He turned to me and rubbed his knuckles across my collarbone. I didn’t look into his eyes. I didn’t want to see my own tortured expression in his violet orbs. This is one of those times when I wished he would’ve left me somewhere else. The fierce surge of anger was blinding.
“Okay. How long’s this going to take?” I asked.
“I don’t imagine long. It’s difficult having a decent conversation with the cunt.”
Ouch, that was low and intended solely to appease me. It didn’t work, but it did make me smile.
“Have you tried?” I asked. I looked over his shoulder towards the lagoon. I still couldn’t see Lilith, but I sensed her oily presence.
“Not for over 80 years.”
Damn freaks and their longevity. Their sense of time was clearly distorted. How could someone possibly have unresolved issues with another for so long?
Across the water, a woman began walking towards us. The setting sun threw sparkles off her cornsilk hair. Sasha grabbed my hand, squeezing hard enough to leave black and blue impressions. We were going to have to talk about his strength and my human body, again. He took one-step, his second hand sliding deep into his front pocket. I eyed his wife.
“Lilith,” he made her name sound as if it was an expletive.
“Alek, love, I see you brought me a peace offering.”
The bitch was a comedian. I rotated my neck slowly while my eyes were trained on her perfect body. Calm. I had to stay calm and focused.
“Don’t be absurd,” Sasha said.
Lilith stood about ten feet away, her hands on her slim, size two, hips. The long sleeves of her black turtleneck were pushed up to her elbows. Her nails, the envy of any woman who worked on a pole, were cherry red and long. She held a cigarette in her right hand, which she was inhaling every few seconds.
“Let me see if I have the story straight. She’s your new woman. Is that correct?”
“I’m trading you in.”
I smirked, which was just petty of me. Lilith inhaled, never glancing to where I stood beside Sasha.
“You always were dramatic.”
Sasha tossed his head and spit on the ground. “Did you enjoy Paris?”
Lilith laughed a high, almost childlike laugh. It was becoming. It made her seem almost human for a second.
“I suppose you’re upset.”
“You know me only too well.”
Lilith continued taunting. Either she wasn’t aware he wasn’t enjoying the word play or she was stupid. I leaned on the later.
“Her tears were inspiring. She said I’d never get what I want. Yet how could she know what I want?”
A malicious grin spread across her face as she inhaled.
Sasha rolled his eyes. “To business. You’ve wanted to talk to me for decades. Here I am.”
Lilith composed herself. She became very still as she stared at Sasha.
“This is the year, Alek. Take me back and I won’t hurt your pet,” she said.
He chuckled. “No, cher.”
She took a deep breath and threw her cigarette at him.
“Then I’ll kill your peasant whore.”
She looked directly at me, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of gold.
“A peasant?” The whore part didn’t bother me as much as the peasant. I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud until Lilith responded.
“You allow her to speak?” Lilith asked.
Sasha squeezed my hand in warning, but I wasn’t going to back down. My voice was steady.
“First thing, bitch, I’m not a peasant. Second, he doesn’t own me.”
Lilith cocked her head to the side, eyeing me like an adult eyes a precocious child. She sniffed the air daintily and grinned.
“Alek, what is it with you and witches?”
Sasha, being an elf with a mind I could never fully follow, furrowed his brows.
“A curse, cher,” he said softly.
“Alek, please. Listen to reason,” Lilith said harshly.
Sasha pulled me closer to him. The air was dense with the tension of the conversation. He spoke to Lilith, his eyes dancing around the gardens.
“I want a divorce.”
“Are you delusional?” Lilith screeched. Sasha’s emotional meter spiked, the tension cresting and oozing out from his mind.
The energy in the gardens had grown. Supernatural and alien, my head began pounding from the strange whispers in the wind that whipped the dead leaves into swirls. Sasha said one word, loud and clear. His regal roots slipped out in his refined speech.
