The Balance

by C. L. Nelson

  I looked around for my dress on the floor of the bathroom, but I can’t find it. The women must have taken it to clean. I walked out of the private bathroom into Alaric’s bedroom. He is waiting by the bed. Just fucking perfect.

  “Do you feel better, dearest one?” He said while allowing his eyes to leisurely roam my barely covered body.

  “I’m fine. Can you send my dress up when it is clean…please?” I asked, trying my best not to antagonize him.

  “There is a new dress on the bed. You will wear that.”

  “I am not wearing that dress. It’s absurd.”

  “You will wear the dress, or you can walk around naked. I would enjoy that, but I would have to kill any male that laid his eyes on you,” he said before grabbing my towel and ripping it away from me.

  I stood there unashamed. His eyes are taking in all of my exposed body. His eyes widen when he gets to my face and sees that I am smiling. I have decided to use his obsession with me against him.

  “Have you missed my body, Alaric?” I sauntered towards him.

  He nodded like he was having trouble speaking.

  “Do you want me? Do you want me to want you?” I said, running my hand up his chest.

  “Yes, dearest one,” he said as he tries to kiss me.

  I grabbed his face, right where the burn scar is, stopping him. “Then you will treat me with respect. You want me to be your queen? Then you will do whatever you can to win my affections like a normal suitor. Torturing people in front of me, ordering me around like I am your servant and trying to humiliate me will not achieve your goals, Alaric.”

  I release his face and walk over to the obscene dress on the bed. “I will wear your ridiculous dress if you beg for my forgiveness,” I said, holding the dress in one hand.

  Alaric scoffed like he doesn’t think I am serious. His face fell when I stood there and stared at him, waiting. “You can’t be serious. I will just make you walk around naked.”

  “Then I will walk around naked and you will waste a lot of time killing your guards that have the misfortune of laying eyes on me.” I dropped the dress on the floor to emphasize my point.

  He closed his eyes like he was having a hard time concentrating. He rubbed his forehead while he thought and then exhaled loudly. When he opened his eyes, he dropped to his knees in front of me and grabbed one of my hands. “I am truly sorry, my queen. I have never been in the presence of a female that deserves respect. I need to rethink my typical behavior as you are not just any female, but the one I love. Please forgive me.” He kissed the back of my hand.

  I swallowed back the rising bile and forced myself to remain still.

  “Please, honor me and wear the dress I picked out for you. After we get you back into your immortal body, you can go shopping for whatever you like,” he said, handing me the dropped dress.

  Immortal body? I think as I take the dress from him and start to slide it on. It is ridiculous. It is a floor-length red dress with a deep plunging neckline and a slit up the side that nearly reaches my crotch. There are also some small embellishments on the dress which I am pretty sure are made of diamonds.

  “You are forgiven,” I said, turning, so he can zip up the dress.

  Alaric got to his feet and eagerly zipped up the slutty red dress, kissing my shoulder when he finished. “Thank you, dearest one.”

  I involuntarily shuddered at his touch. Luckily, he mistook it as a positive response to his touch because he was smiling when he walked around to stand in front of me.

  “I am taking you to my private house in the Provisional. You will be safer there. I will leave you there with some attendants while I work on finding your immortal body.” He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me in for a kiss.

  I leaned away from him. “Sorry, you haven’t earned that privilege yet. One step at a time, Alaric.”

  His eyebrows squeezed together, and his nostrils flared for a moment before relaxing. He took a deep breath and released it. “Please play fair, Carina, and I will try to be patient for you. If you are ready, I will astralocate us to my house now.”

  I thought for a moment. What if Kian and his brothers know where I am by now and are on their way to rescue me? What if by leaving now, they won’t be able to find me? On the other hand, maybe Finlay can find me in the Provisional. I’d at least stand a better chance of escaping if I am in my own realm.

  I decided to go with the option that will give me the best chance of saving myself. While I might be a damsel in distress, I am not waiting around for a man to save me. I will save my damn self if I can.

