by Amy Sumida
“I've made a life here, Uncle Jovan,” I said softly. “My parents' dear friend, Landry, raised me in their stead. He's been a good father to me, and I won't leave him. I'm happy here; I have a job that I love”—I looked up and smiled at Davorin and his crew—“and friends who are like family. I don't want to leave; I'm sorry.”
“I'm deeply grateful to the man who raised you and saw to your safety when I could not,” Jovan said gently. “I will send him a reward for his sacrifice, and I would be happy if you would bring him with you to Eden.”
Yes; the Triari home planet is Eden, and—this will really tickle you pink—the Bleiten home planet is Hell. They obviously influenced human myths.
“I don't think that Landry will want to leave either,” I said. “And you don't have to reward him; being family to each other is its own reward.”
“I hope you don't hold me responsible for what happened to you,” he said mournfully. “I hold myself responsible, and I would understand if you did as well. But I would hate for you to give up so much because of it. Please forgive me for my ignorance and come home, Amara. You have a real family now; my wife and son are looking forward to meeting you. Please, give us a chance.”
“I would like to meet all of you someday,” I said. “But the family I have here is very real to me.”
“Of course.” He cleared his throat. “I spoke without thinking. Forgive me.”
“I understand,” I said. “But I need some time to think about this before I leave Earth.”
“All right, Amara,” he said softly. “If you won't come home for good, at least come for a visit. Bring your fostering father and even your friends if you wish. I would dearly love to meet all of them.”
I went quiet and glanced at Malik. Malik's eyes went wide, and he shook his head. But I was in a feisty mood.
“Even if one of my friends is Bleiten?” I dropped the B-bomb.
King Jovan didn't say anything for a good two minutes, but when he did speak, it was surprisingly reasonable. “Like you, I shall need some time to investigate and decide how I feel about certain things. Arc Kyrian has brought several truths to light and some of those involve the Bleiten. If you have a friend who is a member of that race, and he or she has proven themselves to you, I will try to accept them. But I cannot promise that our interactions will go smoothly.”
“Well, that was more than I expected from you,” I admitted. “It gives me hope for a future relationship between us.”
“Because of a Bleiten?” Jovan asked with as much surprise as I had shown. “Then I'm grateful to this Bleiten too. Amara, you are welcome on Eden anytime. I will have Arc Kyrian provide you with ways to contact me, and he will bring you here as soon as you decide to visit.”
“Thank you,” I said. “And thank you for sending an honorable man to watch over me. Without Kyrian, things could have gone very differently.”
“I'm glad that you think so,” he said cheerily, “because Kyrian will be staying on Earth as your personal bodyguard for as long as you remain there.”
“What?” I asked and then gaped at the phone.
“As I said; you're a duchess now, sweetheart,” Jovan declared delightedly. “You're required to have an entire royal guard, but I get the feeling that you wouldn't appreciate that. So, shall we compromise on just Kyrian?”
I looked up at the anxious angel and sighed. “All right; I'll keep him.”
“Excellent!” Jovan exclaimed.
“For now,” I added. “Goodbye, Uncle Jovan. It was nice to finally speak with you.”
“And you, my sweet girl,” he said. “I'll look forward to doing so in person.”
I handed the device back to Kyrian, and he finished his conversation with his king; casting several surprised glances at me as he did so.
“Kyrian is staying?” Malik asked tonelessly.
“It appears so.”
“Very well.” Malik nodded. “But he's not living with us.”
“Excuse me?” I gaped at him.
“I'm sorry, Amara, but I won't feel comfortable with Kyrian living in the same space as us,” Malik explained.
“I think she was more shocked over your presumptions about moving into her place, asshole,” Davorin pointed out. “Dick move.”
Malik lifted his brows at Davorin and then looked at me. “I thought we'd decided that we were worth it?”
“We did,” I agreed. “But we never decided that meant you'd be moving in with me.”
