I knew that objecting too strongly would just drive Jay to do the opposite. My only hope was that Aurealis, Therion's master, as I understood things, would resolve whatever situation that had led to my daughter being targeted and then Therion would be reassigned to someone else. Yes, Jay would be hurt, but as much as I didn't want her hurt, I thought she'd be far safer without him in her life. Jay had explained that Aurealis might assign a different guardian, someone like Garry— Silven, I corrected myself— who'd taken over while Therion was off doing who knew what. Silven had been pretty badly injured in the ambush with the three demons that looked like Therion, but who worked for Ceri-talen. Therion's old master, I reminded myself, trying to keep it all straight in my head. There'd been a lot of information to take in recently. Much of it seemed impossible, angels and demons, which meant gods, too, all supposedly real entities, well, not supposedly, Therion was real enough. So was Silven and the three demons who'd attacked us.
I pushed through Fixated's door and headed to the counter to ask if Jay was downstairs yet. As I reached the counter, Jay came in from the kitchen, saw me and smiled. Well, at least she wasn't upset over how late I was.
'Come through to the atrium,' she said, opening the swinging door set in the counter so I could follow her.
The smell of bacon and toast almost brought me to a halt, but I reasoned I would soon have both. A third chair had been added to the table we normally used for breakfast in the atrium. This one had no arms and was occupied by the demon that was the cause of so many conflicting emotions for me. Therion sat side on, so his wings weren’t inhibited by the back of the chair and his twin swords could sit to the open side of the chair. It occurred to me that he wore both on one side for exactly that reason. Behind us, the door through to the kitchen opened and I turned to see one of the casuals Jay employed carrying two plates. She waited for us to sit before placing the plates before us.
'Coffee is on the way,' she said to Jay.
'I ordered ahead of you, knowing you'd probably want to eat and run,' Jay told me.
'Good thing I didn't follow through with my impulse to get takeaway then.'
Jay rolled her eyes. 'I knew it.' She looked at Therion. 'I told you, if I ordered before she got here, she couldn't ask for takeaway.'
Her statement made the demon smile and he closed his eyes in a slow blink of acknowledgement. 'Your predictive capacity almost makes you clairvoyant.'
He said it without sarcasm or overt humour, but I was fairly sure he was making a joke.
'I wouldn't go that far,' Jay replied.
Just then, the server came back to deliver the coffee. I noted that mine was in a large takeaway cup. I gathered that as long as I ate here, I was good to take my coffee with me.
I looked over at Therion. 'Not eating?'
'I do not need to eat, although I have recently experimented with trying different foods.'
Oh, yeah, how could I forget that he lived on souls? It was one of my main objections to his involvement with my daughter. Let's not forget the great, big wings either, which shouldn't be as easy to forget as they were. Then I realised something; the server hadn't batted an eyelid or even hesitated when she came in. Surely she should have found Therion remarkable. That's when I remembered that not everyone can see them.
I picked up my fork and knife, preparing to eat my omelette with toast and bacon on the side. 'Can you tell me anything more about that SUV?' I asked Therion before scooping up a forkful of egg.
'Not much first hand. Adrian was the one to observe it.'
I paused between mouthfuls. 'One of the vampire guards Thomas gave us?'
Jay and Therion nodded.
'He's gone, the vampires are generally only on at nights,' Therion explained. 'They can stay on during the day if needed, but it’s not something they can do long term. Thus, as soon as the shifters were available, Thomas had them take over day shifts. They change over at six. Adrian waited for you, but after half-past six, he needed to go.'
'I hope he wasn't too inconvenienced,' I said, feeling guilty for my tardiness. I found myself frowning. 'How does it work, then? I mean, they obviously don't get burned by the sun, so why the early morning curfew?'
'They're nocturnal,' Jay said. 'They get very lethargic during the day unless they feed more often. In Adrian’s case, it wouldn’t have been greatly detrimental, but he had some things he needed to do and couldn’t afford the extra time.'
