Aiden's Story (A Watcher Novel)

by S. J. West

  I should have known Malcolm would warn Brand about my intentions. In a way, it took some of the pressure off me.

  I sat down across from your father and said, “Then I suppose he told you Caylin asked me to be her escort to the Valentine’s Day dance her school is hosting.”

  Brand nodded but didn’t say anything, just waited for me to continue.

  “I thought it was only right to ask you for your permission to start dating Caylin. I’m thankful that you have kept an open mind about letting us see one another before she turns eighteen. I know it’s not something either you or Lilly wanted, but maybe our father let it happen this way because He feels we’re ready to finally be together.”

  “The thought did cross my mind,” Brand said, but he refrained from saying anything else.

  “I have always understood your misgivings about me,” I told him. “If I were in your shoes, I would be hesitant to let my daughter date someone with a past such as mine too. But I need you to understand, that Caylin has been the center of my world these past few years. Since the moment I saw her, she’s acted like a guiding light to a future I want more than anything else in this world.”

  “Is she the only reason you’ve tried to change your life?”

  “No,” I said with a small shake of my head, “I’ve slowly been working towards becoming the person I am now for quite some time. But knowing that she existed and knowing that we were meant for one another has given me added strength these last few years to become someone who is good enough for her. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I am good enough for Caylin. However, I can tell you that I will always love her for who she is and respect her thoughts and concerns. I promise to always listen to Caylin and do whatever it takes to provide her with whatever she needs in the future.”

  “Lilly and I have raised Caylin to always speak her mind, even if what she thinks goes against what others believe,” Brand told me. “She is strong willed and isn’t shy when it comes to letting people know what she wants. It’s one of the qualities I love most about my daughter. If you were to do anything to diminish that light inside her, Lilly and I won’t just stand back and allow it to happen. Do you understand me?”

  “I would never do that. You have my promise.”

  Brand’s brow furrowed, and I knew there was something else that laid heavily on his mind.

  “There’s another point to this relationship that hasn’t been brought up yet,” he said to me. “If the two of you decided to get married, and odds are you will, how do you intend to handle the immortality issue?”

  “I’ve already planned to become human so we can grow old with one another,” I told him. “Just like you did for Lilly.”

  “And have you really thought through all that entails?” Your father asked, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the top of his desk as he continued. “You will lose all of your angelic powers. You’ll no longer be as strong or as quick. You’ll lose the ability to phase and go wherever you want to on a whim. You’ll have to live as a human for the rest of your life. You’re a War Angel, Aiden. You were built to fight, but once you become human you’ll lose all of the characteristics of your class. Are you sure you’re willing to make that kind of sacrifice?”

  “I am,” I said without hesitation.

  “And you’re sure you won’t regret giving all of that up, or make Caylin feel guilty for being the reason you make such a decision?”

  “I wouldn’t just be doing it for her,” I said. “I would be doing it for us and our children. Have you ever regretted sacrificing all your powers for your family?”

  “Never.”

  “Then I won’t either.” I reassured him. “I know the only memories you have of me are bad ones, Brand. But I’m not that person, that angel anymore. I’ve learned that there are more important things in life than just fighting and satisfying my baser needs. I plan to support your daughter in whatever she wants out of life. She is my only concern. Providing Caylin and our children with a happy and safe future will be my only goal for the rest of my life.”

  Brand sat back in his chair and studied me for a moment.

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear,” he said before standing up and stretching his hand out for me to shake.

  I stood and shook his hand.

  “You have my permission to date Caylin. But, I will always keep an eye on her happiness. It’s not something I can stop doing. It’s just who I am. If what you just said is true, I think you understand why.”

  I nodded. “Yes. I understand and would expect nothing less from you.”

  I was happy to be able to accept your invitation to the dance later that night at Jess’ house. Although, I was disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to go inside the inner realm with you to see our future. However, I understood why my father didn’t want me to see you in your wedding dress. I look forward to seeing you walk down the aisle to me on our wedding day. It’s an image I’ve tried to envision, but I know the reality will be beyond anything I could imagine.

  I could have killed Mason the next day when he asked me to go with him to hunt down a changeling in Brazil. That was the day we were supposed to spend with one another at Jess and Mason’s beach house. I promise you I tried to get out of it, but everyone else was busy. I was the only other Watcher available. When we finally did finish our mission, I raced home and changed so you didn’t have to see me in bloody clothing.

  When you told me that you would be using all of your strength to win our swimming contest that day, I knew exactly what you would ask for as a prize, a kiss. It was then that I knew I couldn’t let you win, even if I wanted to. Though, you almost won because you started the game off with an unfair advantage. The tiny yellow bikini you wore was a total distraction. I was grateful the ocean water was so cold that day. As we swam towards the island my house was built on, I knew you were using all of your strength to win the race and receive a kiss as your prize.

  I’m going to confess something to you that I haven’t told you about until now.

  I cheated in that race.

  I phased ahead just enough to ensure my victory.

