“Asking,” she scoffed. “You’ve always been ignorant of the power you wield.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Ahn stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Well, thank you for your kinder than usual words. I’ll um…treasure them or something. Or whatever exes do when they are trying to be civil.”
She stopped him before he could take off with a dainty hand, manicured nails and perfumed wrist sliding across the back of his hand. “I’m sorry, Ahn,” Anais said softly, kindly. “For before.”
“You mean trying to get me locked up for all eternity or possible executed? No big deal. It’s just who you are. Righting whatever wrongs you think are wrong and not stopping until you get what you want. I’ve always liked that about you…loved that about you.”
Anais laughed, her rich brown hand coming up to gracefully cover her mouth and Ahn tried to ignore how his heart skipped a beat. “No. I mean, yes, I am sorry that I tried to get you executed but,” her laughter died down, “but no. For before…between us. How I treated you because of Balladan. He was the right choice for my clan…for me to keep what little power I have. It was a decision I had to make.”
Ahn had always known that. He’d always known she’d choose power over love. It was just that he thought he was powerful enough for her. “Spending an eternity on Caeli with me wouldn’t have been that bad. I could have given you plenty of power.”
Anais’s face fell and her lips, covered in some kind of sweet-smelling gloss, parted.
“How is “Mate of The Year” doing?” he interrupted. Ahn didn’t want to hear her long list of reasons why she thought he was wrong. “Heard he caused a ruckus in the third ward. His lovers almost burned the place down fighting over him.”
Anais’s face scrunched up and she looked down at her feet. “He’s such an idiot and an embarrassment and….sometimes,” Anais said, her voice lowering to a volume where he had to step closer to hear her. “Sometimes I miss being with someone who actually cares about me. I miss that all of the time, I mean to say.”
His heart skipped another beat and the part of his brain that wasn’t floating on air due to the fact that Anais was talking to him, really talking to him and not trying to, say, plan his ultimate demise, rang the alarm. It screamed DANGER! DANGER!
Ahn took a step back out of her immediate circle. “I…I should go.”
“Don’t.” She hadn’t let go of his wrist yet. “I don’t come down here often and we haven’t had a chance to talk since we parted ways.”
“Since you dumped me,” Ahn corrected.
Anais rolled her eyes. “Yes. So, can we talk? Closure?”
Ahn didn’t believe in closure. It was a fancy word for the type of bullshit Anais was referring to, a chance to talk, hash things out, speak about past hurts. But it never healed anything. It just made you think about things you tried to bury down so deep you never had to feel them again. But…he did believe in the fluttering in his chest and he believed that all the nights he prayed and wished for just another conversation with her were being answered right here, right now.
“You’re mated, Anais.”
“And Balladan thinks vows are just words you say at a mating ceremony so the salat will hurry and give blessings over the union. Then there is nothing to prevent him from embarrassing you by dragging you to bed so he can get between your legs before everyone has cleared out of the chamber.” She scoffed, disgusted. “Nobody has seen or heard from him in days. And if he does come, he won’t be home until the morning.”
Ahn looked worried as Anais slid her hand from his wrist down to his hand, slipping her fingers in between his. “Please? Just one night where we can talk? Honestly? I miss you…”
She took a step closer, erasing the space between them. He could feel her breath across his lips and her spirit essence filled his nose–balsam of Peru.
Ahn thought this was stupid. Ahn thought he was stupid but he was just stupid enough to nod. He was just stupid enough to step inside of her extravagant limousine, and stupid enough to follow her to her suite.
At first, they spent long spaces of time just glaring at each other, neither really listening to the other reasons for their break-up. Anais broke the tension with a laugh and Ahn realized how easy it was to join her when lips curved as mischievously as hers did. They talked and actually listened and just like Ahn surmised, nothing was solved. So, they spent time talking about anything other than the two of them: his plans, Glory Beyond life, gossip, the Dantòs; nonsense that made him forget about the looming war, forget about their past, forget that while being next to her, smelling her scent, relishing in the spirit essence that made him the happiest person alive, that he could never have her again.