That made sense, I wouldn't want to face beings like Therion while sleep deprived and feeling torpid.
'That's not quite true, about the sun not doing them harm, it depends on the vampire,' Therion put in.
Both Jay and I raised our brows. As interesting as that was, though, I decided to steer the conversation back towards its original focus, well, kind of: 'And shifters are?'
'Shape shifters.'
He seemed to think the statement alone explained everything. It didn't, so I gave him a quizzical look as I clarified. 'As in werewolves?'
He frowned for a moment. 'Not always, but yes. A shifter can change between a human and an animal form and the most well-known ones in your realm are the wolves. The two on duty today are both tigers. I believe Bastien leases them land and supplies other amenities in return for…' he paused as if not sure how much he should say, finally he decided to finish the sentence with an ambiguous, 'favours.'
I decided not to pry for more information; I wasn’t sure he’d give it to me and I wanted to avoid causing unnecessary tension. 'If I came back tonight, would I be able to speak to Adrian then?'
'Any time from five,' Jay said.
I made a mental note to make sure I stopped by before heading home.
'Why don't we have dinner?' Jay suggested.
I had a feeling my daughter was making sure I wouldn't have the chance to work too late and that I would also eat something healthier than a takeaway for dinner. I glanced at Therion as I hesitated. Our lives had changed, I realised. Well, I knew it had changed, but it really hit me. From now on, it would never be just Jay and me, it would be Jay, me, and whoever was assigned as her guardian. Jay wanted that person to be Therion. Except he wasn’t just a guardian, he was also a boyfriend. Had she even thought about what would happen if they had an argument or, worse, broke up? She relied on him for her protection—
'I will not be able to join you, I need to oversee the change-over between the sentries and patrol,' Therion's low voice interrupted the train of questions that had started to build up swiftly into forceful objections to their relationship.
He was looking at me steadily. It was almost as if he knew what I was thinking, knew that his absence made it easier for me to spend time with my daughter without getting myself worked up over what I was certain was a serious mistake on both their parts.
I exhaled softly. 'Sure,' I said, managing a strained smile. 'A proper meal will make a nice change from takeaway.'
Therion rose. 'I am sorry to leave mid-meal, but I need to do a patrol. I have a suspicion that the SUV may not be only vehicle being used to observe Jayden and I am checking the area regularly for vehicles or people that seem out of place.' He paused. 'Speaking of which, I was wondering, Em…'
I nodded for him to ask his question.
'With Archmore dead, who would take over?'
'Would it be his brother?' Jay asked.
Therion arched his brows at Jay. 'I should have thought of that.'
I frowned. 'How do you know about Vaughn Archmore?'
'The people who abducted me, Riley and Lena, mentioned him. It should be in my statement.'
I would have to recheck that and get her to make an additional statement if it wasn't.
'I'd forgotten up until Therion asked me last night,' Jay was saying, 'and that got me thinking, trying to figure it out. I remember Lena said she was sleeping with 'Kerri' and she'd mentioned a brother… Vaughn, you said?'
I nodded. I looked over at Therion. 'You can't approach him though. In fact, you should not be doing an
y investigating, you might jeopardise our case. Killing him won't help, someone will just step up in his place. We need to get him through our legal system. Just do your job and protect Jay.'
Therion looked taken aback by my forceful tone. 'I do not intend to investigate on my own. The knowledge might prove useful in protecting Jayden as I will be able to identify security risks more efficiently if I know who they are working for. For instance, if I hide on the shadow plane near a vehicle watching Jayden's home, and I overhear a phone call, I will know that any mention of Archmore will not be necessarily be related to the deceased brother.'
'Oh… well, okay, then. I'm sorry if I sounded harsh. I'm just worried about the case and how it will affect Jay if we don't manage to succeed in shutting down this operation.'
'That is understandable. Be assured, Emerline, if I am ever not around, I have taken the precaution of securing a promise from Bastien that the vampires will protect your daughter in my absence.'
