The Dark King

by C. J. Abedi

  Once I walked inside the house, I gave my mom a quick hug. I desperately needed a shower. I needed to unwind a bit before I sat down with them and went through the barrage of questions they likely had for me.

  After I was showered and dressed in my flannel pajamas, I joined my parents in the living room in front of the cozy fireplace. As I joined her on the couch, my mom handed me a large cup of hot chocolate.

  “So, tell me everything!” my mom urged excitedly. “I was so worried about you up there in the woods.”

  Compared to the one in Odin’s home, ours was like a miniature dollhouse version, but it was beyond cozy and comforting. My dad was sitting with his legs outstretched in his usual dark brown velvet chair with matching ottoman, enjoying a glass of wine and watching the news, only half listening to our conversation. It was a usual Sunday evening in the Ellis house, but I still needed a moment to soak the normalcy in.

  After everything I’d been through, I still felt that this had always been my home. And even if my parents didn’t have fairy magik to keep me safe, they made me feel safe. And loved. And I finally understood that even though my family tree had so many branches, my roots were under this roof.

  “Well?” my mom asked with a smile.

  “Lisa, she’s exhausted,” my dad said as he looked over at me. “She doesn’t need to replay the entire trip for you. Give the girl a break.”

  “I’m only wondering—”

  Before she could finish her words, the phone rang. She jumped up to grab it from the kitchen.

  “Your mom gets a little too excited sometimes,” my dad mumbled as he took a sip of his wine.

  I giggled in response as I leaned back into the couch and pulled a blanket over my legs. Famous jumped up and cuddled next to me.

  “Were you a good boy?” I asked him as he gave me a happy smile.

  “He’s always good,” my dad answered for him.

  I rubbed his little head as he leaned into my leg.

  “Caroline?!” my mom said to me in a loud whisper.

  I looked back at her. She was beaming.

  “It’s Devilyn.”

  Her whisper was loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

  My dad looked over instantly and raised a brow curiously. There was nothing more mortifying than looking at your dad when someone you like was calling for you. I took the phone from her hands as she stood there, elated beyond belief, smiling like a loon, and all because Devilyn Reilly was on the phone. I realized with some guilt that I had done this to her. If I had ever acted interested in anything other than my books growing up, she wouldn’t be so overjoyed because a boy was calling.

  But then, it wasn’t just a boy.

  “Hello?” I said as I avoided her gaze and watched in horror as my dad lowered the volume on the television.

  “Caroline.” His husky voice made my skin feel warm. “You’re home safe and sound.”

  “Yes,” I told him. Not that you weren’t already aware.

  His chuckle made my heart leap.

  “You’re right, I was aware, but I thought it would be polite to ask,” he replied easily.

  “Well, thank you for asking.”

  I heard him sigh into the phone.

  “Besides wanting to make sure that you were safe, I also wanted—needed—to hear your voice, and I just wanted to say—”

  I could hear the struggle in his voice. I could picture him running a hand through his thick black hair and closing his eyes to hide his emotions.

  Tell me.

  “I also wanted you to know that I miss you.”

  My heart stopped.

  “I miss you, too.” The words were out of my mouth before I could help myself.

  My dad’s head whipped over in my direction, and my mom ran around the couch to stare down at me with a look of elation. I wished the couch would open up and swallow me whole. I wondered if there was some type of fairy magik to make that happen. I looked at my parents in horror.

  “I’ve gotta go, Devilyn,” I stuttered.

  “Wait,” he said. “Don’t go just yet.”

  “I really need to,” I replied in desperation as my parents looked at me with openmouthed shock.

  “I’m outside. I want to see you.”

  My eyes darted toward the window, then back to my parents, hoping they didn’t notice.

  “Use your powers. Test them. Look at Famous and tell him in your mind to start barking and bring him outside for a walk.”

  “Okay. I’ll do my best. See you at school tomorrow.”

  I could hear his laughter when I clicked “End” on the phone. I had now officially humiliated myself in front of my parents. But regardless, I needed to figure out a way to get outside without alerting the troops. It wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Um … what happened at camp?!” My mom practically shrieked in joy.

  “Yes, Caroline. Please tell us exactly what happened,” my dad chimed in with a stern voice.

  “Nothing! I promise!”

  I turned to stare at Famous, pleading with him to start barking. But he wasn’t having any of it. At first he just stared at me, almost challenging me. Then he started scratching his neck as if I hadn’t said a word to him, sensing my desperation. But two could play at that game.

  Hmmm. I guess I won’t get you those biscuits you like so much.

  It didn’t even take one second.

  The barking started.

  And I was home free.

  For now.

  • • •

  Devilyn was standing across the street.

  Dressed in dark blue jeans, a light gray sweater, and a navy winter jacket, his dark hair was windblown, but he was nevertheless perfect. As I tugged on Famous’s leash and directed him across the street, I wondered if there would ever be a time when Devilyn wouldn’t do funny things to my insides every time I saw him.

  It was impossible.

