Obscured Lover (A Paranormal Romance Book): Blackness Falls

by Shania Tyler

  She loved him and she knew he loved her, but was that enough? Was love enough on the scales of life?

  It would have to be, she told herself. And who was she to say that Ethan wasn’t meant for her? So far, Meg did feel like she was fulfilling her role in life. She was Chief Designer of the Temple Room and that had happened while dating Ethan, so didn’t it mean he was helping her fulfil her destiny?

  But how was she helping him? What did her presence in his life do for him?

  “Hey, are you okay?” Piper asked as they reached a darker hall.

  “Yeah,” She smiled up at Piper and folded her arms around herself. They’d climbed down two flights of stairs during Meg’s musing, but she had no memory of where they’d gone after that.

  They all stopped at a door and Theo knocked.

  “Come in,” a woman called.

  The group filed into the room and Meg looked at the woman and child who were standing in front of their fireplace. They both had white-silver hair and matching eyes. Their skin was pale and they were both pretty.

  They wore cream-colored robes that marked them as house servants.

  The woman looked at Meg and smiled with her eyes. “You must be the architect. I can feel Melina in your blood. Same as mine.” She held out her hand. “I have been wanting to meet you. I am Vivi and this is my daughter Aymee.”

  Meg walked over to Vivi without thought and grabbed her hand. Then she grabbed Aymee’s and the three formed a circle. Meg smiled as warmth passed through her hands from one to the other. She felt the connection of blood between her, Vivi, and Aymee. A magic connection. One she didn’t share with Ethan.

  She snatched her hands away.

  Vivi’s eyes flashed as though she’d known exactly what Meg had been thinking.

  Aymee smiled and wandered away.

  Meg backed off.

  Vivi turned to Theo. “And where is the other guest?”

  Theo walked over to Piper and put his arm around her shoulders protectively. “This is Piper.”

  Vivi looked between them and said, “You seem close to this Piper. Tell me how close you are?”

  The little girl circled them with a serious expression.

  Theo answered, “She is my pava.”

  Aymee gasped. “Oh, Mommy, it’s just like I said. I knew that was what the prophecy meant.”

  Vivi smiled. “We shall see.” She held her hand out to Aymee and her daughter took it.

  “What prophecy?” Theo asked.

  Vivi turned to him. “The one that Mason began when he became The Lord of Shadows, but we’ve been quite confused about the rest of it. Until now. You should have told me Piper was your pava when you visited me the other day. Why did you keep it a secret?”

  “I wanted to know what you knew,” he said.

  Vivi narrowed her eyes. “I am not a genie. I am not a witch and in possession of a crystal ball. I only know what I see, but it would help if you would refrain from keeping secrets from me.”

  Meg watched the two battle with their eyes and thought it interesting that Theo allowed his servants to speak to him that way.

  Theo frowned. “What is the entire prophecy?”

  “The door is open. Day and night entwine. The Lord of Shadows will rise from Darkness. Two become two become four become five. Light marks the end at three centuries.”

  The room was quiet as everyone began to think.

  Theo asked, “What does it mean?”

  “We are not sure, but Aymee has some ideas.”

  Aymee said, “I think the door is an actual door. The one that led Mason to Kelly. I think day and night are Kelly, because her mother is Asea... or light and day could just be Earth and Asea.”

  “But you’re not sure,” Theo said accusingly.

  Aymee frowned. “No one is ever sure.” Then she left her mother and went over to Kelly, who picked the little girl up and placed her on her hip. They smiled at one another.

  Theo asked. “How does two become two?”

  Meg turned toward a small bookshelf and looked over the titles. Most of the books were about Melina. Meg would ask Vivi if she could borrow them later.

  Vivi answered, “Aymee believes two fated couples will meet, two become two in the way that one couple becomes one unit, however there are still four people.”

  Theo asked, “So, the four is four people or four fated couples?”

  “We’re not sure, but I’d put away the thought of it being couples until Mason found Kelly and now that you’ve found Piper… We may never completely know what it means.”

