Angel Reborn, page 42
Still, Nick’s caution set me a bit on edge as I walked the three blocks toward the river and the coffee shop. I was relieved not to see anyone with colorful energy during my journey and thrilled to find only humans in the coffee shop when I arrived there.
I placed my order for the French vanilla latte and added an almond croissant that looked too yummy to pass up, and then I texted Nick to let him know I’d made it to the shop safely and asked if he was sure he didn’t want anything.
Once I’d gotten his reply, I decided to run to the restroom while I waited for my name to be called. The coffee shop was in a building that was formerly a house, and the unisex bathroom was located at the top of the narrow staircase on the second floor.
When I came out of the bathroom stall, there was a white card on the counter next to the sink.
It held one line of text in a deep sapphire blue: “We need to meet.”
I assumed someone had left the card behind, but I didn’t remember seeing it when I entered the restroom.
After washing my hands, I exited and glanced toward the hallway on the left that led to the banquet room the shop used to host small events.
An identical white card was tacked on the wall in the hallway, and I couldn’t resist the urge to walk over and see what it said.
Again, there was only one line of text in that deep sapphire blue: “I’m waiting inside.”
I stared at it and read it again, and then I looked farther down the hall, where there were double doors that led into the event space.
Another white card was tacked to one of the doors, and after looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was coming, I hurried to the door to read that one.
“Come on in.”
The curiosity was killing me, so I put my ear to the door and listened for any movement or sound coming from the inside.
Hearing no one, I placed my hand on the knob and eased the door open to take a peek.
It was a pretty room, with sage green walls, wood floors, and a chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. The walls along the back and sides were filled with windows, offering a prime view of the Hudson River.
And in the center of the room, there was a woman sitting behind a circular desk with a bank of computer screens curving around the back of her and on either side.
She had light reddish-blonde hair that hung just past her shoulders, and she wore a gentle smile beneath beautiful blue eyes that reminded me of Zeck’s.
The energy cloud surrounding her seemed similar to my own translucent iridescence I’d seen in the mirror, but instead of the wide range of colors I’d witnessed in mine, hers shimmered with peaceful shades of blue, from the palest pastel sky to the richest, deepest sapphire.
Even though she had no wings and our colors shimmered in different hues, I felt drawn to her, connected to her, and safe with her, in much the same way I had with the redheaded woman.
“Hi,” she said, cheerfully.
“Hi. I’m, uh, sorry to intrude. I was just being nosy and wandering in to see what’s in here.”
“That’s all right. I’m actually here to see you.”
My skin prickled all over with the buzz of energy, but I didn’t sense any danger or threat.
“You’re here to see me?”
“Yes. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to talk to you alone, but my schedule has been crazy, and you don’t seem to be alone very often.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand. Who are you?”
“I’m Dolorianne. And you are?”
I felt no hesitation from my gut, and I was curious to see where this was going, so I answered. “Aria. Um, Ariadne.”
“Ariadne?” She seemed surprised by that, but it wasn’t the first time I’d gotten a reaction from someone hearing my name. She tapped her fingers on the keyboard, her eyes darting back and forth as she watched the screen, and then she looked back to me. “But you prefer Aria?”
“Yes, please.”
“So, how long are you planning to be in the area, Aria?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you’re just passing through, it’s not a problem, but if you’re going to be in the area for an extended period, I’m certain you’re aware of your obligation to check in with the Osservatore in service to the Council for this region, which is me. Especially if you’re going to be pulling energy from the collective while you’re on sabbatical. And since I haven’t been given any notice of assignments in this area, I’m assuming you’re on sabbatical.”
She’s said a lot I needed to unpack, but one word in particular triggered a memory.
“Osservatore?” I searched my mind for where I’d heard that, and then it came to me. They were the Watchers. The ones who record and document all descendants of the Fallen bloodlines to track their histories. What had Gwen called them? Oh, yeah. “The supernatural librarians,” I said aloud.
Dolorianne’s brows lifted in question. “Pardon?”
“The, um, the Osservatore. It was explained to me that you’re kind of like a supernatural librarian.” A tiny bit of hope sparked in me. “Does that mean you’d be able to answer my questions?”
“I suppose that depends on what your questions are.”
“I want to know what I am.”
She sat back in her chair and studied me, and then she grinned, but it was the kind of grin that made it seem like she was uncertain of how to react. “What do you mean, you want to know what you are?”
“I know I’m a supernatural, that I’m one of the descendants of the Fallen. But I don’t know which bloodline I belong to, or if maybe I’m a chimera and I belong to more than one?”
Her brow scrunched as she dropped her chin, cocking her head to the side. “Are you joking? Is this some kind of a joke?”
“No. I’m not. I need to know what I am, and if you’re someone who keeps all the records of all the descendants, then I was hoping you’d be able to tell me.”
She looked stunned by the question, and I feared I may have committed some faux pas.
“I’m sorry if you’re not the person to ask, or if I just screwed up royally,” I said. “I’m new to all this.”