With that he let himself out the courtyard door. He paused as he stepped into the sun, flinching, almost as if he were a vampire and not a demon. Then he simply disappeared. I didn't see him walk or take flight, one moment he was there, the next he was gone.
'He just wants to give me the best protection he can, Mum.'
I looked from the now-empty courtyard back to my daughter. If that were true, he wouldn't have started a relationship with her. 'I know you both mean well,' I replied diplomatically.
I checked my watch. I really wanted to get in and get Ivan to run that licence plate for me, as well as re-read Jay's statement. I should stay a little longer though. I didn't want Jay thinking I was angry with her. But Jay did not miss me looking at my watch, even though I'd tried to make the movement casual.
'Would you like me to get what's left of your breakfast packed to go?'
'I'm sorry, hun. No. I admit, I'm anxious to get in, but another half hour or so won't make a difference. Tell me how the café is going?'
Therion
[I am the Fire – Halestorm]
I recognised that she could see me. Not me, human form, but me, a therilgalen. My wings were de-manifested, but she was looking at them. She was not like Jayden. I wanted to say not yulari, but I was not sure. She was a being of contradictions, I decided. For instance, she was barely taller than a metre and a half, but her bearing was such that she might as well have been my height. She stood straight, not proud, but the kind of strong that gave me the sense that she could be immovable if she wanted. She was fair-haired and fair-skinned, ageless in a way, having that sought-after peaches and cream complexion I had learned her culture promoted as beautiful. But in all other ways she did not meet her cultural template for beauty. She was overweight, but pleasantly so in my opinion. She walked, aided by a cane, with elegance and grace. She had small eyes, but their steel grey-blue combination was captivating. The light sprinkle of freckles and the almost kittenish nose suggested adorability, but there was that strength, that sense she had overcome hardship and had done so through sheer determination. That made me think of the yulari; stubbornness was trait common to them, but, again, I did not think she was yulari.
'Jay's expecting me, I'm Alyssa.'
Her voice was smooth and low.
Jayden brushed between me and the doorframe. 'Alyssa!'
She hugged the other woman in a way that suggested she was more fragile than she looked. That was when I saw it: the fire elemental within her.
I barely registered the introductions and conversation as Alyssa was ushered in past me. I was slightly confused as Alyssa propped her cane against a drawer handle and started Jayden's coffee machine. The move was so natural on her part, I had a feeling that this was normal for them. Alyssa moved like Jayden did when preparing her coffee; with efficiency and preciseness. They chatted about what I presumed was Alyssa's work, but my focus was on the fire elemental that was clearly and deeply entwined with her spirit. Her whole upper right side was encompassed in elemental fire. It seemed completely at one with her. At first, I thought it manifested a dragon formation, which explained the dragons all about her— her cane, earrings and ear cuffs, every finger and her thumbs, bracelets, necklace, hair clips, even the t-shirt she wore had a dragon drinking coffee and the saying; First I drink the coffee, then I do the stuff. But when they sat on the lounge with their coffees, the elemental stilled and I thought perhaps it was actually more avian in form.
I have never seen an elemental behave in such a manner. Yes, they attach themselves to humans all the time, living off their energy, giving them energy, driving them to their purposes, taking pity on them and making their lives easier, or punishing those with a cruel nature. They were not evil creatures, well, not in terms Aurealis classed as evil. Often, they are symbiotic in their behaviour, giving at least as much as they take. As Bastien had said, ancient cultures knew how to communicate with them and often made contracts with them, but what I was seeing… I could not tell which parts of the spirit energy about Alyssa were hers and which parts belonged to the elemental. I wondered if this was the psychic antagonist that had almost disabled Bastien.
'Identify yourself,' I sent
Nothing. It did not even acknowledge my presence. It should have a healthy fear of me; elementals are spirits; thus, they will always acknowledge me and be respectful as they fear I might otherwise extinguish them. I could see a smoky blackness in the core of her spirit, but the flames of the elemental mostly concealed it. I wondered what it was. Was it a part of the elemental or Alyssa? She was not tainted. I would be able to scent that.
