Bound by Time: A Bound Novel

by A. D. Trosper

  The kitchen was open to the dining area with only a bar separating the rooms so Isobel stood close to him while he rinsed the plate and asked quietly, “What’s going on?”

  Lucian bent toward her and whispered, “Amelia has become Elijah’s channel.”

  “Is that all?” Isobel raised her eyebrows, surprised. She thought it must be something more.

  “No, that isn’t all.” Lucian chuckled under his breath. “They are also sodales in aeternum.”

  Isobel stared at him for a long moment. “Amelia is a new soul.”

  He smiled. “It has to start somewhere. And when it does, we know.” Lucian glanced over her head toward the dining room then returned his gaze to her. “For her, it’s falling in love this time around. For him, there are a lot of emotions he has to suddenly learn that he hasn’t ever had to deal with before.” He chuckled again. “It’s been quite amusing to watch..”

  Isobel leveled a stern look at him. “You shouldn’t find so much amusement in Elijah’s situation. One of these days it will be you.”

  Lucian shook his head and laughed. “I’m known as a free spirit for a reason. I can get enough pleasant company when I feel the need for it.”

  “You’re a mess, and I hope I’m around to see it happen to you.” She smiled as they finished up the few plates in the sink.

  Isobel glanced toward the people gathered at the dining room table and asked quietly, “How old are Isaac and Rose?”

  Lucian dried the last plate and set it in the cabinet. “Isaac is ninety-eight and Rose is ninety-four.”

  She stared at him for a moment then looked back at the older couple. Neither one of them seemed like they could possibly be that old.

  Isobel took a quick shower in the bathroom off the foyer to wash away the channel water then settled in the family room with everyone to watch a movie. They chose a vampire flick. The angels and Rose spent most of it pointing out where the makers of the movie had gotten it all wrong.

  After it was over, they decided another would be fun. This time the angels cooked up a mountain of popcorn. Isobel couldn’t help laughing when they covered the top of the coffee table with several large bowls of the fluffy, white kernels.

  Her eyes swept across the people in the room. They had become like family. Her parents’ would be shocked at how much company was here. Especially young men. An ache settled in her heart as her mind wandered to the one man that wasn’t there. The one she wouldn’t see again until her next life.

  The words from her dream floated through her mind, dragging the dim memory of their meaning from many lifetimes ago. Vis vivendi, virtus moriendi. Strength to live, courage to sacrifice. Now she knew why Januarius had said them to her. Isobel pushed away the grief and concentrated on basking in the glow of friendship. There was precious little time to enjoy it.

  Isobel spent the next few days relaxing and regaining her full strength after almost drowning. Three days after the demon had tried to kill her there was a spirited debate over who was going to the store. Isobel insisted she should go since it was her house. The other’s shot that down because she was their best bet if an upper level demon decided to visit. Finally, after a lot of discussion, they all agreed Amelia and Elijah would go.

  After they left, Lucian went to start up her dad’s grill on the deck, while Rose and Isaac made hamburger patties.

  Isobel watched them for a moment realizing this might be the only chance she got. She sent a silent prayer of thanks that Amelia wasn’t in the house in case Isobel did something wrong or it didn’t work right. She cast one last fond look at everyone then slipped up the stairs.

  She thought of her parents. Her dad who loved her despite trying to deny what she was and sweet Elizabeth who had always loved and accepted her. Isobel thought back to the day at the airport when she had clung to Elizabeth. Somehow she had known she might never see them again. Now it was assured. Without the vial, if she didn’t do this, her parents’ lives would be in danger. Well, her father’s anyway. Elizabeth was a blessed one and while safe from demonic harm, it didn’t mean the ones she loved were safe. Everyone in the house would also be in danger. Amelia was just finding her forever soul mate. She deserved the chance to explore that.

  Complete peace and acceptance filled Isobel as she stood in the middle of the landing. Isobel stared at the window and embraced her powers until fire raced through her veins. The dark energy on the landing shrank away. Oh yes, Xapar knew exactly what she was going to do, and he was afraid of it. Isobel allowed the sense of tranquility to settle over her. She felt no fear, no pride, no anger. She carried only love for those she wished to protect and a desire to see them safe in her heart.

