Uendeligt: An Infinitely Forever Novel

by S King

  “What? A BDO? What’s new.” I rolled my eyes and waited for him to answer.

  “There are worse things in this world than a Black Diamond Order, Luminous and you’re treading on extremely thin ice right now.”

  Leaning toward him, I smirked, “then enlighten me on what I’m missing.”

  In—what I was slowly learning—Shang fashion, he remained silent and just stared at me. What the hell was this man hiding? Honestly, I had had enough with mysterious men and their secrets. Hell, that’s how I had gotten in so much trouble with Demir.

  Ignoring that little slip of the mind, I steeled myself and met his silence with my own. If Shang wanted to play the silent game, so be it. I wasn’t one to go up against when it came to keeping my mouth shut.

  “Shang!” Talay’s seductive voice followed the subtle pop the latch on the front door made as she came into the house. Within a few short strides, she was standing at the head of the table. “Your little pet,” she sneered at me, “decided to pull a Rambo show and kill Joker O’Qhuinn?”

  This bitch, I thought to myself as I glared at her.

  As if his eyes couldn’t narrow anymore and the venomous look of hatred dancing in that piercing black color couldn’t grow anymore. Both up and did.

  When he finally calmed himself enough to speak, his voice was like the Grim Reaper’s.

  “You don’t say?”

  “I do say,” she slammed down a scroll from the BC.

  “Gee, I wonder what that could possibly say.” Shang raised a challenging brow at me and tilted his head toward the scroll.

  Talay narrowed her eyes at me and said through clenched teeth, “so it’s true?”

  “You’re going to be next if you keep looking at me crazy,” I snapped, snatching the announcement from the table and opened it. Let’s see what Mr. Losett and his trifling group of judges have decided to do with a phantom.

  Gritting my teeth, I read the metallic gold ink.

  It is by the authority of Onyx Elite and the presiding judges to issue a notice of death. Lovett Joker O’Qhuinn, sect leader of squadron ten, Silver Guard was murdered. It is with the solemnest oath of the judges, the suspect—Luminous River—shall be apprehended by a specially assigned guard. With this promise, the judges swear the safety of Castlehedge’s citizens.

  “Well, isn’t that just peachy?” I tossed the notice back on the table and crossed my arms over my chest again.

  Was it sad to say I was used to always having my name at the center of attention when it came to OE and the BC as a whole? Absolutely. Did I care anymore? Not a single fuck was given. In truth, the more I thought about the situation at hand it was something of a nice distraction. At least now I’d be able to keep my stamina and abilities up.

  “Peachy? You call this a time to joke?” Talay snapped, her weird eyes glowing yellow.

  My eyes shifted over to her and narrowed. She was going to be the second example of what I was capable of if she kept talking to me like I had a tail.

  “What’re you so worried about?” I challenged, “go ahead and turn me over to the HG.”

  She laughed. A humorless sound coming from her. “The HG isn’t after you Silver Angel—”

  “Talay,” Shang warned, but it didn’t stop her.

  “You are to be hand delivered to the scientists by the Platinum Guard.”

  I swallowed hard, looking at Shang as I slowly let the words sink into me. “Is that true?”

  He met my stare with his own but directed his next command to Talay. “Get out.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Get out!” He roared, kicking out of the chair so hard the thing splintered against the wall.

  She scoffed and shook her head, “I’m not going to be a part of this suicide mission. If you want to continue to protect this bitch, be my guest. But I’m not going to die for her.”

  Half of me wanted to rip Talay to shreds with my whip, but who was I kidding? I couldn’t think of anything worse than being returned to the scientists that had a hand in creating me. All of the experiments had fought tooth and nail to get out of the merciless trainings and brutal treatments. I was sure Shang and Talay had the same thought process when it came to the possibility of going back in the sterile white labs.

  Hell, if I were being seriously honest with myself. I’d rather be torn apart by my whip than face the scientists again. And looking between Talay and Shang, I knew the same to be true for them. My razor wire and rattle snake leather was looking like a walk in the park in comparison to the alternative.