“I don't understand,” Malik said.
“We haven't even gone on a date yet,” I pointed out.
“Oh, this is getting good,” Lily said and then took another sip of her drink. “I thought the Uncle-thing was fascinating, but dumb-demon-boyfriend is even better.”
Malik grimaced at Lily before refocusing on me. “When a Bleiten couple decides to court, they live together; it allows them to preview what married life would be like.”
“Malik, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not Bleiten,” I said primly. “I don't move in with a guy after one kiss; even one as hot as ours was.”
I glanced uncomfortably at Dav and Kyrian; both of them looked unhappy about my revelation but not terribly surprised by it.
“All right.” Malik frowned. “I suppose I can continue living on my ship.”
“Your ship?” I asked with raised brows.
“It's docked just above D.C.,” Malik said.
“With the Triari fleet?” I went on.
“No, they're in space. My ship is about three thousand feet over our heads, protected by an invisibility shield and a warding spell.” Malik shrugged. “No one knows it's there.”
“Oh, okay,” I whispered.
“A spaceship,” Leo said. “That's awesome. Can we have a tour?”
Malik looked up at Leo. “I'm having an intimate conversation with my...” He paused and looked at me for help. “What's the English word for 'dvarra?'”
“Girlfriend,” I said and sighed. “I guess I can agree to that much.”
Malik chuckled as he shook his head. “You're going to make me work for every inch, aren't you?”
“You've got a lot to learn about Amara if that surprises you, Prince Malik,” President Colton said as he joined us. Then, to all of us, he announced, “Military forces, EMTs, and whatever remains of my staff are on their way. It will be a long process to recover from this, but America will survive; it always does.”
“Yes, Sir,” Davorin said proudly.
“I may have a new branch of security to add to our defenses,” Colton went on with a thoughtful look at Davorin and his crew. “All of you have talents that have proved useful today; some of you have skills that flat-out shocked me.” He transferred his stare pointedly to me. “If you're willing; our country could use your help. Not constantly, but in times of great need; like today. Would any of you be willing to become a part of a secret unit dedicated to stopping threats of such magnitude that they're beyond the capabilities of us humans?”
“Yes, Mr. President,” Davorin said immediately. “It would be my honor to help.”
“That's sort of what we do; just on a much smaller scale,” Leo added. “I'm in.”
“And me,” Jason said.
“Well, of course,” Lily said.
Then they looked at me.
“Oh, for pity's sake,” I huffed and looked at Malik and then Kyrian. “Only if you two agree to join as well.”
Malik and Kyrian shared considering looks, and then they shrugged and nodded.
“It's settled then,” Colton declared. “I'll let you know when we have it prepared.”
“Fine.” I grimaced. “But I'm not wearing a uniform.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Later that evening, at a celebration in The Wilds, we watched the coverage of the “terrorist attack on the White House.” According to the news, an Afghani man had sought sanctuary in the U.S. and his request had been granted, but once here, his pleas for justice had been ignored. He harbored resentment against the U
.S. Government and collected a force of fellow Afghani refugees with similar grievances. This group then attacked the White House; believing that if they controlled the President, they could control the country. Ghoul was described as a lunatic and a sort of mad scientist who had massacred most of the White House staff present at the time of the attack, with exception to President Colton; who he kept as a hostage, and who also valiantly fought back and killed the Afghani leader.
I smiled at the screen when they cut to President Colton's speech about the incident. He looked handsome and heroic while he spoke humbly about the people who were the “true heroes” and how all he did was grab a gun when the opportunity presented itself. The way the President looked into the camera seemed to convey the deeper meaning behind his message; that real heroes don't get accolades, but that's not why they save people, is it?
