by S. J. West
“No, not yet,” Brand said. “I thought I would go see Isaiah tomorrow while the girls are out shopping to see if he’s heard anything. I also want to ask Isaiah if he thinks Lilly should ask for the gathering herself.”
“Let me know what he says. The sooner we do the gathering, the more time we will have to discover what the plan is.”
“Lilly, baby,” Utha Mae called to me over the Wal-mart sales paper in her hands. “Could you bring me some of that chocolate bourbon pecan pie Brand made?”
“I’ll get it for you,” Brand told her, dazzling her with his smile.
“Thank you, hon. Just put a dollop of whip cream on it too. I’d sure appreciate it.”
Brand leaned into my ear and whispered, “Is it just me or does Utha Mae look tired to you?”
I chanced a glance at Utha Mae and did notice she didn’t seem to be diving into the sales papers with her usual gusto.
“I think the wedding just took things out of her,” I said, not willing to entertain any other thought. “She’ll be all right once she gets a little rest.”
Brand nodded but I could tell he wasn’t quite convinced of my assessment of Utha Mae’s health.
I spent the rest of the day marveling at how large my family had become in such a short time. Will, Malcolm and Brand seemed to have finally worked things out and even enjoyed watching a college football game together on TV. Tara, Utha Mae and I planned out our route for the next day and Malik took studious notes for us so we wouldn’t forget what it was we wanted to buy at each spot. It was one of the best Thanksgivings I could ever remember having. I made a fervent wish that it wouldn’t be the last.
Chapter 10Later that evening when it was just Utha Mae, me and Brand in the house, I went to her bedroom to check on her. She was sitting in the chair by the window reading her Bible, a familiar sight ever since I was a child.
“We’re about to go to bed, Utha Mae. Do you need anything?” I asked.
She put her bookmark in her Bible and looked up at me. “If you could help me get out of this chair and into bed I’d appreciate it, baby.”
I went to her and held her arm as she slowly tried to stand up. I hadn’t realized such a simple task had become something she needed help with. I began to wonder if maybe it wasn’t time to hire Utha Mae a part-time nurse to help her out around her home. I knew Brand wouldn’t mind paying for it if I asked.
I tucked Utha Mae in and kissed her on the cheek.
“Need anything else?” I asked.
“No, baby,” she said, letting out a large exhalation of breath before closing her eyes. “I’ll see you bright and early in the morning.”
I turned off the light in the room and pulled the door gently closed. When I went back into the bedroom Brand and I now called ours, I told him my concerns for Utha Mae.
“I can arrange for someone to help take care of her,” Brand said. “But you should probably ask if that’s something she wants first. Some people don’t like strangers in their home.”
“I wish she lived closer.”
“We could always build her a house on the property. That way you and Tara can take turns checking on her.”
“You would build her a house for me?”
“I would be doing it for all of us. Utha Mae’s become important to me too you know. I care what happens to her and I would feel better if she were closer to us. I’m just not sure how well we’ll be able to keep our secrets from her if she lives besides us. Her body may be old but she’s still sharp mentally.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we have to cross it,” I said, snuggling closer against his side as we lay together in bed.
I felt Brand’s hands start to venture into dangerous territory considering Utha Mae was in our house.
“What are you trying to do to me?” I moaned, unable to conjure up the will to ask him to stop.
“I thought it was quite obvious what I’m trying to do to you,” he murmured, bringing his lips to mine in a breath stealing kiss.
“We can’t do this,” I said, “not with Utha Mae in the house.”
“Hmm, then I guess we need to go somewhere else for a few minutes.”
Before I knew it we were in our bedroom in the London home.
“Is this better?” Brand asked, nibbling the side of my neck.
“Much,” I told him before rolling him over to have my way with him the rest of the night.
The next morning Utha Mae, Tara and I ventured out early on our annual holiday shopping adventure, intent on doing all of our Christmas shopping in one day. Malik let Tara borrow his SUV because I wanted to buy a new Christmas tree and decorations for my home with Brand. It would be our first Christmas together and I wanted everything to be perfect.
Top on Tara’s list of wants was the latest Nintendo gaming system. It was the only thing Malik wanted for Christmas so naturally Tara was Hell bent on getting it for him. The only problem was that our Wal-mart only had ten of them in stock on Black Friday. So, her chances of actually getting one were about a 100 to 1 considering the number of people waiting outside the store to rush in and start shopping.
While we stood in line with the other holiday shoppers, Tara began doing squats on the sidewalk.
“What are you doing?” I asked her.
“Gettin’ ready,” she said, standing to start pumping her arms in the air above her head with fisted hands.
“Getting ready for what? World War III?”
“Don’t laugh at me Lilly Rayne,” Tara said in all seriousness, twisting at the waist to loosen her muscles. “You know how some of these people are. I’m not about to let anybody get between me and that new Nintendo gamepad. Not when my man asked for in particular.”
“Your man?” Utha Mae asked, as if to question when Malik had officially become Tara’s man.
