The Light Who Shines (19 page)

Blackwater smiles in satisfaction before addressing Jack
again. “It’s a shame about the boy at the Cock and Bull. Jason, wasn’t it? Have
you captured the perpetrator yet?”

Jack clears his throat. “Unfortunately, I can’t comment on
an ongoing case.”

Mr. Blackwater narrows his eyes slightly. Jack is being
coolly aloof when I expect charm and grace from him. He could have at least
acknowledged Mr. Blackwater’s concern.

Mr. Blackwater puffs himself up a bit. “Well, as an elected
official of this city, I am of course concerned for all our citizens.”

Jack replies smoothly, “Of course.” Then a heavily pregnant
silence follows, and I continue studying their faces curiously. Jack’s face is
irreproachably calm and emotionless, and Mr. Blackwater’s face is painted with a
smug smile that doesn’t quite match with the repressed rage I sense rolling off
him.

Blackwater finally says, “Well, I must say hello to Mr.
Abrams. Good evening to you, Inspectors.”

Jack nods in acknowledgement, and Mr. Blackwater saunters
off in the direction of the crowd milling by the ballroom entrance.

Just as I am about to ask Jack what that was about, Mrs.
Glenwood appears on the second floor landing cradling a white and silver
pointed cat to her breast. She seems oblivious to the considerable amount of
dust on her dress as she comes down the stairs and heads directly to me, all
the while cooing, “I’ve got you, girl. Don’t worry. I’ve got you now. And we
are going to have a nice big meal for you in just one minute.” I feel
overwhelming joy coming from Mrs. Glenwood now.

When she gets to me, her eyes are brimming with tears.
“Thank you so much, Bluebell. If there is anything I can ever do for you,
please let me know. I’m in your debt.“ When she’s finished, she doesn’t wait
for me to respond but leans in to give me a quick peck on the cheek and heads
off, murmuring to Cleopatra, “Let’s get you something to eat and drink, my
precious girl.”

Jack looks at me and asks, “How did you know something was
up there?”

I don’t really know myself, so I reply, “I just felt like
something was tugging on my unconscious. I usually can’t feel animal souls, so
I’m not sure what brought my attention to it.”

Just then we hear someone broadcast that the auction winners
are about to be announced.

“Shall we?” asks Jack.

I put my arm in his and we return to the ballroom.

Later, on our way home, surrounded by the smell of leather
in Jack’s car, I reflect on what a wonderful evening it’s been. Jack won a
magical chess set and generously donated it to the orphanage. Once you start
the game, the pieces can’t be jostled out of place and can only be moved in
turn. If you cheat, the board loudly announced you as a charlatan. And I couldn’t
be more pleased with my prize because I hold my beautiful crystal decanter in
my hands.

Bluebell Kildare: May 28, 2022, Red Ages

Jack pulls up in front of my building, and before I can blink
he opens the passenger door for me. Taking my hand in his, he helps me out and
says, “I’ll see you to your door.”

When we arrive, I nervously reach for my keys in my handbag.
Should I invite him in? Will he ask for a kiss? Do we pretend like nothing unusual
happened tonight? My keys snag on the clasp of my purse, and drop to the floor
in front of the door. I feel my face flush with embarrassment as I quickly
reach down to grab them.

When I stand and begin to put the key in the lock, I feel
Jack run his thumb over my bare shoulder. That is all it takes for all my
nerves to thrum to life again. My shawl has dropped, and my birthmark is
exposed. I look behind me and see that he’s examining my birthmark, tracing it round
and round with the tip of his finger. Shivers of pleasure run through me. My
birthmark is a circle with a dot in the middle in raised pink flesh. Outside of
the circle lies another circle in darker pink with wavy edges. This simple
touch of fingertips on my bare skin makes my knees melt. I lean back slightly
into Jack’s hard body behind me.

Jack says in a husky voice, “You have a birth mark.”

“I’ve read it’s a symbol of the sun and the sacred circle of
the Goddess of Light.“

Jack rubs his thumb over it again, making my insides feel
like molten lava. He whispers with a catch in his voice now, “It’s also the
symbol of fertility, rebirth, and the soul.” Jack reaches around me, his arm
burning me like a brand as he gently takes the keys from my hand that I now
realize has dropped uselessly at my side. He opens the door.

