by Ireland Gill
Absolute Zero
Soldier of Light Chronicles Book Two
Ireland Gill
Contents
Dedication
1. Haven
2. Right as Rain
3. A Little Bit of Past
4. Line ‘em Up, Knock ‘em Down
5. Enter, Sandman
6. Outlet
7. Masquerade
8. Porch Swing
9. Airplanes and Angel Dust
10. The World is Darkest at Midnight
11. An Invitation
12. Wedding of the Year
13. Intentions
14. The Truth About Lying
15. The Truth About Shakespeare
16. Angels Don’t Bleed
17. A Little Late
The adventure continues…
Copyright © 2019 by Ireland Gill. All rights reserved.
This novel is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and incidents described in this publication are used fictitiously, or are entirely fictional. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means – electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording, or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from the author. Inquiries may be addressed via email to [email protected].
Cover Design by Yvonne Less, Art 4 Artists
Electronic edition, 2019. If you want to be notified when Ireland’s next novel is released and get access to exclusive contests, giveaways, and other fantastic stuff, sign up for her mailing list here. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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To Brian – my husband, my love, my knight.
Without you, all of Hayden's most admirable qualities that I adore would cease to exist. Thank you for occasionally humoring me with agreement, even when I am utterly wrong. Thank you for always having my back, even in moments when I have clearly lost my mind. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, and for your limitless patience.
And most of all, thank you for accepting me for me – even the darkest parts. You are my life, my world, my haven.
1
Haven
The thirteen-hour drive to Georgia did a lot of things for me. I'd run through a lot of music, unable to elude the emotional roller coaster on which my mind insisted on taking me. I'd come to terms a bit more with the new life that awaited my arrival in Georgia, but I'd also over-analyzed every aspect of it. I tried not to think of the dismal feelings I'd had for the first Seeker, as I couldn't help wondering if those feelings would continue while I met others just like her. It was inevitable, the fact that there were more souls stuck in their own deserved hell waiting for me to save them. And these thoughts, without fail, made my outlook bleaker. I was a vessel for the dead who were trapped in the dark realm with the devil; the dead who, I believed, didn't deserve their peace. Ever.
I'd gotten to know my new Mustang like the back of my hand during the long drive; every button, dial, light, and switch. I melted into the driver's seat and sometimes became very distracted as I let my mind wander. Luka, my guardian angel's best friend, would occasionally pop in from time to time into the passenger side. Well, it was more of a “disappearing” and “reappearing” act he'd gotten down to a science twice an hour. I'd caught on to the pattern after the third round.
And then, there was Hayden, my angel and the object of my unspoken affection, following behind me in the moving truck. He kept sending Luka in to tell me the next set of directions even though my state-of-the-art navigation system was working just fine. Either that, or he'd call me for the hundredth time, and we would talk hands-free through my Bluetooth. Honestly, I think it was killing him that he wasn't in the car with me and the fact that I wasn't up for stopping more than the one time we found a twenty-four hour IHOP right off of I-77S in Charlotte. A stack of pancakes and Southern charm at three A.M was definitely a good choice. After the stop in Charlotte, Luka became a permanent fixture in my car.
“So....” Luka trailed off as he bobbed his head, looking out the window without continuing with his thought aloud.
I put the pony in gear and headed back to the highway, slightly averting my eyes to see the illumination of the green ambient lighting on the angel's face. “So?” I inquired curiously.
“That was a nice dinner-lunch-breakfast meal, er, whatever you want to call it,” Luka declared.
I smiled at him, playing along. “Can't beat IHOP, Lukster,” I said as I thumbed the search button to find a new playlist we could listen to. Despite the massive yawn that escaped me, I felt good and awake after eating. I was especially buzzing after the gigantic chocolate shake I'd downed, but I wanted to stay charged, so I made sure to play music that would keep me pumped for the rest of the drive. I kept the volume low because I felt there was something more than just “pancakes” that Luka wanted to talk about, but I had no clue what was on his mind.
“Cookie?” Luka stalled by holding out the tin of chocolate chip cookies from Ms. Makerov. It was her for-the-road present to me when I'd gone to visit her for our last goodbye.
I smirked at the angel. “No thanks, buddy. I'm stuffed till next Tuesday.”
“Okay.” He placed the tin back on his lap. Then, finally, out came his true agenda. “You know, Evigreen, if you're tired, I don't mind taking the wheel for a while,” he offered.
I didn't have to turn to look at him to know he was flashing his teeth in a cheesy grin, but I glanced at him anyway and caught his crooked smile. “You just wanna drive my car,” I accused with a laugh.
“Okay, so maaaaaybe that is an incentive, but I'm only looking out for you.” He shifted in his seat. “Hayden's orders, you know.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes and smiled at him. “I had a feeling something was up.”
Luka sighed. “So, you're not going to let me drive, huh?”
I looked at him apologetically. “This beautiful contraption is my baby.”
