Ascension (Book 4, The Watcher Chronicles)

by West, S. J.

  Mama Lynn always voted Republican, and she was thrilled when a Southern boy rose to the highest office in the country. In the center of the room is a circular table with a floor length tan table cloth embossed with a flowery pattern in ivory. The pattern matches that of the four cloth upholstered chairs around the table. In the center of the table is an arrangement of pink and white roses. A crystal chandelier hangs directly above it. Four table settings complete with white napkins, fine bone china, silverware and crystal goblets sit waiting for us.

  One of the doors to the room swings inward, and I hear the laughter of a woman.

  When the First Lady rounds the corner of the door, she immediately notices us in the room.

  I’ve only seen the First Lady in pictures and TV, but I find her even lovelier in person. She’s a petite woman with short dark brown hair and eyes. Her make-up has been meticulously applied. She’s wearing a red colored lace sheath cocktail dress with cap sleeves. Her eyes seem to light up when they land on me.

  “You must me Jess,” she says coming to stand in front of us while two male servers enter after her pushing in silver carts with covered dishes, presumably our food.

  The First Lady holds her hand out to me and I shake it. I find her handshake firm and confident.

  “Yes, I’m Jess, ma’am,” I tell her. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Woods.”

  “Oh please, just call me Kathy,” the First Lady tells me with an easy, open smile. “I’m so pleased you and Mason were able to make it tonight. I know it was short notice, but something we had planned for this evening fell through at the last minute and free nights to do whatever we want are so rare in this house.”

  “I would imagine so,” I agree.

  “Please,” Kathy says sweeping her hand towards the table. “Why don’t we go ahead and sit down? Harry should be through with his meeting soon, and he’ll join us then.”

  Mason holds out my chair for me and scoots it in as I sit down. One of the two male wait staff extends the same courtesy to the First Lady. Once we’re seated, the men place small plates with Caesar salad in front of us.

  “I’ll ring the bell when we’re ready for the entrée,” the First Lady says to the servers.

  They both bow to her and leave the room.

  “We have to be careful about speaking in front of the staff,” Kathy tells me. “We definitely don’t need any information about you and your group leaking out to the public.”

  “Just how much do you know?” I ask, looking from the First Lady to Mason for an answer.

  “Oh, I think I know everything Harry does, don’t I Mason?”

  “I think you know more,” Mason replies with an easy smile, and I can tell he likes the First Lady. He looks over at me. “You can speak freely here, Jess. We decided after all the vessels were found that the President needed to know what was going on.”

  I feel myself relax some.

  “So Mason tells me you will be getting married this coming Friday,” Kathy says. “Who designed your dress?”

  “JoJo Armand.”

  “Ahh,” the First Lady says, nodding as she uses her fork to pick up some of her salad. “I guess I should have known that since she’s one of the vessels. I absolutely love her designs. She knows exactly how to make a woman look like a woman in clothing without making us look too frilly.”

  I’m not sure what the First Lady would think of the wedding dress JoJo made me. It was nothing if not frilly.

  I hear the deep timber of a male voice right outside the door to the room. My back is to the door, and I hear the click of the knob as it’s turned by the person coming inside. The First Lady looks up and smiles tightly, like she’s not completely happy to see the person who just walked in.

  “Sorry I’m late,” I hear a man, I presume to be the President, say behind me.

  Mason stands and comes to pull out my chair for me so I can rise and meet the President of the United States America.

  When I turn around to be introduced to him, I feel like my world as been turned upside down and shaken apart at the seams.

  “Jess,” I hear Mason say as I try to make myself remember to breathe, “I would like to introduce you to President Harry Woods. Harry, this is Jess, my fiancé.”

  The President holds out his hand for me to shake.

  I just stare at it, not wanting to touch him but knowing I have to or it will look suspicious. I swallow hard and place my hand into his.

  His handshake is weak, and I immediately withdraw my hand from his after one shake.

  I look up into the eyes of the man responsible for the fate of the nation I live in.

  “Nice to finally meet you, Jess,” the President says to me, a knowing smile playing across his lips. “Mason’s told me all about you.”

  I feel like I’m about to faint and have to remind myself that weakness is not something I want the man in front of me to see.

  The President’s smile grows wider, and I feel sure he knows I can see the truth about him.

  I stare at the dark red glow surrounding him. An aura I’ve only seen once before and hoped to never see again. But in the world I live in, I guess I should have known I would run into another demon like him at some point. All I want to do is turn to Mason and tell him the truth about a man he thought he could trust. All I want to do is yell this one simple truth: the President of the United States is a changeling.

  Chapter 15

  I stare at the President unsure what to do. I need to warn Mason. The first night I met him he said he couldn’t have told Owen, the changeling who tried to become me, was that type of demon because it was impossible for even him to tell the difference. One question keeps repeating in my mind: How long has the President been a changeling?

  “Please sit back down,” the President says, walking over to his wife and giving her a peck on the cheek in greeting.

  I notice the First Lady visibly flinch at the contact of his lips on her cheek and wonder if she’s been able to sense the difference in her husband, or if this is just the way their relationship has always been.

