Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  Ulyn rose and heaved a sigh. I realised she was looking at me, her expression a mix of anger and accusation. 'How could you let him get free?'

  I tilted my head and frowned. 'Our very own god acquitted me of blame, Master. Once the paralysis wore off, I immediately confronted Therion. He used a spear to pin me to a wall and by the time I freed myself and healed enough to fly he was out of reach. Do not forget, it was I, Master, who did the security review and suggested the extra warding that held Therion up for so long. It is Uea who then faced him, not I. I do not rejoice Uea's defeat, but I will not take blame for it.'

  She grunted in reluctant acceptance of my statement and started picking her way towards her quarters, then she stopped and turned to stare at me. A small smile played on her lips, slowly it widened into a grin. 'It is true, what you say, you are not to blame. But it is noteworthy, is it not, that Therion, while disabling you, made no attempt to kill you, even though he slaughtered others of his brethren?'

  'I was with you, Master, I think, despite his defeat of Uea, he fears you.'

  Ulyn shook her head absently, ignoring my reply. She became so quiet and so still, I decided I had been dismissed, or was at least no longer required. I started making my way back to my quarters, preoccupied by recent events, and more importantly, what they meant to me. It was little wonder I jumped when Ulyn barked my name.

  I turned, adopting a submissive stance, dropping my head and angling my wings low.

  'You are to remain here,' she instructed. She sauntered over, somehow picking a path through the debris without needing to look. She ran a solicitous hand over my cheek, along my jaw, and down my neck, letting it rest on my shoulder. 'I have research I wish to do, but I want you to remain close. If you need to rest, use my quarters. Otherwise, take over co-ordinating the restoration of my lab.'

  If she had flung herself before me and proclaimed her remorse for every wrong she had ever committed, I could not have been more surprised. Surely, she would prefer Jasilen to be in charge of her lab. Then I remembered, Therion had broken Jasilen's wings. Ulyn would have helped heal her, Jasilen being one of the favoured, yet she would still need time to strengthen her wings and muscles and that would also entail rest.

  I lifted my head and gave her an openly puzzled look. Ulyn was not about to proffer an explanation, though, as she disappeared behind the remains of the wall that had once separated her quarters from the lab.

  Vessa

  Maya played with her friends. The grass was freshly mown and the sun shone warmly on the school playground. I had not thought my grief would ever fade after Gerald. Watching Maya laugh and yell as she raced about the playground was a salve I never anticipated.

  I often thought of Therion while watching her. Therion who had seemed so frightening, being so gentle with this child. I knew it was a fragile thing, that gentleness. I had not always been a guardian, my path to this role had been as a warrior. I had faced soul takers, including therilgalen. Aurealis did not choose me just because I was conveniently free when Maya had need of a guardian. Aurealis knew she would need a guardian with more than just experience in guiding a soul through their journey and protecting it from roving predators. I think the only reason another attempt had not been made to take Maya was that Ceri-talen felt he had the time to wait until I became complacent. He was under-estimating me. I may have made a serious mistake letting the therilgalen into the apartment that night, but only because I did not know better.

  While Aurealis held him in the Sunlit Meadows I had taken to questioning Therion about how best to protect Maya. He had gone further than that, giving me answers to questions I did not even know to ask. Knowledge of Ceri-talen's preferred ambush strategies I would never have anticipated would help me take steps to avoid them.

  How my view of Therion had changed! Once I would have happily expelled him from our realm. I knew now, through my empathic ability and through some of the information he had given me, that the rage that governed him was due to the torture his soul had endured over what must have seemed like eternity for him. It might be that Therion had suffered too much to ever be anything like he once was, many of the guardians believed that this was so. Yet, who were we to prevent him from trying? After all he had been through, he deserved the chance.

  I felt Aurealis long before she appeared.

  Aurealis laughed as Maya tumbled with a young boy, they were not fighting, just playing. 'I forget what their delight feels like, I must remember to visit more often.'

  'You rarely have the opportunity.' I made the comment with sympathy, for I thought all should have time and opportunity to experience the delight and sheer innocence of children.

