"So why all of this?" I asked as we sat at the small table and had dinner, "Why show me that picture and write about that girl?"
An hour had passed since the incident at the park. We'd gone back to the apartment, and there was no more talk about it. Instead, Saffron acted like it had never happened, settling in to fix us a nice meal. I'd been watching him that entire time, and honestly, I felt like he was even more of an enigma than I'd believed before. His temper had died completely, and he moved about almost happily. Was his personality really so warped, even for a Fallen, that he could move from extreme anger to happiness that easily?
"You really want to ask such things right now? I thought we could enjoy some time together. It seems like it never happens anymore. At least not since you were a young child." Saffron responded.
I frowned at him, "Are you being serious about this at all?"
"I am. Why would you question such a thing?"
"You're supposed to be a Fallen Angel, one of the most feared Fallen Angels, and you're sitting here with me like some doting long lost parent."
"I never said I wasn't. It is within my rights. I am your father." Saffron responded curtly.
I shook my head, taking another bite of my food, "And you're impossible to understand. They've all been right about that one." I muttered.
The two of us continued to eat in silence for the next few minutes before Saffron spoke again.
"I do see where you've been coming from with all of this, and yes, I had every intention of you learning of all of that. That's part of the reason that we're here. Finding Mari Hanes is important now. She'll always be a part of this, whether she wants to be or not, and she has all of the memories of the reincarnations unlocked within her. Her speaking to you may further things either way with this so-called redemption."
I looked over at him as he fell silent again. He was frowning now, like the subject of this girl bothered him.
"You don't like her for that?" I guessed.
"I wouldn't call it that. You could just say that I am a sore loser. We typically are. Not to mention that I know there could be more trouble from Jade once he learns that she and that other are here. He's been a bit sore about all of that himself. But then, Mari Hanes' soul is quite special. There were reasons that he went after it in the first place for a contract. Very specific ones." Saffron told me.
He was baiting me, but I decided to bite anyway.
"Specific reasons huh? Like what?"
"You'd really want to know?"
"Come on. You wanted me to ask, didn't you? So just answer."
"Very well." Saffron relented, "It's because she is the same soul that gave life to Christoff Liam."
I tensed up as he said those words, "You're not serious." I managed.
"I'm quite serious." Saffron confirmed, "Jade is very complex, but I've had him figured out from the time we met. I knew about that soul long before Christoff was ever born. She's been very special to Jade for centuries. He was even following her shadow when he was still in the Heavens. You could say that it was part of what warped him into what he has become. This forbidden love for that soul drove him to the brink of insanity, so much so that he even got her pregnant over three hundred years ago, and she died giving birth to his precious boy. We knew that it would only be a matter of time before something would happen that would make her soul call for his help again, and the perfect opportunity came with Faith Evans for him to keep it forever. However, I couldn't see such happening. It's far too cliché."
He got up and took our plates to the nearby kitchen. They clinked loudly as he set them in the sink, the sound echoing in the quiet apartment.
"So you edged yourself in because of that? You were really that jealous?" I scoffed.
"Not at all. I simply didn't like that such a thing would play out with one as powerful as him, especially when I had worked so hard to earn his attentions; so I tricked him into adding me into his contract, knowing all the while that I'd eventually get to kill her myself." Saffron responded, smiling at me. It looked so friendly that it was almost sickening.
"Everything was a sick game because you didn't like him settling down and leaving you behind? You really are twisted." I informed him.
I went over to the patio door and looked out, not able to face him now. His words had made my stomach hurt. Suddenly Jade's hatred of Saffron was taking on a much uglier face. It was one of real meaning.
The floor creaked slightly as Saffron walked behind me and laid a hand on my right shoulder. His touch felt cold through my shirt. His entire being often felt that way. Perhaps it was because his soul was ice cold.
"I wouldn't call it that. There was always that jealousy within me, and it wasn't just for losing Jade as a partner. I also found that I desired a human woman to use as my own for the first time in my existence, but Faith Evans had a strong will and a devotion to Jade alone. No matter how much I tried to sway her, I knew that she would not allow me as anymore than what she considered a good friend. So I had to take matters into my own hands if I truly wanted her for myself. That's how things needed to play out." he explained.
"And that's how you ended up with me, because you wanted to use her for yourself after losing Jade." I guessed.
I think I'd always known that it was the raw reality behind everything. I still didn't believe that the Fallen could really love. Maybe they thought they did, but the sense would always be twisted.
