by S. J. West
“Well, he did whisk you away on your wedding night from your bedchambers. What else did you expect people would think?”
I didn’t have an answer for her, and I’m not sure why the thought bothers me so much.
“When is the party?” Jered asks Olivia.
Olivia lifts her hand and a holographic clock, presumably on Nacreous time, hovers in the air above it.
“In about an hour,” she tells us. “Gracious, I didn’t realize I’d been here so long. I need to get back before it starts.”
Olivia stands causing us all to stand out of respect for her. She leans in towards me and gives me a hug.
“Thank you for helping me, Anna,” she says. “And thank you for telling me the truth about what’s going on.”
When she pulls away, I warn her, “We may have to kill him. Are you prepared to handle the fall out if that happens?”
Olivia nods. “Yes, I can handle it. My husband is gone, and I want the bastard who killed him to pay for taking him away from me. You do what you have to. I’ll handle the political fallout of it all.”
I nod, satisfied she understands what needs to be done.
“We’ll be there soon,” I reassure her.
“Thank you for helping me,” she says to all of us just before she uses her personal teleporter and returns to Nacreous.
We finalize a plan for us all to make the journey to Nacreous together.
“I think we should all change out of these clothes,” Desmond says.
“Agreed,” Daniel replies taking off his cravat.
“I may have something that will fit you, Brutus,” Malcolm tells him. “I’ll go up and get it for you.”
“I’ll take care of Desmond and Daniel,” Jered volunteers. “I’m sure I have something in my room that will do.”
“Remember, this is Nacreous,” Malcolm reminds them. “And this is a teenager’s party. I can only imagine what they’ll be wearing. So try to pick something that might have a chance of blending in.”
Malcolm grasps one of my hands and phases us directly to his bedroom. Once there, he pulls me against him roughly, deftly coaxing my hair out of the loose bun it’s in. He runs his fingers through the now free strands and holds the back of my head as his lips ravish mine. I feel him lift me into his arms and take me to his bed. Gently, he lies me down and straddles my hips, cradling me against his warmth. He kisses me with an urgency that makes thinking impossible. The sweep of his tongue against mine makes me melt from desire, and all I know is that I don’t want him to stop kissing me.
His lips make a slow, wet trail down my neck to the tops of my breasts as his hands squeeze them gently upward over the top of my dress to receive his singular attention. I feel him press himself against my center, slowly moving back and forth causing my heart to race into my throat, making it hard for me draw in a steady breath. Just as quickly as he started this foreplay, he ends it by returning his lips to mine for small, chaste kisses and ceasing the rhythmic movement of his hips against mine. I’m finally able to take in a steadying breath as he pulls away to look down at me.
“Why are you stopping?” I ask, feeling completely unfulfilled and in desperate need of satisfaction.
“For one, we don’t have time to go any further,” he tells me, leaning down and kissing the corners of my mouth. “Two, we’re not married yet.”
“We’re practically married,” I say, flashing the ring he gave me in front of his eyes. “And I’m sure we have a few more minutes left before we have to get ready.”
Malcolm smiles at me. “Anna, when I’m finally able to make love to you, I’m going to need more than just a few minutes,” he says, sliding one hand down over my breasts until it comes to rest on the side of my hip. “I’m going to need a lot more time than that to pleasure you.”
“You drive me insane when you touch me like that,” I say, wondering if he truly understands how his caresses make my body ache for release.
“I was hoping we would be able to take things further this evening,” he admits with a disappointed sigh. “I’m not sure I can wait much longer either. I’m shocked I’ve lasted this long, if you want to know the truth. Especially with you practically begging me to bed you.”
I slap him playfully on the arm which makes him laugh.
“I have not begged,” I say, trying to sound offended but knowing he’s playing with me. “Would begging have worked?”
Malcolm laughs even harder and rolls onto his back, pulling me on top of him.
“Oh Anna,” he says, looking up at me with more love in his eyes than anyone has ever looked at me. “You are my match in every way possible I believe.”
“Hmm, yes. Jered did mention that you like to have a lot of sex.”
Malcolm looks confused. “Why on earth would he tell you something like that?”
“He didn’t say it in so many words. But I did just to clarify what he was insinuating when I asked about your relationship with Celeste.”
The mention of Celeste’s name visibly diminishes Malcolm’s happiness, making me regret mentioning her name, and it reminds me to keep the promise I made to her when she helped me get to New Orleans.
“Celeste asked me to tell you she was sorry about what she did. I don’t think she understood that she was putting Lucas’ life in danger. There was no way she could have known Auggie wasn’t himself anymore. She simply took his word that he wouldn’t harm us.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Malcolm says, his voice suddenly cold. “She’s dead to me now.”
It was as I thought. I assumed Malcolm would never purposely seek Celeste out again for any reason because of her betrayal. Once his trust in a person was broken, I seriously doubted it could be earned back easily or possibly at all.
“Come on,” he says, gently pushing me off him. “We should get dressed to go to Nacreous.”
“What do you think I should wear?” I ask.
Malcolm takes my hand and pulls me off the bed.
“I have just the thing.”
