Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  'May I speak?' Therion asked.

  I had been looking down at the floor. I glanced up to see him signalling Jay to leave, or at least remain quiet. I nodded, started to pace, decided I'd better focus and went to take a seat at the dining table, decided sitting was not something I could do and ended up leaning on the dining-room side of the kitchen counter and crossing my arms.

  'Getting intimately involved was not a wise choice.'

  I started to interrupt him but stopped myself.

  'Given a moment to consider things, you will realise it was not intended.'

  No, now that he brought it up, it probably wasn't.

  'Road to hell,' I said aloud.

  He gave me a quizzical look.

  Jay explained. 'There's a proverb amongst humans that says the road to hell is paved with good intentions. One of its meanings is that while we may mean well, due to unforeseen consequences, we end up causing harm or creating complications we don't intend. Sometimes the outcome is the exact opposite of what we mean to happen.'

  Therion nodded. 'I have, and I think it is true for Jayden, always felt a connection to your daughter. But I thought it was just an empathetic thing. But it became more. I won't say I regret it, but I will say that it will, as you say, complicate matters. It will affect my judgement and my objective. You are right to be concerned.'

  'But look at the other side of it, Mum.' Jay moved from the doorway into the dining area. 'No one will be more vigilant than Therion.'

  Therion frowned. 'Are you saying that before we had sex, I would have been less diligent?'

  Jay gave him a look that said: That's not the point. I had to agree with her; she was trying to persuade me not to be too hard on him, so he was not helping himself.

  'She's saying,' I said, 'that in our world it is thought that love is a stronger motivator than duty. So, Therion, is it true, do you love my daughter?'

  He looked puzzled again. 'I have not thought about it.' He was silent a moment, and then he said, 'I have never been in love before, what does it feel like?'

  His response surprised me. 'Never been in love and never had sex?' I clarified.

  'No.'

  That made me raise my brows, from what I knew, Therion was old, centuries old. I shook my head, this just got worse. This was not a seasoned, experienced guardian and my daughter was possibly his first love as well as being the target of some very dangerous beings. 'It is not easy to describe…' I started to explain.

  'Like you have always known each other despite a short acquaintance? Like being parted from her would shear through your soul?' Therion asked, looking steadily at my daughter. 'Like you will obliterate any who try to harm her and extinguish any obstacle to her happiness?' He looked back to me.

  'Yeah, that describes it pretty well,' I agreed.

  'Then, yes. I love your daughter. I need to finish my patrol.'

  That was it. He turned and went back outside and took off.

  I stared after him in astonishment. I'd been furious, but now… I wasn't sure. I looked over at Jay, she looked a little stunned, too. A dark-angel had just said he loved her, so perhaps she needed time to process that. I still objected to them being sexually involved, but we'd have to handle that as best we could. I walked around the kitchen counter to the coffee machine. Jay had sunk into the nearby dining chair, still looking at the spot Therion had last been. She needed a coffee. Heck, I drank tea for the most part, but I needed a coffee.

  Jay

  'It certainly has a strong beat, I thought you said this was symphonic metal.'

  Therion shushed me. 'Listen.'

  Therion had been preparing to go on a patrol and had remarked that it was a pity he couldn't listen to music while he did because he could not risk limiting his senses. I'd been surprised he listened to music and that led to a discussion of his playlist, which he was now showing me. I couldn't get over it, Therion, once the big bad of the Dark Realm, had playlists. He had a smartphone. He could type a text faster than I could, he downloaded apps, and did internet searches. He liked a wide variety of music, but right now his favourites included a lot of melodic or symphonic versions of heavy metal, like Nightwish and Savatage, but there was everything from nightcore mixes to Disturbed, Basshunter, Post Modern Jukebox and Two Steps From Hell. Oh, and a band, coincidentally, named Therion. Bastien had given him their first album as a joke, but Therion had downloaded their other albums. The singer of Nightwish launched into a soaring verse that sounded more suitable to an opera than heavy metal. I was surprised because I'd been worried I wouldn't like it, but the songs were complex and beautiful. I remembered, then, that Bastien had been wearing a Nightwish t-shirt the night we met.