  Isobel walked forward until the window filled her vision. She closed her eyes and pulled more of the pure, sweet power into her until she was shining as bright as the sun. She raised her hand, prepared for the pain that was coming. Without the blood there was only one way to kill Xapar. When she touched the window, instead of him invading her mind, she would pull him into her body.

  The action would kill her, but her power would concentrate and amplify the moment before her death. She had every intention of taking Xapar with her. Not just banishing him—killing him forever.

  Isobel reached purposely for the window and placed her fingertips against the colored glass. Her fingers burned as she reached through the tattered remnants of the seal, sensing Xapar retreat from her power. There was nowhere for him to go. She would finally end him.

  An arm suddenly wrapped around her waist like an iron band, and she was flung across the landing. Isobel let out a sharp cry as the power snapped back into her hand and she prepared to hit hard. Except she didn’t. The strong arms around her acted as a buffer and in the end she only hit the wall with a soft thump.

  Startled, she looked up into a pair of blue eyes so intense and dark her heart melted. The emotions storming in his eyes told her he was beyond angry; he was livid. His hands were braced against the wall, strong arms creating a barrier on either side of her and his black wings spread wide. They filled the entire width of the landing and blocked out the view of the window. And then it hit her. Damien was there; he was back. She would get to see him again before she killed Xapar.

  His voice finally broke through her resolve, and she realized he was shouting. “…the hell were you doing?”

  Isobel didn’t care that he was angry in the last moments they had. She lovingly stroked her fingers over the rough shadow of growth on his jaw.

  “Isobel! Did you hear a word I just said?” Damien stared down at her with a mixture of fury and fear. “Do you have any idea what you almost did? What would have happened?”

  She still held her power at a dangerous level—there wasn’t much time. “I know. I will die and so will Xapar. I have felt the Higher Powers, Damien. I’m not afraid to die.”

  The resolve and perfect peace he saw within her terrified him. If she didn’t drop the energy level it was going to consume her. “I found the vial. But the priest will only release it to you. You don’t have to do it this way.” Damien locked his gaze on her, his eyes hard. “Back it down, Isobel.”

  “This will kill him for good not just banish him. The world will never have to worry about him again.” Isobel understood he didn’t want to lose her, but surely the greater good was more important than her life.

  Damien shook his head. “To what gain? Once Xapar is dead another will take his place. There is always another. Only you won’t be here to fight them.” Her skin radiated heat and white light shined around the edges of her green eyes.

  When she hesitated, Damien slammed his hand against the wall. “Damn it, Isobel!” He lowered his voice and spoke through gritted teeth. “Back. It. Down. Now.”

  Isobel searched his face. “You’re sure the vial is safe and we can retrieve it?”

  “Yes.” His voice softened. “Please, meae deliciae.”

  Isobel closed her eyes and reached inside herself to gain control of the white-hot powe
r raging through her system. If the blood failed, she still had this option. For now she would comply. She brought the power under control and pulled it down until she could release it.

  Damien leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. Residual heat still flushed her skin. He was going to kill Lucian. If he’d kept a close eye on her, she would never have had time to almost do what she almost did. He laughed to himself. He wasn’t even making sense he was so upset.

  He opened his eyes and gazed into her serene face. “How the hell did you even know how to do something like that? If Rose taught you, I swear I will…do something.”

  Isobel laughed. The sound sweet music in his ears. “You will, huh?”

  Damien gritted his teeth because he knew he’d never harm Rose. “Where?”

  Isobel’s face grew serious. “Januarius came to me in a dream right after I drowned and showed me what to do.”

  “Januarius?” He shook his head. “Wait. Drowned?”

  Isobel eyed him warily and nodded.

  Damien straightened in one swift movement. He clamped his hand over hers and stormed toward the stairs. He wasn’t about to leave her alone with the window just in case she suddenly decided again that it was best if Xapar died. “Lucian!” Damien bellowed as he pounded down to the first level.

