Devoted (Book Two, Caylin's Story)

by S. J. West

  “Caylin,” I hear Aiden say, forcing me to lift my gaze and look up at his face.

  I find him peering at me over his shoulder with a look of amusement.

  “Yes?” I ask, only a little embarrassed that Aiden caught me staring at that portion of his body.

  “I asked if you wanted some of this chicken,” he says grinning for all he’s worth. “Unless there’s something else that’s caught your eye that you would rather have?”

  Yep, he said it. And we both know exactly what he means. But, I refuse to blush or feel embarrassed for admiring everything Aiden has to offer me.

  “Why yes, Aiden,” I tell him, “something else did catch my eye, but I’ll settle for the chicken for now.”

  Aiden’s smile falters slightly as he continues to stare at me, and I know I’ve caught him off guard by my flirting. But, his smile soon returns and is even brighter than before. He turns to me with a spatula in his hand holding a piece of the smothered chicken and sets it on my plate.

  “Maybe we can do something about the other thing that caught your eye later,” he murmurs so no one around us can overhear.

  “Is that a promise?” I ask.

  Again, his smile grows even brighter, if that’s possible.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he says and turns away with a faint patch of red dappling his cheeks.

  I think that’s the second time I’ve made Aiden blush today. I have to admit I’m quite pleased with myself for accomplishing such a feat. I wouldn’t have thought someone with his experiences would blush that easily just from a little innocent flirting.

  Aiden and I decide to sit and eat with my family instead of at the wedding party table. I feel like it’s important for Aiden to realize he’s a part of us now and the best way to do that is to treat him like he’s already a member of my family. In my mind, he became a member the first night he came over for dinner, but I’m not sure how everyone else feels about it. Though, from the way my Aunt Tara fawns over him, I have a feeling she’s of the same mind as me and wants him to feel comfortable around us.

  My dad even seems to have accepted Aiden’s permanent place in our family and makes an effort by striking up a conversation about the house Aiden built for us in Colorado. It’s a home I want to go back to, but I know it isn’t safe just yet. Not until we put the Princes of Hell in stasis at any rate. Everything seems to hinge on doing that, and I feel even more determined to get it done as quickly as possible.

  I notice my mother looks a bit reserved during the meal, even sad considering the happy occasion we’re supposed to be celebrating. I can only imagine she’s thinking about what needs to be done and about Uncle Malcolm. I had hoped Anna’s words to her would have relieved her of the guilt she feels concerning Uncle Malcolm’s role in the future of our family, but I can tell they haven’t.

  I’m not the only one who observes her uncharacteristic behavior. I see Uncle Malcolm staring at her with a worried expression on his face. He’s sitting on the other side of me, tapping his index finger against the top of the table as he watches my mother closely.

  While we’re eating a piece of the wedding cake, Uncle Malcolm leans over to me and whispers in my ear, “What’s wrong with your mother? Did something happen in Heaven that upset her?”

  “No,” I whisper back, “nothing bad happened in Heaven. She seemed really happy to see Utha Mae again.”

  “Oh,” Uncle Malcolm says, “maybe that’s it. Her death hit your mother pretty hard when it happened. It took her a long time to recover from it.”

  “Plus she’s pregnant with twins,” I remind him. “I’m sure that’s not helping her emotional state any.”

  “True,” Uncle Malcolm says but doesn’t sound convinced as he sits back in his chair and keeps an ever watchful eye on my mother.

  “It’s time for the happy couple to dance the first dance!”

  Mama Lynn’s announcement draws everyone’s attention, and we watch as Faison and Zack take to the dance floor. A stage has been set up on the far end of the tent, and I recognize the band standing on it as being Chandler’s. Chandler takes to the stage and begins to sing one of his love songs for the happy couple to dance their first dance to as husband and wife.

  Jess and Mason soon join them and other couples trickle in to fill the dance floor.

  Aiden stands and holds his hand out to me.