“He’s mine, Grandma. And I plan to keep him for a long time,” Tara said as she began to whirl her arms round and round like propellers on an airplane. I noticed the people around us start to cautiously inch away. I felt sure they thought Tara had completely lost her mind and would be sure to keep their distance from her once inside the store. And maybe that was Tara’s strategy all along because when the front doors finally did open, everyone gave her a wide berth as she dashed into the store letting out a mighty war cry from the top of her lungs like a banshee escaping out of the gates of Hell itself.
Utha Mae and I stood stock still as those around us cautiously followed in behind Tara.
“Did my grandbaby just do what I think she did?” Utha Mae said to me discreetly out the side of her mouth, complete disbelief on her face.
“Let’s never speak of this to anyone,” I said, hoping to take what I had just witnessed to my grave. “And let’s get our stuff and get out as quick as we can. Maybe she won’t be able to find us if we hurry.”
But find us she did.
In the middle of the Christmas decoration isle, Tara held up her Nintendo box and did what I can only call her touchdown dance, similar to the one football players do in the end zone when they’ve scored for their team. Utha Mae and I just stared at her silently as she gyrated her hips and held up her prized possession all the while saying, “Who’s the best shopper in the world? Tara Jenkins is the best shopper in the world that’s who!”
Utha Mae and I looked at one another and couldn’t prevent the laughter which followed. This only seemed to embolden Tara as she began to jerk her body even faster.
By the end of the day, we had all gotten pretty much everything we set our sights on the day before. As we drove Utha Mae back to Dalton, I asked her about moving to Lakewood to be closer to me and Tara.
“Brand wants to build me a house?” She questioned. “I haven’t had a house since I was married to Harry.”
“Will you let us do this for you?” I asked her. “We really want you to be closer to us.”
“Normally I wouldn’t accept such generosity,” she said. “But I can’t say it wouldn’t be nice to not be a whole hou
r away from you girls. Do you think I could help design it?”
I smiled. “I know the perfect person to draw up the plans. Malcolm is a fantastic architect. I’m sure he would love to help you design your dream home.”
“All right then, baby. I would be happy to accept your generous offer. Who knows, maybe I can pay you back by babysitting.”
I heard Tara almost choke on the coke she was drinking. I was just thankful she was able to keep the car on the road.
“We’ll see,” I told Utha Mae, not wanting to tell her why I would never be able to have children unless a small miracle occurred.
But who knew what the future might bring. On my last visit with God, he had shown me my daughter again and called it a wedding gift. Could he possibly plan to allow me to have a child with Brand and not have her burdened with the curse of all Watcher children? And what of the dream I had in which I first met my daughter and found myself pregnant with a rather rambunctious baby boy? Had it just been a dream conjured by my own desires for a real family or had it been a possible glimpse into the future? Only time would give me the answers I needed. I just prayed I had enough of it to discover the answers for myself.
When Tara dropped me off, Brand wasn’t home. After we got all my purchases inside, Tara left saying she planned to have supper with Malik.
I decided to try and assemble to the new Christmas tree I bought while I waited for Brand to come back home. I had just laid out all the tree limbs by their color coding when I suddenly felt the warm hands of my husband encircle my waist.
“Did you have fun today?” he asked, propping his head on my shoulder as he surveyed the pile of artificial limbs lined up on the floor. “You know we could have just bought a real tree.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about that. I’ve always just had artificial ones. Would you rather have a real one?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. I already have my Christmas present, and I don’t think she’ll fit under a tree,” he said, squeezing me tight.
I turned to face him within the circle of his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“Were you able to speak with Samyaza today?”
“No, but Isaiah tracked him down and told me to expect a message from him tomorrow sometime.”
“Did you tell Isaiah what we planned to ask him to do?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He thinks it’s a long shot but certainly worth a try.”
“Could he really still feel guilty after all these years? He may have been your leader but it’s not like he forced you to follow him.”
“I think he understands that intellectually but those who are leaders, at least good ones, always feel like their responsible for the ones placed under their command. He feels like he failed us and just can’t seem to get rid of the guilt.”
“Well, Isaiah’s right. We have to try. There’s no other choice.”
“But that’s not until tomorrow,” Brand said drawing me closer to him. “I say we spend the time in between in a more productive way.”
And that we did…
Later when we lay in bed holding each other afterwards, Brand said, “I want you to take me somewhere.”
I lifted my head off his chest. “Where do I know that you don’t?”
“The house Malcolm built you. I only saw it that once in your dream. You’ve never actually taken me there. I would like to see it in person.”
We got dressed and I phased Brand and I to my Colorado home.
Brand looked out the picture frame window at the snow capped mountain and lake. When he turned around in the empty living room he said, “Let me buy you some furniture for this place as a Christmas present.”
I hugged him around the waist and asked, “What can I get you for Christmas?”
“Like I said earlier, you are my present.”
“I have to get you something for under the Christmas tree.”
“You really don’t, my love. I have everything I want.”
