At a dark-shingled Victorian with dark green trim, Jonas slowed down, then turned up the driveway to a locked gate. He kissed Audray, and was about to get out and run to the front door when the massive iron gates began to open. Jonas started up the Hummer and parked in back of the house as the gates closed behind him.
Jonas went around to Audray’s side and helped her step out of the vehicle. She stumbled, so he picked her up, quickly traversing the yard to the back porch. Joshua Brandon stood just inside the screened in porch, and he wasn’t smiling.
“I had nowhere else to go, sir. I need to ask a favor of you, if you don’t mind.” Jonas deferred to his days when he did Joshua’s bidding.
“Of course not. Why else would you come here and put me in jeopardy?” Josh’s smile was curt. “And thanks for the little waif. Because of you, I’ve had to sleep in the spare bedroom ever since.” He opened the screen door. “Perhaps you could explain it to Melanie, for my sake?”
“No problem.” Jonas brought the near-unconscious Audray through the kitchen area into the living room, depositing her in one of Josh’s red leather chairs by the unlit fireplace.
Audray tried to right herself and took a swing at Josh, missing him completely.
“Whoa. Wait a minute. What the heck are you all uptight about?” Josh returned.
“My sister,” Audray hissed. “Claire is my sister!” She was standing, but Jonas was making it possible.
Josh stepped back like he’d been struck. “What the fuck are you talking about, Audray? How could that be?”
“She became Guardian because she saved my life, you asshole.” Jonas continued holding her by the waist, and tried to calm her with soothing mental suggestions. She turned on him and spewed out, “Shut up!”
“What’s this?” Melanie was running down the stairs barefoot. Josh rolled his eyes and looked at Jonas, who deposited Audray this time on the couch and elevated her feet.
“Help.” Josh whispered.
“Another surprise I see. Seems like all your old buddies from the Underworld are coming back to become part of our lives.” Jonas could see Melanie wasn’t happy with this new event.
“Ma’am. I am Jonas Starling. I worked for your…your…”
“Boyfriend.” Josh winced at the sound of his description.
“You have to understand about the girl.” Jonas began.
“Oh, I understand about the girl quite well and I wish you’d never sent her, to be honest.” Melanie had her arms wrapped around her upper torso and was tapping her left foot.
“What girl?” Audray’s anger flared again, as if now she was distrusting Jonas.
Jonas and Josh exchanged a look between them. Jonas went over to her reclining form, knelt down and brushed the hair back from her face. “I used a walker as a distraction to get up through the transport station. I needed to get to you without them knowing where you were. When I got up top, I released her, and suggested she contact Joshua, here.”
“Yes, and she dutifully came right over,” Josh said rocking on the backs of his heels, his tongue poking out the side of his cheek.
“I saw in her the possibility she wanted to reform herself. I thought Josh could help,” Jonas tried again.
Audray shook her head. “I don’t know who to believe anymore. You take a walker up top and want me to believe it was to distract—who? Who were you trying to distract?”
“The guys following me.”
“All this is too much for me to take.” She leaned back into the couch and sighed. Jonas’ heart ached to be alone with Audray, to explain everything further, answer all her questions.
Josh smiled, but then looked with concern at his former favorite trainee. “You are ill, Audray?”
“Yes and no. You’re going to love this,” she said as she tried to flash him one of her legendary smiles. She attempted to stand again. Jonas once again stopped her.
“No. I’m going to do this standing, thank you.” Audray held onto Jonas’ thick forearm for support, pushed the hair from her face, wiped her forehead with her other sleeve and stood erect. She inhaled and then blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”
Josh looked stunned and uncharacteristically at a loss for words. He backed up two quick steps to keep from falling over. Melanie looked from Jonas to Audray, back to Josh and then Jonas. Jonas could see she was thoroughly confused.
Audray relayed all the events of the past couple of days, her quest to find her mother, the fires.
