I laughed. “That’s what I said!”
She grinned, her whole face lighting up. “It fit you like a new key and needed to be broken in.”
My good humor evaporated. “You filed down the Spear of Destiny?” I hissed incredulously.
She frowned, shaking her head. “No. I fixed you, the lock. It will no longer disrupt your chakras.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Her answer wasn’t much better, but at least I wouldn’t have to explain to anyone how the Spear had been whittled down for my convenience. I had tallied up enough reasons for Heaven to hate me, especially after my conversation with Michael. Speaking of, I needed to get back to the real world.
“So, am I all healed?” I asked, rising to my feet and dusting off my hands.
She shook her head, rising to her feet as well. “It will take time to permanently heal you. Your body might try to resort to old habits, so I suggest coming back to me a few times for a check-up.”
I smiled, glancing at the hot spring pond. “To this dump? I’ll think about it,” I teased.
She narrowed her eyes in faux anger. “I’ll try to spruce it up for you. Maybe put out some magazines.”
I laughed, nodding. “Perfect.” For the first time, I noticed about a bajillion Silver needles covering the ground all around me. I winced guiltily. “I’m so sorry. Were you hurt?” I asked, studying her nervously.
She shook her head with a smile. “Your Beast thought I was attacking you, at first, so she lashed out through you. I reassured her that I was helping you—and her, as it seems. She is also stronger now. As for me, my physical body was behind the tree. I worked on you from the astral plane. That’s where all the wild magic is. The…colorful sewing threads,” she said, alluding to her comment from earlier.
I blinked, dumbfounded. “Your soul did all this to me?”
She nodded. “Of course. It takes a soul to fix a soul. I’ll probably fall into a deep sleep here in an hour or so. Magic doesn’t come from nothing,” she said, shrugging. “The bane of a healer.” She studied me thoughtfully, seeming to perk up. “As a matter of fact, I wanted to suggest something.” I nodded, still struggling to process the whole soul doctor aspect to my chakra surgery. “You have the gift to become a great healer yourself, White Rose. It is quite rare.”
I blinked at her, surprised. “Really?”
She nodded spurred on by my reply. “Your body responded faster than any I’ve ever worked on. It practically sang beneath my fingers,” she murmured, her eyes growing distant. I blushed uncomfortably, wishing she had considered her phrasing. Was that the explanation for my chakra-gasm? “It takes an intuitive person with a deep understanding of their own mind and body to heal maladies in others. It is a natural talent and cannot be taught to just anyone,” she said, staring deep into my eyes.
“What makes you so sure?”
She arched one eyebrow in a frank look. “What I just fixed in you would have killed most people.”
I nodded uncomfortably, trying not to think about that last part. “How…long would it take to learn?”
She waved a hand. “Oh, time isn’t relevant. We have the immortal pond. A few hundred years and you could be as talented as me. Possibly even stronger. Who knows, perhaps your Spear is your sewing needle,” she said, grinning playfully.
I frowned thoughtfully, considering her words. Obviously, I wasn’t going to take a sabbatical for a few hundred years, but I was thinking about her comments on a more personal level, assessing them for truth. “I am definitely not a healer. I’m a destroyer,” I told her.
That wasn’t me pitying or judging myself. Analytically, I was a fighter, not a healer. My traits were geared towards breaking opposition that I deemed harmful or detrimental. It wasn’t the only thing I did, but it was the majority of it. Someone needed to do it so people like this woman could clean up the mess after.
She was relentless. “And what do you think a healer does to parasites and poisons? We destroy it,” she said with a violent, merciless grin. Then she leaned back. “Just think about it,” she said.
I smiled, nodding. She made a fair point. “I don’t have a few hundred years to learn. But thank you for the kind words,” I told her, walking over to the base of the tree where I found my boots and weapons belt, untouched. I sat down to take out my personal items—the white metal card, the rings, and my phone—and then tugged on my boots. With a smile, I scooped up one of the apocalyptic pink petals as a memento.
