Cassie remained still, her attention on the fox. “Your friend here. Or is he Jared’s? What’s his name?”
“Uh, he’s mine. My friend, that is. His name is Bhodan.” Cam watched the fox sniff her hand. “He usually doesn’t show himself to strangers.”
“Cassie is psychic,” Jared explained.
“Oh.” Cam’s tone changed as if Jared had said something extraordinary. “I see.”
Cassie looked from Cam to Jared, then returned her attention to Bhodan. She wasn’t going to get any explanation out of Jared now, but later…”You’re not from around here are you, boy?” she murmured to the fox. “Not with that beautiful red coat.” Foxes native to the desert southwest had ticked coats of muted gray and tan and rusty red. She reached to scratch behind his ears but the fox drew back, looking smug. “I guess you’re a shy one after all.”
“Did you find the info you needed on my computer?” Jared asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Cam sounded distracted. “You broke the encryption. The auction is the day after tomorrow, and thanks to you I can get in. We’ve got the mother fu—uh, the guy.”
“Good. I wish I could help you on this, but I have to get Cassie out of town. Aelziroth is after her.”
The fox looked sharply at Jared and Cam whistled. Obviously Cam was fully informed about whatever weirdness was going on. Cassie wished she was.
“That’s deep shit,” Cam said. “Sounds like you could use some help yourself.”
Jared shrugged. “I had some. Gideon almost didn’t make it.”
Cam’s brows shot up. “But he’s okay?”
Jared nodded. “We sang him home.”
“We, who?” Cam looked incredulously at Cassie. “Her?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ll bet.” Cam’s face twisted in regret. “Damn. I wish I could help you, but I can’t take my eyes off the ball on this one. I’m sorry.”
“We’ll be fine. I’m taking her up north, to Sedona. There’s Power up there I can use, and hopefully Aelziroth can’t.”
The fox yipped and shook his head from side to side.
Both men stared at the fox who yipped and barked.
“Okay, not Sedona. Pinetop,” Jared said.
The clock on the dashboard glowed 2:17 a.m. as Jared cruised north on Route 77 toward Florence. The two-lane road was empty at this hour. Cassie hadn’t said much since they’d left his house an hour and a half ago. He didn’t expect that to last much longer. She wanted answers, and he still wasn’t sure how much he should tell her.
Michael wouldn’t approve of telling her anything. Jared didn’t give a rat’s ass what Mikey wanted, but there were good reasons why Celestials had stopped walking openly among humankind and started limiting their interference in Terrestrial matters.
Jared glanced over at Cassie and his heart tightened. Her eyes were closed, but the fear she’d endured for the last forty-eight hours still showed in the tight muscles in her forehead and jaw. She can’t relax, even in sleep. Though exhausted and stressed, she was still beautiful, making him wish for other circumstances. If things were different he’d run his fingers over her porcelain skin and indulge the earthy sensuality of this form by filling his hands with her generous curves. He remembered how quickly her nipple had risen to his caress. They’d be a rich, rosy pink, like her lips after being thoroughly kissed.
His blood heated as his imagination drew a picture of her under him in front of a fireplace, firelight flickering over her, her golden curls spread across a sheepskin rug. Her skin would be soft and warm and responsive to his touch. Her legs would fall open, and he would feel her desire rising within her, fueling his own. She was so spirited, she’d be vocal as she came. He could almost hear her cry out as he brought her pleasure in a variety of ways.
But things weren’t different. Instead of Cassie’s generous curves, Jared clenched the leather wrapped steering wheel and urged his blood back where it belonged—into his brain. His cock had other ideas however, and he had to shift in his seat to get comfortable.
She’s Progeny, he reminded himself as his groin tightened. Psychic. He wouldn’t be able to hide what he was from her if they became intimate. Though after what she’d seen tonight, he doubted it would be that big a surprise.
He shook his head, disgusted with himself. She needs me to focus on keeping her alive, not on how much I’d like to bed her.