“Josh,” Jonas began, “she isn’t well. The pregnancy isn’t agreeing with her. I’ve never heard of this. Perhaps you know something that would help us? This is why we came here. What do we do?” he unloaded.
“I’ve never seen it before, but I’ve heard of it. A long time ago something like this happened.”
“How did it end?” Melanie asked the question no one wanted to ask.
Josh pensively crossed the room, slowly placing both his hands on his friend’s shoulders. “The child lived, but the mother did not.” The two men stared at each other a few seconds, and then Josh dropped his hands. Jonas felt like he wanted to hit something. His whole world was crushed. He couldn’t bear losing Audray.
“Okay,” Audray began. “Now that we’ve established what’s so. Figures, just when I thought I had everything I’d always wanted, turns out I won’t be there to enjoy it. My own mother would have thought this only fair. Maybe it is what I deserve after all.” Audray sat herself down and put her face in one hand. She began to cry softly.
Jonas’ heart was melting. “There has to be someone who can help us, Josh. Is there anything in any of the manuals at the Directorship? Anything there that would give us a clue?”
“Possibly, but there isn’t any way I’m going back down there, not even for you or Audray. Father gave me a reprieve. I’ll not get a second chance.”
“Well, while you guys get all mushy, why don’t I get this woman upstairs to a bed so she can rest. She looks like she needs some quiet time alone,” Melanie said as she helped Audray up. Jonas took the other side, and the three of them ascended the staircase to a guest room. There Audray lay down on a big bed with a dark blue coverlet. Jonas positioned pillows around her and lay next to her for a bit, holding her hand, kissing her fingers. Melanie closed the door and went downstairs.
Carl was disturbed Jonas and Audray had not returned to Molly’s apartment. The longer the minutes dragged on, the more concerned he got about his situation and the fact that he would have to make that call to Glenda.
“You should call her,” Molly said. She read his reluctance. “No other way around it now. I don’t think they are coming.”
Carl agreed and punched in the phone number. Glenda picked up before the ring had finished.
“I want good news. But I’ll take what you’ve got,” she said.
“Did you…did you set fire to their house? What have you gotten me involved in?”
“Shut up. Did or did they not survive the fire?”
“They did. But you probably know that already. Was it your man who did this horrible thing?”
“Yes. He wasn’t supposed to destroy it, but seems he doesn’t know how to do anything half way.” She sighed. “So?”
“So what?” Carl answered.
“So where did they go if you didn’t help them?”
“We gave them a ride to a rental car agency. They agreed to meet up with us later, but apparently that was a lie.”
“Yes, well, I can tell you stories about Jonas Starling. He’ll lie if the stakes are high enough. And I think he’s just begun to realize that. So, where do you think they’ve gone?”
“I have no idea. They didn’t say. I think he purposely didn’t tell me so I could tell you the truth.”
“How sweet of him.”
“Well, I think that ends my obligation. I’ve confirmed it is Starling. You have my research. You know they are here somewhere. I’m sure with the minions you have at your disposal, you can find him. I doubt he’ll want anyth
ing to do with me from now on. And that is just fine with me too.”
“Carl, just where did you get the idea I have “minions”? I have resources, but honestly, you give me too much credit. Who do you take me for?”
Carl knew it would be a mistake to let her know about Molly’s suspicions. “You seem to be everywhere at once. You have me doing your bidding while you have someone else do something else. Kind of diabolical, don’t you think?”
“Funny you should say that. Has your little redheaded friend been filling your head with strange ideas? Perhaps I misjudged her.”
Carl was tense. “I’m of no use to you. Please leave us alone.”
“On the contrary, Carl. You’ve proven your usefulness to me in greater ways than you imagine. Stay tuned. But don’t try to run away, dear. It won’t go well for you or for her.”
Carl paused, wanting to be angry but afraid to incur her further ire.
“Your house is safe, by the way. We know where you are, but no one will bother you there or at hers. Feel free to roam, as they say. Goodbye.”
