King of the Wicked (The Banished Series Book 1)

by T. R. Hamby

  “Did you tell him?” he asked quietly. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice, and Mel frowned.

  She nodded. “Yeah. I’m Immortal, and how I became Immortal we’re not going to discuss. Right?” And they both looked at Mel.

  He shifted slightly. The urge to know exactly what had happened was growing greater with all the secretiveness. But Nora had said he didn’t want to know, and he was going to try to accept that.

  He nodded, and Michael looked a little relieved.

  “Can you turn the news on?” Nora asked, beginning to mix pancake batter in a bowl. “I want to see if they’re talking about him.”

  “Talking about who?” Mel asked as Michael grabbed the remote from the counter.

  “Alex Lisia,” Michael said. “He put his fiancee in a coma--pushed her down the stairs. Last two girlfriends have restraining orders against him.”

  “And he may have injured another girlfriend a few years ago,” Nora said darkly.

  Michael was flipping through the channels. Finally he landed on the news, and sure enough, a picture of a young man, curly-haired and handsome, appeared on the screen. The caption below read: Co-CEO of Popular Chat App Accused of Felony.

  “They haven’t arrested him yet,” Michael said, returning to the vegetables.

  “And--he hasn’t said anything?” Nora asked, and Mel knew she was referring to God.

  Michael shook his head, a dark look on his face. “But he might.”

  Mel agreed. Lisia looked powerful--or at least wealthy. A good lawyer could get him out of trouble. And if the police hadn’t arrested him yet, then he was bound to slip away. Father might want to stop that from happening.

  “So no cases yet?” he asked, as the guest room door opened.

  Out came Gilla, and Michael immediately flipped the channel.

  “Not yet,” he said, as Gilla sidled up to him, smiling. “God morgon.”

  She beamed, though she still looked half-asleep, and slipped her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her, murmuring in her ear, and she chuckled.

  Mel watched this with a mixture of fascination and nausea.

  They broke away, and Gilla caught his eye and flushed.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  “Good morning.”

  “Good night?”

  Mel’s eyes went to Nora, who was now flipping pancakes at the stove. “Very.”

  Gilla laughed, and Nora rolled her eyes, smirking.

  Gilla came around the counter and sat beside him. “You don’t look anything alike,” she said, cocking her head at Mel and Michael.

  “I told you we don’t,” Michael chuckled.

  She shrugged. “I thought there might be something.”

  “Wings, maybe?” Mel suggested, and she giggled.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “How are you taking things?”

  She thought for a moment, and Mel noticed Michael studying her tensely.

  “It’s a lot,” she finally said. “Almost unbelievable. But seeing you appear out of thin air helped with that.”

  She was joking around, and Mel liked that. It still seemed bizarre that Father had some sort of special plan for her. She seemed very sweet...almost innocent. Mel already liked her, and he couldn’t help but worry.

  He glanced at Michael, who looked more relaxed, a smile on his face. Mel wondered how long it had been since he had last seen Michael smile so much.

  “I’m sorry,” Mel said to her. “I didn’t give you any time to recover from the initial shock.”

  Gilla looked surprised at this idea. “How rude of you,” she teased, and he chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m made of strong stuff, I’m told.”

  “You are,” Michael said firmly, assembling the sandwiches on a plate.

  Mel saw Gilla’s face soften, and she smiled at him, even though he was busy with the sandwiches. It was strange, listening to Michael be kind. It had been too long since he had had a real connection with anyone. Including Mel.

  Mel suddenly felt a surge of guilt. Had he been a prick this whole time?

  “What was on the news?” Gilla asked, and Michael tensed. She deflated a little. “That guy again? Have they done anything?”

  Mel could almost hear fear in her voice, and saw that she had gone a little pale.

  “Not yet,” Michael replied, and his voice was soothing.

  He brought the sandwiches to the table, followed soon by Nora with a plate piled with pancakes.

  “Will you try to get him?” Gilla continued curiously, taking Michael’s hand.