  “What about five?” Piper asked. “That’s an odd number.”

  “I think there will be five fated couples,” Aymee replied.

  “Or someone else,” said Vivi. “A simple addition to the rest. We may never know, all we do know is what marks the end of Darkness. Light. It had been exactly three hundred years since the Darkness fell. The Evaness must know their end is coming. Do not trust them while they are here. Mason and Kelly could be in danger and now, so could you and Piper.”

  Theo put an arm around Piper and she leaned into him, though whether she was aware of the action, Meg wasn’t sure.

  A knock came at the door.

  “Come in,” Vivi instructed.

  Ethan came in followed by Maurice.

  Meg smiled as Ethan’s eyes found hers. He crossed to her, wrapped an arm around her, and kissed her head. “Change of assignment. I’m to watch over you.”

  She leaned into him, breathing in his scent and feeling safe in his arms. This was where she belonged. With Ethan. She lifted her head and smiled up at him. “Much has happened.”

  “What?”

  Mason walked into the room and went straight to Kelly and Aymee reached for him, obviously very comfortable with the couple. Mason held Aymee as he spoke with Kelly. Meg caught sight of Maurice standing by the door alone. He always looked lonely to her. She’d tried talking to him a few times since the storage room incident, but he’d only given her one word answers and rarely looked her in the eyes now. She wondered what she’d done to deserve that. Was he afraid of her ability? It didn’t make sense. He hadn’t seemed afraid. She wanted to know Ethan’s brother, but he seemed intent on keeping his distance.

  Kelly had told her to be grateful for it. A comfortable Maurice became overbearing at times, she’d said. But Meg had noticed how easily he spoke with Kelly and how he’d gotten her to laugh on occasion. She’d also seen him speak to Piper at the dinner the other night. Everyone seemed to be forming a connection with him except for her.

  “Is Maurice always this way?” Meg asked. “Socially on and off?”

  Ethan turned and looked at him. Then he shrugged. “Maurice is never any one way. He has his days.”

  “I don’t think your brother likes me.”

  Ethan frowned. “What? Maurice likes everyone. It’s liking Maurice that’s the real challenge. We’ll do something together tomorrow.”

  Meg smiled, liking the idea. If she and Ethan were going to be together, she wanted his family comfortable with her. Ethan’s parents liked her. She wanted Maurice to like her as well. “All right.”

  Mason said, “You won’t believe what gift was waiting for me our room.”

  “What?” Vivi asked.

  “Aluna,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “What?” Kelly shouted. “In our room?”

  “Who is Aluna?” Vivi asked.

  Mason filled her in on what happened at dinner, Isabella’s proposition, Aluna’s presentation, and the ultimatum that the Evaness had given.

  “Hearing this convinces me that Aymee’s interpretation of the prophecy is correct. The numbers are fated couples and now we have two.”

  “Two?” Mason asked. He looked over at Meg and Ethan. Meg’s stomach turned, and she looked down. Ethan tightened his hold.

  “Theo and Piper,” Vivi told him.

  Mason smiled at them and then gave Theo an unreadable look.

  Theo waved h
im off. “We’ll discuss it later. There is also something else to discuss. Piper holds the uncanny likeness of Ann Lureen.”

  Vivi lifted a brow.” Does she? That is quite interesting.” Then she looked at Aymee and said, “It is time to share your vision.”

  * * *

  Piper turned to the little girl, who was hanging onto Mason as though he were a tree and she a monkey and readied herself to hear Aymee’s words.

  Her light gray eyes found Piper’s as she said, “You must go to Ucrary.”

  Ucrary? “Where is that?”

  “South of here,” Theo said. He hadn’t stopped holding her since they’d entered the room and she’d debated so long on whether she would let the man hold her that eventually she’d simply given up and allowed the touch. He was so warm and solid that at one point, she’d had to stop herself from burrowing into him.

  She could feel the muscles in the arm that was wrapped around her back and in the fingers that cupped her shoulders. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this comfortable with a man. Then she knew the answer to be never.