“Ha!” Luka guffawed. “And you wouldn't trust me with your baby?” he asked playfully. I was happy he didn't take my comment too personally.
“I trust you with my life, Luka,” I assured him. “But,” I paused for a moment in order to really figure out the best way to explain how I felt behind that wheel, “this is the one place, right now, I feel like things are normal.” I could tell I was about to make the conversation turn down a serious road once I'd said that. I continued. “Sitting here in this Mustang, operating everything from this seat, shifting the gears to make it go at whatever speed I want it to go, like slowing down when I realize I'm going too fast, it's the only way I feel like I have a sense of control, and I kinda need that right now.” I took a side glance at him and saw him half-grinning at me. It gave me a sense of relief.
“You know, Evika,” Luka started, “as perplexing as you can be sometimes, I think I hear you loud and clear on that one.” He reached up and gave a couple of light tugs on my pony tail. “You're gonna be okay,” Luka comforted me in his most serious tone. “You've got the best angels in history looking after you.”
I smiled genuinely at him. There really was a lot of meaning to what he said, and I felt content just knowing that he understood me.
“I already knew that,” I said to him.
“Good,” he said with a head-bob. There was a long pause before he continued. “Then you'll know that the one day you finally do break down and let me take this thing for a spin, it's in great hands. Just sayin'.” I caught his wink at me as he turned up the music.
Just like my own angel knew me so well, Luka was beginning to understand me without qu
estion. He smiled and scooted lower in the seat, making himself comfortable, and silently indicating he would be staying in my car for the rest of the trip. I didn't mind; next to me, was the quirky sidekick of mine who gave me a warmth in my heart like no other.
I shook my head and smirked, keeping my eyes on the road as we drove down the unlit highway. The darkness of the route ahead was almost eerie, but I looked in my rear view mirror to see the headlights of the moving truck full of, well, my life, driven by my Guardian with whom I felt safe.
The sun was just starting to rise after a few more hours of driving, breaking up the clouds of the still sky when we'd finally turned down our new home road, Chatham. The navigation gear couldn't keep up with my speed as it recited “five-hundred yards, three-hundred yards, one-hundred yards,” and then finally, “you have reached your destination.”
I turned into the long, cement driveway and gawked at my new house, the purchase I'd made without seeing in person first. It stood tall and proud, waiting for me. Beige siding, white shutters, a red front door and the greenest of all grasses laid out like a canvas all around it, stretching out in all directions. The closest neighboring homes were visible, but the privacy we'd have was outstanding. Seclusion without the solitude. The house was framed with a giant stone walkway that led around either side of it.
I pulled up to the top of the driveway and parked, simultaneously flinging the door open to get out. I couldn't move fast enough. With the slight turn of my head, I could see beautiful blue ocean. I stumbled to the side of the house in awe along the stone walkway. My neck craned as I scanned the house from the bottom up, my mouth agape, and then I looked past the massive structure. I gasped with every other step.
I ran up to Hayden, who was stepping down from the moving truck cabin. “Omigod! Omigod! Hayden, it's huge-mammoth and absolutely perfect!”
“Told you she'd like it,” Luka said, getting out of the pony.
“Well, I sure hope so, cuz we kinda bought it.” Hayden laughed.
“Where's the key? Where's the key?” I jumped around my angel, patting him down.
“Oh,” he said slyly, “you mean....this?” He whipped the key out from the back pocket of his jeans, dangling it from his index finger accompanied by a small, metal key chain with a silver shamrock, a reminder of my Irish blood.
I slid the key from his finger and smiled at him. “You are so good to me.”
He gave me a smug look as we started walking to the front door. “You just better remember that.” He chuckled.
I leapt onto the porch and dashed to the door, shaking with so much excitement that I could hardly get the key to work. As I pushed the front door open and stepped onto the granite floor of the foyer, I fell in love all over again, but this time it was with three thousand square feet of architecture. The house was twenty times bigger than I thought it would be, and the pictures I'd used to decide on the purchase didn't do it justice. My new house was, without a doubt, the cream of the crop. Every corner turned was a moment of awe as I'd walk into a room bigger than before. My imagination ran wild as I thought of the décor that I'd lay out in each room. A huge mansion; a canvas for my creativity, and the home in which I'd be spending the rest of my life....with my angel.
Considering most of the furniture was left in the house for us – compliments of Hayden's master negotiating skills – I only had to bring my miscellaneous junk. Not that I had much to begin with, anyway. Between the three of us, we were able to get all of the boxes in the house in less than an hour. The boys didn't let me carry anything too heavy, despite my stubbornness. It seemed as though the heaviest box was the last out of the truck, and it was full of all of my art projects; unfinished, of course. Luka was the lucky winner of that one. He carried it all the way to the master suite on the top floor where my room would be, then huffed his way to the living room, slamming his body into the cushions of the red, suede couch and letting out an exasperated “phew!” I laughed at him.
“Well, that's the last of it,” Luka said, putting his feet up and over the side of the couch.
