Redemption (Book 4, The Redemption Series)

by S. J. West

  Just as Malcolm moans against my mouth, I hear something unexpected.

  “Oh my dear Lord in Heaven,” my papa says, “I told you it was a bad idea to just barge in here.”

  Malcolm quickly lifts his head from mine, and we look at our intruders standing by the now open door to our bedroom.

  My papa has his head tilted down and is using one hand to shield his eyes from the sight of Malcolm and I making out on the bed.

  “Now I’ll have to live with that image burned into my memory until the day I die. Thanks a lot, Lucifer,” papa says, shaking his head in dismay and trembling slightly in disgust.

  Lucifer stares at us with eyes wide, like he’s been hit with a stun gun and can’t move a single muscle.

  “I’ve seen some horrible things in my time,” Lucifer finally says, “but I think I might actually become ill after witnessing that.”

  Malcolm rolls off my body and from the bed in one swift, single movement.

  “Well, if the two of you had thought to knock first,” he tells my fathers, sounding slightly exasperated, “perhaps you could have saved yourselves the horror of seeing your son-in-law making out with your daughter.”

  Papa spreads his fingers slightly and peeks at us through the slits they make as if he’s confirming that it's safe to remove his hand from in front of his face.

  “We were worried,” my papa says when he sees me sit up.

  I assume he was waiting to make sure I was fully clothed before disposing of his only means of protection to shield him from my lost chastity. He has to know Malcolm and I have had sex by now, quite a few times in fact. Perhaps fathers like to pretend that the men their daughters marry don’t actually do anything once the bedroom door is closed. I quickly feel my cheeks heat up as I think about all the things Malcolm has done to me on the bed I’m sitting on. When I see my fathers begin to walk over to me, I quickly stand up from the bed.

  “How are you feeling?” my papa asks.

  “Are you all right?” Lucifer inquires at exactly the same time.

  “I’m better,” I tell them both, trying to sound reassuring. “Malcolm’s always known what to do to help me.”

  “Grope you?” Lucifer asks, giving Malcolm a rather disapproving side-ways glance.

  “Hold me,” I tell them.

  I notice both of them looking at my hair. I had almost forgotten about that. I reach up and pull a hand full of strands forward to look at my new hair color a bit more closely.

  “Why did my hair turn white?” I ask to no one person in particular. “And my eyes turn blue?”

  “The seals must be…changing you in some way,” Lucifer deduces. “The sooner you get rid of them the better, Anna.”

  I reach out and place a hand on Lucifer’s right arm, squeezing gently.

  “Does that mean you’ll help me?” I ask him, on the verge of happy tears because I already know what his answer will be.

  “There’s no turning back now,” he says, placing his free hand over the one I have on his arm. “If we don’t get them out of you, they’ll kill you, and I will never let that happen. As soon as you get Mammon’s seal, I will give you mine and you can phase to Heaven to take them back where they belong.”

  I throw myself into my father’s arms and hug him tight.

  “Thank you,” I say, feeling a relief beyond words.

  “You’re welcome,” Lucifer says, hugging me back. “But we have work to do.”

  I pull back and ask, “What do you suggest?”

  “First off you need to find Mammon,” Lucifer replies. “I can’t find him anymore, and I doubt he’s just sitting in Virga waiting for you to come for him.”

  “Edgar Ellis might know where to find his son,” Malcolm says. “I say we go to Edgar and ask him where his good for nothing progeny is hiding out these days.”

  “I’m not sure he’ll talk to us,” I tell Malcolm, remembering my last conversation with the Emperor of Virga.

  “Why is that?” Malcolm asks.

  I tell him.

  “Well that self-righteous son of a bitch,” Malcolm growls after I’m done. “I can’t believe he had the gall to say those things to you. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Edgar. He’ll tell us what he knows whether he wants to or not.”

  “I would offer to go with you,” my papa says, his face tense with pent up anger, “but I might say things to him that would hinder your fact finding mission.”

  “Malcolm and I will go,” I tell my fathers, not wanting either of them to travel with us. Truth be told, I would have asked Malcolm to stay behind too, but I knew that was never going to happen no matter how much I insisted. “We’ll get what information he has and be back soon.”

