“He’ll go to prison, and all he’s guilty of is being controlled by an Apostate,” Jared said.
Dave shook his head. “Aelziroth chose someone who wouldn’t fight what he wanted him to do. I saw into his mind when Aelziroth enthralled him. He’s no innocent.”
For the second time that night, sirens wailed in the distance.
Jared looked hard at Dave. “Are you sure you want to do this? You could just fade away into the night.”
“Yeah, I’m good at that. But then you’d be left with a lot of hard ‘splainin’ to do.” Dave met Jared’s eyes straight on. “I have a lot to make up for. It’s the least I can do.” He stood. “I’ll go wait for them by the road. We don’t want them getting lost.” He jogged away into the night.
Holding her close, Jared felt Cassie tremble and his heart ached. He could take the horror of what she’d experienced from her. Heal her mind of the awful memories. He believed all knowledge brought wisdom, but he didn’t want her to continue suffering from what Aelziroth had done to her.
“Don’t you dare,” she said putting a hand to his face. “I won’t have you violating your principles. I can handle it. You gave me the music. It kept me sane.”
Jared stared into her eyes. “I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough.”
The sirens were very close now. “It’s almost over,” he said.
*Not quite.* Gideon’s voice penetrated into Jared’s mind.
*About time you showed up,* Jared thought, but he didn’t try to hide his happiness at his friend’s return.
“Gideon!” Cassie looked around. Apparently she’d heard him too.
“He’s not here. Not in the flesh anyway,” Jared said.
*Much to my sorrow, I cannot manifest physically so soon after returning to the Celestial Realm, or else I would kiss you, my dear. You did splendidly.*
Jared felt Cassie’s emotions swing from pleasure to sorrow and back again.
“Thank you.”
*You’ve succeeded, Jaradiel. The threat to Cassie and her bloodline is past. Without a mortal strong enough to summon them into the Terrestrial Plane, the Apostates’ influence is limited again. Michael and Raphael are pleased, even if you did spill the beans about us to Cassie and Dave.*
“You told me at the start of this that certain secrets might need to be revealed,” Jared said.
*True enough.*
“So why are you here?”
*I’m here to take you home.*
Jared’s arms tightened around Cassie. Home. It was what he’d wanted for over a hundred years, but now the prospect of it tasted like ashes.
He shook his head. “I can’t go. I’m staying.”
“You can’t!” Cassie exclaimed. “It’s what you’ve always wanted. You have to go!”
Jared shook his head. “No, it’s not what I want. Not anymore.”
“It’s because of me, isn’t it? You feel responsible for what Aelziroth did. It’s not your fault. I’ll be fine.”
Jared stared at her, in awe of her strength. *You’re right,* he said into her mind. *You will be fine. You’ll be better than fine, you’ll be great. But I won’t be. If I go back to the Celestial Realm now, I’ll be leaving my heart behind. I want to be here for you. I want to laugh with you, and love you, and hold you through the nights when the dark memories won’t go away. I’ll have an eternity in the Celestial Realm, but only a lifetime with you. I love you, Cassie. I don’t need to go anywhere. I am home. With you.*
Cassie just stared at him, tears in her eyes.
A horrible possibility occurred to him. Maybe Cassie didn’t want him around, a constant reminder of four terrifying days. Maybe she’d rather forget any of this happened. *That is, uh, if you want to share your life with me.*
Cassie’s tears spilled over as her heart filled with emotion. “Of course I do! How could you doubt it?” She felt his sincerity, but she had to ask, “Are you sure?”
Gideon’s wry chuckle tickled the inside of her head. *He’s sure.*
She kissed Jared, and his lips met hers possessively. His arms tightened around her as if he would never let her go.
“Just one thing,” Cassie said when they finally came up for air. “What is this big destiny thing of mine that was so important?”
*Your destiny is within you,* Gideon replied.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Not all of it.”
*No, not all of it. But as Jared will tell you, you have the freedom to choose how you’ll respond to the chances life brings,* Gideon said.
