Too Long a Soldier (Kingdom Key Book 3)

by TylerRose.

  “I think you’d benefit from some time in the pool,” he said, knowing how much she enjoyed swimming.

  “Right now I think I’d benefit most from a nap.”

  “Your room is always ready.”

  “No. Give me a different room. Something without memories.”

  “How about the Gold room?” he offered. “Shall I wake you at one?”

  That would be a good two and a half hour nap if she could fall asleep easily.

  “That will be fine.”

  He walked her to the stairs, bit his tongue when she was so slow on them, and saw her to the door down the left wing of the house. Soon as she closed it, he went down to his office to set up a trust for the memorial garden. He used profits from some of the stock tips she’d given that were already paying off. He set his real estate lawyers to buying up as much property as possible around her plot of land at $100,000 cash per standard plot, as was. His hazmat and construction companies went out to begin estimates for cleanup and put in bids for the contract. Then he called Jerome directly, bypassing Landra Ahr.

  “Hey, man. What’s up?” Jerome answered.

  “Just letting you know I’m putting Tyler up for the night. She’ll head home in the morning.”

  “Okay. I didn’t know her private business took her to Cali.”

  “Well, she stopped by. She looked really tired, so I insisted she lie down for a nap and stay the night. She’ll rest. Nothing more.”

  “Oh I’m not worried about anything more. Don’t care about you. I trust her. But thanks for letting me know.”

  Hanging up, Thomas pondered this new player in the field. More unpredictable than Hades, much more volatile as well, Jerome could not be manipulated. He went only as far as he chose to go and veered away most unexpectedly onto a new course.

  Awake on her own,she dressed before he came knocking. Bathing suit in hand, he smiled at her.

  “I even picked a one piece for you.”

  He walked down to the pool house with her and they changed in separate rooms. In the water, she did several short-side laps before stopping to rest and catch her breath.

  “I want to play a game,” he said, crouched beside her at the edge.

  “Which one?”

  “Truth.”

  All emotion drained from her face. “Be careful what you wish for.”

  She pushed off for another set of laps and he waited with his feet in the water for her to stop again.

  “Who taught you how to fight?” he asked.

  “Lots of men. But my Sifu-Father is Chen. He helped take care of me when I first came back to the living.”

  Another set of laps, keeping to two trips to the far side and back.

  “How exactly did you kill the alien that crushed the girl with you?” he asked.

  “I took his Crystal Power and put it into her. Then I took her home.”

  More laps and he was in the water when she stopped.

  “Did you ever love me?”

  She remained in place, having to pause a moment before answering. “I loved my Thomas, but you are not he. Then he ruined it by trying to force an arrangement on me that we had never discussed. Never do that.”

  Two more laps.

  “If I asked you now, would you marry me?”

  “No. I’m with Jerome. He and I were supposed to be together from the start. We both know it,” she said.

  “You love him?”

  “We go beyond love, Thom. We are paired at the atomic level. We were literally made for each other by the Universe. You already know that.”

  Another set of laps.

  “But do you love him?” he pressed.

  “I cannot use that word yet. Not because there’s not an emotion but because I’m still not free to express it openly.”

  “Nice doublespeak Watusi there, Red,” he grinned. “I’m relieved you are in one piece.”

  “Yeah, me too,” she said, and thrust up to sit on the edge.

  Sharp, shooting, stabbing pain in her hip that stole her breath and her voice. She teleported backwards to the lounge chair in the shade and adjusted to angle onto her right hip.

  “That’s all you can do?” he asked, alarmed. He sat facing her on the next lounger.

  The blonde he’d known could swim a hundred laps the long way without losing breath.

  “I don’t want to overdo. I keep doing that,” she said.

  “Have you seen a doctor?”

  “Landra Ahr has tended me since the first day.”

  “How about a human doctor?”

  “I’m not human.”

