Inception (The Reaping Chronicles, 1) (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-one

Lucas ~ Chances

“
Finally.
” Lucas said to no one but himself as he pulled out of the school’s parking lot behind Gabby. He had thought it would take longer to convince her to talk to him after he’d learned she saw him with Mara draped all over him.

A chill ran through him with just the thought, but at least Mara had been staying away from him since. He wasn’t planning on telling Gabby the whole story about what had happened that morning, though. If she thought he was strange now, it’d be worse if he told her he thought Mara’s eyes not only changed colors, but that her entire eye went completely black, and that she’s not the same person he’d originally met.

Yeah … I think I’ll keep that little tidbit to myself.

After about five minutes, Gabrielle pulled into the driveway of a brick townhouse. He turned off his Jeep and slid out, and they both silently climbed the steps and went in.

Lucas tried to take in everything he saw. The townhouse was larger than he thought, but its exterior was deceptive; it was built deep instead of wide. From the large entry where he stood, stairs hugged the left side of a curved three-story wall; a large contemporary chandelier hung from the ceiling directly above a round entry table in the center of what was really a room in itself. A beautiful arrangement of the most unusual flowers he’d ever seen were on the table. He was borderline captivated by it, actually. The colors of the unusual petals and buds were like they were from another world. Gabby stepped in front of them as she placed her things on the table and gave him his mind back as he continued to take in what he could from where he stood.

A music room or a study—maybe both—was immediately to the right and showcased a white baby grand piano, a large ornately carved wooden desk, and shelves of books that lined every wall he could see—most looked aged. He loved books and hoped he would have the chance, one day, to spend a lot of time in there looking them over. The only other thing in the room was a very large dark brown leather couch that looked like the most comfortable thing he’d ever seen.

Gabby turned and motioned at him to follow her. “Are you thirsty or hungry?”

Lucas followed, but both his feet and mouth responded slowly as he continued deeper into her home.

“Yeah … sure.” He walked through a long, wide hallway with nooks and crannies holding paintings and sculptures. Eye-candy was everywhere, capturing his attention like a five year-old walking through the gates of Disney World for the first time.

“Are you coming?”

Lucas managed to just glance at the remaining art as he left the hall that led into a massive room that held the kitchen, family room, and dining room. He had already thought the hall was full of interesting and beautiful effects, but after a quick scan of this room, he realized it had been simple in comparison to the one he was now in. Beautiful things were everywhere.

Not at all in a cluttered way, just …
interesting.
He’d never seen a home with so many styles of furniture, art, and nick-nacks. And
somehow,
it all worked together perfectly. Nothing looked out of place or like it wasn’t meant to be among all the other things on the walls or in the room. And everything was anchored by more of the same oversized, comfortable looking, dark leather furniture that was in the library. Only in here, there were two couches and one chair with a matching ottoman that was easily big enough for two people.

A large flat screen was situated over a fireplace with more shelves on either side of them, full of CD’s and … more
things
. Quite a few unframed black and white photos had been left on the ottoman, making him wonder if Gabby had taken them.

What does she fill her time with outside of school?

The dining room was about what he would have expected, furnished with a large wooden table and chairs and a buffet server. There was more eclectic art hanging on the walls and a larger arrangement of those unusual flowers on the table.

The kitchen was a gourmet chef’s dream with dark stained cabinetry and tiles that were as current as the high-end stainless steel appliances. A large island in the middle held a six-burner gas range and a bar that curved around one corner with six stools nestled around it. The back wall of the townhouse was almost completely glass, bathing the room in light.

He glanced around the room again. There were no pictures of Gabby or her family—or anyone else for that matter—anywhere.

Absolutely none. Odd.

“Do you want some sweet tea or a Coke?” Gabby called from the fridge she just opened.

“Coke’s great … thanks,” he said as he walked through the family room into the kitchen, pulling out one of the stools to sit.

“This is a
really
great place, Gabby.”

Gabby turned and looked at him, a smile parting her lips as if she was pleased he liked it.

Man … I miss that smile.

