Shadow of the Sun

CHAPTER 18: THE SIGHT

  My pen tapped the paper as I slouched over in the chair across from Ehno inside his cell. He was perched at the edge of his cot, his back ramrod straight. The white scrubs the FBI had made them change into made his red eyes even more shocking. They were like an albino’s, which contrasted dismally against his now short blonde hair that used to reach past his shoulders. You would think he was wicked, but he wasn’t. He was otherworldly, no doubt, but he was divine, too.

  There was a tick in his jaw. “I cannot remember,” he stated. He cocked his head to the side as if he were listening to something. “Andrew cannot either.”

  Their strange way of communicating might come in handy later, I thought out of nowhere.

  Ehno continued, oblivious to my thoughts. “We’ve been trying. It’s as if the last moments of our life have been wiped away. There really is no time frame I could compare it to.”

  I sighed and looked back down at my paper, which was blank. “Ehno, I’m going to get you out of here. I promise.” I looked up at him, pleading with my eyes. He gave me a sharp nod. “Tell me about your psychic ability?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t call myself psychic.”

  “Oh,” I said intelligently. “What would you call it then?”

  “I’m intuitive.” His rigid posture relaxed some, and he leaned toward me. “You’re the Illuminator. You have the power to get us out of these cells. I’ve seen it.”

  My head did a nosedive right into my palms. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to do it,” I growled, frustrated.

  His warm hand landed on my shoulder. “I know it’s hard—you don’t know how to control your power right now, but we will teach you.” When I didn’t look up, he took a deep breath and sighed. “Do you trust us?”

  “What?” I looked up into his strikingly red eyes.

  “Do you trust us?” he repeated.

  “With my life.”

  “Then listen to me. We’ll teach you what you need to know.” His face was serious, though I could see his lips twitching as if they itched to spread into a wide grin. “Andrew has taken a particular liking to you.” He finally smiled; the look really suited him, much better than his previous rigid posture.

  “Really?” I was curious. Was I like a little sister? A good friend? Who knew? I was hopeless—condemned to heartbreak. Dramatic, who me?

  “Gabriella, you don’t see what you truly are.” His posture was back to the firm position it was before. The more relaxed Ehno disappeared as quickly as he had emerged.

  Reflexively, I looked out through the glass to see Joseph leaning over a desk, his cup of coffee only inches away. His eyes were closed, and he had slipped into a somewhat uncomfortable sleeping position. He looked so peaceful. When I glanced back to Ehno, he hadn’t moved an inch.

  “I’m just a human who happened across an ancient race of angels,” I said cynically.

  “You’re wrong,” he disputed smoothly. “You’re more than that. So much more . . .” he trailed off in thought.

  “How’s that?” I challenged, hoping to get more information. He didn’t respond. He only watched me with a curious gleam in his eyes. I peered down at my blank paper. “Ehno, people are watching. I have to act the part—”

  “I know,” he cut me off. Of course, he must have known what I was going to do next. “You won’t hurt me,” he promised.

  Turning in my chair, I reached for my supplies. I was going to draw blood. After snapping my latex gloves on, I reached for the alcohol swabs and tourniquet. He automatically placed his left arm out for me, and I wrapped the tourniquet above his elbow and watched as the vein swelled. I patted it a few times before finding the best angle to draw the blood. I was extremely nervous. From my training I knew that I needed to insert the needle as smoothly and as swiftly as possible to prevent pain. I’d done this a million times before, but this time I faltered, unsure if I could truly continue with this façade. Was I really going to do experiments on these angels until I came up with a way to release them? Or, I added in my head, a plan of escape?

  Ehno noticed my hesitation and smiled at me reassuringly. “You won’t hurt me,” he repeated. “It’s okay.”

  With a smooth calculation, I inserted the needle. He didn’t even flinch. I added the blood specimen tube into the holder while keeping the needle as firm as my anxious hands would allow. I watched as the tube started to fill with blood. I gasped and pulled the tube out before extracting the needle from his arm. It looked as though I had sucked molten gold from his veins. My eyes studied the rich color for several seconds as a dream came rushing back to me. Two angels attacking . . . tripping over a body . . . golden blood. I thought any second I would get sick, so I leaned over, putting my head between my legs and breathed in deep breath after deep breath, trying to stabilize my frantic heart and quick intakes of air.

