had a job at PS Publishing, but now she has an official capacity in my life as more of a mom-type and a spiritual guide. And Tom? A few weeks ago, he scared the bejeezus out of me. Now I recognize him for what he is…sort of. Truth is, I don’t really know him all that well but I’m about to, that’s for sure. Right now he’s glowing white and gold and a pale, shimmery blue and he’s got a dopey, beatific look on his face. Betty is turning her head from me to him, smiling so big it’s like she’s
got a dinner plate in her mouth. I shake my head. I can’t help but laugh. As if to bless the moment, two ghostlike apparitions swirl out of the column of light between us.
“Mom?” I say, my eyes filling instantly with tears. “Dad?”
“Yes, it’s us,” my mom says, but she doesn’t really say anything. It’s like I hear her in my head, whispering like an angel.
“We’re so proud of you,” my dad says in the same manner. “We’re here for you. We’ll be with you on your journey.”
“Really?” I blubber like I’m a child. I sound like I’m back at 15 years old, an awkward, shy, happy girl. It’s like I’m the girl I was before they left this world. “Where’s here?”
Mom throws out her arms. “Right here, darling. Wherever you are, we’re a breath away.”
“We love you so much,” my dad chimes in my head.
“Yes, we love you. Let your choices be informed by love, and you’ll do just fine.”
As quickly as they appeared, they begin to evaporate. “Wait! I have some questions for you!” I call to their disappearing forms. But I’m too late. They’ve already disappeared.
I take a huge, shuddering sigh and wipe my eyes with my shoulders, still clutching Tom and Betty’s hands. They each give me a squeeze.
“And there it is. We’re done!” Crazy Betty says. She envelopes me in her chocolate chip cookie fragrance and warm, bosomy embrace. “Get over here, you old coot,” she says to Tom. “Give our girl here a welcoming hug.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Tom says.
He still sounds a little bit choked up. He pats me on the back vigorously.
“That’s my girl,” he says. “There you go. That’s my girl.”
I look up to witness the Numina begin to fade. One by one, they disappear into the ethers until only the Record Keeper, Tom, Betty, Rafe, Daniel, me, and Sober remain.
The Keeper of Time and Records v5.5.1 places her hand over her heart and gazes at me with infinite wisdom and timeless love. She bows her head and disappears.
Crazy Betty steps back away from me. “This will be so fun! I’m so excited to be your…your…your crazy guide in this journey.”
I bite my lips and smile.
Tom clears his throat. “Well. We’ll be seeing you around. I expect you over real soon to work with Beelzebub. He’s got a surprise for you.”
I groan. “What, I get to watch him take down a cat?”
Tom splutters with laughter. “You’re a funny one, that’s for sure. Nope, I said it’s a surprise, and we wouldn’t want to spoil old Beelzebub’s surprise. He gets a mite puckish when I do that.”
He leans over and kisses my cheek, making me blush like a BBQ pit of glowing briquettes. Betty plants a kiss on my other cheek. She scoops down to pick up her ghost dog, Buddy and waves as the three of them fade into nothingness.
I’m left standing with Daniel on the right of me and Rafe on the left.
“Well?” I say.
“That’s an understatement,” Daniel grouses.
“Oh, get your britches untwisted. If she’s yours, I’m not going to be stupid about it,” Rafe grumbles. “No, not the big, bad Night Numen who gets all the attention. He always gets what he wants even if it’s through devious means.”
“Yeah? Well, you were stupid when you fell in love with her.”
“Yeah, well, who soul bound her without asking?”
“Yeah, well who’s going to try to destroy her if he hasn’t had his fix? What kind of love is that?”
As the two men continue to bicker, I affix the leash to my dog’s collar, and we wander off to start prepping for our adventure. Boys will be boys. I’m sure not looking forward to this journey, but I doubt either of them are either. But wait. Actually, I’m really looking forward to this journey. It’s not often you find out you’re a Light Rebel, you still have a mess of skills to discover, and you’re in love with two of the most badass, powerful men on the planet. Betty’s right - this is going to be fun.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue