“How’s that going over?” I ask.
“Shoot, they’ve got those angels followin’ them ‘round like they’re presents that need openin’,” Russell winks. “Did you expect less?”
“No,” I reply. “That sounds about right.”
“Naw, those two’ve got the world on a string,” Russell smiles. “They’ve been down in the kitchen, too, plannin’ some kind of pizza party or other. It sounded good to me—I’m half-starvin’. I just came up here to get Anya. You want to eat with us?” he asks.
“I can’t,” I say with a sigh of regret. “I’m supposed to have dinner with Tau, but could you please take Reed and make sure he eats something?” I look across the room to see Reed sitting with some other Power. My eyes meet his and I get the impression that he has been watching me for a while—maybe even the whole time.
Russell follows my gaze to Reed, and says, “He’s worried ‘bout us bein’ here. Maybe you can talk to your dad ‘bout it and find out the game plan.”
“Sure, maybe I’ll bring it up after I ask him to tell me how he met my mom,” I scoff with a sarcastic twist of my lips.
“Your mother is his aspire,” Anya murmurs, causing both our eyes to lock on Anya’s face. Seeing my strained expression, Anya adds, “I met her only once, but she was very good...urr, kind?”
Russell nods. His eyes are as round as mine when I look at him.
“Now that’s freaky—and I’m not even gonna guess if it’s good freaky or bad freaky,” Russell breathes before looking at Anya. “You met her mom?” he prompts.
Anya shrugs “For a small time.”
“Briefly?” I ask.
“Briefly,” Anya accepts the correction. “She had just transitioned back from Earth. She’s an old soul, very sage-urr, wise?” she asks us.
“Yeah, that’s the right word,” Russell says with a “holy shit” expression that I’m totally sharing.
“What was her name?” I ask Anya. I want clarity; I want proof of her knowledge.
“I get so confused. You are meaning ‘is,’ correct? She is, not was. She exists—not as past tense,” she replies, shaking her head. “I do not know her Earth name, but she is known as—” and then Anya says a word in Angel that crudely sounds like “Vivian,” but she draws it out so that it’s lyrical—more beautiful than I can express with human syllables.
My heart lurches in my chest as what Anya relates shakes me to the core. I have always thought of everything to do with Paradise as an abstract—it exists, but as a distant concept or destination. It was like envisioning a far-off place, like Mars or a moon of Saturn. One could certainly go there if one met the requirements to exist on that plane. But, because I had never known my mother, could never envision her beyond the pictures I’d seen of her, she never really existed for me. She was not, and never could be, real…until now.
“What…what did you two talk about—when you met?” I ask Anya while other questions tumble around in my mind.
“She leave you behind—she cannot protect you like she wanted to…and she leave her aspire, too—very…hard?” she asks.
“Yes…hard,” I reply in a shallow voice.
“How do you say: to give up something valued to you—something without compare in worth to do what is right?” she asks.
“Sacrifice,” I say softly.
“Very hard sacrifice for her,” Anya murmurs, “and for him, too.” She lifts her chin in the direction of the doors where Tau has just entered. “She said she died in his arms.”
Rising from my seat on the floor, I see Reed greet Tau while I run my hands over my jeans to straighten them. Russell gets up too, holding Anya at his side as Tau and Reed walk casually over to greet us. After Tau nods in acknowledgement of Russell, he speaks a few words to Anya in Angel. She smiles, and nods, looking a little awe-struck at being in his presence.
Turning to me, Tau asks, “Are you ready?”
“Uh, yeah,” I say shyly, feeling color flood my cheeks as my eyes nervously shift to Reed’s. “I’ll come find you when we’re finished.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he says with a smile. He steps forward and hugs me, while whispering in my ear, “Relax.”
“Trying,” I whisper back before letting him go.
“Shall we?” Tau asks, and when I nod, he leads me to the doors of the library.
CHAPTER 19
Dinner
“Where are we going?” I ask Tau, following next to him as he turns toward the East corridor. Things are beginning to become unfamiliar to me because I was never allowed in this part of the estate when Brennus was in charge.
Tau slows as we come upon black-lacquered doors, each designed with ornate scrollwork etched into the veneer. Massive, gold door knockers in the shape of fangs hang grotesquely in the center of each door.
“Should we knock?” I ask, raising my brow.
“That won’t be necessary,” Tau smiles as he pushes the doors open.
Gesturing for me to enter, I walk in front of Tau across the black, polished hardwood floor. A beautiful, round table, set for the two of us, is in the center of the room beneath a black chandelier. Gilded, Celtic infinity knots embellish the cathedral ceiling. Soft pools of light fall upon the crisp, white tablecloth, while elegant bone china, edged in black and gold, compliment the centerpiece of dark red roses.
Tau pulls out one of the large, red-velvet covered chairs for me to sit in. My fingertips brush over the golden nail heads that secure the fabric as I sit and glance around the room. A sophisticated, black wine rack encompasses the entire wall behind the stylish bar.
“Are you hungry, Evie?” Tau asks me after he takes his seat across the table.
“Yes,” I manage to say with a nod, while picking up my napkin and placing it in my lap.
“I am as well,” Tau smiles and looks over my shoulder at the angel that just entered the room from the door behind the bar. “Ah, Aldo.”
As Aldo comes abreast of the table, I stiffen when a buzz, the rapid flutter of his paper-like dragonfly wings, vibrates with the intensity of a mechanized saw. The eerie sound causes adrenaline to intoxicate my muscles, while my wings tear out of my back with a snap.
Freddie! I think as a sick dread invades my mind.
Without thought, I grasp my dinner knife, spinning out of my chair at a dizzying speed to press the sharp point to Aldo’s throat from behind him. His wings buzz again, making me almost insane with a need to tear them from him.
“On your knees,” I order between my teeth near the Reaper’s ear. He complies immediately by kneeling in supplication. “What do you want?” I ask him, pressing the knife deeper to his neck, but I haven’t cut him yet.
“I’ve come to meet you and to discern what I can prepare for you…” he trails off.
My gaze shifts to Tau’s as my breathing continues at a steady pace. I’m in control here, not the Reaper. I can rip his head from his body if I need to with just a flick of my knife.
Tau’s eyes narrow as if reading my mind. “Evie, put down the knife,” he murmurs in a calm tone. Then, he speaks in Angel to Aldo.
“Who is he?” I ask Tau suspiciously, not complying with his order.
“He’s a Reaper,” Tau says with a blank expression. “He’s one of the best chefs I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, but now, I doubt if he’ll serve us anything but burnt toast. Put the knife away before Aldo gets the impression that we don’t like him.”
My eyes run over his iridescent wings that are not the blue-green color of Freddie’s, but an intricate blending of purple and fuchsia. Immediately, the blood drains from my face. Dropping the knife, it falls to the floor with a loud clatter.
I step away from Aldo. “I’m…sorry. Your wings—they reminded me of someone…” I utter in a distant voice, horrified by what I just did to him.
Tau rises from his chair, coming to me and pulling me against the soft fabric of his pressed shirt. Hiding my face against his chest, I listen while he speaks to Aldo in An
gel. Aldo rises from his knees and walks quietly to the door behind the bar, leaving us alone.
Tau strokes the feathers of my wings lightly. “You have impressive speed,” he says with a squeeze, before pulling me away from him so that he can see my face.
I avoid his eyes when I mutter, “Thanks,” allowing him to guide me back to my seat. Locating my napkin, he hands it back to me.
When he takes his seat across from me again, he pours from an elegant carafe, filling my glass goblet. When I sip it, it tastes like grape juice.
“I would love something a little stronger,” I say, nodding to my glass.
“Unfortunately, this wine rack lacks its namesake. It’s filled with blood—human and…other,” he says with a frown. I study the wine rack that encompasses the entire wall. The selection of bottles is enormous.
Sitting back in his chair, he watches me while I sip my juice. “You surprised me just now,” he admits.
“Really? You didn’t expect me to attack the chef?” I ask with sarcasm, before setting my goblet on the table and feeling embarrassed. “Well then, welcome to my world: where the unexpected becomes the norm.”
“Why did you attack him?” he asks. “I perceived no threat.”
“You wouldn’t, right?” I ask rhetorically. “He’s just a Reaper to you. But, if you were ever human, you’d know that Reapers are strong—brutally strong.”
His eyes narrow. “You will have to explain to me what you mean. Does this have something to do with the Reaper that made a deal with the Gancanagh in exchange for your soul?” he asks.
“His name was Freddie—Alfred Standish,” I reply, and something like recognition shines in his eyes. “I met him at Crestwood and I thought…I thought he was a human, like me,” I explain, while raising my gray eyes to his.
“But, you’re not just human, are you?” he asks, seeing my point.
“No, and he knew that, too,” I reply.
“So he stalked you,” he prompts me to continue.
“Stalked me…besides Russell, he was my best friend. I told him everything,” I say, hearing Aldo approaching us again. He places a basket of rolls directly in front of Tau and his stiff wings seem somehow stiffer as he refuses to look at me.
“Allow me to order for you, Evie,” Tau states, and I nod.
When Tau finishes, Aldo turns to go back into the kitchen. I stop him before he walks past me by putting my hand on his arm.
“Aldo,” I say softly, meeting his lovely brown eyes. “Please accept my apology for attacking you. I was frightened by your wings and I reacted in a way that I truly regret.”
Aldo’s eyes go from my hand on his sleeve to my face. The soft lighting from above gives his dark-brown hair a golden glow as a smile inches to the corners of his lips.
“You think my wings are frightening?” he asks with a smile.
“Very scary,” I admit with a serious nod, unable to discern any other similarities in him to Freddie. He’s much taller than Freddie had been. Freddie had been shorter than me with blue eyes and blond hair.
Aldo puffs up then, like I have just given him a compliment. “I can put them away if it will help,” he says.
“No, you don’t have to…I’ll just have to be braver,” I reply with a ghost of a smile.
“Who among us could be braver?” Aldo asks, and my eyes widen in surprise. Seeing it, his smile deepens. “I will make you something special.” I let my hand drop from his before he walks to the door behind the bar again.
“I should’ve killed him,” Tau says softly, causing my eyes to grow bigger as they turn to him. For a second, I think he’s talking about Aldo. Tau must have sensed my confusion, because he adds, “Alfred. Xavier wanted to, but I thought we should wait to see what they were plotting.”
“What?” is all I can say as my mouth goes dry.
“He was around before you went to Crestwood. You went to his house prior to school—for a brunch?” he asks me, looking grim.
I nod dumbly.
“Xavier would’ve torn him apart—he argued vehemently for it, but I allowed you to go, to see what he was after,” Tau says. “I didn’t know then that I would be leaving you unprotected from him.”
“You knew that Freddie—Alfred, was going to follow me to Crestwood and you did nothing?” I ask for clarity.
A frown darkens his perfect brow. “I thought that we’d be able to take care of him there after he led us to his associates. I wanted to know all the players…what exactly the fallen Seraphim planned for you,” Tau explains.
“When was the last time you saw me? When did you get called back?” I ask.
“Your first day at Crestwood. We had been planning to go with you. Cole had secured our housing so that we could wait until the moment that you began to evolve,” he pauses.
“Why wait? Why couldn’t you just tell me what I needed to know?” I ask him, upset that he hadn’t told me anything when he had a chance—so many, many chances.
“Evie, you were happy being human. That world made sense to you,” he says sadly. “There was so much that you were facing—I wanted you to be a child for as long as possible, because the minute you knew, all of that would end.”
I try to calm the raw emotions inside of me while holding tight to my glass and waiting for him to continue.
“You were really nervous the morning you left for school, remember?” he asks me with a wry smile. “You kept checking to make sure that Jim had enough groceries for the week—posting notes everywhere to remind him to pick up his dry-cleaning…”
I look at him, seeing his eyes soften, and then I nod my head, hoping he will continue. The same nervousness that I felt on the morning before leaving for school settles over me once again.