  In a flash—literally—Ehno was at my side, his hand on my shoulder again. He seemed not to know what to do to comfort me. “What’s wrong?” he asked, concern laced into his words. I didn’t answer.

  And that was when it happened.

  I snapped, completely.

  Exhausted tears burst from my eyes, and I tried to wipe them away, ashamed at my behavior. I was usually calm and collected. It had been a really long day. Instead of the sobs lessening, they seemed to double and intensify until Ehno was no longer at my side, but banging on the glass. What was he doing? I didn’t know or care. Tears continued to spill onto the floor and suddenly someone was yanking me from the chair and into their arms. The scent was familiar. Joseph. He stroked my hair and wiped the tears from my cheeks, mumbling nothing coherent, but it was soothing nonetheless.

  When I looked up to apologize to Ehno, he had an expression on his face that I couldn’t place. It was somewhere between apprehension, concern, and discomfort. “It’s just been a lot to take in,” I tried to explain. There just weren’t any words that would express exactly how I felt.

  Ehno pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache. “I’m sorry, Gabriella. Andrew’s sending me maddening thoughts in a stream of constant shouting.” He sighed heavily, as if struggling internally.

  Joseph helped me back into my chair and sat next to me, holding my hand firmly, yet tenderly, in his own. It was comforting to feel his pulse against my skin. He was alive because of these angels. I was grateful all over again. Ehno’s normal charade was gone, and he knelt before me. Must be an angel thing, all this kneeling.

  “You’ve seen our golden blood before, haven’t you?”

  I nodded cautiously. “In a dream.”

  In a movement of inhuman speed, he stood and paced back and forth in the confined space. “I knew it,” he said between his teeth and muttered other incoherent words. He rubbed his chin in irritation. “Someone has given her the Sight,” he grumbled, obviously to himself or to Andrew.

  “The Sight?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose again. “Sometimes I forget you haven’t been around all these years.” Not like he had been around all of these years. “The Sight is something an angel can inflict upon another angel to see their past—like their memories are implanted in your head. Some angels were forced to give up their memories for disciplinary action when they broke our laws. It’s true, raw, evidence.”

  I didn’t like the word “inflict” one bit.

  “You first start to see glimpses in your dreams. They can be confusing—your thoughts mixed with the angel’s. As time goes on you’ll revisit past events that have happened to the angel who has given you the Sight. It might feel so real to you that you don’t realize you aren’t actually there.” He turned once he had paced to the end of the small cell and started walking back again, a fierce look piercing his eyes. I might have seen them glow.

  “It’s forbidden to do this to a human,” he growled.

  “Can they take it back?” I barely whispered.

  “Yes, but if the angel who did this to you doesn’t revers
e it—and soon—things could get dire and fast.” He stopped his pacing, and his jaw tightened. “I know, Andrew,” he answered tersely, out loud this time. The mental argument must’ve become explosive for Ehno to lose his calm composure.

  “What is it?” I asked. Could I take any more bad news?

  Ehno shook his head. “Why would someone do this?” he muttered to himself. He started his pacing again.

  Joseph had remained silent by my side, my hand still in his. Surprisingly, there was no electric current. Was I controlling it after all?

  As if he knew I was staring at him, Joseph leaned over to me. “We’re beginning to act suspicious. We need to leave his cell. If anyone asks what happened in here, you tell them that you were exhausted and fainted. Do you understand?”

  Could my outburst of remorse really be explained by “fainting”?

  Ehno had stopped his pacing and stared down at us.

  “I understand,” I said. My eyes roamed up the white scrubs to the red eyes gazing at me. “Please, forgive me.”

  Ehno sighed in utter exasperation. “There’s nothing to forgive. You need sleep; you’re exhausted.”

  “Thank you, Ehno. Like I told you before, I’ll find a way to get you out of here.”

  “It’s hard to tell. . . .”

  Psychics! I wanted to say. Instead, I nodded.