  Talay spun on her booted toes and shook her head without saying anything else to Shang or me. When the front door slammed shut behind her, I felt my lungs collapse from loss of air. Falling into the chair, I stared at the table and tried to find something to focus on as my mind ran rampant with the events unfolding in front of me.

  Demir had not only torn my heart apart, shoved me from the cliff, moved on without a second thought and was promoted. Now he had signed off on the order for me to be…taken back to the scientists. Alive.

  “Luminous—”

  “Is it true?” Was the only thing I could form. Words had a way of always being my friend, but not now. Not in this moment. I had no words. I didn’t have any quick comebacks or answers to my own questions.

  Shang took a deep breath and sighed, “it is.” He deadpanned.

  “How long do I have before your guard finds me?” A cold, unforgiving blanket wrapped it’s way around me and took my breath away as I looked at him.

  “Maybe a month.”

  A sharp intake of breath stained the air, until I realized the noise had come from me. Looking out the window, I found myself replaying the veiled warnings Shang had given me.

  You go back to Castlehedge and you’re as good as dead. You can’t go back unless you want to die. Repeatedly, the warnings bounced around my brain and clouded any coherent thought I may have had for the moment. All of the warnings weren’t because he wanted me to stay away from Demir. Or the fact he was jealous of what I had had with the former GG sect leader. It was all an attempt to keep me from the vulturous eyes of the courts and the guards.

  Shang had said all of those warnings and cuffed me to the bed in an attempt to save me from myself and my former life before I was pushed from the cliff. Like when he saved me from bleeding out on the river bank, he was still trying to keep me from death.

  “Did they say why?” I finally asked, needing to know for a fact what was being talked about while I wasn’t around. But more importantly, I needed to know—just as bad as I needed to breathe—what kind of battle I was facing from this moment forward.

  “You don’t want to know.” He didn’t move, didn’t change his tone. Like any other time, Shang gave away nothing, leaving me to fester on the mystery.

  Turning my eyes to meet his, I said in a leveled tone. “What’s the reason?”

  The only indication he gave me was the faint muscle jumping in his jaw. He didn’t want to tell me the truth out of some fear. What the basis of his fear was? I had no idea.

  “Shang,” I said more firmly, “why does the BC want me hand delivered to the scientists?”

  “I’m not going to let it happen, so don’t worry about it.” He walked toward the hall and didn’t bother waiting for me to answer.

  Pushing out of the chair, I gritted my teeth and had to jog to catch up to him. Slamming the closing door open, I narrowed my eyes on his back as he sat on the edge of his bed.

  “Tell me the reason.”

  “Let it go Luminous.” He started peeling off his leather jacket and disarming his weapons.

  Marching further into the room, I stopped in front of him, “I’ve been lied to enough by arrogant jackasses. So, I’m going to advise you to tell me the truth right now.”

  His fist clenched around the dagger handle in his hand for a second, before he resumed his slow methodic replacement of his weapons. Still he said nothing.

  Feeling my temper on th
e rise. I resorted to my last polite stance on asking him for an explanation.

  “Shang, please tell me what the reason is behind the BC wanting me back.”

  “Let it go, Luminous, I’m not going to tell you again.” His tone was sharp but still he didn’t look up at me.

  That’s it, I made my mind up, kicking my chin up in defiance. I shrugged, “fine, I’ll go confront the judges myself.”

  Spinning on my heels, I marched to the door. I just needed to make my argument clear to him and if it meant we’d have to race in order to see who was faster. So be it. But Shang was faster. He was more lethal as well. Somehow, he had crossed the room and slammed the door closed before caging me in with his arms.

  “I’m fucking warning you, Luminous. This is not a game you want to play.”

  “Then tell me the truth!”

  “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you!”

  “Try me!” I shoved against his hard chest. My first mistake. The second? I didn’t pull away as soon as he grabbed my wrist and stared deeply into my eyes.