  He was her pavo.

  She was starting to understand that. This was something bigger than her, but she still wasn’t sure what she wanted to do about it.

  No, that wasn’t entirely true. She knew she wanted Theo under her. Or over her. She wouldn’t be picky. The thought aroused her. Theo’s fingers tightened on her shoulder, and she felt his breathing change.

  She closed her eyes to control her breathing and calm herself. When she opened her eyes, she found Kelly watching her with a knowing look. Piper rolled her eyes.

  Vivi said, “Ucrary is south of here on the other end of the continent.”

  “They are about to have the Sleepy Gala,” Aymee told them.

  “What’s a Sleepy Gala?” Piper asked.

  Kelly gasped and turned to Mason. “Oh, I want to go!” Then, to Piper, she said, “I’ve heard nothing but great things about it. It’s a night when the best singers who ever lived sing again.”

  Piper was intrigued. “So, it’s a concert.”

  “Concert of the dead,” Mason told her. “They’re woken on the night of the gala to give the world they left a great show. It’s a performance that happens every ten years.”

  Piper’s eyes widened. “So, it’s a zombie concert.” She was a little less intrigued… and yet at the same time, a little more. It sounded glorious and dangerous. It was as though someone had given her paid vacation to Jurassic Park. Did she really pass up seeing dinosaurs for fear of being eaten?

  “There are no zombies,” Maurice said from the far back. “Only Ann Lureen could call for zombies.”

  “Really?” Piper asked.

  Mason nodded. “There was a ruthless army later called Battle Cry. They rose and fought for only Ann. It was what made Ann Lureen so famous.”

  Piper was amazed… and once again creeped out. Then she asked, “So, no zombies at the concert?”

  Maurice shook his head, “No. The singers are like ghosts, and it’s only the musical element of their spirits that is awakened.”

  “Yes,” Vivi said. “And it’s sure to be a grand affair this year with the stars out. I’m sure people from all over will be attending.”

  “I want to go,” Piper said. But she didn’t understand why Aymee told her she needed to go. “Am I going to die?”

  Aymee looked at her mother, as if asking for permission.

  Vivi gave a swift nod.

  “No,” Aymee said.

  “But you do know when I die?” Piper asked.

  Vivi said, “She doesn’t. She only sees people in the future, living. I am the one who sees death.”

  Piper stared at her in a new light. Vivi held such a heavy burden. She also now understood why Vivi had spoken so fiercely to Theo earlier. Vivi had probably seen her own death and was not afraid of Theo. Piper wondered if she was afraid of anyone.

  “I want you to attend the meeting in the parlor tomorrow night,” Theo told Vivi.

  Vivi’s eyes widened. “As a blood servant?”

  “No, as a guest,” he told her. “I don’t know why you insist on living in the servant part of the house anyway. You know I never make you do anything.”

  “I like my room,” Vivi said as Aymee reached her and took her hand.

  Theo turned Piper and they followed everyone else out of the room.

  Piper had so much to think about, but it never seemed like she had time to settle on one problem before another made itself known. In less than a week, she’d found out she was an elf, born from a powerful bloodline, was half of a fated couple, and resembled a queen.

  She noticed that everyone up ahead of them seemed silent as they walked through the halls and she was reminded of what Theo was going through. She turned to look at him and found his brows pulled together. She squeezed his side and then wondered when she’d wrapped her arm around him to begin with.

  He looked over at her with clear black eyes. Then he stopped and brought up a hand to touch her chin. His mouth descended on hers, and Piper wrapped her arms and around him and held on as the inferno of their desire rose.

  His tongue plunged into her mouth and she wrapped her fingers around his hair. She lifted a leg and her thigh became exposed to the cool air. It was then singed by Theo’s hand. She moaned as their lips and tongues clashed and dueled.

  Her head touched a wall, her legs went around him, and she proceeded to grind into the hard outline of his manhood. “Whatever you need,” she whispered against his lips. She’d give him anything to take away his pain.