  “Can I have the pleasure of dancing with you?” He asks me.

  I smile and place my hand into his.

  “You can have the pleasure of dancing every dance with me today,” I tell him as I stand from the table.

  Aiden takes me into his arms when we reach the dance floor, and I can’t help but sigh my contentment.

  “I like it when you do that,” he tells me, looking down at me with a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

  “Do what?” I ask.

  “Sigh like that,” he answers. “It’s a happy sound, and I like you happy.”

  “My life is close to perfect,” I tell him. “All we have to do is trap the princes. Then, our life is our own.”

  Aiden smiles fully. “And I like it when you talk like that. You say ‘our’ a lot.”

  “Well, of course I say it a lot,” I tell him, wondering why he looks so amazed that I do. “I can’t imagine doing anything in my life without you being by my side. Can you?”

  Aiden shakes his head. “No. I can’t imagine my future without you in it.”

  “Then there you go,” I tell him. “This is our life now. And I want our life to be as perfect as we can make it for ourselves and for our own family. If that means fighting all seven of the princes at once, then I don’t have a problem with that. We’ll do what needs to be done.”

  “You amaze me,” Aiden says. “You’re so confident about us winning.”

  “I have no reason not to be confident. My family has always been strong and together we can handle anything that gets in our way. And you’re a part of my family now, Aiden. It might not be official yet, but I think everyone understands that you and I will be together forever.”

  “Forever is a very long time,” Aiden murmurs. “Are you sure you’re ready to make a commitment like that to me? We’ve only really been together for a few days.”

  “I never want to live without you,” I tell him. “I wouldn’t know how to anymore.”

  “It’s not something you have to worry about, beautiful,” Aiden says, lifting a hand to my face and cupping one side of it tenderly, like I’m the most precious thing in the world to him. “I will always be with you.”

  I lean my face into the palm of his hand and sigh which makes Aiden smile, a smile that lights my heart.

  After dancing for a while, I tell Aiden I need something to drink. He takes me back to our table, and I find Remy there now eating a piece of wedding cake and looking happy as a clam while he watches Leah and Joshua dancing and having a good time with one another.

  “I’ll be right back with your drink,” Aiden tells me, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek before he leaves.

  “You two look really good together,” Remy tells me through a mouthful of cake.

  I giggle. “Thanks, Mr. Remy. I think so too.”

  I look back at the dance floor and smile as I see Leah trying to show Joshua how to fast dance. Poor Joshua, coordinated movement just isn’t his thing.

  “You know,” Remy says, “Leah had the worst crush on the Josh back on our Earth, but he never seemed to have the same feelings for her. I guess some part of Leah knew there was a version of Joshua somewhere out in the universe just for her.”

  “Do you think they’re soul mates?” I ask, looking back at Leah and Joshua.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t know about things like that. Only God has that kind of insight.”

  “But you made souls when you were in Heaven, right?” I ask. “Don’t you have some sort of ‘sixth sense’ about connections between souls?”

  “No, not really,” Remy admits. “But I’m glad to s
ee that you and Leah have become so close. I wondered if you would once you met.”

  I look back over at Leah’s father finding this a curious thing to say.

  “Why would you wonder about something like that, Mr. Remy?”

  Remy puts his fork down on his plate and looks at me.

  “I have a small confession to make to you,” he says, clearing his throat nervously. “I, uh, made your soul.”

  I sit there stunned into silence by this revelation. What exactly do you say to something like that? Thank you?

  “Should I have kept that information to myself?” Remy asks worriedly, watching my reaction. “I’ve been debating on whether or not to tell you for the past few years, but I thought it was time you knew the truth.”

  “So,” I say, letting this new piece of information filter through my brain, “Leah and I…we’re like…soul sisters?”

  “Which is why I’m glad the two of you hit it off immediately. She needed someone to connect to here, and I hoped that someone would be you.”