“You’re new? What does that mean, exactly?”
In every instance that I’d been called upon to explain what had happened to me on the roof, I’d felt a strong resistance against telling my story.
But in this moment, with this woman, the voice in my head gave me no warning to be silent. I felt nothing but peace. It was like somehow I knew she was the person I was supposed to confide in.
“I’ve spent my whole life as a human, and a week and a half ago, I had a near-death experience. Not even near-death, to be honest. We think I actually died.”
“And who’s we?”
“My husband and I.”
“Hold up.” She blinked a couple of times and then rested her elbow on her desk to lean in closer. “Your husband?”
“Yes. He was with me when I, um, when I died. He heard my heart stop. But then I came back, and since that happened, I’m suddenly somehow not human.”
“You got married?”
How was my marriage the one thing she was questioning out of what I told her?
“Yeah. About six years ago, why?”.
She opened her mouth and then closed it. Then, she opened it again. “So, you got married as a human.”
“Yes. My husband and I were both human then.”
“Then? Is he not human now?”
“Um, no. He’s a vamp—a, um, Turpisi.”
Her head drew back in surprise, and her brows disappeared under her bangs. “Oh. Okay. I didn’t see that coming.” She did another slight shake of her head, and then she whispered, “I have so many questions.”
“He was born a Turpisi, but—” It occurred to me that I was revealing things that Nick may prefer to be kept private. “Can we just keep this discussion about me?”
“Yeah. Sure.” She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a notepad and pen and began scribbling with haste. “Okay, take me back to the moment you think you died, and tell me what happened then.”
I went through the whole story, detailing the server leading me to the roof and the Vardiyati shooting me. I explained he’d been hired by a woman enamored with my husband, but I declined to name names. Then, I told her about the wound healing, the faucet bending, the vision with the arrow, and the water cyclone at the pool and the sand cyclone at the beach, omitting the context and details surrounding the events to simply describe the powers that had manifested.
Though I felt safe being open with her, I didn’t mention Nick again, and I left Sage out of the story completely, not even bringing up the way I’d healed her arm. I also didn’t mention my conversation with Edie, or the vision I’d had with the redhead, deciding it was best to keep the focus on me and not involve others without their permission.
The whole time I talked, Dolorianne continued to write as though I was giving dictation, and she was responsible for every single word. Which, I supposed as a historian, she was.
When I’d finished, I said, “Do you have any idea which bloodline I am, or bloodlines, since I have the powers of more than one, and do you have any clue why I was human and then just turned into this?”
She set her pencil down and cracked her knuckles, one by one. “I can answer what you are, but I’m at a loss as to why you ever considered yourself human.”
“I didn’t consider myself human. I was human. I didn’t have any powers, and my husband never detected my energy as being supernatural like it is now.”
She laid a hand on the side of her face and tilted her head against it, as though her brain was working so hard, she needed to assist in holding it up. “What does he think you are? What explanation does your husband have for your new abilities?”
“He doesn’t know. He’s as bewildered as I am. No one we’ve talked to—”
Her hand dropped from her face, and she sat up in the chair with wide eyes. “Who have you talked to?”
I felt like I’d screwed up. Like I was going to be in some kind of trouble. “Um, we talked to a couple of his friends. People he trusted.”
She managed to look even more alarmed. “Turpisi friends?”
“No. A Veiori and a Genezerue.”
Her cheeks puffed out with a loud sigh. “That’s not much better, though I wouldn’t worry so much about the Genezerue. No one else? Did you tell anyone else?”
I bit down on my lip, suddenly nervous what her reaction might be. “A couple more people. Just a couple of friends. Like, three. But they’re very close friends. I’d trust them with my life.”
Dolorianne rolled her chair back and placed her hands on top of her head with her eyes closed. “This is bad. This is really bad. I am so gonna get my ass kicked for this.”
For the first time since I’d come in the room, I felt apprehension sneaking up my spine. “What’s bad? What do you mean? Why’s it bad? Should I be worried?”
She opened her eyes and forced a grin, but it wasn’t the easy smile she’d greeted me with when I arrived. This was a tight grin that made her mouth and her nose scrunch with the effort. “We’ll figure something out.”
My phone buzzed with a text, and I pulled it from my pocket and frowned. “It’s my husband. He wants to know if I’m on my way back yet. He was worried about me coming to the coffee shop alone with everyone on high alert about the Turpisi attacks.”
“I think the whole planet is on high alert about those attacks,” Dolorianne said. “The portion of the population that knows about them, anyway. That’s part of the reason I was preoccupied and didn’t reach out to you when I first felt your presence. Boy, am I regretting that. Big mistake, in retrospect.”
“Let me just tell him that I’m talking with you, and--”
“You can’t tell him anything,” she said, her voice suddenly stern. “I’m serious, Aria. I can’t begin to convey how important it is to guard your identity and mine.”
