Lost In Time: A Fallen Novel (14 page)

Celeste wished he had been joking, but she knew he wasn’t, and the thought of Marcus being hurt like that made her want to cry.

So she decided to change the subject. “Where is the Guardian you took? It was George, wasn’t it? “

“He had the most pussy ass name. How can you be a Guardian if you’re named George?” he asked shaking his head. “Anyway, we were short two Reapers, Dante gave him the choice of going back into Limbo, and seeing if the Arch would take him back, but honestly if they had really wanted him, wouldn’t they have fought for him? George isn’t stupid and placed the question to Dante. Who, of course, answered by offering him a deal: become a Reaper by drinking Dante’s blood, which is how it was done in the old days, or Dante could put him to eternal rest?”

Celeste was shocked. “And what did he choose?”

“Reaper, actually.” Celeste had to pick her jaw up off the floor in her shock. This just wasn’t done. Hadn’t been done since the First, and they were fighting Calliope now because of it. How would George react? Would he become evil like Calliope was now? “Would you like to see him?” Victor asked.

“Has the transformation completed? To make him a Reaper would be difficult, and he may not have survived? And aren’t you worried he would end up like Calliope?”

Victor laughed. “Calliope was a corrupt soul before he became a Reaper. George wasn’t utterly clueless, but nowhere near corrupt. He did have a pure soul. Becoming a Reaper for him would just enhance what he already had in him.”

“So he survived the change?” Celeste asked.

“Oh, he survived alright and came out a better man for it. Some people’s destiny lies within losing, not winning.” He stood, the gash in his side already closing. The head wound had healed as they spoke.

“We gave him a new name though. How could he be a Reaper with a name like George?”

Celeste laughed. “And what did you come up with?” she was almost afraid to know what they had named him.

“Dante chose the name when he came through the transformation,” Victor said, opening the door to the great hall. A man standing a head taller than Celeste stood in the middle of the room. He was heaving as if he had just run, and he was completely naked. He turned to Victor and Celeste as they came through the doors. His dark hair hung down into nearly black eyes. He flipped his head back whipping his hair out of his eyes.

“Celeste, Garrett,” Victor made the introduction.

“Holy Gods.” Celeste couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She clamped her hands over her mouth to keep anything else from rushing out.

Garrett tipped his head back and laughed, when he calmed he looked back to Celeste. “I will take that as a compliment.”

“Um, you probably should,” Celeste offered.

Garrett grabbed a robe and threw it around his shoulders.

“Garrett shall make a good Reaper”, Dante said from where he sat on the dais.

Celeste moved forward and kissed her father’s cold cheek. She turned back to Garrett still shocked at the change. “Garrett, I have some questions.”

Garrett nodded his head. “I am at your disposal, sister.” His voice was deep.

She looked back to her father who nodded, giving permission. Celeste hugged Victor. “I don’t want to come back and see you beaten like you were again. You probably took several years off my life.”

Victor snorted. “I’ll try to stay out of trouble.” But the smile he gave her said otherwise. Being the head of Violence, he often was injured or hurt and loved what he was and what he did. Celeste kissed his cheek and moved to an alcove, Garrett behind her.

She sat down on a bench, and Garrett sat next to her. “Are you sure this is the path you wish to be on?” She still couldn’t believe a Guardian had chosen to become a Reaper instead of an Angel.

It must have been a question he had been asked because he smiled. “I was a Guardian, Celeste, it is not a glamours job nor is it a guarantee I would have ended up as an Angel. How would you like to live an endless life protecting ones that are special and never knowing if you would be chosen to become an Angel? Or live immortally serving the Angels with tasks they deem unworthy for their own?”

“You paint the Angels as a selfish lot,” she couldn’t help but say after his explanation.

He shrugged his large shoulders. “I was a wandering soul, Celeste. When I was chosen to be a Guardian I believed it was a blessing. But even after the short term of fifteen years, I have come to realize it was not where I was meant to be.”

“And what happens fifteen years from now? Will you want something different?” Celeste asked with complete seriousness.

Becoming a Reaper was not something done thoughtlessly. In fact, a new Reaper hadn’t been created or born since Celeste. No one outside of the family knew about her. She wondered what the Angels would think about this.

Garrett shrugged again. “It is a road I will have to cross when I come to it. However, deep inside, I feel this is my course. I finally feel like the person I was meant to be.” He smiled showing her straight white teeth. “And it feels amazing to know, in your very soul you’re where you should be. But you didn’t come to hear my story, what are you in need of?”

Celeste wondered if changing him had been a good idea or a desperate attempt to feel a hole in the Reaper world, but it was a question for another day. “I need to know what you remember from the day when your Guard was taken.”

Garrett leaned his head back. She could see in his eyes the pain he felt for what had happened. “I should have been stronger. I shouldn’t have left him alone. We knew something was going on.”

“That’s what I want to know about. How did you know?”

“A darkness entered the city. Like a shadow falling over you after lying out in the sun. The Guardians aren’t really allowed to be in contact with each other, but we knew about each other. Calliope killed two other Guardians and their wards before he caught up with Charles and I.” He shook his head and rested his elbows on his knees before he put his face into his hands.

“I see it every time I close my eyes, what that monster did.” Celeste squeezed his shoulder. “His soul was given to Dante, and Dante granted him access to Limbo. He took it.”

Garrett smiled. “I am glad he will be renewed, given another chance to live a life that was cut to short this time.”

After an hour of questioning him, he didn’t have any other information she didn’t already know.

“Thank you for your time, Garrett.” She rose from her seat, as did Garrett. “I need to get back.”

He nodded and walked with her toward the dais. Dante had left and the room was quiet.

“Good luck, sister,” Garrett offered.

