‘Hades?’ she hissed, ‘that’s forbidden!’
‘So I hear,’ he mumbled.
‘Demon fire… the Underworld?’ she frowned, how the hell was he still standing? Any of those things would have been an instant death sentence to one of their kind. How had he managed to survive? What was it about Sam that made him different?
She looked down as he sleepily mumbled Scarlett’s name once again, and her heart fluttered painfully. She knew exactly how it felt to be kept from the one you love, and she felt a sudden affection and kinship for the damaged man lying on the small narrow cot in front of her.
‘Sam,’ she shook him awake, ‘there’s one more thing then you can sleep.’
He opened his eyes, rousing himself with great effort.
Aalia reached into the pocket of her rumpled robe and withdrew something small, pressing it into his hand.
Sam looked down, his eyes widening in surprise at the large gold ring sitting in his palm. He didn’t need to read the inscription to know what it said.
‘Forever yours… Scarlett…’
Sam wrapped his fist around his ring and looked up at the young healer.
‘Where did you get this?’
‘It was in the pocket of the clothes you were wearing when you were brought to me. I hid it from Thomas, I thought it might be important to you.’
‘Thank you,’ Sam whispered with a small contented smile as he fell back against the pillow. This time when he slipped into a deep exhausted sleep he clutched his fist to his chest, the golden band nestled safely in his closed palm.
6
Theo stretched and rolled over. Reaching out before his eyes were fully open, he found his palm gliding across the cool empty sheets. He dozed for another minute before shifting again, as he felt a pair of eyes on him and a rhythmic thump thump against the mattress.
Cracking one eye open he found himself looking into dark liquid eyes and a furry face.
Sensing Theo was waking up, Beau banged his tail against the bed a couple more times before standing from his spot curled up on Olivia’s pillow. He padded his paws into the sheets before leaning into Theo’s face, sniffing enthusiastically and licking him.
‘Alright boy,’ Theo laughed as he pushed his face away, but Beau was having none of it. He shoved his wet nose back in Theo’s face and continued to lick him.
‘Alright,’ he pushed himself up onto his elbows which only allowed Beau to wriggle his warm furry body into the small gap between Theo’s chest and the bed.
With no other choice, Theo pushed himself up fully, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he sat and glanced out of the window. Sensing another opportunity Beau placed his paws on Theo’s thigh and leaned up, nuzzling his face against Theo’s jaw.
‘Did she ask you to watch over me, huh?’ he stroked Beau softly.
He wagged his tail and let out a soft bark, almost as if he understood every word.
Pushing himself off the bed, Theo padded softly into the bathroom and switched the light on. The worst of the pain in his head was gone, as well as the nausea, but a dull muted throb remained as it did most days, a constant ache at the base of his skull.
Leaning forward with a sigh he turned the faucet on and splashed his face with cold water to wash away the last remnants of sleep, but as he looked up he blinked in confusion. The mirror in front of him was covered with small squiggly black lines… no… not lines he realized… writing.
He reached out to touch the surface of the glass only to find that the back of his hand was also covered. He looked across the small room to the other wall, to the shower… wherever he looked the strange writing followed. It was then he realized that it wasn’t on the mirror or the walls at all. It was his eyes. Somehow the writing was scrolling across his eyes, projecting the almost illegible words onto whatever surface his gaze happened to fall upon. Suddenly a sharp piercing pain sliced through his mind. He grasped his head with both hands, his mouth falling open in a soundless scream of agony. The pain was so intense it robbed him of breath, leaving him unable to even cry out. He collapsed to his knees on the cold hard tiles, much as he had the night before, just trying to catch his breath.
Slowly the pain began to subside as he dragged in great lungs full of breath. He blinked and as his eyes once again began to focus, the writing disappeared. Pushing himself shakily to his feet he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His skin was pale and drawn, and there were the beginnings of dark shadows under his eyes. The pain in the back of his skull gave another insistent throb as if to remind him it was still there, but otherwise everything else returned to normal. Picking up his toothbrush he slowly began to brush his teeth.
By the time he’d shaved, washed and dressed it felt like he was trying to move through molasses. His movements felt slow and sluggish; maybe he just needed more sleep. He made his way downstairs with Beau bouncing along in his wake.
Olivia looked up from the kitchen table in concern as her husband wandered into the room.
‘You okay?’ she mouthed silently with the phone pressed to her ear.
Theo nodded, turning to muster up a wide smile for his son and daughter. His son Logan was bouncing enthusiastically in his high chair, banging his bowl and spoon against the table with sticky fingers covered in porridge which he’d also managed to smear through his dark brown curls. He looked up at Theo and gave him a wide toothy grin before offering him the chewed, spit covered spoon.
Theo chuckled and dropped a kiss on his head, in the only patch he could see that wasn’t matted with breakfast. Turning to his daughter he frowned and glanced back at Olivia, pointing to their daughter who was sitting calmly in her chair quietly feeding the juice from her sippy cup to an old fabric covered poppet.
Olivia caught his questioning stare and shrugged her shoulders, rolling her eyes. No matter how many times they kept taking the damn thing off her, Theia still managed to get her hands on it.
He dropped a kiss on her head too. Theia looked up at him and smiled, holding up her poppet for him. Given no other choice Theo leaned in and gave the doll a quick peck. It smelled old and musty but curiously enough he felt the tiny zap of a static shock. He stepped back in surprise. Theia merely blinked up at him and offered him a wide smile.
Shaking his head, he poured himself a strong coffee and sat down at the table. In amongst the breakfast plates and toast, there were newspaper clippings and notes.
Buttering himself a slice of toast Theo settled back in his chair, sipping his coffee as he waited for Olivia to finish her call.
‘Okay, so I have some news,’ Olivia hung up the phone and tossed it onto the table.
‘Oh?’ Theo replied chewing his toast.
‘First, how are you feeling?’ She tilted her head as she studied him. She was worried, there was no point in hiding it. He looked pale and not at all himself.
‘I’m okay,’ he nodded.
‘Are you sure?’ she replied, unconvinced.
‘I’m sure,’ he smiled softy as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. There was no point in telling her about the strange writing he’d experienced. She had enough on her mind, besides, it might have been a fluke he reasoned. Probably best not to worry her until he had a better idea of what they were dealing with.
‘Who was that on the phone?’ He changed the subject as he took another bite of his toast.
‘The gallery,’ Olivia answered. ‘They’ve managed to track down the buyer.’
‘The one who bought the portrait of my parents?’ Theo frowned.
‘Yeah,’ Olivia breathed, ‘unfortunately he’s showing no signs of wanting to let it go and as it was sold in good faith by the gallery, we don’t have any legal way to get the painting back.’
‘I see,’ Theo stared into his cup. ‘I guess there’s nothing that can be done. It’s not like I can’t just paint another one.’
‘I know but that one was special to you,’ she reached out and laced her fingers with his. ‘I kno
w how much it meant to you.’
‘It did,’ Theo nodded, ‘but now it’s gone, and we can’t get it back. I’m not particularly happy about it but there’s nothing to do but move on.’
‘Well,’ Olivia pursed her lips, ‘there’s a bit more to it than that.’
‘What do you mean?’ he asked as he took another sip of his coffee.
‘The buyer,’ she stared at him thoughtfully, ‘his name is Elias Black.’
‘Elias Black?’ Theo frowned. ‘Mr Black? You don’t think it’s the same one, do you? The same Mr Black who owns the Black Orchid Company?’
‘I think it’s a little too much of a coincidence,’ Olivia frowned. ‘Somehow he’s connected to Sam. They funded your new life in Mercy and now he’s bought one of your portraits and not just any one, one that had specific meaning for you. I don’t know,’ she shook her head, ‘it’s all just a little too close for comfort.’
‘When I get my hands on Sam,’ Theo growled in frustration, ‘I may punch him just for being missing so long, making me worry about him.’
‘No, you won’t,’ Olivia soothed him. ‘You care about him too much, that’s why you’re so frustrated. We’ll find Sam and when we do, I may just have some choice words for him myself.’
