by G. P. Ching
"Welcome, ladies," Lucifer said.
"Let him go. Let him go!" Malini cried. The look on her face brought tears to Dane’s eyes. She cared. She really cared about him.
"I will, Malini, but only if you give me what I want first. Translate the list. Give me the Soulkeepers and I’ll give you your friend."
Her eyes darted around her tube, then landed on Dane. Her face begged him for forgiveness. "Never. Never." The words came out broken, like an apology.
"And what about you, Abigail? Will you do what I need you to do, or does Dane die?"
"You can’t keep him here. His soul isn’t yours," she responded.
"Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do," Lucifer hissed. "I’ve ruled for thousands of years, Abigail. You of all should know what I am capable of." The flames heightened around Dane. "Let me make this perfectly clear. For every day that you two refuse to help me, your friend’s cell will shrink. One foot for one Earth day. At midnight on the eleventh day, if I don’t have my list, Dane will barbecue."
Malini covered her face with her hands.
"Don’t do it, Malini," Dane cried.
"Shut up!" Lucifer snapped.
Dane’s voice stopped working.
Lucifer approached Malini and whispered toward her light. "Malini, darling, don’t think I won’t find them anyway. I may not know who the other Soulkeepers are, but I know who you are. Where you go, I will go, and next time, you won’t be fast enough to save the ones you love."
Dane saw the tears run down Malini’s face, then watched as Dr. Silva turned her back on Lucifer. Seeing this, Malini did the same. Lucifer snapped his fingers and both Malini and Dr. Silva disappeared.
The devil turned toward Dane, his face red with fury. "You’d better hope your friends change their minds, Dane, or it’s going to get a whole lot hotter for you."
Lucifer stormed away. Whatever power he’d used to make Dane mute must have gone with him. Once he’d disappeared behind the brimstone, Dane was finally able to scream.
Chapter 6
Malini and Jacob
Cruising at 30,000 feet, Malini snapped back into her body with a jolt. Jacob’s hands pressed into her shoulders, holding her into her window seat. A nosy gawker stared from across the aisle. Malini frowned pointedly in her direction and Jacob responded by positioning his body to block the woman’s view.
"She probably thinks I had a seizure or something," Malini said, reaching for her bag.
"It looked like you did. What’s going on?" Jacob whispered.
She found her phone and dialed Dr. Silva.
"I don't think you're supposed to use that on the plane," Jacob said.
"Let's just hope it works," Malini responded.
"Why? What's going on?"
"Lucifer."
Master Lee and Jesse glanced back from the seats in front of them. After the attack, they’d decided to fly home. With only one staff between them, the group would’ve had to split and take turns to get everyone back to Paris. But more Watchers could be out there. Everyone agreed splitting up would be playing into Lucifer’s hands. One call to Dr. Silva and they had first class tickets on the next outgoing flight. Only, now Malini wondered if being trapped together in a tin can, hurtling through the sky, was the best idea.
"What’s going on?" Jacob asked again, a little louder.
"Malini? Are you okay?" Dr. Silva’s voice came through the phone high-pitched and unusually flustered.
"Yeah. Okay for now. But what was that? I didn’t know Lucifer could do that."
"It’s forced astral projection. He has an imprint of your soul and, of course, he has similar power over me. He can draw us to him for a time."
"For a time? Does that mean he can do that to me again?" Malini asked. She swallowed and placed her hand on Jacob’s arm to quiet his prodding.
"Lucifer is not omnipotent like God. He can only be in one place at a time. Although he’s powerful, keeping our souls in hell is as restrictive for him as it is for us. Yes, he can do it again but I don’t think he will. Not for a while."
"What do we do? How do we save Dane?"
"I’m sorry, Malini. I don’t know if we can. We can’t allow him to have the list. And if I go physically to hell to rescue him, chances are I won’t come out. You could say hell is a one-way ticket."
