by Tee, Marian
"In ancient times, my race lived amongst gods."
Right.
First he talked about spells, now he's talking about gods.
Definitely psycho.
Dr. Harris frowned. "I'm not lying, Ms. Sullivan. Do you not know anything about Greek mythology?"
"I've watched Hercules," I offered.
My boss winced. "Blasphemy."
"Hey!" I felt more than a little offended. "It's a good movie—-"
"Enough." Dr. Harris slowly shook his head. "You think I don't see through you, but I do. You think to delay your death by making me talk—-"
Shit.
"But you see, you have it all wrong."
I did?
"I plan to keep you alive for a long time...if my experiment works."
My heart, which had started to soar earlier with a tiny amount of hope, plummeted back to its death once I heard Dr. Harris mention the E-word.
And when I saw him lick his lips while slowly tracing the length of the IV tube with his well-manicured fingers—-
Shiiiiiit.
The other end was simply capped, and I felt myself pale when I realized what this meant.
Cannibalistic liposuction.
My boss smiled at me. "Bon apetit to me."
I screamed.
"Hadrian!"
Dr. Harris didn't even seem to hear me. After releasing the tube from his hold, he lowered his head, murmuring, "I think I'll just have a little taste..."
"Hadrian, where the fuck—-"
Dr. Harris pricked my finger with a needle, and my words ended with a gasp of pain. I felt his tongue lick the blood off my skin, and tears of revulsion stung my eyes.
This was it then.
But the next thing I knew, Dr. Harris had suddenly started choking, his face turning a sickly color as a series of seizures had him twitching and jerking. He clawed at his throat as he fell off his chair, and by the time his body hit the floor...
He was dead.
Chapter Twelve
I know, I know. Just like before, you probably have lots of questions, but unlike before, I'm not under house arrest. Rather, I'm waiting for an old friend to show up, and we can chat until then.
So...
Let's start with how I lost my memory. It was that day when Hadrian told me he was the Lord of the Underworld, and I was his Lady. We were about to enter his - make that our - kingdom when boom!
A messenger from the Olympian High Court had appeared, golden scroll in hand.
Apparently, only a woman with living flesh had the right to become Lady of the Underworld, and since Hadrian (naturally!) refused to replace me with anyone else, the Moirai offered us a deal.
The Aspirant's Soul shall return to her Original Body.
She is to prove her ability to assume the Noble Tasks of the Lady of the Underworld
without lifting the Veil that separates the living from the dead.
Interference or aid of any kind from the Lord of the Underworld
shall mean forfeiture, and the Aspirant shall forever lose her chance to stand by his side.
But if the Aspirant completes her task in accordance to the decrees of the Moirai,
the gift of ambrosia shall bond with her blood, and she shall reclaim her memories of the Afterlife.
With this, she will be crowned and take the throne as a goddess like no other.
...
...
...
This is me giving you guys time to take it all in.
Pretty heavy stuff, right?
The first time I read those words, I had needed Hadrian to dumb it down for me. Or maybe the better term is to update the Moirai's words with some 21st century plain speak.
And in case you still find some of it confusing, the gist of it was that I had to become human again, "rediscover" my ability to see ghosts, and help them cross over (aka the "Noble" Tasks of the Lady of the Underworld)...all...on...my...own.
Which I did.
Sort of.
Do you remember how I had my doctors puzzled over the abnormal mutation in my blood? That's the ambrosia in my system, which the Moirai gave me permission to partake (their term, not mine), to prevent my accidental death while I went through the Olympians' version of intiation.
And since Dr. Harris hadn't any permission to consume this super rare bit of nectar, diluted as it was with my blood...
Like the wise Justin Timberlake says: bye, bye, bye!
All the same, I couldn't help feeling all shades of stupid for not having suspected him from the start. If I had just been smart enough to see the signs, I could've prevented Melanie from being killed.
It was only when Dr. Harris moved to Portland that the killings started.
And the odd smell coming from the small refrigerator? It had leaked out from a container that had Dr. Harris had neglected to completely close, and which contained some of the fatty body parts my boss had removed from his victims.
Hadrian tells me the the most likely reason all those parts had been torn off by hand was to mislead the police and make them think their missing serial killer wasn't handy with a scalpel.
Despicably cunning, my former boss, and a complete disgrace to his fellow anthropophagi, which the evil old doctor actually told me the truth about.
His race did live among gods once upon a time, and it had been the bane of their existence that cannibalism had been the only way for them to enjoy extraordinarily long lives. And for a time, they had done just that...until the Holy Crusades.
When the entire race converted to Christianity, the practice of cannibalism was subsequently banned...but not forgotten. And it was why, upon being diagnosed of Stage IV pancreatic cancer, Dr. Harris had decided to save his life at the cost of others.
With the help of several books on the black arts, Dr. Harris had managed to come up with the requisite formula for his recovery and closed shop to move to Portland.
As for the women he had summarily chosen to kill and consume, the police had sadly failed to dig deep enough to uncover two common denominators.
Firstly - these women had all been spur-of-the-moment walk-ins at Dr. Harris' clinic, albeit at different times and dates.