“But he’s my husband,” I said, still holding my phone. “I have to tell him what’s going on. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”
“Well, you’re going to have to keep this one. I can see what I can do to alter the memories of the few you’ve told, but moving forward, your identity must be kept confidential.”
“I can’t agree to that. I’m not going to agree to keep something this important a secret from my husband.”
She puffed out her cheeks again and reached to scratch her neck, which had begun to turn a splotchy red. “Which is one of the reasons Vindexica don’t marry. This is bad. This is really bad.”
“Wait, are you saying I’m a Vindexica?” That name I remembered clearly. It was the most beautiful of all Gwen’s statues. What had Gwen said about them? “They enforce justice, right?”
“So, you’ve at least heard of them?”
“Only briefly. My mother-in-law has a statue of one in front of her lab. She’s somewhat of an expert on the bloodlines.”
Dolorianne looked up again, staring at me in silence.
“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling even more trepidation. “What’s wrong?”
“Who’s your mother-in-law? Please don’t say Gwenhwyfar VanCleave.”
“Okay, then what would you like me to say?”
She dropped her elbows onto the desk and put her head in her hands.
“This has gone from bad to worse.” Then, looking up suddenly, she asked, “Does she know what you are? Have you given any blood samples or let her run any tests on you?”
“She knows I’m no longer human, since it was her pool I raised the water in and her roof I was shot on. But we haven’t told her anything about the other powers or the things I’ve done, and no, I haven’t given any blood or had any tests run.”
I didn’t think it was a good idea to mention how close I’d come multiple times.
“Good.” Her sigh of relief was audible. “That’s the last thing I need is for you to be researched in the VanCleaves’ lab. I’d lose my head for that.”
“Why?”
“Because Theodoor and Gwenhwyfar have wanted to snag a Vindexica or an Osservatore for their research for years. It’s well known among our ranks to steer clear of anything like that.”
“Why would that be so bad?”
“Because our effectiveness and our ability to do our jobs well depend on how little the general descendant knows about who we are and what our capabilities are, especially for the Vindexica. Blending in and being invisible has been the hallmark of our existence.”
My phone buzzed again. Nick was calling this time. “Oh, shoot. I got distracted and didn’t text him back. I have to take this call.”
“You cannot tell him, Aria. That rule comes from far above me. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you, his life depends on your ability to keep this secret.”
“I, uh, I have to answer his call. He’s going to be worried.”
“Go ahead, but you better come up with something to tell him.”
Putting the phone to my ear, I tried to concentrate on sounding calm.
“Hey babe,” I said, as cheerfully as I could muster. “What’s up?”
“Why didn’t you answer my text? Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” I glanced at Dolorianne, who was bent over her notepad, writing at a furious pace. “I’m gonna be heading back soon.”
“Well, I’m on my way to you. I finished with my call so I’m ready for lunch if you are.”
“Yeah, Sounds great. How far out are you?”
“I don’t know. A couple of minutes? Why?”
“Oh, I, um, I was just gonna run to the restroom.” And there it was. I’d lied to Nick.
We said goodbye, and I shoved the phone back in my pocket.
“Now what do I do?” I said to Dolorianne.
“I don’t know. I need some time to think and sort this out. Were either of your parents descendants?”
“I’m not sure. I just recently found out I was adopted, so I don’t know who my parents are. But they’d have to be, right?”
“On the one hand, yeah, that would make sense,” she said, staring at the notes she’d taken. “But on the other, it opens even more questions.”
I wondered if it would help if I offered more information. I didn’t want to throw anyone under the bus, but I needed to know how to keep Nick and Sage safe, so the more I could learn about myself, the better.
“I think I may know who my birth mother is. Not know her, like know her name, but I think I saw her in a vision. I was given an amulet that was supposedly mine when I was a baby, and when I touched it a few days ago, it took me to a place I’d never been. There was a similar turtle design there, and there was a woman.”
“Did you talk to her? Was she able to tell you anything?”
“I didn’t talk to her. I was freaked out by it happening, so I left. But she saw me just as I was leaving.” I glanced down at my watch and frowned. “He’s going to be here any second, and I have so many questions that I still need answered.”
“As do I,” she said, closing her notebook. “We’ll talk more later.”
“Okay. Thanks, I guess. I don’t know what else to say.”
“Right now, it’s important that you don’t say anything. The legacy of the Vindexica depends on a strict code of silence. I know you’re at a disadvantage because you haven’t spent your life training, but I have to believe there was a reason why. Try to talk with the woman in your vision. See what she can tell you, and I’ll do some research as well. He’s coming in the door downstairs.”
As she said it, I felt Nick’s presence as well. Felt his energy growing closer to mine.
I rushed toward the door and then looked back to ask how I could contact her, but she was gone. There was no sign of Dolorianne or the massive desk she’d been behind. The room was empty except for the tables that had been scattered around the room.
“Aria?” Nick called out from the stairs. “You up here?”
“Yeah.” I hurried into the hallway. “I was just exploring.”
He greeted me with a kiss when I reached him. “How was your latte and your croissant?”
