by G. P. Ching
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. 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.
"Not this time, but I hope you can make it."
Carolyn ripped open the envelope and pulled out the thick card stock inside.
You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of
Dr. Abigail Silva
and
Gideon Newman
On Saturday, July first at twelve o’clock in the afternoon at Sunrise Park.
"Ooooh, I knew it." Carolyn stomped her foot. "I knew that man was special!" She handed the invitation to John and pulled Abigail into a hug.
"You’re getting married!" John exclaimed, running his finger over the raised letters. "Congratulations."
"The flowers will be our gift," Carolyn said, patting her chest. "We wouldn’t miss it for the world!"
"That’s very generous of you, Carolyn. We’d appreciate it." Abigail pointed her thumb at her house. "Well, Gideon is waiting for me. I better head back."
"Okay. Congratulations, dear!" Carolyn waved excitedly as Abigail crossed the street for home.
John’s eyes narrowed. "Did she look different to you?"
Carolyn hmmphed in his direction. "That’s what love does to a woman, John. Now that she’s landed her man she can stop starving herself and put some meat on those bones."
"She looked shorter."
"No more heels. Poor woman has earned her right to spend a few years in flats."
"I guess."
"Don’t you remember how I changed once we were married?" Carolyn asked.
John blinked twice in her direction. "How could I forget?"
* * * * *
On the first of July, when the sun was at its highest point in the sky, Abigail readied herself inside a small white tent in Sunrise Park. Breathless, she checked her dress in the mirror for the three-hundredth time. The gathered silk of her strapless gown crisscrossed her bodice, then draped to the grass in a graceful swag.
Swept up on top of her head, Abigail’s new curls were as novel as the curves that held up her
dress. She was still getting used to the new her. She’d applied makeup for the first time that morning in neutral tones that gave her the glow she used to get by illusion.
"You look beautiful." Malini’s voice came from the flap that acted like a door.
"Do you think so? I wonder if it was too much for me to choose white, being a widow and a former demon. Do you think people will talk?" Abigail joked.
"People in this town have been talking about you for years. What’s one more thing?"
They laughed together toward the mirror. Malini’s dark hair and violet dress offset Abigail’s pale silhouette.
"I have something for you," Malini said, holding out a small box. "It’s from Jacob and me. Since you are technically old but your soul is new, and the set-up outside is borrowed, we thought we’d get you something blue."
Abigail cracked the box. A platinum cross pendent reflected back at her, inlaid with sapphires. "Will you help me put it on, Malini?"
"Of course."
Small brown hands scooped up the pendant and hooked it around her neck. It rested between her collarbones.
"I love it," Abigail said. "Tell Jacob it’s perfect."
She touched it lightly with her fingers, enjoying the cool feel against her skin.
"It’s time, if you’re ready."
"Oh, I'm ready. I’ve been ready for more than a lifetime."
Malini smiled and held the flap to the tent open. Abigail lifted her bouquet from the small white table near the mirror. Three orchids formed the focal point. Carolyn said she could only picture Abigail with exotic flowers. There wasn’t a rose or carnation in the entire wedding.
Outside, she took her place behind Malini at the back of the aisle between two blocks of white folding chairs filled with friends and neighbors. The Laudners, the Westcotts, and the Guptas rotated in their seats for a better view, along with a slew of other townspeople Abigail barely knew. The other Soulkeepers were there, too. Dane, who’d gained some weight, sat next to Ethan as if his mere presence warded off evil spirits. Dane’s parents sat separately in the back row.
Flower sprays arched over the aisle and a string quartet played a classical piece. Abigail couldn't enjoy it. She focused on a man who stood in the shadows of a tree behind the six-inch platform that would serve as the altar. His blond curls didn’t move even though a distinct summer breeze blew from the west. His suit was black and his face was grave.
Lucifer.
Malini started down the aisle, blocking the devil from her view, step-together, step-together, until Jacob, in his black tuxedo met her at the front. Frowning, Abigail’s eyes drifted back to the shadowy place where she had seen Lucifer. He was still there but so were two others. Henry and Mara stood between her and the devil, arm in arm in the full light of the sun.
The music changed. The crowd rose to their feet. Lucifer wanted her attention again. She wouldn't give it to him. Not today. Abigail smiled broadly and stepped one foot in front of the other. She walked down the aisle alone. There was no one to give her away. But maybe that was how it should be. She’d earned her own soul.
Gideon waited at the altar. For a moment, she couldn’t move. All she wanted to do was to chisel the sight of him into her memory. His dark hair was combed back and curled against the collar of his black tuxedo. Human as he was, to her he would always be an angel, and today he glowed brighter than ever.
She forced herself forward, to take his hand and pretend that she was paying attention. Gideon’s emerald green eyes captivated her. Time stopped while she repeated the vows the pastor read to her and then slid the platinum band onto Gideon’s finger. He did the same. When he kissed her, the world melted away and everything, his embrace, his lips, the sunlight on their faces, the love, made a millennia of waiting, of suffering death, entirely worth it.
Applause. Whistles. The pastor held up their hands and announced them. Gideon ushered her up the aisle and into the reception tent, twirling her into his arms and finding her lips again.
