by West, S. J.
“Then I’m coming with you.”
“He might not talk to me if you’re there.”
“Well I’m not letting you go alone, Jess. You can either take me with you, or I can phase you back to the villa. The choice is yours.”
I huff. “Come on then. I’m not sure how long he’ll wait for me.”
I carefully walk up the stairs because to do anything else might lead to disaster in the dress I’m wearing. In between the second and third floor, we find him.
He’s sitting on the steps with his back casually leaned up against the outer wall with his right leg bent up and one arm draped over the knee. He twirls my bracelet in this arm’s hand and just stares at me for a little while. He lets his eyes drift over to look at Aiden.
“Hello, Amon,” Aiden says crossing his arms over his chest. “Long time no see. Been busy wrecking havoc and mayhem?”
Amon grins smugly. “Jealous, Aiden? Why don’t you come back to our side and see how the winners live?”
“You haven’t won yet,” Aiden says. “And I’m already on the winning side. You’re just not smart enough to understand that.”
Amon lets out a harsh chuckle. “Keep thinking that, little angel. You’ll soon figure out you chose the wrong side to be on in this fight.”
“Ok, could you guys stop having a pissing contest right now?” I say, looking at Amon and directing my gaze at the bracelet. “Did Lucifer send you to talk to me?”
Amon gets to his feet and I feel Aiden come to stand even closer to me.
Amon holds out a fisted hand with the bracelet dangling from the bottom of it.
“He wanted me to give this back to you. He said it would make you come to me and apparently he was right.”
I reach out and tug the bracelet from Amon’s fist. When Amon opens his fist, I notice something on the palm of his hand. It’s a raised circular brand similar to the one I saw on Lucifer’s arm not so long ago. It also has writing like that found on the crowns embossed across it.
“What does he want?” I ask, looking at the bracelet in my hand before returning my attention to Amon.
“He wants to speak to Michael.”
“Why would I do that?” I ask. “He was pretty adamant about killing me the next time he saw me.”
“Like I said,” Amon says slowly like I’m dim-witted, “he wants to speak with Michael, not you. He seems to think Michael can take over your body when he needs to.” Amon looks me up and down. “Nice trick if you ask me. I could have some fun in a body like yours.”
Aiden makes to ram his fist into Amon’s leering face, but I place a hand on his arm to stop him.
“No,” I tell Aiden, “don’t give him the satisfaction. He’s purposely baiting you.”
“I guess Lucifer was right,” Amon says as a smile creeps on his face. “You are smart for a monkey.”
“When does he want to meet?” I ask, choosing to ignore Amon’s remark.
“Tomorrow. He said you could pick the time and place.”
“JoJo Armand is having a fashion show tomorrow. Tell him to meet me there.”
Amon bows his head slightly in my direction before he phases.
“I wish you would have let me hit that smug bastard,” Aiden complains.
“No, we need him,” I tell Aiden, even though I know Amon could kill Aiden with just one touch. “According to God, we need all of them in order to close the Tear. They’re important in some way. I’m just not sure how yet.”
With my returned bracelet in my hand, I ask Aiden, “Can you phase me back to my seat without people noticing?”
Aiden takes hold of my arm and I’m standing in the aisle just as the lights begin to dim for the start of the show. Aiden quickly phases but I feel sure he isn’t too far away.
“You almost missed it,” Chandler says to me.
I sit back down next to him. “Sorry, took a little longer than I thought it would.”
“Was there a line? Seems like there’s always a long line for the ladies room anywhere you go.”
“Always is,” I agree and leave my lie at that.
As the opening act begins the show, I look down at the bracelet in my hands. I instantly wonder how I’m going to keep Mason from wanting to come to the meeting with me and decide I simply can’t tell him about it. I make a mental note to swear Aiden to secrecy.
I need information and Lucifer might be my only way to get it.
Chandler ends up winning all ten of the categories he was nominated for. That must be why they sat us so close to the stage. I end up having to help him haul his loot away, and I find it easy to smile for the cameras this time while he shows off all his little gold gramophones. Afterwards, Chandler drags me to party after party. Everywhere we go, I’m met with looks of envy from supermodels to actresses to other music artists I sort of recognize.
I have to admit that I like being envied by most of the women in the room. Plus, it gives me a chance to make sure none of them have a chance to dig their gold digging claws into my friend’s back. I make a vow to find Chandler an actual nice girl to hook up with. I definitely don’t want to see him get trapped by one of the divas in the room circling him like sharks waiting for him to jump ship so he can be eaten up by one of them.
I’m not about to let that happen, not to one of my best friends.
While Chandler is holding court with some big wig music producers, I sip on a glass of champagne. Aiden sidles up next to me.
“So are you going to tell him or shall I?” Aiden asks me.
I play dumb.
“Tell Chandler what exactly?” I ask innocently.
Aiden looks down at me and lifts an eyebrow. “You know what I’m talking about, Jess. Playing dumb doesn’t become you.”
“Don’t say anything to Mason,” I tell him. “He doesn’t need to know about the meeting.”
“You would keep something that important from him? I thought you loved him.”
