Finally, the doorbell rings and I know it has to be Mason. I watch as George opens the door since I am on the other side of the house standing in front of the Christmas tree for the background Mama Lynn wants in her picture.

  George is so big he fills the entire opening making it impossible for me to see Mason at all. I hear the two men exchange greetings and George finally moves out of the way to allow Mason entry into my home.

  I feel like someone has just snatched all of the air from my lungs at my first sight of Mason and a true smile spreads my lips.

  “Yes! Stay just like that!” Mama Lynn says excitedly, snapping pictures in quick succession.

  I barely hear her because my ears are filled with the sound of my own rushing blood.

  Mason is dressed in a black tuxedo with black bow tie. He’s wearing a white mask similar to the one I once saw in a movie called the Phantom of the Opera. I know why he has chosen such a mask: because it perfectly covers up the left side of his face camouflaging his scar. I instantly want to take it off of him. I hate that he feels the need to hide that part of himself and hope he didn’t choose to wear it because of me.

  I watch as Mason’s eyes take in everyone in my house and hope he doesn’t feel like he’s being ambushed by the general population of Cypress Hollow. Most of the men are standing in the foyer and instantly extend their hands to Mason as they introduce themselves.

  I hear John Austin say, “Now Jess is like a sister to me. You treat her right.”

  Mason nods his head. “You have nothing to worry about. She will be treated like the lady she is.”

  Mason finally turns to look directly at me and I see a slow smile of appreciation spread his lips. Our eyes lock and I feel as though the whole world fades away allowing Mason and I to share this one moment in time with only one another.

  “You look beautiful, Jess,” he says, coming to stand in front of me.

  “And you look quite dashing,” I reply breathlessly.

  “Now I want to get a picture of the two of you together,” Mama Lynn says.

  “I’m sorry,” I silently mouth to Mason, completely ashamed Mama Lynn is treating us like we’re teenagers going on our first date.

  “Don’t be,” Mason replies, coming to stand beside me and placing an arm around my waist as we stand together for Mama Lynn.

  Mama Lynn smiles. “Perfect.” And snaps a single picture.

  “We need to leave now,” I tell the others. “You guys are welcome to stay if you want.”

  Faison walks up to us and hands Mason my mask.

  “Maybe you should put it on her,” she suggests. “I’m a little short to do the job right.”

  Mason instructs me to turn my back to him and asks Faison to hold my hair up. I hold the mask over my eyes while he loops the silky ribbon over my ears and to the backside of my head. Once the ribbon is tied he tells Faison to let my hair go so it covers up the white silky ribbon.

  Mason holds his arm out to me.

  “Shall we go?” He asks.

  I nod, too excited to verbally acknowledge his question.

  Chapter 17Before I know it we are standing in the entry way of a mansion. To the right of us, I see Angela walking down a grand staircase dressed in a red and black ball gown with a handsome man wearing a tuxedo similar to Mason’s on her arm.

  “There you are,” she says excitedly. “Oh my God you look gorgeous,” she tells me, giving me a kiss on the cheek when she comes to greet me.

  “Jonathan,” Mason says to the man at Angela’s side, who I had already assumed must be Mason’s son. “I would like to introduce you to Jess Riley. Jess, this is my son Jonathan.”

  Jonathan smiles at me. I expect him to hold out his hand for me to shake but instead he wraps his arms around me giving me a hug instead.

  “Thank you,” he whispers in my ear, leaving me clueless as to what he could be thanking me for.

  When he pulls away, he’s still smiling.

  “I can’t tell you how much we’ve been looking forward to having you in our home,” he says. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you.”

  I find his words curious since I have only known Mason for little over a week now.

  Angela loops her arm through Mason’s free one and says, “I want to introduce you to some people.”

  Reluctantly, Mason lets go of my arm and looks down at me apologetically.

  “Jonathan,” Angela says to her husband, “why don’t you show Jess the Christmas tree? I’ll bring Mason there to find you after I introduce him to Mathew.”

  Jonathan holds out his arm to me and I take it. I watch as Mason is whisked away by Angela and I know something is up.

  As Jonathan walks me into the large living room area where a nine foot blue spruce is, I ask, “So what’s really going on? I feel like I was just pulled into a game of divide and conquer.”

  Jonathan laughs. “No, nothing like that. I just asked Angela to distract my Dad so I could have a moment alone with you.”

  Jonathan lets go of my arm and we turn to face each other.

  “Is something wrong?” I ask.

  “No,” Jonathan says smiling, “everything has suddenly become right since my Dad met you. I just wanted to thank you in person for bringing him back to me.”

  “I don’t understand,” I say.

  “Ever since he’s met you, he’s been pleasant to be around. He’s smiling, making jokes, letting himself be a part of our family. I’ve never seen him so happy. On Christmas day, Angela and I couldn’t believe how much he was acting like a young man in love. He must have checked his phone a thousand times just to make sure he didn’t miss a text message from you. He’s never done that, Jess. Never.”

  I feel flush all of a sudden. I know if anyone knew Mason it was his son.