"It's a partial truth. However, I created you because I wanted you and I knew that Faith Kent was the perfect one to bring you into this world. Do not doubt me my child. You are the most important thing in any existence to me, and I'm going to make sure you keep living on, with or without me by your side."
Saffron held my chin and forced me to look at him as he spoke. He seemed serious now. At lot more than I would've expected him to be.
"But why? You're a Fallen. You're a demon from Hell. Why would you care at all about what happens to me? You could create a lot of others like me if you wanted to." I reasoned as I pulled away. This whole thing was starting to make me even extremely uneasy.
Saffron shook his head, looking out of the window at the full moon, "No, not anymore. I could've a long time ago. I could've done this any time that I wanted to. But I have never wanted a child before. Not for any reason. Not until the day I laid eyes on Faith Kent. From that day, I knew that you would be the goal of my existence, and whether you believe me or not, you will always be. Even if I don't allow myself to make it through all of this, that is the one and only truth I will tell."
His words remained etched into my mind as I laid in bed and tried to sleep that night. The one and only truth he would tell was that I was the goal of his existence. He'd never even wanted a child before me. I didn't get it. What was Saffron thinking in all of this? Fallen Angels couldn't love. I'd been so sure of that.
Yet that belief was being challenged over and over again. First with Jade and Chris, and now with myself and Saffron. Was it possible that they harbored at least a tiny bit of feeling for us? Could they manage to love in at least a small capacity?
It took me another few hours before I finally managed to drift off to sleep. Floating in the void of my dreams, I tried to lock everything out.
But even as I did, I could hear voices echoing in my mind. They seemed far off. I couldn't make out any of what they were saying, but they seemed urgent. My eyes opened in this dream state, and I was standing in darkness and staring up at what looked like an old black and white film reel. I saw the scenes with Faith Kent replaying, and of when Chris and I first met. Then there were the meetings with Will and Zane, and the horrible fight with Judiel.
But then, new things began showing on the screen. I saw myself with Saffron, and we were in some kind of dark looking chapel. He looked hurt, and I had the sense that there was another near us who was dying. There was a body laid out a few feet from me, though it remained in shadow. Then Saffron grabbed my stone, holding it tightly in his claw-like hand until it began cracking.
I gasped as I felt a searing heat ripping through me. I reached out a hand towards the reel, but it went dark. A coldness began welling up behind me as it did. It reached around me, hugging me close against what felt like a large, hard body. Looking down, I could see pale hands with long black nails wrapped around my waist.
"Knowing you has brought the foreign concept of hope to a heretic."
My eyes shot open as that deep, dark voice spoke. I sat up in the bed and realized that the sunlight was starting to come in through the nearby curtains. It took me a few minutes to catch my breath and bring my heart rate back to normal. Was that a premonition? I knew that I'd had them before, but this one felt different. It was almost like someone else had been guiding it; a very dark, very powerful being.
"Ah, I see you're awake."
I looked over to see Saffron sitting in the chair by my desk with his legs crossed.
"How long have you been there?" I breathlessly demanded.
"I sensed you had awakened, so I allowed myself to appear here. But it seems that you've had a nightmare." he responded.
I shook my head, pushing my hair out of my face, "I guess you could call it that."
"I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about. Go ahead and get yourself dressed. We have much to do." Saffron ordered.
I didn't bother saying anything to him as he walked out. There was really no point in doing so. Saffron always seemed to do as he pleased, and he wasn't the type to offer comfort. I shook my head as I got up and rummaged through the drawers in the nearby dresser for some clothes. He had been acting somewhat kind the night before, although it could've all been an act to get me back on his side.
After finding a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt, I got dressed and went out to the living room. I found Saffron standing near the patio door, looking at what appeared to be an iPhone. The thought occurred to me that it was strange for a Fallen to have a smartphone, but then, they were posing as humans in the mortal world. Maybe the phones served as a cover of sorts. That or they might have actually liked some of the things they could use them for.
He put the phone into the pocket of his dark pants as he noticed me, "That was quick, but that's good. We need to get moving."
"I guess, but what are you doing? Was that a cell phone?" I asked him.
"Yes. I've found that they come in handy in this modern age of men, although it's still just as easy for us to get our information the way we always have, but never mind such things. Let us move on." Saffron responded as he opened the door.
"You're in a hurry this morning." I muttered.
