by Rue Allyn
Sparrow puttered around her designated space, sipping lavender lemonade and tuning her guitar. The crowd was a mixture of young and old—some stood near Sparrow ready to jam, and others kicked back at the tables cradling coffee or wine.
“Welcome, guys. Thanks for coming.” Sparrow’s voice was both sultry and ethereal as she spoke into the microphone. “There’s freshly baked lemon-ginger scones; just see Bianca at the counter for your order.” She winked to no one in particular before hitting the first strum of her guitar. “So this first song is dedicated to our patron coffee shop saint. Some of you who like rock music might recognize this White Stripes cover, but I’m gonna tweak the words just slightly for our girl.”
Tera cringed and shrank back into her dark corner. Only the twinkle lights framing the ceiling could shed light on her horrified expression. On each side of her, Melissandra and Morgana both patted her knees under the table.
Sparrow strummed the bluesy guitar riff and smiled mischievously as she began to croon the first lyrics of a song specially designed to make Tera miss Sabin even more.
Melissandra took the soy latte from in front of Tera. “Should I get you a wine instead, honey?” Before Tera could respond, Melissandra received an emphatic nod from her sister, who grabbed the latte cup and whisked herself to the kitchen for the superior libation.
Glaring through the darkness at Sparrow, Tera listened to the cold, hard truth. It had been three long, torturous days without Sabin. She was an idiot to refuse him. And judging from his distance, he had taken her wariness as complete rejection. Would he ever come back? Like Sparrow chided in her song, would Tera really be heartbroken for so long?
And not just heart broken. Her body longed for Sabin’s touch. She wondered how he became such an expert in the art of pleasure. He’s probably with another woman right now. Her body nearly withered away at the thought. As if on cue, Melissandra appeared with a very full glass of red wine.
Sparrow’s bluesy cover continued on and Tera tried to drown it out by filling her ears with the sound of gulping wine.
Morgana’s voice interrupted. “Is he really that good looking? I only got a quick glimpse and I was semi-buzzed during the ritual.”
Choking on her wine, Tera moved her glare from Sparrow to her aunt.
Melissandra piped up. “You didn’t see him when he stormed out of the house? Oh man, what a specimen. I wouldn’t kick him out of my bed!”
“I didn’t kick him out of my bed,” Tera yelled, her voice dimmed by the speakers blasting Sparrow’s vocals and guitar.
“Oh Melissandra, you wouldn’t kick anyone out of your bed,” Morgana teased.
“Will someone please tune me into what’s goin’ on?” Egret, Sparrow’s mother, seemed slightly perturbed to be left out.
“Remember the silver-haired beefcake that stormed past the kitchen the other day? He’s Tera’s immortal lover. A Knight of the Fog, a guardian in the Portal Realm,” Morgana explained.
“With eyes of transparent aquamarine, perfect for getting lost in,” Melissandra described.
“You got all that from him storming past the kitchen?” Morgana teased.
“What?” Egret was open-mouthed.
Morgana took a sip of Tera’s retired soy latte. “Yep, fresh out of the portal above the Alcatraz prison.”
“No wonder so many prisoners escaped.” Melissandra chuckled.
Finally the song ended and Sparrow bowed to much applause, clutching her cherry-red guitar to her stomach. “You guys don’t mind another cover do you?” She got on her tiptoes to catch a peek of Tera in the back, and smiled in her direction. “How about you? Ready for another one?”
Slowly finger-picking an iconic intro, she began an ethereal version of a grunge ballad, her voice slow and angelic. Tera tried to enjoy the song for what it was and not think about the warrior she hungered for.
Sparrow’s angelic voice turned raucous and raspy as she rocked out with her acoustic guitar to the chorus. The standing-crowd head banged as Sparrow began the song’s solo. Her tiny frame and angelic face were a unique contrast to the hardcore dance her fingers wove upon the neck of her instrument.
“Okay, this next one is for my laid-back wine drinkers. And for my standing crowd, it’s a slow one, but unfortunately, fire code says no lighter-waving.” The enthusiastic crowd gave a teasing, “Awww.”
