His expression grew solemn. “I’m not in tomorrow, but the names for tithe escort will be posted on the bulletin board.”
No point asking where he’d be, or if my name was on that list. He never spoke about his activities outside of the office, and the list would be sent over by fax first thing tomorrow, so he wouldn’t know yet if I was on it or not.
“Okay babe, see you soon.” I flipped the blinds open, unlocked the door, and sauntered out.
Vanessa didn’t even look at me. She just gathered some papers and bustled into Blane’s office.
It was sweet how she doted on him. Probably because she had a crush on him. Couldn’t blame the gal. He was a pretty amazing guy. It was mean to goad her, but I just couldn’t help myself sometimes.
“You off?” Brett asked.
“Yep, and you should get out of here too. Your shift was up half an hour ago.”
Brett shrugged. “Blane sent Beta Unit home, so I offered to file their reports.”
I sighed. “You’re too sweet, you know that?” I took off my jacket. “Come on, hand me some of that paperwork.”
Brett grinned and passed me a batch of forms. “Aw, thanks bud.”
“Shut it.” I grinned back at him and pulled up a chair.
No mate of mine was going to be slogging through a whole unit’s reports by himself. Yeah, mum would be pissed that I’d missed supper, but she’d understand once I explained. My work tended to come first . . . a lot.
Grabbing a pen from the pot on his desk, I knuckled down to work.
I rode out of base an hour and a half later; hungry, tired, and in need of a drink—something fiery and potent. I knew just the place to get it. This detour had been on the cards for over a week, and I couldn’t safely put it off any longer.
CHAPTER4
A s I rode through the glowing nighttime streets, past the sleepy houses and onto the motorway that led out of the city, I couldn’t help but wonder how much longer I’d succeed in keeping my secret. As the posts marking the miles rushed past, the ground grew uneven. Shoots and vines spilled up from cracks in the paving, and roots crawled up out of the asphalt. I dropped my speed to accommodate the terrain, weaving around the danger spots as the barrier to the city limits loomed closer. This was where Everlight’s hold ended, where the illusion of a perfect concrete jungle died, because up ahead was the real world.
Past the worst of the terrain, I picked up speed, whizzing under the illuminated barrier and out into what us Fearless called The Wild. My chest grew light, and the urge to throw back my head and whoop was almost too strong to resist. The road narrowed into more of a beaten track as trees and shrubbery bent low to brush my shoulders in welcome. The heady scent of nature—damp earth post rain—filled my head.
Out here I got to leave the lies behind.
My life in Everlight was good: safe, protected, and normal.
But it was a lie.
There was no normal, not anymore. Not for almost a century. Everlight was a facade—the final stronghold of a world that was quickly diminishing. The strangeness, the inexplicable magick the government was attempting to keep out, was steadily seeping in from the surrounding boroughs. Hadn’t they started to use magickal wards on schools and Fearless Bases? Weren’t our Fearless blades magickal in their ability to banish the denizens? We were succumbing to the allure, to the otherworldness of it all, and soon the delineation of ‘us and them’ would be a distant memory. Some believed it to be a blessing—the House of the One Creator advocated it. But the ache at the back of my throat warned me to beware. We were outnumbered on all sides. If our defences fell, humanity would be consumed by the other worlds. There was no recourse but to fight back. By keeping the denizens out, we showcased our strength. We held our ground.
But this wasn’t the only lie.
There was something more.
Something personal.
The truth behind my privileged position.
The government provided my family with full healthcare and a home that was paid for, meaning that mum didn’t have to go out to work. The government took care of us, but I was stealing from the system. Usually that didn’t bother me. But today, with the news of struggling luma crops and rising taxes, the burden of guilt sat heavy on my shoulders.
Yeah, so being out here, in The Wild, was like shrugging off a coat of lies. My exit loomed ahead. I zipped off the motorway and onto the slip road leading into Market Borough. Being one of the boroughs closest to Everlight, it saw a good amount of tourist action. If you were looking for something in particular that you couldn’t get in the capital, then you’d find it in Market Borough. The centre of town was open round the clock and blazing with everlight. It was the hub, the source of their income, and their ticket to paying their taxes.
I swerved through the streets, past the colourful inviting stalls, past the marketers shouting about their wares, past the crowds of people milling about. Lampposts fitted with everlight bulbs were the only illumination aside from half a moon. The scents of noodles, beef, and fresh pastries intermingled with the sweet inviting scent of magick. My stomach clenched with hunger, reminding me that the Tupperware box mum had given me was still sitting in a drawer at my desk. It had been almost thirteen hours since I’d eaten.
Taking a left at the intersection, I dropped my speed further, hugging the pavement, my eyes scanning the stores that lined the street so I wouldn’t miss it. Clovers was a place easily overlooked by most, but never by me. Up ahead a green sign gleamed enticingly. I parked outside and dismounted.
My stomach fluttered with nerves and I took a deep breath.
He always had the strangest effect on me. It was why I put off these meetings until the last minute. There were no windows from which to peek in, only a door in the wall and the neon sign. I pushed open the door and went in.