Nothing outside of the apartment looked half as ominous in the light of the morning. The hallways, although painted in an off white and with grey carpet lining the floor, seemed brighter and more inviting.
I studied Saffron as we headed downstairs. Even though he could be such an intimidating figure, I was unconsciously comparing myself to him. So many had said that I favored my father in looks, and I believed that they were right. We did have a lot of the same features, and we definitely had the same eyes.
"You know darling, sometimes you think far too much into this." Saffron suddenly commented as he glanced at me.
"Are you reading my mind again?" I asked.
"It's a talent. I wouldn't exactly call it mind reading, but I am good at knowing what other people are thinking." Saffron answered, that same calm smile gracing his lips.
I returned his smile, "Seems like it."
The two of us stopped at the mailboxes in the foyer. Saffron pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the one with the number 4 on the front. There was a small piece of folded white paper inside. I glanced at it as he opened it, seeing five numbers typed in a straight line: 29685.
"What in the world is that?" I asked him.
"Just as I thought. He's playing it very safe." Saffron muttered. He folded the paper and handed it to me, "This, my dear, is code so that things remain unseen for now. Despite the cease fire, there can still be much trouble, as you noticed last night. For now, we'll head out to that park. I believe that would be a better place to decipher it."
I nodded, walking with him out onto the street. As usual, Baton Rouge was going full steam. People were out and about, and the world seemed normal. No one really noticed as the two of us walked down the sidewalk.
I continued my conversation with Saffron, "I can see what you mean by the trouble and all, but who is this from? Is it from that girl?"
"Not at all. It's from Jade. It looks like he's finally willing to talk." Saffron answered.
"Jade is here?"
My heart beat harder. I had hope now that Chris may have been there, just like Saffron had been implying. Even though I was still deathly afraid of Jade, I wanted to see Chris so badly that I was willing to face him if I had to.
"Yes. That's the reason I returned here in the first place. I'd heard a rumor from another who's own has decided to team up with Christoff and Abass, so I decided to check on it myself. The only issue is getting him to agree to a meeting." Saffron explained.
"I guess he wouldn't want that, huh? He was really angry at us the last time we saw him, but he had a good reason." I reasoned.
"Perhaps, at least in his mind. Personally, I still find it ironic that he'd be such a fool over his creation like that." Saffron scoffed.
"You're really saying that with everything you've done for me so far?"
Saffron chuckled, "Perhaps you're right."
The two of us ended up sitting on one of the benches at the park about ten minutes later. Looking out at the sparkling waters of the small pond, I thought back to my time in Baton Rouge. I missed that time now. I'd loved living there with Chris, Zane, and Will.
But as I thought about that, it suddenly dawned on me that Saffron had been saying another name with Chris since he'd brought me there; someone named Abass.
"Hey Saffron, can I ask you something?" I requested.
Saffron was entering in the numbers on his phone on a program that I didn't recognize. The screen was completely black, and only a small white box in the middle was visible. It was in that box that Saffron was entering the numbers with different combinations. They hadn't been left in order.
"Go on. I'll answer if I feel like it." he responded, not bothering to stop and look at me.
"Who's Abass?"
"You really don't know?" Saffron answered, still not looking at me, "He's the same one that you and those others now enjoy calling Wilhelm Marcos."
I stared at him, feeling confused. Then it dawned on me. That was right. Zane had told me that Will had changed his name after the incident where he'd saved the Shadow Wings and lost control of his power. This meant that his original name was Abass.
"What a strange name." I mumbled.
"Not really. It's just an older one. There is also a good reason that it was picked for him. The name means 'King of the Beasts'." Saffron explained without missing a beat. He smiled as the phone suddenly beeped, "Ah, there it is."
"You figured it out?"
I leaned over to look. A message in a strange language had appeared on the screen. All of the writing was in symbols that I couldn't decipher.
"Indeed. Don't be so confused darling. I wouldn't expect you to be able to read this. This is a language that's only well versed among the Fallen. You could call it one of a kind."
"I guess. Still looks weird though." I sat back a little, "So, what's it say?"
"It looks like he's willing to meet with us, but he won't do it at this time. He's still not happy with me about many things. Oh well. This is good enough. For now, let's see about finding our girl. I've already narrowed that one down. The only issue there could be getting past that beau of hers." Saffron went on.
"You're speaking in riddles again." I complained.