Secondly - they were all exceptionally healthy, their blood free from drugs and alcohol, i.e. the complete opposite of the "commercialized" women of Beverly Hills, and thus the exact thing a cannibalistic doctor ordered.
And for a while, his formula had seemed to work, but when his latest diagnosis had shown his cancer had once again worsened to Stage IV, it was then Dr. Harris decided to retweak his formula. Since all of his books on black magic preached of greater evil resulting into greater gains, why not consume his victim's flesh while she was alive, and do so in a way that her torment would last for as long as possible?
And yes...
That was to have been my fate...if not for the ambrosia in my blood, which Hades' ex-queen considered a 'deus ex machina' and had consequently filed an appeal in the Olympian High Court to question the validity of my ascendancy as the new (and dare I say better and cuter) Lady of the Underworld.
So...yeah.
That's w
Not quite the happy-ever-after for Hadrian and me, but I was choosing to be positive, despite my own reservations. Zetes told me the court was likely to junk Persephone's suit, but honestly, I was still a little worried. Then again, I haven't gotten around to asking Google what 'deus ex machina' means, so who knows?
Maybe Zetes was right, and I had nothing to be worried about.
Oh, and in case you're wondering...
No, it was not Zetes that had been stalking me, and he had been rather offended that I would even think such a thing. As a skilled and experienced court watcher, it would have been the greatest shame for him if I had felt his presence in any way.
So those times that I felt I was being watched?
Those were the ghosts of Dr. Harris' victims. Having seen me being interviewed for a job, they had followed me home, and upon realizi
ng that I could see ghosts, they had "joined forces" in order to communicate with me through my dreams.
If - like Dr. Harris had said - the spell had been cast by a more experienced witch, they might not have been able to reach out to me. But since it had been a rather amateurish, loophole-ridden spell, the ghosts had been able to work around its magical conditions. Since the spell had only forbidden them to mention their killer's name and be anywhere near Dr. Harris, all they had to do was wait when I was alone or unconscious before haunting me.
Anyway, all's well that ends well. The ghosts were at peace, Dr. Harris now had his own suite in Tartarus, and the only blip in the horizon was what he Goddess of Law's final judgment would be on Persephone's lawsuit.
But for now...
"HOLA, QUERIDA."
I fought against blushing when Joaquin bent down to kiss my cheek before taking the seat opposite me. It wasn't that I still had a crush on him or that I was being unfaithful to Hadrian. Rather, the broodingly handsome Spaniard was just so rakishly charming it was impossible - really, truly impossible - not to feel the tiniest thrill at the knowledge that a man like him found li'l ole me...attractive.
"I'm sorry I'm late," he murmured.
"It's fine." I was, of course, pretending to talk on my phone again. Even though there were only a few other people inside the cafe, it was always better to be safe than sorry. Also, I needed to set an example, now that I was, you know, the Lady of the Underworld.
"I thought I saw her, you see..." His jaw clenched. "But I could be wrong. She was in a car, and as you know..."
It hurt to hear the bleakness in his tone. I wanted to say 'sorry', but because I knew he hated even the smallest sign of sympathy, I simply let a respectful amount of time pass before clearing my throat and speaking again. "So...what was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Ah, yes." His dark eyes gleamed. "There's been a man coming here of late."
"Oh." I hadn't really known what to expect from this meeting, but I definitely hadn't expected that.
"At first, I thought he was your stalker."
Zetes, I thought.
"But then I saw you with him—-"
"He's not a bad person," I reassured him. "While I wouldn't say we're friends exactly—-"
Joaquin smirked. "I'm certain he is more than that, querida."
I frowned. "What do you mean..." My voice trailed off.
The sun had already set, and with its crimson rays gone, so was the ghost of Joaquin, whose cursed soul was doomed to haunt only at daytime. I had asked him once, where he went every time darkness fell, and all Joaquin would tell me that it was a place where he deserved to be, for having so callously broken the heart of an innocent witch in his youth.
Tomorrow, I decided absently. I'll ask Joaquin again, and—-
Wait a minute.
All at once, I felt someone staring at me from behind, and I bit back a groan.
Not another dead stalker, please?
I was hoping I could take a little break before getting back to work, but...oh well.
With great power comes great responsibility, I reminded myself just before slowly turning to glance over my shoulder—-
"Boo."
The greeting, albeit drawled out in a soft, lazily pleasant tone, still had me nearly jumping out of my skin, and the moment Hadrian took the chair Joaquin previously occupied, and I saw the way his lip curled ever so slightly—-
Oh shit.
I had no idea what I had done, but one thing I was sure of: I was in big trouble, if the cool glint in Hadrian's silver eyes were anything to go by.
"Um...hi?" I tested a smile on him, but Hadrian didn't smile back.
"You seem a little too fond of your so-called stray," Hadrian said flatly.
It took me a second to understand what he was talking about, and a choked laugh escaped me. "That day..." I remembered how I had lied about waving hello to a stray cat, not knowing that Hadrian could see Joaquin as I did.
No wonder he kept talking about the "stray" back then.
