“He’s Santa Claus,” I answer, even though we all know who brought the gifts. Besides Faison and Mama Lynn, there was only one other person who knew what I asked Santa to bring me fifteen years ago.

  I hug the doll to me and let myself bask in Mason’s thoughtfulness.

  I stare at the phone in my hands, chewing on my bottom lip debating for the hundredth time that morning if I should hit send.

  “Just send it already,” Faison urges me, rolling her eyes. “Stop thinking so much.”

  We have just finished eating Mama Lynn’s famous egg-sausage-cheese breakfast casserole and are sitting around the dining room table.

  “It’s the polite thing to do considering all the trouble he went to,” Mama Lynn says, placing her elbows on the table and leaning in towards me.

  “But he signed it Santa Claus,” I say. “Maybe he didn’t want me to know they were from him.”

  Faison snatches the phone out of my hands and before I can grab it back I see her hit the send button.

  “There. It’s done. Now let’s go play with the dress!”

  I sit in stunned silence, letting myself realize what just happened.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” I say, resting my forehead on the top of the table and banging it softly three times.

  “You were going to send it anyway,” Faison reasons. “I just made sure you did it this year instead of next.”

  The phone buzzes in Faison’s hands. Surprisingly, she hands it back to me without trying to read the text first.

  I open the message and read what I wrote plus the response.

  Dear Santa, thank you for my gifts. I love them all. Jess

  Dear Jess, I’m glad you like the gifts. I was told you have been a very good girl this year. Santa

  “Oooh,” I hear Faison say over my shoulder, “maybe he’s into role-playing. You should tell him you want to be a naughty girl next year and ask if he wants to help you with that.”

  I feel my cheeks flush.

  “Faison,” Mama Lynn says standing up, a warning in her voice, “help me clear the table while Jess texts him back.”

  “What do I say?” I ask her, not knowing how to respond to his text.

  Mama Lynn smiles. “That’s up to you.”

  I look down at Mason’s response and decide on what to write back.

  Mason, your thoughtfulness has touched me deeply. I really don’t know what to say but thank you. I’m not sure where I will wear the dress but it’s gorgeous. I’ve never owned anything to match its beauty.

  I send the message and find myself waiting breathlessly for his reply. It takes almost five minutes for him to send something back.

  Angela hosts a masquerade ball every New Year’s Eve at her London home. I thought you might like to attend and wear the dress there…

  I stare at the text not sure who is inviting me: Angela or Mason. I decide it doesn’t matter. Any excuse to wear the dress and have Mason see me in it is fine with me.

  I would love to come to Angela’s ball. The dress is too beautiful not to be seen.

  I wait for the reply and get one almost instantly.

  Angela and Jonathan both say they can’t wait to see you there. Merry Christmas, Jess. See you Monday.

  I sigh, slightly disappointed he’s cut our conversation off so succinctly.

  The phone vibrates in my hand and I quickly look at the text.

  P.S. I can’t wait to see you in the dress

  Another text appears.

  P.P.S. I know you will look beautiful in it

  I smile down at the last message.

  “So I guess you found the right thing to say?” Mama Lynn asks, coming to sit down beside me at the table.

  “He sort of invited me to a masquerade ball on New Year’s Eve,” I tell her. “But I can’t tell if he plans to take me himself or if I’m just supposed to go there stag.”

  “Jess,” Mama Lynn says like I should know better, “no man buys a dress like that for a woman he doesn’t intend to go out with himself.”

  “You know… he stayed with me the night I was sick.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  I look up at her in surprise.

  “George told me all about meeting him yesterday morning,” she tells me. “He said he never saw you look so happy before.”

  I feel my heart tighten in my chest. “It scares me,” I tell her in a whisper, not even sure if I’m ready to admit my feelings to myself much less to her.

  “Jess, you’ve been hiding from the world for a long time now. I haven’t said anything because I know what you’ve been through. But, you need to take a chance and let yourself fall in love with someone. Stop being scared of what might happen. There’s no one on this earth who knows what the future holds for any of us. You are too good a person to only let yourself love me and Faison. There’s a whole world out there you’ve not let yourself experience because you’ve been too scared of being hurt again. I don’t think your parents would approve. I feel confident in saying they would tell you to live every day of your life like you’re living your last day on Earth. Life’s too short to worry about being hurt all the time. The only way you’ll ever find happiness is by letting other people in.”

  “I know you’re right,” I say, but a small part of me still wants to hold back and shield my heart.

  Mama Lynn puts one of her hands over mine still holding the phone resting on the table.

  “Take a chance, Jess. For once in your life, let your heart tell you what to do instead of your brain. If you don’t, you might miss out on something special.”

  I nod letting her know I’ve heard what she has to say.

  Mama Lynn stands up and I look down at my phone intent on sending one more message.

  And I’m sure you will look handsome in a tuxedo. Look forward to seeing you Monday.

  I wait to see if I get a response and smile when it appears almost instantly.

  Until Monday…

  I don’t know if its wishful thinking on my part or not but the dot dot dots make me want to believe he’ll be as miserable as me for the next two days.

