Obscured Lover (A Paranormal Romance Book): Blackness Falls

by Shania Tyler

  “I don’t need to,” he told her. “That is how this works. You were made for me.”

  Her eyes softened, and her lips slightly parted. “That’s the kind of thing a guy says when he’s been dating a girl for at least a year.” There was still disbelief.

  He touched her cheek, though it pained them both for him to do so. His voice was rougher than what he’d wished it to be when he said, “I don’t need a year to know the truth.”

  Her eyes fluttered closed and she whispered, “I can’t stay with you, Theo.”

  He lowered his mouth close to hers and asked, “Why not?”

  Why not?

  There were so many reasons, but she didn’t know him well enough to tell him the truth. All she wanted was his body. Couldn’t he understand that? “Why can’t we do this the normal way? We can have sex and you can move on.”

  He reeled back as though she’d slapped him. “Move on?”

  She sucked her teeth. “Don’t play the virgin. I know this isn’t your first rodeo.”

  He lifted a dark brow before pulling them together. “Rodeo? What is a rodeo?”

  Piper smiled. “It’s this thing where cowboys ride bulls.”

  He searched her eyes. “Cowboys? Bulls?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll explain it later, but I know you know what a virgin is.”

  He nodded and blinked in the sexiest way. Everything he did was sexy. “I do, but you are my pava. This is different. I will not be intimate with you and let you walk away.” He leaned back and then started for the door. “You need to rejoin your friends.”

  She stared at him and the open door and after a long moment started toward him. This was not over. This was far from over.

  * * *

  8

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

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  Theo stood in front of his door and once again prepared to welcome guests. But this time, there were men with him, archers above him, fighters scattered in the stones that surrounded the house, and a sword at his side. He avoided blooding himself when he could, but Theo was not afraid to fight when needed.

  The travelers had been spotted by his watchmen posted on the outskirts of Morwen, at least a few miles away, which gave everyone time to prepare for their arrival. He was not sure exactly who was coming, but from the two blows of the horn, he knew that they were not friendly.

  At least they would come by horse and not through his family door. The family door was a portal that attached his home with all the other homes of Heron’s line. Only family was authorized to use it and the last person who’d come through that door had been his aunt Berna.

  He smiled to himself, wondering if she was coming. Even if the Evaness was his enemy, Berna never would be. She would always be family.

  The torch movement up ahead let him know that people were coming. The five guards on either side of him stood at attention.

  The first face he saw belonged to a woman who probably, in secret, called herself Queen of Asea. Isabella. Though the council was supposed to work as a team, Isabella ruled them all. She was almost seven hundred years old with hair the color of fire and eyes the cool blue of a flame’s tips. She was escorted by two guards and the other council members followed behind with guards of their own.

  No one smiled.

  Theo asked, “Did you bring Ashur and his band of murderers?”

  Isabella straightened her shoulders. “I would never do such a thing.” Ashur was the leader of the Evaness army and a cousin to Mason, who also held shadow abilities, though his were nothing compared to Mason’s. Ashur’s friends, Jasna and Cos, were also gifted warriors and together, the three could sometimes be deadlier than the whole army together.

  They’d attacked Morwen during Kelly’s first visit and were not welcomed.

  Isabella was not welcomed either, but Isabella never followed rules well… not even when she’d created them herself.

  “I can see that this is not a pleasure trip.”

  “I’m afraid not,” Isabella stated. She lowered her eyes for a moment and then brought them back up. “Berna is dead.”

  Theo silently let her words seep into his bones. His aunt was dead. Impossible. Berna would outlive him for sure. He envisioned her smiling black eyes turned up at him. “How?” he asked.

  “She went in her sleep. She was nine hundred years old, you know.”

  “We’ve been known to live longer. Much longer.”

  “A hundred years,” Isabella whispered. “Give or take.” Then she looked toward someone and two men approached. “We’ve brought her body. I’m sure you’ll want to give her a proper burial.”

  His body felt numb as the men presented him with a plain wooden box. Reality set it and for the first time, Theo was glad for all the guards. Had Isabella chosen that moment to attack him, he’d have died. He’d not have been able to lift his hand to stop her. He couldn’t move.

  His heart ached. The pain was excruciating. He couldn’t breathe. A hand on his shoulder stopped him from crumbling to the floor. He turned to find Mason standing next to him and giving him a strong look of sympathy.

  “Go inside,” Mason said. “I can handle the rest of this.”

  Theo touched his head as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

  “Go,” Mason told him. “You were there for me. Let me be here for you.”

  Theo stared at him and thought of his sister. Cecina. She’d been Mason’s first wife, the one he’d not wanted to betray even in death… until Kelly had come and wiped the shadows from his heart. The Evaness had poisoned Cecina. Had they killed his aunt as well? This was all too much.

  Mason turned him toward the house, and Theo went inside with no goal but to get very drunk.

