“No, actually, she never did,” Mark smiled, he couldn’t help but match Sarah’s demeanor.
Agnus looked at him curiously, she was clearly trying to figure out why Mark was so happy to see Sarah. Mark decided he needed to act less happy and more like he had for the last two years. Sarah didn’t need this. It would make things weird between them. He wanted to be near her, even if it was just as friends, it would be enough. Mark forced his smile away and tried to look more serious.
“Well, you know how she doesn’t like swearing?” Sarah asked.
“Yes,” Mark replied, trying resist Sarah’s enthusiasm.
“She is so uptight. Sofia is a sultry, seductive name. Agnus is the name you give a future nun, or…” Sarah waved her hands around, clearly trying to build suspense. “A librarian! And the nickname stuck. So for the last two hundred years everyone just calls her Agnus.”
A smile slipped back on to Mark’s face and he quickly tried to hide it. Agnus gave him another strange look, he could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
“Anyway, what I found out. And this doesn’t leave this room. I trust quite a few people with important things but this I trust only to you three. It’s that bad.” Sarah’s look turned serious as she spoke.
Mark felt his heart race, Sarah trusted him as much as Agnus and Charles. He hadn’t messed this up, at least not yet. Sarah was still his best friend.
“Chuck, can you get the door. We don’t want anyone walking in on us.” Sarah snickered.
Mark nearly fell backward. No one called him Chuck. A recruit had one day called him Chuck as a joke when she thought that Charles was out of earshot. The tongue lashing the poor recruit got for it nearly made her cry.
“Don’t say a word,” Charles said as he put his large hand on Mark’s shoulder. The smile Mark got from Charles was also unexpected, apparently Sarah was allowed to call him Chuck.
Sarah and Agnus laughed and Mark cracked another smile which he quickly hid. Was he being overly worried about smiling now? That could be just as bad. He needed to get this under control. He needed to act normally around Sarah but he couldn’t help it. Sarah was here and she looked stunning. He had nearly forgotten how absolutely perfect she was. Her hair, the way her mouth moved as she spoke, the smile that he couldn’t resist, it was all perfect, she was perfect.
“So apparently, we had a vampire in our town a few years ago,” Sarah started as soon as Charles had locked the door. “He posed as a new recruit. How he hid his bloodlust for nearly a month I have no idea but he did.”
“Who was it? Was it Gregory?” Agnus asked with a sneer on her face.
“No, Gregory was killed. It was Sam,” Sarah explained.
“Sam? But he was always so considerate. He helped build several houses. How did we not know?” Agnus put her hand on her forehead.
“Yeah,” Mark added. “How did he hide the stench?”
Everyone looked at Mark and he felt very uncomfortable. Had he made a mistake? Was it something they weren’t supposed to talk about? He still had so much to learn about being Asuune.
“What do you mean stench?” Sarah asked looking at Mark, intrigued.
Mark’s heart raced, not only had he said something wrong, Sarah was getting closer to him. His stomach felt like it was doing flips. All he could think about was kissing Sarah as she moved closer.
“The smell…the horrible smell when you’re near one,” Mark looked around for some backup but they were all staring at him like he had done something wrong.
“You can smell them?” Sarah asked, astonished.
The inquisitive look on her face drove Mark crazy, she was absolutely breathtaking. He was having a hard time concentrating, she was so close to him now.
“Yeah, the first time I smelled one I thought it was a garbage truck that went by. It smelled so horrible that I couldn’t eat for hours. I got more used to it though. I had to deal with Gregor and that stupid delivery man they sent to bring me blood. Thankfully he smelled so bad I was able to forget about the smell of the blood.” Mark went on for a bit before he realized that they had no idea what he was talking about.
Sarah slowly raised her hands and Mark’s anxiety rose sharply. Then she stuck out both hands and put them on his shoulders. He felt like he was suffocating, what was she going to do?
“I told you he was important,” Sarah said as she turned to Agnus.
“No one else can smell them? Seriously?” Mark asked. He breathed a sigh of relief, maybe it was disappointment as Sarah removed her hands. He wasn’t sure what he thought Sarah was going to do but when she did nothing he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.