He noted the dark shadows under her eyes. He wished he could have spared her the last two days. And what was to come would likely be even worse. He couldn’t shield her from it. Now with Gideon gone, he’d need her help, just as he had earlier tonight.
He’d like to think it was his song that had convinced the other Celestials to bring Gideon home, but he knew it must have been Cassie’s pure-hearted appeal. That was the real reason the others joined in to sing his friend home. That and the fact that Gideon deserved it. Perhaps it even meant Michael didn’t blame him for drawing attention to his Celestial nature.
Regardless of whether Michael approved or not, he’d have to explain the situation to Cassie. She wouldn’t be satisfied with evasions, and more importantly, she needed to know what they were facing.
Jared glanced at her still face. He was glad she was getting some rest. At least he had a reprieve from her questions until she woke up.
“Time’s up,” Cassie said, straightening in the leather seat. “Time to tell me what’s going on.”
Damn. “I thought you were asleep.”
“Nope. I’ve been thinking. And waiting for you to fess up. I’m done waiting.”
Jared nodded. “It’s complicated.”
“No shit.” She shook her head. “I saw Gideon disappear, remember?”
She had, and she hadn’t freaked out. That was good. But where to start?
“Okay, let’s start slow,” Cassie said. “Did you actually take advice from a fox back there?”
Jared grimaced and tried to come up with a plausible explanation for what she’d seen, but nothing came to mind. Cassie wasn’t stupid. “Yeah.”
“And that’s because…?”
“He’s clever as a fox?”
Cassie huffed a laugh and rolled her eyes, which lifted Jared’s heart more than it should. “Go on,” she demanded.
“Because he’s not just a fox.” Jared paused, but he knew that wasn’t enough to satisfy her. “He’s a Gaian, an Elemental.”
“An Elemental? You mean, like a Native American spirit guide?”
“Yes.”
“Cam’s not Native American. How did he wind up with a spirit guide?”
Jared pursed his lips, thinking. “That’s really Cam’s story to tell, but under the circumstances I think he’ll forgive me for telling you. Cam is Fey—a descendant of a Gaian and a human.”
Cassie’s eyes widened. “A human and a fox…?”
Jared grimaced. “No. Gaians can take many forms. They just prefer the wilder nature of animals. You don’t think Leda did it with a swan, do you?”
“Zeus was a Gaian?”
Jared inclined his head, giving her time to process that tidbit.
After a pause Cassie shifted to face him as much as her seatbelt would allow. A small frown furrowed her brow. “Okay. Why Pinetop? Isn’t Sedona where all the vortexes are?”
Jared hesitated. The real reason would require a lot of explaining. How did he start? How much should he reveal? He didn’t want to shade the truth with her, but this wasn’t how he’d pictured telling her. He hadn’t pictured it at all, actually, but he’d rather be able to face her, to meet her eyes and judge her reaction.
Cassie humphed and shook her head. “That should have been an easy one. Would you rather tell me who the hell this Aelziroth character is? I know you recognized him in my vision. He looked just like Dave from the restaurant, but I don’t think he was the same guy.”
“Why not?”
Cassie shrugged. “He didn’t feel the same.”
“You touched him?” Jared cou
ldn’t quite keep the horror out of his voice. He didn’t want to think about what touching the mind of Aelziroth would do to someone as sensitive as Cassie. And touching would give Aelziroth an advantage in finding her again.
“No. Well, yes. I touched Dave at the restaurant.” Cassie said. “I’m talking about the visions. The one at the restaurant, and then at the house. He felt different. But when he looked at me tonight …” Cassie shuddered.
They rode in silence for a few minutes while Jared slowed down to weave through the flashing orange and white beacons of a construction zone. He tried to think of something to say to lighten her mood. “Going to Pinetop should buy us some time. He’ll find us, but by the time he does, I’ll be ready for him.” I hope.
