by Tigris Eden
“No, you missed my cock.”
“That too, son. But really, you disrespect me bringing her here to this garden.”
“Not your garden anymore. I made that clear when I nearly removed your head from your shoulders. Shall I remind you?”
The voices were growing more distant. What she heard couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be his mother—maybe he’d said lover. Maybe the paralytic made her hear and see things that weren’t happening. Because the blob-like creature turned into a beautiful woman with pale skin and tar-colored hair. Her lips were stained a blood red, and her eyes…they were just as red as her lips. What kind of manifestation is she?
Yewa could feel her body becoming itself again, and as she grew more alert, she realized she was in Enri’s arms. A peculiar place to be, because he held her as if she were fragile. Like he knew he could break her, or maybe wanted to ensure her safety.
“Enri?” Yewa mumbled.
“What,” he growled.
“I am well. You may set me down.”
“Well too fucking bad, Sundara. You will stay where you are until I’ve dealt with my mother.”
The woman was his mother.
And he had lain with her.
The insides of her stomach rolled. It wasn’t an uncommon thing during her time with her tribe. But she thought it would be frowned upon now in this new age. Enri’s fingers dug into the side of her hip, and the pain reminded her that although she was there to help him, Enri still wasn’t someone she could let her guard down with.
“You need to leave.”
The woman standing in front of them laughed.
“Yet, here I will stay. Until you give me what I want.”
“I don’t have anything you need, Persephone. You need to leave.”
“But you do, Enri. That big, beautiful cock of yours. I’m even willing to share it with your whore.”
His arms tightened around Yewa further as if he were doing everything in his power not to attack the female in front of them. But as quickly as his arms tightened, they loosened, and he let Yewa stand on her own two feet.
Something sinister came over him. The way his body went rigid and his eyes roamed over Persephone’s body with a slight grin. Yewa didn’t like the look in Enri’s eyes.
“Persephone, it’s not that kind of party— although, I’d normally take you up on the offer. I wonder how Hades will feel when you come to him with my seed still warm between your legs?”
“Hades doesn’t care about me, he’s too busy fucking his little nymphs.”
“I thought you were into that shit.”
Yewa watched as the two of them interacted and found she no longer wanted to be anywhere near their conversation. It made her uncomfortable.
“I should not be here,” she whispered to Enri.
“She’s right. Send her back to wherever she came from,” Persephone said, agreeing.
“She stays.”
Enri turned to her, and the look in his eyes became unreadable. “You are welcome to watch, but I doubt you’re into that shit. Run along Sundara. I’ll find you later.”
He chucked Yewa under the chin before walking closer to Persephone. She couldn’t watch anymore. Grateful for the dismissal she walked away. Yewa looked for a place where she would be shielded from the scene taking place behind her.
The sounds alone were disturbing.
Very disturbing.
Is that what women did when men made them feel good?
It is none of your concern.
It wasn’t.
There was no shelter, and she’d walked as far as she could go. When she got to the edge of the garden, she tried to move forward but a glass wall of some sort blocked her. There was no reflection. The wall gave the impression there was more beyond. She could see more plants, and even a lake, but she couldn’t get to them.
The sound of Enri and Persephone’s coupling grew louder, but if Yewa concentrated hard enough, she could block them out. Her chest still hurt, and her throat burned. Her body had healed from the paralytic; she couldn’t understand why pain remained.
An old tree with large roots pushing up from the dirt was next to the invisible wall. Yewa sat with her back against its large trunk and tried her best to sleep. But Enri and Persephone were too loud, and she was too afraid to look. If only her chest and her throat would stop hurting, then maybe she could get some sleep, and wake refreshed.
Enri found Yewa asleep at the edge of the garden. Persephone wasn’t one to be swayed. Again, he tolerated her, and because he needed a good fuck, he figured he should get all the pent-up stress out of his system. Might as well fuck the one you fucked before instead of the one you’re with. Yewa would be mortified if he did any of the things he was able to do with Persephone to her. Why are you even thinking about her in that context? Hell if he knew. She wasn’t his type at all. Too timid and ignorant for her own good.
Dirt covered her face, and dried mud engulfed the bottom of her feet taking refuge under her nails. The garden she’d carefully brought back to life masked her from head to toe. Her appearance ragged while her scent perfumed the air.
“Wake up.”
She didn’t move.
“Yewa, I said get up.”
Her eyes popped open and she squinted, looking up at him. Fuck. She didn’t even yell at him for being a dick. Why do you even care? He didn’t.
“Yes, Enri?”
“You said you wanted to help me, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I need you to do something for me.”
Slowly, Yewa got to her feet. She didn’t ask him for help, but stood on her own and dusted her hands on her torn clothes.
“What do you need?”
There she went again with that word “need.” He didn’t need anything.
“First, let’s get something straight. I don’t need anything from you. And I don’t owe you shit. But since you insist on following me around like a lost puppy, I will utilize your resources.”
Yewa didn’t object to his words, she just nodded in agreement.
“What kind of skills do you have?”
“I heal people.”
“What else?”
