The Balance

by C. L. Nelson

  Were:

  Origin: Infernal in Transmogrified Animal Form + Human

  Abilities/Traits: Can shapeshift into designated animal (not tied to full moon), superhuman strength, speed, and senses, new weres are born from two were parents

  The book stated there are also subspecies that were created when two different hybrid species reproduced together. Sirens, for example, were created from the combined DNA of a fae and a water nymph which made the sirens inhumanly beautiful and irresistibly seductive. Subspecies, with their diluted blood, are less powerful than the original hybrids.

  Ugh, my brain hurts.

  Well, we can cross off vampire and were as I am not undead (I think) and I am not excessively furry. I am guessing the giggling trio are nymphs. Maybe I am some type of fae since I have been told I have healed and glimmered. I feel like I am no closer to knowing what I am than before I read all that information.

  I am now exhausted again, and I feel like I am coming down with the flu. My whole-body aches and I have a headache.

  Also, I am feeling that annoying sensation of needing to remember something again. I start to mentally pull at it again. I feel like it’s right there and I am right on the verge of remembering something important.

  I go to a guest bedroom and lie down on the bed, choosing not to sleep in Alaric’s room. I would have taken this ridiculous dress off, but I’d rather not be naked if Alaric showed up.

  Just as I am about to fall asleep, I finally pull free the trapped memory, but it wasn’t just one memory.

  All at once, thousands of memories poured into my head. Memories of Finlay and I dressed in clothing from throughout the centuries. Memories of my past parents, lovers, husbands flood my brain. I catch glimpses of Finlay and me in bed together, pressed against each other, writhing.

  And then the death memories hit me. One by one, I feel each death all over again, drowning in a tsunami, wasting away from the black plague and yellow fever, suffocating in a pyroclastic flow, bleeding out during childbirth.

  These are the memories of my past incarnations. Each memory brought me back, forcing me to relive the experiences. After all the memories filled me up, I was left shattered and weak. I sank into a dark abyss and mercifully lost consciousness.

  Chapter 19

  Kian

  After leaving Jarrett’s apartment in Paris, I went straight to the royal mansion, so I could confront my father. He must be behind Charlie’s disappearance. It would be too coincidental that Charlie goes missing and then the reapers are all talking about a mysterious female that the king is supposedly going to take as his queen.

  Though, I am not convinced that the reapers are making correct assumptions with these rumors. My father hates all females, thinks they are only good for fucking. He also ordered me to kill Charlie. It wouldn’t make sense that he would all of a sudden want her alive to be his queen. She isn’t even a reaper. It just doesn’t make sense.

  More likely, he abducted Charlie, so he could take care of the problem of her being alive when she was supposed to have died. If that is the case, then he could have killed Charlie already, but Finlay could still feel that she was alive when I left him at the apartment. I don’t know why my father would be waiting, but I am clinging to the hope that Charlie is still alive and well.

  I have never been a violent male, but the thought of Charlie hurt, or dead makes my blood boil. Creators save us all if anyone has hurt her. I will bring the whole world down, the Balance be damned, to get to whoever is even remotely responsible for her suffering.

  I am not in love with her, though. She is just an innocent and doesn’t deserve any of this. It’s not like she is intentionally trying to throw the Balance off. Yep just doing my job, definitely not falling for her.

  I astralocated outside of my father’s bedroom. It’s the last place I saw him, and perhaps, there is a chance he is still feeling the effects of whatever made him sick. I banged on the door, letting the wood take some of my anger. When I don’t get a response, I turned the knob and opened the door.

  I walked into an empty room. My father isn’t here. I look around and see that the glass of the window that overlooks the city is missing and the frame is splintered. It looks like the window was broken with quite a bit of force and the servants had cleaned up the glass but haven’t gotten around to replacing the window yet.

  I also noticed that my father’s bed hasn’t been made which is very unusual. My father once imprisoned a servant for one hundred years when they forgot to make his bed. I walked over to make the bed, so no one gets punished, but when I pull back the covers, a blast of coconut and tropical fruit hit my nose.

  I stumbled backward. Charlie was here. Charlie was here and she was in my father’s bed. I feel the contents of my stomach try to make a break for it. I swallow hard, not allowing myself to be sick. My brain is scrambling, trying to process this information when I hear someone enter the room behind me.

  “What are you doing in here?” my father asked.

  I turned around and launched myself at him. He easily deflected my attack, spun me around, twisted my arm behind my back, and slammed me face-first into the wall.

  “What do you think you are doing, Kian?” He sounded like he thought the situation was funny, like me trying to attack him was comical.

  “What did you do to her? Where is Charlie?” I seethed, trying to break out of his hold.

  “I didn’t do anything to her that she didn’t want me to do,” he said. “And her location is no longer your concern.”

  “I don’t believe you. Tell me where she is!” I yelled.

  “Kian, you need to remember your place. I am still King here. You’re lucky Charlie isn’t a reaper or our first-born son would replace you as my heir.”

  “I’ll kill you if you have touched her! She would never want a male like you!”

  “But I have touched her and kissed her. I’ve even seen her completely naked. She is coming around and soon she will be mine in every way.”