  He looked cautious. “I’m going to ask. But he may say no.”

  “Why? He wouldn’t just let someone...like that go, would he?”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time,” Mel said dryly.

  Michael looked at him. “Not helping,” he said, annoyed.

  There was the Michael Mel remembered. He decided not to reply, not with Gilla right there. She looked pensive anyway, and he wondered if there was something about Lisia that bothered her more than the rest of them.

  They sat at the table and ate. Gilla picked at her food until Nora engaged her in conversation about the latest backstage gossip at the show. Then she ate, too distracted by the conversation to contemplate her food. Nora sat close to Mel, so close he could smell her perfume. Every so often she’d touch his hand, squeezing it, and he would feel a thrill.

  The gossip dominated breakfast--something about the show’s producers and directors arguing--and Michael and Mel mostly listened.

  “Enzo is at his wit’s end,” Gilla said, taking a final bite of her pancake. She chewed, then added, “If Fonti says one more thing…”

  “I know,” Nora replied, almost worriedly. “Not just Fonti, but Rosa, too. They’re pushing things too far.”

  “What happens if they have enough?” Michael asked.

  The women looked at each other, frowning.

  “Well...Enzo’s the producer. He could always get rid of them. Then he’d have to find new directors,” Gilla said.

  “He wouldn’t do that, though, would he?” Nora said worriedly.

  Gilla nodded. “I worked with him in London. He did something like that there.”

  Nora huffed. “Typical Enzo. He should just focus on hitting on the assistants instead of fighting with the directors.”

  “That’s something Fonti would say,” Gilla giggled.

  “When’s Opening Night?” Mel asked, and Nora looked at him, taking his hand again.

  “September,” she replied, smiling. “It’s the last week of June now.”

  “June,” he said suddenly, frowning. “I missed your birthday.”

  She was immediately soothing. “It’s okay. Michael threw us a party--Gilla and I were born on the same week.”

  “Yes,” Gilla said, nodding, “we had the party with all our friends from the theater. Michael booked a club…”

  “You did?” Mel asked, amazed again, and Michael once again looked annoyed.

  “It was wonderful,” Nora said, with the air of someone trying to keep the peace. “But I won’t need another one.”

  “You’re having another one,” Michael said firmly, and she chuckled.

  “I’m not getting any older now. I don’t need one.”

  “If I get a birthday party, you get a birthday party,” Gilla said, grinning. “You can’t let me age alone. I’ll be thirty-seven next year.”

  Michael shifted slightly, and Mel looked: His jaw was tight, and he almost looked pained. This time Mel didn’t have to wonder what the problem was--he had felt the same way once. Gilla was mortal, and unless there was some intervention, she would continue to age until she died.

  This made him wonder. For whatever reason, Father had allowed Nora to become Immortal. For a price--a bearable price. Could he perhaps do the same for Gilla? It was clear she wasn’t just a fling. Mel hadn’t seen Michael this happy since before the War.

  Of course, it all depended on what exactly was goi
ng to happen to Gilla in the future. Perhaps Father already intended to make her Immortal, if she was going to be “special.”

  Nora looked around at Mel. “What do you want to do today?” she asked softly, squeezing his hand again.

  He felt another thrill, and he smiled at her. “What do you want to do?”

  “Well--Gilla and I were going to go to the beach again,” she said slowly. “What do you think? It can wait--”

  “No--the beach sounds good. I haven’t seen the sun in a year.”

  She beamed. “Okay--Michael? You too? Or are you going to work on the remodel?”

  “I can’t work on the remodel without her permission,” Michael replied, nodding at Gilla and clearly feigning exasperation. Gilla poked at his ribs, and he grinned.

  Mel couldn’t help but stare. Michael, cracking jokes. He hoped they hadn’t landed in the wrong dimension.

  He wasn’t sure what he had expected to be doing on his first day back on Earth, but packing up and going to the beach was not one of those things. Spending all day in bed with Nora was a more attractive alternative. But he didn’t mind--he was home, after all. Spending a day with Nora and her new friend--and Michael, he guessed--was perfectly fine.

