by Cate Farren
"Your father is worried about you," said Jared. He walked up the bed. His image seemed so real. "You should talk to him."
"I can't tell him what I did," said Clover. "It would break him."
"It's already breaking him. He wants to know how his wife and mistress died. He wants to know what happened to cause this."
"How can I tell him I killed Mom?"
She ignored him, flashing back to that day. She'd been so angry and grief stricken and the rage and the chaos swirled inside her like a maelstrom. She'd lashed out and killed her mother without thinking of the consequences.
Clover grinned. "She deserved it."
"You don't really believe that," said Jared.
She stared at him, angry. "She took you away from me. She killed my baby sister's mother. The woman was a monster and I had to do it."
The words didn’t sound like her, but she didn’t care. She meant them.
Jared shook his head sadly. "That's the shapeshifter part of you talking.”
"Who cares if it is?" she asked him.
Jared walked up to her. "Your face. It's changed into your mother's."
Clover panicked and ran up to the window. She saw her murderous mother staring back at her. She screamed and tried to break the glass, but it wouldn't take. It was bulletproof.
"Stop!" she screamed. "Go away!"
Her face slowly changed back into her own, but she could still see her mother. They shared many similar features, despite the fact she looked so much like her father. She would never get away from what she did to her mother, would she? It would haunt her forever.
"I wouldn't change a thing," she told her reflection. She was resolute in her words. "I'd kill her again if I had to."
"That's your rage talking," said Jared. "You don't mean it."
"I do mean it. She took you from me."
There was no such thing as ghosts. She’d learned that from Sheriff Trent. In a world of werewolves and vampires it was silly, but the truth. This wasn’t Jared’s spirit. She was talking to herself. She was trying to convince herself that killing her mother was a mistake.
Never.
"Being a vampire doesn't suit everybody,” Jared went on. “What if the bloodlust and the effects of being an alcoholic and the curse Rose put on her made her that way? What if she had no control over her actions? You know as well as anyone what your mental health can make you do. You drove into a store to kill yourself." As she continued to ignore him he said, "A part of you even thought there might be someone inside that store, but you didn't care. You weighed up that other person's life against your own pain."
Clover turned away from him and started to stalk her own cell. Sometimes the Jared in her head could give her home truths she didn't like to think about. Was he trying to send her more insane?
"I'm not sure it matters whether my mother was batshit crazy or not." She stopped pacing. Jared was standing so close to her she could see up into his beautiful eyes. It was like he was really there and not just a part of her delusions. "She killed you."
"I'm right here," he assured her.
She shook her head. "I'm so far gone I'm talking to an illusion. No wonder I'm starting to feel sympathy for Loki. I really am mad."
"You're not mad. I'm really here."
"Of course you are."
She wept as she tried to touch his face, but her fingers swept through him like he was made of dust. Her heart broke all over again.
She sighed with regret. "If only..."
"You have to get out of here," he warned her. His voice was urgent now. "Loki is manipulating you. You're vulnerable right now and he's using that to bring you over to his side. Please listen to me."
"I maybe mad but I'm not stupid. I can feel sympathy for him and still want to bring him down. What was done to him by Sheriff Trent and the king of the Fey was monstrous and evil. But he took things too far, and now he wants to take things even further. I have to stop him."
"It's too dangerous."
She smiled sadly and wiped at her eyes. It was nice that he cared.
"For my inner self you really are constantly worried," she said.
"I'm not your inner self,” he stated. “I'm Jared. I really am Jared."
"Of course you are."
Jared sighed and vanished. Clover smiled and sat down on her bed again, waiting for Loki to turn up.
JARED SCREAMED IN FRUSTRATION as the connection broke. He held his head as spears of agony lanced through his brain.
"Are you okay?" Sutton asked, clutching at his arm. When he didn’t answer she shouted, “Jared! Are you okay?”
He glared daggers at her. Her screeching voice didn’t do his stinging head any favors. When she’d discovered him a week ago he was glad. Sometimes he wished he’d stayed hidden. It was easier that way.
She smiled. "You drool when you're astral projecting."
Jared pulled himself out of bed and started to pace. For a while it had been so good to talk to her again, even if she did think she was going mad. He'd missed her so much. He'd actually thought for a while he'd forgotten what she looked like it had been so long, but he'd been wrong. He'd memorized every line of her face in exquisite detail. How could he forget? She was the love of life and not even time and death itself could separate them.
"She still won't see reason?" Sutton asked.
"She wants to stop him," said Jared. "She's going to get herself killed."
"Give her some credit, Jared. You know her. You know what she's capable of."
"I don't want her spending time with that man. He might corrupt her."
Sutton didn't answer. They both knew how vulnerable Clover was right now, and Loki was using that to his advantage. He liked to think she could keep her head but he wasn't sure. He hadn't realized how bad Clover's condition was until he'd visited her for the first time. Was it possible she could be lured to the enemy's side, or was he just being overprotective?
"You're been grumpier since you came back from the future," said Sutton. She walked up to him. "You going to tell me how you managed that yet? I've been waiting very patiently for the truth."