“What else?” she asked.
“Yes, what else?”
“I can cook, clean, mend your clothing if you want…” She reached out toward the pants that were barely covering his cock, and he stepped back. He didn’t want her touching him. He’d found an old pair lying around from the last time he’d visited and had put them on to be nice, not because he wanted her pity or sympathy. I’m never nice.
“I’ve got the clothing covered,” he sneered.
Her eyes locked on his. Like she could see right into the heart of him, and he didn’t like that at all.
“From now on, when we talk, I want you to look at my feet.”
“Your feet? But why?”
“Because that’s what I need.”
“Your feet,” she whispered. Then her head lowered, and her eyes were downcast. Fuck. She didn’t even back talk. Nothing.
“Did you try to escape? Is that why you’re so close to the hollow tree?”
“No. I was trying to walk the garden.”
“Well, even if you were trying to escape, you can’t. Only I can allow entrance into the garden.”
“Yes, of course, Enri.”
He walked a circle around her, noticed her braids were caked with mud, and her arms were scratched.
“I won’t be gone long. I’m going to bring us fresh clothing, and something to sleep on. When I return, we will talk.”
“Yes, Enri.”
She was still looking down at his feet.
Fucked up.
Yeah, he was that and so much more.
Chapter 5
Two weeks passed and she still hadn’t made any headway with Enri. He wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t need her. But Yewa couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t let her go. She wasn’t complaining, but it was foolish fo
r her to remain. For the last two weeks, he would come and go, bring back books and things. The other day, she’d fallen asleep and had woken up to a cottage, the palace no longer in view. Maybe he didn’t want to take her there because it was where he’d taken Persephone. She didn’t bother to ask; she didn’t want to upset the routine they’d established. He’d built a cottage—or willed one to exist. She didn’t know which. It was a three-bedroom dwelling, complete with a cooking area and sleeping quarters. There was even a place to relieve oneself. The books he read were ancient. She couldn’t read the words, and when he caught her trying, he asked if she wanted to learn how to decipher their meanings.
“Do you want to learn?”
“I would love to learn. There is so much I don’t know.”
“Fine, I will start teaching you tomorrow.”
And now, days later, she was reading ancient text written even before her people. During the day, they would read. She still didn’t know what he was looking for, but he searched for something. At night, she would cook a meal from the ingredients he brought back from his travels. They were having chicken and wild rice. She found it was a dish he liked her to make often, which meant he liked her cooking. Persephone had shown up one other time, and during their coupling, Yewa was thankful he’d taken her outside. But when Persephone visited, it was as if the paralytic returned, and it affected her throat and chest. Odd thing, that was.
“What text are we looking at today?” Yewa asked, excited to get started. They were outside in the gardens today. There was no light. It was always dark. She missed the sunlight. Her internal clock was out of sync. They’d been looking at texts that pre-dated Mesopotamia, which she’d learned was supposedly the genesis of the written word. Enri shot that down by saying there had been words long before the Sumerians.
“I’m going to go through the Mordals. I want you to look at the Sumerian and some of the Greek texts on creation.”
He didn’t even look up from the books he thumbed through. Mordals were ancient tomes. She’d heard of them before. Long ago when she was still a child. One of the tribe’s healers, Ashi, had been debating their existence. They could only be deciphered with the use of a palindrome key. Most symbols appeared to mimic one another. But pieced together, they meant the same thing whether you read from right to left, or left to right. The Mordals were older than any other book ever written, that much she knew, but if she didn’t know what they were looking for, she wasn’t going to be of much help.
“What exactly am I looking for? I know you want me to look at creation stories, but is there anything you’d like me to be on the hunt for specifically?”
Enri’s head snapped up from the book he was reading through, his eyes burning brightly like fathomless sapphires. Half of the time, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Other times, she was sure he was questioning her presence.
“Look for Erebos or Darkness, more than likely with more than one character. Don’t get confused by the characters that resemble arrows. If you come across those in any context, I want to know about it.” His head dropped back to his book as if he couldn’t be bothered, let alone concerned for her well-being.
Why would he care? To him, you’re just his prisoner. His servant. There were books lying around them in disarray, no real order, just dropped to the ground. Yewa searched until she saw something called The Big Bang Theory. It was a lot newer than some of the other books.
A thought hit her then. Taea had talked about something she called a “show.” Ah, yes. The Big Bang Theory. She’d had a thing for Sheldon Cooper and Raj, and had said it was amazing. Yewa had yet to see a show but figured a book of the same title must be the same as the show.
“I hear Shelden Cooper and Raj are amazing.”
Enri didn’t respond. Yewa spoke a little louder.
“You must also think the show is amazing, as you’ve returned with a book about it.”
He looked up then. Irritation clear in his eyes.
“What the hell are you going on about now?”
“The Big Bang Theory, I just said that.”
“What did you just say?”
“That the show was amazing.”
“I didn’t realize you enjoyed television.”
“Television? What is that?”
Enri scrubbed one hand down his face while groaning.
“You’ve never watched television? You’ve been around long enough to enjoy some of man’s modern inventions.”