As the door swings inward, Jack sniffs and quickly pulls me
behind him. He enters, approaching Varg who is sitting in the middle of the
living room. From where I stand, all I see are two glowing yellow eyes.

“Someone has entered,” Jack announces as he turns on the
light. He nods toward Varg and a small pool of blood on the floor in front of him.
Next to him, my coffee table lies on its side and the jar of scented oil I used
earlier today is reduced to a pile of shards covered in a wet, oily mess. The
scent of lavender and mint overpowers the room.

Varg looks relaxed and satisfied, so I guess the threat has
gone, but still I feel somewhat shaken and very angry. Someone was in my
apartment! This is my home, my first haven from the world. No one has a right
to enter without my approval. I feel like my rights have been extremely
violated.

My eyesight dims as I send my sixth sense out, looking for
the presence of another soul just to be sure the intruder has gone. From Jack’s
direction I sense the intense glow of his soul. I’ve never opened up my sixth
sense around him like this before. I’m stunned by the depth and power of his
soul’s light. I can feel the border of black taint from Lilith’s mark hovering
around the edges of his essence, trapping it. It infuriates me. But beneath
that, from the core of his soul, I feel a strong sense of compassion and mercy.
Oddly enough, I sense in equal measure their oft adversary, justice. I could
discern more with time, but I’m keenly aware that I’m infringing on his
privacy.

I force my sixth sense away from Jack, and encountering no
other souls in the apartment, I focus my attention to the lingering emotions. Stepping
toward Varg, the feeling of rage and frustration hits me like a blow. Beneath
that, I feel in small portions both fear and pain. How interesting that the
intruder’s rage and frustration so superseded the pain of his injury from Varg.
It smacks of an unbalanced mind when frustration wins over self-preservation. I
circle the area, feeling the outer edges, but I encounter no sign that the
trespasser moved beyond the center of the room.

I take a few steps toward the sliding glass doors and smack
into a feeling of such intense lust and passion, I feel a burning at my core,
radiating out though my entire body, making every nerve tingle yet again. Holy Plane
of Fire! Immediately I snap off my sixth sense, letting the reality of the room
soothe my senses. I know who was standing in this spot earlier today. A warmth
starts to creep up my neck and into my cheeks, which I quickly try to control as
I watch Jack do his work.

He’s become a blur of motion, checking the perimeter of the
apartment, scenting and searching.

I call Varg to me to make sure he isn’t bleeding. As he
stands, I see a piece of torn cloth that had been hidden under his paw. Varg
submits to my inspection with dignity and seems perfectly hale and hearty. I breathe
a sigh of relief that he’s not harmed.

When Jack finds nothing, he returns to us. I get my work pack
and lift the torn cloth gingerly from the floor with my gloved hands, looking
at it closely from all angles. It’s a fine, woven black fabric with a seamed
edge. “I think it’s a piece of trouser,” I say.

Jack sniffs it and growls in frustration. “I can’t smell
anything under the scent of the oil that splashed on it!”

Sighing, I place it in an evidence bag anyway, and we look about
the room for other clues.

Jack moves more slowly, scenting around the perimeter of the
room, trying to find the point of entry. He takes his time before turning to
me. “Whoever it was did not break in. They portaled in. There’s no scent on the
boundaries of the room.”

“I know. I have the entire exterior of the place warded.”

Jack starts methodically searching the rest of the
apartment. I call out to stop him. “Jack, there’s no one here. I would feel
them.”

“I know. I’m checking to see if he went anywhere, but it
looks like he portaled into the middle of Varg’s lap and left immediately.”

His brow is furrowed when he returns to me with a grim
expression. He announces, “I think I should stay here tonight.” Then he adds
firmly, “On the couch.” He looks coolly at me, and it feels like a slap in the
face.

A flash of anger goes through me. I might have wanted him to
stay ten minutes ago, but only if he wanted to be with me. Not because he feels
like he has to protect me! He really needs to learn to take me seriously. Plus,
perhaps irrationally, I feel I’ve just been rejected.

“Absolutely not!” I say as I throw my handbag down. “I
already told you no! I have weapons. I have a wolf that has already scared
whoever it was away. Plus, I can sense souls, so no one can surprise me.” I
march toward the door and open it for him. My invitation for him to leave is
glaringly clear.