"I'm not telling anyone how I got here," said Jared. "Ever."
"I bet Father knows."
Jared nodded. "He does, but Dracula will never tell."
The journey he took to be reunited with Clover was a long one. He'd been resurrected. He'd travelled in time. He'd witnessed so much and been so lonely that sometimes he wanted to rage and cry at the same time. It was all worth it in the end, though. He was back now, and he would do anything to keep Clover alive. Anything.
Chapter 10
"We're going to have a boring day if you don't talk," said Trent.
Clover shrugged her shoulders.
"Your father is worried about you," he said. "I'm worried."
She closed her eyes, drawing out the Prime Demon's voice. It was rough and deep, like he’d smoked sixty a day since he was a toddler. It felt good to hear that reassuring, if slightly sinister, timbre. It reminded her of happier times spent in the hell dimension. Even knowing what she did now, that he once killed Loki and committed genocide against the Le’ans, she still missed him.
"And what's that weird smell in here?" he demanded. He squinted, like he’s smelled something foul. "It smells like bacon."
Clover laughed. She'd had ham for lunch. She'd been farting ever since.
Trent sighed. "Looks like you can still smile. There's that much at least." He paused before adding, "Celia wishes you well. She can control her Xaphan demon powers pretty well now. We’ve had no accidental fires for weeks. She drew you a picture but I left it in the car. I'll bring it next time I come in, which might not be for some time. I suppose you wouldn't have heard in here, but shapeshifters blew up the Eiffel Tower. Toren almost died."
Clover opened an eye, shocked. Loki hadn't mentioned that. Not that she was surprised. He was pretty much capable of anything.
“I would’ve mentioned the Eiffel Tower thing before bu
t...” He looked away, as if feeling guilty. “I didn’t want to upset you.”
It did upset her. She’d been up the Eiffel Tower and had loved it. It had felt like she could reach out and touch the entirety of Paris with the tips of her fingers.
Trent pulled a piece of grass out of his hair. “Damn it.” He flicked it on the floor. “Darin and I went camping. We hadn’t done that in years. Things were stalling with Loki, and Celia was doing fine, and I wanted to take his mind off Sutton for a bit. It was fun. When everything is on red alert and the whole world is about to come crashing down around you it’s the little things that matter. It didn’t stop him from worrying about Sutton, but we laughed and we talked about his mother and what kind of future he wanted with Sutton and it was good. It felt like the calm before the storm.”
Clover wasn’t sure any of them even had a future.
"I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE to see you for a while," said Adrian. His rough voice was gloomy, though tinged with hope. "I'm going to England to help Lovisa out with her curse. We had a little trouble at first as we tried to come up with a plan, but she figured the best way was just to confront the witch. I highly doubt Dracula would allow his own wife to attack her or me. He knows me, if a little, and he also knows Gable Trent would intervene should Lovisa or I be hurt in any way. Sometimes it’s good to be friends with a Prime Demon."
Clover wished she could tell him she was happy for him. At least someone was getting a happy ending. She looked up from her chair and smiled. It had the desired effect.
"I know you're still in there," he confided in her. "Come back to us."
KARMA OPENED THE CURTAINS wide, staring out onto the lawn.
"You should get some fresh air," she said. "It's dusty in here."
Clover's refugee friend from the hell dimension was a lot more talkative than she ever was. Whenever she visited she'd rabbit on and on about all she'd learned about this new Earth. It was fun to hear.
"I went to the cinema for the first time ever with Amelia," said Karma, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Some man threw popcorn at me and I punched him. I was thrown out! He should’ve been thrown out.”
AUNT SAMANTHA CHECKED her pulse and sighed. "Your blood pressure is high again."
Clover ignored her fussing. She knew her blood pressure was high. It had been ever since that fateful night.
"I'm surprised it isn't higher considering the world we live in." Samantha sighed heavily. "I'm finding it hard, Clover. Your father has known about all this supernatural stuff for a very long time, but to me it's...it's difficult. I have a rational mind, you know that. All this vampire and Loki stuff feels too fucking strange."
Samantha liked to vent like this. She had nobody else to talk to about being thrust into this new world. Clover let her talk. It was nice not to be asked so many questions. Besides, she herself still felt a little overwhelmed by it all, even after all she'd been through.
"Do you remember the guy I told you about, the one who said he was a wolf?" she asked. "It turns out it wasn't a metaphor for his mommy issues. He really is a werewolf or wolf shifter or whatever the PC way of describing it is. He showed me his wolf form! I nearly pissed myself. Still, he did make a very beautiful, cuddly wolf."
AKASHI AKIMOTO SAT down on the only available chair in the room. Clover stared at him, unblinking. This was the first time her sword fighting teacher had come to visit.
He regarded her intensely for a minute before saying, "You're faking it."
She continued to stare, daring him to blink.
"I'm not reading your mind," said the vampire. "I just know."
Clover shrugged and said, "I bet you read my mind the moment you came in."
"You know I wouldn't do that."
She did know that. She just didn't want to admit it. She was a little annoyed that he'd seen through her ruse so easily when nobody else had.
"Was it that obvious?" she asked.
