Ascension (Book 4, The Watcher Chronicles)

by West, S. J.

  “I can go home?” I ask, realizing what my mother is telling me, daring to dream it’s real.

  “Yes,” she says. “You can go home, Jessi.”

  “Come to us,” I hear my friends say.

  “When your time to join me truly comes,” my mother says, smiling at me. “I will be waiting for you.”

  I look at Michael and know he feels the pull on our soul too.

  He smiles at me.

  We’re going home.

  When I open my eyes, I feel a surge of power enter my body. I see my father kneeling above me with his eyes closed like he’s concentrating on something.

  “Daddy?”

  My dad’s eyes snap open and he looks down at me with tears of joy.

  “What’s up, Buttercup?” He says to me, laughing in relief.

  “I saw Mom again,” I tell him. “But she said it wasn’t my time to be with her yet.”

  My dad shakes his head. “No. It’s not nearly your time to go, Jessi.”

  I sit straight up and look around at all my friends. They’re all smiling in relief.

  “Thank you,” I tell them. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

  “We love you,” Chandler says to me. He looks off to the side. “But you need to hurry, Jess.”

  I look in the direction of Chandler’s gaze and see Mason a few feet away behind my father. He sits motionless in the snow, his eyes vacant of life.

  I immediately stand but Mason doesn’t seem to see me. I walk through the circle of my friends and go to my husband. I kneel down in front of him and place my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to focus on me.

  “Mason,” I say.

  Mason’s eyes move slightly as he seems to notice me for the first time, pulling himself out of whatever nether world his mind was trapped in.

  “Are you a ghost?” He asks me.

  I shake my head. “No, I’m not a ghost. I’m real.”

  Mason lifts a trembling hand to my face. I lean my cheek into his cold palm.

  “See,” I say, looking him in the eyes, keeping his gaze on me. “Real. Alive.”

  The light of life comes back into Mason’s eyes, and he grabs me around the waist pulling me against him, burying his face against my neck.

  “I thought I lost you,” I hear him say.

  “You’ll never lose me,” I tell him. “Bad luggage, remember?”

  I feel Mason chuckle but also feel the wetness of his tears against my neck.

  I see God phase in a few feet behind Mason. I look at Him but don’t say anything. I think He knows Mason is the most important person to me right now. Everything else can just wait.

  Once Mason has himself composed, he pulls away from me.

  “Don’t ever do that to me again,” he says, joking but not.

  “I’m sorry I made you both go through that,” God tells us.

  Mason and I stand, holding hands as we walk over to his father.

  “It was never my intention to make you suffer,” He tells us. “But if I had told Jess her death was only temporary…”

  “My grief wouldn’t have been strong enough to bring Lucifer down,” I finish for Him. “I understand.”

  “Are you angry with me for the deception?”

  “No,” I tell Him. “You did what you had to do to save us. But, I still don’t understand how we’re supposed to seal the Tear.”

  “You can’t do it on your own,” God says as my friends gather around us to listen to what it is we have to do. “That’s why your crowns trapped Lucifer and his men. You will need to pull on their power to help you seal the Tear. And with the added power from your guardians, you have just enough to heal the wound Lucifer made with his hatred.”

  “Power from our guardians?” I ask, not understanding what He’s talking about.

  “They gave us their power so we would be strong enough to bring you back to us,” Chandler tells me. “But now they can’t go back to Heaven because they’re human.”

  “Human?” I ask, looking over my shoulder at my dad. “You mean,” I look at God. “I get to have my dad back for good?”

  “Yes,” God says. “You get to have your father back.”

  Could this day get any better?

  “Then let’s seal the Tear and go home,” I say, squeezing Mason’s hand. “I want to go home.”

  God instructs Mason to bring the other six princes up to the top of the mountain. We place them in a small circle in front of us.

