Kindred (The Watcher Chronicles #2) (11 page)

I place my hand in his and say, "Ok," rendered almost completely speechless by his explanation and feeling like the most loved and desired woman in the world, a feeling I’ve never experienced before.

Mason phases us to my living room.  Isaiah is sitting on my couch texting something on his phone.

"I'll be back in an hour," Mason tells Isaiah.

Isaiah nods in understanding.

Mason looks back at me and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I'll be back, but you should go on to bed and get some rest."

I nod like an obedient child.  "Ok."

Mason kisses me one more time and phases.

I stand there staring at where he stood only seconds before, finding it hard to move from my spot.

"Are you all right, Jess?"  Isaiah asks.

I look at Isaiah and feel myself start to smile.

"I'm perfect," I tell him, feeling completely and utterly happy.

I go into my bedroom and change into my favorite pink flannel pajamas.  When I lay down in my bed, my mind is going ninety to nothing reliving my evening with Mason over and over again.  I hug the pillow on Mason's side of the bed to me, watching the minutes slowly creep by on the digital clock on my nightstand, knowing if I just wait a little while longer, he'll be back.

Sometime around the half hour mark I fall asleep.  When I wake up, I see that it's two in the morning.  I hop out of bed rubbing the sleep from my eyes and walk into the living room.  Mason is sitting on the couch reading a book.

"I tried to stay up until you got back," I tell him, crawling onto the couch beside him. 

Mason puts his book down and draws me closer to him, cradling me in his arms and letting me rest my head on his chest.

"Well I'm glad you didn't," he says, caressing the side of my face tenderly.  "You need your sleep.  You're still not completely healed yet."

The warmth of his body and my own tiredness make me feel drowsy.

"Why did you have to leave before?" I ask.

"I needed to do some things," Mason says vaguely.

"Like what?" I ask, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Like take a cold shower before I came back here to be with you all night."

I know the reason for the cold shower and smile.

"Then come lay with me in my bed," I say.  "My chastity should be safe for tonight."

Mason chuckles.  I like the feeling his laughter invokes within my soul, all happiness, sunshine and butterflies.

Mason lifts me easily as he stands and walks into my bedroom.  Gently, he lays me down on my side of the bed and tucks me underneath the comforter.  I hear him take his shoes off before he crawls into the other side and pulls me into his arms.

He plants a gentle kiss on my forehead before saying, "Sweet dreams, Jess."

I smile because I know that's exactly what I'll have.

Chapter 9

I wake up the next morning cocooned in warmth.  Mason's arms are around me and one of his legs is draped over mine.  I snuggle my head against his chest and sigh contentedly, certain life can't get any better.

I hear the creak of a rocking chair in motion on the front porch.  I close my eyes and mentally say a few choice words because I know who is waiting for me outside.  Not wanting to disturb Mason's sleep, I slowly extricate myself from his hold to get out of bed.  I grab my purple fox trimmed coat from the closet and slip on a pair of slippers before stepping out my front door.

"Good morning," Lucifer says to me, bringing the rocking chair to a stand still.

"Morning," I say, stifling a yawn with the back of my hand.

I lean my back against the porch railing in front of him.  He's dressed rather sharply in a black tuxedo covered up mostly by a black wool coat.

"I haven't felt you lately," Lucifer says to me.  "So I decided to come and check to make sure you're still alive."

"I've been healing."

"Healing from what?"

"From Asmodeus and Mammon trying to kill me."

The brewing storm which enters Lucifer's eyes reminds me of a tornado I saw once when I was a child.  A dark swirl of anger encompasses his face and I half expect the ground beneath my feet to begin trembling from his wrath.

"They did what?" He asks menacingly, tempering his anger as much as he can in my presence.

I go on to tell Lucifer what happened the night of the attack, glossing over how I was able to escape, of course.

Even though his anger isn't directed towards me, I can feel the heat of Lucifer's rage like a blazing fire against my skin.  I'm just thankful I won't be on the receiving end of his full fury.

"You will not be attacked again," he promises me.  "I would have thought Mammon had more sense than Asmodeus but I guess I was wrong.  They will pay for what they did to you.  I can promise you that."