“Thanks.” She slid a can of Coke across the counter to him and popped the top on her own, picking up a notebook that he’d glimpsed a few lines of poetry in before she closed it to conceal its contents. “It’s kinda …
different
, I know. But I really like it. Chips or pretzels?” She asked as she made her way to the pantry.

“Chips.” She grabbed a bag and opened it, handing it to him as he continued to talk. “You and your family must have done a lot of traveling to have found all of these things,” he said as he put a chip into his mouth and opened his can to take a drink.

Gabby chuckled lightly. “Yeah, you could say we’ve been around.”

There was an awkward silence as he ate chips and she randomly looked at different objects. Lucas took another drink and then cleared his throat nervously. “So, about the Mara thing.”

Gabby’s attention was solely on him, and the intensity in her gaze made him wish she would keep looking at her things as he talked.

“There was something wrong with her that morning. Something is
wrong
with her, period. And what you saw was me trying to help her get somewhere so she could sit down.” Lucas paused to see if she might possibly,
hopefully,
believe him. Her expression gave nothing away. “Gabby … she
literally
collapsed into my arms. What should I have done? Let her hit the ground and walk away? I couldn’t do that. Not
then
, anyway.” He stopped and waited for her response.

“Say I believe you … I still want to know why you’re so angry with her. Are you going to tell me now?”

Oh, boy … here we go. How do I bring her back to me without telling her everything?

“That’s complicated.”

“Complicated, huh?”

Then, the staring at each other began and continued for several tense moments.

“Gabby, she means nothing to me. She never really did. Can’t we just leave it at that?”

More staring.

“I don’t know, Lucas.”

Green eyes … dissecting him.

“Can you think about it while we talk about the thing in the hall today?”

Finally, she blinked.

“Sure, Lucas.”

Back to staring.

“Okay … I guess I’ll start. What was so strange about my voice? And why shouldn’t I have known that language? If you know it, why is it such a stretch that I could have heard it before?”

Gabby shifted in her chair and took a chip for the first time, chewing it slowly. Lucas thought it was a delaying tactic. Especially as she took another one, chewing it just as slowly, and then a sip of her drink.

Why doesn’t she want to talk about it? Am I
that
strange to her?

“Gabby … “

She cleared her throat this time. “Yeah,” she said and took another drink. “It’s just hard to explain some things.”

Tell me about it.

“Maybe it’s nothing. I’ve been taught to be overly cautious by my … parents, so maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

“Why do you have to be overly cautious?”

Gabby seemed to ponder this question a little too long.

“They spend most of their time at the island resort they own in Florida, which leaves me alone quite a lot. They just want me to be safe, I guess.”

“Oh.” He didn’t believe her for some reason. But he didn’t care, either. What he did care about was keeping her talking, to spend as much time with her as possible, to figure out how to get them back on track. At least they were communicating.

“So, you’re being over-cautious because you think I might be a danger to you?” His mind flashed to his dream where she seemed threatened by him.

Gabby actually smiled at that suggestion.

Maybe she’s not afraid of me after all?
He thought with more than a little relief.

“Cautious, yes. Because of you being a danger to me, no. I can handle myself pretty well,” she said with a lot of confidence.

“Okay. Then why did you pull away from me?”

More silence, more of those green eyes that seemed capable of penetrating his soul.

“I became worried that things were moving too fast, and that I was more interested in you than I should be.”

That seemed honest.
“Why shouldn’t you be interested in me?”

“Because, Lucas … I don’t usually stay in one place very long. Like I said … we get around.”

She’s not afraid of me; she’s afraid of getting hurt.
That’s
easy to relate to.
“I’m willing to take the chance if you are, Gabby. I have just as much chance of getting hurt here as you do, you know.”

She seemed to feel the honesty in his statement. Her brows softened, and a smile played at the corners of her full, red lips. Something in her eyes made her look happy … a
glow
seemed to be coming from them now. Though it was so subtle, it was probably just his imagination or a trick of the light in the room. But damn … it made them even more beautiful.

“Yeah … you do.”

Lucas took a chance and reached out to take her hands. The strong, warm energy he’d gotten when they’d touched before still happened, and it made him smile. Something about it made him feel connected to her in a way he had never felt with anyone else before.