“I thought you guys didn't get tired,” I teased him. “Shouldn't I, the human, be the one who's panting and out of breath?” I plopped on the couch next to his head.
“Hey, kiddo,” Luka said, “that last box was a nightmare. Next time we do this, you're payin' for movers. I'm not cut out for this.”
I laughed. “I would have, but Hayden didn't want to.” It was true.
Hayden came walking over, bringing a box to the living room. I noticed he'd taken his shredded leather jacket off – the item that reminded me of my first encounter with a Watcher – and was unpacking in his dark gray t-shirt. My eyes averted to his twitching arm muscles as he set the box down. Holy angel. “Because I'm a tank and we won't ever need movers,” he chimed in. He gave his left bicep a few smacks and grinned at us.
Both Luka and I rolled our eyes and laughed.
“So, are you gonna take a nap before unpacking? It was a long drive for you, you know, since you didn't let me drive.....at all,” Luka jeered, nudging me in the arm.
“Nah,” I waved my hand, “I've got a second wind.” I looked out the window. “Besides, I don't like wasting the sun. It's such a beautiful morning. I'll sleep later.”
“Don't feel bad about the Mustang, Charmin, Hayden comforted Luka. “She hasn't even let me drive it yet.”
“Jeez,” I guffawed. “What is it with this car?”
“Hey, we may be angels, but we're still dudes,” Luka retorted with a chuckle.
“Ev, you really should get some rest,” Hayden said. “I told Elka she could swing by later.”
“What? We just got here and you're already inviting people over?” I teased.
“Sure, why not? Oh, and Elliott will be here later on, too, for the whole castor thing. We've got a busy day.”
I slouched at the mention of castor. Elliott was the angel techie at the House of Counsel, the one who designed all and any tools I would need. “Oh,” I said. I was disappointed that Hayden couldn't have just let me have a day or two to enjoy my new home before getting down to business.
The thought of castors made me cringe. I was to create my own with Elliott, just like my father had. Once I had my own, there was no turning back; I was officially the new Soldier of Light for all those wicked souls. Although I wasn't thrilled that Elliott's visit meant I was one step closer to having to deal with the saving of the dead, I was still excited to meet him.
“Well,” Luka stood to his feet, “I've got things of my own to take care of, Evigreen. I'm gonna hit the road, er, air, whatever.”
“And what could possibly be more important than unpacking with me?” I poked.
“Oh, you'll find that out when I come back tonight with your housewarming gift.” Luka winked at me.
I shook my head and smiled. “Full of surprises, aren't you, Charmin?”
“Good ones, though. I promise.” He grinned, leaning his head toward me and offering his puffed out cheek, expecting a kiss.
“Thanks for the help, Luka.” I planted a peck on the angel's soft cheek.
“See ya, Evigreen.” Luka spun on his s to face Hayden. “Be back later, Darkwing.”
“Later, Luka,” Hayden responded. “Thanks, again.”
Then Luka was gone, shimmering out of sight. I was starting to get used to the way angels came and went.
I dragged myself to the kitchen, realizing I was a lot more tired than I'd let on. I knew Hayden was right. I should have lied down for a while, but I was eager to get everything unpacked. I was trying so hard to be organized, especially with such a great, new place. I had to keep the place clean. No more messes. I vowed I'd make that change. The mess from my previous apartment-living would not follow me.
“Here's a box that should have made it to the kitchen,” Hayden came around the corner, setting the heavy box onto the tile floor. “If you're up for it, we should probably get kitchen stuff put away first.”
“My though
ts exactly,” I concurred.
Hayden pulled a box cutter from his back pocket and started cutting the duct tape placed over the seams of each box. It was unnerving how quickly he was slicing each seam. I started unloading and unwrapping the contents of the first box while he continued with the slicing until the cutting came to an abrupt stop, followed by a quick hiss forced through the angel's teeth. I turned to see that he'd stopped to examine his hand for a moment. I knew instantly what had happened.
“Oh, God.” My immediate reaction led me to grabbing one of the towels from the first box I was still unpacking. “I saw that one coming a mile away, slick. You okay?” I rushed to his side.
“I'm fine. Just stings a bit,” Hayden admitted with a shrug.
I took his hand in mine to look at the damage and apply the towel only to find nothing but a small, pinkish-white line running across the side of his left palm that showed no signs of a fresh wound. It was as if it were only a scar left behind from the healed skin. I could have sworn it was the hand that he'd cut, then I looked up at his unforgettable smirk as I recalled the reason for the lack of blood.
“Angels don't bleed, remember?” he reminded me.
“Humph,” was my reaction. “You're lucky. That could have been a bad one.”
That winning smile gleamed across his face. He just stood there in a stupor, staring at me. I had no choice but to let out a nervous laugh.
“What?” I asked, embarrassed.
“You were coming to my rescue,” he answered. “It's kinda cute.”
I blushed, feeling the heat rise to my face instantly. “Protective instinct, I guess.”