  “Just be careful, cherub,” my papa says leaning over and kissing me on the cheek.

  “If you can’t make that old codger blush,” Lucifer tells Malcolm, “come and get me. I know all the skeletons in his particular closet.”

  Malcolm raises an eyebrow at Lucifer. “I knew he had a few, but if you know something that might help, please, feel free to share.”

  “While you boys gossip about Edgar and his sins,” I tell them, “I’m going to freshen up a bit before we go.”

  I walk into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. The blue eyes staring back at me, along with the white hair, make me wonder who the woman in the mirror truly is. What were the seals doing to me? How were they physically changing me?

  I run the fingers of one hand through the strands at the front of my hair suddenly feeling like a stranger in my own body.

  I open the top drawer in the vanity and pull out the same pair of scissors I used to trim Malcolm’s raven locks with only a few short weeks ago. I stare at myself, or at least a facsimile of myself, in the mirror and stretch out a small portion of the front of my hair to make the first cut.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Malcolm practically yells as he steps into the bathroom.

  Startled, I drop the scissors in the sink and look over at him.

  “Cutting my hair,” I say, feeling slightly aggravated by the interruption. “Isn’t it obvious?”

  Malcolm phases over to the sink and grabs the scissors with lightning speed before I can retrieve them.

  “You are not cutting your hair,” he says definitively.

  I look at him in the mirror, his steely blue eyes meet my determined ones.

  “It’s my hair,” I tell him, feeling my stubborn streak set in. “If I want to cut it, I will. I share my body with you. It’s not your own personal property, Malcolm.”

  “Please, Anna,” Malcolm says, his eyes softening as he continues to look at me. “I love your hair, whether it’s brown or white. It’s a part of you, and I love all of you, down to the very last strand. It could have turned green as grass, and I would still love it. Please, my love, don’t cut your hair.”

  I stare at Malcolm for a moment and hear myself sigh in defeat. The puppy dog eyes. The declaration of love. How was I supposed to defend myself against them both at the same time?

  “All right,” I say in resignation. “For now, I won’t cut off any more. Maybe after I return the seals to Heaven, my hair and eyes will turn back to their normal color anyway.”

  Malcolm sets the scissors on the vanity and tugs me into his arms.

  “I don’t know,” he says, fingering the slightly shorter strands of hair in the front, “I have to admit that I find this new color incredibly sexy. But you could be bald, and you would still be the sexiest woman alive to me.”

  “Shall we put your profession of love to the test?” I tease.

  Malcolm sets his face in a mock scowl.

  “Then what would I pull during those special moments between us?” he asks, one corner of his mouth lifting in a roguish grin.

  “Hmm,” I say, slipping my arms around his neck, “that is a very good point you make, my dear husband. I guess I won’t cut my hair then because I do enjoy that part immensely.”

  I feel Malcolm’s
hands slide around my hips until my bottom is securely cradled against both his palms.

  “Talk like that doesn’t make me want to go to Virga anytime soon,” Malcolm murmurs, lowering his head to mine.

  “Seriously?” I hear Lucifer say, from the doorway to the bathroom, just before Malcolm’s lips can meet my own. “Can the two of you not keep your hands off each other for just a few minutes, or are you just trying to punish me with these images so that I'm forever haunted by them?”

  I can’t help but giggle as Malcolm moves away from me.

  “Well, you know,” I say, walking over to Lucifer, “if you ever want grandchildren, Malcolm and I will have to…”

  “Don’t say it,” Lucifer says, holding up a pleading hand. “I would rather assume the stork brought them to you than have you say those words to me, Anna. Ignorance can sometimes be bliss. So please, leave me ignorant about this matter.”

  I can’t help but laugh again and kiss Lucifer on the cheek.

  “Then my lips will remain sealed on the subject,” I promise him. “But, you may want to start announcing your presence before you enter a room we’re in.”

  “Advice duly noted,” Lucifer says, and I know he intends to heed my words.