And that’s just from touching her hands.
To his relief, she didn’t pull away. “Will you take the chance with me, Gabby?” He asked with his eyes even more than with the words he’d spoken. Every ounce of him wanted to be with her. He couldn’t explain it, but it was what it was. He felt she was the answer to questions about things he did not yet understand and of things he had wondered about for years. Her response took so long that he began to think he might be willing to get on his knees and beg when, thankfully, she smiled. Before she opened her mouth to say the words, he knew that she was going to say yes.

“Okay, Lucas. I’ll take that chance, too.”

Those are the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard … in any language.

Chapter Twenty-two

Gabrielle ~ Sisters and Demons

Since returning from Corstorphine with Phalen, the amount of time Gabrielle spent worrying about completing her original task and needing to find the Book had worsened. The days were fewer to do either, but the Book was the main cause of her concern. It was on her mind more and more as though something was prodding her to find it—like a silent, invisible creature harassing her to hurry up and get her hands on the artifact.

While making her way to New Orleans to meet Phalen, Gabrielle reflected on how the week had gone quite unexpectedly.

The conversation with Lucas and their decision to move forward with whatever it was that they were doing had lifted her mood dramatically. She felt like she gave in too easily, but something in his eyes—and the way he made her feel—caused her to push the screaming voice of reason behind the door it came out of and shut it tightly, muffling its disapproval.

That was Monday.

For the rest of the week, she and Lucas spent as much time together as they could. Both arrived early to school, and they spent lunch with Nonie and Nate. Gabrielle was growing fond of Nonie and Nate and found she looked forward to seeing them each day, too. They always made her feel at ease, with the exception of a few times when Nate would watch her intensely. Something about him made her leery of him, but most often, he was enjoyable to be around.

The twins were always laughing and poking fun at each other, themselves, and any innocent or not so innocent person they chose. More times than not, that other person was Lucas, and he seemed to enjoy the banter as much as they did. Gabrielle felt a real bond between them—like Lucas was their brother. With what she’d learned about Lucas’s past and family history, she was glad he had the twins and their family in his life.

Lucas confided in Gabrielle that his mother and father died when he was just a baby. She could tell by the pain in his eyes when he spoke of it that, even though it had happened a very long time ago, he hadn’t come to terms with the loss. From what he’d been told by his grandmother, Emma, who had raised him, they’d died with his grandfather in a home burglary gone wrong. No one had ever been charged. Gabrielle knew she could find out who was responsible and bring them to justice if it hadn’t already been taken care of. However, she shouldn’t. It was for Yahuwah alone to decide when it was time to make someone reap what they’d sown, who would be rewarded or punished.

Gabrielle just decided how the karma would be given, not how severe the punishment or high the reward. She brought happiness, or woe, in thousands of different ways. Sometimes simple, sometimes intricate, sometimes mild, sometimes severe. Then she waited for her next lot from Yahuwah.

Lucas told Gabrielle his grandmother was wonderful to him, but if it hadn’t been for Nonie and Nate and the rest of the Daniels family, he would have been lonely. They were, as Gabrielle had already begun to suspect, his family. Nonie and Nate had a little sister, Chloe, who was seven. And apparently, a very happy and unexpected surprise for their parents, Lizzie and Ben.

Ben was the pastor of a large church just around the corner from where the Daniels family and Lucas lived, and Lizzie was a semi-retired surgeon. Holidays and special occasions always found the two families together, and they frequently ate dinner under the same roof. Really, the two families weren’t separate at all except for the space the pavement and grass placed between their two homes.

Gabrielle enjoyed hearing about the festive times they shared. The funny, and not so funny, stories of escapades the three teens and the rest of the family would find themselves in. She found she wanted to be part of that family somehow, in some way, and was looking forward to meeting the rest of the Daniels crew and Lucas’s grandmother.

Her fourth week of high school had just ended, and tomorrow was Nonie and Nate’s first touch-football game—a weekly event until Christmas. She would get to spend even more time with all of them and was particularly happy that Lucas would be picking her up. Right before leaving school, he said he’d see her at about eleven the next day so they could grab something to eat before the game.