“Aala,” she abruptly said, causing me to look up from tying my laces. “My name is Aala.” She was obviously self-conscious about it, because she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
The name wasn’t familiar to me—I couldn’t place it with any goddess or anything. “It is a beautiful name,” I said. “Thank you for sharing it with me, and it’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Aala.”
She smiled, still not meeting my gaze.
I bent down to pick up my weapons belt—which had survived Ryuu’s beating—and slipped it on over my silk robe, accepting the fact that I looked ridiculous. I had enough pockets to tuck my stuff away, at least. I slipped my katana into its sheath and straightened my belt.
I would see if Xuanwu had any new clothes for me because I wasn’t going to wear a silk robe into a battle with angels and demons. He was paying for a new playground, so he could afford to replace the ninja outfit that his student, Ryuu, had shredded.
“How long have we been here, Aala?” I asked, smiling at the ability to finally use her name.
She considered my question. “Less than an hour.”
I let out a sigh of relief. At least there hadn’t been a time delay between this realm and mine. “Good.”
“I’m sure Ryuu is anxious by now,” she said with an amused grin.
I pretended my heart hadn’t dropped into my stomach at her comment. I even managed a faint laugh.
“I’ll take you back,” she said, walking up to me and extending her hand, “but this will be our goodbye. I must go for a swim to recover and replenish. I expended a lot of energy on a very inconsiderate patient, and now I must feed my soul before I pass out,” she murmured with a mock frown.
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re welcome,” I said, dryly, biting back a grin as I accepted her hand.
She chuckled, squeezing my hand tightly. Without warning, the twilight realm winked out and we were back in Xuanwu’s courtyard. I turned to look at her. “Thank you, Aala. I look forward to seeing you again.”
She smiled warmly, squeezing my hand again. “Me as well, Callie.” She didn’t let go, looking as if she had something else she wanted to say, so I waited patiently, knowing she had a shy streak in her. She let out a sigh and finally met my eyes. “Trust will save the world. To get trust, you must first give it.” She let out a breath as if she’d had to force herself to say it. “My mother used to tell us that,” she said, looking embarrassed. “I have never told anyone before, but I thought you should know it. From one healer to another.”
I smiled compassionately, touched by her extension of…well, trust. “Thank you, Aala. That is a very difficult thing to do, so your mother must have been very wise.”
She nodded awkwardly. Something about her comment nagged at me, but she released my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Be safe, Callie. I will see you soon.”
I opened my mouth to reply and she promptly disappeared, leaving me facing a Buddha statue. My mouth clicked shut and I stared at the plump god for a few moments. Then I sighed, took a step forward, and bent down to rub his belly. “Wish me luck,” I told him.
He was too kind to respond with a lie.
22
I sighed, accepting Buddha’s judgment, and turned to go search for my ninja. I only took five steps before I stopped in my tracks with a frown, wondering if Aala had taken me from the twilight realm to the Twilight Zone.
Because the Black Tortoise was grilling corncobs on a charcoal grill, and he had a tarp wrapped over his chest as a make-shift cooking ap
ron. But I hardly noticed the drillmaster ninja turtle. I was staring at something much more…rewarding.
Ryuu was chopping wood.
A simple chore. Nothing magical or particularly lethal about it.
But I suddenly felt a buzzing sensation across my skin, and a fluttering lightness in my stomach.
Ryuu was chopping wood.
And…god…damn he looked good doing it!
I shot a quick look over my shoulder at the Buddha statue to pay my respects. Thank you.
Then I turned to resume my ogling of the ninja since neither of them had noticed my appearance and the yard was otherwise empty. He worked like a machine. Set, swing, chop, discard. Ryuu had obviously chopped a lot of wood in his days. Two tall, orderly stacks of freshly quartered logs marked his progress, but there was still a large pile of uncut logs. More than fifty of them, if I had to guess. He was stripped to the waist, and I couldn’t seem to peel my eyes away. He was slick with sweat, and the early afternoon sunlight highlighted the sharp curves of his muscles like he was made of gold.