“Well, if I end up buying you a funny looking Christmas sweater just act like you love it and can’t live without it.”
Brand laughed. “All I will ever want. All I will ever need is you. Even if I lost every possession I own, I wouldn’t care as long as you were still by my side.”
With those types of words, how could I stop myself from phasing us back home and having my way with my husband.
Chapter 11The next afternoon Isaiah phased into our living room as Brand and I were making out on the couch.
“Whoa, did not mean to see that,” Isaiah said, lifting his hand to shield his eyes and turning away from us. “I guess I should have called first. I forgot you’re still newly weds.”
Brand stood and I quickly began to button my shirt.
“Yes,” Brand said, not bothering to put his t-shirt back on, “you should have.”
“I promise I will next time. Are you decent, Lilly?” Isaiah asked.
“Yes, you can look now.” I stood by Brand eager to hear what Isaiah had to tell us.
Isaiah faced us with a sheepish grin on his face. “A thousand apologizes, truly. I only came to tell you Mason is ready to see you now.”
“Who’s Mason?” I asked.
“It’s Samyaza’s human name,” Brand said. “Most of us adopted one when we had to live here on Earth.”
“What was your angelic name?” I asked Brand.
“Tir.”
“And Malcolm?”
“Raum.”
“He’ll meet with you at the stones,” Isaiah said. “And he wants to speak with Lilly alone.”
“Why alone?” Brand asked, immediately suspicious.
“He said he didn’t want you there influencing his decision. He wants Lilly to plead her own case for his help. I’m to bring Lilly and her only.”
“Right now?” I questioned, feeling as though I should change out of my simple white button down shirt and blue jeans.
“If you want to speak with him it will have to be now or never,” Isaiah told me.
I quickly went upstairs to grab a coat and put some shoes on. When I came back downstairs, Brand pulled me into his arms.
“Can I have a kiss for good luck?” I said.
Brand kissed me tenderly on the lips. “You don’t need luck. He won’t be able to refuse you.”
I placed one of my hands in Isaiah’s and soon found myself standing beside something I had only seen on TV and online: Stonehenge.
It was night time in England. The moon was full in the star filled sky overhead, illuminating the lone figure standing in the middle of the ancient ring of stones with his back turned to me. He wore a long dark coat with the collar standing stiffly around his neck.
“I have to leave you,” Isaiah said reluctantly. I turned to him and saw how despondent his expression was. He, like most of the Watchers I knew felt the calm I brought to their souls. I knew his craving for human blood would be almost nonexistent around me and pitied him for having to endure such pain.
Isaiah phased, leaving me to do my best to convince the leader of the Watchers to help me in my quest.
When I stepped into the ring of stones, Mason didn’t turn to face me. I heard him take in a deep breath and saw his shoulders shudder slightly.
“I see why they treasure you so,” he said, still with his back to me. “I thought Brand was lying at first and needed to know for myself what power you held over the fallen under your control.”
“I don’t control anyone,” I said, slightly offended.
“You are the child of Michael, Lilly. Of course you control them. You control them without even having to consciously make an effort to bend them to your will. Your power is in your blood. It courses through your veins like fire.”
“I would never use my power to make them do anything they didn’t want to do.”
“Do you offer me the same courtesy?” Mason turned to face me. “Can you honestly stand there and tell me if I refuse your request you wouldn’t use yo
ur power to make me do what you want anyway?”
I looked away from Mason’s penetrating gaze. Even though I couldn’t see him clearly, I felt the strength of his will and understood why he had been chosen to lead the Watchers on Earth.
“No, I would not make you do what I want against your will. That isn’t the type of person I am.”
“Michael would use his power. Why not you, his only daughter?”
“Because I’m not my father.”
Mason was silent for a while before saying, “No, I guess you’re not.”
“I came here to ask for your help. Brand seems to think if we bring the Watchers together they can figure out Lucifer’s plans for me. Whatever he does have planned, I can assure you it won’t be good for any of us. Please, I’m asking for your help. Will you gather the Watchers together to help me?”
Mason sighed heavily. “What you ask me to do is something that hasn’t been done since we were exiled here. Why are you so sure the Watchers will even listen to me after all these years?”
“Because you were their leader. I believe they want something to fight for again.”
“You know our father sent us here to help humanity flourish. We were scholars, artist, craftsmen: everything the human race needed to learn we provided. Then, we did the one thing He forbade us to do. We took human women as our wives and tried to have children with them. We tried to have families because we craved such a connection to other living souls. I stood silent as all of those under my command eventually succumbed to their desires because that was what I wanted for myself too. Even though I knew it was wrong, I still let it happen.”
“Did you have a child with your wife?”
“Yes. And now he is burdened with the curse of all Watcher children. He writhes in pain every night because I was too weak. Yet, he still loves me. I can only assume it’s his mother’s half which can still love a monster.”
“Has Brand told you about my dreams?”
Mason cocked his head to the side. “What dreams?”