“You’re not going to answer my question, are you?”
Gideon laughed again. *You’ll know soon enough.*
EPILOGUE
JARED ENTERED THE library of his house and paused. His wife stood with her back to him, gazing out the picture window at the brilliant hues of a glorious June sunset while Edgar head-butted her ankle.
His wife. The quiet joy of it still amazed him. Choosing to stay on the Terrestrial Plane with Cassie had been no sacrifice. It had been more of a reward than Michael could ever have guessed.
Jared stepped close behind her, offering a bowl of ice cream with one hand while the other caressed her rounded belly.
Cassie took the bowl and scooped a bite of almond praline. “Yum. My favorite.”
“I know. Mine too.”
“Is that a hint?” Cassie turned slightly to feed him a bite. Just then the baby kicked his hand.
“She’s active tonight,” Jared said, wrapping both arms around his wife.
Cassie put the bowl on the window’s sill then lay her hands over his as she leaned back into his embrace. “She knows it’s you.” *And she already loves you as much as I do.*
Jared rubbed her belly again, immersing himself in the warmth of their love, sharing his happiness and contentment in return.
Eight months ago, that happiness had been in question, even after their victory over Aelziroth. After everything she’d been through, Cassie had had to cope with still more fear and distress. The sheriff had asked few questions, persuaded by the paramedics and the bloody evidence that interrogation could wait. But the medics’ arrival had spiked her fear.
Jared had insisted they examine her first, while Cassie objected it was he who needed their attention. The paramedics had their own priorities and they’d started with her and Crandall. They’d quickly determined Crandall was dead, and that the blood drenching Cassie wasn’t hers. Then both paramedics had moved on to assess Jared. They’d quickly grown serious and efficient, setting up an IV and heart monitor, while Cassie had grown more panicked.
That night was a painful memory, not because of his injuries, but because he hadn’t been able to comfort her. The sheriff had kept Cassie out of the medics’ way at first, and then, when they’d let her close enough to hold Jared’s hand, he’d been too weak to keep the knowledge of how badly he was hurt from her. She’d been terrified he would die, urging him to call Gideon, calling on the Guardian herself. She hadn’t been happy when Gideon told her it was Jared’s choice.
The paramedics had rushed Jared to the hospital and then flown him to Phoenix for emergency surgery. He’d spent a week in intensive care, but he’d had impressed his doctors with his rapid recovery.
A bright memory stood out from those dark days. He’d still been in the hospital when he pulled her onto his lap the first day they let him sit up in a chair.
“Stop it! You’ll tear out your stitches!” Cassie fussed, but didn’t struggle very much.
He drew her close for a long, lingering kiss. *I’ve missed this.* Cassie leaning over his bed for a quick peck now and then just hadn’t cut it.
*Me too.* Cassie settled her head on his shoulder. Jared stroked her, letting his hand roam, savoring the touch they both needed. As he cupped her breast he felt its fullness, felt her altered response. He slid his hand lower, to her belly, slipping it under her shirt and the waistband of her jeans.
A spark twinkled beneath his fingers, growing inside her. Delight forced a laug
h from him, followed by a grunt of pain for abusing his wounds.
*What?* Cassie sat up, alarmed, and then she sensed the beginning life inside her too, through him. Her emotions swirled in chaos. Shock. Delight. Fear. “What if it’s Tom’s?” she whispered.
*No. She’s mine. Ours. All ours.* He opened himself, showing her just how pleased and proud he was.
She shook her head at his goofy grin, but her own was just as wide. “I thought you said you could control whether your seed took root,” she teased.
Jared actually blushed. “I guess I don’t have such good control where you’re concerned.”
They’d married less than a month later, on Thanksgiving, with Gideon as best man and Linda as the matron of honor in front of a small group of friends and family. His vow to love Cassie all her life and beyond had created a pulse of Power felt all the way to the Celestial Realm. Everyone present wound up dabbing tears from their eyes, even Dave and Detective Morgan. Gideon had clasped his hand afterward, pulling him close. *Well done, my friend. I believe fulfilling Cassie’s destiny has made you the happiest being in Creation this day.* And Gideon had been right.