"It's a force of habit darling." Saffron assured me, "But I'll be frank here. The reincarnation that we've been talking about is a young woman named Mari Hanes. She's around your age, considering she was born when your mother died. That's just how reincarnation works; but the one with her is much older, even though he doesn't look it. His name is Cass, and he's now considered a Grigori."
"Cass, huh?"
I wondered what he was like, and what the circumstances were that made him like he was now. Grigori were a type of Fallen Angel as well, although they were supposed to be the ones who were cast out for loving humans and giving up their status as angels. That much I'd learned from Chris before. He'd been trying to teach me about a lot of things before we'd been separated.
"Yes. Cass. He was originally that soul's guardian angel, and the one who was always at odds with Jade. You could say he won that battle. But I'm not too concerned with you when it comes to him. After all, you could be one of interest for both of them. I do wonder though if that girl ever told him about me revealing you to her." Saffron went on.
"Wait a minute. You told Mari about me?"
All this time I didn't think he'd told anyone until the day that Chris had found me.
"Only slightly, and no more than I wanted her to know. As I said before, Mari Hanes has all the fragments of memories from her previous incarnations now. I knew that she'd see you through Faith Kent's memories. That girl certainly had an attachment to me, and definitely felt much towards you, even though she knew that she would never get to see you in her lifetime." Saffron told me.
Okay, so that would make a little sense, and maybe this girl did mention it to Cass; but thinking about all of this, I was starting to feel apprehensive. What was Saffron planning here?
"Why are you wanting to get close to Mari again? Are you looking to do something to her now that you're free?" I asked him. I didn't expect him to give me a real answer, but it was worth a try.
Saffron shrugged, looking at the water, "Not really. I've lost interest in her now. You could say that I've come to have my eyes on a much bigger prize. However, I also am not so much a fool as to think that she would not be involved with all of this. Her soul's been far too involved with the Fallen for so long that it's just impossible. So for that I'm going to send you after her for the time being."
"Are you sure that will be okay? What if it leads me into a trap or something?"
As much as I did want to meet Mari, I didn't like the thought that I might be walking into more than I bargained for; and considering that Judiel had already tried to use my late adopted mother's spirit against me, I didn't put it past him to try and use this reincarnation too.
"Don't worry so much. I plan on tailing you through your stone." Saffron assured me as he held the Heretic stone, "As long as you wear this, nothing will happen to you. Just be sure to never take it off. It's for your own good."
His words felt prophetic, but I decided not to say anything more to them. I just agreed.
"Okay, how do I find her?" I asked him.
Saffron smiled, letting the stone go, "Don't worry. I know exactly where she is."
It felt like Saffron tended to lead a lot in my life. I reflected on that as I looked at the large homes lining the street I was walking down. It was now late afternoon, and I was alone there, looking for the right address. I was nervous as I did. Though I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to meet Mari, I was still worried about Cass's reaction to me. Had Mari told him about me?
Somehow, I was doubting it. Mari probably wouldn't want to remember any of that after what Saffron had put her through. I could only imagine what life must have been like for her before the contract was broken. It chilled me to think about it. After all, it only proved that the man that I'd adored for a good deal of my life was really a monster.
I stopped on the cracked sidewalk, looking at the phone in my hand. Saffron had given it to me before we'd split up at the park. On it was the address that Mari was supposed to be living at. I compared the house number I was standing in front of. It looked like this was the one. I'd finally found it.
The house was older, but in good shape. It had two floors and large windows draped with white curtains. Three steps led up to a red front door, and the walkway to the house had trees on both sides.
I took a deep breath as I slowly walked up to that door. I could hear all the normal sounds of the day around me; some cars going by on the street, birds singing in the trees. Nothing seemed ominous. Even the air surrounding me felt peaceful.
I debated on knocking or ringing the doorbell. I brought my hand up to do one or the other at least three times. Yet each time, I felt as if there was something stopping me.
Why am I so nervous about all of this? I wondered.
I knew that Saffron was keeping an eye on me. I could feel the pendant resting against my chest. Maybe I wasn't really nervous about being attacked. I was nervous about meeting Mari. What was she like? Could she be like the mother I'd never had the chance to know?
A part of me had always wondered about Faith Kent and what she'd really been like. I knew the things I'd heard and read, but all of that didn't get down to the heart of who she really was. I had reasoned that Mari was a different person now, but if she carried Faith's memories, or at least some of them, did that mean she could've been like her in some ways?