  “I’ve worried about him for a very long time,” Jonathan says, his smile fading with the reminder of distant memories. “Now, I don’t feel like I need to. Having you in his life makes him want to live again and not hide himself in his work. He’s held on so strongly to his guilt over failing the other Watchers, I wasn’t sure he would ever find a good enough reason to start forgiving himself for it. You are his reason now. He wants to become a better man because of you.”

  I swallow hard, trying to take in everything Jonathan is telling me.

  “I don’t know if I deserve him,” I confess.

  “Even though I don’t know you personally,” Jonathan says, “I know that you and my Dad belong together. You’re helping him more than you could possibly know. He needs you and from what you just said, I think you need him too. It’s not a question of whether or not you deserve him or if he deserves you because it’s a moot point. You belong together. You were made to bring out the best in one another. That’s all love is really.”

  “How do you know he loves me?” I ask.

  “How do you not know that?” Jonathan asks in return.

  “We’re back,” Angela announces, with Mason still on her arm as she escorts him to my side. Angela easily transitions from Mason to Jonathan’s arm with a grace I envy.

  “Would you like to go dance?” Mason asks me holding out his arm for me to take once again.

  My blood runs cold. How, in all my preparations, did I miss the most important thing about tonight? This was a masquerade ball. Of course there would be dancing. The closest I ever came to dancing was when Faison and I went to the karaoke bar and swayed to whatever music we were singing together. And this was a ball which meant people would be dancing fancy waltzes and things I had never even heard of.

  “I can’t dance,” I hear myself confess. Better to get things out in the open then hide them. I felt sure if I tried to pretend I knew what I was doing Mason’s feet would suffer the consequences.

  “You don’t want to dance?” Mason asks, his face the picture of confusion.

  “No. I can’t dance. I don’t know how to. I’ve never done it before.”

  Mason’s face relaxes and he smiles at me.

  “Then you’re in luck because I’m an excellent teacher.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Angela tug Jonathan’s arm and they walk quietly out of the room leaving Mason and I alone.

  In the background I hear the strings of an orchestra begin to play and the dulcet notes of a classical piano quickly join in. Mason puts one of his arms around my waist and pulls me in close to his body. He holds my other arm out with his and I place my free hand on his shoulder.

  “Now, you don’t actually need to know how to dance in order to dance, if that makes sense.” He smiles. “As long as you follow where my body leads you, you’ll be all right.” Mason looks me in the eyes. “Do you trust me?”

  Without even having to think about it, I nod. Mason’s smile grows wider and we begin to dance. At first my body seems to have a will of its own and fights against following Mason’s lead. I apologize profusely every time I step on his toes. Mercifully, Mason finally stops to end my torture of him.

  “Close your eyes,” he instructs me. “I think you’re over thinking things. Maybe if you can’t see what is happening your body will adjust to mine.”

  “Ok,” I say, not uncertain Mason knows what he’s doing but uncertain my body will relax enough to let me be led around the room without knowing where I’m going.

  I close my eyes and feel myself involuntarily grip Mason’s hand and shoulder tighter.

  I feel him lean into me. “Relax, Jess,” he whispers in my ear, his warm breath causing me to tingle all over. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me.”

  I loosen my grip slightly and try to concentrate on relaxing my body enough to let Mason lead me around the room.

  Mason begins to hum the tune the orchestra is playing and I instantly feel my body respond. The tension in my muscles dissipates and I begin to feel like I’m floating on a cloud. When the music stops, Mason’s brings us to a stand still.

  I open my eyes and smile up at him.

  “Is that how you teach everyone?” I ask, wondering who else Mason has danced with in his life. I feel sure I am not the only woman and find myself not liking that fact.

  “The humming is new,” he says. “But it seemed to help you relax enough to let me lead you.”

  “Do you sing?”

  “Not often.”

  “Would you sing for me one day?”

  The corners of Mason’s lips quirk up into an almost shy smile. “I believe I would do about anything you ever asked of me.”

  “Then take me dancing.”

  When we walk into the ballroom, I see a myriad of colorful dresses and masked people twirling about the dance floor. One large single mirror runs the length of one side of the room making it appear even larger than it is. A mural of angels I have to assume rivals that painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel adorns the ceiling. I estimate there are well over a hundred people in attendance.

  Mason leads me in dance after dance without any mishaps. The more we dance the more comfortable I feel leaning into him and trusting him to show my body where to go and how to move. Finally, I ask for a break when I become desperate for something to drink.

  Mason leads me to Angela’s side since she is the only other person in the room I know while he and his son go find us both drinks.

  “You and Mason look fabulous together,” she tells me after they’ve left.

  “Only because Mason is a great dancer.”

  “This is the first time I’ve ever seen him dance,” she reveals.

  “I thought you have this ball every year?”

  “We do. But, this is the first time he’s actually come.”

  “Why?”

  Angela smiles at me. “I suspect it’s because of you. You know he asked me to come with him to help pick out the dress you’re wearing, which by the way is knock out gorgeous on you.”

  “So you picked the dress?”