  When I saw you walk out of the ocean on the verge of tears, I considered myself the worse kind of cad. I felt as though I wasn’t keeping my promise to your father very well, but I also knew I wouldn’t have felt right about kissing you without you knowing the other secret I was hiding.

  Admitting my weakness for sex to you is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, Caylin. I’m strong in many ways, but that particular addiction is one that has always haunted me. Telling you that I had been with other women, even after seeing you the first time, was like having someone stick a knife in my chest. I would have preferred that actually.

  I desperately needed you to understand why I was afraid to kiss you. I was scared of myself. I was scared of what I might ask you to do in the heat of the moment, and I feared you might give into what I wanted just to please me.

  Thank God Jess gave you her bracelet before that day. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been able to feel and understand exactly what I felt. You were so determined to leave, but I knew I couldn’t let you or I might lose you forever. And that would have killed me.

  Later when we both fell asleep in each other’s arms and you entered my dream world, I was tempted to kiss you. You were right. It was a safe environment, but I knew the kiss wouldn’t feel like a real kiss. I refused to sully that moment for you out of a moment of selfishness. After we woke up and you laid on top of me, I was actually relieved when Malcolm showed up unexpectedly and stopped you from doing whatever it was you had planned.

  After the two of you left, I sat back down on the sofa with my head leaned back and eyes closed to calm my nerves.

  A little while later Malcolm phased back to my house.

  “What is wrong with you?” He demanded, sounding bewildered. “Why haven’t you kissed her yet, Aiden?”

  I lifted my head and looked at Malcolm.<
br />
  “I’m scared I might hurt her,” I confessed

  Malcolm tossed the doll you gave him onto a nearby chair. He shook his head and began to rub his temples with the thumb and middle finger of his left hand as if my answer had just given him a headache.

  “I can’t believe I’m about to say this,” he said before dropping his hand back to his side and looking at me. “But you need to man up and kiss her already. You’re making her doubt herself, and I don’t like seeing her doing that.”

  “I don’t mean to hurt her,” I said, almost begging for his empathy. “You know what I’ve done in the past. You know what I’m capable of.”

  “And I know you love her more than you have anyone else in your life,” Malcolm declared. “You won’t take things too far, Aiden. Your love for Caylin will prevent you from doing that. It’s time you let go of who you used to be and start realizing who you are now. Do you think I would waste my time on a loser? I can assure you that I haven’t. You’re ready. Trust yourself.”

  If anyone loves you just as much as your parents do, it’s Malcolm. I knew if he was telling me I was ready to take our relationship to the next level that I had to be. It was then that I knew where I wanted our first kiss to take place and when.

  When you pulled the key I gave you on your last birthday out of your coat pocket the evening of the dance, I couldn’t believe we had unknowingly been planning to go to the same place that night.

  I designed the studio in our home to be your own personal sanctuary. When I did, I had no idea we would share our first kiss within the confines of its walls. When you told me how much you trusted me not to take things too far, I knew then that I wouldn’t. There was nothing but love and understanding between us, and the moment was a perfect one for me.

  I kissed you lightly at first because I wanted to make sure I truly could trust myself with you. As I deepened the kiss and felt you begin to respond to me, my whole body felt electrified not just from want of more physical contact with you, but also from the knowledge that I could pull back at any moment if I needed to. I wanted you, but I was in full control of my own mind and body. It was a liberating sensation to know I wasn’t a slave to my addictions anymore. I was free and you had helped me find the will power to be the man I always wanted to be.

  I wish I hadn’t left you to dance with Hunter at the end of the evening. I didn’t even know him, but I did know I didn’t like him. Not because he turned out to be a changeling but because I knew he wanted you.

  My thoughts were so preoccupied with visions of you dancing with him that my senses were dulled when I phased back to our Denver home to retrieve your coat from the studio. Levi and the Watchers he brought with him jumped me quickly. I don’t have many memories of the fight because they took me down too fast. I was simply meant to be the bait in their trap to catch you.

  The next thing I remembered was waking up in your parents’ home and seeing your tear streaked face hovering over me. I was terrified they had hurt you and relieved when you told me otherwise. I was also surprised when you told me you killed the body Levi had inhabited. I knew you were strong but didn’t realize until that moment just how strong.

  What I said to you that night is as true now as it was back then, Caylin. Every time I look at you, I feel like my heart breaks into a million pieces because of the joy you bring into my life.

  I was relieved when your parents allowed me stay close to you that evening. And even more grateful when you and your mother came back from Heaven with a way to stop the princes.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Have I ever told you how much I’ve enjoyed your forwardness in our physical relationship? Sometimes I feel as though I’m the one who is being a prude about taking things slow. The time I took you to my bedroom in my Memphis home to give you the other half of the necklace is one moment I’ll never forget. If I didn’t know any better, I think you would have tried to have your way with me on that bed if I hadn’t phased us back to your studio in the boathouse. And that time I caught you looking at my butt when we were in line to get food at Faison and Zack’s wedding reception. That surprised me greatly, considering your whole family was only a few feet away. In fact, I don’t think I ever blushed before I met you.