  “Are you like my father too?” I ask, getting a little confused.

  “No, not really,” Remy says with a shake of his head. “Leah just thinks of me as her dad because I raised her. Seems to me like you have enough father figures in your life. You don’t need a third.”

  “Have you told Leah?” I ask.

  “Told Leah what?”

  I didn’t even notice Leah and Joshua walk over to the table and silently curse myself for being so careless.

  Remy looks to his daughter and says, “That I made Caylin’s soul too.”

  Leah stands there just as stunned as I was when first hearing the news. Then, she smiles that gorgeous smile of hers and gives me a big hug.

  “I knew there was something special about us!” She says, squeezing me for all she’s worth.

  “Is everything all right?” I hear Aiden ask as he comes back with drinks for the both of us.

  I look at him over Leah’s shoulder and smile.

  “Never better,” I tell him, wiping away the worry on his face with my words.

  The reception passes by rather uneventfully. I know that at the end of it we’re supposed to have a meeting with all the Watchers. We’re supposed to decide what to do about the princes once we place them in stasis. But, I decide not to worry about it and just try to have a good time with my friends and family.

  Near the end, when most of the people from Cypress Hollow have left, I notice my mom sitting alone at a table playing with one of the crystal swans Mama Lynn bought as party favors for people to take home. My mom looks sad, and I know there isn’t anything I can do to make her feel better.

  I see Uncle Malcolm staring at my mom from across the room with a troubled frown on his face. He obviously doesn’t like seeing her sad either. He walks over to the band as they’re about to change songs and says something to one of the musicians. The man playing lead guitar nods his head at something Uncle Malcolm asks him.

  As Uncle Malcolm walks away from the band’s stage, one of Chandler’s back-up singers belts out the first lyrics to a song I know well.

  It’s an old song called Dance with Me by a group once called Ra Ra Riot, and I know it so well because anytime my mom is having a bad day, Uncle Malcolm will play it and make her dance with him until she laughs.

  I see my mom instantly recognize what’s about to happen because she closes her eyes and shakes her head as a small, resigned smile appears on her face.

  She turns in her seat to face Uncle Malcolm as he dances over to her across the dance floor and holds out his hand for her to take.

  She shakes her head at him in exasperation but takes his hand anyway and lets him lead her to the mostly empty dance floor.

  “I hope that works,” I hear my dad say as he comes to stand beside me, watching Uncle Malcolm twirl my mom around. “But I have a feeling it won’t this time.”

  “Why has she been so upset today?” I ask my dad as we both watch to see if Uncle Malcolm can pull my mom out of her doldrums.

  “I was sort of hoping you could answer that question for me,” my dad admits. “Did something happen in Heaven that the two of you haven’t told us about? It seems like she’s been upset about something since you came back.”

  I remain silent because I have a feeling the answer is going to be us meeting Anna. And, I still feel like I shouldn’t mention her to anyone, not even my dad. Apparently, my mom didn’t say anything to my dad about her either, which is completely out of character for her. As far as I knew, my mom shared everything with my dad. Why did we both feel as though we needed to keep Anna a secret? What was the point?

  “Maybe everything that’s happened is just hitting her hard,” I answer instead.

  “Perhaps,” my dad replies, not sounding in the least bit convinced.

  We continue to watch my mom and Uncle Malcolm, but know his plan isn’t working when my mom burst into tears. Uncle Malcolm looks confused by my mom’s reaction but takes her into his arms and tries to comfort her. He looks over at my dad and pleads with his eyes for help.

  My dad sighs heavily and walks over. When he reaches them, Uncle Malcolm lets my mom go so my dad can take his place. The band switches to a slow song and my dad dances with my mom, whispering something in her ear that seems to calm her down. She lays her head against his chest and holds onto him tightly around his waist.

  Uncle Malcolm stands off to the side, still looking confused by my mom’s reaction but knowing my dad is the only one who can help her right now. Uncle Malcolm could almost always make my mom laugh, but he knew in moments like this it was my father who my mother needed to bring her peace.

