Blessed (Book 2, The Watchers Trilogy; Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (15 page)

“I want to finish school first, Malcolm. Why is that so hard to understand?”

“It sounds like an excuse, if you ask me.”

“If you knew my mother, you would understand.”

“What does your mother have to do with it?” I could tell Malcolm hadn’t expected this turn in the conversation.

“I don’t want to end up like her,” I admitted. It was the first time I’d said it to anyone out loud. “I don’t want to be an uneducated woman whose only purpose in life is a man or men in my mother’s case. I don’t want marriage to be the only thing of real substance about me. I don’t want it to define who I am. I need to prove to myself that I’m more than that and can take care of myself before I can commit my life to someone else. Does that make sense to you? Can you understand that?”

“I suppose,” Malcolm conceded. “But it doesn’t change the fact that I still have four years to try to change your mind.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me in a suggestive manner, and I couldn’t help but shake my head at him and grin. He was hopelessly incorrigible.

“I love Brand,” I said to him. “You’re never going to change that.”

“You should have the cheesecake for dessert,” was all Malcolm said in reply, obviously trying to change the subject.

Seeing that I wasn’t making much of a dent in his resolve to change my mind about marrying Brand, I decided to try attacking another front.

“Brand talked with Abby today,” I told him.

“Did he have any luck changing her mind about Sebastian? I know I haven’t been able to get my pig-headed son to listen to reason.”

“He basically told her to do what would make her happy.”

“He did what?” Malcolm almost yelled.

Everyone in the room looked at us, but quickly returned to their meals out of common decency.

“You need to do the same thing for Sebastian,” I told him. “He’s your son. Don’t you want to see him happy?”

“Well, of course I do,” Malcolm mumbled, sitting back in his chair and throwing his napkin on the table in disgust. “But how do I know being with that girl is the right thing for him? He’s been perfectly happy with the way things have been so far in his life.”

“Everyone needs someone to love,” I told him. “If Sebastian and Abby think they are in love, let them have their chance. Wouldn’t you do everything you could for the person you loved?”

Malcolm sighed, letting my words sink in.

“Yes. I would do anything for her.” He glanced up at me.

“Then let Sebastian decide if Abby is the one for him for himself. If you don’t, you might cause a rift in your relationship with your son that can’t be mended, and I don’t think you want that to happen.”

“No,” Malcolm pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb as if our conversation were giving him a headache. “I couldn’t stand losing him like that.”

“Then you need to let go,” I said. “Let him know you trust him to be the man you raised and make his own decisions. Don’t try to be his lord and master. He’s a grown man. He has the right to make his own decisions, even if you don’t agree with them.”

“And Brand’s ok with what it all means? He does realize we’ll be in each other’s lives for the rest of our children’s lives, doesn’t he?”

“He’s fully aware of that,” I said. “No, he’s not extremely happy about that part of the arrangement, but he wants Abby to be happy. He’s willing to make the sacrifice.”

“Well, I just want to go on record and say that I don’t like it. But, I know you’re right. I shouldn’t try to hold Sebastian back. He’s been alone for a long time. He’s too good a person not to share his life with someone else besides me.”

I put my hand over the one Malcolm had resting on the table. “I’m proud of you.”

He picked my hand up with his free one and kissed it gently. “You seem to keep changing me, dearest.”

“For the better, I hope.”

“Only time will tell.”

I made sure to bring home a whole cheesecake for Tara and Brand from the restaurant. Tara was all over it, but Brand simply said he didn’t like plain cheesecake. I suspected he just didn’t want anything Malcolm had paid for.

Malcolm told them both what we had learned from Horace.

“I’ll go to California tomorrow,” Malcolm said. “It shouldn’t be hard to find this actor. Wherever he is, Faust won’t be too far behind.”

“Let us know what you find out,” Brand requested.

Malcolm didn’t stay long. I got the feeling he wanted to think about what he would say to Sebastian the next day, after he changed back into his human form. I was glad to see he was taking my advice.

After Tara went to bed, I sat Brand down on the futon.

“Ok, I’m tired of not being able to phase myself. I want you to help me.”

“I’m not sure I can tell you what you need to know,” Brand confessed. “That was the main reason I was letting Will handle it. He has to relearn it each time he enters a new body. I’ve done it for so long, I don’t even think about it anymore. I just do it.”

“There has to be something you can do to help,” I said, desperately needing the independence being able to phase on my own would give me.

“Well, I
was
thinking about trying something,” he admitted, with an uncertain look on his face.

