Ascension (Book 4, The Watcher Chronicles) (2 page)

“You
do
know I have a stubborn streak right?”

Mason grins. “Yes, I’m fully aware of your stubborn streak. It’s something I hope to curb during our life together.”

I feel my mouth stretch into a real smile. “That should be interesting to watch you attempt.”

“Don’t underestimate my powers of persuasion,” Mason teases.

I lay my head on his chest and take the first deep breath I’ve had all night. I feel the tension of the day ebb away as we hold one another and find myself wanting to just curl up against Mason’s warmth like a kitten in front of a blazing fire.

Mason pulls away from me and picks me up, cradling me in his arms like I’m a child.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Taking you to bed, woman.”

“Do you plan to have your way with me?” I murmur.

Mason shakes his head. “No, not tonight. I think you’re more tired than you realize.”

Mason lays me down on the bed and proceeds to take my boots and socks off. He does the same with his own shoes and socks and we both crawl underneath the covers. Mason pulls them completely over our heads and holds them up slightly with a crooked arm so it’s almost like a tent.

“What are you doing?” I ask, smiling because the action makes me feel like I’m a kid again.

“Hiding from the world,” he whispers. “Do you think it will work?”

I laugh. “Have I told you what a goof you are?”

He smiles. “A couple of times now, but as long as it makes you laugh, I’ll keep doing it.”

He folds the top of the covers down and pulls me into his arms.

He presses his lips softly to the center of my forehead and says, “Now, get some rest. I’ll keep you safe.”

I snuggle as close as I can to Mason because no matter what happens in our lives I know I will always be safe in his arms.

Chapter 2

While I take a shower at Mason’s the next morning, he goes to my house to retrieve some fresh clothes for me. I stand in the large walk-in shower allowing the warmth of the water to drench my skin, washing what remains of the day before from my body and clearing my mind in order to deal with the new day ahead.

I hear the door to the shower open and turn my head towards it. Mason steps in completely nude, and I feel my heart begin to race at the sight of him. He doesn’t say anything as he walks up to me and he doesn’t need to. He comes to stand behind me, sharing the feel of the warm cascading water as he cups my breasts with each of his hands and begins to kiss the back of my neck. I sigh contentedly, my whole body rejoicing in the knowledge that the man I’m with treasures me. I turn into him and allow my mouth to graze his lips gently, my wet body slides against his leaving no doubt that I want him. I feel his own growing need rise, and I know he wants me too. But Mason doesn’t seem to be in any hurry as he pulls me fully against him, devouring my mouth and teasing my body with his hands to a point where I think I’ll go mad with want.

Finally, he leans me back against the warmed tiles of the shower wall and eases into me, finding the place within my body only meant for him. As always, Mason satisfies my passion for him more than once before finally allowing himself to assuage his own need.

I cling to him afterwards and begin to cry.

“Jess,” he says, holding me close, “why are you crying?”

I shake my head. “I’m not sad,” I reassure him, trying to stop the flow of my tears. “You make me feel overwhelmed sometimes. I honestly never thought I would find someone like you. You’re a little too good to be true, you know.”

Mason pulls back and looks down at me. The tenderness he holds for me in his heart shows clearly in his deep blue eyes.

“It’s all your fault,” he tells me, his eyes filled with wonder as he looks at me. “You make me want to be the man who deserves a woman like you.”

And, of course, this sweet declaration only makes me cry harder.

Mason holds me and doesn’t say anything. Once I’m able to pull myself together, he brings me back underneath the gentle flow of water and gently washes my tear stained face.

After we dress, Mason and I go back to my house. Chandler is still unconscious, but Rafe seems to think it’s only a matter of time before he wakes up.

“Physically, he’s in good shape,” Rafe tells me. “I feel confident he’ll awaken sometime today.”

“Leah should be waking up today too,” I say as I turn to Mason. “Could you go to the villa and make sure she and Remy are all right?  I really want to be here for Chandler.”

Mason kisses me. “Be right back.”

Mason isn’t gone long, maybe fifteen minutes.

“She’s still asleep,” he tells me, resting a comforting hand on my shoulder as I sit on the side of the bed next to Chandler. “Do you need anything?  Is there anything I can get you while you wait?”

I close my eyes and rub my cheek against the hand Mason has on my shoulder.

“You’re all I need,” I tell him.

“You guys aren’t going to be getting matches in front of me are you?”

I open my eyes and see Chandler looking at me with laughter in his eyes and a teasing smile on his face.

I lie down on his chest and hug him tightly.

“God you scared me,” I say, letting him know how truly worried I was for him.

He puts his arms around me too.

“Thanks for rescuing me,” he tells me.

I shake my head against his chest. “They never would have taken you if it wasn’t for me.”

“Don’t say that, Jess. We all know the danger we’re in and accept that. You need to stop feeling like you have to take responsibility for every bad thing that happens.”

He’s right of course. I do feel like I need to shoulder the responsibility for everything that happens to all of them. But Chandler’s torture was caused by something I directly did, or didn’t do in this case. If I had just come clean with Lucifer earlier, Baal and Levi wouldn’t have felt the need to use Chandler’s life to blackmail me into telling them my secret.

