“Actually, Michelle,” Aiden said, folding his arms. “I’d wait a couple of days, to see how he reacts if EJ doesn’t show up. I have a feeling he couldn’t care less about whether EJ lives or dies, and I have a feeling playing dead would be the way to go on this one.” After a few minutes, they agreed Aiden’s suggestion would be best.
***
The next morning, Michelle called Aiden into her office. “I’m sure you’re well aware, but Mickala and myself aren’t regular demons. Our background is, complicated, to say the least.”
He nodded. “She explained about your ancestry, and about Solaris.”
“Good. So, you know there will come a time when she has to make the same choice my mother and myself had to make?”
“About whether to stay on Earth or to return to Solaris.”
“Exactly. It’s probably she’ll stay here on Earth. There’s a bond between her and this planet identical to the one between Solaris and our line. If something were to happen to Mickala now that Kristopher’s dead, she won’t be able to be reborn, and Earth will die along with her. It’s one reason she’s been so careful in this life, and having two such close calls in one week, I’ve been in a near panic. Thank the Gods for Nehela. Anyway, that’s beside the point. If Mickala returns, I have to know if you could really give up everything you’ve ever known, the very planet and an entire existence, for her?”
Without hesitation, he said of course. “All my life, I’ve felt like a part of me was missing. Now, with her, for the first time in almost a thousand years, I feel complete. I’ve been wondering if maybe she wasn’t the reason for my existence in the first place. I would follow her to the end of the earth and beyond.”
“If she returned to Solaris, you have to remember, she’s of royal blood, and her title of Princess would no longer be just an empty address. She would have an entire kingdom to rule, to protect. Would you be okay with that?”
He thought. “I’ve never had any experience with royals, but even though it’s in her blood, and she might have been born to do it, Mickala would have to learn as well. We could learn together.”
Michelle sighed with what was obviously relief. “That’s exactly what I was hoping you would say.” She smiled suddenly. “I think you were made for each other as well.”
Aiden eyed her. “You and Alex set us up, didn’t you?”
She laughed. “We might have discussed it. I already knew who you really were, and from the way Alex would talk about you, you didn’t sound as if you’d be a danger to us. I did a brief investigation through my friends and the demon realm, and I thought you would get along. Mickala could always use more friends. Never in my wildest dreams, though, did I imagine it would work out this well. Besides, the two of you would’ve met anyway, with you fixing to transfer to her school. We just sped the process up a little.”
His voice was dry. “And apparently just in the nick of time.”
Michelle rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. Seriously, though. I’m glad she’s got you, Ian, and Nehela in her life. Something tells me her troubles are just beginning, and I feel better knowing she’s got a few extra sets of eyes and ears looking out for her.”
“To be honest, Michelle, I don’t know how much help we’ll be. She’s far old, wiser, and a hell of a lot more powerful than all of us put together.”
“It’s not your strength she needs. You, in particular, will be there for her to lean on, as a friend and mate. Believe me, she needs that more than anything.”
***
There was a quiet knock on the door, and Travis stuck his head in. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
“Oh, no,” Michelle said. “Come on in. I was just telling Aiden how glad I am he’s been here for Mickala these past few days.”
“That makes two of us,” Travis said. “How is she?”
“Finally asleep,” Aiden replied.
“Good. She looked like she could use it. Have either of you seen or heard anything from EJ?”
Michelle shook her head, exchanging a quick glance with Aiden the human didn’t see. “No. I think maybe he finally left her alone. I guess maybe he reconsidered or something.”
“Good riddance,” Travis said darkly. “Actually, I was kind of hoping I could talk to you, if you didn’t mind, Aiden.”
He flashed a grin. “I’m popular this morning. Yeah, sure. It’s just, I’m in dire need of coffee.”
Michelle pushed away from the desk she’d been leaning on. “Talk. I’ll get it. You want some, too, Travis?”
He nodded, and as soon as the door closed, Aiden looked at him. “What’s up?”
The only human in the house was obviously uncomfortable, and he ran his fingers over his short brown hair. “I wanted to apologize for my God-awful behavior a few days ago. I was going through a rough time at work, but I was way off base for taking it out on you guys the way I did. Mickala’s a great girl, and I couldn’t love her more if she were my own daughter. The way she took to me is nothing short of amazing, and she’s been through so much without me having to add more drama to her life.”
Aiden shrugged. “We kind of figured it was something like that. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Mickala doesn’t seem to be the type who holds grudges. I mean, yeah, the stuff you said hurt her, but she’s over it now. Why are you apologizing to me, though?”
“Because, I know what I said probably pissed you off, too. I mean, I know it would have me if someone had said it to Michelle. Besides, you guys are going home tomorrow, and I don’t want you two to go home hating me.”
Aiden laughed quietly. “Don’t worry. We don’t hate you. Mickala loves you to death. She was over it before you were.”
Travis breathed a sigh of relief. “And don’t worry. I’m going to apologize to her, too.”
He nodded. “Good. That would mean a lot to her.”