  “Is your mom all right?” Aiden asks me, handing me a cup of punch I asked him to get me.

  “Yes, she’ll be fine,” I tell him. “My dad will help her.”

  I look around the tent and see Mason speaking with some of the Watchers in a small group.

  “When are we supposed to have the meeting?” I ask Aiden.

  “As soon as everyone from town leaves,” he tells me.

  I only notice a handful of people from Cypress Hollow left inside the tent.

  I drain my cup and turn to Aiden with my hand held out.

  “Then dance with me,” I tell him, not exactly asking but not exactly ordering either.

  Aiden grins and puts his half-full cup of punch down on the table before taking my offered hand.

  “As you wish,” he says.

  We dance until the band announces they need to leave, and I know my meeting with the Watchers is about to begin. I’m a little nervous about it because I’m not sure what will happen or what will be expected of me.

  After the band leaves, Mason calls the Watchers together and they all stand in front of us in a staggered formation like soldiers coming to attention before their general. Flanking me on either side are Aiden, Mason, Jess, my mom and dad, and Uncle Malcolm. The vessels stand behind us because we know it's going to take all of us to do what needs to be done. Uncle Malcolm already took Will and Mae home to be watched over by Aunt Tara and Uncle Malik so we could deal with this matter.

  “I’ve spoken with most of you already,” Mason says standing in front of his men with his hands behind his back and legs slightly apart, sounding and looking the part of their leader. “And you all know what happened last night between Aiden, Caylin, and Levi.”

  A blonde Watcher in the front row raises his hand like he’s in school requesting permission from his teacher to ask a question.

  “Yes, Simon?” Mason says to the man.

  “How exactly did she tear Levi’s heart out, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Caylin was conceived while Brand was still a Watcher and before God's covenant with us to have children who are born completely human with our wives. Apparently, our father had a special plan for Brand and Lilly’s family. Caylin wasn’t only born with Lilly's archangel powers which she inherited from her father, Michael, but with our strengths too.”

>   If the Watchers stared at me before, they were practically burning holes in me with their eyes now.

  “What exactly is it that you want from us?” Slade asks Mason. “How can we help?”

  “We have a plan to put the Princes of Hell into stasis,” Mason says. “They need to remain in stasis until a girl from Caylin and Aiden’s family line is born sometime in the future to take care of them once and for all.”

  “How far in the future?” Desmond asks.

  “We don’t know,” Mason confesses. “But, from the vision that was shown in the vessels inner realm, it looks like it will be a very long time from now. So, I’m asking for volunteers to help us. Only seven of you will be chosen out of those who volunteer and,” Mason looks over at me, “Caylin will be the one who does the choosing.”

  This was news to me, but I had to assume this is what Mason was talking about the night before. The part of his plan I was to play a role in.

  “Now,” Mason says, “I want you all to think about this very carefully and with the full knowledge that you may have to stay here on Earth for a very long time waiting for the girl to be born. If you are willing to volunteer for this mission, meet us in the desert in one hour. You all know the place.”

  As if on some preordained cue, all of the Watchers in front of us phase at the same time.

  “Why are we meeting in a desert?” I ask Mason.

  Mason turns to me. “It’s our tradition. It’s the place where we first came to Earth. I wanted to make sure they understood the gravity of the situation. Many of them planned to ask to become human once they fell in love and decided to start a family of their own. We’re asking them to give that dream up for who knows how long. And, I can’t be sure if some of those who choose to help us will die in the process.”

  “Why are you making me choose the seven?”

  “There are seven princes who will need to be watched over until your descendant is born, and I get the feeling it’s what you’re meant to do,” Mason says. “Don’t ask me why or how I know. It could be our father influencing my thoughts, but I know it’s what needs to be done. You have to be the one who chooses the protectors of your lineage. You’re the only one who can.”