“What?” I asked, instantly grabbing onto the small window of hope he had opened.

“When you phased, you were upset. Maybe if we could stimulate you in some way that makes you want to phase somewhere else, it would work.”

“Like what?”

“Well, obviously I can’t frighten you,” Brand said, standing up and pacing in front of me, trying to think of a way to trigger an emotional response from me.

“What else is there?” I asked, standing too.

Brand had his back to me when I stood, but quickly spun around and pinned me to the wall beside the front door. He kissed me in a way that was unlike any other he’d ever shared with me. It was as if he shed the quiet reserve he usually had to be gentle and loving and let me see the primeval side of him. It was a kiss filled with all his physical passion for me, telling me with his lips and tongue how much he desired me. All I could think about was how much I loved him and wanted him, too.

For some reason, my mind traveled back to the night of the Black and White ball. I remembered wanting to share my first kiss with Brand in the rose garden in front of the Commons that night. It would have been a perfect place to share the type of kiss we were having right now, completely raw and true to our passion for each other.

I felt Brand’s hands fall to my back as if supporting me while our kiss continued, and didn’t realize why until his lips reluctantly left my mouth.

When I looked around us, we were standing in the middle of the rose garden in front of the Commons building. Now that fall was almost upon us, the flowers had shed most of their petals, and the bushes were preparing themselves for a long winter nap.

“Did I phase us here?” I asked, trying to catch my breath and let my passion for the man in front of me calm.

“Yes,” Brand answered, sounding slightly out of breath also. “What were you thinking about?”

“The night of the Black and White ball. I had planned to kiss you at the end, but you had broken up with me by then. In my mind, I pictured us doing it here in this spot that night.”

Brand brought his head back down to mine and tenderly kissed my lips.

“Can you picture where we’ll make love for the first time?” he whispered against my mouth, his breath sending shivers of delight all over my body. I felt his hands go up the back of my shirt and stroke the bare skin, causing me to moan and lose the ability to breathe.

An image of Brand’s bed quickly came to mind, and I knew there was nowhere else I wanted to be. We were soon standing beside it, falling onto the mattress, with no plans to phase anywhere else for the rest of the night.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I phased back to the apartment early the next morning to get ready for school. When I told Tara I could now phase myself, I think she was more excited than I was.

“Do you think we could go to Disney World?”

“I haven’t been there either. I can only phase to places I’ve been. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Oh, what about Paris then? I heard Oprah talk about these croissants she had there once.”

“That I can do, but right now I need to go to school.”

Tara always tickled me with the way she thought about things sometimes. When I told her I could phase, it was like she was a kid given carte blanche to the world.

Brand met me at school. I told him I wanted to drive my car some. It had been so long since I had real freedom that I was feeling a little high with my new-found independence. He was waiting for me outside on the steps of our Biology class.

“I’m not sure I like being away from you so much,” he said, taking my books as I sat down beside him.

“And here I thought you might be getting tired of me,” I teased.

“Never,” he murmured, taking my hand in his.

My first day back to school went pretty well. I didn’t have any unexpected tests. They were all planned for the following week, so I had plenty of time to study. Dr. Barry was still over the moon from meeting Malcolm in person, and kept asking if he might come by to pay me a visit while I was working. I told her I thought he was probably too busy to do something like that, hoping to cool her infatuation some. Other than that, my day was fairly ordinary, something which hadn’t happened in a long time.

At least everything was normal until I got back to my apartment. Malcolm and Will were standing outside the door to my place, waiting for us when Brand and I parked our cars.

“Did you find him?” Brand asked as soon as he got out of his car, immediately knowing what their presence meant.

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. “I thought we should all go together, just in case there’s trouble. You never can tell when you’re dealing with a jinn, especially one as powerful as Faust.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. “Is he dangerous?”

“He could be,” Will replied. It was the first time I had seen him since our last discussion. I wasn’t feeling extremely comfortable around him, knowing the way he viewed our relationship. “It’s just safer if we all go together.”

“We won’t be long.” Brand kissed me and went to stand beside Malcolm.

“What?” I asked. Did he seriously think I was just going to stay behind? “I’m coming with you.”

“That’s probably not the wisest thing, dearest,” Malcolm said, trying to cajole me into staying behind. “He
has
been trying to kill you, after all.”

“I can phase myself out of danger if I have to,” I defended. “Brand helped me figure out what I was doing wrong last night. Listen,” I said, unable to keep the frustration out of my voice, “I’m the one whose life is in danger. Don’t you think I’ve earned the right to meet the person who’s been trying to kill me?”