  “Gabriella,” Joseph said, providing his hand for support. “It’s true. It’s late, and you need rest if we’re going to go all escape artist.”

  “Goodnight, Ehno,” I whispered.

  Joseph placed his hand on the hand print reader for the door to open and slid his key across the lock. As the seal broke, Ehno spoke up. “Gabriella?”

  I turned around. “Yes?”

  “Have I been in any of your dreams?”

  “No, but Andrew and Lucia have.”

  He was silent then, so I turned back around to leave. Joseph waited patiently in the doorway.

  “Joseph? Don’t let her sleep alone,” Ehno barely murmured. Goose bumps ran up my arms and down my back. I didn’t look back as I walked past Joseph who only nodded toward Ehno.

  The lab was quiet, and our footsteps echoed loudly in the bright room. Expensive equipment was covered with protective covers, and the steel of lab tables gleamed in the fluorescent lights. There was a desk with several cups of coffee on it where Joseph was previously sleeping.

  “Would you want to . . .” Joseph trailed off while pointing toward the door. I knew he was offering a place to sleep.

  “No—no. That’s okay,” I protested, sitting down at the desk. He raised his eyebrows. “I’m going to stay here and analyze Ehno’s blood work before this place starts to crowd in the morning,” I clarified.

  He looked at his watch. “You know that’s in less than two hours?”

  I nodded. “I know, but I don’t want the others to see this.”

  He sighed and leaned over the desk. “When was the last time you slept—and I mean really slept?”

  Right now, sleep was the last thing on my mind. “It’s been a while—but Joseph, it doesn’t matter. Getting them out of here is what’s important now.” I pointed toward the glassed cells.

  “How are you supposed to be your best if you’re exhausted? You could make mistakes, and they’ll suffer for it,” he countered.

  “Touché.”

  “I’m going to take Ehno’s warning seriously,” he said sincerely, ignoring my attempt at joking. “The Paranormal Investigations sector hasn’t quite set up a room for you yet. Of course, I have a room at most of these types of facilities. Plus, the FBI were thinking that you would be staying in D.C. instead of our Nevada branch—”

  “We’re in Nevada?” I asked, surprised.

  He smirked. “Yeah. I guess the tinted glass did its job.”

  “My mind was elsewhere,” I mumbled. Wasn’t that the truth?

  “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you get some rest. You can stay in my sleeping quarters, I’ll take the couch.”

  “Okay, but I’m going to finish this blood work first. If you want to come back here in”—I looked at my wristwatch—“one hour, I’ll be ready to go to bed, if not, I’ll make myself comfortable on one of the opened cell’s cots.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Joseph scoffed. “Of course I’ll come back. I’m not going to make you sleep in a cell where your coworkers will see you when they arrive to work in the morning.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Now go relax some while I finish this up.”

  “Okay, I’ll be back here in one hour, and you’re coming with me whether you like it or not.”

  “Yes sir.” I snapped to attention like a soldier.

  He rolled his eyes and left the lab.

  The silence was oddly peaceful and creepy all at the same time. What Joseph didn’t know was that I didn’t plan on doing any lab work whatsoever on Ehno’s blood. And neither was anyone else. I pocketed the tube with the golden liquid and rose from my seat.

  Lucia stared at me through the glass of her cell. She had on a pair of white scrubs identical to Ehno’s. Regardless of the shapeless outfit, she was still overwhelmingly breathtaking. I walked over to the glass and put my hand on it.

  “Lucia?”

  She walked over to the glass and placed her hand where mine was. “You’ll know what to do.” Her voice was a perfect soprano, her accent only slightly Italian.

  “I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe,” I said pointedly.

  She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I know you will.”

  The perfect memory of my dream came flooding back to me. Now that I knew these images were of the past, I wondered what exactly happened to her. Whatever it was, I was determined to find out.

  She removed her hand from the glass, sat on the cot, and pulled her long auburn hair into a tight knot before lying down. “Goodnight Miss Illuminator.”