  I nodded to Alaric to indicate that I was ready to leave. In an instant, I feel us traveling between realms back into the Provisional. It felt different than when Finlay glimmered me to the Bahamas.

  Glimmering really does feel good, maybe not exactly pleasurable like Finlay said, but it makes you feel happy. Astralocating feels tingly, like millions of tiny bubbles are popping on your skin. It isn’t as enjoyable as glimmering, but not unpleasant either.

  And while I am thinking about these supernatural traveling abilities, neither astralocating nor glimmering feel like what happened to me back when I escaped the shooting. I had to have relocated to the main lobby via some mystical method or maybe it was just some freak occurrence. I let the thought go for now.

  We arrived in a bedroom. It’s always a freaking bedroom. I bet this is our bedroom. I roll my eyes at the thought.

  “This is our bedroom…” Nailed it. “…you will sleep in here during your stay, but feel free to explore the house. There is a library on the first floor if you like to read.” Alaric said, still holding my hand.

  “Okay. Thanks. I will see you when you get back.” I said, hoping he will leave quickly.

  “Stay in this room until one of the girls comes to get you. They are busy at the moment and will come get you when they are finished. They are here to attend to your needs”

  I assume he is referring to more female helpers. I will have to ditch them before trying to escape. I forced myself to smile at Alaric. “Thank you for thinking of me,” I said and quickly kissed his unscarred cheek. I might need another bath if this keeps up much longer.

  He smiled like I just made his day. “I will be back as soon as I can,” he said. “Please, behave.” He disappeared, astralocating off to where he was going.

  I take a deep breath and collapse to the floor. I am still feeling really weak. I think I need to get some sleep and then eat something. I looked at the bed and decide it’s not worth the effort. I curl up on the floor and fall asleep within minutes.

  ***

  I had some crazy dreams while I was asleep, but the only one I remember vividly involved Kian. In the dream, I entered the room like I was on a mission and as soon as I saw Kian, I walked straight towards him and pushed him against the wall. His mouth opened like he was about to ask a question, but I pressed my lips to his to shut him up. He hesitated for a moment before kissing me back with a fire I didn’t know was in him.

  He took over from there, sliding his hand under my shirt to cup one of my breasts, thumbing my nipple, while kissing down my neck, his hard length pressing against my stomach. I reached down between our bodies and found his erection, gripping it with my hand. His body shuddered as a deep groan escaped his mouth. I started to stroke him over his pants and the dream cut off. I woke up.

  Son of a bitch. I hate waking up in the middle of a good dream. Just thinking about that dream makes my heart start to beat faster and I feel my skin heat up.

  I looked around the room after waking up. Holy shit! I actually woke up in the same spot as I fell asleep. The only problem I can find is that I am laying on a bed of flowers and moss. Will my world ever be normal again?

  I was just sitting up when three naked young women barged into the room, all of them giggling. Fortunately, their nearly knee-length hair is covering most of their business. One has blonde hair, one has red hair, and the other has light brown hair. I assume the giggling tr
io are my helpers.

  “Yay! You are awake! Will you play with us?” the red head said.

  “Um…maybe, but can you please put some clothes on first? Also, I would like to eat if we have food here,” I said, trying to be nice to the thinking challenged triad.

  “Of course, we are here to serve you,” The one with brown hair said, clearly the smartest of the group.

  They looked at the flowers and moss on the ground and giggled as it disappeared. I am looking right at them when the flowers and foliage reappeared covering them like clothes.

  “Well, that is nifty,” I said.

  They grabbed my arm and start to pull me out of the room. “Come. We have food,” the blonde one said.

  It’s like they take turns speaking. I go with them because they seem harmless. They brought me to the kitchen which was filled with fresh produce. Some of the counters are covered with apples, oranges, grapes, and other fruit while the others are covered in various vegetables.

  “We grew these for you while you slept,” they said in unison, clearly proud of themselves.