Glenda hung up.
Chapter 22
The gardens in Josh’s yard hissed with late night watering. Jonas left Audray to sleep and went downstairs, making himself an ice water. He wanted something stronger but didn’t want to indulge his desires without permission.
Never in his three hundred years had he felt so uneasy and conflicted. At a time when he should be the happiest, he was filled with regret. He didn’t want Audray or his unborn child to pay for the mistakes he had made with his human life. The familiar feelings he had when he caused the deaths of his father and brothers, as well as Anne and her family, surfaced. They weren’t any easier to deal with this time around. And, as he had told Audray the afternoon before, there wasn’t anywhere else they could go. They would have to make some sort of a stand. But where? The Underworld? The human world?
He sat in Josh’s opulent living room, staring at the large splashy oil paintings. Audray and Jonas had played important parts in the showdown with Peter, and they were still part of Josh’s support network. Now they would need Josh’s help, and perhaps Audray’s sister, as well, who was now human, an ex-Guardian. He was hoping Josh would be up to the task at hand, even after he learned of the stakes.
Josh made his way from the back of a downstairs bedroom, dressed in a tee shirt and a pair of red silk boxers. His hair was mussed in all angles, indicating he just woke up.
“You want something to drink?” Josh asked his former helper.
“Thought you’d never ask.” Jonas’ temptation to drown himself in liquor was a shadow of its former hold on him.
“You like it neat?”
“Ice, please. I’m grinding my teeth tonight. Maybe it will help me with it.”
“Think I’ll join you.” He walked into the dining area and poured plenty of the amber liquid into thick crystal tumblers over two big chunks of ice. He downed his first, then poured another, adding one more cube of ice and a little more Scotch to Jonas’ glass. The tinkle of the ice in the clear liquid was a welcome sound to Jonas. He took the glass and watched Josh deposit himself in a heap on the other red chair with a sigh. He noted how Josh’s obvious lack of sleep and worry was taking its toll on his human body.
“You still sleeping downstairs?” Jonas looked at his former boss with a smirk. “Never knew a woman to be able to resist your seductive powers.”
“Ah, my friend,” Josh said as he held the cool glass up to his forehead. “Be very careful when someone offers you everything you’ve ever wanted.” He smiled at Jonas. “Life is good, but I find myself getting impatient. Sometimes I want to take shortcuts, and then I remember, oh yes, I’m not a dark angel any longer. I’m only human.”
Both of them chuckled.
“But it is worth it?”
“An interesting question.”
“I thought you’d have a quick answer for me. You were rewarded for your service by the gift of being made human again, with all its limitations.” Jonas had missed his former boss. The relationship between them had always been more of friendship than loyalty. And now that Josh was human, and Jonas was a much more powerful dark angel, the friendship survived, blossoming into something deeper still.
Josh smiled and stared into the top of his tumbler. “If she leaves me, the answer to that will be a resounding no.” Josh swirled the mixture and then finished his glass off, depositing it on the table nearby. “So, are we going to have this man-talk now, or when the women are up, curious and freaked out?”
Jonas smirked again at Josh’s words. He was glad his former boss hadn’t lost some of his odd sense of humor. In a time where so much had changed, this, at least, had not.
“Jonas, I must say, you’ve really outdone yourself this time. From what I knew of your background, I’m thinking history really does repeat itself. One might even say it was divine intervention, making you go through all this stuff again until you get it right.”
“I never intended to involve you, but I honestly can’t just sit by and watch her be destroyed—either by this baby growing inside her or the forces around us.”
“Well, let’s just start at the beginning. I’ve heard from a couple of the old crowd that there’s unrest down below, and Audray is a bit of a no-show and some don’t like it.”
“I’m to blame for that too.”
“So, even if her pregnancy were normal, and, my friend, I am not at all sure this is good for either you or Audray, you have a problem. Though I know you would wish it otherwise, her infirm condition will not make them feel any more confident in her. She could loose the election.”