“I do,” I say getting angry that my love for Mason is being called into question. “I love him enough to not see him turned into black ash. You know Lucifer would kill him just to spite me. Mason is my weak point. If something happened to him…”
I don’t feel that I have to finish the thought. Aiden seems to get the picture.
“It must be nice,” he says.
“What?” I ask, having no clue what he’s talking about.
He looks at me and I see the envy in his eyes. “It must be nice to be so in love with someone. It’s been a long time since I felt that way about anyone, not since my wife.”
“Why?”
Aiden shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’ve tried and come close to almost feeling it again, but for whatever reason, it just never seemed right.”
“When the right girl comes along, you’ll know it,” I tell him.
“Wiser words have never been spoken,” I hear a familiar voice say behind me.
I turn to see Mason and smile, but I wonder how long he’s been standing there. Apparently not that long from the smile he gives me. I feel sure if he knew of my planned deception of meeting Lucifer behind his back he wouldn’t be smiling so sweetly at me.
“Have you come to take me home?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Can you leave?”
“I’m sure I can slip out. I think this was the last party Chandler wanted to come to.”
“Did I hear someone call my name?”
Chandler comes to stand with us and I can tell he’s a little tipsy.
“I think it’s time we all go home, Chandler,” I say to him.
“Oh all right,” he says good naturedly. “Take me home, Aiden!”
Aiden grabs the drunken arm Chandler just swung in the air and phases him home.
I hold my hand out to Mason. “Take me home please. I’m dying to get out of this dress.”
“And I’m dying to help you out of it,” Mason murmurs before taking my hand and phasing us to the beach house.
Mason brings me into his
arms and stares at my hair. “I really wish she hadn’t done that to your hair.”
I shrug. “I figured you wouldn’t care much since I was going to be with Chandler all night.”
“But now I have to fight against all those damn bobby pins she put in there.”
“Hmm, maybe there’s an advantage to having my hair pulled up out of my face,” I tell him.
Mason smiles knowingly. “By all means see if it helps,” he urges.
Mason soon learns that it does indeed help to have my hair up for certain, pleasurable things.
Chapter 13
While we’re eating breakfast the next morning, I ask Mason, “So what are your plans for the day?”
“I thought we were going to JoJo’s fashion show,” he says, like this should be a forgone conclusion.
He gives me that ‘why are you asking me this when you should already know the answer’ look.
“You know Leah still hasn’t had much schooling from you guys,” I say, thinking this a brilliant way to keep Mason busy for the day. “Why don’t you take her to headquarters and teach her about our Earth’s history? I can get Aiden to take me to JoJo’s show. I’m sure you would just be bored by it anyway.”
Mason lays his fork down on his plate, completely ignoring the rest of his pancakes and cross his arms as he leans back in his chair to stare at me.
“What are you trying to hide from me?” He asks.
I could try to lie but his Watcher lie detector would go off so I try another tactic.
“Leah does need the lessons,” I say instead. It’s a completely true statement.
“Jess…” Mason says, a warning of impending anger in his voice.
“I just need to go alone,” I tell him. “Don’t ask me questions. Just trust me. Can you do that?”
“I might have if you hadn’t just tried to lie to me,” Mason says reaching for his phone and making a call. “Aiden come to the kitchen of my beach house.”
Aiden is instantly standing beside Mason.
“Is anything wrong?” Aiden asks, looking between Mason and me.
“Aiden, tell me why Jess would rather have you take her to JoJo’s fashion show than me. And remember,” Mason says, looking up at Aiden so he’s sure to understand failure to comply with his request will lead to bodily harm, “I can tell if you lie to me.”
Aiden looks over at me and I plead to him with my eyes not to tell Mason about my meeting with Lucifer.
“Amon approached her last night at the Grammy’s and informed her Lucifer wants to speak with Michael,” Aiden says. “Lucifer is supposed to meet Jess at the show.”
I just close my eyes and hang my head. The jig is up.
“Thank you for telling me the truth,” Mason says in a calmer voice than I thought he would have. “Now, if you could leave us alone for a while, I would appreciate it.”
Mason is silent and I don’t want to open my eyes. He’s going to be mad. I just know it.
I dare to open my eyes just a crack and look at him.
Yep, he’s mad.
“Why?” He asks me, such a simple question with such a complicated answer.
“Because I knew you would try to stop me,” I say, only saying half of my worry.
“And why shouldn’t I stop you?”
“He wants to talk to Michael, not me. Plus, it may be how we find out when the battle is supposed to take place.”
“I don’t think it’s worth the risk,” Mason says. “He vowed to kill you the next time he saw you, Jess!”
The scowl on Mason’s face tells me how worried he is.
“You have to let me meet with him,” I say. “You know I’ll find a way to do it with or without your help.”
“I’m fully aware of how stubborn you are.”
“Then let me go. Michael won’t take any unnecessary risks with me. Plus, I’ve already seen myself in the future fight. He’s not going to kill me today.”
Mason doesn’t say anything and I know he’s considering what I just said.
“Then I’ll go with you,” he says.
“No.”
Mason cocks his head at me. “Why?”
“Because you’re my weakness and Lucifer knows it. If he did something to you, he would weaken me. I need you to stay away from him.”