  * * *

  Meg was curled up in her bed and Piper sat with her legs crossed on the floor while Kelly French braided her hair. They’d been given a suite in the house with two large beds, a fireplace that seemed to take half the wall and a small bathroom. Everything was lovely. The beds were plush and Piper thought it pretty cool once she got the hang of lighting lamps. She did miss toilets though.

  Meg pulled her hair up into a messy bun and said, “If their guests stay for a long time, do you think they’ll make us stay in here? I mean, can’t we just pretend to be the elves we are and no one would notice?”

  “It’s a good idea,” Kelly said from over Piper. “I’ll tell Mason.”

  “I’m still not convinced I am an elf,” Piper told her. “I don’t have pointy ears.”

  “Ethan already told us why. Dr. Knight is the city’s plastic surgeon. He removes points from the ears of all Morwen elves. It’s his job.”

  Piper rolled her eyes. “Well, I’d like to see Dr. Knight’s records if he kept them. I wonder if she filed me under Piper Nobody or if my file simply says Orphan Girl Number 3.”

  “Hey!” Kelly paused. “Where is this coming from? You haven’t talked this way in a long time.”

  Piper slipped out of her hold and shook her hair out. “It’s not coming from anywhere,” she said before turning away.

  “You know, Pipes,” Meg said. “Now that we know you’re an elf… because you are, maybe there is more to the story of your…”

  “Abandonment?” Piper offered.

  “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  Kelly cut in. “Either way, she’s right. There could be more to the story.”

  “Like?” Piper spun around to her friends and waited for a reply. Hoping for a good one, she looked between them.

  Meg shrugged. “Maybe they were in danger. Maybe they were being hunted.”

  “By vampires? In Connecticut?” Piper scoffed. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Or by Monrel,” Kelly whispered.

  Piper looked at her and saw the seriousness in her friend’s face. She remembered Kelly telling her about Monrel. The vampires called h
im the God of Darkness, though he didn’t live on Talon Island with the rest and everyone was in agreement that Asea, the mother of all, did not create him.

  Kelly had seen him once in Connecticut. She’d said he was like a black shadow or cloud. He hovered above the ground and had black gem-like eyes and Kelly had met him in Connecticut. Piper did not wish to meet the guy.

  She thought about it and shrugged. “Why would Monrel want my parents? What could he want from them? You’re a goddess. Of course, he wanted you. But what about me? How does abandoning me help them?”

  “Maybe they needed to keep you safe.”

  Piper rolled her eyes and sighed. “Whatever. I don’t care.”

  Kelly stood. “But you obviously do. Look, I was confused when I found out I was an elf as well. I still don’t know who my father is.”

  “But your mother took care of you,” Piper said. “Mine left me at the fire station.”

  Kelly narrowed her eyes. “Is this even about you being an elf or something else?”

  Piper shut her mouth.

  Meg scooted closer to her end of the bed and stared at Piper. “It is something else, isn’t it?”

  Piper shook her head. “No.”

  “Is it a guy?” Kelly asked as her lips slowly spread into a grin. “Are you interested in someone here?”

  “Did you notice all those guys watching her?” Meg asked Kelly.

  Kelly’s blue eyes twinkled and she nodded. “They’ve been watching her all week.”

  Piper crossed her arms and glared at her friends. “Guys, I’m not into anyone. I’ll leave the boyfriend and marriage thing up to you, because I don’t have time for it.”

  Meg rolled her green eyes and then settled them back on Piper. “Not this again. Look, Piper. You have a beyond-amazing voice and you’ve got the whole Amazon body thing going for you. No doubt you’ll reach your dreams, but you do know that celebrities date all the time, right? Like, some of them even get married?”

  “Yeah, they date other celebrities. Not vampires from other dimensions.”

  “Oh, so it’s a vampire you like?” Kelly asked. “I thought it would be an elf.”

  “No,” Meg told Kelly. “She would definitely fall for a vampire, fangs and all.”

  Kelly giggled.

  Piper lifted her hands. “I’m not falling for anyone.”

  “But you like someone, right?” Kelly said in a higher voice. She then rushed over to Piper and took her hand. “Because, we would so love it if you moved here with us. That way we could all be together.”

  “We?” Piper asked.

  Meg gave a small smile. “I’ve been thinking about staying. Ethan already got the okay for it. There’s just something about this place that feels… right. You know?” She bit her lip. “Plus, I want to be with Ethan.”

  Piper looked between them and said, “When was moving here discussed?” She was starting to get the impression that she was far out of the loop. How many plans had been made behind her back? This was her family. How could they decide to leave her?

  Kelly touched her arm, bringing her back. “Hey, Pipes, we were going to tell you. It wasn’t a secret or anything, just something that came up. Meg mentioned that she wanted to be with Ethan and I already live here.”

  Piper shook her head. “Of course.” She sighed and calmed. She’d been overreacting. Her friends wouldn’t abandon her. They hadn’t for almost twenty years, but they all were growing up. Had she been delusional to think that she could drag them to Los Angeles with her while she pursued her career? Yes, actually, she had, but it was obvious that her life was leading her on a different path than the rest of them. Eventually, she’d have to let them go. She smiled and looked around the room. “I could totally see why you’d want to live in a mansion.”

