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Authors: H. P. Mallory
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long because Saxon had already changed it. “Are you a new Retriever?” he asked with real interest.
“Yeah, I am,” I answered with a shy smile. As a rule, I wasn’t very comfortable talking to handsome men. “Are you a Retriever too?”
Saxon nodded. “Yep and have been for about,” he started and then glanced up at the ceiling for a few seconds as he, apparently, tried to remember. Then he looked at me again with another big grin. “Twenty years today, I think.”
“Twenty years?” I repeated, frowning as I shook my head. “How is that possible unless you became a Retriever at age ten or something?”
He chuckled. “Ah, so you aren’t in the know?” I shook my head immediately, very well aware that when it came to my new life, I wasn’t even in the same zip code as “in the know.” He nodded as he gazed at me. “As a Soul Retriever, you won’t age, Lily,” he answered. “That’s why I’m so well preserved.” Then he laughed again.
“So I can die but I won’t age?” I questioned, just to make sure I had it right.
“Yep,” Saxon responded.
I glanced around at all the people who were working out in the gym before looking back at Saxon again, only to find he was already gazing at me. I felt myself immediately start blushing. “And all these people are Soul Retrievers too?”
He simply nodded as I focused on the woman beside me. She was lying down on a bench with a weighted bar clutched tightly in both hands. On either end of the bar was what looked like an orange, furry ball. As she lifted the bar, and struggled a bit, one of the furry balls unwound itself. It appeared to be a rather bizarre-looking ferret or weasel of some sort. It had a long, narrow snout with a large, wet nose like a dog’s, although the teeth were more comparable to a crocodile’s. The body was long, thin, and covered in soft-looking fur with an equally lengthy tail that looked like a raccoon’s. It stood no higher than a foot tall, but had to be at least three feet long. “I’m either imagining things or two very bizarre-looking creatures are hanging onto that woman’s barbell,” I said while indicating the creatures in question.
“Handrels,” Saxon responded without further concern.
Meanwhile, the woman’s arms began to waver and tremble because the Handrel’s movement was throwing off the balance of the bar, I assumed. As soon as it appeared that she couldn’t lift the barbell all the way up, the nasty little thing bit her right on the thumb. “Oh my God!” I said with a quick, shocked glance back at Saxon. “It just bit her!”
Saxon, again, didn’t look surprised. “Yeah, they have razor-sharp teeth so Ael keeps them to make sure his clients balance the bars.”
“Handrels?” I repeated, looking back at the woman, only to find that the other Handrel had unraveled itself and bitten her other hand. “Are they demons?” I couldn’t imagine they might be anything else.
Saxon nodded. “Yep, and they aren’t the only demons here. Ael considers the demons a good way to keep us motivated.” The plinking of a piano started up in the background which was quickly followed by the mournful tones of a man’s voice, which I assumed was Luther Vandross. Saxon shook his head and moaned something unintelligible before smiling again at me. “Now that crap is definitely anti-motivational.” Then he turned to face Ael who was already heading to us. “Come on, Ael, I can’t take any more of that sappy ass, slow shit! How do you expect us to work out to such crap? It puts me to sleep instead!”
“You don’t like it? You know where the door is!” Ael responded as his red eyes began glowing a bit brighter.
“Calm down,” Saxon said with another winning smile aimed my way. “I guess I shouldn’t complain since we had to listen to R. Kelly nonstop all last week.”
Ael frowned at Saxon before addressing me. “That’s R. Kelly, as in pre-pedophile, by the way.” I didn’t say anything but the
“Yeah, I am,” I answered with a shy smile. As a rule, I wasn’t very comfortable talking to handsome men. “Are you a Retriever too?”
Saxon nodded. “Yep and have been for about,” he started and then glanced up at the ceiling for a few seconds as he, apparently, tried to remember. Then he looked at me again with another big grin. “Twenty years today, I think.”
“Twenty years?” I repeated, frowning as I shook my head. “How is that possible unless you became a Retriever at age ten or something?”
He chuckled. “Ah, so you aren’t in the know?” I shook my head immediately, very well aware that when it came to my new life, I wasn’t even in the same zip code as “in the know.” He nodded as he gazed at me. “As a Soul Retriever, you won’t age, Lily,” he answered. “That’s why I’m so well preserved.” Then he laughed again.
“So I can die but I won’t age?” I questioned, just to make sure I had it right.
“Yep,” Saxon responded.
I glanced around at all the people who were working out in the gym before looking back at Saxon again, only to find he was already gazing at me. I felt myself immediately start blushing. “And all these people are Soul Retrievers too?”
He simply nodded as I focused on the woman beside me. She was lying down on a bench with a weighted bar clutched tightly in both hands. On either end of the bar was what looked like an orange, furry ball. As she lifted the bar, and struggled a bit, one of the furry balls unwound itself. It appeared to be a rather bizarre-looking ferret or weasel of some sort. It had a long, narrow snout with a large, wet nose like a dog’s, although the teeth were more comparable to a crocodile’s. The body was long, thin, and covered in soft-looking fur with an equally lengthy tail that looked like a raccoon’s. It stood no higher than a foot tall, but had to be at least three feet long. “I’m either imagining things or two very bizarre-looking creatures are hanging onto that woman’s barbell,” I said while indicating the creatures in question.
“Handrels,” Saxon responded without further concern.
Meanwhile, the woman’s arms began to waver and tremble because the Handrel’s movement was throwing off the balance of the bar, I assumed. As soon as it appeared that she couldn’t lift the barbell all the way up, the nasty little thing bit her right on the thumb. “Oh my God!” I said with a quick, shocked glance back at Saxon. “It just bit her!”
Saxon, again, didn’t look surprised. “Yeah, they have razor-sharp teeth so Ael keeps them to make sure his clients balance the bars.”
“Handrels?” I repeated, looking back at the woman, only to find that the other Handrel had unraveled itself and bitten her other hand. “Are they demons?” I couldn’t imagine they might be anything else.
Saxon nodded. “Yep, and they aren’t the only demons here. Ael considers the demons a good way to keep us motivated.” The plinking of a piano started up in the background which was quickly followed by the mournful tones of a man’s voice, which I assumed was Luther Vandross. Saxon shook his head and moaned something unintelligible before smiling again at me. “Now that crap is definitely anti-motivational.” Then he turned to face Ael who was already heading to us. “Come on, Ael, I can’t take any more of that sappy ass, slow shit! How do you expect us to work out to such crap? It puts me to sleep instead!”
“You don’t like it? You know where the door is!” Ael responded as his red eyes began glowing a bit brighter.
“Calm down,” Saxon said with another winning smile aimed my way. “I guess I shouldn’t complain since we had to listen to R. Kelly nonstop all last week.”
Ael frowned at Saxon before addressing me. “That’s R. Kelly, as in pre-pedophile, by the way.” I didn’t say anything but the
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