I envisioned what I'd see of Faith's death as I stood there. It had felt so cruel. I shook my head. Was it really right for me to even be here?
But as I got ready to turn away, I suddenly heard a click from the door. I saw the brass doorknob turning. Someone was getting ready to come out.
The door opened, and I was face to face with a very beautiful young man. I'd never seen anyone like him before. He was even more beautiful than any of the Shadow Wings I'd gotten to meet. He had silky white-blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, and black eyelashes that outlined eyes that reminded me of blue ice. Dressed in a dark blue dress shirt and black pants, his clothing seemed to offset his pale complexion and eyes.
I stood there staring in wonder at him. Was I looking at an angel? I wondered if this was Cass. He was supposed to be an angel turned Grigori.
But I slowly realized that this guy didn't look like the guy in the photo I'd seen from Saffron. Who exactly was he?
"You look surprised. Did you think that no one was home?" he finally spoke. He had a soft voice that wasn't very deep. It seemed to have a melodic quality to it.
I shook my head, trying to get over the stupor that he'd somehow put me in, "No, no! I'm sorry! I didn't know for sure!" I managed.
The guy studied me, looking amused, "That's interesting. I didn't think you'd be this nervous about someone coming to the door." he commented.
"I'm not nervous!" I lied. I worked hard to gather my composure, "Is this where Mari Hanes lives?"
"Depends on who wants to know."
"I want to know! I've been looking all around here for her because I wanted to talk to her, so is she here or not?"
I was finally getting over the shock of him now, and on top of that, I'd never been the type to give in to an attitude.
The guy leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms, "Yeah, she's here. I don't get it though. You've been standing out here for over five minutes, plus I keep thinking that you look familiar somehow. Who are you?" he asked me.
I really didn't think that this guy was Cass, though it did seem strange that he'd think I looked familiar. But I decided to just leave it alone for now. My main concern was talking to Mari.
"Sorry, but it's really important that I talk to her. Are you Cass by chance?" I responded.
The guy shook his head, "No, but since you know about him and Mari, I think it might be better if you come in."
The inside of the house was nicely decorated. The floors were hardwood and there was a staircase directly in front of us that led upstairs. The man closed the door, then led me through the doorway to our right, which led into a large den room. It was decorated with blue furniture and had higher ceilings.
A woman was reading near the front window. I stopped as I saw her. Pretty blue eyes and long blonde hair that fell around a full, soft face.
This was Mari Hanes.
"Hey Noah. I thought you were getting ready to..."
She stopped short as she saw me standing there with him. Her eyes widened, and for the first time, I noticed that her left eye was glazed over. It looked like she'd been blinded in it.
"I was, but then I realized that someone was waiting outside. She said she came here to see you." the guy told her.
Mari set the book aside, getting up to walk over to me. The two of us stared at each other in silence. We stood about the same height, and definitely looked like we were the same age.
After what seemed like an eternity, Mari shook her head in shock.
"Oh my God. It really is you, isn't it?" she breathed.
She recognized me. Even if she'd never gotten to see me before, something inside of her must have recognized me.
The guy seemed very interested now, "You know her?"
"I'm not sure I'd say that, but I know a little bit about her." Mari admitted. She looked back at me, "You're Faith Kent's daughter, aren't you? You're the baby girl she had with Saffron."
Now she had his full attention, "The baby she had with Saffron?" he repeated.
I felt relieved. It felt like an invisible weight was starting to lift from my shoulders with her accepting me being there.
"Yes, I am. I guess you did remember something about me."
"Not much. Faith Kent died right before you were born, so she never got to see you, but I know what I saw and what Saffron said. I never thought that he'd ever let me see you though." Mari admitted. She was still studying me as she spoke.
"So that rumor was true. But why did you come here?" the guy asked, looking squarely at me.
"Because I felt like I had to." I told him, "Who are you supposed to be? You said you aren't Cass."
"No. Cass went out for a meeting about an hour ago. This is my friend Noah Renaldi. He was in Baton Rouge and stopped by to visit." Mari explained.
I stiffened as I heard that. Renaldi. That was Michael's last name; the Nephilim we'd met in Fallsburg. I had to ask him about it.
"Are you related to Michael Renaldi?"
"Yeah, he's my uncle. I guess you've met him somewhere along the lines." Noah responded.
"Yeah. I saw him a few days ago in New York." I explained.