“I watched you climb into your car—so hopeful, and yet, sad at the same time,” he says.
“You were there,” I whisper with the realization that what he has been telling me is true. He was there—they all were.
“It happened almost the instant you pulled out of your driveway,” he explains, and he sounds almost bitter.
“What did?” I ask.
“Cole began to ascend. He resisted the pull, but his struggles were in vain. He knew it. The pull is as strong for us as it is when a soul ascends…he began to fade becoming a shadow of his form…”
I can’t help saying numbly, “I witnessed a soul ascending when I was hiding from Pagan.”
“Yes, Pagan,” he says her name like he just ate something sour. “Then you know the intensity of it—the encompassing need to comply with the host of angels that call out to you…” he trails off when I nod my head.
“So, you and Xavier ascended with Cole?” I question.
Tau shakes his head, saying, “No, we resisted—”
“You did?” I interrupt him, stunned by his admission of noncompliance with Heaven.
Tau nods as his jaw tenses. “We followed you to Crestwood. The sky above us resonated with the call of voices for our return, but when we didn’t comply, they decided to take us by force. Xavier began to fade when he made it to your room at Crestwood, but he felt sure you saw him, because you called out to him, asking who was there—” he says, sounding haunted.
“Oh my God!” I breathe, remembering returning to my room alone for the first time and thinking I saw a shadow pass over my wall as I entered. “That shadow was—”
“Xavier,” Tau replies. “He was faster—he made it there before me. I was fading, too. When I arrived, I could only watch you from your fire escape—you cut your finger.” I can only nod at him in response. “I wanted to tell you then about us—about everything…but that wasn’t to be…I ascended,” he says softly. “I—we were confused—angry,” he replies in a salty tone. "We felt betrayed.”
My eyes grow wide. “Wasn’t that the plan?” I ask.
“It was never my plan…or Xavier’s—he was inconsolable,” he replies, lacking even a hint of levity.
“But, you were in Paradise, right?” I ask i
n confusion.
“You think that it matters?” he asks with equal confusion.
“Doesn’t it? It’s Paradise…you know, Heaven,” I reply.
He pauses for a moment, and then he asks, “You know nothing of Paradise but human speculation and second-hand accounts. Am I correct?”
“That’s right,” I reply.
“I want you to do something for me. I want you to close your eyes,” he says, and waits for me to do as he asks.
Closing my eyes, I listen to the beautiful resonance of his voice, when he says; “I want you to picture Jim in your mind.” I squeeze my eyes tighter at the mention of my uncle’s name. “Picture leaving him behind, knowing very well just how vulnerable he is to any fallen angel that happens upon him—knowing that he will both attract them and consume them with envy.” My heart tightens painfully in my chest.
Tau continues, “You know how fragile Jim is—that you could easily snap him in half now without any effort. Then, consider my vast knowledge of killing. If you were to imagine every scenario and possible torture that you’ve witnessed and apply it to him, it could not possibly compare to what I can imagine,” he murmurs.
Tears slip from my closed eyes.
“Now, imagine the most gruesome place that you can. Imagine Sheol where to smell rotting flesh would be a relief and imagine them taking him there. Jim, so beloved to you, now nearly unrecognizable as ever having been divine because he has either perished at their hands or been turned into something so ugly you hardly dare to look upon him and mark the violation he has suffered to become so vile.”
My eyes open slowly when Tau’s hand reaches across the table to take mine. “Do you think that Heaven could console me, knowing that I left my daughter behind?” he asks.
Shaking my head, I can hardly look at him. “Did you see Jim?” I ask, but it comes out like a croak.
“Xavier and I tracked him down,” Tau replies with a nod.
“What did they do to him?” I ask, trying hard to hold back tears of despair and anger. “I have imagined every possible scenario. Did they torture him?”
Incendiary (The Premonition Series (Volume 4)) Page 29