  “You will have to reach into your respective pillars and grab your crown in order to siphon your prince’s energy,” God instructs. “Jess, you and Mason should stand in the center of the circle. Your sword will act as a lightning rod for the energy this will produce.”

  I’m still holding Mason’s hand, so I pull him behind me into the center of the circle.

  “Mason,” God says, “you will need to help Jess hold up the sword. When I open the Tear, it will want to pull in the energy that’s produced. You need to help her hold onto the sword until I tell you to let it go.”

  Mason nods to his father, but he keeps his eyes on me.

  I smile.

  “Seriously, I’m not a ghost,” I reassure him. “You can stop staring at me like I’m about to poof into a cloud of smoke and disappear.”

  “I know you’re real,” he tells me, his voice hoarse with emotion. “But sometimes I look at you, and I can’t believe you’re mine. So let me stare because you might be real, but you’re also my dream come true.”

  I reach up around my neck and yank off the necklace JoJo made me. I make sure Mason sees it before I drop it in the snow at our feet.

  “Three,” I tell him, “you owe me three babies. Nothing less than that will do.”

  Mason’s smile widens. “I promise I won’t stop until you have at least three.”

  I giggle at the promise.

  “Ok, is everyone ready?” God asks.

  We all nod.

  “Grab your crowns,” he instructs. “I will tell all of you when to release your respective crowns and then ask Mason to release the sword. Is that understood?”

  We all say yes.

  I hold up the sword at the end of the hilt and Mason grabs it right above my hand closer to the blade.

  I look down at Lucifer, frozen inside the blue pillar with a look of pain on his face, pain born of my own grief. I can’t help but feel sorry for him in this state.

  “What will happen to them?” I ask God.

  “After the Tear is closed, it will take some time for them to recover from the stasis they’re in, long enough for all of you to leave before they awaken.”

  I reach inside the pillar and grab the crown on Lucifer’s head.

  Our combined energies begin to make a vortex of power which the sword does seem to be absorbing. It vibrates in my hand as it hums with the added energy.

  God opens the Tear, and I instantly feel Mason tighten his grip on the sword. I can feel the Tear trying to pull the sword from our grasp but Mason doesn’t let it. Our vortex of power grows stronger and stronger until I feel like I’m in the middle of a raging hurricane.

  “Let go of the crowns!” God instructs us.

  We do as he says and the crowns levitate in the air right above their respective prince’s head. They begin to spin with incredible speed.

  “Mason,” God calls, “let go of the sword.”

  Mason and I release our grip on the sword, even though I know my contribution was only as a conduit between the archangel’s combined power and the sword. Mason was the one preventing it from entering the Tear too soon.

  As the sword flies up into the air, the crowns quickly follow its trajectory, shooting upwards to make a rainbow of color as they enter the Tear.

  As the sword and crowns pierce the veil of the Tear, it’s almost as if the universe sighs. The Tear closes and the ribbon of white light which has haunted us for the last fifteen years slowly fades from existence.

  I stare up at the clear blue sky.
It’s been so long since we could look up and not be reminded that each year we could lose a loved one without warning. Now, we have a pristine sky and a bright future ahead of us where anything is possible.

  I lower my eyes from the sky and look at Mason.

  The scar he’s worn since I’ve known him is completely gone now. His guilt finally wiped clean.

  I’m just about to launch myself into my husband’s arms when I hear a whistling noise.

  My eyes are drawn up to the sky and I see it before it even lands.

  My sword falls to the ground. Its tip buries itself into the ice and it stands like its waiting for me to come and get it. I stare at it, confused by its sudden reappearance.

  “You’ll need it again one day,” God says as he comes to stand beside me.

  “Why?” I ask.

  “To protect someone.”

  “So my job isn’t over yet?”

  “No.”

  I walk over to my sword and reclaim it.

  “Maybe we should put off having kids for a little while,” Mason suggests as I walk back to him.