  As soon as we reached him, he leaned down and rubbed Famous’s head and then picked him up in his arms and stood straight. Famous, I noted, was perfectly content in his arms.

  He was in love.

  Just like his owner.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi,” he replied.

  D

  It was madness.

  But I couldn’t stay away. I had practically become a stalker. Standing outside her house was probably the weirdest thing I had ever done. In my head, I said it was for her safety, so I could keep an eye on her. But in my heart I knew that I just needed to see her.

  At any cost.

  I had to be close to her. The nights and days we spent together in Nantahala had only made my addiction stronger. And on the last night when the Cherokee Indians had performed their ceremony, I was lost in an abyss of desire. Of want. Of need. And I didn’t fight it any longer. I had called out to her and she had come.

  There had never been happier moments in my life than those brief times we had together. I thought I could stay away but it was impossible. So here I was. Staring at her with the same fierce desire that I had felt since the moment I set eyes on her. Loving the way she looked in her flannel pajamas. Dying to bury my hands in her hair and pull her body close to mine.

  I held Famous in my arms and scratched his head.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked nervously as she twisted his leash nervously in her hands.

  I knew my attention was rattling her cage, but then I wanted her to be rattled, as I was.

  “What do you think I’m doing here, Caroline?”

  Her eyes grew round in her face as I put Famous on the grass and took a step toward her.

  She took a step back.

  Within seconds her back was against a car that was parked across the street.

  “I don’t know.” Her voice was so soft I could barely hear it.

  “Don’t you?”

  I placed my hands on either side of her against the car door and leaned down toward her, just taking her sweet scent in and reveling in the fact that she was so c
lose.

  “I wasn’t able to really say goodbye,” I whispered.

  I could feel the electric energy that moved through her body at my words. She was as attracted to me as I was to her, and the pleasure I had from knowing it was staggering.

  “We said goodbye—” she began.

  My lips brushed her ear. “Not properly.”

  “What’s a proper goodbye, Devilyn?”

  I could feel her heartbeat accelerate.

  I moved my mouth so that I was a breath away from hers.

  “I’ll show you, but first,” I hesitated, needing more. “Did you mean it?”

  “Mean what?”

  “What you said earlier on the phone.”

  She was silent. I knew why. Caroline was innocent. Until recently I had never given her a taste of my true passion for her. My need. I knew that I had to slow down, but I just wanted to hear the words again from her lips.

  “Did you, Caroline? Did you mean it?”

  She surprised me when she looked up to meet my gaze with her wide, gray eyes and nodded.

  “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

  It was all I needed to hear as I brought my lips to hers and kissed her softly, careful to take it slow and easy. Caroline moved her hands up my chest and held me close. It was minutes before I pulled away and put my forehead to hers.

  “Tell me that none of this is a dream,” I finally said.

  I rubbed her full, bottom lip with my thumb.

  “It’s real.”

  I held her for a few more moments, wanting so desperately to never let her go. But it was getting late and she needed her rest.

  “Walk with me, for just a bit,” I said. “And then you should go back in.”

  “Are you going to stay out here by yourself?”

  “For a little while. I’ve protected the house and put magik around it,” I told her. “I’ll know if anyone or anything gets within a mile radius of you.”

  “I appreciate it, Devilyn. I’ve never felt safer.”

  We walked in silence for a few moments, reaching the end of the street as Famous smelled his way across the lawns of every house.

  “Devilyn?” she said, finally breaking the silence.

  She squeezed my hand then brought it up to her lips so she could softly kiss my fingertips.

  “I have to tell you something.”

  “What is it?” I could feel myself getting nervous.

  “You promise you won’t get mad?”

  I could hear the worry in her voice.

  My heart sped up to warp speed. All kinds of thoughts rushed through my head. She didn’t want to see me after tonight. She had feelings for Rowan. Worse, what if she had actually kissed him? I would kill him with my bare hands. I would go to him tonight. Right now—

  “Your mom came to see me.”

  I stopped breathing. It was the last thing I ever expected her to say.

  “What?”

  “Before we left for the trip.” She was gripping my hand. “I wanted to tell you so many times, but I didn’t know how.”

  “What did she say?” I asked warily.

  “She said,” Caroline began. “She said she misses you.”

  I could feel a sick sense of foreboding wash over me. I couldn’t even control the ache I felt inside.

  “She certainly has a funny way of showing it.”

  “Devilyn,” Caroline said as she stopped to face me. “Not everything is black and white. There is a lot of gray out in the world, too.”

  She kissed my hand again and it helped ease the pain of what she was saying.

  “I can’t imagine how you must have felt. Growing up without her. I know that even now you’re hurting. I can feel it. But you need to know that she’s hurting, too. How could she not? She’s your mother.”

  I looked away, furious with Tara for reaching out to Caroline, even though a part of me understood why she would. It was a smart move. Caroline was probably the only person who could break through. Who could talk to me about my mother and who I would actually listen to.

  “I don’t know how to handle this yet, Caroline. When Odin told me where she was I felt a—a deep sense of betrayal. And I can’t reconcile that feeling in my head yet.”