"That doesn't surprise me. Michael travels a lot, especially when he hears about things that interest him. I'm betting that there was something there from the other side that he wanted to look into." Noah surmised as he sat on the nearby couch.
Mari smiled at me, "Why don't you sit down? Can I get you something...?" she seemed to trail off as she realized that she hadn't asked me what my name was.
"It's Ariana, and no, I'm fine. But I did want to talk to you." I told her.
The two of us sat on the second couch at was opposite of Noah. I still couldn't believe it. I'd just met another of the clan Nephilim. No wonder he looked so stunning.
Mari still processing all of this, "This is incredible. I never thought I'd ever get to meet you." she admitted.
"It is ironic, but it seems like a lot has been changing lately. Speaking of, Saffron's gotten back out now, hasn't he?" Noah cut in.
I saw Mari tense up slightly as he said that. She definitely had a lot of bad memories of Saffron. But I knew better than to lie.
"Yeah. He's finally free, but he said that he wasn't interested in coming here. He just told me that I could come instead. Something about Mari being involved with all of the things going on now." I explained.
"Not interested huh? Sounds just like a Fallen." Noah grumbled, some bitterness marking his voice.
"What about Jade? Have you seen him too?" Mari asked.
I shook my head, "Not really. I saw him about six months ago, but it wasn't exactly the best of circumstances." I told her.
I decided to refrain on telling her too much about all of that. She really didn't need to know.
"I see." Mari sighed.
I watched as she reached up and played with a pendant hanging from a chain around her neck. It was a black stone that was shaped into wings. I immediately noticed the similarity to my own stone.
"Hey, is that a Heretic Stone?" I asked her.
Mari blinked, looking down at her pendant, "Oh, I don't know." she admitted, "It was a parting gift from Jade. You could say that he wasn't ready to give me up completely to Cass."
I had no doubt that the stone around her neck was a lot like mine, but I decided not to push the issue. Anything with Jade still made me uncomfortable, especially when I thought about seeing Chris again.
The sound of the front door opening interrupted us. I looked towards the doorway as I heard footsteps echo off the hardwood floor of the foyer. A man stepped into the room. I knew right away that this was Cass. A vision of him flashed through my mind as we looked at each other. It seemed like it had happened a long time ago and could've been an altercation between him and Saffron. I wondered if Saffron had put the vision in my mind to make sure I knew that this was him.
Cass was quiet as he stood there. I saw his violet eyes flash at the sight of me.
Mari broke the silence between them, "Oh, you're back. We got an unexpected visitor." she told him.
"I can see that, but I'm a bit shocked. She looks a little too familiar." Cass admitted. He looked uneasy, although he was trying to hide it.
"No kidding. She really looks like him." Noah agreed, looking back at me.
"I guess you know who I am." I noted as I turned my attention to Cass.
"I do, although I admit that I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself. He certainly did a good job with hiding all of this. But why are you here now? He's freed himself, so he certainly wouldn't be letting you go so easily." Cass reasoned.
I shook my head, "I'm as confused as you are. He told me that you both were here, and he let me come looking for you. He wouldn't tell me anything about why. He only said that with everything happening you had to be involved or something like that." I explained.
Mari looked pensive, "Do you really think this is bad? It's not like she's here to cause any trouble."
Cass let out a frustrated sigh, walking over to us, "It wouldn't be her intention, but I don't trust him either. Especially when I know that Jade has lurked around this area as well. For that I think it would be better if she came with me now."
"So, you're just throwing me out?" I guessed.
I didn't feel like fighting that much, although I was getting annoyed. This wasn't going anything like I'd hoped it would. I'd been hoping to talk to Mari in private and ask her about her memories. Obviously neither Cass nor Noah were willing to let that one happen.
"I'd hope you wouldn't think of it that way, but things do tend to be delicate, so I think it may be better if I took you back where you came from myself." Cass responded.
He didn't look angry as he regarded me. Instead, there was an odd look of what seemed like concern on his handsome face.
"Come on Cass. At least let me talk to her a little bit more. I've been hoping all this time that I'd get to see her." Mari protested.
"Mari..."
"Just ten minutes, then Ariana can head back."
Noah stood up near him, "It's your call, but I don't think it's going to hurt anything. It's not like either can get in here easily; not with the barrier we've put up, and with both of us together, they'd have a harder time then they might want." he reminded him.
"Very well." Cass reluctantly agreed, "Ten minutes, then she can go."