  I broke out of his hold in that instant, my rage giving me strength. I turned around and punched him in the face as hard as I could. While he is stunned and bleeding from his nose. I hit him a few more times, feeling his nose shatter under the impact of my fist. He fell to the floor on the last punch and I kicked him in the ribs and stomach.

  My father was lying on the floor, badly injured from the impact of my blows. “You won’t kill me Kian. You’re weak,” he wheezed. Blood must be filling his lungs from the damage, making it hard for him to breathe. “I am untouchable. You, on the other hand, can be killed, but I’d rather rip your soul out of your pathetic shell and throw it in the Pit to rot for eternity,” he said through gritted teeth.

  I sneered at him. “Think again old man. I may not go to the extremes it would take to kill you, but you are not the only one who can remove souls from living beings anymore. It is about time someone put a stop to your tyranny.” I pulled back my hand as if I am going to punch him again, only this time I will be reaping his soul.

  Alaric, King of the Reapers, feared by all, looked sincerely frightened for the first time in his life for a moment, right before his expression immediately changed to smug and arrogant.

  “If you kill me, the female will die before you can find her.” He smirked, looking self-satisfied. “I am the only one who knows where she is, and her time is running out. Her soul will burn through her mortal vessel soon, destroying her soul in the process.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “That’s the problem, Kian. You know nothing about her or how to save her, but you are acting like you are in love with her.”

  I lowered my hand and looked away from him.

  “That’s it, isn’t it? You think you are in love with my future queen.” he laughed. “And because you think you are in love with her, you won’t kill me. You wouldn’t risk her life when I am the only one who knows how to save her.”

  “I’m not in love with her,” I denie
d. “I don’t understand why her soul would be burning through her mortal body. Is it because she was scheduled to die, but didn’t?” I asked, changing the subject.

  He stood up, already healing the damage I inflicted. “She isn’t meant to be in a mortal body. Her soul can only survive in a mortal body for thirty years at the most and that’s only if she doesn’t accidentally use her abilities.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. I have never heard of anyone having that type of problem. What is wrong with her soul?”

  “I am not telling you anything else. That is my business. All you need to know is that I will save her, and she will be my queen. You need to mind your business and get back to collecting souls,” he said as guards arrived in his room. He nodded at them to indicate that he wanted them to escort me out.

  I shrugged them off as they put their hands on me to remove me from the room. “I am not going to stop looking for her. I may not know Charlie that well, but I do know she would never want a male like you.” I grinned at him as I walked out.

  I am smiling because I know he underestimates Charlie. I may not have known her for long, but I know her well enough to know that if it is possible, she will save herself. She is smart, strong, resilient, and a fighter. She isn’t waiting around right now for someone to save her. She’ll be alright; she is only twenty-seven years old. She should have a couple of years left before she is in danger. She will find a way out of wherever she is on her own or we will find her before then.

  I am going to keep looking for her, but I need more information. I will go see the Ladies of the Waiting to see if they have found out any more about Charlie. I will also ask them to help me stop my father. He shouldn’t be allowed to kidnap her and just decide that she will be his queen. There must be some rule that he is violating.

  ***

  Two hours, that’s how long I’ve been waiting for an audience with the Ladies of the Waiting. Two hours where I could have been doing something productive in the search for Charlie. I have been walking back and forth in the same spot since I arrived, and I think I am starting to ruin the rug under my feet. They have never kept me waiting this long.

  Ingrid arrived finally, and she is alone. She looks more pissed off than usual.

  “It’s about time. I have been waiting here for two hours,”

  “You will speak to me with more respect. We have been lenient with the formalities with you because you are the next king of the reapers, but don’t let that make you forget who you are speaking to. I am Karma, and the Ladies of the Waiting are in command of the Waiting and the reapers,” she said.

  I bowed. “I apologize Karma. Thank you for seeing me today. I am sure you are very busy. I hope Destiny and Fate are well,” I said, trying to remain calm.

  “Fate hasn’t been around. She still does the bare minimum to maintain the Balance and keep the souls moving, but we’ve had to pick up her slack. I left Destiny in our room to rest, seeing as we won’t be able to help you with your problem.”

  “I haven’t even asked anything of you yet. How do you know you can’t help me?”

  “We can’t help you with the girl, Kian. Destiny and I have agreed that King Alaric is allowed to claim her as his queen, and that it will be an acceptable solution to her situation. She will no longer be in the Provisional where we have no record of her belonging, so the Balance will be maintained.” She turned her back on me both figuratively and literally.

  I am flabbergasted. “So you are telling me that the Ladies of the Waiting find it acceptable for a female to be held against her will and forced into bed with a male she doesn’t even like?” I said, my voice rising with my anger.

  “Kian, you know we are neutral. It is not our job to interfere with the choices of others. We see bad things happen all the time. That’s part of the Balance,” she said before taking a deep breath. “King Alaric has also given his word that he wouldn’t be forcing Charlie to do anything.”

  I run both hands through my hair, grabbing ahold of some and pulling until I feel pain. “Unbelievable. I can’t believe you can just accept this course of action. I can’t, and I am not going to give up on her.”