  The President sits directly across from me. Mason pushes in my seat for me as I sit back down and he retakes his own. I look over at him and he looks at me. I can tell he knows something is wrong with me by the frown on his face.

  “So, what have I missed?” The President asks, his beady little eyes staring at me like he’s gloating about something.

  “Jess was just telling me JoJo Armand designed her wedding dress,” the First Lady says.

  “She’s one of the seven vessels, right?” The President asks Mason, even though I can tell he knows damn well she is. He knows all of us, and if he knows all of us, Lucifer is sure to know too.

  “Yes,” Mason answers, though I hear the reluctance in his voice at having to confirm it.

  “So Mason tells me you and your group of archangels will be able to seal the Tear once and for all,” the President says. “I can tell you that will be a day to rejoice. I might even have to make it a national holiday.”

  The President smiles at me, and I feel my stomach turn sour.

  “Yes,” I say, “we will seal the Tear. We will defeat Lucifer and his princes. You can count on us to do that.”

  I silently hope he takes that little message back to his master.

  The President’s mouth stretches into a tight lipped grin. “I’m sure you’ll do your best.”

  “We will win,” I say with certainty because failure is an unthinkable option.

  The President stares at me for a while before saying, “I’m sure you’ll try, but if you lose, don’t worry. We’ve always been a nation who defends ourselves. We’ll use everything at our disposal to protect the people of this country and the world.”

  I know exactly what he’s hinting at because I’ve seen what will happen to the world if we fail. He’s the one man on the planet who can launch more nuclear weapons than I want to imagine exist.

  Lucifer placed him perfectly.

  Who
better to be under his command than the President of the United States, a country which boasts the largest nuclear arsenal and armed forces in the world? If you wanted to mold the world into a living nightmare for humans, why not add in a nuclear holocaust to the unleashing of Hell itself. I had to hand it to Lucifer. He placed this particular minion well.

  “Please,” the First Lady says, “can we just have one dinner where the fate of the world doesn’t hang in the balance? I would much rather hear about the wedding.”

  The President looks away from me and smiles at his wife. It almost looks genuine.

  “Of course, my dear,” he tells her, picking up his salad fork to start eating his own salad.

  I’ve suddenly lost my appetite and don’t touch my salad again. I try to answer the questions the First Lady asks me but my mind is trying to sort through other things.

  I think back to all the times Mason was called away having to come here to the White House to coddle the President. I suddenly see connections where they weren’t before. The first time Mason was called away from me was the day I first met Baal at the Piggly Wiggly. As I think back, I also remember Mason being with the President the night John Austin had his accident. The third time was right before I got the call from Horace that Chandler was missing. The fourth time was the night Baal and Levi attacked me at my house. And the last time was the night of the Grammy’s when Amon came to me to set up a time and place for Lucifer to speak with Michael.

  Why hadn’t I seen the pattern before now? How could I have been so stupid not to notice?

  By the time the servers bring in the main entrée, I’ve completely lost my appetite.

  “I’m afraid I’m not feeling very well,” I tell Mason.

  He’s known something was up with me and seemed to be waiting for me to let him know whether or not I needed to leave.

  “Oh, no,” I hear the First Lady say, “I hope you aren’t coming down with something right before the wedding.”

  I try to smile at the First Lady’s sincere concern and immediately feel guilty that I’m about to leave her with a demon straight from Hell.

  “I’m sure it’s just the excitement from the past few days,” I assure her. “I think I just need to go home and get some rest.”

  Mason stands from the table and pulls my chair out for me.

  “If the two of you will excuse us, I should probably get Jess home so that I can take care of her.”

  The President and First Lady stand from their chairs.

  Kathy gives me a hug. “Please let us know if there is ever anything we can do for you.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her.

  She goes to stand by her husband’s side, and he puts a comforting arm around her shoulders. I see her try to smile but it never quite makes it to her eyes.

  Mason takes my hand.

  “See you later, Jess” the President says as he stares at me.

  Mason phases us to the villa living room.

  “What’s really wrong?” He asks me.

  “That man is not the President,” I tell him. “He’s a changeling.”

  The word ‘shocked’ doesn’t quite give justice to the look that covers Mason’s face. I see the wheels of his mind begin to spin as he starts to make connections where they weren’t before, just like I did.

  “All those time he wanted me to come to him,” Mason says as he comes to the same conclusion I did, “were just excuses to get me out of the way, weren’t they?”

  I nod. “It makes sense. The last five times you’ve been called to his office I’ve either been visited by one of the princes or something bad happened.”

  “So Lucifer could have been behind John Austin’s death?”

  “I’m not sure,” I say, “but if I were to bet money on one of them using the changeling to make sure you were out of the picture when you needed to be it would be Baal. I know for sure he was directly involved in at least three of those instances: me meeting him in the grocery store, Chandler’s kidnapping, and the attack at my house. I don’t think Lucifer would have had John Austin killed because we had an understanding with each other then. Our friendship was just starting to grow. He wouldn’t have done something like that to jeopardize it at the time, but, I wouldn’t put it past Baal to have had a hand in it. In fact, I feel sure he did.”