  “No, he did. When he saw it at the House of Armand it was like he just knew it had been made for you. It’s a one of a kind, you know. No one will ever have that same dress.”

  The thought makes me feel special. To know Mason went to the trouble of shopping for me warms my heart, making me feel like someone special.

  “Jonathan is beyond thrilled by the change in Mason. He’s been so worried about his dad. You’re the first healthy relationship Mason’s ever been in.”

  “Has he had many other relationships?” I ask, hating my sense of morbid curiosity.

  “He’s had a few lady friends here and there but no one he’s ever spent any amount of time with. He’s not a monk you know,” Angela laughs. “He’s a man with certain needs from time to time. But he certainly didn’t bring any of those women to meet his son. We only knew of those women because of Isaiah.”

  “Is Isaiah here?” I ask, hoping to see my one time mentor.

  “No, he couldn’t come this year. I think he went to see Lilly and Brand.”

  “I thought they might be here too.”

  “Normally they would be,” Angela says and I can tell she’s purposely holding something back from me.

  “Why aren’t they here this year?”

  Angela gives me a sideways glance and I’m not sure she’s going to answer until she says, “Lilly wasn’t ready to see you just yet.”

  I instantly know why.

  “Because of Michael?”

  Angela nods. “It was a shock when Malcolm told her. Brand said she just needed some time to think, but he also told me I should probably warn you that Lilly will come to see you when she’s ready.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll have much to tell her,” I say. “I only have contact with Michael when I dream, at least for now. He did say something about new neural connections being made in my brain and me being able to call on him even when I’m awake at some point. I don’t know. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Anyway, I’m not sure if seeing me will help her out any.”

  “Well, I thought I should warn you to expect her.”

  “Thanks,” I say, not sure if the warning helps me or makes me nervous to meet with Lilly again. I enjoyed my time with her when we first met and don’t relish the idea of having her upset with me for something that is beyond my control. Though, from what Michael told me, my soul chose to meld with his while still in the Guf. Why had it been stupid enough to saddle me with a tag along archangel?

  By the time Mason and Jonathan make it back with our drinks, Angela is starting to herd people towards the back terrace since it’s only a few minutes to midnight. Apparently, she has planned a pyrotechnic display of fireworks to ring in the New Year.

  I soon find my hand entwined with Mason’s as he leads me in the opposite direction the crowd is heading.

  “Aren’t we going to watch the fireworks?” I ask.

  Mason looks back at me as he’s leading me out of the ballroom.

  “Trust me,” he says, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

  We end up going up the grand staircase to the second floor. We walk down a long hallway and finally into one of the bedrooms. It’s only then I begin to wonder if our earlier flirtatious texts about removing masks had been code for something else entirely. Angela’s words about Mason being a man and having needs are still fresh in my mind.

  Without pause, we walk into the room. Mason heads directly out a set of glass doors to the bedroom’s exterior balcony. The balcony faces the back of the house overlooking the garden area and forest beyond. I hear the chatter of the other guest below us.

  “Thought it might be nicer if we had more privacy,” Mason says as we stand together near the stone railing.

  The winter air is chilly and I involuntarily shiver. Mason lets go of my hand and I watch as he goes back into the bedroom and grabs his ever trusty grey coat from off the bed. When he comes back out, he holds it open for me so I can easily slip my arms inside its warmth. Gently, he spins me around to face him and begins to button the coat for me.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I whisper, even though I like the feeling of being taken care of in this small way.

  “I know I don’t, Jess,” he says, glancing up at my face. “But I want to.”

  When he’s finished, I hear the crowd below us begin the count down to midnight, starting with twenty.

  “Time to take off the masks,” Mason says, reaching his hands under my hair and easily undoing the tie he placed there earlier. The mask falls from my face and he deftly catches it with his free hand.

  “That’s better,” he says grinning down at me.

  I reach up and place my hand on his mask. He almost flinches away from me, but I don’t let him.

  “My turn,” I tell him, reaching with my other hand behind his head to slip the black silk ribbon tie free.

  I pull off the mask and set it down on top of the railing. When I look back at Mason I say, “That’s better.”

  I hear the crowd below us reach the ten second mark.

  Mason cups the side of my face with his right hand and I tilt my cheek into it enjoying the rough texture of his skin against the silky smoothness of mine. I feel his other hand come to rest on the small of my back and gently bringing me in closer to his body. His eyes burn with an unasked question and I wrap my arms around his neck in answer.

  He leans his head down closer to mine and I feel his warm breath against my lips. I close my eyes waiting breathlessly to experience my first kiss. The crowd below us burst into a joyous chorus of ‘Happy New Year!’ and then it happens.

  A multitude of terrified screams shatter the happy revelry. Mason’s sharp intake of breath causes me to open my eyes and see him staring at something in the sky. I turn around in his arms to follow his gaze and witness a living nightmare.

  The Tear is open.

  Chapter 18Through the open white ribbon of fate, I see a large red planet loom through the Tear like an evil specter about to ravage our world. Mason grabs my hand and phases us directly back to headquarters.

  Joshua is no where to be seen but Nick is there watching the Tear on the holographic display.

 

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