He was on his own now, except for whatever limited help Cassie could offer, and he really didn’t want to expose her to Aelziroth anymore. Gideon wouldn’t be able to return in time to help, and he seriously doubted any other Celestial would show up to lend a hand. Cassie might have an important destiny to fulfill, but this was starting to smell like another setup, like the other impossible assignments he’d had. Still, he’d do whatever he could to keep her alive.
“And question number two?” Cassie asked.
Jared frowned, realizing he’d lost track of the conversation. “Which was?”
Cassie sighed. “Who. Is. Aelziroth?”
“Not a friend.” Not anymore.
“Duh. Could you be a little more cryptic?”
Jared laughed. “Certainly.”
Cassie whapped him lightly on the arm. “Why is he after me?”
He sobered. “I’d rather wait to discuss that when I can give you my full attention.”
“And I’d rather you told me now, not after you’ve had more time to come up with some sugar-coated fairy tale.”
It stung that she didn’t trust him, maybe even more because she was so close to the mark.
“Look,” she continued, “I trusted you enough to drive off with you, alone, into the night. You owe me some answers, Jared. Don’t get me wrong. You’ve saved my life twice now, and I’m grateful. I can’t begin to thank you. But it’s painfully obvious,” she rubbed her shoulder, “that something very weird and very dangerous is going on. It’s my life on the line. I deserve to know why this guy is after me.”
“Yes, you do. But I don’t know the answer.”
“Oh, please.”
“Really, I don’t. I can only guess. I don’t know why Aelziroth is after you, specifically.”
Cassie fell silent for a time, then asked, “What happened to Gideon?”
Jared slowed the Benz and glanced over at Cassie. Maybe it was better to tell her everything here in the car, so she couldn’t run away screaming. Not that she would. She’d handled everything so far with more composure than he had any right to expect.
Jared took a deep breath. In for a penny, in for a pound. “He went home.”
Cassie waited. That couldn’t be Jared’s answer. Is he serious?
“Gideon is a Celestial. He went back to that Realm.”
Cassie stared as Jared flexed his hands on the wheel then glanced over at her. What could she say to that? It sounded preposterous, but she’d seen Gideon disappear. “So he wasn’t human?”
“He was human enough, while he was here.”
“But not now?” This has to be the strangest conversation I’ve ever had.
Jared seemed almost apologetic. “No.”
She was almost afraid to ask. “What is he?”
Jared shrugged. “What he always was. A Celestial.”
Of course. She felt like they were playing some kind of verbal shell game. “And you know all this because…?”
“Because …” Jared winced. “I’m a Celestial, too.”
CHAPTER 9
JARED STOLE A look at Cassie.
She said nothing, sitting there half turned in her seat, staring, silent. She had half her lower lip sucked between her teeth, but at least she didn’t act like she was about to jump out of the moving car to get away from a madman.
I’m telling you the truth. Believe me.
The muscles in his hands twinged, and he loosened his death-grip on the steering wheel. She needed to accept what they were facing if he was going to save her. He thought of half a dozen things to say to convince her, but discarded them one by one. People didn’t trust just because you wanted them to.
He forced himself to flex his fingers. His hands were slick with sweat.
He needed her to believe him, but he wouldn’t tamper with her mind. Her trust had to be freely given.
But she remained silent.
“Damn it, say something!” He clamped his mouth shut. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
In response she merely held out her hand, palm up. He knew what she wanted. Access. She wanted to read him, shields down. Then she’d know he was telling the truth.
Could he do that? Should he do that? He could show her just enough to convince her. She’ll know if I hold back and suspect a lie. That wouldn’t earn her trust.
But if he showed her too much, Michael would not be happy.
As if I care about that.
But he did care. Michael controlled his future, and Jared had dared to hope. Gideon had him promised a ticket home—if he could keep Cassie alive long enough to fulfill her destiny.