  “Tyler, you need to be seen by a human doctor. You’re obviously very injured,” he insisted.

  “What I need is for people to leave me the fuck alone. Landra Ahr performs the equivalent of an MRI, but a hundred times more detailed, whenever he’s within ten feet of me. I can fucking feel it. Annoys the fuck outta me. My injury is a non-issue. I’ll be fine in a couple weeks. Considering what could have happened, I’m not complaining.”

  He stopped trying to talk and held her hand instead. “If you say so. You look more pale than the blonde. Want sunblock?”

  “Not right now. That’s why I’m in the shade in the first place. You don’t have to take care of me Thom.”

  “Yes, I do. If I know you and he were made for each other, then you know I have to take care of you. Habits die hard, love.”

  They had lunch,visited his horse barn, watched television, had supper. Talked a lot. When she tired enough to want to sleep, he escorted her up to her room and indulged in one loving kiss.

  “Sleep well, love.”

  “You too.”

  Door closed, he scrubbed his fingers across his chin in contemplation and went back to his office. A call to Landra Ahr this time and he confirmed what she’d said about being scanned. Then he made another call.

  “You’ll have to bring me the footage tomorrow, Hades. She is here unexpectedly and staying over tonight. She knows more than she’s telling. She knows something about me, but I won’t risk her seeing us together yet. You did a good job healing her gradually.”

  “I know I did. She went back to Tiberius before I could finish the job. Now I can’t get near her long enough to do much. Landra Ahr has recalibrated his sensors and he can detect me now.”

  “It’s okay. Hang back. She’ll come to you eventually.”

  “I’m getting tired of waiting for her.”

  “Do not get premature on me, Hades,” Thomas warned. “She’s in no condition for what we’re going to do to her.”

  “I know that!” Hades growled, and hung up on him.

  A long drive across the country.She called Jerome at every hotel stop and masturbated to the sound of his voice while he described things he would do to her when she got back.

  By the time she turned into the warehouse parking lot, she’d put more than miles behind herself.

  “Hooooooooo-eeeeeeee! Lookit that pretty little thang!” Gable crowed on seeing the red Porsche 911 pull into the shed garage.

  Jerome looked up from the rumbling Torino motor to see her slowly getting out, and went to give her a kiss hello.

  “You never said you had such a pretty ride,” he teased.

  “There’s a lot you don’t know,” she replied. “Feds pokin’ around?” He reached to help her with the cover and she slapped his hand. “Don’t you dare touch this five hundred dolla’ cover with them greasy paws!”

  He put his hands up in surrender. “No Feds. But your father called this morning to say the meeting you want can be arranged. Whatever that means.”

  “It means Feds won’t be bothering us.”

  “You talked?” he asked.

  “Enough to set a couple things straight. No names but mine. David is our liaison, which is a damn-sight more progress than I’ve ever made with him. I’m gonna take a nap. I’m beat.”

  And limping noticeably, as he noted.

  She ported from the spot rather than walk inside to th
e elevator and then up another set of stairs.

  “Wish she’d teach me that,” Gable said as they returned to the tune up of the Torino’s engine.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Peaceful days, with the pressure of pending battle finally gone. Tyler teleported the entire refugee pantry to Safe Haven and the food was used up that next weekend at an all-day party for the residents, Droghers and Knaves. The bikers kept their appearance brief, arriving around one and leaving before five in the afternoon.

  Despite her painful hip, Tyler held her adopted baby niece all the girl wanted to be held, which was a lot. The imprint from that night had accidentally overridden that of her birth mother.

  “You are going to be such a good mother when the time comes,” Anita said, the very busy toddler asleep with her head on Tyler’s chest.

  Tyler only smiled and let her take the baby up to bed. Then adjusted on her aching hip again. Jerome’s familiar hand slid over her shoulder, lips kissing her cheek.

  “You’re beautiful holding a baby. Did you know that?”

  She smiled up at him. “I have to go for a few hours. I’ll be home late.”