  “Thanks…Uh…what are your names?” I asked.

  “I am Cherry Blossom, but you can just call me Blossom,” the red head said, twirling her skirt made of flowers.

  “My name is Meadow,” the blonde said, dropping into a curtsey.

  ”And I am Ivy,” the brunette said with a wave and a wide smile.

  “Nice to meet you all. My name is Charlie. Thanks for the food.” I said, smiling at them.

  The three of them beamed at me while I found a knife and a cutting board to start making a salad. “You are most welcome. We are honored to be in your presence. We had no idea we would be serving you, but how could we? You aren’t supposed to exist. You are truly a miracle.” Ivy said, bowing slightly.

  I have no idea what they are talking about. They are all a little ditzy, so I think I am just going to move on. I think asking questions might hurt their heads.

  I cut up lettuce, cucumbers, green peppers, and tomatoes to make a salad. I don’t usually like salads, especially not without meat, but my new helpers seemed so proud of the things they grew for me. I found some dressing in the refrigerator and drizzled some on top of my salad.

  The women literally watched me eat every bite while smiling proudly. I have to get rid of them. I won’t be able to escape if they are watching my every move and they’re also really creeping me out.

  “That was the best salad I have ever eaten. Thank you again,” I said while washing my dishes.

  They giggled again. “It was our pleasure. Do you want to play with us now? We haven’t had a chance to play with one of your kind before,” Blossom said while caressing Ivy.

  My kind? Somehow, I don’t think they want to play hide and seek. “No, I am very tired, and I am not feeling well. I think I will just watch some television or read a book. Is that okay?”

  They all pouted in unison. “That’s no fun. Can we at least play with each other?” Ivy asked.

  I furrowed my eyebrows and frowned. Who are these women? Maybe I can try to pass them off to Alaric when he gets back. They seem to be his type of woman.

  “Absolutely, and if Alaric comes back, play with him for a while too,” I said, hoping they will distract him if he arrived back sooner than I’d like.

  They giggled again. They are going to drive me crazy with all that giggling. I am pretty sure I have never giggled in my life.

  “He wouldn’t play with us today, but maybe he will when he comes back. He usually enjoys us,” Meadow said while Ivy nuzzled her neck.

  I am not at all surprised to hear that Alaric has slept with them. “Alright, off with you. Go have fun. I will call you if I need anything,” I said, ushering the oversexed trio out of the kitchen.

  After they left, I looked for a phone, tablet, computer, or anything that would allow me to contact Finlay. I lost my phone at some point or Alaric took it before I woke up in his bed. I looked in every room in the house except for the one I hear moaning from. Nothing. Alaric must have swept the house before he brought me here. Shit, why couldn’t he be a stupid villain?

  I leave the house, stepping out on to a large porch, and look around. There are no neighbors or any sign of civilization in any direction. All I see are trees and thick vegetation bordering the property. I have to be in the south because it looks like I could be near a swamp with the cypress trees being everywhere and it’s hot as hell.

  I am going to label running into that mess and possibly getting eaten by an alligator or bitten by a poisonous snake as plan D, for desperate. I am also impractically dressed in this long red dress with no shoes which would make running rather difficult. I’d probably just get lost and die from dehydration or heat exhaustion anyway.

  Next, I tried sitting on the porch and willing myself to travel away from here. According to Finlay and the brothers, I glimmered briefly, so I figured it was worth a shot. I sat on the porch and wished hard that I wasn’t here. I tried until my head hurt so much that I thought it was going to explode.

  I take a break from my pathetic escape attempts and lay on a couch in what I assume is the living room. My head is pounding. I lay there quietly for a few minutes, but I can hear the girls in the other room.

  I turn on the television to try to drown out the giggles and moans. The news is playing on the television and the shooting at my office is still the main topic. Great, just what I want to watch. I was just about to change the channel when I recognize the woman that is speaking. I turned up the volume. It’s the woman that was lying on the floor between the cubicles and she is talking about me.