And us real heroes knew the truth about the attack. Less than twenty minutes after Ghoul and his Ghoulies were killed, a parade of military vehicles sped up to the White House to “save the President from terrorists” when they were actually coming to pick up the pieces. With them were the lucky members of the White House staff who had been absent that day or had miraculously managed to escape while Ghoul was releasing his bioweapon. Among the absentees was Secretary of State, Annette Johnson; who brought an army of secret service agents with her. Unfortunately, the Vice President had been killed along with Agent Washburn and his entire team, hundreds of agents and staffers, and fourteen Triari.
Ghoul and his minions had infiltrated the White House through a back entrance; using a combination of supernatural abilities to quietly kill and trick their way to the HVAC system. They blocked the vents leading to the Oval Office and then released the bioweapon into the air conditioning. It took them less than ten minutes to reach their first destination; they were obviously prepared and knew exactly where they were going.
When everyone outside the Oval was dead, Ghoul had stormed the Oval Office and killed everyone inside except for the President. President Colton had to watch his secretary, two aides, his two personal secret service agents: Dawson and Craig, and the Vice President die in horrific ways. But Colton had stayed sane and competent throughout the ordeal and avenged them in the end. The man continued to amaze me.
“I'll have to take the bodies of my men home to their families,” Malik murmured as he took the seat beside mine at the bar.
Malik had just returned from his ship; he had to prepare a place to hold the bodies. While there, he had changed into some fresh clothes and put on some new boots. I noted the dampness of his hair and assumed that he showered as well. I had done the same while he was gone; freshening up in the hopes that we might have some time alone together. But now, Malik was talking about leaving.
“Of course,” I said with a little disappointment.
“It shouldn't take me long, and my father will most likely understand my request for a leave of absence,” he went on. “I'll be gone a week at most.”
“Okay.”
“Would it be acceptable if I spent tonight with you in your home... even though we haven't been on a date yet?”
“I think that would be acceptable,” I murmured as a blush crept over my face. “Since this is such an extraordinary situation.”
“Be careful; you're showing your true colors, Spectra,” Malik teased me as he stroked my cheek.
“I was trying to be honest with you.” I looked up at him.
“I appreciate that.” Malik leaned in to kiss me, and when he pulled back, he whispered, “But you haven't told me everything about your abilities, have you? It seems as if the whole Supermarket knows, everyone except for Kyrian and I.”
“I've made some assumptions,” Kyrian said as he sat on my other side. “She can cast illusions, obviously.”
“And see auras. Can you change them as well?” Malik asked.
I nodded. “I can alter colors; the colors people see, how they see them, the wavelengths themselves, and even the colors in auras. If it has something to do with color, I can manipulate it.”
“Thus the illusions,” Kyrian noted. Then he frowned. “Why did you need to be rescued? How did Traegur even catch you in the first place?”
“They came in quick and blindfolded me,” I said. “My one weakness is actually a big one; if I can't see, I can't control color.”
Malik nodded, but Kyrian continued to stare at me oddly.
“Has the fleet left yet?” I asked him.
“Yes,” Kyrian said. “I've kept my personal spacecraft here, but the rest of the Host has gone home. Oh, and here's the device that King Jovan promised you.”
Kyrian placed a Triari communication device on the bar and slid it over to me.
“This is a simple unit,” Kyrian said. “It's programmed to call King Jovan with this button”—he pointed to a button on the left—“and me with this one.” He pointed to a button on the right. “This one is to hang up or answer.” Kyrian tapped the middle button. “Got it?”
“Sure,” I took the device and slipped it in my purse. “Thank you.”
“And don't worry, Malik; I'll look after our girl while you're gone,” Kyrian said with a smirk.
“I'm sure you will,” Malik said. “And I'm glad she'll have you, Arc Kyrian. You did well today; proved yourself to be a fearsome warrior.”
“Thank you,” Kyrian said in surprise. “I still don't think Amara should be with you, but we Triari are long-lived, and I can afford to wait.”
“Amara and I will outlive you all; wait as long as you like.” Malik grinned wickedly as he stood. “Would you care to dance, Duchess Mara?”