Home. He seldom allowed himself to dwell on it. It had been so long. One hundred and fifty years, four months, three days. A blink of an eye in the Celestial Realm, but to one trapped on earth it seemed an eternity. Confined to this body, his memory had grown vague with time, but he hadn’t forgotten the feeling of belonging to something greater than himself, of being part of a greater whole. He longed to return to that. He needed it.
If he fulfilled Cassie’s very reasonable request for the whole truth he would piss off Michael, and that might crush any hope of going home, even if he did manage to keep her alive.
If she dies because she’s unprepared, because she doesn’t trust me, home is still lost to me. And Cassie would be dead. The thought sliced through him.
He couldn’t let that happen. She wasn’t just an assignment anymore. He liked her. She’d shown amazing courage and resilience. And he couldn’t help thinking: once she knew everything, there’d be no reason not to run his fingers through her hair and kiss her senseless. No reason not to finish what they’d started earlier. His blood stirred at the thought of drawing her close, skin-to-skin, feeling her heartbeat against his chest, her warmth surrounding him.
Cassie’s hand was still outstretched. She wiggled her fingers.
Jared brought his mind back to the immediate question and took his eyes off the road long enough to meet hers. “Not while I’m driving.”
Cassie withdrew her hand and crossed her arms, clearly not pleased.
“I’m not putting you off,” Jared said. “It would be like your visions are for you. Distracting.”
Cassie relaxed a little, her arms loosened. “Not something you want to do while operating heavy machinery.”
Jared smiled. “Exactly.”
“Okay, so tell me what’s going on in the usual way. You can confirm it all later when we make a pit stop.”
Jared hesitated. Where to start? He’d never revealed his true nature to a mortal before.
Cassie waved her hand impatiently. “Go on. Start talking.”
“I’m a Celestial. So is Gideon.”
“You said that. What about this Aelziroth guy? Is he a Celestial, too?”
“Yes. And no.”
Cassie huffed a breath. “Thanks for clearing that up.”
Jared sighed. “He is of like kind to us, but his nature is different.”
“And what is your kind?” She waved her hand. “I know, I know, you’re a Celestial. But what is that, exactly?” Her voice sounded tightly controlled.
“We are created beings. We aren’t born, as you are. We’re non-corporeal.”
Cassie stared him over from un
der raised brows. “You look pretty corporeal to me. So did Gideon.”
“I wasn’t always thus, and will not remain so.” I hope.
“But you are now. And so was Gideon. What happened to him? And please don’t just say, ‘he went home.’”
Jared stalled for time as he passed an ancient pick-up with a decrepit camper shell. “When we manifest on this plane, we use a large part of our essence to create a body. Gideon’s body was dying. We can neither transition to this plane by our will alone, nor return to the Celestial Realm without the help of the others. If he’d died while still in that form, he would have been gone, lost to us forever.”
Cassie frowned. “But his soul would have gone on, right?”
Jared shook his head. “We are soul. Our bodies are made of it. When we remain corporeal for a long time or become so often enough, our physical body becomes part of us. If Gideon had died, too much of him would have been gone. He would have been destroyed. But the others pulled him back in time.” He shuddered at the thought of how close it had been. “I should have thanked you before for your help, but I didn’t know how, not without explaining. If you hadn’t added your voice and sung with me, if it had just been me asking, I don’t think the others would have listened.”
“They’d have let Gideon die just because they’re mad at you?”
Jared shrugged. “Maybe.”
“What have they got against you?”
He wasn’t going to go into that now. “It’s a long story. The short version is I failed to meet their expectations.”
“They sound like a bunch of jerks to me.”
That surprised a laugh out of him. “You’re not the first to have thought so.”
Cassie was silent for a moment as the scrub oaks and juniper flashed by in the headlights.
“You said you were created. Does that mean you’re an angel?”
“We don’t use that term. Though we’ve appeared to people in the past, we’re not like the beings people usually talk about in church.”
“No kidding. But you are one of the good guys?”
Lightbringer Page 10