Page 56 of Found In Destruction

“Yep. I gave him a British accent for fun,” Lucifer said after he sidled up to Mom and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I did create all the creatures of Hell, after all.”

“Yeah you did. Thanks for making me so attractive. Diana loves the tall, dark, and handsome look, you know?” Bash took my hand and squeezed it. This pissing match was a bit much pre morning coffee, but it washilarious.

“Lucifer, can you show me where I can find a chocolate croissant? Angie ate the one she brought back for me,” she pouted before my father could snipe back. They walked off, and Bash and I made our plates at the buffet line.

Aside from Ares hugging Mom a bit too tightly and me spilling iced coffee all over myself, breakfast went off without a hitch. Lucifer and Ares had a meeting, so they left early. Michael and Judas took my mother on a tour of the compound. I wanted to go with them, but Zaz and I were meeting Tempus for our first lesson today.

“What is he like?” I asked him as we walked through a hallway. Fading was fun, but sometimes I missed walking like a normal person.

“He’s…ancient. I don’t know how old he is, but I know he’s seen time from the beginning, if not close to it. He’s very quiet, but when he talks, it’s meaningful. Grunting is a language for him.”

When I walked into the training facility, I knew exactly what Zaz meant. Tempus was…striking. He didn’t look a day over forty, but I knew he had seen the test and trials of time becauseof the wisdom in his eyes. Handsome wasn’t even a suitable adjective for him. He was beautiful the way Mal was, with sharp features and silky long hair that he tied into a bun. But he had an added layer of impenetrability, like a century standing tall and alert. My magic registered his right away, because I had never felt anything like it. It was…layered. Never-ending in its depth.Ancient was definitely the word for it.

I realized that I was staring at him, and promptly closed my mouth. Gosh, I didn’t want him to think I was interested in him—I wasn’t. I just hadn’t met anyone like him before.

“I am so sorry for staring at you!” I blurted out. “I’ve never met a Time Walker before, and your magic is like, so layered, it’s insane,” I continued to babble on, metaphorically kicking myself.

A deep rumbling laughter escaped his lips. He tilted his head, then smiled at me. “I know. No worries, Diana Morningstar. My name is Tempus, and I’m honored to teach you how to responsibly time-hop.”

The implication in his voice was clear. He knew about my magic destabilizing.

“The first thing I want to do is ask you how you time-hop, then I want you to take Azazel and I somewhere that’s at least a few centuries in the past or future.”

“Azazel told me to never travel forward, so I haven’t tried that yet. I don’t want to spoil anything or change a major time event by sneezing, and the idea of knowing what’s going to happen scares me.”

He gave me a sympathetic look, then grunted at Zaz. “Although I understand your concern, you need to know how to travel in both directions. I’ll teach you.” He clapped his hands, then led us to the center of the facility.

“Okay, describe your process to me, Diana.”

“I used to have to say the time and place aloud and concentrate super hard, but now I just think about the time and place. If I’m familiar with the destination, I’ll envision it in my mind.”

“That sounds about right. Each person with our ability has their own slightly unique process. Stay true to it and hone it over time. It’s an extension of your magic. Do you have an idea of where you want to take us?”

I mulled it over, deciding on the lavender field Zaz and I met in. Civil War era, America. It was crazy to me that happened less than a year ago, when it seemed like a lifetime had passed. When we arrived, the cannons were still firing in the distance. The vibrant purple flowers stretched as far as the eye could see, and the only thing that rivaled them was Zaz’s smile.

“You’re romantic today,” he teased me. “Do you know how hard it was to let you come to the conclusion that you could time-hop on your own and not give everything away? I felt like such a low key stalker, meeting you in what you thought were your dreams and following you around.”

“Ha! Please say that in front of Bash when we get home. I want to see him get all moody and explain how he is, in fact, not a stalker.” We laughed and took a moment to appreciate the earthy scent of the wildflowers.

“I understand why she’s youranimaspecl, old friend. I can feel your hearts, and they beat in sync.” Tempus dropped that wisdom on us, then walked through the field. “Your actual movement through time is satisfactory. You got us from point A to B in one piece. But you need to work on making it a smoother ride for passengers, and that can be achieved with better focus.”

He went on to teach me some focusing and visualization techniques. The three of us sat in the field together until sunset, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.I’m learning about time travel from an ancient being who can manipulate time.Whoneeded law school? My life plan may have been derailed when the guys found me, but it was replaced by something so much better.

“I missed a whole day's worth of meetings and lessons, but it was worth it. Thank you so much for taking the time to teach me, Tempus.”

“You’re welcome…and you only miss it if you want to. You can hop back to a minute after we left and experience your day as it will be.Remember, you control time now.”

His words stuck with me. I controlled time—and that was a responsibility I couldn’t carry lightly. I time-hopped us back at the training facility a few minutes after we had left, giving myself the next hour to unwind and process everything. Or at least I thought I’d be by myself. You were never truly alone when you were DianaMorningstar.

24

AZAZEL

Ifelt Diana’s exasperation through our soulbond. She wouldn’t admit it, but she probably wanted some time alone to unwind and think about everything she learned. Instead, Lucifer and Ares were waiting for us.

“Did your lesson with Tempus go well?” Lucifer was all business, his tone of voice curt.

“I’m back in one piece, so I’d say so,” she deadpanned. “Did you come here to ask me that, or is something wrong?”

---