“Witness …”
The air around us started popping in color. Orange, blue, purple, and red blazed like fireworks as witnesses joined us in the gardens. Sasha had explained the dual dimension thing they had going on, and how it was used. Yet seeing something is quite different than discussing it in some remote, safe place over drinks.
Faeries. Their silvery steel looking skin and platinum blond hair gave them away. I didn’t need to see the glowing green eyes. One of them came towards Sasha and Lilith with a broad smile. His teeth glistened, a great white shark before dinnertime.
There were many others present not of fae blood. The men and women all looked quite human and normal from a distance. My guess was that they were demons and elves. If not for their sudden appearance on this side of the invisible threshold, I wouldn’t have known they were non-human from where I stood. My attention went back to the head honcho. He was standing in front of Sasha with a cruel smile on his thin lips.
“What might I assist you with Lord Alek?”
“I need a divorce decree. My paperwork’s been filed.” Sasha conjured up a roll of papers, neatly tied with a black ribbon, and handed it to the fairy. “Set the rules so that the proceedings will be legal, fair and most of all, Horace, final.”
The fairy undid the binding and scanned through the first few sheets. He looked at me and smiled a large toothy grin. He rolled them back up and tucked them into his robes. He turned, arms raised towards the sky, bowing deep in all four directions. His lips moved softly as he spoke in a strange language. He finally settled in one place, placed his hands upon a large staff, and gave his edict.
“The time and place for the proceedings will be tomorrow at dusk, our cemetery in this city. Vault X.” He looked pointedly at Sasha, “One of you must die by …” He didn’t have a chance to finish the sentence.
“I want that witch also.”
Sasha whipped his head.
“She isn’t part of the proceedings.”
Lilith snickered softly. “I don’t care.”
Sasha was shaking his head violently as Lilith spoke. With another toothy smile, Horace waved his hand towards Lilith, his voice booming in the clearing.
“The rules are set for a divorce proceeding.” He directed his gaze at Lilith, “You must petition your grievance before tomorrow. As it stands, one of you must die by the sword. You must both agree before I can place the decree in the tomes.”
“This is the only chance you’ll have at escaping with your miserable existence. See me formally and we’ll discuss compensation. No one will interfere.”
“You say that as if I should trust you.” Lilith answered, clearly not as sure as she was a few moments ago.
“You don’t?” he asked.
She paused a second before answering, biting her bottom lip slightly. “If I win you’ll die, if I lose I’ll die.”
He smiled. “That is the gist of it.”
“You’ll satisfy me on the adultery charges?” she asked suspiciously. He waved his hand in assurance.
“Brothers?” she asked ticking off the point on her hand.
“I doubt very much they’ll care,” he said.
Horace coughed. “The conditions are honorable. We’ll be ready. Are you sure you want to commit?” He looked at Lilith first, than his gaze shifted to Sasha where it remained. Sasha nodded and walked forward. Horace gazed once again at the bitch that was i
tching to kill my ticket in.
“Lilith, you know what must happen once you commit to this road?” Horace asked as Lilith nodded and walked forward. Beside me, the air shifted just as Lilith and Sasha placed their hands upon the fairy’s wooden staff.
“Are you mad, Alek?” Trystyn yelled. Sasha turned around, his eyes an odd shade of violet.
“It’s the only way. The rules will make sure of it.”
“She can kill you.”
Sasha smiled. “She can try.”
Trystyn faced the fairy, “How could you condone this?”
“His paperwork is in order.”
Lilith laughed, “I guess you’re stuck in a hard place, Trystyn.” She turned towards the fairy who smiled and clasped her hand.
“Good luck on the evening, Lilith.”
She grinned. “Thanks, until we meet,” she said.
She bowed first to Sasha, then to the faeries and took off, running towards the city at blazing speed presumably to take care of business. The fairies disappeared after shaking their heads in glee. The other beings that had appeared to watch the show stayed long enough to see Sasha turn towards his brother with a look of utter contempt.
“Can’t you stick to a plan for once?” Trystyn asked.