I sit back up. “How do you feel?”

“Honestly?  My back itches. Would you mind scratching it?”

“Flip over.”

Chandler lies on his stomach and I use my nails to run them up and down his back.

“I think when Rafe healed you it made new skin,” I tell him.

“Aww, man, you mean I don’t have any killer scars to impress the ladies with?  I thought I would at least get that out of the deal.”

I laugh. “No. In fact, your back is as smooth as a baby’s bottom.”

“And how is our patient?” Rafe asks, walking into the room with my dad following in behind him.

Chandler sits up. I stand and walk over to my dad and Mason so Rafe can check Chandler out for himself.

After his examination, Rafe says, “You look fine physically, but what about mentally, any lingering shock or feelings of terror?”

“Honestly, Chamuel helped me during the worst of the torture. He mentally took me somewhere else while it was happening. So, no, I’m not mentally scarred if that’s what you’re asking.”

Rafe nods. “Good.”

My dad turns to me and says, “Now that Chandler’s well, I should really be getting back to the Guf.”

I give him a big hug. “Thanks for everything.”

He hugs me back. “Anytime, Jessi. You know that.”

After my dad leaves, I tell Rafe and Chandler, “I want us all to gather again when Leah wakes up. If things go well, we should be able to find the last vessel today. Rafe, you’ll need to start the process of connecting to your archangel afterwards. The sooner we get that done the better.”

“After we find the last archangel, then what do we do?” Chandler asks.

I shrug “Then we wait I guess.”

“Wait for Lucifer to do something?” Rafe asks me.

“Yes.”  I look at Chandler. “I need to tell you what happened between me and him last night too.”

I tell Chandler everything from me offering Lucifer his crown to his death threat if he ever saw me again.

“Are you ok?” Chandler asks, knowing the deep impact my confrontation with Lucifer would have on me.

“I would be lying if I said I was fine,” I tell him, not seeing any reason to lie or hide my pain from Chandler. “But I’ll find a way to deal with it.”

I look over at Mason.

“Could you take me to see Zack?  We should make sure we can get him out of the hospital today.”

Mason phases us to the Ronald Reagan Medical Center where Zack is. When we knock on his hospital door, a woman answers it.

She’s a young, petite brunette with delicate features. She’s dressed in a dark blue skirt and jacket opened in front revealing a white shirt with vertical ruffles on the front. She looks like someone who might be a lawyer or business professional of some sort.

“Jess?” She asks me.

“Maggie?” I ask in return, assuming she has to be Zack’s sister.

Maggie holds her hand out to me with a friendly smile. I shake her offered hand and find her handshake firm and confident.

“Come on in. He’s been waiting for you to return,” Maggie says. “I was just going down to get some coffee. Would either of you like some?”

Mason and I thank her but decline her generous offer.

After Maggie leaves, we walk into the room and find Zack sitting up in his bed looking at me expectantly.

The bandage around his head is gone and I see that he has short brown hair. His youthful, handsome face holds an easy smile when he sees me and his green eyes dance with happiness.

“Did you find Chandler?” He asks.

“Yes,” I tell him, coming to sit beside him on the bed. “A lot happened last night, actually.”

I go on to tell Zack everything that happened the day and night before.

The sharp stings from my losses are still too fresh. I try to stop the tears which reveal the misery I feel but am helpless to stem their flow, physically manifesting my sorrow and heartbreak.

Zack places one of his hands on top of mine folded in my lap.

“I wish I could take away your pain,” Zack tells me, his voice filled with heartfelt compassion.

I feel comforting warmth emanate from Zack’s hand and pass throughout my body like a fire chasing away the coldness of my misery. I instantly stop crying. The sharp ache in my chest which felt like a knife piercing the deepest recesses of my heart eases into a dull, manageable throb.

“What did you do?” I ask Zack, wiping the tears from my cheeks, feeling clear headed for the first time since the upheaval of the night before.

Zack looks confused and lifts his hand from mine.

“I…I don’t know,” he stammers.

“I think I do,” Mason says from his spot at the end of Zack’s bed.

We both look at Mason waiting for his explanation.

“Zadkiel had the gift of easing emotional wounds by giving counsel. After the war with Lucifer, he was sought after by many of us to ease the pain of our loss and make it bearable to go on. I believe that’s your gift from him.”

“Your crown should be giving off its beacon now then,” I tell Zack. I look over my shoulder at Mason. “What do you think his talisman is?”

Mason’s pretty much known what everyone’s talisman should be so far. I have to assume he’s given some thought to what Zack’s is since his hunch about his gift proved to be true.

“Zadkiel was the angel of mercy. He was the one sent to stop Abraham from sacrificing his son to God. I’m assuming it’s probably the dagger Abraham was going to use.”

“Which is where now?” I ask.

“I’m not sure where Zadkiel would have put the dagger after taking it from Abraham. As soon as Zack is ready, we should go to Mount Moriah where the sacrifice was to take place and see if he senses a clue there to point us in the right direction.”