  Isobel struggled to keep up with him. Damien entered the dining room like a thunderstorm. Isaac and Rose both stared at him in surprise. He didn’t look at them; his eyes were fixed on Lucian who walked in through the French doors.

  “You’re back,” Lucian said, raising his eyebrows. “It’s about damn time.”

  Damien shook with suppressed rage. “And it’s a good thing since Isobel was about to pull Xapar from the window and kill him by sacrificing herself.”

  Rose gasped and looked at Isobel with wide eyes. She looked quickly back at Damien. “I didn’t teach her that. Isobel, what were you thinking?”

  Isobel smiled serenely and answered, “Without the blood it was the only way. I thought Damien wasn’t coming back. We all thought something had happened to him. I was ready to do what needed to be done before anyone else got hurt.”

  Damien recognized the expression on Isobel’s face. The perfect acceptance of her own death. The minute she had come to her decision with a heart that thought nothing of glory, self, or gain, she’d felt the touch of the Higher Powers. The complete love from them. Damien recognized it because he had felt it many times over the centuries. The euphoria over their touch would fade, but she would never feel regret over her decision.

  His anger flowed away as he gazed at Isobel’s face. She had certainly come into her place in the world. It was almost hard for him to believe this was the same woman who had panicked when she thought there was a dead man in her kitchen.

  When he turned back to Lucian, his friend stood staring at Isobel with hard eyes. “Drowning wasn’t enough for you? Do you really have a death wish?”

  “She’s been touched by the Higher Powers, Lucian. She’s not going to feel shame or regret. The decision was made with a pure heart.”

  Lucian swore quietly and ran a hand through his hair. “Damien, I had no idea, I swear. If I had, pure heart or not, she would never have set foot on the stairs.”

  “What’s this about drowning?”

  Lucian groaned. “I knew if you came back you would chew my feathers over that.”

  “What do you mean if I came back?” Damien frowned.

  Isaac shook his head and slid an arm around Rose’s waist. “Damien, it’s been nearly a month since you left. You didn’t call, didn’t answer your phone, and didn’t return calls after you reached Denver. Isobel thought you were dead and the rest of us were starting to think she was right.”

  “You and Lucian know better than that. You would have felt me pass into waiting.

  “I know. Still, there was worry.” Lucian shrugged as if it made perfect sense. “So what happened?”

  Damien released Isobel’s hand and slid his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans. “Demons tracked me the whole way. I can’t tell you how many I banished. My phone broke in the first confrontation. I really didn’t have time to stop and get a new one.”

  “Did you find it?” Isaac asked.

  Damien couldn’t suppress his frustration. “I found Father Thomas,” he glanced at Isobel, “at a cathedral in Wichita. He has the vial, but he will only release it to her. Apparently, there have been many attempts by demons to retrieve it. Father Thomas hasn’t left hallowed ground in weeks.”

  “So I have to go to Wichita?” Isobel looked up at him with a slight furrow between her delicate eyebrows.

  “Yes. Not that I’m happy about it. The place is crawling with demons.” Damien rubbed the back of his neck more than uncomfortable with taking her there.

  “How…how are we going to get there?” Some of the euphoria from the “touch” was finally fading from her face and eyes bringing her back to reality.

  “By car. Planes are too much of a hassle these days. Why?”

  A look of intense relief washed over her face. “I thought maybe you intended us to fly, you know, the other way.”

  Damien stared at her for a moment then realized what she meant. He couldn’t help the chuckle her words brought. “Isobel, I’m not an airliner. I don’t fly at several hundred miles an hour. And a flight over that distance would be exceedingly uncomfortable for you. I think your car is probably our best bet.”

  Lucian snorted. “How about Elizabeth’s car? It’s bigger. No offense to your car, Isobel, but there isn’t a lot of leg room in it for us.”

  Damien raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Us?”

