Chapter Ten: Conspiracy

Nathaniel

“You’re up early. Is everything all right?”

Juliana turns into my waiting arms. She presses her cheek to my chest and her lungs expand with a deep breath.

“Life is okay,” she says on the exhale. “When you’re here, even more so.”

“What are you doing outside this time of day?” I ask while rubbing her back through the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

“Jared asked me to spend the morning with him.”

I ease back to stare into the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. This morning, they are reminiscent of a patch of sun on moss. Her black lashes are a stunning frame around striking eyes. “I should go so you can hang out with your brother.”

With reluctance, I glance away from Juliana’s receptive gaze and notice the hillside. The ramshackle kids’ clubhouse doesn’t appear large enough for Jared. He could be anywhere in the pine forest and that means Marcus is nearby.

“He’s drowning some ants.”

“Oh,” I say. “He has to hike all the way up here for that?”

“No.” She grins. “We’re here for the view.” Her gaze lingers on the remaining slashes of pink through silver clouds. “Maybe there’s rain coming. It’s been crazy dry and too hot for the mountains. My garden is suffering.”

“Yeah. It’s too dry. I was stamping out mini-fires in the hills south of here. They ignited almost instantly.”

Her smile drops. “Was it because of your client? What’s his deal with fire?”

“I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m ruining the mood.”

“You never ruin anything, Nathaniel.” One side of her mouth turns up, but concern remains in her eyes. “Will you tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m making good on my promise to check on Chris.” I hesitate. “It’s been a long night.” Surprisingly, my energy level is holding out. I was careful not to drain my reserves of energy on Chris. Long ago, Marcus informed me I would become more powerful with the use of my angelic gifts. Rest periods would be less frequent. Changes have been happening to me faster than Marcus or I would have thought possible. Everything that has happened to me since meeting Juliana and her brother has caused an unprecedented shift in my abilities as an angel. The amount of energy I can now channel through me is greater than I ever imagined. Change and experience make a person grow. I’ve learned the concept applies to angels, too.

“Steven’s going to be fine,” I start.

Juliana tenses in my arms. “You were putting out a fire?” she asks. Her body begins to tremble. “Tell me there were no horses involved. I had another dream, but I don’t know if it was a dream.”

A twinge of hope glistens in the soulful depths of her green eyes. I swallow the hard lump of regret in my throat before telling her what she doesn’t want to hear.

“Juliana,” I cup my hands over her cheeks and as her expression darkens. She knows what I’m about to say. The slight pink flush over the apples of her cheeks drain to white. “Chris and his father are resting right now. Then they’ll lead the herd of horses back to White Wolf’s house.”

“Where? Where are they?” she demands. Her eyes cloud with worry and a mix of other strong emotions.

“On the east side of a mountain called the Bull’s Horn.” I lower my hands to her shoulders and wait until she focuses on me. “Don’t take this into yourself.”

I place my palm beneath her collarbone. The beating of her heart against my hand is a treasure like I’ve never known. “Don’t let other people’s choices affect you inside here. Just because you feel their pain so strongly doesn’t mean you have to own it or that you can change anything.”

“It’s easy for you to say, but shutting off that part of myself isn’t easy.”

“I’m not trying to tell you to stop feeling your emotions, or that it’s easy. Try to recognize where you should place your responsibilities and where you shouldn’t.”

“But I saw something.” The grief resurfaces and makes her voice shake. “If it actually happens in real life, aren’t I responsible for trying to stop it?”

“You can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, Jules. If you try, there are consequences for that, too.”

She lets her head drop to my chest and she balls my shirt in her fists. “I hate these dreams. Why can’t I go back to visiting you while I sleep? Maybe we can have dream sex. That will fix everything. Next time I’m asleep, I’m coming to find you and you’re going to get naked with me.”

I squeeze her tight against me and try not to laugh. “I’ve never been propositioned quite like that before. I’ll have to think about your offer before I can commit.”

“I’m pretty sure this is the answer to all my problems, Nathaniel. If we’re busy doing, umm, recreational activities when I’m asleep, I won’t have time for nightmares.”

“Except you said the visions are happening when you’re awake, too.”