I tried again. 'What is your purpose, elemental?'
'Therion?'
Jayden's voice brought my attention back to the two women.
'I apologise, I am distracted. You asked a question?'
Alyssa used her cane to draw herself up. 'It's all good. I was just telling Jay, pain's high, so I'm heading home.'
'Pain?' I asked, confused by the reference.
Jayden was walking her friend to the door and raised her hand making a 'hold on' signal to me.
'There's no need to see me out.' Alyssa was saying. 'But keep in touch, okay?'
Jayden nodded reassuringly and then Alyssa raised her cane in a salute. 'Oh, and nice wings,' she said as she stepped out the door. Jayden closed it gently behind her.
I found myself speechless and Jayden laughed at my expression. 'I warned you, Alyssa can see angels too.' She grew serious. 'I'm glad she didn't stay long. The last thing she needs is Ceri-talen seeing another vulnerable yulari.'
I almost responded that Alyssa was not yulari, but I realised I was not certain of that statement, instead I said, 'Alyssa is far from vulnerable, there is no need to worry.' I paused and then asked, 'What did she mean, 'pain's high'?'
'Oh, yes. I meant to get to that. The cane isn't because of a traditional physical problem; Alyssa has nerve pain that starts in her back and extends over most of the upper right side of her body. She's had it all her life.'
'Burning pain?'
Jayden nodded emphatically. 'Mmmhmm. Constant, she barely sleeps, that's why she drinks so much coffee. She's one of the few people who can make a coffee I consider as good as my own. She focuses outward, so she's always doing something, anything, to keep herself from concentrating too much on the pain that's screaming at her.'
'All her life?'
Jayden nodded.
'And none of the angels have ever spoken to her about it?'
'What's up, Therion?'
I shook my head. 'A mystery I need to contemplate. At least Bastien can rest easy.' Jayden raised her brows in an 'oh' expression. 'It was not a psychic attack he experienced the other day,' I explained. 'He felt your friend's pain. She has remarkable control to keep it suppressed like that.'
'A lot of people who experience pain like that do. Wow, so Alyssa almost made Bastien pass out.' She shook her head as if she couldn't quite believe it. Then she frowned, looking puzzled. 'I didn't realise Bastien could hear pain as well as
thoughts.'
I had a feeling Bastien didn't realise it, either.
Jayden crossed over to me and ran a hand over my cheek. 'Do you want to go for a flight? Take some time to think about that mystery.'
I considered it. I always enjoy flying, but as safe as Jayden was feeling right now, I did not trust it, this quiet. There was nothing Ceri-talen liked more than waiting for a warrior to grow inattentive. After the storm, he always said, they never expected you after the storm. The tsunami after the earthquake, the flood following the hurricane, the cyclone's unpredictable path. Humans tried to predict these events. Invented their technology, deployed their sensors and then, grew complacent. They decided that with the warning systems in place, they could afford to be less prepared. Ceri-talen counted on that complacency, that sense of indestructibility, that belief that tragedy happened to others.
'No. I want to stay close to you.'
These could be my last moments with her. I had been reviewing the data crystal I'd retrieved from the Dark Realm and it foretold a dire future for Jayden. She was one of a limited number of strongly anchored yulari, just the kind of spirit energy Ceri-talen needed to start another war… And he wanted that war. Only the acquisition of a different yulari would deter him, or… Or a hunter capable of gathering that kind of energy from slightly lesser, but sufficient spirits. A hunter like me. With the stakes that high, I suspected Ceri-talen would send another therilgalen to retrieve Jayden, but he would not make the mistake he had last time, sending three, lesser-experienced hunters. He would take one of the older, experienced hunters and feed them a very pure source of energy, enough for them to overcome me. I had no reservations about giving my life, but if I was going to do it, I was going to end the threat to Jayden while doing so. Thus, every moment with her now, was one to cherish.
Soul Taker's Redemption Page 46