I had known Ryuu was fit, but I hadn’t known his body fat percentage was so low. I could make out the individual striations to the muscles in his back as he lifted the axe high overhead and slammed it down, his sweat-damp hair whipping about wildly.
He scooped up another log with one hand and turned to bring it back to the stump. I could make out the veins in his neck as rivulets of sweat rolled down his broad chest and onto his six-pack abs, his torso forming that perfect V shape from his shoulders to his waist. His hip bones were prominent, and his oblique muscles rose above his pants with a pleasant hello!
He noticed me for the first time since turning around, and he stiffened, staring out at me from beneath a curtain of wild, sweaty hair. I noticed him noticing me and I feigned surprise, turning to Xuanwu.
The Black Tortoise noticed something for the first time, too—a lull in the wood chopping department.
He turned away from the grill to glare at Ryuu not chopping, then shifted his glare to the neat stack, and finally turned back to his grill with an audible sigh. “Hello, Callie,” he said, not bothering to look back at me, somehow knowing I was there. “I don’t care if she is stark naked and dancing, Ryuu. You’re only halfway finished,” he said sternly. “Or I could start counting at the beginning again. Your choice.”
Ryuu clenched his jaw, and set the log down atop the stump. Then he hefted his axe and set back to work.
I stared at the pile of logs he still had to cut. That was half of the original number? Good lord. That was insane. “He will find you when he is finished, White Rose,” Xuanwu said, sensing my lack of movement. “I hope you aren’t truly dancing naked behind me,” he added, dryly.
I let out a laugh. “I’m decent. Why is he chopping wood?” I asked, walking towards him and his grill.
“Do you want to become part of the problem?” he asked, “or part of the solution?”
I halted, still a few paces away. Then I scowled at his spiked shell. Someone was in a mood. “I need him,” I said firmly. “Now.”
Ryuu slammed the axe down into the stump harder than he had before, sending the two quarters flying. He panted hoarsely, hunched over his axe, his muscles quivering. Then he released the handle, stormed over to pick up the two pieces, and carried them to the stacks of finished wood. His gaze shot up to me for a millisecond and he subtly shook his head before bending to scoop up another log and carry it over to his stump. He was no longer breathing heavily like a moment before.
“I already explained that he is all yours. Once he is finished,” Xuanwu said in a warning tone.
“What is he being punished for?” I pressed.
This time, Xuanwu turned to look at me, and there was nothing pleasant about his glare. “He insisted upon visiting the pond after a mere ten minutes of pacing back and forth like a lost puppy, so I gave him something to do to keep him occupied. One hundred and twenty somethings, to be specific,” he added smugly. He turned back to his grill, using the long claws of his only unburdened hand—the other hand obviously gripped his sword cane—to roll the corncobs over.
I turned to stare at the tall stacks of quartered wood that hadn’t been there earlier. Over one hundred logs. He was going to kill Ryuu. But as I studied the sweating ninja, I realized that he was moving faster now, with no signs of slowing. He’d been doing this for an hour already, yet he looked like he had the energy of just starting out.
“Do you have any spare sets of gear for me to wear, Xuanwu?” I asked.
He glanced back at me, looking slightly guilty as he noticed my robe. Apparently, he’d forgotten about my shredded clothes. “None that would fit. I can have some made or ordered,” he suggested.
I waved a hand dismissively. “That’s fine,” I said, pulling out my phone to buy some time. It was obvious that Xuanwu wasn’t feeling conversational, so we weren’t going to talk about the Michael thing. To be honest, I didn’t really care to talk to him in his current mood. I would find my own answers.
To that effect, I knew just where to go. Darling and Dear were notorious information hounds, and Legion had claimed they made his shoes. If anyone knew about demonic activity in Kansas City, it would be them. Or maybe Dorian Gray, but I didn’t have the energy or patience to deal with him right now. He’d make me commit to a party before he said a word, and the angelic police would likely shut that down early and hard, giving them another reason to accuse me of being evil.