  It was a Sunday, so the beach was crowded. Michael scoped out a deserted spot not too far from the waves, and they laid out a large picnic blanket. It was overcast today--no need for an umbrella. They stripped down to their bathing suits and went for a swim.

  The water was cool and salty, and reminded Mel sharply of all he had missed of Earth. He dove down and enjoyed the rocking of the ocean, the sense of suspension in the water, before rising up, grabbing Nora by the waist and surfacing just in time to hear her laugh. He laughed with her, and she slipped her arms around his neck, kissing him.

  “Tell me you love me,” she murmured, and he smiled.

  “I love you,” he whispered in her ear. “More than anything.”

  “You came back to me.”

  “I promised you I would,” he said, brushing her sopping hair from her face.

  She frowned, looking a little troubled. “Are you okay? I know I kind of dragged you here.”

  He glanced at Michael and Gilla, who had returned to the shore, holding hands and hunting for seashells.

  He couldn’t help but shake his head, incredulous. “You think he really cares about seashells?”

  She looked, then chuckled. “No. Of course not. He cares about her.”

  “It’s hard to process,” he murmured. “The Angel who took Lilith from me is now in love with a human too.”

  They were quiet for a moment. Then Nora whispered, “So you’re not okay?”

  He finally looked at her, and he felt a surge of guilt--she looked so worried.

  He took a deep breath. “No, I’m fine,” he said soothingly. “It’s strange--a lot has changed. But I’m fine.”

  “It’s okay if you’re not.”

  “But I am,” he said firmly, squeezing her waist. He was suddenly thoughtful, playing with the strings to her bathing suit.

  “You’re right--he really was there for you,” he said, frowning. “I really didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect him to care for you.”

  Nora smiled, amused. “I don’t think he did either.”

  “And he--makes you happy?”

  She nodded. “Yes. There’s a teddy bear underneath all that gruffness.”

  “You should tell him that. He’d love it.”

  They waded back to shore, holding hands. Mel caught sight of something in the water and smiled, picking it up--a mollusc shell, perfectly intact. He showed Nora, then the two made their way back to the blanket.

  Michael and Gilla were lying on the blanket, Gilla’s head on Michael’s chest. She sat up when Mel presented her with the shell.

  She took it and beamed. “Thank you, Mel,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”

  Michael sat up too, and examined the shell curiously. She handed it to him, then rifled through her bag, extracting a couple euro.

  “There’s a gelato stand over there,” she said, as Nora and Mel sat down beside her. “Does anyone want some?”

  Nora asked for a scoop, and Gilla set off, wrapping a towel around her waist.

  Mel looked at Michael, who was watching Gilla go, slowly turning the shell in his hands.

  He was frowning. “We looked everywhere for one of these.”

  Mel shrugged, leaning back on his elbows. “It was just over there.”

  Michael gave him a withering look, and Nora cleared her throat.

  “Okay,” she said, folding her arms, “now that Gilla’s not here. I have a rule to establish.”

  Mel frowned at her, and he knew Michael was doing the same. She was sitting up straight, her face stern, and they waited.

  She took a deep breath. “Look--Mel, you’re back, finally. We’re all together again. And things have changed--Michael, you and I are friends now. And I love you both very much.”

  “Nora,” Michael sighed, but she cut him off.

  “I need you two to at least act civilly with each other,” she said firmly. “No bickering, no fighting. No low blows. I’m not asking you two to be friends, but if you love me, you’ll try to at least be polite.”

  They were quiet. Mel felt more and more like sinking into the sand beneath him. He felt guilty, and he looked over at Michael, who looked the same.

  He was almost shocked. It was bizarre, finding himself on the other side of Regeneration, being asked to get along with his brother. It was the last thing he had expected to happen.

  Michael looked at him, then at Nora. “Okay,” he said quietly.

  Mel looked at Nora too, and nodded.