The Navajo County sheriff had accepted Dave’s story, that his boss had gone crazy and become fixated on Cassie. The bugs in her house, the bomb, the attacks at the cabin and the bridge were all laid successfully, and appropriately, at Crandall’s door. Dave admitted to shooting his boss to save Cassie. The forensics, and Cassie and Jared’s testimony, all backed him up. The Navajo County district attorney had declined to prosecute.
Tom only remembered that night as a good time that had ended on a sour note. And though Cassie’s face had been on the news, apparently Aelziroth’s demeanor was so different from hers, Tom had never recognized her.
To Jared’s grief, Cassie had not escaped unscathed. For months, flashbacks and nightmares continued the abuse Aelziroth had begun. Jared did what little he could to make it bearable. He ached seeing her suffer. There were times, had she asked, he would have altered her memories or taken them from her, despite his belief that all knowledge had value. She knew it, but wouldn’t bend, and wouldn’t let him bend, his principles. Linda had tried to help, but she and Greg had separated, and she’d had her own emotional train wreck to deal with.
The press had added their own tortures. Since MissionOne Security had government contracts, Crandall’s death had made national news. Every cable news company had sent someone to ask if Cassie and Crandall had been lovers, or if she’d foreseen his obsession with her psychic powers. They’d been dogged in their pursuit of her until they got wind of Crandall’s involvement in the opium trade. Then, fortunately, they’d lost interest in her. A few of her former clients had declined to visit a psychic with that much notoriety, but so many more people had sought her services she’d had to turn some away.
Through it all she’d kept her sense of humor, through the press, the mood swings, and the nightmares that awakened her, sweating and weeping. Jared had felt impotent, holding her in the dark as she cried herself out, but she’d called him her rock. All he could do was flood her with all the love in his heart, but that had been enough for Cassie. And as the baby had grown, so had her peace.
Cassie pulled him from his reverie with a kiss. *Don’t dwell on it,* she chided gently. *It’s in the past.*
“All right you two,” Cam said as he strode into the room, followed by Bohdan. Edgar hissed and jumped to the top of the bookcase in two leaps. “Enough with the lovey-dovey stuff. That’s what got you into this fix in the first place.” His grin belied his words. “You’re still gonna name me as godfather, right?”
Jared grinned back. “About time you two got here. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Cam glanced at the bowl of ice cream Bohdan was sniffing. “I would never miss your cooking, Jared. Even if you did start the appetizers without us.”
“Pregnant women get special perks,” Cassie said.
*Especially if she’s bearing a babe with three bloodlines.* Jared thought back to her.
The End
THANK YOU!
Thank you for buying and reading LIGHTBRINGER and allowing me to entertain you for a few hours. If you enjoyed this book, please tell your friends and consider leaving a review on the site where you purchased it. Indie authors depend on word of mouth and good reviews from their fans.
You may also want to read VEILED MIRROR, which can be found at http://thewildrosepress.com and other online retailers. Here’s a bit about VEILED MIRROR:
Beth Hart is alive and well and hunting for her killer. When her brother-in-law Chris and her twin Ellie die in suspicious accidents, Beth impulsively switches identities with her sister to lure the murderer into revealing himself. She can’t rest until she finds the killer—and neither can the real Ellie, who haunts Beth’s dreams.
FBI agent Jason Blackforth fell hard for Beth at Chris and Ellie’s wedding, but he left her as quickly as he found her—undercover work and relationships don’t mix. Now, grieving and believing Beth is dead, Jason is appalled to find himself fantasizing about the widow of his best friend. He wants to help “Ellie” through this difficult time, but she reminds him so much of Beth. His gut tells him that something isn’t right. Can he discover what secrets the widow is hiding and find the killer before they both end up dead?