“No one told you about your parents did they?” Sarah asked as she gave Agnus a disapproving look.
“No, why?” Mark asked.
“Agnus…” Sarah scolded.
“I was waiting for you to come back. I didn’t know how he would take it,” Agnus apologized.
“That’s fair,” Sarah relented and her near giddiness returned.
“Take what? What about my parents? You already told me that my mother was Nephilim and my father was an angel.” Mark said trying to figure out what else Sarah could mean.
“It’s who your father was…is…that’s what is so important. That’s what makes you special,” Sarah explained.
“Who was he? Is he?” Mark couldn’t take the suspense.
“Your father is the Archangel Michael.” Sarah said waiting for the inevitable flurry of questions from Mark.
“Michael, THE Michael. He’s my dad?” Mark asked, hardly believing what he was hearing.
“Yes,” Sarah replied, then waited for the next question. She knew Mark very well, it might take him a moment but more questions would come.
“So…I’m not part of your blood line…do I have siblings out there somewhere? What does this mean? What am I?” Mark asked.
“Slow it down there, cutie,” Sarah said trying to calm Mark. She put her hand on his shoulder but this only turned his confusion into anxiety. “You are just a little more…angel than the rest of us. So you might have a few extra abilities. And no you have no siblings. Michael has never had a child before and probably never will again.”
Mark sat there for a minute thinking about being the son of Michael. It took him a few minutes but he had more questions eventually.
“So, does this mean I’m not the same as you? Do I need to go on some special mission or something? What exactly is expected of me?” Mark asked fearing the answers.
“No, cutie, you are welcome to stay here and be boring with the rest of us.” Sarah’s smile and silly joke made Mark feel more at ease. The longing for her returned and blocked out the confusion about his purpose.
“Some of us are less boring than the rest of us.” Agnus had another disapproving look for Sarah.
“I needed to find out who it was and how they got to Jen before I even knew about it,” Sarah explained.
Mark had gotten used to hearing Jen’s name. It didn’t hurt as bad as it once did and with Sarah being the one saying it, he barely noticed.
Agnus’s wheels were turning again as she stared at Mark. He panicked, she was going to ruin this. If Sarah found out how he really felt about her she would change. She might quit calling him cutie, a nickname he had longed to hear when she was gone. She would probably quit touching him, hugging him. He couldn’t take that. He needed to do something to throw Agnus off the trail. Luckily, Sarah saved him instead.
“So, where was I?” Sarah asked rhetorically as she turned around and put her finger to her chin. “Oh yes, I found out that Sariel had come back to America so I chased him. I finally caught up to him and being as arrogant as Sariel is he told me what his plan was.” Sarah looked at Agnus and Agnus nodded her head. She apparently knew Sariel as well.
“Well…” Agnus prodded. Sarah had a knack for drama. She was apparently driving Agnus crazy.
“So, long ago Asuune used to rule over humans. They posed as gods, in Eg
ypt, Rome, the Norse Gods. Any time you read about a powerful mythical creature it was probably an Asuune using their abilities to subjugate humans.” Sarah continued.
Apparently she was going too slowly for Agnus because Agnus interrupted again. “Go on…you’re killing me here.”
Sarah laughed and Mark’s stomach swayed. Agnus again gave Mark a curious look. She was going to figure it out, Agnus was smart. Sarah’s laugh, her proximity to him, all of it made him feel like he was going to explode or at least end up kissing Sarah.
“So, many of the Asuune want this again. They are taking out anyone who would oppose them and taking over many large companies. They thought Mark here…” Sarah motioned to Mark with far too much showmanship. “Was going to help them accomplish this. His parentage would give them a symbol to rally the support they needed.”
“You stopped that, so what is he going to do?” Agnus was no longer paying attention to Mark and listening carefully to Sarah.
“He said it didn’t change anything. That I’d better keep Mark well-hidden because he has a price on his head now. Sariel still plans on accomplishing this without Mark.” Sarah’s voice had lost its giddiness.