Eight
Homecoming
In Mickala’s room, she stirred slightly, then opened her eyes to see Ian was sitting on her bed again. He looked up when he heard her whisper his name. “Hey, wolfie,” he grinned, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a truck ran me over, to be completely honest,” she said, grimacing.
“At least you’re alive,” he said. “For a minute, I thought we had lost you.”
She was quiet. “For a minute, I think you did.”
A muffled cough made her head snap around, and she saw EJ standing in the corner of her room, looking as if he desperately wanted to be anywhere but there. Ian smiled at her confusion when she looked back at him, and he shook his head. “It wasn’t his fault, any of it. Not the two attacks, or even the cheating. Yesterday, after he got to you, his mind cleared for the first time since Tuesday.”
She sighed. “I knew something wasn’t right.” She looked over at him. “Your eyes were too empty.” EJ just looked away, and she glanced back at Ian, then struggled to sit up. “You mind giving us a few minutes, dragon boy?”
“Oh, haha,” he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. He laughed and disappeared.
She looked at her ex. “Come here, EJ.” He moved reluctantly, still refusing to meet her eyes. “Will you look at me already?” When he finally did, she had a small smile. “It’s okay. Ian just confirmed what I’ve always suspected. Someone else wanted to hurt me, but they were too much of a coward to do it themselves, and they used you instead. I knew in my heart it wasn’t your fault.”
“I should’ve been strong enough to resist or something. I loved the hell out of you, Mickala,” he said in a low whisper.
“Why didn’t you tell me about you and Trey?”
“I wanted to. God knows I did, but every time I tried, something would stop me. I never wanted to lie to you.”
“I believe you, and I hope we can still be friends?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think Aiden would mind?”
She shook her head. “I doubt it. Aiden’s very understanding, and he knows wh
at I know. We were meant for each other.” She smiled faintly. “Honestly, I’m surprised he didn’t kill you straight away.”
“I’m pretty sure he wanted to, but Michelle gave me the chance to explain. I asked them to probe my head, so they would know I was telling the truth. Aiden did it himself,” EJ said, shaking his head.
“He wasn’t able to tell who did it?”
***
He hesitated, not wanting to lie to her again, but when he looked at her pale face, he knew the elf had been right, and she wasn’t strong enough to handle the truth yet. “Aiden said the takeover had happened so fast, and he wasn’t able to tell exactly who it was. He just said it had to have been someone who knew me well enough and who hated you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, that doesn’t narrow it down very much.” She gave a low groan as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and EJ asked where she thought she was going. “To take a shower,” she said, a faint smile at his familiar tone. “And then to find something to eat. I’m hungry as a damn wolf.”
He laughed, helping her to her feet, then he hugged her gently. “I’m glad we’re back to normal. Even if we can’t be what we used to, I’ll take being friends.” He frowned slightly. “I’m just praying it doesn’t happen again. I’d like to see you more, if you think Victor wouldn’t shoot me as soon as I stepped on the property.”
“I don’t know much about Compulsion, but I do know that if the person knows, it’s harder for them to be taken control of again. And don’t worry about Victor. I’ll talk to him. He’s more understanding about these things than you might realize.” She went to take a shower, using all the hot water to ease her aching muscles, and by the time she got out, she felt almost normal again. When she came out after getting dressed, EJ had vanished, and Ian was still nowhere to be seen, so she made her way to the living room.
“Hey!” Travis said, looking up and seeing her. “How are you feeling?”
She waved her hand in a seesaw gesture. “I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse, so I guess I can’t complain too much.”
Aiden could tell she was still in pain, and even Travis eyed her. “You still look tired. Are you sure you don’t want to get more rest?”
She shook her head. “I’m getting stiff from laying down so much, and I’m feeling as if I’m getting cabin fever. And probably the most important thing? I’m hungry.”
Travis laughed. “That’s my girl. Why don’t we go out, since it’s your last night in Miami? Cause, I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t really feel like cooking.” They all agreed, and they started getting ready.
By 6:30, Mickala looked every inch the heir to millions, possibly billions, besides a princess, in a teal blue dress with a handkerchief hem and spaghetti straps set off her darkly tanned skin amazingly. Travis laughed at the look on Aiden’s face. “What? You’ve never seen a pretty girl get dressed up?”
***
They stayed out until almost 11:30 at one of Mickala’s favorite spots, a Latin bar and grill, and she dragged Aiden out onto the dance floor. Travis even ordered them a round of drinks. “Hell, after the past week, if you don’t need one, you’re more of a man, or woman, than I am,” he said with a shrug.
Finally, Travis began yawning, and he ended up setting off a chain reaction around the table. “We should probably head home. We have to get up kind of early, and if I know Mickala, she probably still has some packing to do.”
Her returning grin was only slightly guilty. “You know me all too well.”
Once they got back, Aiden and Mickala began getting the rest of their stuff together, amazed by how scattered everything had gotten. It was almost one by the time they got in bed, and they stayed up talking for a little while. “Do you think you’ll miss Florida?” she asked him.
“Not really. It never really felt like home. It was just a place I lived. I’m ready to see what Georgia offers.” He was quiet. “I’ve got a question, though. What is it with Valez?”