Jack nods and silently leaves. I slam the door after him.
“Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out!” I mutter.

Jack Tanner: May 28, 2022, Red Ages

I chuckle as Blue slams the door behind me while muttering
some very unladylike things. She definitely has spirit. With a sense of relief,
I pull in a deep draft of fresh air. Her sent is so strong inside that it practically
drives me wild. To smell it all around me all night and know she was just a few
feet away would have been slow torture.

My blood turns cold again as I think of an intruder entering
her apartment. The threat is significant. Obviously there is no question about
whether or not I’m watching out for her tonight despite her protests. The only
real question there ever was was where I’d be watching from.

I drive my car a few blocks down and run back toward the
building. I see Blue and Varg emerge from the doorway, taking their nighttime
walk. I follow them from a few blocks behind, keeping to the shadows. Varg is
aware of my presence and glances back occasionally, but he’s unconcerned. I’m reminded
again to be grateful that she found the beast.

When they finally return to the apartment, I scale the
building. I pause on the wall outside Blue’s kitchen, and the feel of her
nearness calls to me. I splay my right hand over the brick and lean my forehead
against the wall as a deep longing to touch her washes over me. Instead, and
with great willpower, I continue to the roof and case the perimeter of the
building.

Everything seems quiet on the street below. The sound of Blue
pouring water and sprinkling something hard into a bowl filters through the
roof. She is feeding Varg, no doubt. She patters to the bathroom, and a short
time later the soft rustling of her bedding tells me she has just slipped under
the covers.

I lie down on the roof over Blue’s bedroom and focus my
senses on the sounds from below. She tosses and turns awhile, moving restlessly
in bed. A small thrill courses through me at the idea that she might be
thinking of me as I think of her. The memories of the evening drift through my
mind. Her desire tonight was clear. I recall how her heart raced when she first
saw me and again when I asked her to turn around in her dress. I remember how
her skirt lifted as she spun and how it softly floated down around her beautiful
legs, legs that I would love to see parted and wrapped around me.

The sensation of her peaked nipples brushing against my
chest while we danced is burned into my mind. The smell of her arousal filled
my senses and played havoc with my sanity. I remember how her womanly scent
filled me again at the door as I traced her birthmark. Then her knees gave way and
she leaned limply back against my chest in the heat of her desire. The intoxicating
scent of her blood as her head fell against my shoulder rushed through my
senses, and my desire for her was so great, it took all my considerable control
to resist her. There is nothing I wanted more than to lean over her and taste
her beautiful neck.

Her lack of experience is obvious, though. She is so unsure
and apparently oblivious to how beautiful and alluring she is. I should be
thankful because if she used her considerable power over me, I’m not sure I’d
be able to turn her away. I smile at how the champagne affected her so easily,
yet she was still quiet and shy on our garden walk. Scowling, I recall how the
mass of people made her heart rate speed up and her skin turn pale. I shouldn’t
have brought her there. My scowl deepens at the memory of Sabrina’s games.

Listening through the roof, I hear Blue’s breathing slowing
down now. Finally, I can tell that she’s completely drifted off into a peaceful
slumber.

Sometime during the night as the cold air blows in from the
north, pushing the last of the warm air up the mountains, a light rainfall
comes. The cold pellets hit my face and soak through my clothes. Still I lie on
the roof, welcoming the light shower, hoping it will distract me. Water pools
in spots on the roof and runs in rivulets in others, racing down the scant
slope out to the gutter system. I watch the water run in tiny streams over the
pebbled tar near where my head lies. Still I think of Blue.

I can’t help the thoughts that enter my head, wondering how it
would be to lie next to her, feeling her silky skin throughout the night. I try
to push those thoughts away, as that should never be, yet they insinuate
themselves with a stubborn refusal to leave. It will have to be enough that I
can keep her safe.

The night wears on, and when the rain finally breaks and the
sun peaks over the horizon, it reveals that I am still positioned prone on the
roof over Blue’s bedroom. Still I remain, alert but as silent as the moss that
grows in the shadows of the roof’s ledge. When I finally hear Blue rise and begin
to move about, I stand and climb down the side of the building, reluctant to
leave her behind.