Shadow of the Sun (Timeless #1)

Chapter 6: Summoning

To say I was bewildered would be illuminating the obvious. Angels. All my preconceived notions about the mythical creature went up in a puff of smoke. I thought they were fairytales. My mind was in a whirlwind, and I couldn't seem to turn off the insane wind causing the uproar. Life would be so much easier if some things, including facets of my brain, came with an off button.

Karen had left me in my office to give me time alone to adjust to everything she had told me. It felt like she'd dropped the equivalent of an atomic bomb on my head and left me to sift through the debris. I took several deep breaths and made a list in my head.

One: I've lost my mind.

Two: There are now four angels in this building. That I know of.

Three: I've completely and utterly lost my mind.

Four: A Shadow of the Sun tracked me down, yet I survived. According to Karen, this was perplexing, to say the least.

And five: I have a guardian angel, sworn to protect me, probably because I was in some life-threatening danger.

Fantastic.

My head fell into my hands. Why me? Of all the people on this planet, why was I picked to be guarded? My life as I knew it was slipping through my fingers like water. This meant more secrets and lies. Didn't I already have to keep most of my life a mystery to those I loved?

Men came and went in my life, realizing I would never divulge the secrets I learned about in the lab and feeling my secrets created an emotional barrier. Of course, they also felt an "emotional barrier" when I wouldn't sleep with them on the first date. I didn't have time for them anyway.

Someone tapped on my door, and I jumped so high that my chair nearly rolled out from under me. My fingers clutched the arm rests.

"Who is it?" I asked shakily. I really needed to get a grip.

"Sally."

All my jittery nerves rushed down my legs like small electric shocks; I wobbled when I stood. I opened the door without any expectations. As soon as it cracked open, Sally pushed her way through. She looked, of all things, apologetic. It wasn't a look that suited her well nor one I had ever seen on her before.

"I'm so sorry," she spluttered. "I don't know what I was doing in here earlier."

"Sally, calm down."

She was nineteen, and sometimes I couldn't help but feel motherly toward her, even though she was rude and acted like she was better than everyone.

"I can't explain it," she said in a shaky voice, her eyes not meeting mine. "One second, I'm sitting at my desk, and the next, I hear this voice. I don't even know how I got in here." She stared at me, expecting me to say something. She looked at the floor. "It told me to open the box in your office." Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"It's okay," I said. "I believe you."

Her gaze snapped up to meet mine. "You...believe me?"

"Absolutely," I said. "Listen, we have no time to talk right now. I'm heading to Washington D.C., and I need a familiar face there with me. Go home, pack your bags, and I'll have someone pick you up in one hour."

She wiped the tears from her face and nodded before backing away and leaving my office. I had a feeling I was going to regret this.

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Rain splattered across my windshield while the wipers worked furiously to clear the glass. It was that time of year again in Oregon—not quite cold, not quite hot—when all the trees turned a brilliant orange or red, and the leaves covered every inch of the ground, giving it a golden look. It was Darren's brilliant idea to build Zelko Corp out in the middle of nowhere, but the isolation was slowly growing on me.