The plane entered a bank of clouds and Malini watched the sun slip behind the foggy air. "Unless we give him what he wants," she said.
"Are you mad? He’ll slaughter them all."
"Not if they’re already in Eden. Two more Helpers and five more Horsemen in twelve days. We can do it, Abigail. We can collect them all, take them to Eden, then translate the list once they’re safe."
"He’ll know. He’ll follow you."
"We’ll split up. You said yourself he can’t be in two places at once. Jacob and I fought off the Watchers this time, and we can do it again. With your help, we can have them out of his reach before he realizes they’re gone. Then we give him the list." Malini bit her lip as she realized, if it hadn't been for Jesse, the Watcher might have succeeded at killing one or both of them. The plan was risky but what choice did she have.
"It could work."
"It has to."
A flight attendant tapped Malini’s shoulder. "Miss? You need to put that away."
"We’re landing. We should be outside O'Hare in about forty minutes. We can talk more then," Malini stammered.
Tap. Tap. "Miss, now. Put the phone away."
"Lillian is meeting you. She can take the others to Eden. Gideon’s returned to the university to check on Katrina. I’ve placed a protective spell on her room but that won’t help her if they use her roommate. I’ll meet you at the house to debrief. Then we’ll find the others.
Tap. Tap. "Miss!" The flight attendant grimaced in Malini's direction.
"Gotta go." Malini powered off her phone. Thankfully, the flight attendant was satisfied and continued down the aisle.
Jacob narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "Tell me what’s going on."
"Lucifer has Dane, and he’s going to kill him in twelve days if Dr. Silva or I don’t translate the list for him."
Jacob took a deep breath. "You saw him? Just now?"
"Yes. Apparently, since Cord captured an image of my soul, he can demand my astral projected presence any time he wants."
"Great."
"I know, right? But the worst part is Dane looks awful." Malini fought back tears. "Lucifer is torturing him, Jacob. I’m worried he won’t survive until we can get him back.”
"Can we rescue him?"
"Honestly, no. But we might be able to win him back if we give Lucifer what he wants without getting him what he needs."
"That doesn’t make any sense."
Malini lowered her voice. "We get the other seven Soulkeepers, then give him the list when it’s useless."
Jacob frowned. "Malini, it took three weeks for you to say it was the right time to get Master Lee and Jesse. You said the information comes to you when it comes to you. Can you force this?"
Turbulence shook the plane and she gripped the armrests hard enough to turn her knuckles white. A storm had moved in and they descended toward Chicago in a series of uncomfortable drops.
"I’ll have to, Jacob. Somehow, I’ll have to."
The plane touched down, whipping her head back against the seat. As they taxied down the runway, the rain and thunder rocked the plane. Lightning struck the tarmac outside her window. Malini hoped the weather wasn't an omen of the turbulence ahead.
Chapter 7
Katrina and Gideon
Katrina opened the window to her dorm room and placed a bowl of peaches on the windowsill. A large red cat jumped to her side and didn’t waste any time sinking whiskers into the offering.
"You’re going to get in trouble for feeding that thing," Mallory said. At her desk on the other side of the room, she swiped electric-orange nail polish across her fingernails. "Not to mention you’re probably giving it maj
or intestinal problems with those cafeteria peaches."
"Nothing’s happened so far. I think it’s okay." Katrina folded her legs underneath her on her bunk and rested her elbow on the windowsill. The first drops of a summer rain danced on the awning above the window and a cool breeze broke the oppressive summer heat. From her nightstand, she retrieved her physics text and binder but didn’t open them. She rested them in her lap as if she could absorb the contents by osmosis.
"I’m going to a Kappa party tonight. Do you want to go?" Mallory asked. She’d finished her final coat and was waving her nails in the air to dry.
"No. I think I’ll just hang out here. I’ve got a ton of studying to do. Summer sessions are so aggressive."
Mallory ran her pinky finger along the border of the lipstick on her bottom lip, careful not to ruin her polish. "You know what I think?" she said toward the mirror. "I think you’re going to spend the night staring out the window and talking to a stray cat."