“Well that’s just great!” Agnus exclaimed.
As they all sat there thinking about Sariel’s plans Mark couldn’t stop looking at Sarah. He wanted to be near her, hold her and Agnus was watching. Mark had to think of something quick, Agnus was going to figure this out if he kept this up.
“So, Sarah, Charles and I were going to barbeque for Agnus tonight.” Mark put his hand on Charles shoulder. “We could throw on another steak or maybe some brats? If that’s ok with you Agnus?” Mark smiled at Agnus.
This seemed to dissuade Agnus from thinking about Mark’s reactions to Sarah, at least for the time being. Mark had done it, he could act normally, even if he was more chipper than before Sarah had returned.
“Sure,” Agnus said. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
A few hours later the four of them were enjoying a quiet barbeque out on Charles and Agnus’ back porch. Mark had prepared himself and tried not to dote too much on Sarah. He spoke to Agnus often and even spoke to Charles about helping with the new houses he was constructing on the south end of town. Mark was very pleased with himself. Through the whole night he tried to use math to help him show Agnus that he was just his normal self, and like everyone else, just happy to have Sarah back. He used a formula for how often he should address Sarah. For every two times he spoke to Agnus or every one time with Charles he could say something to Sarah. This would give the appearance of casual conversation when in reality all he wanted to do was hear everything Sarah had done in the years since he saw her last. With the replies to people’s questions and responses to general queries, he thought it would appear just random enough that Agnus would be convinced.
After a few hours of this and several beers, Mark was sure his plan had worked. Most of the time he sat listening to Sarah’s account of what she had been doing the last two years. Several of the things he wanted to hear about Agnus had asked for him so this also helped. Soon the night was almost over and all that was left was to say goodbye. Mark had pulled it off. Agnus was done scrutinizing his every look at Sarah and she seemed quite content that he and Sarah were just friends.
“Well, I better get some sleep. It was a long trip back here,” Sarah said as she stood up. “You two need help in the library tomorrow?”
“That would be very kind of you,” Agnus replied. “Mark has been very helpful, but he’s not you.” Agnus gave Mark an evil grin and he smiled back. “Seriously though, good call on assigning Mark to be my assistant. Half the time I don’t really think he is assisting me as much as going off on his own projects. He was born to be a researcher.”
Sarah leaned in and gave Agnus a big hug, a very sisterly hug. Then Sarah walked over to Charles.
“Gimme a hug, big guy,” Sarah said as she held her arms up. There was no way she was reaching him without jumping. The hug was short and much like a sister hugging her little brother. Then she turned to Mark.
Mark wasn’t sure what to do. He needed to give her a friendly hug. Not too long, not too short. This would be the most difficult part of the evening.
Mark leaned over and held his hands out, trying not to look too anxious. Sarah hugged him deeply but Mark held back. He ended the hug abruptly and tried to look preoccupied. He wasn’t going to ruin this evening with a hug.
“See you tomorrow then?” Mark asked as Sarah reached for her coat.
“Yep, I’ll be there,” Sarah replied.
“Jen, could you pass me my coat, I think I’m gonna head back also,” Mark said to Sarah. Agnus and Charles who had been teasing each other stopped abruptly. That was when Mark realized his mistake.
“Shit, sorry Sarah. Oh, crap, sorry Agnus,” Mark was terrified. Not only had he called Sarah Jen, he had sworn right in front of Agnus. His perfect night had fallen apart with two sentences.
Sarah just looked at Mark as she handed him the coat. She had such sadness in her eyes. She wasn’t angry, she wasn’t even upset, she was just very sad.
“I understand, you miss her. I miss her too. It’s been a hard two years.” Sarah then walked out the side gate of the yard.
“It’s ok Mark, I’ll see you in the morning,” Agnus said as she got up from her chair.
What had he done?! This was terrible! In the morning he would try to talk to Sarah, maybe tell her about how much he missed Jen. Maybe they could find something to talk about, reminisce about her. That might fix things. Do friend things, that’s what he needed to do. Mark put his jacket over his arm and followed Sarah out the gate. As he walked he could see Sarah a few feet in front of him. She turned at her door and walked up to it.