He walks me over to his walk in closet and turns on the light. He goes to the back of the closet and reaches up for a large white box sitting on the top shelf. After he pulls it down, he hands it to me.
“It was a backup one JoJo made just in case something happened to Jess’ before you were born.”
I take the box from his hands and walk over to the bed. I lift the lid to find a complete white leather outfit, including boots, like the one I used to wear. After Levi burned Malcolm’s Lakewood home and all of its contents to the ground, all I had left of the outfit was the jacket.
“And you think I should wear this type of outfit to a royal function?”
Malcolm crosses his arms over his chest. “Have you ever been to a teenager’s birthday party in Nacreous?”
“No,” I admit.
“Then trust me. Even with your sword strapped to your back you’ll be one of the most conservatively dressed people in attendance.”
I have to giggle. “Now you have my interest piqued. What are you going to wear to blend in?”
“I figured I would just wear my overlord get-up.”
“Do all the overlords down here wear the same outfit?”
“Yes.”
“Well, at least you have the body to fill yours out.”
Malcolm smiles. “Does it turn you on, my love?”
I feel myself blush and quickly pick up the box.
“I’ll be back,” I tell him and phase to my room to change, but not before I hear Malcolm laugh at my hasty departure.
I quickly change into the new leather outfit and find that it fits just as perfectly as the last one. I grab my sword and strap it onto my back. Malcolm seems to think it won’t make me stand out in the Nacreous crowd which is fine by me. I will need it if Horatio turns out to be a prince of Hell. I think we all assumed he would probably be one. It was just a matter of finding out which one. To me, it didn’t matter. They each possessed a seal that I needed to recover. I didn’t want to know too much
about them because getting to know them wouldn’t really benefit me in any way. The less I knew about them the easier it would be for me to assassinate them.
And that’s pretty much what it boiled down to. I was, in effect, God’s assassin. I could take the princes’ lives without much effort. One simple touch. One single thought was all I needed to strike them down and take what I wanted. I stopped myself from over thinking matters. I had things to do and now wasn’t the time to start doubting my mission.
I left my room and walked down the stairs to find the others. Everyone was standing in the foyer, presumably waiting on me.
The boys were all dressed in some variation of black outfits either in cloth or leather. They each had swords swinging from their hips which made me even more curious about the dress code for this party. I feel a bit conspicuous in my all white outfit in the circle of black.
Lucas runs up to me when I get to the bottom of the stairs and hugs me tightly around the hips.
“Be careful, mommy,” he says, hugging me even tighter.
I bend down on one knee and look him straight in the eyes.
“I don’t want you to worry,” I tell him. “I’ll be back before you even get up in the morning.”
Lucas nods but doesn’t look completely convinced.
Vala walks up to me.
“Do you need me to come with you?” She asks. “I’m a lot bigger now. I might be of some use.”
“You would be of more use to me here. Keep an eye on Lucas and Luna for me,” I say, hoping Vala understands that I want her to stay and give Lucas comfort while I’m gone. If anyone had experience in comforting a child, it was Vala. She certainly had enough practice with me.
“Don’t take any unnecessary chances,” Millie says, giving me a hug. “Just do what you need to do and come back home to us.”
“We won’t be long,” I tell her.
I look at Giles over Millie’s shoulder and tell him, “Protect my family while we’re gone.”
“I will, Anna,” he assures me. “You have my word.”
I go to stand beside Malcolm.
“Are we ready?” I ask them.
“I think the important question is,” Malcolm says, “are you ready?”
“As ready as I’m going to get,” I admit, taking in a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
Malcolm takes hold of my hand and phases us to Nacreous.
Chapter 22
We phase in near the entrance of the palace.
Before now, I’d only seen videos and pictures of Nacreous. I knew the basics about their architecture and culture, but physically being inside the most intellectually advanced cloud city is an experience beyond anything I could have ever imagined.
Nacreous is the epitome of modern technology and free thought. Every building within the city is built with a polymer which adjusts its opacity to let in as much natural light as possible. The material is also polymorphic and can assume any shape and mimic any type of material that the owner wants. It is also engineered to absorb the energy from the sun itself to run most everything which needs power. The architectural design of the city itself is an eclectic mix of the new fused with the old. Somehow the combination melds perfectly together to form a cohesive community of buildings. The citizens of Nacreous are encouraged to broaden their imaginations and experiment with different concepts not only in their architecture but also in their everyday lives. New ideas are the hallmark of their society. If you wanted to expand your mind in literature, the arts, and sciences, Nacreous is your cloud city of choice.
“I thought you might like to see the city before we went inside,” Malcolm says to me. “I know you haven't been allowed to travel much.”
“The only travelling I've done has been with you and Jered,” I tell him. “This is...spectacular! Beyond anything I could have imagined from the pictures I've seen.”
I let my eyes drink in the city before allowing myself to study the majesty of the palace’s breathtaking design. The exterior looks like it’s made of polished mercury. Its silver curves extend out in a random pattern like the rays of the sun, and I can imagine it looking almost golden when the sun shines against its metallic surface.