  “What’s your biggest fear? Hm? What’s your worst nightmare. The thing that keeps you up at night and makes it hard for you to breathe?”

  I was captivated. Utterly, hopelessly, unapologetically captivated. All the while watching my biggest fear play at rapid speed in my mind’s eye. But I’d never tell Shang the truth. I couldn’t become vulnerable. Not in front of him.

  Something in me threw up a hard wall, banishing the images from my mind. Only to be replaced with a screen of black. I couldn’t tell him what I was afraid of. I still didn’t know what he was cursed with from the scientists and if that curse was something like reading minds or manipulating emotions? I wasn’t about to give him an inch. Not willingly anyway.

  He tilted his head, something shifting in his eyes as he stared into me. Yet, he said nothing. As if he had seen what I wouldn’t speak on, Shang narrowed his eyes on me.

  Gathering my strength, I said through clenched teeth. “Let me go.”

  “Answer my question,” he challenged, his voice dropping to a husky whisper.

  “Tell me what the courts want with me,” I countered.

  “You don’t give up. Do you?”

  “Life would be boring if I did.”

  A tense silence passed between us as we stared at each other. For what seemed like a year, we had gone back and forth over shit that didn’t make sense. But it hadn’t been a year. Had it? No, instead it’s only been two weeks since I came to and now here we were.

  “Luminous,” he breathed.

  Unable to stop myself, I looked at his lips. Unlike Demir’s, Shang’s lips were fuller on the bottom lip while his top pouted just slightly. At the thought of Demir, I closed my eyes for a second while I remembered how he had held that woman in the club. His hands were holding her close like he couldn’t get enough of her.

  Pushing Shang away, I cleared my throat. “I’ve gotta go.”

  This time, he didn’t fight or try to stop me. Instead, he stepped back as I slipped from his bedroom before he could see the tears deviously displaying just where my head was.

  Bursting into my bedroom I took in gasps of air. Closing the door behind me, I slid down the thing. Burying my face in between my knees, I did something I hadn’t done in a long time. I cried.

  Everything was going to be ok. All of it. No matter what the BC wanted from me. No matter how bad Demir had ruined me. Everything was going to be fine. I was going to make sure of it. But first, I was going to have this time to myself. And once I was finished? I would pull myself from the floor, dust myself off and get on with living.

  That day just wouldn’t be today.

  Chapter 8 Level of Concern

  “You saw her?” Karina narrowed her eyes at Slade in a menacing way that would scare the living hell out of any hardened guard member.

  “Yes?” He said slowly and shifted in his seat.

  “And you didn’t stop her from leaving!” In a split second, Karina was airborne and clawing at his throat.

  “Dristan! Get your girl man!” Slade launched his body backward, backflipping over the couch and scrambled to his feet.

  “I’m going to rip your throat out and shove it up your dick!” Karina kicked out of Dristan’s arms before shoving aside a dining room chair to get to Slade.

  “Why are you getting mad at me? She didn’t leave until she saw Demir tongue fucking some chick on the dance floor!” An apologetic look was shot my way for all of two seconds before he had to dodge the throwing star aimed at his head.

  “What?” Slowly, painfully so, Karina turned to me with narrowed eyes.

  I got off the couch, prepared to run for my life. I didn’t know whose temper was worse. Lumi could somewhat be reasoned with…sometimes. Karina on the other hand was a damn live wire. She heard nothing when she was this enraged and getting her to calm down enough to hear anyone out would take an act of God.

  “Demir, come on, tell her that’s not what happened.” Dristan’s white eyes were pleading as he stood between me and his trigger happy, bomb making girlfriend.

  “That’s not what happened at all!” I hollered, trying to recall what had happened the night I had gone to Nine Lives.

  I remembered seeing Slade sitting in the booth. I remembered taking the shortest route to get to him. Across the dancefloor. The girl. The kiss. Anything after the point of her lips catching mine, however? Nothing.