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I’d never heard of him until the first time he tried to kill me. Mother thinks someone’s paying him to come after me, and the more he does, the more I think she’s right. I was just hoping he’d forgotten about me.”
Aiden had to laugh, kissing her forehead. “Well, you are rather remarkable, Mickala Clarkson. You certainly seem to have made an impression on Ian.” He laughed. “The little pyro never has had an easy time making friends, but he certainly seems to have formed a fast bond with you.”
“Believe it or not, I understand how he feels.”
Aiden’s eyes widened. “What? Somehow, I have a problem believing you have a problem making friends.”
“Really, I don’t have a lot of close friends. I mean, the school is a decent size, and I know most of the students. I have a lot of acquaintances, and there’re the girls on dance line I spend a lot of time with. But there aren’t many people I go out of my way to hang out with. I guess being around as long as I have must have spoiled me on friendships.”
They talked for a few more minutes, then they both fell asleep. For the first time in over a week, they had no worry on their hearts.
The alarm went off at seven, and it felt as if every muscle in her body had turned to stone overnight. Aiden had to help pull her to her feet, and she took about twenty minutes stretching to work some of the stiffness out. Eventually, she could get dressed, and they loaded everything into the back of the SUV.
She went into the kitchen, drawn by the smell of sausage. Travis was cooking breakfast, and she poured a glass of milk. When she finished, she turned the sausage before it could burn as he flipped an egg without breaking the yolk. After she flipped everything, she put some butter in the grits, her nose telling her the biscuits were ready to come out. She pulled them out and cut them open, putting more butter inside. She and Travis finished about the same time, and they just grinned at each other.
They plated everything up on paper plates as Michelle and Aiden came in, and they completely devoured it. “Are you sure you have everything?” Travis asked before locking the door on their way out. Both thought about it, then said they did. Before they headed to the airport, they took Aiden to Alex’s so he could get the last of his paperwork for school.
As they were getting ready to leave, Aiden hugged the woman he had called Mom for the past five years tightly, and she kissed his cheek. “You behave yourself, Aiden.”
“I’ll try.”
She laughed, then turned to Mickala. “Take care of my son. He’s the only one I have left.”
“I’ll do everything I can,” Mickala promised solemnly.
***
Alex hugged them both one more time, then handed Aiden his folder. “Go on before you miss your flight and call me when you get settled in.” He promised, then they all said their goodbyes. When they got back in the Escalade, they talked the whole way.
They passed the exit for the airport, and Aiden looked confused. “Where are we going? I thought we were flying?”
“Oh, we are, but I have a surprise for you,” Mickala grinned.
They took an exit a few miles down the road, then they eventually turned into a small airfield and pulled up outside a private hanger. There was a large, sleek private jet already on the runway, and the stairs came down as Mickala got out of the car. Travis grinned at Aiden’s face as he read the ‘Clarkson, Inc.’ on the side, “Is it yours?” Aiden asked, his eyes wide.
She laughed. “Oh, no. It’s Victor’s. He mainly uses it for business, but every once in a while, he’ll let me borrow it when I come down to Miami, or really anywhere else I want to go.”
A man in a suit came up and gave her a hug. “Hello, Miss. Clarkson.”
She frowned up at him. “Gary, you’ve known me since I was a baby.”
He laughed. “You’re right. I did used to change your diapers once in a while.”
“You should know better than to call me that,” she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “A
iden, this is Gary, Victor’s right hand. They’ve been together since he opened his first little five-room motel back in the Stone Age. You know, they actually used to have to scare the dinosaurs to get their customers.” She laughed and stuck her tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes. “Gary, this is Aiden, my boyfriend. He’s flying with us, and he’s moving from Miami to Milton.”
The two of them shook hands. “Mickala, Victor said to tell you he’s sorry he wasn’t able to be here like he’d hoped, but he had an emergency meeting, and he would see you when you got home.” He helped them get their bags into the place as they said their goodbyes.
Mickala hugged Travis. “Look, about last week….” he started, but she shook her head.
“Don’t worry about it, Travis. I know you didn’t mean it.”
He hugged her again, then she turned to her mother. “Be careful,” she whispered. “Your troubles are far from over, I fear.”
“You feel it, too, then,” she replied, and Michelle nodded.
“Aiden, Ian, Nehela, and even EJ all have your back now. Don’t forget that,” Michelle said.
“I won’t, and I’ll call you when we get home.”
“I love you, my Princess,” Michelle said, hugging her again.
They finally got on board, and Aiden looked around in amazement at the genuine wood and leather. They got settled, then fastened their seatbelts. A voice came over the speaker. “Ready, Miss. Clarkson?”
She pushed a button on the intercom. “Beyond ready,” she sighed. “I don’t think I’ve never been so glad to get home.”
They taxied down to the end of the runway, then they took off. It was a little bumpy at first, but the flight quickly leveled out. Aiden glanced at Gary, who was sitting just a few feet away, reading a newspaper. So, does Victor know about you?
Of course, but the way he found out freaked both of us out.
Releasing the Demons: Solarian Chronicles II Page 7