  “Oh no,” I say, shaking my head. “We’re not waiting. I’m not going to live my life walking on eggshells waiting for something bad to happen. I want to start making good things happen instead. Now, let’s get everyone home and settled because I have plans for you, Mr. Collier.”

  Mason smiles and holds out one of his hands to me.

  “I will always do whatever you want me to do, Agent Riley. Always.”

  Epilogue

  As I watch Caylin sitting at the picnic table with Joshua and Leah, I begin to smile.

  “And what are you smiling about?” Mason asks, coming up behind me on the porch of Lilly’s Colorado home and wrapping his arms around my burgeoning belly.

  “I’m just happy to see the kids get along so well,” I tell him as I notice Caylin begin to absently play with a necklace around her neck as she laughs at something Leah is saying.

  “I was worried about Joshua when Caylin broke up with him,” Mason admits. “But it looks like Leah has mended his broken heart rather quickly.”

  “Caylin was never meant for Joshua,” I reply.

  “He’s here you know.”

  I turn in Mason’s arms to look at him. “Aiden?”

  Mason nods and looks out to the mountain past the lake Lilly’s home faces. I turn to follow his gaze and see a small black dot against the rock face. I know where he is. It’s the same spot Lilly took me to when I first met her, and we were trying to find some privacy away from Malcolm.

  “What’s he doing?” I ask.

  “Watching.”

  “A Watcher watching,” I say amused, “that’s original.”

  I see Caylin stand and walk over to us. Joshua scoots in a little closer to Leah on the bench they’re sitting on and gently takes her hand. Leah smiles shyly and scoots in even closer to her new boyfriend.

  “When is the baby due, Jess?” Caylin asks me as she comes to stand at the foot of the stairs.

  “December,” I tell her, rubbing my belly.

  “It’s a boy, right?”

  I nod, smiling proudly.

  The pendant of the necklace around Caylin’s neck sparkles in the August sunlight. It’s one half of a crystal heart, about the size of a quarter, hanging from a gold chain.

  “That’s a pretty necklace,” I say. “Where did you get it?”

  Caylin touches the pendant lying against her chest.

  “It was left for me,” Caylin tells us, a small knowing smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “I found it this morning sitting on the window sill outside my bedroom. It was wrapped in a small blue box with a white ribbon around it.”

  I should have known Aiden would find a way to mark Caylin’s birthday. One down and three more to go before he can introduce himself to her, if he wants to have Brand and Lilly’s blessing that is.

  “Is it engraved on the underside with something?” I ask, seeing a small patch of white on the middle side of the pendant where the heart was cut in half.

  Caylin nods. “It looks like half of a flame to me,” she says. “I’m not sure what it’s supposed to mean.”

  “Well, it’s beautiful. Your secret admirer has good taste,” I tell her.

  “Yes. He does,” Caylin agrees with a shy smile.

  Holding the pendant with the tips of her fingers, she turns to walk back to the table where Joshua and Leah are still sitting.

  I feel sure she knows who left her the gift. You don’t forget about your soul mate just because you aren’t allowed to see him.

  I turn back to Mason. “Take me to Aiden.”

  “I don’t like phasing you too much in your condition,” Mason says, resting a hand on my belly where our son lies snuggled within my womb.

  “I need to talk to him,” I say. “Would you rather have me fly over there?”

  “Uh no,” Mason says. “I’ll take you.”

  Before I know it, I’m standing beside Aiden on the side of the mountain.

  His eyes seem locked on the scene below us by Lilly’s house.

  “It’s too soon,” I warn him.

  He nods, acknowledging that he heard me.

  “I won’t do anything,” he tells me.

  “It’s only three more years,” I say to him. “After that, you can be together.”

  “I will try to wait.”

  “Don’t just try,” I tell him. “If you love her, you’ll wait.”

  “Like I said,” Aiden turns to me, a pained look in his eyes, “I will try.”

  I sigh, knowing I can’t get a promise from him. I can’t really say I blame him. He waited his whole life to find Caylin and now we were asking him to wait years before he could even introduce himself to her.