‘What are we going to do about this Mr Black and his company?’ Theo frowned.
‘Nothing for the moment,’ Olivia picked up her tea. ‘Roni has got it under control, she’s looking into it. We’re about to have our hands full.’
‘Are we?’ Theo’s brow rose as he peered at her over the rim of his mug.
‘Last night after you went back to bed, I had a visitor,’ she told him with a sigh. ‘Hades stopped by.’
Theo let out a quiet huff.
‘What did he want this time?’
‘To talk to us about the Veritas mostly,’ she replied.
‘The Veritas?’ Theo frowned, ‘why would he have any interest in them?’
‘Because it seems Sabine and Saffire are making a nuisance of themselves.’
He stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
‘It turns out Lucifer isn’t too happy with them for whoring themselves out to Nathaniel, who technically belonged to Hades. Like feral cats bringing home dead rodents as gifts for their owners, Sabine and Saffire are trying to get their hands on something shiny to appease Lucifer, I’m guessing, so that he won’t peel the skin off their bones.’
‘Lucifer?’ Theo repeated slowly, ‘the actual devil?’
‘Hmm,’ Olivia frowned as she watched her husband. Sometimes she forgot that he’d been raised as a puritan. No matter how far he’d come, some beliefs were still hard to break. ‘He’s not actually a devil, Lucifer is an Archangel.’
‘What is it they’re trying to get their hands on?’ Theo asked. ‘What could he possibly want?’
‘I’ll give you a guess,’ she sighed, ‘and it’s the same thing the Veritas have been trying to get their hands on since the forties… Nazi experiments… ringing any bells?’
‘The Book of the Heavens,’ Theo realized. ‘Sabine and Saffire must know that the Veritas are looking for the book and if they’ve joined forces, the Veritas must be closer to finding it than we thought.’
‘That’s what worries me,’ Olivia chewed her nail thoughtfully. ‘We’ve basically spent the last two years searching for Sam, ignoring everything else and I don’t regret that. After all I’m worried about him too, but I get the feeling we should’ve been keeping a closer eye on what was going on after you killed Nathaniel. We just assumed it was all over, but now I’m getting the uncomfortable impression that it was only the beginning, and me becoming the Guardian of Infernum has just opened up a whole can of worms.’
‘You might be right,’ Theo frowned, absently removing Olivia’s finger from her lips so she couldn’t chew her nail. ‘With everything that’s happened lately, I get the feeling this business with Sam and the red-haired woman is all going to somehow tie back to the Veritas eventually.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Remember when we went to Baltimore? To the burned-out apartment of the red-haired woman who was posing as Sam’s doctor?’
‘Oh, that’s right,’ Olivia stared thoughtfully as she cast her mind back. ‘The cop who was guarding the crime scene had the mark of the Veritas on his wrist.’
‘Exactly,’ Theo nodded. ‘Then when you factor in everything Roni found out about her great aunt Adelaide. She was, at some point, obviously a member of the Veritas, but she hid the Nazi research as well as her husband’s papers from them. Then adding in the fact that the woman in the microfilm looks exactly like the one Sam is with in Las Vegas.’
‘She’s her daughter,’ Olivia murmured.
‘What?’
‘The woman in the photos from 1945, the one that the Nazis were torturing, her name was Aurelia, right?’
Theo nodded.
‘Well, the woman with Sam is Scarlett, her daughter.’
‘How do you know?’ Theo asked.
‘Hades told me.’
‘See, it’s all connected,’ Theo frowned. ‘This Scarlett, Sam, the Veritas, the book, the demons, we have all these pieces laid out in front of us. So many questions and not enough answers.’
‘Well I think it’s time we get some answers, don’t you?’ Olivia replied purposefully, ‘and the best place to start is the Veritas. We don’t know nearly enough about them and they’re turning out to be more than a bit part player.’
‘I think you might be right,’ Theo mused.
‘With that in mind, I’ve called in the cavalry,’ they both turned to look at the sound of a heavy knock at the door. ‘That’ll be them now… perfect timing.’
