CHAPTER 60
"How do you think she's going to react to what Devan's done?" Amanda asked as she fixed
Duncan a turkey sandwich from the leftovers.
"She'll take it better if they can work everything out before she hears about this." Duncan said,
looking toward the hallway and wondering when Adam would remember they had more problems
than what Cassandra had done.
"I have to say, she took that about as well as I've ever seen. I hope Methos realizes what he has
found. I don't know any woman who could have recovered from a shock like that and stood her
ground so articulately." Amanda commented. "The love she has for him seems unshakable."
"From the look on his face when she reached for his hand, I'd say he knows … and I'd say it's
shaking him to the core." Duncan replied.
"I still can't get over what he did … The Horsemen? … I mean I knew he was a bad ass, but I
never imagined …" Richie entered into the conversation. "And she just forgave him. No
questions, nothing … just forgave him and told Cassandra where she could get off."
"She seems to have been tailor made for him." Amanda added. "I don't want to think what it's
going to be like when he loses her …"
Her remark reminded them all of the harsh reality that faced every immortal.
Their conversation was interrupted by Joe on his cell phone. He had more information about the
couple Devan had slaughtered, and some more bad news. The couple had been abducted the
night before from the parking lot of a restaurant, where they had just been celebrating their
engagement with family and friends. And only an hour ago, the police had been tipped off to
another murder scene … same M.O. … same message on the wall of the alley where the bodies
were found.
"What is his obsession with lovers?" Amanda asked.
----------
Adam sat with his back against the footboard of the bed and Beth's body snuggled across his lap.
He'd pulled the comforter from the bed and wanted nothing more than to hold her. But as much
as he wanted to hold onto her and this moment, he knew she needed to hear what Devan had
done from him now … instead of seeing it in the paper or on the TV.
Beth lifted her face from the crook of his neck, sensing a difference in him. "What's wrong?" she
asked, stroking his jaw lightly with the back of her hand.
"Devan wasn't there when we arrived at the warehouse." He began, reminding her of why he'd
had to leave earlier. "But we know he was there last night …"
Adam wished there was some way he could cushion this. He let out a long breath and held her
tighter. "He left the bodies of a couple he'd murdered on the floor of the warehouse … and a
message for you and I on the wall."
Beth winced, and Adam could feel her begin to shake. "What did it say?" she whispered.
"Leandra loves Raphael." He replied, knowing she wouldn't understand.
"Raphael?"
"That's the name he knew me by when we last met." He began, telling her the story of how he
came to entomb Devan in the desert.
When he was done he couldn't stop himself from tipping Beth's chin up, having watched it drop
as she listened to his story.
"They thought you were an angel?" she asked, shaking her head. "Oh my God … I read about
that … in my Religions of the World class in college …when I had to do a paper on the
Apocrypha." she couldn't believe this. "And that … that was you?"
"Afraid so." He replied.
"Oh my God." She repeated, putting her head in her hands and trying to focus. "Adam … you
didn't … no wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know if you did."
"Did what?" he couldn't imagine.
"I don't want to know if you happened to be in the area around Jerusalem anytime between 1 and
40 A.D. I couldn't handle having anything else shaken right now. It's tough enough to hold it
together as it is … The Church was the central point of my upbringing. When Craig died, my
faith was all I had to comfort me. And I need to hold onto what's left of that. It matters to me."
She said honestly. "So if you could just keep anything like that to yourself, I'd appreciate it."
Adam smiled. He hadn't considered Beth's religious beliefs before. She'd mentioned the church
she'd grown up in, and he'd noticed the well worn Bible on her dresser, but he really hadn't taken
the time to consider what it meant to her. From the look on her face, it meant a lot.
"Would it make you feel better to know I didn't know him? And the people I knew who actually
had met him never shared anything that would diminish the value of what you believe?"
Beth let out a deep breath and smiled slightly. "Thank you." She had to admit that this was
becoming weirder by the moment and she really needed to try and not think about the vast
experiences he'd had in the 5,000 years he'd walked the earth.
"Those poor people." Beth said, remembering how they'd gotten on this subject. "Why is he
doing this?"
"I'm afraid that my presence here is only making it worse. Worse for you and worse for anyone
who is unfortunate enough to get in his path. This isn't just about you anymore. And I'm afraid
you've gone from being his primary target, to becoming the means for him to try and exact a
revenge that has been 2,000 years in the making."
"You aren't going to leave are you?" Beth clung to him tighter, worried that he might think she
would be safer if he weren't here.
"I'm not going anywhere … not without you." He promised kissing the top of her head. "But
we've got to try and find a way to end this." He glanced up at the clock on the dresser. "We
should probably get dressed and go downstairs. MacLeod is probably climbing the walls waiting
for us so we can begin to plan."
Beth wouldn't let him get up until he'd kissed her one more time.
Retrieving his shirt from the floor at her feet, Beth looked up at him sheepishly through her
lashes. "You might want to find another one … " she said as she showed him the places where
the buttons had been torn off.
"A small price to pay …" He smiled back at her, his voice dropping and his eyes raking over her.
"I told you your name suited you … my lioness." And with that he turned and went up to his room
to retrieve a sweatshirt while she got dressed. Beth pressed her face into the shirt she still held in
her hands and let out an almost silent squeal. Even the faint scent of him could excite her
"How do you think she's going to react to what Devan's done?" Amanda asked as she fixed
Duncan a turkey sandwich from the leftovers.