“There's not much of a dance space here,” I glanced around the crowded bar; it looked as if every supe in the Market had come to celebrate with us.
“We'll make do.” Malik smiled sensuously, and I gave in.
Kyrian grimaced while Malik helped me off my stool and then escorted me to an open spot near the front door. It was just below a speaker set into the ceiling and the soft sound of a love song drifted over us. Malik pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me, and I laid my cheek to his chest as we started to sway.
“I need you to know that I didn't lie to you,” I said into his coat. “They did come to the conclusion that my blood couldn't be used to recreate the elixir.” I chewed at my lip and then decided to tell him everything; just go all-in. “How they reached that conclusion is the part that I kept to myself.” I looked up and found Malik staring at me curiously. “I tricked the Triari.”
“You tricked them?” Malik asked in surprise. “How?”
“When they tried to take my blood, I created an illusion,” I whispered as I sent a glance Kyrian's way. “I made it appear that they were drawing blood from my arm when, in fact, they were taking their own blood.”
Malik chuckled. “That's devious, my dear.”
“Thank you,” I said distractedly. “When they came to the conclusion that my blood was useless to them, I thought it was the perfect chance to get both races off my back.”
“I would have done the same,” he said. “And it wasn't technically lying because you simply reported their findings. I understand, Amara, and I even approve. They never took your blood, and now—because of your quick thinking—they never will.”
“But that's not all,” I said. “One of the scientists mentioned that races who use blood to heal themselves might be able to use my blood as it is. That's why I fed it to you; I was hoping she was right.”
Malik went stopped swaying to stare at me intensely. “If this were to get out, you'd be in terrible danger; both from the Bleiten and the Ungaru.”
“The thought had occurred to me,” I said dryly.
“Yet you still saved my life,” he murmured as his gaze went soft. “You risked yourself to save me. You trusted me.”
“I did,” I said. “I do.”
“I swear to you that I will never forsake your trust,” Malik vowed earnestly. “No matter what happens between us—be it
good or bad—I will honor this gift you've given me and keep your secret.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“It's the least that I can do in exchange for immortality.” He laid his forehead briefly to mine and swallowed roughly. When he lifted his face, he was smiling smugly. “I knew we had destiny on our side.”
“Does destiny happen to have an idea of what we should tell people about all this?” I waved my hand toward his eyes. “Because I haven't got a clue.”
“I've actually been thinking about it,” he said as he started to sway us to the music again.
“You have?” I asked in surprise.
“Amara, you've made me a part of your secret,” he said. “Of course I've been thinking about ways to protect it and you.”
“And what have you come up with?” I asked softly.
“A new story.” Malik smiled deviously. “We tell everyone that your father made two vials of elixir; one for you and one for your mother; her being human and short-lived. The night your parents were killed, your mother gave you the last vial and hid you. And you have kept that vial safe for all of these years. You didn't want the Triari or the Bleiten to have it, but then my men and I were attacked, and you decided to use it to save me.”
“That's pretty good,” I whispered. “But there were witnesses; people who saw me giving you my blood.”
“The humans have already been told that you have healing abilities,” Malik pointed out. “As for Landry, I assume that you'll tell him the truth.”
“Yes, of course,” I said. “But what of Davorin and his team?”
“Do you trust them?”
“Yes,” I said immediately.
“Then tell them the truth too,” he said as if it were simple. “We can reserve the lie for Kyrian. He's really the only one we need to worry about.”
“And Davorin will love keeping something from him,” I noted.
“I don't,” Malik murmured. “Kyrian is an honorable man who fought by my side; I don't want to lie to him.”
I blinked at Malik in shock. “I didn't think you liked each other.”
“Like has nothing to do with it,” he said gruffly. “Although, I do like him. Now that I've learned there can be good Triari, I'm open to the idea of friendship with one of them. Who knows? Perhaps there could even be peace between our people someday.”