  She nodded, satisfied. “Good. Now, if anything needs to be said, you can say it now.” And she got up, leaving the blanket to catch up with Gilla.

  They sat there awkwardly. Mel sat up, careful to avoid his brother’s eyes, and looked out at the horizon. He was suddenly reminded of the lake back Home--how he and Michael had learned to swim in it, the first few days of their Existence. They had chased each other on the bank, wrestling each other to the ground. For the first few days of his life, the only person Mel knew was Michael.

  He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on the water.

  “Thank you,” he said quietly.

  Michael didn’t respond right away. “For what?”

  He finally looked at him. He was studying the mollusc shell, tracing its lines. Mel realized they must have looked silly, sitting so close and trying desperately not to look at each other. He thought of how things used to be--chasing each other at the lake--and his heart ached.

  He sighed. “What you’ve done for Nora. It was more than I could have asked. That means...more to me than you know.”

  His voice was a little strangled, but he was able to get it out.

  Michael finally looked at him, his jaw tight. “I was a dick,” he said. “When we last...talked.”

  Mel remembered, but he was amazed to hear Michael admit to it.

  He felt his lips twitch into a smile. “You were.”

  Michael rolled his eyes, but he was smiling too. After a moment he asked, “So you’re...okay? With Nora and I?”

  Mel nodded. “I trust you.”

  He suddenly looked a little pained, and he looked away. “Maybe you shouldn’t trust me,” he murmured darkly.

  Mel studied him. “Give me a reason not to.”

  He was quiet. For a moment, Mel wondered if he was going to actually bring it up--Lilith. They weren’t really about to hash that out, were they?

  Did Mel even want to? Or was he really on the path to some sort of forgiveness?

  No. Maybe not forgiveness. But trust...trust was something he could manage.

  He looked around and caught sight of Nora and Gilla, still a ways off, bearing ice cream cones.

  “Do you really play guitar?” he suddenly asked, unable to resist the temptation.

  “She told you that?” Michael ask
ed, sounding annoyed, and Mel smiled.

  “She said you’re good,” he replied, pushing the envelope further. “I hope it’s not just Wonderwall.”

  “Shut up,” Michael said, and there was the faintest chuckle in his voice.

  Mel

  400,000 Years Ago

  Mel was at his table at Home, carefully putting together a necklace. He had a stash of diamonds he had mined in the northern mountains, and there were many Messengers who wanted his jewelry. He had a lot of work to do.

  He heard someone at the entrance and looked up. It was Michael, and he waltzed in without knocking.

  “You’re still playing with those rock things?” he asked, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

  “Don’t be jealous,” Mel replied easily. “Shouldn’t you be with your friends or something?”

  “You are my friend.”

  “I’m your brother.”

  “My first friend,” Michael suggested, and Mel pretended to roll his eyes.

  “Touching.”

  “I have news.”

  Mel looked up at him, catching the seriousness in his tone. “What?”

  Michael shifted, flushing. “Helena and I are...going to have a child.”

  Mel stared at him, staggered. He couldn’t believe it. Judith had had a child, and Agatha had had one, too. But Michael?

  “You’re sure?” he said, still stupefied.

  Michael nodded, and he looked both happy and terrified. “Yes.”

  Mel let out a breath. Then he grinned, laughing. He felt a thrill of excitement, and he got up.

  “That’s great,” he said, and the two embraced, chuckling.

  “You think so?” Michael murmured, and Mel could hear the worry in his voice.

  He gave him a look. “Of course. Don’t be stupid.”

  Michael rolled his eyes. “Thanks. All better.”

  “I have something for you,” Mel said, and he went to the table, rummaging around. He had been meaning to give this to Michael for a while...but there never seemed to be any time...they were both busy with their own things, their own friends. Michael, especially, was busy with his friends…

  He found the ring--an emerald stone set in a shining silver band--and handed it to Michael, who studied it.

  He frowned, and looked at Mel, who shrugged nervously.