Reminiscing made her mood light, and she began to feel even happier as she neared New Orleans and sensed Phalen. She hadn’t seen her since they crossed over from Corstorphine, back into the human realm, and she’d missed her.

Gabrielle appeared in front of Phalen’s smiling, bubble-blowing face. She still seemed content with the appearance of the fair-haired, blue-eyed beauty that she created the first day they came to Earth together.

“Hey, sister! Ready for a little treasure hunting?” Phalen asked as she gave Gabrielle a hug.

“You bet!” Gabrielle answered in an unusually jovial tone and then started walking down one of the city’s now darkened, deserted alleys, whistling as she did.

“Whoa, sister … what’s with the merriment? Did I miss the news flash that we’ve won the war, or what?”

Gabrielle just looked over her shoulder and smiled, then resumed whistling.

Phalen materialized right in front of her. “Gabrielle … this is about the
human
, Lucas. Isn’t it?”

Gabrielle stopped whistling. The concern in Phalen’s voice had opened up that door and let the damn voice of reason out. It told her that the worry in Phalen’s voice was warranted, which she knew without the reminder.

“Yeah …” she responded, “and don’t do that again. This alley might look deserted, but it’s still New Orleans with a lot of humans. All those humans have a set of eyes.” Gabrielle dematerialized and rematerialized deeper within the shadows between the buildings. It was a humid late September night, and there was electricity in the air, warning of an approaching storm. Phalen’s concern is what dampened her mood, though. And Gabrielle was sure, if she could have seen her own expression being reflected back, she would have looked as if she’d been defeated in some major battle, waiting to find out if her life was going to be spared. It was a quick shift from the happiness she was feeling moments before.

Phalen manifested in front of her again.

“I thought I just told you not to do that!”

“Well …
you
just did it!”

“I made sure to put up a veil before I did it so no one could see.”

“Then they wouldn’t have just seen me, either, because so did I.”

“When did you receive the ability to veil yourself so thoroughly? And why didn’t you tell me so I wouldn’t worry about needing to do it?”

“Amaziah bestowed it on me right before I came to meet you. I haven’t had the chance to tell you, yet.”

The two angels stared at each other, Phalen’s brows pinched, apparently from concern and irritation. Again, Gabrielle thought of how much she liked and respected Phalen for not being intimidated by her. Phalen eyed Gabrielle, but her eyes and brow gradually relaxed.

“Hey, I’m not going to go blab about your thing with Lucas, you know. I just don’t want to see you end up down here permanently … if you know what I mean. Partially because I’d miss you too much, but mostly because I don’t want to fight you. Especially since, even in that weakened form, I’m pretty sure you’d still school me in combat.”

“I could never hurt you, Phalen.”

“Hmm … that’s both a relief,
and
very scary.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said you wouldn’t hurt me which is, of course, a huge relief. Because you and I both know that, even stripped of most of your powers, you’d still make easy work of me. But the very scary part is that you didn’t say you weren’t willing to be cast from Heaven for this human.” Phalen paused. “Gabrielle … you’re not willing to fall for him … are you? And I mean the end of you being
you
kind of fall.”

“I know what you mean, Phalen, and I want to say no. But … I am having a more difficult time keeping that line in view every moment I spend with him.”

Phalen began to aggressively pace back and forth across the width of the alley. “You’re starting to make me mad, Gabrielle. And what makes me even angrier is that I can’t fight you about it! I
should
tell Amaziah about this. Then, he could
force
you back to Heaven. But … that wouldn’t do any good, because you have to come back to Earth as The Angel of Karma.” She stopped pacing and glared at Gabrielle with narrowed eyes. “And both of us know you’d be able to find plenty of reasons to
have
to come back. Wouldn’t you?”

Gabrielle didn’t answer. Phalen was right about everything. But what really got to her was that Phalen cared that much about her. She’d grown fond of Phalen but had no idea that she felt so strongly about their friendship, too. Phalen’s habit of calling her sister suddenly took on new meaning and importance to Gabrielle.

Phalen leaned against the brick wall of one of the buildings, looking defeated.