Several, several glasses of sobhe later made him forget that she had a mate, made him forget that he could never live in The Glory Beyond and that Anais refused to live on Caeli. When she told him she still loved him, it made him forget that she’d ripped his heart out of his chest.
When she kissed him, he didn’t stop her. As she led him to her bed, the one she shared with Balladan, he didn’t protest. When she undressed him, laid him down and pressed her soft, warm body against his, he let her.
He didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop.
CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE
SONO Laboratory
Elysian, Caelian Territory
“What a nasty, horrible thing to do to something that’s already nasty and horrible,” Bon Baji muttered as she looked over Ara’s shoulders. She had begun the long arduous process of compiling the first rounds of data from Sunny’s scan of the T6 pathogen.
Cobra managing to find a sample may have saved them all. If they worked fast they could possibly develop an antidote. But by the Creator’s wrath, this development was too much to deal with!
Bon Baji sighed. This was an incredible setback. No wonder The Eleven had been quiet for so long. They were literally developing a super virus under their nose.
“To be honest, I’m kind of impressed,” Sunny said, pulling off her
gloves and throwing them in the incinerator. “It would take a remarkable person, angel or human or otherwise, to create a virus, and layer it with Qeres. Even if the actual pathogen turns out to be harmless, the Qeres load is incredibly high. I’m not even sure how they got a hold of this much of it without a connection to Caeli.”
Ara looked up, her brow creased. “That’s right,” she observed. “There is no place on Earth that produces this much Qeres. There isn’t a place that houses this much Qeres, either. And this isn’t a synthetic form. It’s natural.”
“How in the hell are they getting it?” Sunny huffed. “Gehanna?”
“No,” Bon Baji said, dismissing the suggestion. “We have a deal with them. They have a stake in Caeli’s survival. They believe in purpose just as much as we do. They wouldn’t aid anyone who wished to destroy it.”
“Antris doesn’t have any, either. After the Nonpareils built up immunity, they had no use for it on the island.”
Bon Baji snapped her finger. “Song. She mentioned something about…an information leak but she made it sound like gossip. It could be bigger than that. If someone is smuggling gossip in and out of Caeli, they might know who is smuggling Qeres out of Caeli.” Bon Baji stood. “Ara. Come with me, we can go siphon more details out of Song. She likes you better.” Ara grinned winsomely. “Sunny, can you duplicate the sample? I’m going to need it to investigate this further. And it may take outside help.”
Sunny nodded and slid her chair over to the laboratory refrigerator, opening it up and waving away the condensed air that flowed from it. She reached deep in and…
“It’s not in here.”
Bon Baji and Ara turned towards her sharply. “What do you mean it’s not in there?” Ara demanded. “It was in there before we left yesterday.”
“I know Ara, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s not there now.”
“Everybody calm down. We will find it. For now, contact Kofi.”
“Key’s father?” Ara asked.
“Yes,” Sunny answered. “He is the head of the communicable disease prevention team. Until he can get here, lock the lab down. Up the security in this lab to Sono Level 5. We’ll review the tapes and see–”
Bon Baji’s communicator went off. It was Dennes. Bon Baji groaned. She didn’t think she had the patience for Dennes’ gentle, yet off the wall complaints today. Nonetheless, she answered.
“We have a problem.” The voice belonged to Charity, Dennes’ Chief Assistant, one of the few who worked outside of SEKRE’s control.
Bon Baji scoffed. “I don’t think your problem is as big as my problem.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Charity made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a disbelieving grunt. She was used to the assistant’s frank demeanor. It was refreshing at the time. While Dennes was entirely too formal and entirely too nice, Charity was lively and funny and never seemed to take being the angelic equivalent of an overworked social worker to heart.
“What happened?”
