Shadow Light (Beautiful Beings #3) (8 page)

We all looked at the building that was indeed impressive.

“The beauty of gothic straight from twelfth century,” he went on as he led us to the double arched gate.  “The architecture was meant to be somewhat sedate, almost austere, all the better to pray without distraction.”

For all its austerity, there remained something opulent about the building.

In the distance we could hear the faint echoes of chants, dark and mysterious in their melodies; haunting in their harmonies. 

My breath was immediately taken away as we entered the church.  Two wide aisles led to the chancel, accented with streamlined pilasters.  The enormous vaulted ceiling, so high above us, was painted with various biblical scenes.

Though the scenes depicted were angelic, uplifting and celestial, I felt the tension that passed from me to Moore, to Brax, to Asher and back to me with added intensity. 

Thankfully, a few people sat in the front pews, their heads bowed in prayer.  I found a degree of comfort in knowing we weren’t alone.

Markus took on a reverent stance as he walked down the aisle.  He led us out to the cloister then opened a small and uninviting door.  A dark and narrow stairwell greeted us and the tension I’d felt from the guys moments earlier was multiplied tenfold.

The chants could be heard louder now, bringing parishioners to great heights of prayer, and no doubt bringing solace and enjoyment to the young monks who milled about with various chores.  But the chants seemed to bring only an added weight to our ever growing uncertainty.

Each step we set our foot to was cracked, chipped and uneven, making our descent into the darkened belly of the monastery a tedious undertaking.  I had to steady myself on the cold and clammy walls.  As we reached the last step, the ceiling seemed to fall down over us, making everyone have to stoop in order to avoid smashing their heads.

In sharp contrast to the high ceiling, celestial images and heavenly light of the church above, the under belly had a ceiling that left Asher and Moore in a perpetual hunch.  After a few meandering corridors, we emerged into a large den that was both surprising in its beauty and disturbing in its richness.

Ornately carved bookshelves lined one wall while a large and majestic oak table took up the center of the large room.  The ceiling rose, coming to spike in the center, right above the table.  At the table sat two men, both intent on the computer screen before them.  They appeared to be in the same age bracket as Markus, but were dressed more in the fashion of Dr. Kingsley as opposed to that of Markus.

At first sight they gave the impression of being academics, rather than priest demon slayers, like Markus.  My curiosity was piqued as I tried to connect the dots.  What did these men have in common with one another and what did they all have to do with us?  It was hard to imagine these two finely dressed men involved in anything demonic.  It was impossible to think they could possibly hold the key to ridding Brax and Moore of their curse.

The smaller, more delicate of the two stood and looked directly at me.  After a moment of scrutiny, he removed his glasses and gazed briefly at Brax, Moore and Asher before bringing his gaze back to me.  Without his glasses and with the hint of a tense smile on his lips, he appeared a little younger than I'd originally thought.  Still very handsome, he had a tight, square jaw that made him look serious and subdued, but with eyes that blazed with mischief and a touch of danger.

Beside him, the broader and slightly more portly man remained seated, almost unaware of our arrival.  There was something a bit European about him, though I couldn't quite put my finger on what country.  There was something almost Grecian in his profile, but he had startlingly blond hair. 

 Though he'd surely been very handsome when younger and thinner, there was something intriguing and attractive about him.  He exuded confidence, almost arrogance.  Perhaps it was in the way he barely gazed our way, or in the slight smirk that came to his lips when he did.

"Who among you is called Braxton?" the dark haired man asked.

For a tense and silent moment, no one responded.  Then Braxton stepped forward.  "I'm Braxton Kingsley."

"Good.  Good.  And I'm Gordon Green."  He gazed down at his silent partner and arched a tense brow as he tilted his head toward us.

As he stood, the fair-haired man seemed intent on avoiding my gaze.  I swallowed the sudden sense of self consciousness that came over me.  I'd often felt uncomfortable under intense scrutiny and detested having anyone stare boldly at me, but something in the way he avoided me... it touched an odd chord inside.