  Stupid nickname. Sighing, I stepped away from the glass. I didn’t know Lucia, and she didn’t know me, but there was some bond linking us. I could feel it deep in my soul. As I watched the knife plummet through the air and strike her in my dream, I knew there was a reason why I saw that particular scene—and now I was going to find out. Whatever the hell this “Sight” business was, I had an odd feeling it wasn’t about someone trying to hurt me, but someone desperately trying to give me the truth without being caught. Who was this mysterious person trying to warn me?

  As I walked past Ehno’s cell, I noticed that he was sleeping soundly already. He looked peaceful again, just as he did the first time I saw him in his coffin prison. And in the last cell I passed, there was Andrew, in all his beautiful glory. Though I felt connected with all three of the angels—more than Karen, even—there was just something undeniable between Andrew and me. Ever since he flew me from the plane, I knew I was meant to be with him. And I hated that feeling because we couldn’t be together. Hell, he might not feel the same about me anyway. The immortal-falls-in-love-with-a-mortal story has been around for ages. What those stories failed to explain is that only one was able to live forever while the other aged, withered, and died. I’d be the one dying in this one—not the happiest of thoughts.

  Andrew’s eyes never left mine as I slid down the wall beside the glass. He sat on the floor opposite me and put his forehead against the glass where there were small holes for communicating. “Gabriella—”

  “Don’t, Andrew. Please. I know you didn’t want to do this, and I’m sorry.” The guilt was really starting to settle in when his fingers started playing with the holes in the glass. “I just need to know you can forgive me for getting us into this situation.”

  “I wasn’t worried about me when I disagreed with us being captured,” he explained, unabashed. “There’s this pull . . .” I heard him say through the tiny holes. “It’s like I can’t get close enough to you. I have this overwhelming instinct to protect you and keep you safe.” He was staring down at his hands as he s
aid this, then he looked up and gazed into my eyes. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do if you were to die. If anyone hurts you—” His fists clenched tightly.

  “Andrew,” I barely whispered. “We can’t . . .” Be together, I finished in my head.

  He nodded, understanding what I meant.

  “You’re immortal, and I’m . . . not.”

  He looked down at his hands again. “That Joseph really cares about you,” he noted.

  “That’s funny,” I muttered. “I’ve never been able to find a man who really cared about me instead of . . .” I trailed off. I wasn’t sure if Andrew got it. He nodded as if he did, so I continued. “Now I’ve got you and Joseph—who both just want the best for me—all within forty-eight hours.” My cheeks heated, and my need to ramble on about more information than was necessary was in full force.

  “You’re important, and you’re special. We’re no fools,” Andrew murmured. I noticed he didn’t deny my words. The heat in my cheeks intensified. “You really do need to get some rest. When you were sleeping in my arms . . . it wasn’t peaceful.”

  “What did I say?”

  “You didn’t say anything. But you cried and shivered and clung to me like you were falling from the sky. Ehno’s right.”

  “About?”

  “You should not sleep alone. Those dreams are only going to become more vivid. You need someone to anchor you—to keep you grounded.” His fists clenched again. “Since I can’t do it, you need Joseph to help.”

  I frowned deeply. “He offered to let me sleep in his quarters, he’ll take the couch.”

  The line of Andrew’s jaw tightened, turning into a straight and severe line. “That’s not good enough, and though it kills me to say it, you need to be close to him. I’ve seen what these dreams can do to someone. Immortals can handle it, but you’re human. If you act out anything you’re witnessing, you could kill yourself or someone else.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t realize it was that bad.

  The look on Andrew’s face was so tortured that I wanted to break through the glass to comfort him. Angels should not have to endure the heartache that was evident on his face. Did he look this way because he knew how close Joseph would be to me tonight? Could he be jealous? Ehno did say that Andrew had taken a liking to me, but why? Or was it the thought of me possibly killing myself while dreaming that had him so heartbroken?

  “Please,” he begged, “I couldn’t live without you.”

  I didn’t quite understand where his intense feelings were coming from, and I most definitely didn’t understand where my own mutual feelings were from, either. Imagining a world without Andrew . . . well, that wasn’t a world I’d want to live in. Was that love? It seemed stupid to deny it at this point. I didn’t realize it would happen so suddenly. I put my head back, and it hit the wall with a slight thud.

  Ugh, why did I have to fall so hard for this angel?