The Darkening (Guardians of Ascension 6.50)

She was a target now, just like all the women bonded to Warriors of the Blood, but so be it. She had become a woman of power, something she’d never sought, but each day taught her more of what she possessed of strength and preternatural resources.

Applause resounded once more, this time for her. She inclined her chin a couple of times, but beyond that, she grew very still, and turned to glance once more at Madame Endelle, the compassionate scorpion of Second Earth. The woman smiled and nodded, her peacock and ostrich feathers waving along with her.

Suddenly, Endelle’s voice entered Vela’s mind. You did good, ascender. You did good.

Warmth spilled through Vela’s heart.

She marveled at all that had happened to bring her here, how hard she’d resisted her course, and how much she’d changed in just a handful of days. She valued Endelle’s approval, the woman who had laid down her life for nine millennia, also with great resistance and unwillingness, but who had done it just the same.

She dipped her chin to Endelle, who dipped hers right back.

Vela smiled once more Luken’s beautiful, resonant voice, addressed the audience one more. “Please join me in acknowledging the service of our candidate with warm applause as Warrior Samuel joins us. ” The moment Samuel appeared from the shadows of the curtains, applause thundered through the ornate theater once more. He paused for a moment to acknowledge the appreciation that flowed toward him, for his service as a Militia Warrior and probably more for having endured a decade of imprisonment and torture by a Third entity. He offered a short, slow bow. The applause rose to a peak with this gesture, then settled back down to mere thunder once more.

Samuel pivoted in Vela’s direction.

Her own hands ached now from slamming them together with such force, but she didn’t care. Tears brimmed in her eyes as he came toward her. But he didn’t just take her arm, he took her in a warm embrace and to her mind sent, Oh, my darling Vela, how you saved me.

Vela’s tears fell and more followed.

You did the same for me.

He held her for a long moment. When he finally released her, he took her arm, but kept her pinned to his side as he went through his induction.

The ceremony that followed became a blur of speeches made by Luken and Marcus, of ritual responses given by all the warriors that sent a profound and beautiful array of deep masculine voices into the theater, of oaths to serve Second Earth with all his might for the rest of his years as a Warrior of the Blood.

The ceremony concluded when Luken presented a new sword to Samuel, one that he took firmly by the grip. Holding it for a few long seconds, as the audience watched in silence, he forged the deadly identification signature.

Once complete, he held the sword aloft and another cheer resounded through the theater.

Two days after the confirmation, Samuel held Vela’s hand and strolled beside her along a row of Scottsdale Two shops. One of them had caught Vela’s eye and she perused the window display, head bent, eyes wide and seeking.

The door opened, a customer came out, and a familiar scent wafted beneath his nose arousing things that shouldn’t be aroused in a public arena.

What the fuck?

He glanced through the door and saw that the place sold, among other things, scented candles. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

“You’re going inside?” Vela turned to him, blue eyes wide and hopeful.

He smiled. “Yes, but let me do this alone. There’s something I want to see about. ” He knew she would want to come with him; her eyes had that let’s-spend- some-money glint.

But she nodded and he went straight to the candles. It took him a bare split- second to locate the one that came damn close to Vela’s scent. He lifted the lid of a candle in a jar and sniffed.

He barely repressed a groan.

He glanced at the label and smiled.

He even chuckled. But sniffing again, his pants shrunk. He liked this scent too damn much.

Putting the round glass lid back on the jar, he tucked it beneath one arm, them gathered up a bunch of small candles, called tea-lights or something. The latter appeared to require individual glass holders so he grabbed a bunch of those, too. He took deep breaths and named the planets starting nearest the sun to try to calm down.

By the time he’d paid for his purchases and made it outside, he held the bag up to Vela and said, “We have to go home. Now. Sorry. ” She smiled, then sent, I guess we do because I can feel how your zipper is pressing into something that shouldn’t be that big at least not out here in front of God and everybody. That, and you smell like a chocolate bar, which I’m dying to take a bite out of.

He growled softly, took hold of her arm, and folded her straight to his bedroom.

She laughed as she sat down on the side of the bed. “Okay, warrior, what’s going on? And what on earth did you buy that got you so worked up?” Damnit, he was a Warrior of the Blood, and buying candles in a woman’s shop, just felt wrong. He handed her the bag and

said, “Here. This is for you, or maybe for me. Maybe for both of us. Hell, I don’t know. Just take a look. ”