“Night Sarah, see you in the morning,” Mark said as he passed by.
Sarah turned and with tears in her eyes, she replied. “Night Mark.”
Mark felt horrible. He had messed everything up. Sarah was crying and he wasn’t quite sure why. Perhaps he had just reminded her of the fact that her youngest sister was dead. Maybe he brought back a lot of painful memories that Sarah was trying to keep bottled up. He needed to fix this. He needed to talk to her tomorrow. He had to fix this!
Mark rose in the morning after tossing and turning for most of the night. He had spent half the night going over his mistake before he finally fell asleep. Agnus had already forgiven him for swearing but he wasn’t sure why Sarah was so upset. He needed to talk to Sarah, explain things, and try to make her feel better.
Mark hurried and threw on some clothes then headed out the door. When he passed Sarah’s house he noticed that it looked calm and peaceful. Maybe she was still sleeping. Sarah always did like to come in to work late. She was constantly being chastised by Roger for her tardiness and sometimes taking time off. As Mark thought this over he laughed to himself. He had always been so worried that Sarah might get fired. Knowing the truth, that Sarah was really the boss, he felt silly. All the phone calls from Roger had been a clever ruse to keep people from suspecting that she was really the owner and probably off on trips recruiting new Asuune.
Mark’s steps quickened as he neared the library. He wanted to see Sarah, get a chance to talk to her again. He could fix this. It was Sarah, she would go back to her joyful, silly self after a few comments about how self-absorbed he could be. When Mark opened the door Agnus was busy working and strangely Charles was there. He was sitting across from her with his feet up on the table reading a novel. Charles wasn’t much for historical research but he did like to read a good book now and then.
“Morning guys,” Mark said as he made his way to his office. He thought it was strange to see Agnus and Charles not in Agnus’s office but maybe they were just trying to get more room. Charles, was after all, a little too large to really stretch out in her office.
“Mark, we need to talk,” Agnus started.
“I’m really sorry about last night, I didn’t mean to swear. I ju
st felt really stupid calling Sarah Jen,” Mark explained.
“That’s not what I want to talk to you about,” Agnus continued. Mark sat down on a chair near their table. This looked serious. “Sarah left this morning, she had more business she needed to attend to.”
Mark’s stomach sank. He felt like someone had just pulled the chair out from under him. How could he apologize, explain how much of an idiot he was if she was gone?
“Will she be coming back soon?” Mark asked, dreading the answer. This was all his fault.
“She didn’t really say, something about God had made a mistake and she needed to fix it.” Agnus replied. “I thought this was strange because Sarah knows that God doesn’t make mistakes.”
Mark stood up and startled Charles who put down his book quickly.
“What EXACTLY did she say?!” Mark had a bad feeling he knew what Sarah meant.
“What was it?” Agnus asked herself. “Oh yeah, she said God has made a mistake. I need my father’s help to fix it. I can repent for my sins if father helps me. Which I also found strange because father…”
“And you didn’t try to stop her?!” Mark’s tone made Agnus and Charles realize that something was horribly wrong.
Mark turned to leave but Charles had already stepped in his way.
“Don’t make me move you!” Mark yelled at Charles. Charles knew that Mark could move him if he wanted to. Size was not the judge of strength for the Asuune, age and bloodline were far more important.
“It’s not me you have to get by,” Charles said snidely as he stepped out of the way so Mark could see Agnus’s scowling face.
Mark knew he couldn’t take Agnus. Agnus was the daughter of Samael and over five hundred years old. The only one that could make Agnus move was Sarah.
“You had better start explaining!” Agnus was furious.
Mark resigned himself to explaining. He wasn’t getting by Agnus and he couldn’t trick her into moving either. Sarah hadn’t lied about Agnus’s intelligence only stretched the truth a little. Agnus was just a smart as Mark, he had to tell her what he knew.
“I think Sarah is going to have her father kill her to pay for her sins,” Mark began.
Curse of the Asuune Page 10