“‘Tis better this way, it’ll be legal. Fear not, I know what I’m about.”
Chapter Eight: Eidos
Trystyn popped out of the gardens, grumbling about Sasha’s lack of logic. Sasha hoisted me over the wall, and we walked back towards the car parked out in front of the museum. He spoke, but I didn’t pay much attention. It was like listening to Charlie Brown’s parents. Blah, blah, blah.
I didn’t have to pay strict attention to everything he said anyway. His emotional energy was so strong in the confines of the car that it made words useless. If anything, words were only a distraction from the truth.
He was mad at everything. He was mad at Lilith, at Trystyn, and even me for some reason. He was distrustful of the proceedings and of his brother. The metallic tang in the air alerted me to his scheming as he prattled on about some upcoming boxing match he had wagered on. I uttered ‘oh’ and ‘ah’ at the appropriate times and places.
The meeting with Lilith, well it bothered me. I didn’t want to explore too deeply the reasons why but my mind, the treacherous thing, kept wandering in that direction. This I could blame on my mom and dad. If they would’ve told me more about the races, I would’ve been prepared for certain things. Such as the fact that Sasha married a vamp, a woman below his status.
Elves weren’t supposed to marry. They had heirs. The elite aristocrats, they all had heirs. Political allegiances, marriage contracts, were business relationships. But Lilith acted as if their connection was personal. I knew about Sasha’s unconscious pull to everything feminine. The elf was used to getting his way. I used the mutual attraction for my benefit. A full needle of brown sugar, it sang in the edges of my mind. His energy begged for my touch, for words of comfort, for consent. It was a sugary sweet trap, a deadly illusion.
I collapsed into bed as soon as we walked through the doors. I was beyond tired. My muscles still ached from shifting space. I stretched out, throwing my arms across my eyes, hoping a little time out would help with the pain. I immediately dozed off, not even bothering to be aware of where Sasha was or what he was doing.
I didn’t fall asleep. At least it wasn’t what I was used to when I closed my eyes for some much-needed rest. That boy from my previous spell came back. I could see him clearly this time around. He smiled, his teeth gleaming in the bright light, as he beckoned me forward. When I looked around, I was surprised to be in a neon green meadow surrounded by orange flowering trees. The meadow was so green that I had to be dreaming. No way was this shade of green a natural color for plants. Everything was surreal, straight out of a Dali gallery.
The trees swayed as if with life. Yeah, yeah, they’re alive, but these trees swayed as if with consciousness of their life. There was a stream running parallel to where I walked. The water flowed slowly, and I was able to make out each drop of moisture. Tiny rainbows in each droplet captured the light in fantastic brilliancy. The rocks which banked the bed glistened against the water, each turning as I walked past it.
A profound feeling of relief washed over me as I stood in front of the young man. His name came out in a whisper. ‘Ian’. Yes, that was it. He smiled as he nodded and raised his hand towards mine. I took it in my grasp, and I knew immediately who he was. Not just, Ian. No, he was my cousin. A distant relation on my mother’s side. He had a choker with a red gemstone that sparkled.
He spoke yet his lips didn’t move. Beth. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.
“Where are we?”
Welcome to Eidos.
“What are you talking about? Isn’t that some philosophical bull from some ancient Greek philosopher? ” I asked astonished that I would remember such a useless term from a philosophy class from three years ago. Professor Blick would have a heart attack on the spot if he ever found out that I actually learned something.
That’s one definition.
“It’s hard to get a straight answer these days.”
His smile intensified. This is where the top tier pops through space. From here, there are thousands of doors that open up to the human world. The name changes from era to era. Eidos, Otherworld, Olympus, Valhalla, Baji, even heaven and hell depending on who visited and why, are just a few of the names. Nowadays it’s just called the Realm.
“Catchy. What’re we doing here? We’re on the bottom rank.”
Like way on the bottom rank of the Realm hierarchy. We were one step above humans, barely.