Yewa shook her head.
“The Agency didn’t allow me contact with many things. I had a room—a place to sleep—and they took me out from time to time to test my healing abilities. But I mostly stayed in a small, confined space with white walls and no windows. When you came to retrieve me, it was the first time I’d been outside in years.”
“That’s fucking impossible.”
“Why?”
“I know for a fact that they moved you from facility to facility. It’s how I was able to retrieve you.”
“Yes, but I was also not myself.”
“Not yourself?”
“Yes, I was not myself.”
“You mean drugged?”
Yewa nodded.
Enri closed his book with a snap and stood.
“Get up.”
“Why?”
“Just get up.”
Standing, she faced Enri, who began picking up large tomes and motioning for her to do the same as he walked back toward their cottage.
“Did I do something wrong?”
He was so temperamental. One moment he was quiet, and the next he was loud. She’d experienced several of his outbursts. None of them her fault. It seemed he acted out of sheer frustration. Each one was a lesson in patience for Yewa. She never knew how to act, or what exactly would calm him down. But the last time he’d gone into a full rage, he’d changed into the dark creature that Taea had warned her about. His wings took up so much space she’d felt as if she’d been caught in some sort of void. She’d stayed quiet for a time and then found even the quietness would anger him as if he were upset at the thought of being alone. So, she started to talk to him about any and everything. From her childhood to her avid curiosity of the world outside.
“No, I’m going to take you to see a show.”
“Really? We are going to leave this place?”
“Temporarily. Don’t get any ideas either, Yewa.”
To prove his point, he stepped into her space. Enri eyed her from head to toe. His gaze peeling away inch after inch of her skin until she was sure he’d marked her soul. If he had, he’d see she had no intention of leaving. Not yet. He still needed her.
“I will not leave your side, Enri.”
He didn’t acknowledge her response. He turned and placed his books inside the cottage before helping her with hers. There were times he could be thoughtful. There were other times when he could not have cared one way or the other about her well-being. She was glad today was not one of those days.
“You can’t go out with me looking like that.”
Enri walked into his room. When he returned, he held a pair of trousers and a shirt. “Put these on.” He looked down at her bare feet. Her bangles still there. “There isn’t anything we can do about your feet, at least not here. I’ll have to get you some shoes while we’re out.”
He reached out his hand, and when their fingers touched, a fizzle of energy tore through her at such a pace Yewa thought she was going to be dizzy. That had happened before. Had Enri felt it, too? What did it mean? Was this her way of showing her excitement at leaving the gardens?
She didn’t know and didn’t have time to really delve further into her thoughts for the answer. One moment she was hand-in-hand with Enri, his warm palm holding her to him, and the next, they were in a place called Dillard’s.
“Stay put. I’m going to grab you a pair of sandals.”
This had to be the dumbest idea to-date. He should be back in the garden, looking through the books. Enri hadn’
t found one thing on his so-called father, Erebos. And all the references to darkness were not in the sentient sense. Somewhere out there, there had to be something more. Erebos was real. Whether he was his father or not remained to be seen. Enri didn’t want to go to the one person he knew could supply him with the answers he needed. Hades was an arrogant bastard. Would snub him the first chance he got. More so for Enri because he’d caught him and Persephone in bed together. Enri thought, that of all people, Hades would see the irony in the situation. But he hadn’t.
When he’d come back with sandals for Yewa, she’d been all smiles. He’d given her a pair of boyfriend jeans, and a black tee shirt. He’d gotten her a wardrobe of sorts on his last outing. But she still wore the bangles around her ankles and wrists. She looked modern enough. As long as she didn’t open her mouth, they would be okay.
“What kind of show are we going to see?” she asked. Enri groaned. It was more from annoyance than anything else. She was a child to him. An infant when it came to all things twenty-first century. The Agency were shitheels. He’d have to send them a gift—by way of Death Walkers. Their facilities hadn’t been raided in a while. If anything, he needed to keep them on their toes.
“Just a show, stop asking questions. Say another word, and we’ll go back.”
That got her to shut her mouth. Yewa walked alongside him, staring at everything they passed. He could tell she had questions. Lots of questions. Her eyes were wide and assessing, and when they passed a hot dog vendor on the street, she stopped. Regarding the sign advertising fresh dogs, her brows drawn down in confusion.
“What is it, Yewa?”
She didn’t say anything for a second and then seemed to find her tongue.
“They eat dogs here?”
“What?”
“The sign reads, Hot Dogs.”
Enri threw back his head and laughed. A deep belly sound he couldn’t control. He hadn’t laughed in a long time. When he was done, he looked down at Yewa and noticed she had a peculiar kind of smile on her face.
“It’s not a dog, although nowadays, you never know what’s in the food you eat.”
“You have an infectious laugh,” Yewa announced, her voice a slight whisper. He wasn’t sure if she’d meant to say that out loud or not, but he ignored the comment and motioned for her to follow him to the theater. They were going to watch Kill Bill Vol. I and II. He thought she would get a kick out of those.