I enjoy hearing from my readers. You can contact me at [email protected] or through my blog, Frankie’s Soapbox at http://FrankieRobertson.wordpress.com. It may take a while for me to respond depending on where I am in the process of writing or publishing my next book, but I try to answer every letter.
For a sneak peek at FIRSTBORN, read on. FIRSTBORN takes place in the same universe as LIGHTBRINGER, though it’s not part of the Celestial Affairs series.
Best wishes,
Frankie
FIRSTBORN
CHAPTER ONE
February 1979
I LOOKED UP from the keyboard of my DEC 10 computer terminal and smiled as Barry Mackson leaned into my windowless, closet-sized office. My office, if it could be called that, had indeed once been a butler’s pantry in the old Victorian that now housed the San Diego chapter of the Trust. A knee hole for my legs had been carved out of the lower cabinets, and I perched on a padded bar stool to key in data on paranormal activity occurring in Southern California. There wasn’t much data most days, so I also spent a fair amount of time playing Pong.
Instead of leaning against the wall and proposing an evening stroll along the Embarcadero or a margarita in Old Town like he usually did, Barry stood rigid, his fair-haired good looks set off by the dark wood of the door frame. We’d been dating for about a month. Last night his persistence had paid off, and we’d made love. The memory of his smooth broad back under my hands, his heat filling me, shot an arrow of excitement between my thighs. My pulse sped. I wondered if we could take off for a long lunch, but his next words shot that idea down.
Barry flashed the quicksilver grin I found so appealing, but it wavered around the edges, chilling the warmth rising in my belly. “Come with me. Mr. Foxworth wants to meet you.”
I didn’t even try to hide my shock as my eyes widened. “Foxworth?” That was definitely not what I’d expected Barry to say.
Isaac Foxworth was the omnipresent but faceless head of the Trust—at least that’s how it seemed. His presence and influence was everywhere, in every decision, even though he wasn’t seen. He didn’t need to be. All he had to do was make his wishes known, and Kincaid and the other chapter heads executed them without question. Mr. Foxworth didn’t visit the local chapters, and he didn’t take meetings with lowly data processors like me.
I shut my mouth and fell into step beside Barry, anticipation quickening my pace.”What’s going on?” I asked softly. I didn’t want to draw Betina’s attention, even though the receptionist had to know Mr. Foxworth was in the building. Betina didn’t gossip. No one who worked for the Trust did and kept their job. But her sharp eyes gave the impression that every event she ob
served was being filed away for future use.
Barry shot me a sidelong glance. It only increased my anxiety. “That’s for Mr. Foxworth to say.”
I followed Barry up the curving, dark wood staircase to the second floor, then a narrower, dog-leg stair to the third. His muscular butt was at eye level, distracting me a little from my nerves. He surfed most weekends, and he had the butt and thighs to prove it. It was partly my desire to squeeze those buns that got me into the sack with him. Unfortunately, the view didn’t last. Too soon we were at the top floor. Barry opened a six-panel door and let me precede him into the chapter head’s office. Dark wainscoting and glass-paned barrister’s bookcases lined the walls. Mr. Kincaid’s broad desk took up most of the space in front of the wide bow window, but he wasn’t sitting behind it. Another man was silhouetted there, his face hard to make out with the afternoon sunlight shining brightly from behind him. A coffee service sat to one side, but he didn’t offer us a cup.
He rose and gestured at the leather club chairs facing him. “Please have a seat, Miss Benton, Mr. Mackson.” He didn’t bother introducing himself. He didn’t need to.
Apparently Mr. Foxworth hadn’t heard that Ms. was the preferred form of address for women in the workplace these days, but I wasn’t going to correct him. I sat, smoothing my suit skirt under my butt the way my mother had taught me. For a moment he just looked at me in silence, as if he knew what I was thinking. I tried not to fidget.
“Are you involved with anyone at the moment, Ms. Benton?”
I barely noticed he’d switched to using Ms. This wasn’t the sort of question an employer ought to ask, but then the Trust wasn’t the usual sort of employer. Somehow I kept myself from glancing at Barry. He knows. Why else would he ask?
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