“Oh, nothing. Just that Balladan–you know the Whore of Babylon? Also the most important male heir of the Hakimus? That guy?”
“Yes?”
“Yeah. He’s dead. Murdered.”
Bon Baji’s mouth flopped opened and closed like a fish, speechless.
“You there?”
“Yes,” she shook her head hard and tried to pull herself together. “Let me grab Dre and we’ll be right there.” She began to turn her communicator off then remembered something. She could almost hear Charity waiting to be asked a particular question. “Do we…know who did it?”
“I’m not a betting woman but my guess is Ahn’anakim’melkyal, noble son of the clan Eliyah.” Charity waited a beat. “Your leader.”
CHAPTER FIFTY SIX
Timnath-Heres Hall Dungeons
Elysian, Caelian Realm
Ahn groaned and held his head in the palm of his hands. He felt like shit and his body was heavy and sluggish, as if he were being held down by weights. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t think at all.
All he knew is that people thought he killed Balladan.
He hadn’t, of course, but the pervasive thought that stuck in the minds of many was that he did. Not that he could read minds. They’d told him so–yelled, screamed at him, if he remembered correctly, as he was brought up the steps of Timnath-Heres through a mob of Great Twelve loyalist and those who just had a damn problem with him in general. The most interesting had been Balladan’s fan club from the brothel. One of them had thrown sobhe on him. He wrinkled his nose. His clothes stunk now.
Ose demanded answers and swift justice–which was just weird. He was used to Ose providing answers, not requesting them. Ose’s demands were met, Creator be damned. It resulted in an emergency trial this morning and the Great Noble houses were quick to answer and quick to act, sending representatives from each clan like Ahn had conspired to destroy Caeli with his bare hands. Unlike his previous mediation hearing, this one was pretty cut and dry.
The ruling of the Twelve was absolute. If he was found guilty, the result would be death.
This was a disaster. He pressed his forehead to his glass cell and looked out past it. His prison felt much more oppressive now than it did when he was the occupant of it the first time. He didn’t know or recognize the guards. They were silent, uncaring. Unmoved is the word he should use. No matter what he said, or how he tried to bait them, they didn’t move. At least when Cobra guarded him, he could goad them into entertaining him.
The clear door opened with a hiss and three familiar faces greeted him. “You’ve gone and done it now,” Seff said, his grin wry but his eyes somber.
“I’m always doing “it”. That’s why I’m always in trouble. The good thing is you all have prepared me for what it’s like to be yelled at by a bunch of people at once so I think I’ve never been more prepared for this predicament than today.”
“Must you always joke,” Parker complained.
“Yes.” He shrugged. “Would you rather me be sad right now?”
“No.” Parker shook his head helplessly. “But you’re not doing anything. You’re not scheming, you’re not planning your escape, nothing! This is different, Ahn. There is no one to save you. Even Khavah can’t and they won’t let Aria anywhere near you!”
Ahn lowered his head and nodded. “If Aria has become important enough to keep away from my indelible screw up, then I’ve done the right thing. All of this,” he sighed. “I did good,” he murmured to himself.
“How could you do this,” Bon Baji asked, her voice rough and broken as if she were on the verge of tears. “Why are you so stupid?”
Ahn raised his head and locked eyes with Bon Baji and what little resolve he had dissolved. “Please don’t cry, Bon Bon. I…I didn’t do it. I swear I didn’t.”
“I know you didn’t do it, you fool. But why would you trust her again? Why would you put yourself in that position?”
Ahn frowned. “A lot of people wanted to see me fail and I know she was one of them but I don’t think she hated me enough to frame me for murder.”
Bon Baji turned away in disgust. “You’re such a goddamn idiot.”
“True,” Ahn answered quietly. “Look, I’m sure we don’t have a lot of time so…a few things. A last will and testament if you will.” He turned to Parker, eldest of the three. “Keep those two in check, would you? Don’t let her be all her and don’t let him be all…him.”