  “…She saved me. I don’t know who she was. I have never seen her before in my life. She just came out of nowhere and saved my life. She made me feel sorta calm and she healed my gunshot wound. The doctors said I had lost a lot of blood and that I was close to bleeding out…,” the woman said to the reporter.

  Later the reporter said none of the other witnesses knew who I was. They were speculating that I was a random person who happened to be in the building at the time. The news report ended with a sketch of my likeness and the reporter asked people to call the hotline if they had any information about me.

  I had worked in that office for three years. Yeah, I didn’t actively socialize with my coworkers, but someone should know who I am.

  Also, I didn’t heal that woman, right? The wound did look smaller after I touched her, but that wasn’t because of me. First, the guys tell me I glimmered and now this woman is saying I healed her. Kian said he didn’t think I was human and Alaric kept talking about my immortal body. Who the hell am I? What the hell am I?

  Filled with purpose, I immediately turned the television off and head to the library. I am hoping Alaric has some books that may hold answers to my questions. I scanned the book titles and toss the promising books on the desk. I only found two books that may be helpful.

  The first book I flipped through is about the Balance. I have heard about this balance thing, but I have no idea why it is so important. After a half-hour of skimming through the book, here are the important highlights.

  There is a group of celestial beings called the Creators. Together they created our four realms and everything that lived in them, except for the hybrids. They came later. Apparently, they also created similar systems across the universe, so as much as humans would like to think we are alone in the world, we’re not.

  The Creators implemented the Balance which refers to the divine equilibrium. The Creators balanced existence with an equal amount of good and evil. Incarnation, the Ladies of the Waiting, reapers, the Everlasting, ethereals, infernals, and the Pit were all created to maintain the Balance.

  Apparently, life cannot exist without a little give and take between the two opposing forces. If the scales were tilted in favor of either side, the apocalyptic end of existence would be set into motion and continue until all life was wiped out or the Balance was fixed.

  How could good winning and taking o
ver possibly be a bad thing? Well, this book says predestined disasters would be prevented and fewer people would die which would cause extreme overpopulation. Without enough souls passing in and out of the Waiting, that realm dies along with its inhabitants, the reapers, and the Ladies of the Waiting. It just slides downhill from there with everyone being stuck in the Provisional, not dying.

  And the Creators are proponents of free will, rarely intervening to save their creations. They will ultimately accept the destruction of our existence if the Balance isn’t maintained.

  I understand the importance of the Balance now, but ultimately that’s not what I desperately want to know. I need to know who I am.

  Moving on to the only other book that seemed helpful: Hybrids: A Comprehensive Guide. The answers I need have to be in this book. I scanned through the table of contents and discovered that in the back of the book, there is a summary listing the hybrids with their origins and abilities. I love whoever wrote this book. They just saved me a lot of time and energy. Here is a list of the hybrids that I’ve encountered:

  Dark Fae

  Origin: High level Infernal with ability to manipulate perceived reality + Human

  Abilities/Traits: Glamour, healing (themselves only), can access magic with wards, nearly immortal, shadowing

  Light Fae:

  Origin: High level Ethereal with dream walking ability + Human

  Abilities/Traits: Glamour, healing (self and others), dream walking, glimmering, nearly immortal

  Nymph:

  Origin: Ethereal + Human (The reproductive act most likely occurring in nature)

  Abilities/Traits: Always female, excessive need for pleasure, can manipulate natural elements, grow and maintain their environment, communicate through natural elements (e.g, pass a message on the wind), can stay hidden in nature

  Vampire:

  Origin: Infernal + Reanimated Human Corpse

  Abilities/Traits: Undead, needs to ingest blood to survive, sunlight burns them,

  superhuman strength, speed, and senses, other possible abilities depending on power level: shadowing, telepathy, pyrokinesis, hypnosis, ability to turn humans into vampires (rare)