Brand held his hand out to me. Without another word of protest, Malcolm phased us all to Faust’s location.

We stood beside a large pool, behind a mansion of glass and stone. There was a man lying on a modernized version of an outdoor chaise longue with a tall sunbrella at the head of the chair, shielding him from the full effects of the sun directly overhead. He wore only a pair of white swim trunks. His light brown hair was streaked with patches of blonde and slicked back against his head. He looked like he was enjoying a pleasant afternoon siesta with his eyes closed against the sun, unaware of our presence.

If he hadn’t been the person trying to kill me the past few years, I might have thought him handsome. He had a debonair quality to him, even in his relaxed pose. I could easily see him being an actor himself, possibly playing James Bond or a romantic lead in an epic. He was definitely not someone I could see in a romantic comedy. He was far too serious-looking for such lighthearted fair.

“Hello, Faust,” Malcolm greeted. Both Brand and Malcolm made sure to stand between Faust and me. They left me a small space in between them in order to watch the jinn.

Faust opened his eyes and looked at the four of us. When he saw me, a knowing smile spread his lips.

“Well, gentlemen,” he said, raising himself up on his elbows as if he was talking to a trio of old friends. “Or should I say fellow Fallen? Well, except for you, of course, dear Lilly. My, my, you’re even lovelier than the pictures I’ve seen of you.” He looked back at the three fallen angels in front of him. “I suspect you’ve come to ask me some questions. I had a feeling Izzi would botch things up and lead you back to me.”

“Who’s been using you to make attempts on Lilly’s life?” Brand demanded.

Faust sat up and reached for a white terrycloth bathrobe lying across a steel chair beside him.

“I really wish you hadn’t found me,” Faust said as he stood, putting the robe on, clearly deciding to ignore Brand’s question. “I finally found someone who could provide me with the lifestyle I deserve. You don’t realize how hard that is to do.”

“That’s not our concern,” Will said. “Are you the one who’s been telling Lucifer what I needed to know to protect Lilly all these years?”

“Do I really need to justify that with an answer?” Faust asked. With our continued silence, he said, “Very well. Yes, of course it’s been me.”

“Why?” I asked.

Faust looked at me and half grinned. “Well, that’s the question of the century, isn’t it, dear one?”

“Maybe you should answer the question,” Malcolm said gruffly, narrowing his eyes on Faust.

Faust pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes from a pocket in his robe. After lighting one and taking a couple of puffs, he just shook his head. “If Lucifer wanted you to know, he would tell you. As it is, I promised him I wouldn’t say. But,” he said pointing a finger at me, “I
can
say he’ll need you for something very soon.”

“How soon?” I asked, unable to hide the trepidation I felt by his statement.

Faust looked up to the sky as if he were looking at a mental calendar. “Oh, I would say you have a little over two months.”

“What does that mean?” Brand asked, not trying to hide his worry. “What does he plan to do with her?”

Faust shrugged his shoulders, taking another drag on his cigarette. “Can’t tell you, I’m afraid. You see, I want him to succeed in what he’s planning.”

“Then why have you been trying to kill me?” I asked. He wasn’t making any sense.

“It’s been a delicate balance, you see. Working for one person while trying to help another, very hard to do. I’m surprised he’s had this much patience with me. It’s why I used Izzi this last time.”

“What do you mean?” Will asked.

Faust flicked his finished cigarette into to the pool and immediately lit another one. “He was getting impatient, since Justin failed to take care of things for him, and he thought my little orchestrated accidents were a waste of time now, since Lilly kept side- stepping them somehow. I didn’t want him to think I was botching my own work on purpose. So, I decided to show him I was really trying, and convinced Izzi to kill Lilly for me. I didn’t know it would take you people so long to figure things out on your own. Your incompetence almost caused quite a hitch in Lucifer’s plans. He wasn’t very pleased with me after that little episode, as you well know, Will.”

“Yeah, I know,” Will agreed.

I pushed Brand and Malcolm out of my way and walked up to Faust.

“Please,” I begged, “tell me who’s been using you to try to kill me.”

Faust took a long drag on his cigarette, watching me closely. Slowly, he let the smoke dribble out of his mouth from his lungs. “I wish I could, dear one, but I can’t.”

“Why not?” I asked, unable to conceal my frustration. Here was someone who could finally tell us everything we needed to know, and he wasn’t telling us anything.