"My name is John," he said.  His full height was impressive and I could now see that he wasn't portly, but built like a bulldozer.  His arms were thick and muscular, even through the tight button up shirt.  His massive chest stretched the shirt taunt.

"I sent an email to one of you," Brax said.  "Which one of you is Shadowlight?"

Markus went to stand beside John and Gordon.  "We are," they said in unison.

Brax glanced back at us, a frown of frustration and confusion on his brow.  "What?" he said as he turned back to the threesome.  Shadowlight isn't just one person?"

"No," Markus said.  "It's all of us.  We form Shadow Light, along with your uncle, Dr. Kingsley."

"And what, exactly, is Shadow Light?" I asked as I stepped forward.  We'd wasted enough time and I was anxious to get to the point.  For the past few hours we’d heard nothing but the idle ramblings of an older Englishman and I now wanted answers; real answers.

Gordon and John exchanged annoyed glances then looked at Asher and me.

"If anyone should know, it would be the two of you," Gordon said.

"So I assume it has something to do with angels, then," Asher said.

Gordon nodded.  "Yes. Shadow Light is the light and energy source of angels.  The light takes away the shadows.  Or, if you prefer, it's an allegory for demon slayers blessed by sight and aided by angels who take away the darkness... the shadows."

I glanced at Asher and could see he'd never heard of such a thing.  Turning back to the men, I said, "So, does that mean that you're demon slayers and not angel?"

"That's right," Gordon said.  He clasped his hands in front of him, giving him a more academic look than he'd already had.

"And can you help us find what we need to do to close the gates that have been opened in San Francisco?"

Gordon looked to John and Markus before answering.  "Yes."

"And what about the curse that's been put on Moore and Braxton?"

"There are as many curses as there are lost souls.  It depends on the nature of the curse.  Do you know what curse it is that they live with?"

"They're both turning into demons.  It was a slow transformation at first, but since the portal's been opened, the change has been coming surprisingly fast.  That's why we came out to find you guys.  Do you think you can help them?"

 All three men looked at each other, as though a silence conference was quickly being held between them.  Eyes narrowed, lips tensed and all three gave a barely perceptible nod.  Without more warning than that, Markus and Gordon charged Brax, while John turned his attention to Moore.  All brandished their crucifixes and for a frightening moment, I froze.

"Hey," Asher shouted, springing me into action.

I hurried to step between John and Moore, while Asher quickly moved in to block Gordon and Markus from Braxton.

"What are you guys doing?" I blurted out.  "I thought you said you could help rid them of the curse."

"We can," John said, his crucifix still held up and ready to slay.  "By slaying them."

"Are you crazy?" I shouted.  "That's not what we came here for."  Maintaining my fighting stance, I turned my angry gaze to Markus.  "I thought you were bringing us here to help us, not slay my friends."

Chapter 10

Drop of Truth

T
he determination in their eyes was intimidating.  Despite my years of experience, despite the hundreds of situations I’d been in over the years and the thousands of demons I’d slain, I felt small and out of my league before these demon-slaying men of age and wisdom.

How long had these guys been at it?  How many slain demons did they have under their belts?  How easy had it become to slay a demon?

Gordon finally softened his gaze somewhat and took a step toward me.

I wasn’t fooled by this gentler approach and remained on guard.

“The last thing we want to do is hurt you, Lux.”

The hairs at the back of my neck instantly rose at the sound of my name on his lips.  Though I might have mentioned it to Markus as we’d sat down to pizza, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that it had not been told to Gordon.

“We really don’t want to hurt you at all,” John added.  For the first time, his gaze remained steadily on me.  As harsh as he’d been since our arrival, his eyes softened and even he looked concerned and moved.  For a moment of hesitation, he turned a quizzical gaze to Gordon then faced me with a warm smile.  “I can hardly believe how you’ve grown into such a beautiful and smart young woman.”

The foreboding chill that’d spiked the hairs at my back now sent off a series of alarms throughout my body.  There was more going on here than the mere attempt to slay Moore and Brax.  This was more than a simple attempt to close the portal.

“I’m so pleased with how you turned out, Lux.”