"Why do you keep them around?" I ask.  "They obviously don't seem to trust your judgment because of your insistence on keeping me safe.  Are they really that important to your plan?"

Lucifer sighs.  "As soon as I'm through with them, I'll send them back where they belong.  Until that time, I need their power to find the others."

"What are you planning?" I ask, desperately hoping he'll tell me, or at least give me one small clue to know what we're up against.

Lucifer stands and walks the short distance to me.  He raises his hand to gently run the knuckle of his index finger across my cheek.  I instantly wonder what he's thinking and feeling.

The bracelet around my wrist becomes warm.  Before I even realize it, I know exactly how Lucifer feels about me.

He feels torn between his need to accomplish some great task and his desire to keep me protected.  I know he desperately wants me to know him better, to fully understand him.  Confusion seems to be the predominate emotion he feels when he looks at me, like he can't quite understand why I mean anything to him.  I'm just a human after all.  Why should he care whether or not I live or die?  But he knows I'm more than just a mere human, just not more of what.  He doesn't feel love for me, not exactly.  His curiosity about me makes him yearn to be around me, and I know he'll use any excuse from now on to come see me more often.

"I need to leave now," he says, dropping his hand back to his side.

The front door opens and Mason steps out.

Lucifer looks at Mason's disheveled appearance, wrinkled clothes and haphazard hair.  It's painfully obvious Mason's just gotten out of bed. 

Lucifer's eyes narrow on Mason.  "Mason."

"Lucifer," Mason replies, saying Lucifer's name like it's a cuss word.

"I hope you're treating Jess with the respect she deserves and not just using her like the other women I’ve seen you with."

"I love her," Mason says, making sure Lucifer knows how he feels about me.

"I suspected as much," Lucifer says.  He turns back to look at me.  "I can't say I approve of your choice in men, but I suppose you could have done worse.  At least I know he's not one to say those words lightly like human men are want to do.  I assume you love him as well?"

I nod.  "Yes.  I love him."

"No accounting for taste, I suppose" he says, like he's disappointed in me.  "I'm leaving now.  You have nothing to worry about as far as your physical safety is concerned.  The princes and the Watchers under my command will not be bothering you again.  You have my word on that.  After I get through with Asmodeus and Mammon, they won't even think your name much less try to hatch a plan to harm you."

Lucifer looks over at Mason.  "And if you hurt her, well, you know what I can do to you."

"I'm fully aware," Mason says, crossing his arms over his chest, staring hard at Lucifer.

"Then I will leave the two of you for now."  Lucifer looks back at me.  "But I will be back."

Lucifer phases and Mason walks up to me, wrapping his arms around me.

"What were you thinking coming out here alone to talk to him?" He questions.  "Why didn't you wake me up?"

I encircle his waist with my arms and lay my head on his chest.

"I didn't want you to worry.  Plus, you looked so comfortable in bed, I didn't want to wake you.  You know I needed to talk to him anyway, to tell him what happened."

"At least we don't have to worry about you being abducted again," Mason says, kissing the top of my head.

"At least," I agree.

"Hey you two!"

I lift my head from Mason's chest and see John Austin walking up the steps to my porch with a white cardboard box in his hands.  Even from where I'm standing, I can smell the heavenly aroma of Beau's cinnamon rolls.

"Hey John Austin, is it Wednesday already?" I ask, knowing the answer but feeling a need to ask it anyway.

"Got proof in the box that it is." John Austin smiles at us.  "Mama Lynn asked me to go fetch the two of you some rolls this morning.  She said you guys would probably be hungry after last night."

The amused twinkle in John Austin's eyes tells me he suspects Mason and I might be hungry from some suspected physical exertion from the night before. 

I reach for the box and murmur a low, "Thanks."  Suddenly feeling like a tainted woman when I am anything but.

"Well," John Austin says, "I'll let the two of you enjoy your breakfast.  See you later."

After John Austin leaves, I feel like burying my head inside the box in my hands.  I look up at Mason and notice he’s wearing an amused smile.