“Don’t ruin my fantasy. Please,” she says.

“Anything for you, sweet vixen,” I say, and stroke her long hair.

“They were trapped, Nathaniel,” Juliana says. A shudder ripples through her entire body. “In my dream, the horses were trapped.”

Jared steps out of the trees and walks around the fort.

“Knew you couldn’t stay away for long.” He struts over, a grin beaming from his handsome face and looking for all the world like the healthy teen he should be.

“I can’t resist the pull she has on me,” I say as I stare at the girl of my dreams.

“You should try harder, Nathaniel,” Marcus says.

He appears behind Jared, a little to the left. His long arm reaches over and Marcus snaps a five-foot long dead branch from a Ponderosa pine. I step around Juliana and place my body in front of hers.

“Your client isn’t here now,” he says. Marcus moves forward, stalking me.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Marcus.” I increase the distance between Juliana and my back.

“I’m doing no such thing.” Marcus lunges forward.

He’s over six feet tall and his stride is long and quick. The tree branch comes at my head like a baseball bat. I block the blow with my arm and the dry wood breaks in two. Marcus grins and snarls simultaneously, giving his normally pleasant face a look of menace and terror. His branch is now a club, which he uses to swing at my ribs. I pull back and spin away, dodging the blow by barely an inch.

Before losing momentum, I shift my weight to my left foot and aim a round house kick at any part of Marcus’s body. My foot slams into his side, sending him staggering.

“Whoa! What is up? Stop this,” Jared yells.

The whites of Marcus’s eyes flash as he looks hard to the right to check Jared’s position. Jared jumps in front of me as Marcus makes another move. I attempt to shove him out of my way, but Jared holds his ground.

“You’re going to have to take me out,” he says to Marcus.

“Step away, Jared.”

“Not hardly,” he says.

“Don’t get involved in this,” I say.

“Too late,” he says through tight lips. “You’re fighting because of me. This is stopping now. Look at my sister. Look at what you’re doing to her.”

We all glance at Juliana. She appears to have popped the seam that was holding her mental wellbeing together.

“Jared, you don’t understand half of what’s going on here,” Marcus says.

Keeping my eyes on Marcus, I move back to Juliana. “Go back to the house, love,” I whisper.

She jerks her head, refusing.

“I don’t care if I understand or not. You’re acting like jerks. Figure this out and stop trying to kill each other,” Jared says.

“We don’t die,” I say, exasperated. “We only disappear for a while.”

“Jared, this is for your benefit more than Nathaniel’s. The path of your soul is at stake here. He’s changing your future.”

“If it’s my soul, let me worry about it.” Jared glances between us.

“Nathaniel has chosen to ignore the laws that govern us. My apologies, Jared. This is bigger than you now.”

Marcus leaps. Because of Juliana’s proximity to me, I dive out of the way to keep her safe. Marcus is in his physical body and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if Juliana was accidentally injured. He must anticipate my move. Marcus tackles me with the full force of his massive size and the unbelievable strength as an ancient celestial being. I land hard on my back, feeling a massive drain of my life force energy. I’m stronger than I used to be, but not invincible.

My focus remains on Juliana and I’m nearly oblivious the fact that I’m getting the piss beaten out of me. She hugs herself while keeping one hand over her mouth to muffle the scream. Jared whisks her away toward the house.

Then Marcus blocks my view. “Why are you making me the bad guy? This isn’t what I ever wanted between us.”

“You sure about that?” I ask.

The pity in his eyes. The touch of sadness and regret almost makes me believe him. We were once as close as two beings could ever be. He helped me through the loss of my parents and my body. He taught me how to survive as an afterlife servant. How to deal with the recently deceased and not worry about never crossing over when everyone else gets to. Marcus guided me through everything after I died.

I roll over and begin to pry myself off the ground. His tackle drained most of my energy, leaving little more than a shell of myself. If he lays into me one more time, I’m going to fade away like ashes in the wind. One more swift punch or kick will ensure sufficient down time for me and that Jared could die and I will not be around to see it. Oh, God. I want to be there for Juliana when it happens.

“You still hell bent on destroying yourself?” he asks.

“You know that’s not how I see things.”