  Chapter 12By the time Monday morning rolls around, I’m a nervous wreck. I pace back and forth in my living room, occasionally resting my hand on the butt of my plasma pistol just for added comfort. I look up at the clock on the mantel and see that it’s a minute before eight. Knowing how punctual Mason always is, I feel my heart hammer inside my chest because I know he’ll be here soon.

  I don’t know what I’m going to say to him or how our relationship will change after everything that’s happened between us since the night I got sick. Fortunately, I don’t have time to worry about it much because the doorbell rings. I grab my leather jacket from the couch and hurry to the door.

  Mason is standing there dressed in what must be his favorite grey wool coat since he’s always wearing it.

  “Good morning, Jess,” he says, a hint of a smile on his face.

  “Morning,” I reply, putting my arms through my jacket.

  I walk out the door and lock it behind me. Mason places his hand on my arm and I instantly find myself back in headquarters.

  Joshua is in his usual spot at the control panel watching holographic images of Lucifer and his new best friend.

  “So they’re not hiding any more?” I ask.

  “No,” I hear Nick say behind me, causing me to jump slightly. I hate it that I let him sneak up on me. “They’ve been doing some traveling since Christmas.”

  “Are they looking for something?” I ask.

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Mason tells me, taking off his coat and draping it over a chair next to Joshua.

  Joshua spins around in his chair and holds out a small cardboard box to me.

  “Merry Christmas, Jess,” he says, “thought I would save you the trouble of having to rip through the paper.”

  I take the small box and open it up. Inside lays a pewter Christmas ornament of Yoda hanging from a red ribbon.

  “Someone told me you liked Yoda,” Joshua says, “thought you might like that for your tree.”

  I smile. “Thank you, Joshua,” I say, feeling my heart warm towards the boy. “That was very thoughtful of you.”

  “No prob,” he replies before spinning back around to continue his work.

  I look at the ornament and know exactly who told Joshua I liked Yoda, but I have no idea how I ended up being the topic of a conversation between Joshua and Mason.

  I put the ornament back in the box and set it on a nearby table.

  “Do you know who the tearer is yet?” I ask.

  “I haven’t been able to get close enough to tell,” Mason says.

  “When did they show back up?” I ask confused.

  “Yesterday afternoon,” Mason tells me. “I’ve been trying to catch up with them but their good at covering their tracks.”

  Why didn’t he come get me?

  “I would have helped,” I tell him, wondering why he didn’t use the opportunity as an excuse to be around me yesterday.

  “We weren’t sure what was going on,” he says. “I didn’t want to disrupt your time with your family.”

  “You brought me in to help you,” I say. “Let me try to do my job. So far I haven’t been allowed to do much.”

  “If I had thought you could help,” Mason says, “I would have brought you in. But like I said, we haven’t been able to tell what they’re doing yet. It would have been pointless to have you phasing around the world with me. Plus, your body isn’t designed to handle that much phasing at one time. You’ve already experienced that for yourself. It was just easier for me to go alone, Jess. I didn’t need your help.”

  I find myself bristle at his words and decide to drop the subject. Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe Mason really wasn’t interested in me as anything more than someone under his command. I stick to that idea and grab onto the excuse to latch the lid over my heart instantly before it has time to decide otherwise.

  “So we don’t know what Lucifer is doing and we have no idea what the crown means. Is that about the gist of our situation?” I ask, not hiding my newfound irritation from my voice.

  “That about sums it up,” Nick says from his spot beside me.

  “Not quite.”

  I turn to Mason waiting for him to say more.

  “Like to share more with the class, Mr. Collier?” I ask.

  “I’ve been thinking about the crown. Trying to figure out why you would be given Jophiel’s. I would like to try something but I’m not sure if it will work. Only angels are allowed into the place I would like to take you so I’m not sure how dangerous me trying to phase you in there might be.”

  “Phase into where exactly?” I ask, not sure I want to go somewhere which seems to make Mason so uneasy.

  “Eden.”

  I feel my face scrunch up involuntarily. “You’re not going to tell me the Garden of Eden is a real place too, are you?”

  “It’s very real,” Mason says, his face completely serious. “But it can only be accessed by angels because it’s an inner realm.”

  I assume I look as confused as I am because he explains further.

  “An inner realm is a pocket of space which doesn’t exist in this dimension. It was moved by Jophiel and Michael when the Tree of Life needed to be protected. Jophiel used to have to guard it with his sword but they decided the Tree would be just as safe if not more so if they moved it from this reality to an inner realm.”

  “But we’ve already tested me and I’m apparently as human as a human can get,” I say. “What makes you think I’ll be allowed into Eden?”

  “I would like to try it with you holding the crown. It may be your ticket in there and that might be why only you can hold it. I don’t think it was coincidence that you were chosen to find Jophiel’s crown. It’s almost like a written invitation to go to the one place he was in charge of. We need to try it at least. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. There’s no harm in testing out my theory.”

  “Man,” Joshua says, “do you think a camera would work in there if I gave you one? I’d give my left arm to see that place.”