  Ingrid turned back around to face me and smiled. “Good. Now go find her and know that Ameny and I are rooting for you, even though we can’t help you.” She patted me on the back and left without another word.

  I am left alone in the sitting room, feeling frustrated, confused, and exhausted. I am no closer to finding Charlie than when I arrived here over two hours ago. Ingrid said they can’t help me, but they support me in going against my father. Are they allowed to root for one side over the other?

  I rubbed my forehead. My head is killing me, and headaches are uncommon for reapers. It has been a long day and I need to get a few hours of sleep before I reconnect with my siblings to see if they have heard anything.

  I would normally exit the palace before astralocating away because it is considered highly offensive to astralocate in and out of someone’s home or business. It is seen as a breach of privacy. There is an exception for bringing souls to the palace, but astralocating is only allowed in that one designated area for arrivals and departures.

  However, today I am tired and frustrated. I don’t care about social niceties, so I astralocate out of the palace and head straight to Jarrett’s apartment in Paris. I can’t go to my room in the mansion, that isn’t my home anymore. It hasn’t felt like a home since my mother died and my siblings moved out.

  I arrived in the living room and see that Finlay is still here. He’s lying on the couch, his back to me. I start to head to the guest room when he hears me and turns over.

  He sat up immediately when he sees me. “What happened? You didn’t find Charlie or she would be here with you.”

  I took a deep breath and let it out. I don’t want to rehash my failure to anyone right now, but he should know what little I have learned. “My father does have Charlie, but he has her hidden away somewhere.”

  “What? Why didn’t you make him tell you where she is?”

  “I tried, but I can’t kill him. He said he is the only one who knows where she is, and she doesn’t have a lot of time left. He said I would never be able to find her before…” I drift off, having a hard time finishing the sentence. I sit on the couch next to Finlay, not trusting my legs to support my weight.

  “Before what?”

  “Before her soul burns through her mortal body and destroys itself in the process. She won’t exist anymore, Finlay. Even if my father is lying, I can’t risk it.” I put my head in my hands.

  “She is still alive. I can feel her soul. We will find her, Kian,” he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder to comfort me. “I am going to try to repeat the locating spell. As a fae, I can perform magic like a witch. Those of us who take the time to learn, are actually quite powerful. It’s not a common practice though, as most fae look down on the human method of accessing magic.” he explained.

  I raised my head and looked at him. “That’s a good idea. Maybe he moved her out of the Waiting. What do you need?”

  “I need a strand of her hair. Can you grab a piece from her brush? It’s in her duffle bag over there,” he said, pointing to the bag in the corner of the room.

  I went to the bag to find the brush. I didn’t immediately see the brush, so I started to move her clothes aside to find it. Holy shit! I covered up what I shouldn’t have just saw. “Uh, I can’t find it,” I said as I feel my face burning.

  “It’s in the side pocket.” He turned, saw my face and laughed. “Did you accidentally touch her panties or something?”

  I shook my head.

  He started laughing harder. “Oh man, don’t tell me she brought her toys with her.”

  I looked at him. “What do you know about it?” I said, starting to get angry.

  He held his hands up in front of him. “Woah, easy there, big man. I’ve known her for a long time. She prefers to manage her stress that way when she is in-between boyfriends.
Don’t get me wrong, I have offered to help,” he said, grinning.

  “Please stop. I am trying really hard not to hate you,” I said as I find the hairbrush in the side pocket.

  “Sorry, I can’t help myself. You are fun to tease,” he said as I hand him the brush.

  “Let’s just do this spell and forget this conversation,” I said.

  Finlay took a strand of hair and placed it on a map that he printed from the computer. He drew a small representation of the Waiting on the corner of the page. The hair started moving as soon as he spoke the incantation. The hair slithered around the map and when it stopped it circled the state of Louisiana.

  Finlay and I smiled at each other. “According to this, she is in Louisiana. I’ll print a more detailed map of Louisiana and try again.” Finlay said.

  He performed the spell again after we printed a new map. However, the hair just slithered around the map before circling the entire state again.

  “What went wrong?” I asked.

  “Someone must be blocking us from finding her exact location. We got lucky that we at least know she is in Louisiana,” he said.

  “Let’s go. We have to start looking for her.” I said, getting ready to leave.

  Finlay grabbed my arm. “Kian, you need to go get some rest. You look like shit.”

  “What if he moves her and we can’t find her.”

  “He won’t. He has no idea that we have narrowed down her location. She will be fine while you go get some rest,” he said while pushing me toward the guest bedroom. “I will call Jarrett and update him while you rest.”

  He pushed me into the room and closed the door. I don’t want to sleep, but I know if I am better rested, I will be more effective when we search for Charlie.

  I tossed and turned for about ten minutes before I finally fell asleep, thinking of Charlie. That’s probably why I dreamt of her. This one felt different than my normal dreams. I was in a room when Charlie entered and attacked me, pushing me against the wall, but she wasn’t attacking me in anger like usual. She was attacking me with her lips. I hesitate for a second because I am not certain this is a normal dream, but my body overrides my brain. I kiss her like I have been wanting to do since our first conversation in her apartment.