Katrina tilted her head to the side and shot Mallory her best death stare. The middle finger she flashed said what her eyes couldn’t.
"Don’t get all pissy with me, Katrina. Ever since that party before spring break, when there was all that weirdness with that guy, you’ve been a total killjoy. You’ve completely changed."
"Maybe I have changed, Mallory, but I think it’s for the better. I don’t need to drown my brain in alcohol every night to prove I fit some artificial definition of cool. I’m just done with partying. I’m serious about my life."
Mallory stood from her desk chair and placed her hands on her hips. "That speech would be so much better if it were true. You’re nineteen years old, Katrina. A little young for the retirement home."
"I go out. I’ve just been really busy with school lately."
"Riiiiight. Not buying it. You’re staying home because you’re afraid. I don’t know what happened that night, but I’m willing to bet it’s more than you’ve told me." She pointed an orange fingernail in Katrina’s direction. "Let me tell you something, living your life in fear is no way to live. If you stay in this dorm room for the rest of your college existence, you’re going to regret that you let that guy steal your youth. Whatever happened, don’t let him win."
Katrina turned her face toward the window, effectively shutting Mallory down. "Don’t forget your umbrella."
The shuffle of Mallory snatching her bag from its hook was followed by the squeak of the door opening. "Don’t wait up." The door clicked shut behind her.
"She thinks I’m either crazy or depressed," Katrina said to the cat.
The animal leaped into the room, transforming into an angel mid-flight. Katrina lowered the shade behind him. She didn’t need anyone noticing Gideon’s glow.
"I am sorry we need to be so careful," Gideon said. "But you are in danger, Katrina. You know too much about the Watchers."
"I know." Katrina played with the cover of her book.
Gideon sat down on Mallory’s bed, across the small room from Katrina. His warm green eyes settled on her. "There’s something else bothering you."
"Do you think she’s right, Gideon? Am I living my life in fear? Am I letting Cord win?"
The angel leaned forward, clasping his hands together and resting his elbows on his knees. "Do you think a person who evacuates a burning building is letting the fire win?"
"Well, no."
"Mallory’s advice might make sense with human problems, but you, Katrina, don’t have a human problem. If Mallory knew there might be a Watcher waiting to eat her flesh around the next bend, she might appreciate a healthy dose of fear."
Katrina smiled. "You always know just what to say."
"I try." He stretched his wings, then tucked them behind his back. "So what are we supposed to be studying tonight?"
"Ugh, physics! Why did I take physics this summer? My brain cannot absorb these concepts." Katrina lifted her book from her desk and flipped through the pages.
"Sorry, physics isn’t my strong suit." Gideon reached for her binder.
"They didn’t offer a class in celestial beings," Katrina said. "Plus, you don’t have to help me. I’m sure it’s bad enough having to sit around here all night. You shouldn’t have to study physics, too."
"I like learning human things. Someday, when I’m human, I might need to know about physics."
"No. Trust me on this. Physics is useless in everyday life. I recommend personal finance. Much more practical."
Shifting, Gideon crossed his feet at the ankle. "When I am human, I’ll take that, too."
Katrina tore the corner of a piece of paper and began folding it into tiny squares. "I don’t want to be rude, but how do you know you’ll ever be human? I mean, I’ve heard you say that God promised when you and Abigail have served your purposes that he’ll make you both human, but it’s been almost a century. What if you’re never done?"
Bowing his head, Gideon’s wings tensed where they met his body, lifting from his back. Lit from within, the pearly white feathers were short and downy where they disappeared under his gray t-shirt, and long, like a swan's wing, where they swept toward the floor.
"I don’t know," he said. "I have faith but I don’t know for sure."