  'What do you think?'

  I nodded. 'They're really good.'

  'Brilliant,' Therion asserted. 'The way the songs are layered, the way each instrument builds on the last. I like this complexity, it is like flying, building to a certain height, attaining the right altitude, and then soaring or diving. They have good mastery of a technique called a drop or drop beat; everything builds, slowly, layer on layer and then… silence, usually for a portion of beat longer than you expect and then the music slams into you again, releasing the energy it has built up. Sometimes it reflects my emotions, supressed in the dark, breaking from their restraints, and then… caged again in silence. The music feels for me when I cannot afford to feel for myself.'

  This admission surprised me, he had talked about supressing his instincts, but rarely touched on how that affected him on a deeper, emotional level.

  Therion was still talking. 'You should listen to The Trooper Overture cover by the Two Cellos.'

  'Cellos? As in the classical musical instrument?'

  'Yes. They cover Iron Maiden and AC/DC amongst others.'

  I took a moment to process it all.

  'Just because I come from what is considered a realm of magic, does not mean it is without technology. Ulyn's laboratory has more advanced technology than most human realms. I also have the benefit of friends like Bastien. He may be a vampire, but his survival is based on fitting in, which often means adopting technology and understanding how it is used by the cultures he lives within. I believe he, too, finds technology and science fascinating and is comfortable integrating it into his life. Aurealis says I must come to understand this realm, which means experiencing the cultures. And while I do not like the experience offered by shopping malls or understand fashion, I do appreciate music. I especially enjoy being able to fly while listening to it.'

  'You fly to these?'

  Therion murmured an affirmative as he tucked the phone away. 'But not while there's a possibility of danger,' he reiterated. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. 'I should not be excessively long.'

  Regular patrols were essential because Ceri-talen counted on his adversaries becoming complacent the longer it was between the last attack and the next and Therion refused to be caught out by such an amateur mistake. I took a few steps back to give him room to launch. He spread his wings wide and, again, I found myself marvelling at how far they extended considering how compact they looked when tucked behind his back. The series of whoomphs of air that followed made me stumble a little. Next time I'd give him a lot more room.

  After I'd told Mum about the change in our relationship, she had grudgingly accepted things, and Therion had emphasised that he would continue his vigilance in protecting me. The regular patrols helped to assure her of his sincerity. We also made sure we avoided any kind of intimate gestures when she was home. Therion said out of respect for my mother, but my motivations were also driven by wanting to avoid an argument. It wasn't that I did not respect Mum, but Therion's love was not one way, I loved him too. I knew it complicated things, but I wasn't willing to give it up just because of complications.

  I sat on the veranda steps, pulled out my phone and looked up a few of the bands he liked. I knew a few of them already, like Savatage, so I wasn't surprised I liked some of the others that sounded similar.
Nightwish was a bit heavier but had that same knack for telling stories and incorporated some very unique instruments, I was pretty sure I'd heard bagpipes. Queensryche was another one I already knew. Basshunter I'd never heard, but really enjoyed. Then I remembered Rammstein and found a link and sent it to Therion. I was texting an angel! I was sending him a link to a German metal band. This had to be a dream. A very weird, nightmarish and wonderful dream, but a dream, never-the-less.

  'He looks, from this distance, almost like a bird.'

  'Dammit, Adrian, make a sound when you move,' I cursed, but there was no real anger in my tone. Okay, definitely not a dream, I decided, looking up at Adrian and noting the fangs. The vampire, who was now leaning on the veranda railing, gave me a sheepish look of apology. I sighed and gave him a smile to let him know it was okay and he returned to gazing up at Therion.