***
A short corridor ended at another door which opened into the main bar. It was nothing special: red leather booths, dim lighting, a black and white chequered dance floor—which at present was empty—and a circular bar that sat smack bang in the middle of the room. It was pretty dead tonight, just a couple of dazed looking people in a booth sipping on luminescent cocktails.
I headed to the bar, and as if sensing a patron’s presence, Valla emerged in all her glory. Breasts practically spilling from her bustier top, hair piled high atop her head, and slanted jade eyes twinkling with mischief, she braced herself against the bar.
“Well, hello there sexy,” she said. “Long time no see.”
I hopped onto a stool. “How’s it hanging?”
Valla glanced down at her crotch. “You wanna see?”
I’d walked right into that one. “Maybe another time?”
“Promises, promises.” She licked her lips and eyed me up and down. “So, what you having?”
“The usual.”
Valla inclined her head and turned away to mix my drink. I had no clue what was in it, but it was tasty as hell with a hit that lasted long enough to feel good, but not enough to put me over the limit to drive. The first time mum had brought me here I’d been terrified, because when I’d looked at Valla, I’d seen her for what she was—a green monstrous thing with shark teeth and blood-red eyes. I hadn’t let on though, and over time I’d learned to control the filter that allowed me to see the otherworld creature’s true natures.
Valla was a djinn, one of the refugees that had made lives for themselves in Lindrealm. I’m pretty sure the government wasn’t clueless, but as long as these refugees didn’t cause any mischief they were left alone—to be honest it was probably more a case of the government not knowing how to get rid of them even if they wanted to.
I glanced over my shoulder at the other patrons and dropped the veil over my eyes. Only two of them were human, and they weren’t together. They were sitting separately with their companions who were both lower level djinn; green skinned and red eyed. My muscles tensed. This was bad.
For the most part the djinn that had infil
trated our world were harmless. They ran small businesses and generally kept under the radar. But this, openly fraternising with humans on what looked like a romantic level, was taking it too far. Djinn were fascinated by humans, by our humanity and our souls. And it looked like they were getting bolder, venturing out of hiding to get some action. I had no idea if humans and djinn could procreate, but if they could then this was dangerous ground. In another century or so there could be no humans left. Just djinn-human hybrids. It was a way to wipe us out, to dominate us without a war, and even Fearless wouldn’t be able to stop them.
The urge to stand up, walk over, and say something was almost too much. But to do so would be to reveal what I could see. Valla was aware that I knew her secret, but I had never revealed that I could see her true form. That was my secret, and one that mum had urged me not to share with anyone . . . anyone except Lauren.
Lauren was an exception.
Clenching my teeth I turned back to the bar. There was nothing I could do. Nothing the government could do.
Valla placed a tall glass filled with a fiery-coloured concoction before me.
“There you go.”
One sip and fire raced down my throat, pooling in my belly. “Hits the spot.”
Valla paced her hands on the bar and leaned forward. “I know something else that would hit the spot just right too.”
Valla was pretty hot, but even if I swung that way—knowing what she truly was, what her true form was—I could never go there.
I leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. “What, and spoil a perfectly good friendship?”
Valla rolled her eyes. “We’re not that good of friends.”
“Nice try.” I chuckled then took another sip of my drink.
I was tempted to ask her the question again, the one that she evaded every time—why had she come here? Why leave the fifth dimension? She’d either shrug and change the subject, or tell me to piss off and mind my own business. It was the only time she dropped the sexy bartender act and showed a spark of her true nature, so I saved my energy and finished my drink under her watchful gaze.
Setting my glass down, I slipped off the stool. “Is he about?”
Valla jerked a thumb at the door behind her. “You know the way.” She lifted the latch and let me behind the bar.
I glanced down at the bottom half of her body, legs to die for topped in six inch ruby red stilettos. “Wow!”
Valla preened. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Oh, but I so did. Leaving her to her preening, I pushed through the door that led to the core of the bar. There was a kitchen where the bar snacks were prepared and Valla took a load off on her break. At the centre of it was a spiral staircase that led to the basement.
Gripping the handrail, I made my way down.
***
The warehouse at the bottom of the staircase was filled with dim lighting, a desk, a bed, barrels of beer, and crates of other beverages. A full length freestanding ornate mirror was stationed by the far wall, but Lauren was nowhere to be seen. I moved toward the mirror, rapped on its surface three times and took a step back.
My stomach was a mass of knots as the surface of the mirror began to ripple. The contours of a body and a face pushed through, and then Lauren was stepping into the room. His light hazel eyes shone with pleasure at seeing me.
“Kenna.” He said my name like a caress.
Suddenly I was feeling all hot and flustered. This was why I dreaded coming here—the weird way he made me feel. “Lauren. I’m sorry it’s been so long.”
He smiled softly. “Well, time has little meaning when we move between worlds. How long has it been for you?”
“About a month, I think.” Which meant over six months for him. Crap. I really needed to visit more often.
He walked over to his desk and sat in the hard backed chair stationed beside it. “Won’t you sit awhile?” He indicated the bed.