  “I won’t mind so long as you come to me when you get home.”

  “I will.”

  One more kiss and she teleported from the chair she was sitting in.

  Tony had not come to the party. Roc, Jerome, Gable and Star went upstairs with Meechi to talk and share stories. Meechi and Jerome did most of the talking.

  “I’m glad you didn’t fight, honey,” Meechi said to Roc in his lap.

  “Me too,” she replied softly.

  About nine at night, Jerome, Gable and Star headed home. For the first time in her life, Roc stayed in her lover’s home for a night. She knew the sensuous pleasures of satin sheets and a waterbed.

  Midnight. Despite the outright pain in her hip, Tyler helped wind up cables and pack the van. On her way with the last one, Nails stood in her way and took the coil off her arm. He handed it to one of the guys, looking down into the face formerly so easy to read and now too blank. She’d been changed by the battle.

  “Time to talk.”

  “Talk is overrated,” she replied.

  “But you will. You owe me a whole pile of explanations and a whole lot of truths. So come on and don’t fuss unless you want me to whip your ass. I don’t want to hurt you by throwing you over my shoulder as I used to do.”

  Which he would do if she fussed too much. She ported them both to his bedroom. Cold dark night became warm, dimly lit interior. She kicked off her shoes, eased off the leather jacket and put it onto the hook by the door. Top drawer opened and he handed her a pair of red boxer shorts. He wasn’t going to let her leave tonight. Red also meant he wasn’t going to try to have her, was a visual reminder to be hands off that area. She took them and a t-shirt into the bathroom to change. Dressing was a slow process still. When she came out, he was in his chair with his nightly cigarette and a few sips of very good brandy.

  “I’ve seen your limp. I don’t expect you to kneel this time. Lie on the bed and take a load off. I’ll be there in a moment,” he told her.

  She went, slowly putting her weight onto her right side, as the change in position and gravity was still hard on her left hip. She tried to stay awake, but he took too long. In the silence, with no stimulation to keep her mind going, she soon dozed.

  He finished the smoke and brandy, and picked up the phone to dial Jerome. His goal had been achieved already. She was in his home, in his bed, under his protection. Jerome didn’t answer his phone. Nails left a message instead.

  “It’s Nails. She’s not going to be home tonight, Jerome. I made her lie down for a while and she fell asleep. Nothing is going to happen. You know that. But sometime in the near future, I’ll invite you to bring her. You know the rule. So does she. She’ll agree. I’ll call you in a couple days to talk privately.”

  He knew Jerome wasn’t going to be happy about it, but everything right now was done to best take care of the woman. They understood each other in that. He changed into fresh pajama bottoms and crawled up onto the bed from the foot so as not to disturb her position. She was so exhausted she didn’t wake, had overdone it by performing with the band.

  He took the opportunity to rub her thigh and hip more deeply, to heal her as much as he could. Eventually she rolled onto her belly and he rubbed her lower back under her shirt, where the muscles were severely overworked for compensating for the bad hip. She was all sorts of torn up.

  She woke as his slow hand was stroking up the length of the left side of her spine, startling up onto her forearms with the vision of a dream.

  “Shhh. It’s just me. Lie back down.”

  “What did you want to know?” she asked, resting her head on the pillow again.

  “Nothing. It was a good way to get you alone. I’m sorry, babygirl. I ran out of ammunition and you got hurt while I was reloading. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Kevin. What I didn’t tell you before…this is the only timeline in which you did not die, because this is the only one in which Dalton did die.”

  His soothing hand paused at her unexpected words. Words that meant this was now the only remaining viable timeline. Important information to have and only he had it.

  “Tell no one else that little tidbit, do you hear?” he said in that tone of absolute command.

  She nodded on the pillow. “Wasn’t going to anyway.”