  “Only until the war ends,” Meg said. “Then everyone goes back to the homelands.”

  A knock came at the door, and Kelly moved to open it.

  Mason came in and wrapped his arms around his wife. “Our guests claim to come in peace.”

  “Claim?” Meg asked.

  He didn’t look at anyone as he spoke. “It means there will be more guards in the house than usual. I don’t trust them. They also brought bad news.” He eyes seemed lost and haunted. He didn’t look at anyone, just out into the room.

  “What did they say?” Kelly asked as she placed her hands on his chest and leaned into him. Her husband’s eyes finally fell to her and his expression cleared and warmed, showing a deep intimacy.

  Piper touched her chest as an ache set in, though she didn’t know why.

  “Theo’s aunt is dead.”

  Kelly gasped. “Oh no, not Berna.”

  Mason nodded.

  Piper wanted to know who Berna was and how Theo was doing. She wanted to find him and make sure he was all right, though she knew it wasn’t her place to do so.

  Kelly, thankfully turned to her and Meg and said, “Berna raised Theo after his parents died. Berna was really the only family Theo had.”

  The aching in Piper’s chest grew worse and coldness settled around her. “Is Theo all right?” she asked. She didn’t care if it made anyone suspicious, she had to know.

  No one seemed to question her asking.

  Mason said, “He took the news hard. It might be awhile before he’s back to his usual self.”

  “Does he need anything?” Piper asked. She regretted the question the moment the words left her lips.

  Mason’s eyes widened. “That’s very kind of you considering how poorly Theo treated you when you first met, but he’ll be all right.”

  Kelly smiled at her softly, also expressing her pleasure in Piper’s good attitude. Then she turned back to Mason. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “I’m just going to check on Theo and then I’ll go to training. We’ll be having dinner formally tonight, so everyone should be ready by seven.”

  “We will,” Kelly confirmed.

  He stared at his wife and said, “You will sit at my side tonight. Close.” He ran a hand through her blond curls and cupped her cheek.

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “Just do as I ask. Please.”

  Kelly nodded, gave her husband a kiss, and sent him off.

  Piper stared at the closed door.

  Meg said. “How horrible for him to have lost the only mother he’d ever known.”

  Kelly nodded and said, “And he lost his sister fifty years ago.”

  “Fifty years?” Piper asked. “How old is he?”

  Kelly wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never asked, but I’m really good at guessing. I can sense how old vampires and elves are. I think Theo is about 450. He’s a little older than Mason, but not by much.”

  “How long will you live?” she asked Kelly.

  She shrugged. “Maybe forever, since I’m a goddess, or maybe around nine hundred years since I’m elf. Maybe somewhere in between. We won’t know.” And she didn’t seem to care, though Piper didn’t understand how that was possible when she was married to man who had a set lifespan. The thought of going on without someone she loved would drive her crazy.

  It made Piper wonder how long she would live.

  Meg saw the question in her eyes and smiled. “It depends on if you’re full elf or half elf, but the fact that you’re wondering means you’re starting to accept the truth.”

  Piper, during all her debating, had never thought of her lifespan and how it would affect her life on earth. She couldn’t live forever if she wanted to be famous. Eventually, someone would notice that her skin’s perfection was beyond the effects of plastic surgery. She let the weight of that settle over her. Could she even pursue her dreams on Earth?

  Perhaps for a while. Perhaps, for a few decades, but then people would notice she didn’t age. And she would make new friends, human friends, and be forced to watch them die all around her.

  The ache in her chest made itself known again. Theo had lost someone. He’d lost everyone, it seemed. She had to find him.<
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  * * *

  ACT TWO

  FINDERS KEEPERS

  9

  CHAPTER

  NINE

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  Piper walked into the dining room at exactly seven and was amazed at the setting. The dining room was beautiful and dark with just enough light to be almost intimate. A long table took up most of the room. She recognized many of the faces, but there were just as many that she didn’t know.

  The utensils looked to be made of real gold along with the candle and napkin holders. It all looked so fancy, and Piper would say that the setting would have fit into any home on Earth, except for one very clear thing.

  Vampires didn’t eat food.

  Behind each vampire stood an elf. Either a male or female blood servant. They wore a robe of black to signify their position. Kelly had told her the color hid any blood they might get on themselves. She’d also told her that in other homes in Asea, they’d have been slaves, but in Theo’s home, the elves had the freedom to choose where they worked and were paid for their services.

  Plates were only set in front of the elf guests, and everyone looked to Piper as she stood at the entrance. She looked around the table for the one person she’d been searching for all day, but couldn’t find Theo. She’d checked the entire house and the surrounding grounds, but eventually had given up since it was time to get ready for dinner.

  She’d thought she’d see him here, but he wasn’t there either and it frustrated as much as saddened her.

  She chose the empty chair closest to her and dropped into it, finding herself seated by Maurice and a man she didn’t know. The man stared at her as though he’d seen a ghost.