“This is a love song.” She began to strum her last song of the night.
Tera’s heart sank. What she wouldn’t give to feel Sabin’s touch. See him smile. Watch his aqua blue eyes turn stormy with sensuality. She may live with a coven, but he had been the one to bewitch her.
“So are you going to go to him?” Egret begged the question that they all wondered.
Tera was silent, and Morgana interrupted. “Can creatures of this realm travel through portals? I’m sure if we could we would have known about it.”
Finally, Tera spoke up, Sparrow’s guitar humming in the background. “Sabin did mention that Dryads can access the portals.”
“What are you waiting for, Tera?” Egret questioned seriously. “You don’t want to become an old maid like me.”
Melissandra huffed. “You’re the youngest so don’t you dare call yourself an old maid.”
Tera contemplated Egret’s words. Egret had been utterly in love with Sparrow’s father. Or at least the idea of him. After a one-night stand, he was never to be seen again and Egret’s body was found unconscious on a shoreline near where they met. It was a night that had been blocked completely from the sweet woman’s memory. All she could remember was meeting the man that stole her breath away. The rest went black. Egret had never been with a man seriously since, her heart still belonging to Sparrow’s mysteriously disappeared father. Perhaps believing he was her one true love was easier. Easier than wondering if she’d actually been victim of a nightmare. After all, it’d certainly looked that way when her sisters found her. Who knew what really happened that night.
“Yes, Egret, I will go to him.” Tera smiled at the beautiful woman across the table. She looked much like Sparrow, faint creases of wrinkles only beginning to hint her age. But her blue eyes were tainted by sadness. She wished that Egret could once again find love, but she realized the truth in her words. Tera could not be a hypocrite. She herself needed to pursue the love she had found. Sabin was her heart’s only desire.
Chapter Twenty
In the Olympian Realm, Artemis challenged the ruling authority on Eris’ deeds. The verdict had been that the Goddess was innocent. She shouldn’t have been too surprised, as many misjudgments had been made over the years when it came to the Olympians. After all, she had seen the Goddess Queen Hera punish many innocent women who had been victims of Zeus’ seductions. And Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Strife, was an original, born from Darkness and Night itself. When the court held at the ancient Greek Pantheon let out, Artemis glared dangerously at Eris.
Eris scoffed and raised her chin indignantly. “How dare you seek to embarrass me in front of our peers, you filthy excuse for a goddess. You think I, born from Nyx herself, would be punished for this? Ha!” The Goddess of Chaos sneered at the streaks of mud across Artemis’ cheeks and mud handprints on the firm belly of her torso.
The two were a stark contrast as they stood toe to toe, challenging each other. Eris was known for not being able to keep her mouth shut. Artemis, on the other hand, was a Goddess of few words. In the Olympian Realm, their home, both were corporal. Eris’ body was voluptuous, whereas Artemis’ body was feminine strength and toned muscle. Eris’s face was often twisted with contempt, while Artemis had a youthful face and calm, knowing eyes.
But now Artemis’ voice was full of lethal intent. “Do not disturb a Dryad again. The court failed me today. Next time, I will take matters into my own hands.” She parted her full plum-colored lips into a subtle smile, her tiny pointed canines revealed. “You know how I love a good hunt.” With that, she strode away.
• • •
The R
ealm of the Fog was business as usual. Sabin had only had a few minor occurrences to deal with, mostly with attempted illegal entrance into the Hedone Realm. A lot of demons tried to get their rocks off in the realm of incubi and nymphs, but reproductive species were not allowed to enter.
In the Portal Realm, the fog was so thick that only the upper half of most bodies were exposed, and small creatures such as gargoyles and dwarfs were left to clumsily navigate the fog. In the distance of his jurisdiction, he noticed a succubus trying to enter a Human Realm portal.
“Headed to Paris?” Sabin put a firm hand on the succubus’ naked shoulder. Speaking in the language of the succubi, he questioned the sex demon. “I don’t see a contraception tattoo.”