  “I understand. There’s nothing worse than being lied to.” She sighed before she continued. “But she said something to me that really struck a chord.”

  Caroline reached up and put her hand on my cheek.

  “She met your father when she was very young. Their attraction to each other was much like the way I felt when I saw you. Like ours. Undeniable. He may have been different somehow. Whatever she saw in him, she fell in love with,” she continued cautiously. “That kind of love, even if it’s not right, doesn’t go away. It doesn’t die. It’s forever. It won’t ever change, no matter what … no matter what you say to me or if you push me away, like you’ve done a million times. I can’t change my feelings for you. Because they just are there. In me. Try to find a way to accept the same thing for your mom. She can’t help it, Devilyn. It just is. It’s love.”

  “Are you saying you love me?”

  She looked up at me and didn’t need to say anything, because I knew.

  • • •

  I stood outside for hours, waiting for all the lights in her house to go out. Then I waited for their neighbors to go to sleep as well.

  Everyone was finally dreaming.

  But my mind was racing. I couldn’t shut it off; there were so many thoughts that would keep me awake, so many internal hurdles to overcome.

  Her words had affected me. I had never thought about my parents’ relationship that way. She made me look at it from a different view.

  I drove up Odin’s long driveway and was grateful for the comfort the home gave me. It was familiar. And safe. I wasn’t surprised to see him waiting inside in his den for me, dressed in his mortal clothes.

  I had a feeling he would be there.

  I had a feeling he knew that I needed him.

  Now more than ever.

  “It’s late, my son.”

  “I was tying up some loose ends,” I replied, staring at him evenly.

  His eyes sparkled.

  “And are these loose ends securely fastened?” he asked.

  “They are.”

  “I’m happy to hear it. Would you like to take a walk out in the garden?” He dug his hands deep into his pockets and looked at me with a solemn expression.

  “It’s late and dark out.”

  “The moon will light our way.”

  “Okay.” If he was asking me to stroll in the garden at this hour, I knew something had to be bothering him.

  We made our way out toward the well-manicured maze in the back of the home. The hedges were over twelve feet tall, and without careful attention it was far too easy to get lost. Probably something that Odin enjoyed. He had infused the maze with a healthy dose of magik for fun. Knowing Odin as well as I did, I knew that the maze had to have some sort of purpose in the grand scheme of life, as he never did anything without careful thought for the future.

  As we walked through it, rose branches began to move with us, shielding our steps from behind.

  “Your heart feels lighter today,” Odin began.

  I gave him a sideways glance.

  “It is,” I admitted. “A bit.”

  Odin smiled. “More than a bit, my dear son. Definitely more.”

  We continued to walk in silence, the only noise coming from the moving branches.

  “Tell me what plagues you,” I said. The air was heavy between us, and Odin, even in the worst of times, always felt light.

  “There is news from Alderon.”

  Odin suddenly stopped to look up at the full moon. He closed his eyes and smiled in ecstasy.

  “The energy she gives always strikes a chord within,” he sighed. “I love her power. And her beauty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her equal.”

  I looked up at the moon and tried to take the mome
nt to calm my nerves. As always, Odin was wandering before getting to the point.

  “She is incredible,” I agreed. “From any vantage point.”

  Odin nodded pensively.

  “It is a truly a marvel, my son, that you can be anywhere upon this earth or universe and she will look exactly the same. She will always be there. Never changing. Always constant. Always loving. There is a peace in knowing that she will always come in the dead of the night to illuminate the sky for us. It can calm any soul.”

  “What has happened?” I knew he could hear the urgency in my voice.

  Odin faced me. I don’t believe I had ever seen him look so reflective.

  “There is a great beast your father captured centuries and centuries ago. He goes by the name of Wrath. He comes from the darkest corner of the universe, where only evil resides. His mate will soon be reunited with him after being kept away by your father for thousands of years.” Odin smiled.

  “I don’t understand.” Why was he smiling when he spoke of my father’s pet monsters?

  “They are dangerous alone,” he went on. “Lethal. But together, together, they are utter destruction.”

  My blood went cold.

  Odin raised his hand.

  “No, do not fear. Your father will not send them after you or Caroline. That is a job he would like to see to himself this time. He only waits to gain strength and power.”

  “Then who?”

  But I knew before he spoke the words.

  “Me.”

  I took a moment to allow the words to sink in.

  “Together,” Odin said. “Together, they have the power to destroy me.”

  “I don’t understand,” I began. “I thought it was only the beast Fenrir—”

  Odin waved his hand in the air, brushing my words off.

  “You speak of myths of the past. I am the All-Father. I have lived many lives and many different incarnations of what I am today, Devilyn. In another universe I was a warrior. A vicious warrior that killed when crossed. But now I see more to this great life. The wisdom of poetry. The power of real magik. The beauty of true love. Those are the traits that I embody now.”

  Odin’s wise gaze caught mine.

  “I tell you this, my son, to prepare you for what might be. For what might come. All that I have in this universe is yours—”