  Aurealis was nodding. I let her observe the children a few moments more.

  'My request is a little late,' I started. 'When Therion was in the Sunlit Meadows I visited him. I know he feels ostracised and I thought bringing him news of Maya would encourage a bond, not just between him and Maya, but between him and... one of us. I think he needs to learn what family feels like, considering his history.'

  'In your compassion, you show wisdom. I wish I could persuade more of our people to think in such a manner and put aside their fear, for they cannot ascend until they learn to leave their fear behind.'

  I murmured my agreement. 'Your mention of fear brings me to an issue I encountered. While I was visiting Therion I observed something unsettling. I thought you should be made aware of it.'

  Aurealis looked at me kindly. 'I am aware of everything, Vessa, but I do not always give it the attention it deserves. Please, remind me of this occurrence that disturbed you so.'

  It was likely just my mentioning it had been enough for her, she spoke truly when she said she was aware of everything but sometimes needed her attention drawn to one thing or another. Indeed, she might have done nothing about what happened to Therion in the Sunlit Meadows to ensure a situation occurred where I would feel the need to act on it, and in doing so, I was strengthening my bond with Therion. And becoming a stronger being myself.

  'I have become aware that some angels took advantage of Therion's confinement to satisfy their curiosity. This, in itself, is harmless, however they do not acknowledge him as an equal, or even as 'one of us'. They devalue him by viewing him as a being without intelligence and incapable of emotions. By striping him of these qualities, they demean him.'

  Aurealis immediately understood my concern. 'They ostracise him further, engender hate and humiliation. I will confine him in private if the future sees a need to do so. In choosing the Sunlit Meadows, the object was to provide a place where there was something for him to observe. I also thought a place with which he is familiar would be less distressing. Yet, I have already noted that he chooses a stance where his head is bowed, thus he is not interested in observing the happenings in the Sunlit Meadows. This development settles the choice for a more suitable place. Thank you for returning my attention to this situation, Vessa. I applaud your initiative in visiting him.'

  I bowed my head in modest acceptance of this praise. Had I not witnessed how gentle Therion was with Maya, I would never have thought of it.

  'He was not there last time I went,' I ventured.

  'Silven was attacked by three therilgalen. I released Therion to save both Silven and the spirit he was guarding. Silven suffered severe injuries and was infected with venom, a minute amount, but enough to leave him weak for an extended period. I assigned Therion in his place.'

  She stroked my head, gave me a smile, and then was gone.

  Maya was still romping about the playground, playing chase with her friends. Full of giggles and joy. I smiled, but not at the children this time; Therion finally had a chance to prove himself. A chance I had initially been unwilling to give him when Aurealis asked me to mentor him. I regretted that and, so, I wished him well.

  Jay

  'Bread? That is your favourite amongst all this?'

  Therion still had a spoon in his mouth, sucking all the ice cream off before answer
ing. 'Of the ones on the counter. Of the ones on the table, I like chocolate better, especially considering all the forms it comes in.'

  We'd started with milk chocolate, but he preferred dark with strawberries and raspberries, although he was also partial to dark peppermint. He wasn't a fan of cauliflower, liked corn and zucchini, hated pumpkin, liked grapes, apples, and mandarins, wasn't sure about bananas or kiwi fruit. He liked cream more than milk, cheese was 'alright', but 'superb' when melted on pasta or pizza, in fact, he'd eaten mostly the cheese, enjoying the way the mozzarella stretched seemingly endlessly. Spinach tasted like grass. He liked chilli, preferred it in chocolate, and loved freshly baked bread with butter, but didn't like the way it caught in his teeth, so probably wouldn't eat it often— he'd still finished half a loaf. Hot chocolate was also 'alright', and now he was onto ice cream; strawberries and cream with raspberry-dark chocolate swirl. It was one of those brands that used real everything: pureed strawberries, thick cream, and a velvety, dark chocolate. Yep, I'm as serious about ice cream and chocolate as I am about coffee, and, fortunately, Mum shares my enthusiasm… Well, in relation to ice cream and chocolate. That's why she runs. She says I bring all this sugar into her house and it's too much temptation after a long day at work. Mind you, I've offered to take it away and told her I could stop bringing it, but my suggestion was received with a mix of disappointment and horror.