The succubus turned to face him appreciatively. The naked pink body was voluptuous and aching for pleasure. The more hungry a succubi was, the more pink its flesh became. “I’m in a rush, Knight. If you seek to satisfy me, I can do away with Paris.” The succubus licked its lips, the forked tongue peeking out suggestively.
“You know that a succubi cannot travel to the Human Realm without an activated contraception tattoo. Your kind is only allowed to travel to the Human Realm if your presence does not leave lingering evidence of otherworldly existence.”
“Punish me, Knight.” The succubus ran its hands against Sabin’s long expanse of hard body and her tongue flicked out quickly to tickle his chin.
An impatient growl escaped Sabin and he grabbed the succubus savagely to him. His patience with females of all species was dwindling. Tera’s curt rejection still hung in the forefront of his mind and dug holes in his heart. He would just have to take his frustrations out on the succubus.
• • •
Tera sneaked up to the roof of Alcatraz, the retired prison. Escaping from her tourist group had been easy enough despite the lingering eyes of the male tour guide. Now she stood atop the fog-draped prison trying to decide how to access to portal.
“Open sesame.”
When her short demand didn’t work, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Sparrow, who picked up on the first ring. “Hey, doll face, how’s the Portal Realm?”
“I’m not there yet. Can you ask one of the aunts how I should try to access the portal?”
“Geez, I’m Wiccan, too. Can’t you at least try to act like you value my opinion? I do know what I’m doing.” Her voice was both hurt and teasing.
“Okay, Sparrow, what would you have me do?”
“Free your mind, and concentrate on a bright, white light that can take you wherever you desire.”
Tera did so as Sparrow’s voice came through the phone, and the next thing she knew, she was swarmed by a thick fog and sucked through the portal. She nearly stumbled as she arrived at her destination.
Almost instantly, she was reminded of a subway or metro corridor, with an equally massive amount of travelers, but completely shrouded in fog. The next thing that swarmed her senses was the variety of smells. Vile, disgusting scents akin to vomit and mold drifted in and out of her nostrils. But so, too, did fragrant streams of roses, bergamot, and smoky frankincense.
Her eyes were completely overwhelmed. Through the thick fog, various creatures of all shapes and sizes, of all colors and textures maneuvered around. Just as a hairy beast of some sort moved past her with its hulking twelve feet, a tiny glowing faerie rushed up to her. Sitting on her shoulder for only a moment, Tera felt her whole body glow with happiness. But then the faerie flitted away once more, barely a glow in the fog.
Tera forced herself to move forward and try not to look too conspicuous lest she be confronted by a demon of some mythological sort. She spied one of the Knights that had accosted them in Golden Gate Park and she immediately darted under the cover of the fog.
Satisfied that she had eluded his gaze, she huddled forward to put more distance between them. Finally deciding it was safe to continue on in a less foolish fashion, Tera stood. But as soon as she did, a strong arm grasped her, pulling her arms painfully behind her back.
“Come for a bit of sight-seeing, Dryad?” The voice that whispered in her ear held a sinister, yet playful tone. “I could have the perfect revenge on Sabin by putting you in the prison.”
He yanked her around to face him. “You know, you landed some serious blows that night you and me danced. The Goddess of the Hunt taught you well. But you cannot hide from the eyes of a Knight in the Fog. We see everything.”
Tera grumbled and tried to yank herself from his grip. “Good to know.”
The Knight peered behind her deep through the fog. “But I have a better plan for revenge, and then your Knight and I will be equal.”
“You shot him. He put you in prison. Seems like it’s already equal to me,” she challenged.
He heaved an impatient sigh. “Just come with me.” Releasing her, he moved easily through the fog, the hordes of travelers parting for his path. “I’m Zeth. I’ll take you to Sabin.”
After several enlightening minutes walking through the Portal Realm, they came to a stop. “I don’t see him.” She furrowed her forehead, unable to see much through the thick fog except for the nearest creatures.
Zeth held out his hands, which glowed as he motioned for the fog to part. Then Tera’s heart dropped into her stomach. Before them, she saw Sabin in the distance. His arms were clutching the naked body of a female, a creature of the very voluptuous kind.