I perched on the edge of the mattress and just took him in. I couldn’t help it. Lauren was just . . . beautiful. Not hunky or gorgeous, but striking in a way that blended both masculine and feminine beauty. His skin was flawless, alabaster perfection, his brows perfectly arched, his cheekbones high, and his chin slightly pointed. He was a marvel to look at. He dropped his gaze, his lashes casting shadows on his cheeks.
I cleared my throat. “Shit, I’m sorry for staring.”
He shook his head. “It’s alright. I know what I must look like to your mortal eyes.”
Yes, my mortal eyes . . . but if I dropped the veil then I could see even more; the soft aura of light that surrounded him and the golden shimmer to his skin. Lauren was a Twilighter and luma was in his soul.
But as lovely as he was, I hadn’t come here to admire him.
I took off my jacket and pulled up my sleeve. “Can you?” I held out my wrist. Was that a flash of disappointed in his eyes?
“Of course.” He unlocked the top drawer to his desk and retrieved the slim box which contained his quill. “So, how’s the life of a Fearless?”
“The same. Although, I heard that luma crops have been struggling.”
Lauren looked up sharply? “Really?” His gaze slid away.
“Lauren?”
He sighed. “As far as I’m aware the crops are fine but . . . there have been rumours of strange goings on at the luma farm.”
“If the crops are fine, then why aren’t we getting our full quota?”
“I don’t know.”
It’s not like we weren’t keeping up our end of the deal. We paid in song. Our most promising musicians worked all year round to produce unique sounds that would then be sent to Twilight to feed the fabric of their realm. The Fearless who’d been to Twilight on escort duty swore the air itself sang. I never wanted to hear it though, because that would mean I was escorting the tithe, and I wanted to put off that duty for as long as I could.
“You think you can ask around for me, find out what may be going on?”
Lauren’s gaze caressed my face. “Of course, I’d do . . .” he pressed his lips together.
“What?”
He shook his head.
“Lauren?”
His hazel eyes darkened. “I missed you.”
My throat tightened. I licked my lips, confused at how my emotions were never completely my own around him.
“I’m sorry. I’ll come back more often, I promise.” After all, I needed him. He was my saviour.
“Come back in two days. I should have some information on the luma situation by then.” He slipped off the chair and onto his knees before me. Taking my wrist in a gentle grip, he began to fill in my mark with his enchanted quill. There was no pain, only the warm tingling grasp of his long fingers and the scent of freshly cut grass.
Lauren was a contradiction. Gentle hands, firm resolve, soft skin, and steely determination. Mum still wouldn’t tell me how they’d met. Only that she had found him just in time to help me.
I was an aberration—a child born with no mark. Mum had hidden it for as long as she could but, afraid that someone would find out and report me, she’d gone in search of an otherworld solution to our problem, and it was on this path she’d found Lauren.
I’d known him almost all my life. He never aged, never faltered in his focused attention toward me, but as I’d grown our relationship had changed. Intensity had developed behind his eyes, eliciting a tumult of confused emotions inside me that I still hadn’t managed to untangle. It was easier to stay away as long as I could. He finished inking in my mark—the destiny I had chosen—and sat back.
I rubbed my hand over the word Fearless, which now looked fresh and new, then pulled my sleeve down to cover it. “Thanks.”
“Always.”
We locked eyes and I felt a tug in my solar plexus pulling me toward him.
“Kenna . . .” his breath was warm against my cheek.
The clatter of heels on the stairs broke the spell. We sat back and watched Valla take the last few steps in
her ridiculous shoes. She stood by the staircase, hands on hips. “It’s getting busy up there. Employ some more staff or get your butt up there and help me serve.”
Piece said, she clambered back up the stairs.
I stood and pulled on my jacket. “I best get going. I’ll see you in two days.” Two days for me would be two weeks for him. My stomach felt hollow. I told myself it was hunger, but I knew it wasn’t.
It was something else.
Something I suspected I would never understand.
CHAPTER5
I t had grown humid outside, a sure sign that rain was on the way. It sweetened the air, intensifying the scent of magick, moulding it into something sharper and poignant. I hated the effect it had me. The ache it elicited at the back of my throat, the flutter it teased into being in my belly. It was seductive, alluring, and here, in The Wild, it saturated everything. It wouldn’t be long until it claimed Everlight too—a fact I both dreaded and longed for.
Heading for my ride, I was distracted by an echoing velvety laugh. My scalp pricked as I turned my head toward the sound; and there they were. Cradled by the night—the couple from Clovers—the djinn and the human. She had her arm through his and was looking up into his face as if he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
He was probably using some kind of djinn glamour on her. Making her want him. Making her love him.
A shiver ran down my spine.
This wasn’t my fight. My fight was with the denizens. My secret had to remain a secret.
I took a step toward my ride just as the human woman answered with a tinkling laugh of her own.
Fuck it.
I spun on my heel and headed toward them.
They’d just turned a corner. I broke into a sprint to catch up, reaching the end of the street to find them crossing the road toward a strange dilapidated looking building. Boarded up windows, vine covered walls, and a roof in need of a through felting.
Shit, they were almost through the doors.
Beyond Everlight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Fearless Destiny Book 1) Page 3