And wearing a flashy silk robe and a sword was just the kind of thing to make Darling and Dear—the perverts—salivate. If they didn’t have anything useful to tell me, I could head back to Castle Dracula to interrogate Samael while I waited for Ryuu to finish. At the playground with Michael, Qinglong had hinted that Ryuu could find me anywhere. Their arrival had been proof of it. But just in case that had been a fluke, I continued pretending to read my phone. “I’ll be out of your hair in a minute, Xuanwu,” I muttered, seeing him in my peripheral as he used his long neck to swivel his head and check on me. He grunted, turning back to his grill. I waited until Ryuu was retrieving one of the split halves and carrying it back to his stump. He risked a brief look up at me, silently telling me to leave before I got him in more trouble.
I pointedly lifted my foot and tapped my boot with my finger in a significant gesture. Ryuu frowned, and then a flash of recognition crossed his face. He gave me a subtle nod before setting down the wood on the stump. I treated myself to another eyeful as he scooped up the axe, telling myself it was to make him feel uncomfortable under my scrutiny.
With a powerful heave, he buried the axe into the stump and, in a slightly exaggerated motion, bent over to pick up one of the quartered logs. I blushed, realizing that he was eyeing me with a shit-eating grin, catching me red-handed. But he was straightening back up to toss the pieces onto the finished pile by the time Xuanwu turned with a suspicious narrowing of his eyes.
Backfire.
But I don’t regret it—
I froze at a new thought. Nate. I hadn’t thought of him in some time.
I’d found myself thinking of Ryuu more often than Nate in recent days. I no longer found myself absently smiling about Nate. I no longer found myself absently thinking about Nate, as a matter of fact.
Instead, I was thinking of my lumberjack barbarian ninja who’d almost killed me earlier. How messed up was that?
The continued promises of pursuing romance with Nate—later—were growing stale. Forced and hollow, like we were both placating the other rather than truly meaning it. I shrugged off the thoughts for…later.
I Shadow Walked to my favorite purveyor of retail therapy. Darling and Dear. Armorers of the Apocalypse.
23
I stood on the steps of Darling and Dear in my silk kimono robe with my hand on the hilt of my katana. I didn’t see an army of nephilim or demons patrolling the streets, so I let out a sigh of relief. I really wasn’t dressed for that sort of thing at the moment. I hadn’t bothered chang
ing my boots into something that might better match the robe—like fuzzy slippers. Long story short, I looked like a billboard for the walk of shame, stumbling home at an ungodly hour after an all-night bender and banger. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, my thoughts drifting to Ryuu and his axe.
I blushed just as the door opened, and a bedraggled Darling stared at me with wide, red-rimmed eyes. He had a necktie wound around his head, a dozen violet lipstick kisses all over his neck, his chest was bare, and around his waist was a Greek war skirt, like he’d been cosplaying as Achilles sacking Troy.
Dear stepped out from behind him wearing a Spartan helmet, a man’s unbuttoned white dress-shirt, and knee-length sandals. Both looked manic and agitated, their hair disheveled and their skin glistening with sweat. I had to hand it to them, they had a healthy sexual appetite. Gluttonous, some might say.
Which kind of killed my amusement since Gluttony was one of the Seven Deadlies.
Darling and Dear were both in incredible shape, sporting well-toned physiques and impressive curves. They stared at me, blinking slowly. “Unless you’re here for a ride on the Bony Express, come back some other time,” Darling finally said. Dear apparently agreed because she was already pushing the door shut.
I stuck my boot into the doorway, preventing them from locking me out. “You know why I’m here!” I snapped meaningfully. There was only one reason they would try and kick me out so fast. They were hiding from me and didn’t want me asking questions about Legion. If it had just been me interrupting them having sex—which was always—they would have bantered back and forth, inviting me inside in a dozen inappropriate ways.
They froze. Dear stared at me, her eyes dilating within milliseconds as her frustration changed to something animalistic and feral. She licked her lips and gripped my arm. Her fingers were feverishly hot. “Finally!” she hissed, yanking me inside.
Anghellic: Feathers and Fire Book 8 Page 13