"Well, isn’t that the sweetest thing?" Lucifer’s voice cut through the air.
She turned to face the voice. Lucifer leaned up against a post on the other side of the dance floor. Despite the silver and ivory place settings, and the bright flower arrangements, dark shadows clung to him. Lucifer brought his own darkness.
"Leave, Lucifer. You have no place here," Gideon said.
"Don’t get your new human undies in a bunch, Mr. Newman," Lucifer said. "You are not why I’m here."
"Then why are you here?" Abigail asked.
"You, Abigail. I thought we had something." He swaggered forward. "You were mine first. You fell for me, remember?"
"Things change. Free will is a bitch, ain’t it?" Abigail stepped in front of Gideon, and squared her shoulders. She was defenseless accept for her will, but she refused to allow Lucifer to have the pleasure of seeing her afraid.
"You are my deepest regret. We could have accomplished so much together, you and I. It was a shame what you did. A bloody shame. I don’t deal well with loss." He shook his head.
"Maybe you can find a support group," Abigail said.
Lucifer’s eyes blazed. He stepped in closer. Too close. Gideon’s hands gripped her shoulders.
"Enough small talk, Abigail. I’m here to let you know that the damage you’ve done is significant but not impossible to overcome. When I do, you know what they say, payback is hell." His knuckle brushed against her jawline.
The baby hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention. "Don’t touch me. You can’t do anything to me." Each word was equal parts hope and prayer.
Lucifer tipped his head. "Maybe not today, but I’ll be back, Abigail. I always come back." He bared his teeth. "My congratulations to the happy couple. May you have many, many children. Funny thing about kids these days, they always seem to find their own way. Free will’s a bitch, ain't it?" He turned on his heel and twisted into shadow, leaving nothing but a faint smell of sulfur behind.
"Was that who I think it was?" Jacob asked from the doorway. Malini hugged tight to his side.
"Unfortunately, yes," Gideon replied.
Jacob pulled a breath spray from his pocket, crossed the dance floor to where Lucifer had been and spritzed spearmint into the air.
"There. Good as new." He turned back toward Abigail and Gideon. "Looks like the garbage took itself out. Let’s get this party started."
Abigail nodded, meeting his eyes. "Thanks, Jacob. Thanks for everything."
Jacob shook his head. "Do you remember the day we met? You scared the bejeezus out of me." He laughed.
"I remember."
"You changed me for the better. I'm so glad you finally got what you wanted."
The sound of Aunt Carolyn’s heady laugh brought them back to the present. There was a reception to be had, and Abigail was looking forward to cutting her cake, not to mention her first dance with her husband. She wasn’t going to give Lucifer the benefit of even one more minute of her life wasted in worry.
* * * * *
Three weeks later...
The gothic Victorian had never looked better. Abigail had paid a crew to paint it white with light gray trim. She’d redecorated the inside, too, and added a real door to the tower. The interior was now a shrine to neutral tones. Everything about the place screamed cheery rural hideaway. Everything but the stained glass window in her bedroom. She couldn’t bring herself to change it but realistically she knew the new owners would probably replace it.
They were turning it into a bed and breakfast.
"All packed up," Gideon said, loading the last trunk into her truck. "Ready to go?"
Abigail slid the SOLD sign into the wire frame in the yard.
"I am now."
"Hold it right there, Abigail Newman." John Laudner waved at her from across the street. Aunt Carolyn, Jacob, and Katrina exited the cheery yellow home behind him.
"We were going to stop over to say goodbye," Abigail answered.
"No need. We’ll come
to you." John reached the driveway. "I just wanted to say, we’re going to miss you, Abigail. You’ve been a terrific neighbor."
"Thanks, John. I feel the same about you."
Carolyn stepped to her husband’s side. "I can’t believe this house is leaving your family after so many generations. I hope that university you're moving to understands how they’ve changed this town, luring you away."
"Oh, Carolyn, you’re too kind. I’m sure you and the other ladies will find some other topic to keep you busy."
Carolyn laughed. "Oh, hush. You know it was all in good fun."
Katrina stepped forward. "Thanks for everything, both of you." She shook Abigail’s hand but her eyes lingered on Gideon.
He returned a knowing nod.
Jacob stepped up last. "Dr. Silva, I mean Newman, working for you was one of the most important experiences of my life. You’ve meant a lot to me." He shot her a private grin.
Abigail smiled. "The feeling’s mutual, Jacob."
They stood for a moment taking each other in.
"Well, Abigail and I have a long drive ahead of us," Gideon said.
"We promise, we’ll keep in touch. I plan on visiting Paris often," Abigail added.
"Make sure you look us up," Carolyn chimed in. "You’re always welcome."
Abigail nodded and climbed into the passenger side of the truck. Gideon slid behind the wheel.
They backed out of her driveway and drove toward the setting sun. They didn’t stop until they reached the delivery entrance of Laudner’s Flowers and Gifts.
Lillian had already closed the shop for the night but she let them in the back door. Malini helped load all of their things into the boat in the cavern under the backroom. It took the better part of an hour to move the trunks down the winding staircase.
"Sink it in the lake," Abigail said, handing Lillian the keys to the truck.
"Will do. I’ll take the plates off first, just in case."