A forbidden tear sprang from her lid just as Sabin recognized her presence. Tera cursed with pain and humiliation. “Damn!” Raking her eyes away from Sabin and his woman, she quickly asked Zeth, who seemed to be quite entertained, “Where is the nearest door outta here?”
With a playful shove, Tera felt herself falling through a portal.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sabin couldn’t believe his eyes. Just as he had grabbed the succubus to slap some handcuffs on the sex demon, he saw Tera through the fog. Standing next to Zeth, she looked completely devastated. He knew that his grip on the naked succubus looked bad, and now he felt like vomiting. He had wanted to give her some time before he returned to win her heart, not drive her away.
As if Tera couldn’t stand to look at him another moment, she turned to Zeth. The Knight communicated with him internally. We’re even now.
He gritted his teeth and watched Zeth shove Tera through a portal. Growling at the Knight, Sabin glared dangerously. “Thanks.” With that, he stepped through the portal to pursue his love, a seriously scorned one at that.
Sabin recognized the portal Zeth had shoved her through. He didn’t know whether to be glad it led to the Human Realm or pissed because she could easily evade him. He entered through the mystical doorway, his feet meeting cement only a moment later. Night blanketed this area of the Human Realm, but his vision was honed enough to see Tera tearing over the dessert landscape toward the city lit up in the distance.
“Tera!” He ran after her, closing the distance. “I was arresting her!”
She didn’t turn around. Instead, her pace quickened, along with Sabin’s stuttering heartbeat. Never before did his courage falter in battle. But now fear shook him to his core. Tera was raised by a goddess who’d been scorned by many men. Tera defied the odds and trusted him anyway. Now he feared he’d broken the thin thread that he’d begun sewing between them.
He reached her, his speed and desperation a force to be reckoned with. “Tera, I—”
She whipped around before his fingers could wrap around her arm. “Get away from me!” The ice in her tone became a dagger at his throat, slowly tracing its way across, leaving him agonized and speechless. “I can’t believe I actually thought you loved me.”
“I do, Tera.”
“No.” Her voice shook. “No. My mother was right. Men do not know love beyond glory and consumption.” She pointed a shaky finger into his face as if spelling him to flee from her sight. He fought the urge to take her hand softly within his, hold it to his heart, and beg for forgiveness. Her watery gaze spilled over her
lids, tears glinting in the moonlight. “You consumed me. You took pleasure from me, but like the greatest tormentor, you tried to win me with ecstasy, get me addicted to you so I could never have another.”
“No, Tera. There will never be another. If you forgive me, I’ll never take pleasure from you again if only I could glimpse rapture on your face, prove to you that love does exist. I never believed it myself. It’s you that have taken me captive. For as long as I live I’ll never be complete if you would forsake me.”
“Shut up!” Tera shoved him. Sadness weakened his knees and he stumbled back. She shoved him again. “I was stupid for trusting you. I won’t make that mistake again. Not with you, and not with any other man.” She laughed, but not the beautiful way he’d heard her many times. Instead, angst bubbled up from her throat and stabbed him in the gut with guilt. “No, from now on men will be only one thing to me. Pleasure. I’ll take my release and be done.”
“You don’t mean that. I know you better than you think, Dryad. You’re better than such things. And although you won’t claim it. I know your love for me runs as deep as mine.”
“I hate you.” The low-spoken words closed the short distance between them. Her eyes no longer washed with sadness, but anger.
“Tera, how can I prove to you that what you saw was not—”
“You can’t.” Tera turned and walked away. “Go back the way you came, Knight.”
“Tera, I would die for you. I love you.”
“Ha! You can’t die for me. You’re immortal.” Her bitter words yelled through the darkness. Sabin ran to her once more, grabbing her arm gently to halt her.
“I’m truly sorry that I am immortal. Although I may not be able to die for you, I am at least glad for the length of time I will have to be able to make things up to you. I meant what I said. There is no other for me. If it takes all of my immortality to make you see that you can trust me, then so be it.” He released her when she wouldn’t so much as meet his gaze. “Let me take you back through the Fog Realm to your portal.”