She nodded. “Thank you.” She was just about to Flash out when Garrett grabbed her arm.

“Celeste, I do remember one more thing. The one other Guardian I spoke with prior to the murder said he believed the Angels had forsaken us. I tended to agree with him. I’m not sure if that will help you out or not.”

Celeste filed that way. “Thank you again.” She Flashed back to the house she was sharing with Marcus and the Trackers. She immediately felt Marcus. He wasn’t in the house, but he was close. She checked the time, it was close to ten p.m.

Her stomach growling, she headed to the kitchen. Ryder, Kyra and Cameron sat around the table. They were laughing at something when she entered, but their talking stopped the moment she stepped into the room.

“I’m sorry, I was just looking for something to eat.”

Kyra stood. “No, please join us. I made plenty.” She motioned to a casserole dish of something. Ryder and Cameron both shook their heads wildly until Kyra turned to look at them.

“Um,” Celeste didn’t want to hurt the Element’s feelings, but the way the men acted she wasn’t sure she wanted to say yes. But in the end, how could she say no? “Thank you, that is very kind.”

Cameron rolled his eyes, and Ryder gave her a strange look before shaking his head.

“Here sit down, and I’ll get it for you.” Kyra rushed past her, and Celeste took a seat at the table.

“Hope you’re not hungry,” Cameron whispered.

“Just chew and don’t think,” Ryder offered. “She can kick your ass, but she can’t cook.”

They were all smiles when Kyra returned to the table with a set of dishes she spooned a large helping of the casserole onto Kyra’s plate. She smiled so nicely Celeste just couldn’t hurt her feelings.

Taking her fork she took a large portion and put it in her mouth and started to chew. Her very first instinct was to spit it out. Her mind screamed for her to spit it out. Spices and something sweet mixed with rice. Gods, she hoped it was rice, and some type of vegetable. But she’d be damned to Hell if she could place it at the moment.

Everyone stared at her as she swallowed and smiled up at Kyra. She had to swallow again, even her stomach tried to spit it out. Planting a smile on her face, Celeste clamped her teeth together and looked up at Kyra.

“Thank you so much. It’s different. I like different,” she reassured. Not a complete lie.

Kyra heaved a sigh and sat down hitting her husband on the shoulder. “See, I told you I can cook. She doesn’t seem to mind it at all.” Celeste took another bite to prove Kyra right.

“Really?” Ryder asked looking directly at Celeste. “How does it taste?”

His voice bounced off the walls of the kitchen and into her head like a rubber ball, and she opened her mouth to answer that it was terrible, horrible, the worst thing she had ever eaten. But she slapped her hand around her mouth forcing the words down with the food she was trying to eat.

Kyra immediately hit him so hard he almost fell out of the chair he was sitting in. “That’s just not nice, apparently you don’t mind sleeping alone.”

Ryder winked at Celeste. “My compulsion doesn’t work on the Reapers, but you being only half I thought I would give it a try. And as to your threat—” He turned to Kyra. “—we shall see about that.”

Celeste tried to eat the dish as quickly as possible without seeming to be rushing through it just to get it over with.

“You are hungry,” Kyra said with a smile. “Would you like more?”

Celeste placed her fork on the plate with what was left. She couldn’t put another bit in her mouth if her life depended on it. “No, but thank you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my entire life.” She hadn’t meant to be so serious or honest, but that was just who she was.

“You know what?” Kyra said leaning in close to Celeste. “I had my misgivings about you because you’re a Demon and all. I mean I’ve never met a Demon that was civilized or that I liked, but you? I like you.” Kyra nodded as if that settled that.

“Um, thank you?” Celeste wasn’t sure what that meant. She was saved by Marcus as he walked into the kitchen from the back door.

“What’s going on?”

“We’re eating. Would you like a plate?” Kyra asked jumping up to get a plate for him.

“Who cooked?” Marcus asked.

“Oh, I threw something together for the guys. Celeste liked it.”

“I ate already,” Marcus said without hesitation.

“Really?” Kyra turned on him.

“Yes, I ate while I was out.” He didn’t even blink.

“Did you find anything?” Celeste interrupted trying to change the subject.

“Not much, but I know where to start tomorrow. You?”

Celeste shook her head. “Nothing new, except that the Guardians think the Angels have forsaken them to the fates of the world.”

Marcus’s brows drew together. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know but, that is what Garrett said.”

“Who is Garrett?”

“George the Guardian?” Marcus nodded. “He joined the Reapers since we were down two and was renamed Garrett.”

Ryder snorted and Marcus huffed. “The Angels are going to have a fit when they find out Dante turned one of their Guardians into a Reaper.”

“It will cause another war,” Ryder agreed.

“But it won’t be our concern,” Cameron said calmly. “Another war between Heaven and Hell isn’t one war you take sides on.”

Celeste reached over and hit the Tracker in the forehead with the palm of her hand. “How many times have you been hit in the head? I mean, real brain damage kind of hit?”

Ryder and Marcus both burst out laughing. Cameron just smiled. “You know what, Demon? I like you.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

Celeste couldn’t not smile at the Tracker. He acted so much like her brothers.

“I guess you’ll do,” Celeste said with a smile on her own face.

“Are you ready to go out?” Marcus asked her. His smile was gone now.

Celeste stood up. “Where are we going? I thought you wanted to wait until tomorrow.”

“Nope, still have a couple of things to go over. Let’s go,” Marcus said moving past her toward the back door.

She followed him out to the car. “You shouldn’t lead him on,” Marcus snapped at her.

“Excuse me?” Celeste asked, some of her good humor leaving at his sharp words.

“Cameron, you shouldn’t lead him on,” Marcus said holding the car door open for her.