  Mason raises a dubious eyebrow in Joshua’s direction. “Absolutely not. We’re not going to desecrate holy ground with modern technology.”

  Joshua shrugs. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

  I grab the cardboard box with my Christmas ornament.

  “Ready when you are, boss,” I say.

  Mason looks at me like what I’ve said and how I’ve said it surprises him.

  “Is everything all right?” He asks me in a low voice, a question meant for my ears only.

  “Everything is fine,” I reply, holding my hand out to him. “Better take me home so I can get the crown.”

  Mason takes hold of my hand and I find myself standing in my bedroom.

  “How did you know this is where I kept it?” I ask.

  “I saw it the other night beneath your pillow,” he answers, apparently amused I would keep such a priceless artifact in a place so accessible.

  I sit the box in my hand on my nightstand and reach under my pillow to retrieve the crown.

  “You should leave your pistol and phone here to,” Mason advises.

  I pull the pistol from my thigh holster and dig my phone out of my pant pocket, setting them both down on the nightstand next to the box.

  “Ok, ready to go,” I say, holding out my hand.

  Mason looks at my hand and then looks back up at me.

  “Did I do something wrong?” He asks. “I get the distinct feeling you’re upset with me about something.”

  “It’s nothing,” I say, pushing my hand out further for him to take.

  He takes my hand but instead of just grabbing it as usual he spreads his fingers forcing mine to intertwine with his.

  “Why are you mad at me, Jess?”

  The hurt way he asks this question forces me to look up at him and see the worry in his eyes. I feel the lock around my heart strain to be released but choose to ignore its cry.

  “Let’s just go,” I say, looking away from him.

  He’s silent for a moment and I can feel him looking at me, waiting to see if I will change my mind and give him an answer to his question.

  “Phasing to an inner realm is different from phasing on this dimensional plane,” he finally says, giving up on me answering him.

  “Why does that sound like a warning?” I ask, forcing myself to look back at him.

  “Because it is. The travel affects angels differently so I’m not sure what it will do to a human. Phasing to Eden is almost like entering Heaven. I just want you to be aware that you might feel differently there. If you do, don’t worry, it’s natural.”

  I nod my head, now completely worried even though Mason seems to think his little pep talk should calm my nerves instead.

  “I’m ready,” I tell him, tightening my hold on his hand.

  He tightens his in return and phases us to where it all began.

  I find myself standing on the greenest grass I’ve ever seen in my life. When I look up at the azure blue sky, I feel my breath catch at the sight of jewel colored dragons flying in the sky. It instantly reminds me of the nursery in Brand and Lilly’s house. I know then that one of them must have painted it because the place I stand in looks just like the painted murals in their daughter’s room.

  I take in a deep breath and my mind feels instantly cleansed by the sweet smell of the air.

  “It almost smells like cotton candy,” I tell Mason.

  The multicolored leaves of the tall trees around us rustle in the wind making them sound like their singing. I let go of Mason’s hand and bend down to touch the grass at my feet. The blades don’t feel coarse and waxy like they do on Earth but silky to the touch, almost like velvet. I have an instant urge to strip all my clothes off and lay in the grass to watch the flight of the dragons overhead.

  “Uh, Jess?” I distantly hear Mason say, only then realizing my jacket and shirt are lying on the ground at my feet and my hands are positioned to unbutton my pants.

  I look at Mason confused.

  “What am I doing?” I ask, not having even realized I was stripping in front of him. I quickly reach down and retrieve my shirt, slipping it back on.

  “I did warn you that this place might affect the way you think,” Mason says.

  I scowl at the amusement on his face.

  “And you couldn’t have said something to bring me back to reality before I took my shirt off?” I ask accusingly.

  “I just thought you were warm,” Mason says, holding back his laughter behind a smile. “I didn’t think you were going to give me a strip tease act in the middle of paradise. Though, who am I to complain about something like that?”

  I feel my mouth gape open as I stare at him in complete shock. “That’s so….” I can’t think of anything but, “That’s such a man thing to say!”

  “I am a man,” he reminds me.

  “But you’re an angel too,” I in turn remind him. “You should have a higher set of standards than a regular man.”

  “A fallen angel,” he reminds me, turning serious. “It was because of our love for women like you that we fell from grace.”

  “You all made your own choices,” I say. “Don’t blame my sex for your transgressions.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” Mason is quick to say. “You’re right. We made our own choices. And we paid for the consequences of our actions.”

  After I have my jacket back on I say, “So what is it exactly that you think I’m supposed to do here?”

  “I’m not sure,” Mason says looking around us, “but we should probably go to the Tree of Life to see if Jophiel left another clue for you there.”

  As we walk through the garden, I see a myriad of creatures I never would have thought actually existed. I wouldn’t even know how to explain them because they don’t have counterparts in the real world I live in. I do however see creatures which look like tiny fairies but feel sure they aren’t. If Lilly’s friend is married to a fairy, I seriously doubt he looks like a little multicolored butterfly about as big as the palm of my hand.

 

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