Even though Nacreous is situated above Antarctica, the citizens are still able to have a day and night cycle provided by the special shielding properties of the protective dome covering the city. It’s night time now, and the palace is lit up with artificial lighting to accentuate its fluid lines.
There is a throng of people present standing outside the glass entrance of the palace, waiting for their turn to enter and join the festivities.
“Come on,” Malcolm says to me, squeezing my hand. “We should probably get inside now. I just wanted to show you the city first.”
We all phase into the palace arriving within its center, at least that's what I assume. I find us in a circular atrium. I look up at the glass ceiling, and notice its design is that of an abstract representation of the sun. A white, walled off ramp circles around the periphery of the room leading all the way to the top level of the palace. We make our way up the ramp with the other people present.
On our way to the top, I immediately see why Malcolm said I wouldn't stand out in my leather outfit amongst the other party goers. Almost everyone is dressed in either some sort of form fitting leather outfit or they’re dressed in minimalistic black clothing. Many of them are carrying swords or daggers at their sides, but I get the impression their function is completely decorative unlike mine. I feel like the most overdressed person there considering how scantily clad the younger people in the crowd are.
Once we reach the top of the ramp, it's easy to find where we’re supposed to go. Near the entrance to the grand hall, I see Empress Olivia and Horatio greeting their older guests while the younger ones bypass the traditional greeting of the empress and head straight for the birthday celebration.
“What the hell?” I hear Malcolm say beside me as he comes to an abrupt halt and stares at Horatio in bewilderment.
“When did he come up here?” Jered asks as he glares at Horatio too.
I see that all my guardians are glowering at Horatio Ravensdale.
“Which prince is he?” I ask, wanting to know why they all seem so surprised to see him. Surely they expected him to be one of the princes of Hell. Why look so shocked?
“That’s not one of the princes,” Malcolm finally says, explaining their reaction to what they see. He looks down at me. “That’s Botis. He’s one of Lucifer’s generals, but he normally isn’t allowed up here on the surface. Lucifer keeps certain demons on a tight leash in Hell and Botis has always been one of them.”
“But why place him here?” Jered asks. “Why not place one of the princes at the head of Nacreous society?”
“I don’t know,” Malcolm says. “Let’s go see if we can find out.”
We stand in line to greet the empress and her consort. I see Botis glance furtively down the line at us a few times as we make our way forward. He looked a bit alarmed when he first saw us, but he quickly wiped that expression from his features and now wears a mask of indifference as we approach. Once it’s our turn to be greeted, Botis bows to me.
“Greetings Empress Annalisse,” Botis says through his human mask of Horatio Ravensdale. “It’s an unexpected pleasure to have you here at our little soiree.”
“Thank you for inviting me, Iggi,” I say, knowing the real Horatio would have hated the use of the nickname, but since I’m talking to the demon who pushed his soul out of his body, I feel sure Horatio would get a small amount of satisfaction by my use of it.
Botis looks at Malcolm and the rest of my Watcher contingent.
“Expecting trouble gentleman?” Botis asks.
“Depends,” Malcolm answers. His eyes narrowing on Botis. “Are you planning to start any?”
Botis smiles. “Not me. I’m just here to enjoy the revelry. As long as certain people leave me alone, I’ll leave them alone.”
“I would wager the
odds are against you,” Malcolm tells him. “So many against one. It really doesn’t seem fair.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Botis agrees, eyeing us warily, especially me. “Then again, I guess it all depends on the cards you have in your hand like in any good game of poker. I suppose I should warn you that I have an ace up my sleeve in case anyone tries to cause trouble.”
“An ace…” Malcolm muses, sounding like he’s trying to figure out what Botis could possibly have that would prevent us from killing him on the spot.
Botis smiles. The action instantly sends chills up my spine.
“A little present from my superior actually. I had a brother break something once that he couldn’t repair. His only recourse was to give up at the time. I wonder what would happen if what he tried to stop was suddenly let loose again.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about, but from the look on Malcolm’s face, I can see that he does.
“That was a very generous gift,” Malcolm agrees.
Botis smiles even wider now that he knows Malcolm understands what ace he holds.
“Yes. Yes it was,” Botis agrees. “I think he understood my life might depend on it one day. Now, if you don’t mind, we have other guests to greet. You should probably move along now.”
We move down to Empress Olivia who looks clueless about what the entire exchange between Malcolm and Botis was about. She isn’t the only one.
“It’s so good to see you, Anna,” Olivia says, leaning into me like she’s kissing me on the cheek.
“Is he one of the princes?” She whispers in my ear before pulling away to kiss my other cheek.
“No,” I whisper in her ear. “But he is a demon. I assume you still want me to kill him?”
Olivia pulls back and says, “That would be lovely, Anna. I would be forever grateful. Please, enjoy the festivities we have planned for this evening and let me know if you need anything.”
My group moves into the grand hall where the music is so loud it reverberates against the crystalline walls. The decor for the party is that of a gothic ice palace. The icy theme seems a bit redundant since Nacreous is situated directly above one of the polar ice caps. A thick layer of white mist conceals the floor and tall, skeletal trees festooned with glass ornaments in the shape of icicles act as the only decorations.