“If I gave you that answer, your friends would know too much,” Faust looked at the three fallen angels behind me. “Keep her safe,” he advised them. “Time is running out, and he’s become too impatient to wait on me any longer. He’s finding other means to get rid of Lilly before time runs out.” Faust looked down at me with pity. “I’m sorry. Your fate was decided a long time ago. There isn’t anything anyone can do for you. You’ll either die or be used by Lucifer. I don’t see any other direction for your life.”

Before I could ask another question, Faust disappeared, leaving behind his robe, swim trunks, and unfinished cigarette in an empty pile at my feet.

“Damn it,” I heard Malcolm grumble, watching something I couldn’t see go by us. I saw his eyes follow whatever it was as it quickly disappeared into the house.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He switched forms,” Brand said, running for the sliding glass doors leading into the house. “But he has to get his coin before he can leave.”

We all ran as fast as we could into the house. We ended up finding Lloyd Cushing sitting on a stool by himself at a built-in bar in his living room, with his head hanging low between his shoulders. I had seen a couple of his movies in the past few years. He made a lot of comedies, and people seemed to enjoy them a lot. Their humor always seemed a bit too juvenile and crude for my taste though.

“Where is Faust?” Will demanded. “Where’s the coin?”

“They’re both gone, dude,” Lloyd said. When he turned around to face us, I could see that he was crying. “It’s finally over. It’s over.”

“You know you’ll lose everything now,” Will said to him.

“I know, dude, but you just can’t believe how much I just don’t care.”

Lloyd stood up and walked out the front door of his house, with us watching. He left the door open as if he didn’t care who might walk in off the street and take his possessions. He was a man who wanted nothing but to leave his old life behind, only taking the clothes on his back to start a new one.

“Great,” Will threw his hands up into the air, looking completely disgusted. “We lost our best lead on figuring out what the hell’s going on. Now what are we going to do?”

“We stick to our plan and find Lilly’s grandparents,” Brand said, with a calm I wish I felt. “It’s the only other lead we have right now. Faust isn’t going to resurface again until everything has played itself out.”

“Which means I only have a little over two months,” I said, more to myself than to anyone else.

“We’re going to find out what’s going on well before then,” Brand promised.

I felt like I had just been given a death sentence. I knew my time was short because of what Justin had said to me while I was imprisoned with him, but I guess I didn’t realize just how little time I actually had left. To have it put into terms of months seemed almost surreal to me, like I was watching things from outside my own body. How do you come to terms with the reality of knowing you might only have a few more weeks to live? 

When we phased back to my apartment, none of us was in a very good mood. After telling Tara what we had learned, her giddiness about my phasing abilities was cast aside.

“Two months?” she asked us. “What’s that mean? I mean, Lucifer wants Lilly alive, right? So he’s not gonna kill her if he goes through with whatever he’s got up his sleeve. Is he?”

“That’s the problem,” Will said. “We don’t know what he has planned exactly.”

“Why can’t you find out?” Tara asked Will, but it sounded more like an accusation, like maybe Will was holding out on us.

“I’ve tried, Tara,” Will replied, obviously agitated. “I love Lilly. Don’t you think I’ve tried everything I can to find out what he wants her for?”

“Well, try harder!” Tara shot back. “Hell, you’re a demon. Don’t you have some kinda demon magic or something to make him tell you?”

“He’s an archangel, Tara. He’s a lot more powerful than I am. I can’t
make
him do anything. Why do you think I’ve followed his orders all these years?”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “What would he do to you if you didn’t do what he told you to?”

“Destroy me,” Will replied. “He can destroy my spirit, like I never existed.”

“He can do that?” It was the first time I had actually thought about why it was that Will followed Lucifer’s orders so obediently. It never occurred to me he could kill Will.

“I’m not sure he’ll be contacting me anymore anyway,” Will said. “He only came to me when he knew Lilly’s life was in danger. Now that Faust is out of the picture, I doubt I see him again until he needs her for whatever it is he has planned.”

“Well, you’re not gonna give her to him, are you?”

“Not willingly, Tara, but I doubt it will be something any of us can prevent.”

“We still need to figure out who’s trying to kill Lilly,” Brand said, trying to redirect the conversation. “If we can at least stop whoever it is, that’ll be half the war won. We’ll have to deal with Lucifer when the time comes, but until then we need to focus on things we can control.”

“Have you spoken to your private investigator friend today?” Malcolm asked Brand.

“No. He said he’d call as soon as he had something to report. If I haven’t heard anything by tomorrow, I’ll contact him and see what’s taking so long.”