  Was it fair? Probably not but for Caylin’s sake and her parents’ sanity it was a necessity.

  “She knows it was from you by the way,” I tell him.

  Aiden smiles. “Good. I don’t want her to forget about me.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that. I seriously doubt she could forget about you even if she tried. Just be careful, Aiden. Malcolm’s already made one death threat against you. I would rather not have Caylin put in the middle of a family feud just because you couldn’t wait another three years.”

  “I’ll try, Jess,” Aiden says adamantly. “I swear it.”

  “Ok. I guess that’s the most any of us can ask of you.”

  As I look down at the scene below us, I see Malcolm phase in with some of my friends.

  “Take me back,” I tell Mason.

  When we return to the porch, I’m instantly surrounded by my extended family.

  “Oh mon Dieu!” JoJo exclaims when she sees me. “I had not realized you would be so big!”

  “Gee, thanks, JoJo,” I say trying not to take offense.

  “Non, you look beautiful,” JoJo says, giving me kisses on both cheeks. “I can not believe we will have a little Mason to love on soon.”

  “Do you want me to tell you his future?” Gabe asks me jokingly.

  “His future is his own,” I reply. “No fortune telling for him, thank you very much.”

  “Well, Uncle Chandler’s working on a lullaby for him. Hopefully, it’ll be done by the time he’s born,” Chandler tells me.

  “Uh, Jess,” Gabe says, looking in the direction of the picnic table where Caylin, Joshua and Leah are still sitting and talking. “Who is that girl sitting with Leah and Joshua?”

  “That’s the birthday girl,” I tell him. “Brand and Lilly’s daughter, Caylin.”

  Gabe’s eyes squint at Caylin. “I’ve seen her before.”

  “I have pictures of her at my house,” I say. “Maybe you recognize her from those.”

  “No,” Gabe says with certainty. “I’ve seen her in a vision.”

  What a way to grab my full attention.

  “What vision?” I ask.

  Everyone looks at Gabe as he says, “I saw her in one of the v
isions I had when I showed Baal his future.”

  “Is she the one who kills Baal?”

  Gabe shakes his head. “No. She was the one holding a baby. But, she was older in the vision.”

  I look back at Caylin and realize something with absolute certainty.

  She’s the one God warned me I would need to protect. My next mission here on Earth would, of course, have to involve Michael’s granddaughter. It made sense in a weird cosmic sort of way. But, why would Caylin be involved in a vision concerning Baal’s future? What exactly did fate have in store for her?

  A Note from the Author

  Thank you all so much for reading The Watcher Chronicles. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  So, as you might have gathered, Caylin and Aiden’s story will be next on the list of Watcher books. The title of that book will be Timeless and it will be YA so my underage trilogy readers can read it too.

  I haven’t started writing it yet because I am currently working on the final installment for my Harvester of Light trilogy entitled Dawn.

  As soon as I’m through with Dawn, I will begin writing Timeless.

  I have not decided if Caylin’s story will be one book or two. I need to start writing it first. I’m not much for writing stories with a lot of subplots to stretch a series out. So, I really just need to start it to see how much story there is to tell. I have had a lot of requests to make sure I tie up all the loose ends as far as the future of the secondary characters. Since this book will encompass both the characters of the trilogy and the chronicles, I should be able to do that.

  I’m really excited about Timeless. I ended up falling in love with the Aiden character more than I thought I would. He will try his best to abide by Brand and Lilly’s request, but sometimes even the best of intentions can be acted upon by an outside force to change them. And that’s all I’m going to say about that….

  Timeless also sets up Malcolm’s books. Originally, I thought I saw him 200 years in the future, but to make the world I see the future becoming, I’m afraid that will have to be stretch to 1000 years in the future. And no, that does not mean it will be a space opera. Everything will take place on Earth, but it will be an Earth divided by two completely different societies.