"That sucks." Katrina tossed the tiny square of paper toward the trash. It hit the rim and landed on the floor. "I mean, it seems vague and one sided. No upfront contracts, no escape clause, just, ‘Trust me. Someday I’ll make you human.’ I guess that’s why God is doing it for you. You have faith."
Gideon’s expression became distant, his body motionless. "Perhaps you are right, Katrina Laudner. It does, as you say, suck."
"At least you have Abigail. Even though you can’t touch, you have each other."
The binder in his hands attracted his full attention. The pages flipped aggressively between his hands as he skimmed over her notes and handouts. He seemed agitated until something caught his eye and made him smile.
"I thought you said this class was not about celestial beings?"
"It isn’t."
He turned the binder toward her. "Then what is the God particle?"
She giggled. "It has nothing to do with God. It’s this theoretical particle that would explain why things have mass. Physicists say it exists but they’ve never actually found it. There are people who spend all day smashing particles together trying to make it happen."
Gideon’s brow wrinkled. "Why do they call it the God particle?"
"For three reasons. One, like God, it might not exist—"
"God does exist!" Gideon’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling.
"Yeah, but unlike you, most of the world doesn’t know that for sure." She held up two fingers. "Two, if it does exist it will help us understand how God created the universe."
"How would discovering this particle explain creation?"
"It’s part of the Big Bang theory. You know, people think that the universe was a mass of spinning particles that came together in just the right way and, BANG." She clapped her hands together. "The universe. If we could make the right particles hit each other at the right speed to make the God particle, then we could prove that’s how it all started."
Gideon grunted and shook his head.
"And three, there are some people who think smashing particles together could create a black hole that swallows the Earth."
"Sounds frightening." Gideon handed the binder back to her.
Katrina shrugged. "They used to do experiments here in Illinois to try to make it happen, but my professor says they shut down the particle accelerator last year. The only place that can do it now is CERN in Europe. If they do create a black hole, I guess we’ll have a few extra microseconds before it absorbs us."
"Nice." Gideon leaned back until his head hit the wall behind Mallory’s bed and stared at the ceiling. "You know, it says in the Bible, ‘You were made from dust and to dust you will return.’ Particle is another word for dust."
"So do you think they’re on the right track? Will they eventually fi
nd the God particle?" Katrina positioned her book and binder in front of her on the bed and began filling out note cards to study from.
"No," Gideon answered softly. "I think what they don’t realize is that anyone can mix clay, but it takes a potter to make the vessel."
Katrina looked up from her note cards. "That’s deep."
It was Gideon’s turn to shrug. "You should study."
Returning to her notes, Katrina reviewed her materials in earnest but paused when she realized she’d been rude.
"Gideon," she said.
"Yes."
"I hope it all works out for you and Abigail. Regardless of what I said before, true love is always worth the risk. At least I think it is. I can’t say I’ve ever had it to know."
"Thanks," he said. "Now get some studying done. I’ll be right outside the window."
He transformed into the red cat and bounded over her into the cool evening rain.
Chapter 8
Mara and Henry
Mara emerged from the bathroom in the outfit that had magically appeared while she showered. Taupe riding pants hugged her legs and tucked into tall black boots. A white blouse and red riding jacket completed the ensemble. Her raven hair fell in a tight braid over her shoulder.
"You do know I’ve never been riding before," she said.
Henry broke from a trance-like state near the window and gave her his full attention. "I’m sorry, Mara. I was working. What did you say?"
"You were working?" Mara's mouth dropped open and she pointed a hand toward the window. "Just now? Ushering souls to the beyond?"
He nodded.
"But you’re still here. I thought you had to be present with the, um, deceased." The word deceased weighed heavy on her tongue now that she met the definition.
"One of the benefits of being Death is that I can project myself into the earthly realm without actually leaving the In Between. It’s necessary. People die all over the world, every minute of every day."
Mara took a cautious step closer to him. Considering the level of intimacy they’d shared the night before, it seemed odd that she felt nervous now. "What’s happening to the people who die now or who died when we were at prom?"