  “You,” he replied. “All of you.”

  “Not that.” Her heart skipped, and she turned her mouth from his. This didn’t stop his lips from trailing down her neck however. He pushed his lower body into hers, rubbing fabric against her most intimate place. She sighed, her voice a higher pitch. She was close.

  “Yes,” he told her between rocks of his hips. “All of you. Every night. With me. Always.” His hands slid to her butt and gripped her firmly.

  She whimpered. So close.

  He stopped rocking.

  It took her a moment to get her eyes open all the way. And then she was looking into his.

  His jaw was set firmly. “All or nothing.”

  Her lips parted in disbelief, and she tried to rock against him, to change his mind. He was obviously aroused. He wanted her, but his hands held her still. She hadn’t been able to move half an inch. He was just that strong.

  God, it turned her on even more.

  She bit her lip and touched his cheek. “Just tonight. Let me stay with you tonight.”

  He looked pained and said, “I want you too much for me to let that happen.” Then he pressed his forehead against hers and simply breathed.

  She stared at him. His skin was so beautiful. She could easily picture what he’d asked for. She could see herself waking up with him, living in this dark world with him as her light. She’d be safe with him. She could trust him. He wouldn’t hurt her. He’d protect her. She needed someone like that.

  And he needed her. The thought of him being alone tore her heart into tiny pieces, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. She wanted to tell him yes. She wanted to give him everything he was asking for.

  She gripped his cheeks with both hands. The word that would release their desire hovered on her lips.

  But she was still too damned scared.

  People changed. She hadn’t always been a ward of the state. She’d once been loved and then years later, abandoned. “What if you change your mind later? What if the novelty of this wears off?”

  He lifted his head from hers and said, “Never.” Those eyes held her spellbound. His conviction was always palatable. “I would never stop wanting you. I’ve waited my life for you just like you’ve waited for me.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “How many men have you trusted completely? With not only your body, but your heart?”

  “None,�
� she whispered. Never completely.

  He lifted a brow. “But you tried to?”

  She looked away. “Once.”

  He put her down, grabbed her hands, and fell silent.

  Piper didn’t know what to say. Actually, the words were right at the tip of her tongue, but she’d never said them aloud to anyone. Not even Kelly, Meg, or Ethan knew about the one man she’d thought she’d loved for a time. “He was a substitute math teacher while I was in high school.”

  She looked up and noticed Theo still watched her patiently and without judgment. But then she realized he couldn’t possibly judge her on a subject he probably didn’t know was taboo. “I was sixteen at the time, and he was thirty.”

  “How old are you now?”

  “Twenty-one.” She sighed deeply and continued, “He was my first, but I knew he didn’t love me when we did it.” Then she chuckled and said, “I honestly can’t remember why I did it.”

  Theo cupped her chin and said, “Because you were looking for this.” His thumb swept over her cheek and, as though her skin were a lighter in his hands, fire sparked within her. “You were looking for our connection with him.”

  She shivered when she realized he was right. She hadn’t wanted her substitute teacher per se, but she’d wanted to feel… Her heartbeat picked up as Theo’s fingers swept over her skin again. The pads of his thumb were rough and she smiled.

  He dressed so properly that she’d never once seen him as a fighter. She’d never thought him willing to get his hands dirty. He looked like a man content to sit behind a chair and have the world do his bidding, but then he’d pulled a sword out on Noel and had looked ready to use it. He’d also looked as though he knew how.

  And he’d done it for her. With barely a question, he’d stood up to his friend for her. What had she done to gain his loyalty? It dawned on her. She was his pava. It was simply what a pavo did, perhaps. And she wasn’t sure how she liked that.

  He tilted her chin up farther, and her eyes found his once again. “What are you thinking right now?”

  Did she tell him the truth? Well, she was on a roll, so she might as well. “Part of me wonders if this whole pava/pavo thing is standing between us and how you’re able to simply jump into it without knowing me.”