Mason’s jaw muscles tighten because he doesn’t like standing on the sidelines, but he knows I’m right.
“Then you take Aiden and Malcolm with you.”
“I only need one escort.”
“If Lucifer does something to one of them, then you have a back up. That’s the only way I’ll agree to let you go, Jess. Take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it,” I say.
I sigh in relief, glad he’s agreed not to fight me about it anymore.
“Stop trying to lie to me to protect me,” he says. “I can be reasonable. Just tell me the truth. I don’t like being lied to, especially by you.”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, truly meaning it. “I just didn’t think you would agree to let me go.”
“And I’m sorry I make you feel like you have to lie just to get your way.”
Mason stands up and grabs one of my hands to tug me to my feet.
“Let’s make a deal,” he says, bringing me into his arms. “You don’t lie to me anymore, and I will be more reasonable.”
I nod. “I can work with that.”
“But Jess, be careful today. Don’t trust him no matter what he says.”
“I won’t.”
Mason calls Malcolm and Aiden to let them know their services as my bodyguards will be required.
When Malcolm comes over, he brings an unexpected gift.
“JoJo told me to bring this to you to wear to the show,” Malcolm says, handing me a black garment bag with JoJo’s signature curly ‘A’ embroidered on the front in hot pink thread.
“I swear she treats me like her own personal Barbie doll.”
Malcolm shrugs. “She does that. She’s always been generous to a fault. It almost got her in trouble once.”
“How so?”
“She had a partner in the beginning of her career, now they’re rival fashion houses. He tried to take all the credit for her designs when they were first starting out, but I pretty much nipped that in the bud. I would have nipped him in the bud too if she hadn’t stopped me.”
“Yeah, JoJo told me the two of you had a thing together once upon a time.”
Malcolm shrugs like it’s no big deal, completely unembarrassed by my knowledge of this fact.
“Anyway,” he continues, “I gave her some money to start the House of Armand so she could leave him in her wake. He’s always been a no talent hack and he always will be.”
“You know,” I say, “you look all rough and tough on the outside but on the inside you’re all soft and cuddly, aren’t you?”
“I am not,” Malcolm says defensively.
“Are too.”
“Am not,” he says more stridently.
“Are too.”
“Ok children,” Mason says walking over to us. “What are the two of you fighting about? Am I going to have to send you to separate corners for a time out?”
I giggle and make my way to the bedroom to change.
“You would have to catch me first,” I tease Mason, running for the stairs which lead from the living room to the second floor.
Mason doesn’t chase after me which completely disappoints me. But, when I enter the bedroom, I see why. He’s already there: naked as a jaybird and laying on the bed waiting for me. All he’s wearing is a grin and his necklace with the wedding ring I bought him.
“Incorrigible,” I tell him, tossing the garment bag on the floor and shedding my own clothes as quickly as I can.
“Only with you,” he tells me.
Once I’m dressed, I look at myself in the bathroom mirror and have to admit I like the dress JoJo sent over. Though, what of hers have I not liked? Oh yeah, the most important outfit of my life: my wedding d
ress.
When I walk out of the bathroom, I’m fiddling with my bracelet, trying to fasten the catch around my wrist when I feel a pair of strong hands grab me around the waist and pull me back against the firm naked body behind me.
I giggle.
“Haven’t you had enough of me for one morning?” I ask.
“How often do I have to say that I can never have enough of you?” Mason says, nibbling my ear and kissing the sweet spot right behind it.
I turn in his arms and drape my arms over his shoulders.
“And you couldn’t have put some clothes on while I was getting ready?” I ask, feeling a sudden need to shed my own clothes once again and simply forget about my meeting with Lucifer.
And that’s when it hits me.
I pull away and stand back from Mason, keeping my eyes on his face and refusing to give into temptation.
“You’re trying to make me late, aren’t you?” I ask, not mad, mostly amused by his ploy.
Mason stands with his hands on his hips and legs apart making sure I have full view of all of him.
“Is it working?” He asks, grinning.
I roll my eyes at him and grab the silver tone high heels JoJo sent in the bag to wear with the dress.
“No,” I tell him, even though it almost did, but why give him the satisfaction of knowing how close he came to winning?
I walk to the door of the room determined to go downstairs where my bodyguards are waiting. Mason places one of his hands on the door just as I grab the handle to open it.
“Promise me you’ll be careful today,” he says, deadly serious.
I look into his eyes and say, “I’ll be fine, and I will be careful. Don’t worry.”
“All I do is worry,” he admits, moving his hand away from the door.
“Then go to headquarters and get your mind off of things. Maybe you should do what I suggested and start tutoring Leah. She needs it if she’s going to have a normal life in this reality.”
Mason nods. “All right, I’ll do that. But have Aiden or Malcolm bring you to me as soon as your talk with Lucifer is over.”
“I will. I promise.” I lean up and give him a lingering kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you soon.”
When I walk out of the door, I turn my head back towards the bedroom and see Mason watching me walk away with worry in his eyes. I wink at him and he tries to smile but it comes out half-hearted. I know he won’t be ok until I’m back in his arms safe and sound.