"Why are you smiling?" I ask.

Mason looks down at me.  "Because apparently your family thinks I'm completely irresistible to you.  They already think I've had my way with you, and if Faison has her way, we'll be married before I even get to ask the question."

I slowly open the lid to the box in front of my face to hide from Mason's laughing eyes.  I feel the lid being pushed down gently and have no other recourse but to look up at Mason who still looks amused by my family’s actions.

"You know I don't mind," he says gently.  "I'm glad they think we belong together."

My heart dissolves into a puddle of bliss because of the earnest expression on Mason’s face.  I know he means what he says but I still can't believe someone like him can love someone like me the way he professes to.  I'm just a nobody from a small rural town who fell into a life filled with more wonder than I ever thought could exist.

"How can you look so irresistible when you've just rolled out of bed?" I ask, marveling at the beauty of the man standing in front of me.  "It's not fair you know.  I'm sure I look like a hot mess."

Mason smiles and I instantly see his want for me spark in the depths of his eyes.

"How long will it take to make you understand how incredibly gorgeous and sexy you are?  Even in pink flannel pajamas all I can think about is making love to you."

I feel my body begin to tingle from the tiny hair follicles on my head to the very tips of my toes.  I want nothing more than for the man standing in front of me to take me in his arms and show me what making love is supposed to feel like.

But, a small part of my psyche sends up a red hot flare signaling that the time isn't right yet.  I should simply enjoy these small moments with Mason because I have no idea what will happen if we try to make love. 

How will I react?  Will it dredge up memories from my past that will taint what is meant to be a sharing of our minds, bodies and souls?  Or will I run away from him, not having the courage to fight against the demons from my past which are sure to rear their ugly heads?

Mason seems to sense my internal struggle because the flames of lust in his eyes suddenly become contained.

He smiles at me, making my body relax because I know the discussion is over for now.

"Come on," he says, taking the box of rolls out of my hands.  "Let's go inside and eat."

While we're sitting at the table in the kitchen, I remember to ask Mason about some things Lucifer mentioned.

“What is it that Lucifer can do to you?” I ask.  “He’s always threatening that he can hurt you but neither of you have said how exactly.”

“He could kill me if he wanted to,” Mason says.

I stop eating.  I place the roll in my hands back on my plate and give Mason my full attention.

“What do you mean he could kill you?”

“It’s basically the same power you have, Jess.  When you killed the changeling that first night we met and what you and Chandler did to Baruch, that’s the power of an archangel.  He could turn me into a pile of ash with one touch.”

“Why hasn’t he then?  If he considers you a threat, why hasn’t he just killed you off?”

“Then where would the fun be for him?  He likes to taunt people, me especially I think.”

I decide to switch the topic from death because Lucifer killing Mason is not something I want to even consider as a possibility.

“Lucifer also told me that the princes of Hell all had their own specialty.  What did he mean by that?”

“You’ve heard of the seven deadly sins, right?”

“Yes.”

“Each of the princes is in charge of one.”

“What are Asmodeus and Mammon in charge of?”

“Asmodeus’ specialty is lust and Mammon’s is greed.  They’re each capable of evoking those emotions in humans.”

There is a knock at the door.

Mason goes to answer it and comes back with someone I wasn't expecting to see, Malcolm.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," Malcolm tells me.

He's dressed in a white shirt open at the front and a pair of white twill pants and tan sandals.

"What brings you here, Malcolm?" Mason asks in his usual brusque way when speaking to others.

It makes me realize how different Mason is when it’s just the two of us together.  When he’s with me, he’s much more relaxed.  He’s able to joke, tease and laugh with me.  With others, he’s curt, short-spoken even.  It’s just another example of how much our relationship has grown since the first night we met.

"Lilly wanted to know if Jess is well enough to speak with her today."

I stare at Malcolm, suddenly becoming nervous.

"I'll speak with her," I hear myself say, but the words aren't mine.

I was actually thinking about asking for a few more days before I had to face her but apparently Michael had other ideas.  It's the first time he's used me in such a way and I find that I don't like it.  Not one bit.