  “You don’t think I’m going to let you have all the demon fun without me do you?” Lucian laughed. “I’m going along.”

  “What about the house. We can’t just leave Xapar here to wreak havoc in our absence.”

  Isaac shrugged. “Elijah and I can handle it. Rose is here and Amelia grows stronger.” He glanced at Isobel. “Not like her but strong enough. We can handle Xapar.”

  Lucian chuckled. “Elijah is no longer a free agent by the way.”

  “Oh?” Damien frowned. “If he has a channel he won’t be able to stay.”

  “Amelia is his channel. And, they are sodales in aeternum.” Lucian’s smile told Damien his friend found this fact to be highly amusing. He shook his head.

  “So he has finally found the soul that meshes with his.” Damien smiled. “It’s about time.”

  Isobel smiled softly. “I told Lucian one day it would be him and then it wouldn’t seem so funny.”

  Lucian laughed and shook his head. “I’m one of the oldest dark angels, Isobel. If I was going to find a matching soul, I would have found her by now. After all, Damien has had you since the fourth century and Isaac’s had Rose since the time of Cleopatra.”

  “Elijah finally found his,” Isobel reminded him.

  “Elijah has only been a dark angel since the sixth century. It didn’t take him that long, in the great scheme of things, to find her.” Lucian smiled at her. “I’m fine with being alone in that aspect.”

  Damien leaned his fists on the table. “So what is this about Isobel drowning? She should have been safe with you.”

  Lucian sighed. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you? Come out onto the deck with me. I have to turn these hamburgers before they burn.”

  Damien straightened and narrowed his eyes. “You are going to tell me exactly what happened. She was supposed to be safe.”

  Lucian pointed at him and fixed him with a flat look. “Joan of Arc.”

  Damien groaned. “That was not my fault.”

  “She should have been safe. At least Isobel is still alive.”

  “If you hadn’t gotten yourself killed La Pucelle wouldn’t have died. There was a lot of turmoil and unrest. Neither Solomon nor I could get to her in time. Now, tell me what happened,” Damien said, following Lucian out the door wondering how many centuries he was going to k
eep bringing up La Pucelle.

  “Wait.” Isobel followed the two angels outside. “Joan of Arc was a channel?”

  “She was, and a strong one. She managed to take out the demon in Chauchon as she died. Stubborn too.” Lucian glanced at her. “A lot like you. Always ready to die for the greater good, unwilling to allow others to wade into danger she herself would not face. La Pucelle was touched by the Higher Powers numerous times.”

  Isobel stared at him, wondering why she was surprised. “How did you die?”

  Damien’s brows drew down. “He died defending her against capture at Compiegne when one of the soldiers managed to get close enough to take his head. Though you won’t find that in any history book. We aren’t here to become the praised and remembered heroes of humanity, and the Higher Powers ensure our acts are forgotten.”

  He turned back to Lucian. “Now tell me what happened that involved Isobel drowning.”

  Lucian opened the grill and cocked a grin at Damien as smoke billowed out. “Well, it wouldn’t have happened if you were here.” Damien glared at him and he held up his hands in surrender. Lucian grabbed the long spatula and began flipping the hamburgers as he relayed the story.

  Damien clenched his jaw as he listened. The stakes had just been raised even more if Xapar was willing to see her dead by any means. The demon was scared and he should be.

  Amelia and Elijah returned and the rest of the dinner preparations were in full swing while Damien filled them in on everything that had happened. Isobel stood with Amelia and the three younger dark angels in the kitchen while Rose and Isaac took over the grill.

  Amelia’s eyes were radiant when she looked at Elijah. The looks shared between the two warmed Isobel’s heart. Amelia turned to Isobel. “If there are going to be as many demons as Damien says, maybe Elijah and I should come with you.”

  “No.” Elijah’s voice was hard and he tightened his arm around Amelia’s waist. “It’s dangerous enough here and bad enough Isobel must go. There is no way I’m letting you get within a hundred miles of that city.”

  Amelia raised an eyebrow. “Letting me? I don’t recall asking your permission.”