  “Then what happened?” Somehow Karina had found it in her blackened heart to hear me out and didn’t move a muscle as she waited for me to tell my side of things.

  “Well, I…um…you see, the thing is…I saw Slade and he…the easiest way to get to him was across the dance floor. And…then…well—”

  “Spit it out!” She hollered, her patience warning of their limits.

  “She kissed me and—” Out of nowhere a closed fist knocked me back right before the unmistakable clink went through the room.

  “Karina, no!” Dristan moved rushing out of the living room to the back yard. He threw the thing in his hand to the sky and dove to the side. Exactly one second later the Russian Heart bomb went off.

  My house shook as the night sky was forced from darkness, replaced with a blinding orange. Another rocking explosion, swallowing the orange replaced with red tear drop remnants slowly fell back to the ground. I’d admit the bombs were something to awe at. But with the notion of said bomb being rammed inside my body? Well, that was enough to mind my words around Karina.

  Carefully, I looked at Karina.

  “I will never forgive you for this,” she hissed.

  Shoving Dristan’s calming hand aside, she stormed from the house. This wasn’t good. And the sad part was there wasn’t anything I could really do right now to salvage what had already been done.

  In the back of my mind, I half feared she would find Luminous first and tell her everything that hadn’t happened. Even though Karina wasn’t the type to start unnecessary drama, I did know she would strongly persuade Luminous to think twice about involving herself with me. My front door slammed hard enough to shake the walls and vibrate through the floors. Yeah, I was in deep shit.

  Neither me, Dristan, or Slade tried to speak immediately after. Hell, why would we? Having laughed in the face of death a numerous number of times. Of course, there was always the hesitation of completing the order or fearing how we may or may not come home. But death by Karina caused a different type of paralyzing fear.

  Swallowing the guilt and the feeling of utter confusion, I slumped into the couch again. Forcing the heels of my hands in my eyes I tried to remember what the hell had happened in that club. Sure, the girl who had thrown herself at me was beautiful, she was something of a dream. But she wasn’t Luminous, and I had thought as much. However, I kissed the unknown girl didn’t I? And Lumi was there to see it all. And I hadn’t even noticed.

  “What the fuck did you do?” Dristan had regained his nerve about himself and was staring at me from
across the room.

  “I think the girl who had kissed him could manipulate emotions.” Slade mumbled, falling into the chair.

  “You don’t fucking say?” I snapped.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Dristan held out his hands and made a stupid face at us. “As in like Lovett?”

  “What are you talking about?” Slade frowned.

  Dristan shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Lovett was able to manipulate emotions and if this girl could too…”

  I stayed silent as my own theory came to mind. Whoever had called me and positioned themselves higher than the scientists or the judges then maybe. Just maybe. That same person was the one to position the girl in the club. But how did they know about Luminous being in there also? Unless the same person who had called me was also the same one who had taken the pictures of Luminous. Wherever she was.

  As my mind ran rampant and theories on top of theories racked up one after the other, Slade decided to throw his own theory in the arena.

  “You think she’s related to Lovett?” Slade raised a brow at Dristan and ran a nail over his eyebrow.

  “Maybe, but while we’re on the subject,” Dristan turned to me and frowned. “Do you really think Luminous killed Lovett?”

  “Why wouldn’t she?” I blew a hard breath and shook my head, bracing my elbows on my knees. “The guy took her position and basically sold her out to me when he had an opportunity.”

  “What’d you find on Shang?” Dristan turned his eyes to Slade and waited.

  “From Springcrest, lives alone, works as the sect leader of sect three for the Platinum Guard.” He shrugged and glanced out the window, “according to the BC he’s highly favored among the scientists—”

  “Like Luminous?” I asked, looking at the floor.

  “Just like her,” he shrugged and got up from the table. “With his talent of being able to play on desires and fears, he was top of his class. When he was training, something happened to move him from an infantry position straight to sect leader.”

  “What happened?” Dristan and I asked at the same time.