“Perspective, Nathaniel. Change it and see the truth.”

I manage to rise to my knees. Marcus looms over me, watching my every move.

“Your client is halfway back to the house,” I point out.

Marcus frowns deeper. His gaze shifts to look for Jared. I punch him in the family jewels with enough force to let him know a guy can only take so much before playing dirty is the only option left.

Because we are what we are, the damage to his body isn’t real. But a man is a man and that particular pain is never forgotten. By the howl that erupts from his mighty chest, it would appear his memory is vivid and potent.

The punch takes the last of my strength and leaves me with no defenses. Marcus knows it. He grips the front of my shirt, lifts me into the air, and slams me into the ground. The blackness that surrounds me could be the earth swallowing me into its depths, or it could be the utter stillness of the void. The place Chris threatened me with earlier. Is the universe conspiring against me?

Marcus doubles over, a grimace of pain distorting his features is the last thing I see. Self-satisfaction is a whisper in my ear as I disappear to the place of rejuvenation.

∞

Juliana

“Where is he?” I demand as soon as Marcus approaches the backyard.

He removes his large hands from cupping his genitals. He swallows and appears slightly embarrassed at being caught holding himself, but I don’t care about his modesty. I want Nathaniel.

He closes his eyes in a long blink. His head moves back and forth slowly. I don’t know if I should interpret his answer as, “I don’t want to talk about it,” or “He didn’t make it.”

“What did you do, Marcus? I swear I’ll find a way to get back at you if you hurt him.”

I’m inside the property line. The protection fires burn on each corner of the lot. Chris lit them during a ceremony when I was having problems with demons. The ghost fires, as I like to call them, have a beneficial side effect. Besides keeping demons away from my house, Marcus and other spirits can’t come onto my property unless I invite them. The fires are barely visible in the daylight, but they’re there, always burning and always making me feel protected.

Afraid for my safety, Jared insisted I come back to the house when Marcus and Nathaniel were exchanging a difference of opinion. Once we were down the hill, I started to boil with anger. Why does it matter if Nathaniel wants to spend his free time with me? As soon as Jared went to shower, I stepped outside to wait for Marcus, or Nathaniel. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be Nathaniel who I saw first — and I was right.

“He’ll be around when he’s able,” Marcus says.

“I’d like to beat you with a stick now,” I say as I eye a fallen branch on the ground. “The way you did to Nathaniel.”

“It doesn’t have to come to blows, Jules.”

Marcus hobbles over to a tree stump and gingerly sits on the edge.

“Did he hurt you? I hope so. Nathaniel is helping me deal with what’s coming. You bullying him is making everything worse.”

“I don’t want him to end up like the others who have fallen, Jules. They’re corrupt and bitter. Or they’ve turned completely to embrace darkness. Nathaniel is better than that.”

“I know he is. Which is why you don’t have to worry about his intentions.”

“Touché, young one.”

His willingness to concede quickly feeds my anger instead of diffusing it. I want Marcus to start acting like a freaking angel should act: all caring and compassionate, or something that faintly resembles my fantastical sparkly ideals. I grind my molars and visualize my previous urge to bash him over the head with a stick.

“Can we have someone else assigned to Jared?” I ask. “We’re done with you.”

“Jules,” Marcus says with a heavy sigh. He crosses his arms over his chest. “Have a little faith.”

“What are you talking about? Do you think I should start praying? I don’t believe in that.”

“You have the right to believe in anything of your choosing. I’m suggestin’ you take a moment and believe everything will work out in the end.”

“Your version of the end and mine are on totally different levels.”

“I don’t believe they are, Miss Juliana.”

“You’re wrong,” I say. I think I even stomp my foot. How have I deteriorated to this? Realizing I’m picking a fight and acting like a twit, I shudder at acting so childishly.

“Urrggg!” I groan, clench my fists, and turn around to go put myself in a corner somewhere for a time out. The corner also provides a wall to kick.

“I’m not going anywhere. Jared’s with me until he no longer needs me. He’ll be grateful for my experience,” Marcus says confidently to my back. “And Jules, someone’s here.”

There’s a car pulling into the driveway. I close my eyes and attempt to take a deep breath. Where’s my time out corner?