"She'll take it better if they can work everything out before she hears about this." Duncan said,
looking toward the hallway and wondering when Adam would remember they had more problems
than what Cassandra had done.
"I have to say, she took that about as well as I've ever seen. I hope Methos realizes what he has
found. I don't know any woman who could have recovered from a shock like that and stood her
ground so articulately." Amanda commented. "The love she has for him seems unshakable."
"From the look on his face when she reached for his hand, I'd say he knows … and I'd say it's
shaking him to the core." Duncan replied.
"I still can't get over what he did … The Horsemen? … I mean I knew he was a bad ass, but I
never imagined …" Richie entered into the conversation. "And she just forgave him. No
questions, nothing … just forgave him and told Cassandra where she could get off."
"She seems to have been tailor made for him." Amanda added. "I don't want to think what it's
going to be like when he loses her …"
Her remark reminded them all of the harsh reality that faced every immortal.
Their conversation was interrupted by Joe on his cell phone. He had more information about the
couple Devan had slaughtered, and some more bad news. The couple had been abducted the
night before from the parking lot of a restaurant, where they had just been celebrating their
engagement with family and friends. And only an hour ago, the police had been tipped off to
another murder scene … same M.O. … same message on the wall of the alley where the bodies
were found.
"What is his obsession with lovers?" Amanda asked.
----------
Adam sat with his back against the footboard of the bed and Beth's body snuggled across his lap.
He'd pulled the comforter from the bed and wanted nothing more than to hold her. But as much
as he wanted to hold onto her and this moment, he knew she needed to hear what Devan had
done from him now … instead of seeing it in the paper or on the TV.
Beth lifted her face from the crook of his neck, sensing a difference in him. "What's wrong?" she
asked, stroking his jaw lightly with the back of her hand.
"Devan wasn't there when we arrived at the warehouse." He began, reminding her of why he'd
had to leave earlier. "But we know he was there last night …"
Adam wished there was some way he could cushion this. He let out a long breath and held her
tighter. "He left the bodies of a couple he'd murdered on the floor of the warehouse … and a
message for you and I on the wall."
Beth winced, and Adam could feel her begin to shake. "What did it say?" she whispered.
"Leandra loves Raphael." He replied, knowing she wouldn't understand.
"Raphael?"
"That's the name he knew me by when we last met." He began, telling her the story of how he
came to entomb Devan in the desert.
When he was done he couldn't stop himself from tipping Beth's chin up, having watched it drop
as she listened to his story.
"They thought you were an angel?" she asked, shaking her head. "Oh my God … I read about
that … in my Religions of the World class in college …when I had to do a paper on the
Apocrypha." she couldn't believe this. "And that … that was you?"
"Afraid so." He replied.
"Oh my God." She repeated, putting her head in her hands and trying to focus. "Adam … you
didn't … no wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know if you did."
"Did what?" he couldn't imagine.
"I don't want to know if you happened to be in the area around Jerusalem anytime between 1 and
40 A.D. I couldn't handle having anything else shaken right now. It's tough enough to hold it
together as it is … The Church was the central point of my upbringing. When Craig died, my
faith was all I had to comfort me. And I need to hold onto what's left of that. It matters to me."
She said honestly. "So if you could just keep anything like that to yourself, I'd appreciate it."
Adam smiled. He hadn't considered Beth's religious beliefs before. She'd mentioned the church
she'd grown up in, and he'd noticed the well worn Bible on her dresser, but he really hadn't taken
the time to consider what it meant to her. From the look on her face, it meant a lot.
"Would it make you feel better to know I didn't know him? And the people I knew who actually
had met him never shared anything that would diminish the value of what you believe?"
Beth let out a deep breath and smiled slightly. "Thank you." She had to admit that this was
becoming weirder by the moment and she really needed to try and not think about the vast
experiences he'd had in the 5,000 years he'd walked the earth.
"Those poor people." Beth said, remembering how they'd gotten on this subject. "Why is he
doing this?"
"I'm afraid that my presence here is only making it worse. Worse for you and worse for anyone
who is unfortunate enough to get in his path. This isn't just about you anymore. And I'm afraid
you've gone from being his primary target, to becoming the means for him to try and exact a
revenge that has been 2,000 years in the making."
"You aren't going to leave are you?" Beth clung to him tighter, worried that he might think she
would be safer if he weren't here.
"I'm not going anywhere … not without you." He promised kissing the top of her head. "But
we've got to try and find a way to end this." He glanced up at the clock on the dresser. "We
should probably get dressed and go downstairs. MacLeod is probably climbing the walls waiting
for us so we can begin to plan."
Beth wouldn't let him get up until he'd kissed her one more time.
Retrieving his shirt from the floor at her feet, Beth looked up at him sheepishly through her
lashes. "You might want to find another one … " she said as she showed him the places where
the buttons had been torn off.
"A small price to pay …" He smiled back at her, his voice dropping and his eyes raking over her.
"I told you your name suited you … my lioness." And with that he turned and went up to his room
to retrieve a sweatshirt while she got dressed. Beth pressed her face into the shirt she still held in
her hands and let out an almost silent squeal. Even the faint scent of him could excite her