  Unlike the stereotype of vampires, they weren't all six-foot-plus tall and ghostly pale, but Adrian didn't help my case. He was so pale-skinned I wondered if he qualified as an albino, even his hair was almost without colour. His eyes were an uncanny dark blue, they almost looked black, but for the lighter blue flecks in his irises. Like the other sentries, he wore black: black jeans and a top of some sort, a black sleeveless tee with two koi in a yin/yang configuration in Adrian's case. The sleeveless tee showed off two Japanese dragon tattoos that covered each arm and his shoulders. The left tattoo had bright greens and blues with gold accents and the right had reds, oranges, and teal. It was impressive artwork and I suspected the tee was a custom design because the fish were done in teal-blue and orange-gold. A pair of Japanese-style swords hung from a harness on his back and a gun sat snugly in the holster wrapped about his chest. Each vampire had their own preference as far as weapons went. Some had longswords, others scimitars or short swords. They also carried guns of varying types. And knives, loads of knives.

  Since Thomas had left the vampires unsupervised, they were less reserved and I found them more willing to chat with me if I asked a question. Some, like Adrian, even started the conversation.

  After a few minutes of silence, I murmured, 'I'll start hanging bells on you soon.'

  Adrian took in my crooked grin and laughed softly. Then he furrowed his brow and said, 'I've never liked collars, but perhaps if you got me one that sparkles.' The quip was accompanied by a cheeky grin.

  'You wait, if I get you one, you know I will make you wear it.'

  We both laughed and Adrian retorted, 'If you can make Therion wear one, I will.'

  We returned our attention to the sky. 'He does look like a bird way up there,' I said, agreeing with Adrian's original statement. Even though he included the flights as a part of his patrol, I knew he really enjoyed it, interspersing the back and forth gliding pattern with swoops and dives.

  Adrian's head jerked up, putting me on alert, and then he relaxed. 'Bastien,' he explained.

  Sure enough, Bastien came around the side of the house about a minute later.

  I gave him a smile of greeting as he joined us, leaning against the veranda railing.

  'What are we looking at?'

  'Therion,' I answered.

  Just then, Therion moved into a dive. You could spot it because he drew his wings in and sped straight down, like a black spear thrust from the skies by a god. Every time I watched it my heart caught in my throat. I could never get over how fast he dropped. Each time, it seemed like he let himself get closer and closer to hitting the ground before he unfurled his wings. This time was no different and I felt both vampires tense as Therion sped towards us. As he came closer, I could distinguish more details, when I could clearly see the gold sparks of his eyes, I found myself gripping the veranda step. Just when I was sure it was too late, he opened his wings and spun off to glide up and around in a wide circle before he landed.

  'That is awesome,' I breathed.

  'And a little adrenaline junkie,' Adrian added, but his tone was full of envy.

  'Who can blame him?' I replied. 'He always has me thinking he's left it too late.' I grunted as I pushed myself to my feet. 'I keep telling myself I won't watch, but it's like a train wreck, there's a kind of horrified fascination that draws me out.' I looked up at Bastien. 'Where's Amelia?'

  'Ah, she said to give you greetings and regrets, it is a little early in the day for her and Thomas and I had a few things we wanted to discuss with Therion earlier on, so I volunteered to take her place and check on things here while also speaking with Therion. She asked if she could reschedule your movie night from Friday to Monday.'

  I shrugged and gestured around the yard, indicating the vampires patrolling the grounds, well, you couldn't see them all, but I think Bastien knew what the movement meant. 'I don't have a heavy social calendar right now,' I paused to smile, 'but I'd make time for Amelia, even if I did.'

  Bastien returned my smile, and there was something else in his expression, I think it was approval. 'I believe she feels the same, when we were discussing it this morning she was concerned you might misinterpret her request.'

  I shook my head. 'Not at all. Monday is fine.'

  Just then Therion reached us, greeting Bastien with a nod. He gestured towards the house, 'I just need to get something, and I will join you.'