  Mason runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

  “What do we do with this information?” I ask. “We can’t exactly just go kill the President of the United States. I know the Watchers have autonomy on certain matters, but I can’t imagine that being one of them.”

  “No, we can’t kill him,” Mason says, “at least not yet. It would discredit the Watchers and right now we don’t need to do that. We’ll figure out another way to deal with the changeling. I’ll inform Nick so we can make sure to keep a close watch on anything the President does from here on out. We need to make sure he doesn’t interfere with what you and the other vessels need to do.”

  “How much about us did you tell him?” I ask.

  “Not everything,” Mason assures me. “He does know who you all are, but I didn’t tell him what exactly happens in the fight, just that you and the others win it and seal the Tear.”

  “We don’t know that for sure,” I say. “The others will win their fight but it’s still not a sure thing I will.”

  Mason brings me into his arms. “Now you listen to me,” he says, all playfulness set aside. “You will win. There’s no other way for this thing to play out. You will win and after you win you will seal the Tear. Is that understood?”

  “Aye, aye, captain.”

  “I’m serious, Jess. You will win. You will seal the Tear and end this nightmare for us once and for all. I know you will.”

  I lay my head on his chest and wrap my arms around him. “Thanks for having so much faith in me.”

  Mason’s arms tighten around me, and he rests his chin on top of my head. “I’ve always had faith in you. From the first night I met you I knew you were a force to be reckoned with. It’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you instantly.”

  I pull back and look at his face.

  “Instantly? Like that first night?”

  “I knew we were soul mates before you told me, Jess.”

  This was news to me.

  “How?” I ask.

  Mason shrugs. “I can’t really explain it. It’s just something I felt when we first met. Brand told me once that he knew Lilly was his soul mate the moment he laid eyes on her. I think it was in a Physics class or something, but anyway I think for a Watcher they have to find their soul mate before they’re ready to live a normal human life. Brand was the first to ask to be made human, but I believe all of us will do it eventually. We just have to meet the right girl.”

  “What about Malcolm?” I ask. “He’s so devoted to Lilly. It’s like he thinks she’s his soul mate.”

  “Malcolm does love her. I believe he always will, but Lilly isn’t his soul mate. She’s Brand’s. I feel sure Malcolm will find his one day, and then he’ll finally be able to let Lilly go.”

  “You know I told him once that maybe the girl for him just hadn’t been born yet. I’m not sure he believes she ever will be.”

  “It may take time for it to happen. But, I feel sure our father wants us to experience this connection at least once in our lives. I’m just thankful he gave me you.”

  “Are you trying to sweet talk me, Mr. Collier, in the hopes of receiving sexual favors?”

  “Now why in the world would you ever think I could be so devious, Agent Riley?”

  “Because I know you,” I say with a smile. “Now make your call to Nick so you can take me to bed.”

  “Have I ever mentioned how bossy you are?”

  “Hmm, you don’t seem to mind me telling you what I want while we’re naked and between the sheets.”

  Mason smiles shyly. “No, I rather like that part.”

  “Then make your call, Mr. Collier. I have some very detailed instructions
for you to follow after you do.”

  Mason makes his call and sets up a secret surveillance team to keep an eye on the President.

  Afterwards, I make good on my promise to a certain Mr. Collier to be very bossy.

  Chapter 16

  The next morning Mason and I are eating breakfast with Gabe in the kitchen of the villa when Malcolm phases in with JoJo in tow. I instantly get up and give Malcolm a big hug.

  “Not that I’m complaining,” Malcolm says, standing stiffly in my arms, “but why are you hugging me?”

  “Because I know what you did for me yesterday,” I tell him, hugging him even tighter.

  Malcolm pats me on the back with one hand. “You’re welcome.”

  I let Malcolm go and stand on my tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

  “I owe you one.”

  “Hmm, I think you owe me two now actually,” Malcolm says. “But who’s counting?”

  I turn to JoJo and she hands me two smaller versions of the pendant Malcolm is still wearing around his neck.

  “To wear around the ankle,” she explains. “That way no one can snatch them off you easily.”

  I give JoJo a hug. “Thank you. I didn’t know your power had strengthened that much.”

  “Oui,” JoJo tells me as I stand back from her. “I have made all the Watchers charms like these, and I have also made us our outfits for the fight.”

  “So quickly?” I ask in astonishment.

  JoJo shrugs. “I find it hard to sleep with all the excitement. Plus, I wanted to make sure it all fit everyone.”

  Malcolm sits the large canvas bag he is carrying on the floor, and JoJo rummages through it pulling out a folded stack of clothing and hands it to me.

  “Try this on, mon cheri,” she tells me before digging in the bag and pulling out some more clothes and handing them to Gabe who is still sitting at the table.

  “For you,” JoJo says.

  She turns to Malcolm. “Could you please go to my studio and grab the bag with the boots, mon amie?”