“Hey …” Gabrielle said, “I promise to be careful. Okay?”

“Can you promise to leave him alone?”

“No … that’s something I can’t promise. At least, not right now.”

They looked at each other for several long moments. Gabrielle couldn’t take the sadness and concern etched into Phalen’s expression anymore.

“Hey, where’s that offer of gum you’re becoming famous for when you want to lighten up a situation?”

Phalen looked at her a little longer before answering. “Sorry … I’m not feeling very bubbly right now.”

After walking the rest of the way through the alley, across a street, and into another alley in silence, Phalen finally spoke.

“So, tell me who, or
what
, are we meeting down here again?” Phalen handed Gabrielle a piece of gum as she popped a piece into her own mouth.

“Guess not feeling bubbly didn’t last very long,” Gabrielle commented. Phalen responded by sticking out her tongue. “We are here to talk to Ka’awa.”

“Yeah … that’s right,” Phalen commented sarcastically. “A
demon.
Or at least, a
half-demon
. What kind of evil little sprite is he mixed with? And can you tell me
why
we are talking to a demon about this?”

“Because this particular
demon
has an interesting ability. Concerning which of the Gentry he is mixed with, I don’t know. I don’t particularly care. He’s just someone who might be able to help.”

“How so?”

“There are things he may know,
if
we can actually get it out of him, that Yahuwah won’t because of the deal Yahuwah made with Ramai. Ka’awa seems to have inherited a talent from one of his parents … an extremely powerful one. He’s a very proficient Seer. Though, he still may not know anything about the Book.”

A look of understanding washed over Phalen’s face. “Gotcha.”

“Ahh … Gabrielle, so nice to finally meet you.”

The voice came before Ka’awa’s physical body appeared in front of them, blocking their way.

“Ka’awa,” Gabrielle came to a stop.

Gabrielle and Phalen stood across from the rather menacing, smiling figure. Ka’awa was tall, thickly built, and definitely looked like a demon even with the glamour concealing his appearance. His hair was black and slicked back; his eyes were a strange mustard color that seemed to glow faintly. She wondered if the strangeness of his eyes had anything to do with him being a proficient Seer of the world and what happens in it.

Lightning briefly illuminated the darkness of the alley but had done so just long enough for Gabrielle to notice the light reflect off a black stone pendant hanging from a leather strap around his neck. Something about the piece of jewelry sent off alarms in her mind.

Is it an amulet?

Her concern worsened when he noticed her focus on it and then quickly moved it under his shirt.

“I have heard so much about you, Gabrielle,” he stated. “Your incredible powers are spoken of in the Underworld and Shadow World in great detail. I have often wondered,
hoped
really, that I would one day have the opportunity to address you personally.” Ka’awa’s smile took on a harder edge. “It would entertain me to find out who between the two of us has more power.”

Phalen’s posture immediately switched into a fighting position. Ka’awa simply winked at her, which Gabrielle could tell didn’t faze Phalen as she blew and then sucked back in a bubble. Gabrielle wondered why he thought he might be a match for her. His hand absently moved to the pendant as if he was reassuring himself it was still there. The motion sent a fresh wave of concern through her, furthering her interest in the stone.

Gabrielle smiled and put her hand on Phalen’s shoulder without taking her eyes off the half-demon. She suddenly wanted to know more about his parents, sensing he was more of a threat than anyone thought.

“Yes, Ka’awa, I would be quite entertained by that, myself.” Gabrielle felt Phalen’s body return to a more relaxed position under her hand. “This is not the time for games, however.”

“Of course, Gabrielle. How, exactly, can I be of assistance to The Angel of Karma?”

“I bet you already have that answer, Ka’awa.”

He smiled larger and chuckled. Both were unfriendly.

“Ahh … I see my reputation reaches even the loftiness of Heaven.”

“It is known.”

“Well, I will try to stay out of my normal habit of riddles and games … for
you
,” Ka’awa stated in the most believable tone that Gabrielle thought he was capable of, though she knew it was far from the reality of his true intentions. Seeming to know he hadn’t fooled her, he chuckled and winked again, this time at her. “I believe you are looking for a certain book. Is that correct?”