  It took him a moment to slip indoors and he came out carrying a bag he'd had stored in one of the coolers the vampires used in their cars. Therion did not leave often, or for long periods, but one of the times he did, he'd returned with the bag and asked Amelia if he could commandeer one of their small coolers. He'd moved all the blood to the other coolers so he could reset the temperature, but he'd not directly told me what he had stored in there. That is, he had given me an 'inoculation' before putting it all away, but said it was safer if I did not know the details, adding that Aurealis would never let him administer it if it would not help in protecting me from those of the Dark Realm. I'd not pressed for more information, but now, as I saw him take the bag with him, I wondered if perhaps I should have. Then I thought about it, being an inoculation, as he'd called it, I figured he was about to give Bastien the same dose he gave me and for the same reason: to somehow protect him from creatures of the Dark Realm.

  Bastien pushed away from the railing and gave me a low-handed wave as they walked back out into the garden. I decided I could do with a coffee and said as much to Adrian. He gave me a salute and went back to his post at the end of the veranda.

  Bastien

  I glanced back to see that Jay was out of earshot and then growled low. 'Blood oath, Therion, what have you done?'

  I received a non-committal grunt, then. 'I forgot vampire senses are so discerning.'

  'All her hormones are elevated and her pheromones might as well be perfume.'

  'Why assume me?'

  By the wrath of gods, he was amused. That made me pause. It suggested that although he acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, he didn't care. Nor did he regret his actions.

  'Because Thomas would draw and quarter any clan member imbecilic enough to even contemplate it.'

  Therion slowed to a stop. 'I had no intention… indeed, I was caught completely by surprise. When she kissed me…' he frowned, trying to figure out how to explain.

  Then it sunk in. 'She kissed you?'

  Therion nodded.

  Blood oath! I couldn't decide if she was especially gifted or terminally insane. I'd felt it, when I met her, something in her subconscious thoughts, they'd had a strong connection from the start.

  'Last I checked, you could barely tolerate being in the same room with a human, now you're in bed with one. Are you aware of the mountain of complications this will cause?'

  He sighed. 'I am. I have sent a message to Aurealis seeking guidance and petitioning her to be Jayden's guardian.' He paused, his expression distinctly uneasy, this was very unfamiliar ground for him. 'But there is no guarantee she will acquiesce. Especially since… I can no longer be considered objective.'

  Damn right he was no longer objective. Aurealis may all
ow her guardians to have relationships, but not one as inexperienced as Therion, not one on the path of redemption. Yet, perhaps the entanglement of a relationship had been exactly what Aurealis had planned... It was an enormous gamble, but what better way to cultivate a connection between Therion and this realm? It was an interesting tactic. If that was what Aurealis had been planning, she had more nerve than I expected. And perhaps she was right, Therion had changed. It was subtle, but significant. He seemed lighter somehow, but also stronger, more determined.

  I found myself chuckling. 'I really never thought I'd have such a conversation with you.'

  'Jayden's mother was very disapproving. Like you, she is concerned about my objectivity and the complications an intimate relationship adds to the situation. She has, reluctantly, accepted my promise to remain vigilant, but I can see she is very unhappy.'

  I shrugged. 'As you said, my views are in line with hers. She seems to be as practical as I am— there's nothing we can do about it. In Jay's case, she is an adult and can do what she wants, no matter how inadvisable it may be. As far as you're concerned… I think Aurealis would have stepped in by now if she was going to stop it. That says to me she either meant for it to happen all along or she thinks this might be good for you. With gods, it's always hard to figure their line of thinking.'

  He looked surprised by my remarks. I don't think it occurred to him that Aurealis may have intended all along for him to get involved with one of his charges. I wondered if he would let that influence his decision to continue the relationship.

  'Speaking of Em,' I said. 'Thomas started texting her with updates and they've been communicating daily, although she mentioned nothing of any developments in your relationship.' I paused as I thought about that and then added, 'But she doesn't seem the type to discuss her daughter's private life with people she does not know well. Regardless of all that, Em is concerned about Jay's business. There's someone managing the place, but Fixated is, according to Em, Jay's heart and soul, and a café is not something you leave to run itself. Thomas and I thought, perhaps, Jay can move back to her apartment so she can get back to running the café, but we wanted your input on whether the café and apartment would be harder to defend.'