  “I was going to take you to task for disposing of Dalton; but you were right to do so,” he said, large, strong hand coming to rest on the side of her face. Thumb and length of first finger gripping gently. Eyes looking deep into hers.

  “Too much you hold in that head of yours, babygirl. I very much want you. If Tiberius brings you here for a party, will you come?”

  “Yes, but I will not be shared with anyone but you.”

  “Agreed. I can wait until you have given him your virginity. Whenever that might be.”

  She grinned. “Everyone is so worried about him bustin’ my cherry.”

  He moved an errant curl away from her eyes. “He is your choice this time. I will respect that however hard it is. You have no idea just how hard it is to resist you, Tyler. You are so very different from the girl who left me for her future.”

  “What was she like?” she whispered.

  “Depended on her mood, like you. She could be tremendously sweet and thoughtful. Wasn’t as headstrong as you. Had a healthier appetite than you do. I saw how little you ate today and I’m not pleased. Make an effort to eat more. She surrendered more easily to me than she should have. I have a feeling I like you better.”

  “Why?” she yawned.

  “You’ve not once been nervous to be close to me. And I like the red hair,” he half-grinned. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, pulling over the comforter. “Turn to your side again and go to sleep. You can go home in the morning.”

  She turned her head the other way, which altered the angle of her shoulders and spine and took the pressure off her left hip.

  “You can keep rubbing my back.”

  A surprised chuckle. The blonde would never have been so bold. He decided he very much liked this Tyler better, and resumed the methodical rub over her back. Long, slow strokes soon relaxed her again.

  He could feel several things that would eventually develop as her body and energy matured together. He found the bud under her shoulder blade that she interpreted as her tension load. It would eventually sprout into some form of wing. She had another on the other side but it wasn’t as bothersome to her as the one on the right.

  She had fire in her blood. That would likely come out much sooner. There was a progression to these things and they were nudged along little by little until they spilled over – or erupted – in the next evolutionary leap.

  She fell asleep under his hand and he spent a long while listening to the cacophony that surrounded her soul. He sent away the spirits that so
ught to disturb her. After an hour, he slid down to sit on the end of the bed.

  “Magistrates, I request an assessment,” he said for the first time in a hundred years.

  Jiogaard in the far chair facing the bed, Rengaard and Yoshgaard behind.

  “Rather early to be asking for an assessment, Hades,” Jiogaard said.

  He ignored the barb. “You told me redemption would come with her forgiveness. She insists there is nothing to forgive. A pure emotion given with great clarity.”

  “Given in complete ignorance of the conditions for your redemption,” Rengaard said. “She must remain so for her forgiveness to be uncoerced.”

  “I have ferried over ten thousand innocent souls every year for three thousand years. I help her whenever she comes to me. Why is what I’ve already done not enough?”

  “Three thousand years it has not been,” Yoshgaard said. “How many innocents did you demand of the Maya and the Aztecs? You have only begun your Atonement and Restitution.”

  “Her forgiveness will come long before your restitution is complete,” Jiogaard warned.

  A heavy sigh…displeased but never defeated.

  “I did stop on my own. No one had to tell me to,” he pointed out.

  “That has been figured into our judgment,” Rengaard said.

  “I have learned the value of mercy,” his eyes pleaded with Jiogaard. “I’m tired. I’m a thousand years past my time and she is nowhere near ready.”

  “We acknowledge your extended penance,” Jiogaard replied. “There are no shortcuts to salvation, Hades. When the Immaculate forgives you fully and freely, the Mother will forgive you as well.”

  “You know I was tricked by Zeus. You know Taff lied to me.”

  “You still played your part with exuberance enough,” Yoshgaard reminded him.

  “A fact for which I have admitted no small shame. When can I talk to her about what she really is? She already knows, for fuck’s sake.”

  “It is not for the penitent to question the Magistrates,” Rengaard scolded.

  “You made me her silent guardian. You did not limit from whom to protect her. Right now I’m going to protect her from you.”