  He looked so… normal. And genuinely happy. Half the ice cream tub was empty and I wondered briefly whether he'd ever had a stomach-ache. Pushing off from the table he was leaning against, he came around the kitchen counter to see what I was putting into a set of bowls on a tray. Dark chocolate-covered nuts and goji berries, which were a thin pretence at being healthy, candy-coated, chocolate-covered nuts, and chocolate freckles. Hey— both Mum's and my jobs are emotionally strenuous, we need this stuff to maintain our emotional health.

  Therion looked about to drop the ice cream so he could try what was in the bowls.

  I turned to give him a mock glare. 'Do not think about it, at least not until I finish.'

  The next thing I knew I had a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth. Therion was saying, 'Have you tried this? It's really good. And this is not too bad, either.'

  While I was distracted removing the spoon from my mouth, Therion dodged my hands and retrieved a chocolate covered nut. I dropped the spoon into the sink, trying to look serious for a moment, but couldn't manage it and ended up laughing. I pushed the tray closer to him and took the ice cream so I could put it back in the freezer.

  Therion gave me a disappointed look. 'Can I not have both?'

  'You'll get sick,' I warned.

  'Couldn't be worse than some things I have experienced.'

  I handed him back the ice cream. He had a point.

  He used a freckle to scoop up some ice cream and ate it. He grinned. 'You need to try this.'

  If he wasn't so damn fast, I might've had a chance at rejecting it. Stupidly, I tried anyway and ended up batting the freckle. The ice cream was cold, but at least it ended up on my cheek and not down my top.

  Therion retreated back a step at my look. 'I will keep my enthusiasm to myself,' he promised contritely.

  'Do that,' I said with a laugh before getting a cloth. I got a shocked look as I wiped myself clean. 'What?'

  'It just seems very… wasteful. You should eat it.'

  I laughed again. 'Therion, we have three more tubs in different flavours, no one will miss this bit.'

  'Really!' He dropped the tub to the bench and spun to open the freezer.

  I placed a firm, but gentle, hand over his and closed the freezer over before he could pull any more ice cream out. 'Really. And you can see the next one after you finish this one. But Therion,'

  'Mmhmm?'

  'You eat us out of ice cream, I'll put a padlock on the freezer door.'

  He raised his eyebrows, then frowned. 'You mean that as a deterrent?'

  I sighed.

  He smiled. 'Fear not, Jayden, I will not eat all your ice cream.'

  I exhaled through my nostrils, irritated. 'Why do you do that?'

  'What?'

  'Use my full name.'

  'Because I like the sound of it.'

  What could I say to that? I could hardly tell him he couldn't say my name. I was suddenly aware of his eyes; he was looking at me intensely.

  'You do not like it.'

  He had seemed so human the last couple of hours, excited by food and all the ways they made it. It was a world it had never occurred to him to experience. But he was still tall, nicely muscled, half-naked, and very clearly male if not a 'man'. He was also two inches from me. I could feel this… caged energy. In the way he moved, the way he was aware of everything, and the way he was looking at me, right now.

  I leaned forward, it didn't take much, and kissed him. He tasted of chocolate… I was pretty sure he had never been kissed before because he went very still. Then my senses kicked in, what was I thinking, or not thinking? I pulled back, embarrassed. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…'

  His brow was furrowed, not in anger, in contemplation. Those very beautiful eyes looked mystified, and somehow more intense.

  'Actually, I did,' I found myself saying.

  I don't know if I leaned up or if he leaned down, but this time he definitely reciprocated. Bastien was probably right and I was enticed by the danger dressed so attractively. Or maybe it was just that we'd connected in the clichéd sense of romance novels. We'd spent very little time together in reality, but I still felt like I knew him. Whatever it was, I kept kissing him. I started with simple kisses, until he got the idea and then I parted his lips with mine, earning a soft rumble. He moved closer and I felt his hands move to my waist.

