Eleos (Book two in The Empaths series)

Chapter Seven

They entered the store and a man appeared from a back room. He was tall and slight with dark hair that had streaks of grey through it, and like most, a face that did not give away his age. "Cora, how lovely to see you," he said, opening his arms to embrace her as they met in the middle of the room. He had a flamboyance about him that Lucy liked instantly.

"Elijah," Cora said as she pulled back to look into his eyes. "It's wonderful to see you, too."

"It has been far too long," Elijah replied. "Now, how can I help you?"

Cora turned and inclined her head toward Lucy and her friends. "I'd like to introduce you to some very special Empaths," she said, waving them into the room with a flourish. "This is Lucy and Jared Owens, Rachel Baker, Riley Waters, Tristan Banks and Lilith Sawyer."

Elijah's bright blue eyes widened at the mention of their names. "The ones that opened the gates," he whispered, placing his hands on the side of his face. "How fabulous to meet you all." He quickly crossed the room to shake each of their hands. "Fabulous," he repeated, beaming at them. "Of course, you're Noah's son," he chimed, stopping next to Tristan and giving him an appraising look.

Tristan nodded, smiling proudly.

Elijah patted the side of Tristan's face. "Lovely," he said with a wink, making Lucy and the others giggle.

He quickly turned to Cora with his hands pressed together in front of his mouth. "So, you're here to pick out their Grace Glass?"

Cora nodded her head, her expression showing her amusement. "I'll also need to replace mine. Unfortunately, it was lost when I attempted to use it to break the seals on the gates myself."

Elijah looked concerned for a moment, his brow creased, but he quickly smiled at her and clicked his fingers. "I have just the piece for you." He put on a soft, white pair of gloves and ducked behind the counter, emerging only seconds later holding a multi-coloured glass woman with her hands held over her heart. It fit snugly in the palm of his hand.

Cora went to him and held her own hand out over the little glass woman. She did not touch it, only held her hand close, and shut her eyes.

Lucy and her friends watched on in amazement as the little glass figure began to sparkle. Cora smiled, opened her eyes and nodded. "Perfect," she said to Elijah, who looked quite proud of himself before turning to pull a small silk bag out of a drawer. He carefully slid the figure into the bag, closed it up and passed it to Cora.

She held it for a moment and took a deep breath. "Oh, that's better," she said, smiling at Elijah. "I was quite lost after the last one was destroyed."

"I can imagine," Elijah replied, pressing his hand to his chest, full of concern. His eyes slid to Lucy and he held out his hands, urging her over. "Come here, sweetheart," he said, practically gushing. "I just know you're going to make this super interesting."

Lucy loved this man. She could feel his genuineness filling the room around them along with his overexcitement at the opportunity to spend time with Lucy and her friends.

"Oh, this is just so exciting," he said, clapping his hands. "Now, I want you to close your eyes and take a lovely, long breath. Focus on the elements and let them guide you."

Lucy opened one eye, "And then what should I do?" she asked, worry seeping into her mind.

Elijah smiled. "Do not fear, you'll know what to do, I promise." He added the last in whisper, accompanied by a wink. "Now, close your eyes and breathe."

Lucy did just that, trying to clear her mind of the worry. After a few moments, something began to pull at her from across the room. She smiled.

"There it is," Elijah said with a tone that was filled with joy. "You can open your eyes now, Lucy."