We full-blooded witches can visit when sleeping. I wanted to meet you.
“Is this really happening?” I asked as I ran a hand through my frizz free hair.
He nodded. Yup. Do you want to see where your body is now?
I dipped my head, interested to see what he was about to show. Before us, the air glimmered and parted into the shape of a full-length mirror. As I stared at it, I saw myself looking seemingly asleep on top of Sasha’s bed. He was trying to wake me, all to no avail. I felt immediately guilty. I had to get back.
Time moves differently here. Which is a good thing ‘cause we need to talk about the dark elf.
“What?” I asked cryptically.
My eyes narrowed as I thought about the thousand and one ways that men like to fuck with you. I didn’t know this guy from Jack.
Alek has agreed to an illegal duel. He can’t back down or he’ll forfeit the fight. Lilith’ll win by default, and the others will ensure of his death and yours since you’ve made her shit list for the decade.
I thought that over for a second and drew in a steadying breath. I was only going to address one part of that observation.
“How could it be illegal? Head honcho swore no rules had been broken.”
Ian smiled. Only enforcers or bounty hunters may legally kill a Lord or Lady. Alek may be many things, but he’s neither of those. Even if he has a divorce decree he can’t, by law, kill his wife.
“Damn,” I said. That’s why Trystyn had been upset when he got to the clearing. Sasha had somehow circumvented the system to get his way. Ian continued in a bored tone.
The majority of the council doesn’t want Sasha to control such prime real estate in America. He’s to take over this year, and they want to stop him. If they can find a way, they will. He shook his head mournfully. If he manages to die, the Region will go straight to Nicholas who is more sympathetic to certain leanings.
“But it was the faeries who made the pact. They said everything was kosher,” I spluttered in frustration.
Their tune will change if he happens to win. Cruel isn’t it?
We were holding hands by this time, and we moved away from the scene in the glimmering space. What was I doing here? I thought in irritation. I had things to do, and it didn’t include wasting my time with a complete stranger on an acid trip.
“You can read my mind?” I asked defensively, shutting down my mental barriers instantly. Stupid. I’d been using that adjective a lot lately. Safeguarding my mind was the first thing that Sasha had taught me. He’d been shocked at how weak my shield was.
“Only when we’re here most likely,” he said aloud. Once my mind had shuttered, I couldn’t hear him and vice versa.
“Don’t do that again. What do you want?” I asked because this wasn’t some friendly family reunion.
“Nothing, I swear. I’ve been trying to see you for years. Betty had you well hidden, and your mind was a black hole. I only found you when your amulet made contact with your skin.”
I yanked my hand out of his and glared. I might be new to this life, but I was nowhere near stupid. He needed something, or wanted something, or was hoping for something. But, I could make a safe bet that it was something only I could do for him.
“Get on with it, Ian,” I said.
He took a deep sigh. “I heard Alek has inquired about the DeDe estate. Did you know that over 400 humans died when the last DeDe was his allodial? He’s the one who disposed of the House.”
According to Sasha, the last DeDe had cursed the city with yellow fever when she didn’t get her way. According to the humans, Sasha had disposed of the witches in a fit of rage. I wasn’t sure who to believe and didn’t really care. It was almost a century ago.
“I know all about it. Don’t worry, I learn from others mistakes, and I’m not weak,” I said while gazing out into the horizon. I felt the slight inhale of a breath before he answered.
“No,” and he truly sounded disgusted with the notion, “you’re not weak, but you’re naive. Alek also has a contract with your name on it. He’s using you, Beth.”
Gossip, gossip, gossip. At least I was prepared. Tilting my head to the side, I smiled faintly, “That’s my problem not yours.” I tapped my fingers lightly against my thigh.
He grunted. “You think you can play with the big boys, cuz? You haven’t tapped into the alien genes that gift the upper elite. Without powers you’ll never survive a day as a Lady.”
A Lady of the Realm (House of DeDe) Page 7