  I deepened the kiss. I felt his heartbeat increase, thrumming against my hand on his chest. I was starting to feel short of breath and diverted to his throat. This time, he made a sound like a purr, I felt it against my lips. He was breathing fast. I've never affected anyone like this. Oh, they've been excited, but not in this intense way. Then it struck me. From what I'd heard of his life, there were no romances. Had Therion ever had a lover?

  He slid his hand up my body to my throat, gently turning my mouth to his so he could kiss me. I happily complied. He shuddered and pushed me against the fridge, pinning me with his body. Then he broke away, leaning his head against the freezer door, still breathing hard. 'I suspect my god may actually kill me.'

  'Wouldn't you know by now?' I asked. 'I mean, when you do something she disapproves of, she yanks you out of this realm, right?'

  He became very still, staring at the freezer door. Slowly, he turned his head so he could meet my gaze. 'There's a possibility she hasn't noticed. Gods can get very caught up in their ambitions.'

  'I won't lodge any complaints.'

  He smiled, closing and opening his eyes in a slow blink. 'I take it, then, you would be pleased to continue.'

  'More than pleased.'

  He raised his hand to caress my cheek and I leaned in, closing my eyes as he kissed me. I trailed my hands down his chest, feeling the well-defined muscles and aware of his soft, warm skin. I stopped when I got to his belt and changed direction, sliding my hands up about his shoulders. He paused again. 'I have seen intimacy, but never engaged in it, never felt the desire before. I am not entirely sure...'

  I kissed his chin and then his lips. 'Just go with your instincts, that's what we all do our first time.'

  I liked his instincts. His hands moved from my abdomen to my hips and down my legs. He was a great fan of kissing and I obliged him. When he lifted me slightly to get better access to my throat and collarbone, I wrapped one leg around him to help support myself.

  He inhaled deeply. 'You smell, so… good... like rain,' he murmured.

  'Glad to hear it.' Wait... like rain? I was too distracted to clarify. 'Trust me,' I said, 'we should adjourn to the bedroom, it's a lot more comfortable than the bench or the floor…' Before I'd finished speaking, he had adj
usted his grip and we were moving. I half expected him to throw me on the bed, but he didn't. He lowered me as carefully as if he thought I might break.

  At some point during our explorations, Therion stilled. 'Stop…' he murmured against my lips.

  I paused because of his strained tone. He shifted slightly, breathing hard. 'I've not done this before.'

  'We covered that, instincts, remember?'

  I admit, I sounded slightly impatient, but Therion did not seem to pick up on it.

  'That is the problem,' he said.

  I arched my right eyebrow.

  'This is not my natural form…' he trailed off still breathing hard. 'I'm not sure I can hold this form.'

  Oh, well. That was different. I took a moment to think it over. Aside from the fangs the rest didn't really bother me. I found his eyes captivating and the sharper planes of his face were also beautiful in an exotic way. I thought the same of his wings and the velvety markings. The armoured scales along the back of his forearms did not touch me, so I didn't really notice them.

  'Just don't bite me,' I said at last, meaning it as a joke.

  Therion answered quite seriously, though. 'I do not produce venom unless I am going to fight, and I will know well before it starts... but it is possibly safer this first time we resist... some of the more intimate kisses until I know with certainty what my responses are going to be.'

  'As long as I can kiss you elsewhere, I'll cope,' I assured him with a grin. My quip earned a low, soft laugh, which turned into that sound that was almost like a purr as I nibbled my way along his neck and up to his ear.

  There was a hurried, impatient few moments dedicated to disrobing. You might think that with Therion being half-naked because of his wings seeing him fully unclothed would not have had as much impact— you'd be wrong. The gold markings along his undersides were made up of very fine, velvety hair. Flying and fighting so regularly kept his muscles well-defined, but despite his size, the wings, the armoured forearms, the fangs, he was a very gentle lover.