“I don’t have a choice. You never did,” Parker laughed softly.
Ahn laughed in agreement. “Not like they would have let me if I tried.”
“Seff.” The youngest Above member, who had his hands stuffed in his pockets and his head lowered, looked up. “I leave you with the knowledge we’ve inquired and the responsibilities of our plans. Make it work.”
Bon Baji’s fist balled up at her side. “Even in a situation like this, you keep your secrets, you continue to scheme, you–you stubborn ass!” she screamed. “You could die, Ahn!”
“No, Bon Baji. Not could. I am.” He rubbed his face as if he were exhausted. Maybe he was. “In situations like these, there is protocol. There is tradition. I don’t have any children and…I need to name a successor.” He looked at her earnestly, sincerely. Maybe the most sincere he’d ever been with her. “I name you.”
Bon Baji ironclad composure broke and her bottom lip started to tremble. “I don’t want it.”
“Too bad. I already had Khavah approve it.” He stood from his chair and placed his hand on the glass. His power had been capped and was almost non-existent this time but he had just enough to leave his clan symbol–a rose–on the glass’s surface. His final signature. “If I don’t make it through this, you are the new leader of The Above.”
The door to the cell opened again and every head turned to the hissing sound of cold air entering.
“You have some nerve,” Bon Baji said through clenched teeth and tears.
Anais glared at her for a long cool moment before her eyes moved to Ahn. “Can I have a moment alone with the prisoner?”
“No!” Bon Baji yelled. “You may not have a fucking moment alone with him. All of this is your fault and I am not!–”
“Bon Bon…it’s okay.”
“I don’t give a damn what you think is okay! You said it yourself. I’m the leader now and I get to make that call!”
“So you accept I’m going to die?” he said, amused, his brow raised.
Her large eyes widen and she shook her head vehemently. “No…that’s–that’s not what I’m–”
“Then give us a moment, Baji. Really. It’ll be okay. You can stand on the other side of the door and be as overbearing as always.”
Her face clenched before her defiance seeped out of her, her shoulders drooping. With a loud huff, she left the room, Seff and Parker trailing in her wake.
Anais made her way to the glass wall of Ahn’s cell. She was without heels today, so she looked sm
aller. Her clothes were less severe, soft even, shades of beige and white. She was playing the role of widowed mate very well. She came to a silent stop, her cool green eyes staring up at him. Ahn used to be able to read Anais’s eyes, read her motives, read her thoughts…but he couldn’t, not today. Green stared back at him, accessing but cold and unreadable. She scoffed. “Bon Baji has never liked me. I’m starting to think she’s in love with you because I’ve never given her a reason.”
Ahn huffed. “You challenge her leader’s rightful place often. That probably caused some chaffing.”
“You think it’s rightful and it may be however I think someone else could do a better job.”
Ahn rolled his eyes at her. “What do you want, Anais?”
“I came to see if you think like them,” she said, nodding towards the door. “If you think I framed you.”
“Because you challenged me to a judicial duel?”
Anais gave a helpless shrug. “He was my mate. Twelve Law dictates that I do. But...do you?”
Silence stretched ugly between them. “No,” Ahn answered finally. “I don’t. I don’t remember much but I know I didn’t murder your mate. I do remember we were together. You were soft and kind…you said you loved me.”
Anais’s gaze softened. “I did.”
“You screamed it once.”
Anais frowned. “Are you bragging right now?”
“No,” he grinned. “I’m simply recounting what I do remember.” He shook his head to try and align his thoughts. “We went to sleep, drunk off of sobhe. The last words you said were “I’ll find a way.” I didn’t know what that meant but I was too happy to try and figure it out. The next morning, I wake up and half of Elysian is in your suite and Balladan…Balladan was…” Ahn blinked away the grisly image. “But I know I didn’t do it and I know you didn’t frame me for it. There is no way…”
A Third of the Moon and the Stars Struck Page 35