“Somehow I doubt you’ve earned the right to call me Lux in such a familiar way, and you certainly have no right to show any pride in the way I’ve grown up.”

“I beg to differ,” he said.  “And I’m sure Ida would agree with me.”

His riddles were playing with my nerves.  “Ida?” I grunted with open irritation.

He came to face me and reached out to grasp my shoulders, but I quickly back away.  There was something increasingly disturbing in the familiar way he’d suddenly taken with me.  As cold and remote as he’d been earlier, he now showed too much interest in me.

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “But I neglected to introduce myself properly.  My name is John.”

“Yeah,” I snapped.  “So you said.”

“John Collins.”

My breath choked me and darkness closed in, leaving me with barely a narrow tunnel of vision.  I didn’t want to hear more.  I didn’t want to know.  My mind flew back across the Atlantic, across the United States and I was back in San Francisco, back in my parents’ house.  I didn’t even want to hear the connection I could have with this man. Could this man who was going to slay two of the friends, my loves even, be related to me?

“Yes, Lux, we share the same family name, and I know that’s shocking to you.  I hadn’t really expected that we would meet like this, under these unfortunate circumstances.  It’s funny how you look forward to an event in your life, yet when it comes it leaves you breathless; maybe a little unsure.”

I frowned.  Was he the one left breathless by our encounter, or should I be?

“To you, this encounter is the first, but I’ve known you for ages, Lux.  I’ve known you all your life, if only from a distance.  And though it’s been quite a while, I would have recognized you anywhere.  There’s an aura, a spirit that surrounds you that’s unmistakable.”

“Could we get past this lopsided reunion and just get to the gist of it?  Who are you and how do you know me?”

“Lux, I’m your father.”

I laughed; laughed so hard it startled every man in the room.  My laughter, an odd sound that bordered on hysteria, echoed throughout the room and through the maze of corridors.  “Right,” I finally muttered breathlessly.  “My father.”

My gaze, maniacal as it felt, circled the men around me.  “And who are you?” I asked Gordon.  “My long lost brother.”  I nodded at Markus.  “Some estranged uncle?”

“Lux,” John said in a tone meant to soothe.  “I know this is a bit difficult to take in, but…”

“Difficult to take in?” I said.  I wanted to hurl something at him; something heavy, something blunt.  “I think you’ve been watching too many movies, Mr. John Collins… too many George Lucas movies.  How ‘bout we get back to reality?”

“What he says is true,” Gordon said. 

“I don’t really care what you say.”  I set my hands defiantly to my hips.  “I don’t believe you.”

“Lux,” John said.  “If you don’t believe me, let me prove it.  I know you have a slight cleft on your ear; your right ear.”

My hand automatically reached for my right ear.

“The cleft is the result of your birth.  You were a big and strong baby.  Ida, she’s a relatively small woman.  But you were determined to push through and, before the doctor could set you right, your ear dented in the birth canal.”

I stared dumbly at him, my fingers working over the little indentation at the top of my ear.

“Considering the difficult birth Ida anticipated, things turned out pretty good.  After all, a little dent on the ear is nothing.”

The rush of blood to my cheeks left me hot and weak.  I wanted to sit down, but didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of having beaten me down.  I wanted to be strong.  I wanted to be unfazed by his declaration.

Glancing at Moore, Asher and Brax I saw the shock I felt reflected in their eyes.  This wasn’t exactly the revelation we’d come all the way to Italy to hear.

“Is it true, Lux?” Asher said.  “Do you have a cleft?  Is he your father?”

“I am,” John said before I could answer.

“If what you say is true, how did I end up with my parents?

“Under the circumstances, Ida and I thought it’d be safer for you, for everyone.  I can’t say it was an easy decision to come to, but my brother, the man you’ve come to know as your father, had a stable life and a healthy relationship.  Ida and I spent hours talking about it, hours trying to find the best solution and this is what we came up with.”

Shaking my head, I thought of my mother and father.  They’d always been so loving.  Never had they even given any indication I wasn’t completely and utterly theirs.

“I knew they would give you the safe and loving home you deserved.”