"Not really," he admitted. "You are closed off and sad and you want the world to leave you alone, but I also sense something else. There's a tiny slither of hope in you."
"You can't tell anyone. Please."
"What are you planning?"
She really didn't know, not yet. She just knew she needed to stop Loki. She just wished he'd actually come back and reveal what he himself had planned next.
Hopefully he plans to break me out of here.
"I trust you to be careful," Akashi stated.
Clover looked away. "I can't promise that."
"YES, I'M BACK," SAID Trent, sitting down. He sighed, looking fed up. "I was bored."
She watched him as he sat there, thinking. He didn't say a word for almost ten minutes.
"I think about what I saw when I died every day," he admitted. "And it scares me so much. I fear for Celia and Darin and...my wife! My beautiful wife. I thought she'd have somewhere better to go when she died. But now..."
Clover wanted so badly to reach out and comfort him, but she couldn't break character. Trent and her father were childhood friends. There's no way the sheriff wouldn't tell him.
I think about what you told me about life after death too. Thanks for that.
"That new so-called king of the Fey and Dracula think they have things covered, but they don't," Trent admitted. "The direction of the war is in my hands. They aren't nearly powerful enough to defeat someone like Loki and they know it but they're too stubborn to admit it. I don't mind having to kill him, though. I'm quite looking forward to it."
She noted the savage glee in his tone. He really was relishing having to kill Loki.
He went on, his voice more somber now. "Every death is my fault. If it wasn't for me...I killed Loki, and I threw him in the Primordial Womb. That's what made him what he is. That's how he got the ability to create shapeshifters. This is all my fault."
Clover raised her eyebrows, shocked at the confession. She knew with certainty that he'd never shared this secret with a living soul before. She mused why the sheriff was so honest with her. Did he see in her a similar soul, one conflicted by light and darkness, or was she just the nearest person he could find?
"I hate him so much," he said. "It's white hot and all consuming and I can't wait to get my hands on him so I can torment him again. The millions of years I had to torture him in that cage wasn't nearly long enough."
Clover sensed there was something else she doesn't know. Trent's hatred stemmed from more than the fact that Loki made the demon the last of his race. There was something there more personal. The only person who Trent truly cared about was his children. Had he had children before? Had Loki killed them?
"So many people are going to die," he said. "But I'm okay with that as long as Loki gets what's coming to him. What's a few more million to add to the deaths on my conscience?"
He was about to get up and leave when he said, "I know you're in there somewhere, so remember this - if I die I want you to look after Celia. Keep her safe."
Clover promised herself she would, though she didn't expect to live through this either. Once Loki realized she was betraying him he'd kill her.
But not if I kill him first.
Gable Trent stayed another ten minutes, just sitting there, his eyes closed. He looked serene and peaceful and actually quite beautiful.
"I'm in love with Astrid," he said.
He didn't say any more. He just closed his eyes and slept peacefully for an hour.
Chapter 11
Toren stared at her desk. On it was a map of the city, showing the hidden entrances to the Fey kingdom. They’d been working on a plan for days. The Fey were some of the most powerful magic users in the world, and they protected their own with a passion. She didn’t like the fact that she might have to harm her own people, but she was prepared to do it, especially if they were Fey she didn’t particularly like.
There are a lot of Fey that still don’t like me.
She couldn’t help but grin. She actually couldn’t wait to break into the Fey palace and massacre all those
traitorous bastards. They deserved everything coming to them.
Aileen said, “I’ve been moving the guards around. Those loyal to you are at the entrances and exits. We should be fine.”
“Being fine is not enough,” Toren snapped. “Useless idiot.”
Her handmaiden nodded her head. Toren knew she was being rough on her but she didn’t care. Aileen was just a servant. She could never know what it took to be a princess or a queen or a shapeshifter hunter. How could she? Aileen was born to serve, not to lead.
How did I come to depend on someone so naïve?
“Can I speak candidly?” Aileen asked.
“I suppose,” granted Toren. “But be quick about it.”
“You’ve changed. You’re not the woman I once knew only a few short years ago.” Aileen looked away for a moment before adding, “Is this what you become when you’re The Black Fey?”
There was a knock at the door, saving Toren from having to reply. Aileen was starting to get on her nerves now.
“Answer that,” she snapped towards Aileen.
Aileen sighed and answered the door. It was Bob, a bellboy they’d seen around the hotel. He had a tray of coffees with him.
“Come in,” said Wynn. “That was quick! I only ordered those coffees five minutes ago.”
“You’re our best customers,” said Bob.
Bob smirked before throwing the tray of coffees onto the ground and changing into Loki. Aileen tried to grab him but she was thrown back against the wall, her neck snapping instantly from the force of the toss. Toren leapt from her behind her desk, sword already out, ready to decapitate him. She didn’t give her dead handmaiden, her friend and confidante for thousands of years, a second glance.
“Stop,” Loki commanded.
A wave of energy pulsed from Loki’s fingers. He exerted some sort of magical control over her, turning her body to stone. She couldn’t move, and neither could anyone else in the room. The other shapeshifters looked terrified.