She got up and disappeared out of the room, reappearing moments later with Jake, Roni and Mac trailing behind her.
Theia squealed with delight as she caught sight of Jake, unceremoniously dumping her poppet on the floor in favor of lifting her arms toward him so he could pick her up. Logan was sitting happily in the mess he’d created as he gnawed the bottom of his bowl intently.
Jake picked up Theia and blew a loud raspberry on her neck making her erupt in giggles. Roni smiled at the pair of them as she headed over to the coffee machine and poured coffees for herself, Jake and Mac.
‘Hey,’ Mac greeted as he slid into a chair and helped himself to a slice of toast.
‘Hey,’ Theo replied.
‘Theo,’ Jake called out as he bounced Theia on his hip, ‘are you okay? You look like crap.’
‘Crap crap crap,’ Logan began to bang his bowl against the table.
‘Thanks Jake,’ Olivia replied dryly as she took the bowl from Logan and handed him a sippy cup.
‘Oops,’ Jake grimaced sheepishly.
‘I’m fine,’ Theo answered his earlier question, ‘just a bit of a headache.’
‘So, what’s with the breakfast meeting?’ Roni brought the mugs to the table, retrieving the coffee jug and topping up Theo’s empty mug. ‘You want another tea Olivia?’
‘I’m good thanks Roni,’ she smiled, ‘sit down.’
They all settled around the table and turned to look at Olivia.
‘Hades came by to see me last night,’ she told them. ‘They’ve managed to round up most of Nathaniel’s followers and they’ve been dealt with severely.’
‘And permanently,’ Jake mumbled, ‘if what I hear about Hades is true.’
‘That’s beside the point,’ Olivia smiled in amusement. ‘The fact is, Sabine and Saffire are on the loose and they’ve teamed up with the Veritas. They’re going after the Book of the Heavens and we need to stop them.’
‘It never ends, does it?’ Jake replied sourly as he rocked Theia who’d snuggled into his lap and was sucking her thumb, as she sweetly stroked his cheek absently with her other hand.
‘No,’ Olivia sighed, ‘apparently not. The reason I’ve dragged you all out here is because Jake and Roni, you’re already involved because of Roni’s Aunt Della and the F
ranke papers, and Mac you’re here because…’
‘I used to be a member of the Veritas,’ he added quietly.
‘I’m sorry to drag you into this,’ Olivia apologized, ‘but of all of us, you’re the one who knows the most about them. I know you were trying your hardest to separate yourself from them.’
‘It’s true,’ Mac took a long deep swallow of his coffee before staring thoughtfully into the cup. ‘I foolishly thought I could walk away from them, but they weren’t so willing to let me go. We already know they’ve bugged the station, the museum and Roni and Jake’s old apartment. We would be stupid not to take this seriously; the Veritas are slowly creeping into Mercy. They’re planning something and we need to be ready. We know they’re after the Nazi files, but you can bet your bottom dollar that that’s not the only iron they’ve got in the fire.’
‘Can you tell us everything you know about them?’ Olivia asked, ‘then we can take it from there.’
‘I’ll try,’ Mac scratched his two-day old stubble as he leaned back in his chair. ‘Let’s see, I guess I should start at the beginning. It was just after I met you Olivia.’
‘Me?’ she blinked in surprise.
He nodded, a small smile on his lips, his cheeks creasing with what were once dimples.
‘Philadelphia,’ he nodded, ‘1994, a few days after your mom’s supposed death. I was a rookie, as green as they come. They’d arrested your dad, he was down on the ground and I plucked you from the back seat, holding onto your dog Truman for dear life. Big wide eyes; you looked up at me with so much trust. I held you in my arms and you wouldn’t let go. Hung onto you right until child services showed up. Checked on you every day.’
‘I remember now,’ Olivia murmured quietly as she watched him. ‘They took Truman away from me, so you bought me a little stuffed dog just like him. He even had a red collar.’
‘Traipsed all over the city looking for that dog for you,’ Mac smiled. ‘Anyway, it was about a week after the arrest when they first came to me; Simon Flores.’
The Veritas Page 7