“Screw the election. At this point, I think she’d willingly vacate it. But it’s not that simple.”
“Tell me, then.”
“Turns out Peter has a very nasty older brother.”
Josh shrugged. “You’re a fairly nasty dark angel yourself. I don’t see the problem.”
“He introduced me to someone I thought I would never meet, his wife.” Jonas finished off his drink and set down his glass. “She is a direct descendent of my son, who lived and became quite a wealthy man after I left for the Caribbean.”
“Forgive me, Jonas,” Josh said as he reached for his glass and picked up Jonas’. He walked to the bar and poured them each another. “I’m not feeling the problem. Back then, you and I, we probably fathered all sorts of children, right? As modern men, we wouldn’t do that now, but at the time, this wasn’t considered anything bad—Hell, the king had thirteen illegitimate offspring and, what, twenty mistresses? What would make any of these families come after us after three hundred years, or am I missing something?”
“They want the kingdom of the Underworld. For their own domain. They’ve turned hundreds of their kin into dark angels to grab it.”
“So, let them have it. They’ll muck it up. The place is a mess, has been for centuries. No one, and I don’t care how many they put on it, no one will ever straighten it out. It’s a bureaucracy that makes Washington, D.C. look like a high school picnic.”
“I don’t think they’ll just give us a pass if they take over. I think they have designs on the human world as well. I think they want it all. None of us are safe, now that they are dark angels and have their special powers of turning. For all I know, they even have the power to vaporize others.”
Josh frowned. “Not good. Not good at all.”
“We might feel safe today, but, truth is, they have a plan they’ve been forming, passing down from generation to generation, until they discovered how to enter the Underworld. Now that they are immortal, they will never stop until they conquer and payback everyone who ever stopped them before. Even if I help them now, which is what they are demanding, they won’t let us go. I just know it.”
“Sounds like some kind of religious zeal.”
“That’s a good way to put it. They intend to make lackeys of all of us. ALL of us, Josh.”
“And who is the head of this cadre of lost s
ouls?”
“My twenty times great granddaughter, Catarina.”
“Fucking women.”
Jonas gave Josh a glare.
“Well, it’s true. The power trip they go on these days. There were definite advantages to a male-dominated Underworld where women were needed for pleasure. Now they want to run things. What sick times we live in, my friend.”
“Face it, Josh. The Underworld mirrors the human world in many respects. I don’t think it is really about women running things. It’s about the treachery used in this war. I honestly haven’t seen this level of cunning for centuries. Hell, I even ran with women pirates who were born leaders, and their men loved serving under them. I fought with women warriors and heard stories of captured slaves where the women were the defenders of a whole race of people. No, Josh, it isn’t women, it’s pure evil, left festering for hundreds of years. My grandmother used to tell me stories about the Circle of Evil cults in her day. They believe in the restoration of their kingdom, and nothing less will do.”
“You say this woman, your distant granddaughter, is married to a brother of Peter’s?”
“Yes.”
“Now there’s a relationship I’d love to explore. That’s your weak link, Jonas. Can you imagine being immortally tied to that woman? And what do you suppose would happen if she tired of him?”
“He’d have an oily charred spot somewhere.”
“Exactly. Forget reasoning with the woman. Go for Peter’s brother. What’s his name?”
“Rupert Blade.”
“Now that’s a good name for a lap dog. You need to remind him of the possibility of his own true death. He’s immortal, but he can still be fried, just like his brother was.”
Jonas and Josh talked until dawn began to break. Josh agreed with Molly’s assessment of Glenda as a dark witch.
“I’ve known some of them, in a purely pleasurable sense. The light ones are exquisite with their red hair. Very satisfying partners in all respects. The dark ones I’ve stayed away from. Of course, they’re never redheads. Only the light ones are redheads, and you know my fondness for any woman with flaming hair.”
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