His jealousy was really too cute for words, and unable to help it, I quickly stood up, and - uncaring of what other people might think - planted myself on Hadrian's lap. "I love you," I said sweetly.
Hadrian grunted.
Unwilling to be put off, I curled my arms around his neck as I leaned down to kiss him. Hadrian's lips were stiff and unresponsive at first, but I refused to give up, wooing him with little nibbles until finally, I felt his fingers curve around my nape—-
Finally.
He took over then, his tongue stroking hungrily against mine, and I willingly surrendered to the forceful passion of his kiss. By the time he raised his head, my lips were hurting in the nicest way possible, and I felt just the slightest bit dazed.
"I don't like seeing you alone with him," Hadrian muttered.
"Then I won't be alone with him again," I said easily. "I'll take Mary Priscilla with me next time."
Hadrian frowned. "Just like that?"
"I wouldn't want to see you alone with any other woman either," I explained.
He grunted at this, and I bit back a smile. That was still the sexiest sound ever, and I hated thinking about all those days I had been forced to forget it. But then, it had probably been a thousand times harder for Hades, seeing me live my life like he had never existed...
My heart squeezed, and a sudden, urgent need to speak the words seized me.
"I really love you, you know."
He took my hand and pressed his lips to my knuckles. He didn't say the words back, but the glitter in his eyes said enough.
"Come on." His voice was gruff as he gently lifted me off my lap. "Let's go home."
Hadrian held my hand as we walked back to our place at a relaxed pace.
"Hadrian?"
"Hm."
"Why didn't you come introduce yourself to me right away?" I blurted out. It had been bothering me for a while now, remembering how he had looked surprised and almost angry even, the "first" time we had met at the gym. "I asked Zetes if you were forbidden to do so, and he told me you weren't."
Hadrian didn't answer right away, and I tugged at his sleeve until he was forced to stop and face me.
"You won't let this go, will you?" he asked with a sigh.
"Nope."
"It was because of your ex," he said finally. "The first time we met, you were already a ghost, and you hadn't any chance to get back together with him."
"But—-"
"When the Moirai laid out the rules of your challenge, it was almost as if they, too, wanted to see if you would still choose me, given the chance to be reunited—-"
"Oh, Hadrian." I just had to tiptoe and hug him as tightly as I could after that. "I know I'm not as smart as you," I whispered, my voice muffled against his neck, "but give me some credit." His arms went around me as I leaned back to gaze up at him chidingly. "I'm not that big of an idiot."
"You did fall for him once," he remarked.
I glowered. "Low blow!"
But Hadrian's lips only twitched in response.
"Can this please be the last time you'll let Jason become an issue between us?"
Hadrian grunted.
"I'll take that as a yes," I decided.
We resumed walking, and I found myself thinking about how the challenge seemed to have been designed to kill two birds with one stone.
Mm.
Come to think of it...
Hadrian raised a brow when I pulled on his sleeve again and made him stop walking.
"Don't you think it's incredible," I couldn't help marveling, "how the challenge also solved my problem about being afraid of other ghosts? I mean, who would've thought meeting the right first ghost would make such a huge difference? It's almost like a miracle—-"
"Or a deus ex machina," Hadrian said under his breath.
There was that term again.
Note to self: Google that 'effin term, dammit.
But for now...
I ran m
y fingers over Hadrian's forehead to smooth away his frown. "Don't tell me you're worried about the lawsuit?"
"Persephone is never to be trusted," Hadrian said curtly.
"And yet...you did fall for her once." I just couldn't resist saying it, and Hadrian's grimace had me laughing.
Hadrian seemed about to say something when lightning suddenly flashed over us, and thunder rumbled not once, not twice, but thrice.
"We should go." Hadrian's tone was abrupt, and I found myself half-running just to keep pace with his brisk, long-legged stride.
"This isn't the way back," I began.
"We're not going back to our apartment."
"Then—-"
Another thunderous boom cut him off, and I started in surprise. That sounded nasty, and as I glanced up at the skies, I heard Hadrian say, "Zeus is not acting himself."
That didn't sound good.
"We should go," Hadrian repeated, and this time his voice was harder, tension underlining each word. "We need to protect the Underworld from Zeus."
~ The End ~
Keep an eye out for Book 3!
Author's Note
19 July 2020 (Sunday) 1657h
Manila, Philippines
First of all - finally!
I've been meaning to write about Hadrian and Saoirse again, just because it's so fun to hang out with these two. I hope you guys feel the same way. Yes or no? If it's yes, how about writing a review for You Had Me at Boo?
(Nice segue, right? :D)
Also - finally...Hadrian and Saoirse's timeline has made it to the beginning of Blair and Paul's story. In case you've yet to meet the latter, no worries - I'll share an excerpt of their book after this.
Mm...what else?
On the personal front, we are still under quarantine (of sorts), and sadly, cases are on the rise once again in my neck of the woods. I hope and pray we'll have a vaccine soon. In the meantime, please stay home if you can, but if not, please keep practicing social / physical distancing and wear a mask at all times. Above all, never lose hope, and always be kind.
Until our next adventure!
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