  During the years I was waiting for you to get older, I suppose I had an idealized concept of how you would act in person. To me, you represented everything that was innocent and pure in the world. You are those things, but you’re also sassy, flirtatious, and strong. You don’t back down from anything, and you face problems head on. I love your honesty and straightforwardness. I treasure those traits, and now I can’t imagine you being any other way.

  I have to admit that I had mixed feelings about you choosing Desmond to be one of your chosen. As you know by now, he and I have been friends for a very long time. To think that he will have to stay here on Earth until the right descendant is born makes me sad. Since I found my soulmate, I had hoped that maybe he would find his too, and we could all raise our children and grow old together. I don’t envy his mission because I know it will be a long one. Yet, other than Malcolm, there’s no one else I trust more to help our descendent when she’s born.

  When Mason, Jess, and I tracked the Hunter changeling down right before we went to make the daggers, I have to say I was a little disappointed he didn’t prove to be more of a challenge.

  We found him sitting in your spot at school where Baal attacked you. Luckily, it wasn’t a school day.

  “I figured you would come looking for me,” Hunter said, watching us closely as we approached. “I was told to tell you that Caylin marked herself for death when she pulled Levi’s heart out of his chest.”

  “And does this threat come from Levi?” Jess asked him.

  “No,” Hunter said with a smile. “It comes straight from Lucifer himself. I never thought I would actually meet him in person, but he asked me to deliver that little message directly to you.”

  “And what do you get for being his messenger?” Mason asked. “You know we won’t let you leave here alive.”

  “I get a special place in Hell,” Hunter said proudly. “I’ll be like a king down there.”

  “And I’m the Queen of Sheba,” Jess mocked. “If you actually believe that, you’re an imbecile.”

  Hunter shrugged. “Either way, at least I’ll be going home. I can’t stand being up here on Earth. All these humans running around trying to pretend they’re good. They’re just as sinful as the rest of us. Take, for example, this Hunter Manning.” The changeling looked me dead in the eyes. “You wouldn’t believe the things he wanted to do to your sweet little Caylin. They make even me blush just thinking about them.”

  “Shut your mouth,” I told him, feeling my anger get the best of me. “You’re not good enough to even speak her name.”

  “Too bad the boy didn’t get to act on his repressed yearnings,” Hunter continued. “I’m sure your little girlfriend would have enjoyed all the dirty little things he fantasized doing to her. I have to say, these humans are rather creative. Can you believe he wanted to bend her over the hood of his car and…”

  I didn’t get to hear the rest of the changeling’s sentence because the air around me was filled with the whistle of Jess’ sword just before it sliced through the changeling’s neck.

  I looked over at Jess. She just shrugged and wiped the blood from her blade off on the fallen corpse’s clothes.

  “I was tired of hearing him talk,” she said unapologetically. “And I definitely wasn’t going to just stand here and let him say those things about Caylin.”

  Mason quickly disposed of the body so I didn’t have to look at it any longer than I had to.

  After we made the daggers, I took you out to eat at El Celler de Can Roca. I knew you would appreciate the small touches the restaurant used to prepare their delicate dishes. When I took you to my place in the Bahamas for dessert, we had to make a run to the grocery store for your toasted pecans.

  I asked one of the stoc
k girls to see if they had a can of your favorite pecans in storage since there weren’t any on the shelves. It became obvious that you noticed her interest in me because you said, “I take it you never had any trouble getting a date.”

  “No, not really,” I replied because it was just a matter of fact.

  “And I suppose women rarely said no to you when you…wanted more than just a kiss from them?”

  I knew then something was wrong. I just didn’t know exactly what you were trying to get at.

  “I never heard no,” I said.

  “And your last time being with a woman was the day I first called you, right?”

  “Yes. Why are you asking me these questions, Caylin?”

  The returning store employee saved you from answering my question, but I knew I needed to find the underlying cause of all your inquiries.

  I got us out of the store as quickly as possible. Once I had you back at my house, I set the can of chopped pecans on the kitchen island beside the other ingredients for our ice cream sundaes. However, eating ice cream was the furthest thing from my mind by that point.

  I let go of your hand and took my jacket and tie off to give me a minute to think. After I draped them over one of the dining table chairs, I turned back to face you.

  “Now,” I said, resting my hands on my hips, “why the questions back there? What is it that you really want to know, Caylin?”

  You looked uncertain about answering my questions, but you had to know I wouldn’t just let things slide. I needed to find out what you were thinking.

  “I’ve been wondering if we should just go ahead and make love sooner rather than later,” you told me.

  I didn’t know what to say to that. All I could do was stare at you while I tried to collect my thoughts.

  Finally, I had to ask, “Have I done something that would make you wonder such a thing? Have you felt any pressure from me at all that would make you think I expect that from you?”