Telor 5
Jilsey was working tonight and came in to check on Catalina at regular intervals. Something about the way Jilsey’s eyes rested too long on where I was standing, the way she seemed to position her body between Catalina and me, made me wonder. Her presence seemed different, in a way I couldn’t quite pinpoint. The cop—Gavin or whatever his name was—finally went home. Lina woke up three days ago, and she was being released tomorrow. While I was glad she was getting well enough to go home, it brought on a whole new round of issues.
Forty-eight hours was the usual timeline, how long a Guide had to retrieve a soul meant for death. Soon, Tori would know that this soul was missing from her numbers. Best case scenario, she would make me fix it. Worst case scenario, she would send someone else to do it. I didn’t think my stopping the bleeding was what saved her. She had already lost so much blood the bleeding had all but stopped. Something else happened, though I hadn’t exactly figured out what. Something that I didn’t do.
I moved to the side of her bed and sat down, careful not to disturb her IV and all the other wires she had attached to her. She was a restless sleeper, and the blankets usually ended up at her feet rather than on top of her. I checked the door to make sure no one was watching and pulled them back over her. Since no one could see me, blankets moving of their own accord would look strange to anyone.
The more I watched her, the more I realized I’d made the right decision. The ring was settled safely in my pocket. I knew I should give it back to her, but I liked having it. It would remind me of her when I had to leave. I ran my knuckles over her cheek. She smiled and turned her face into my hand. The touch sent chills through me. I wanted to lie down beside her and hold her until the watery sunlight of dawn chased me away. But I didn’t want to stay this close to her that long in case Tori decided to track me.
I had already been here a little too long today, and Cheyenne could only cover for me so much. Besides, I had plans to make, and the sooner those were dealt with, the better.
While it killed me to do it, I leaned down to her ear, and whispered, “I’ll be back, Cariad. I promise.” Then I gave her cheek a soft kiss. Her answering sigh let me know that she’d heard me. Whether she’d remember or not was another story.
The world had a different feel now. My world, the land of the dead, felt altered lately. It seemed like an imprint of what it used to be. An abstract world rather than a tangible thing. I could still feel and see Guides like I could before, but they didn’t seem to notice me. Being more or less ignored allowed me to come and go around Lina as I liked, but it made me wonder. Cheyenne didn’t seem to see me differently. I rubbed the star tattoo on my wrist, the one that marked me as a Guide; it had become a habit that I was usually unaware of.
Taking a deep breath, I let my body dissolve and the air absorb me. It was how we got from their world to ours. I didn’t sense any souls calling for me. I should be good for a couple of hours. Weaving through the sea of fog, the building I was looking for finally came into view. She was there, I knew she was, the natural foreboding that always followed her hung stagnant in the air surrounding her house.
Usually, I would knock. It showed respect, or so she said. I didn’t want to show respect right now. I wanted to show power. She valued that above everything else. Unlike the majority of her Guides, I wasn’t afraid of her. Not waiting to consider the possible consequences, I opened the door and walked right in.
It was a running joke amongst the Guides that many years ago, before Tori had died, she was a witch who sacrificed chickens and children to make her spells of power. It was all bull but still popped into my head every time I was here, just a little something to put a smile on my face. A smile she was likely to smack off, as had been the case on several occasions.
I found her lounging on a chair on the back balcony.
“How many times do I have to tell you to knock?” she gritted between her teeth. It crawled over my skin physically and stuck there. I had to resist the urge to scratch myself bloody just to get it off.
“I didn’t want to disturb you,” I said, waltzing right back to her seat on the balcony and plopping down next to her.
“Telor, darling,” she purred, running her hand down the front of my shirt, “you’re not due to check-in for a while. Are you purposely disobeying orders? Or is there a reason for this visit?”
“Do I need a reason to come see you?” I asked, knowing how my flirting pleased her. This time was no different, a reluctant smile tilted the corners of her mouth up for a split second.
“No. But you always have one,” she pointed out.
The difference between how she treated me and how she treated others was not lost on anyone. I was sure, had anyone else disturbed her, they would be in the Pits, writhing in their darkest memories until Tori deigned to release them. I, on the other hand, defied her often and walked away with little more than a slap on the wrist—or face. Despite my obvious favor, even I would pay a hefty price for what I had done.
“I just came to check on something. Our visit is simply a perk,” I answered truthfully, at least partially.
“Is your apprentice learning well?”
“Cheyenne?” I asked. Keeping Cheyenne’s innocent heart away from Tori had been a priority for me. “She’s doing very well.”
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” she asked, expectantly.
Did she already know? I was walking a dangerous line and I was well aware of that, but there was no way in hell I was going to take the chance that she did already know.
“Nothing at all,” I said, bracing myself for her next words.
Our meeting was coming to an end, and I knew it. She didn’t seem to know anything about Catalina. We had time, stolen time, but time nonetheless. I needed that window to try to work it all out.
“Did you need something else?”
Obviously, I had overstayed my welcome.
“I got what I needed,” I answered, for now.
“So did I.” Her words sent ice down my spine.
Not bothering with saying goodbye, I left. I knew this stroke of luck wouldn’t last, but I was thankful for it. It was strange. I knew Catalina was special, but I was just starting to see how special she truly was.