  After Malcolm and I put our shoes back on, he takes one of my hands with his.

  “Ready to go to Virga?” he asks me.

  I nod. “Yes. Let’s get this over with. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start our life together.”

  Malcolm nods and I know he’s just as ready as I am, if not more so.

  I send up a silent prayer to God and ask him for his blessing in the next step of my mission.

  I just hope he’s listening.

  Chapter 18

  The cloud city of Virga floats above the down-world city of Sydney, Australia. Due to the time difference, it's mid-morning in Virga instead of nighttime like back home.

  Virga is known for its very stylized, yet energy efficient, architecture. Every building in Virga runs off solar power. Some of the buildings are small, only having 20 levels, but most are between 100 and 200 floors high. Each individual floor of every building is able to rotate in any direction the owner of that level desires. If you wanted to watch the sunrise in the morning from the comfort of your own bed, you could. If you also wanted to watch the sunset in the evening from the same bed, you could do that as well. All you had to do was rotate your floor and have the sun at your disposal.

  The home of Emperor Ellis is composed of four separate buildings in one section of the city. The tallest is Edgar’s personal domain while the next to tallest one belongs to his son, Callum. The other two buildings house the wait staff. All four buildings spiral up to the sky like tentacles, coming to a point at the tip. The other buildings in Virga are more boxy and compartmentalized. All of the structures are made of a solar absorbing metal, which comes in four distinctive colors: silver, gold, copper, and rose. It’s a beautiful city to look at, and one that seems to mirror the austere coldness of its monarchs.

  Malcolm phases us just inside the entrance of the emperor's high-rise building. It doesn't take very long before we're spotted. A woman dressed in a white and black color blocked mini dress walks over to us across the polished black marble floor. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a braided bun that sits securely at the nape of her neck, and her high heels make a crisp clicking noise against the floor as she approaches.

  “Empress Annalisse,” the woman says, dazzling us with a perfectly white smile that looks so practiced it almost appears natural, “my name is Sylvia, and I am Emperor Ellis' personal secretary. It gives me extreme pleasure in finally being able to meet you in person. And may I say, I love what you've done to your hair! It looks very chic on you, if I may be so forward. In fact, I never knew you had blue eyes up until this very moment. You’re simply quite stunning. Please, won't you and Overlord Devereaux follow me to the emperor's private chambers? He's been awaiting on your arrival all morning.”

  “He's been waiting on us?” I ask, just to confirm that I heard her correctly.

  “Oh yes,” the woman verifies as she begins to walk through the airy atrium towards the center of the building where a steel column stands. “He gave me strict instructions this morning to take you straight up to him as soon as you arrived.”

  I look over at Malcolm, suddenly feeling as if we're being coerced into actions by an unseen hand.

  Malcolm shrugs his shoulders signifying that he is at as much of a loss for how Edgar knew we were coming as I am.

  I begin to regret not bringing my sword with me.

  Once we reach the steel column, Sylvia presses her hand to it and a door suddenly appears and opens. She ushers us into what proves to be an elevator and takes us up to the 210th floor, which is the top level of the building. Malcolm discretely takes one of my hands with his. I look up at him, and he winks at me, easing my apprehensiveness somewhat.

  When the door of the elevator opens again, Sylvia walks out, and we follow her lead.

  The floor of Edgar’s private chambers is a solid black granite. The walls are steel and the furniture in the sitting room is as white as my hair. Everything looks extremely sterile and efficient but not particularly comfortable.

  “He’s probably in the greenhouse this time of day,” Sylvia tells us over her shoulder, not missing a step. We come to a glass and steel spiral staircase that leads up to the tip of the building’s structure.

  “Emperor Ellis?” Sylvia calls out when we reach the greenhouse.

  A few yards away, Edgar Ellis walks out from behind a large, red rose bush that’s as tall as he is. As he leans on his silver cane, he peers at me with disapproval clearly in his eyes.

  “Empress Annalisse is here to see you, sir,” Sylvia tells Edgar in her bubbly voice.

  “Leave us,” Edgar says dismissively, as if his assistant is a trained dog instead of a human being.

  “Why of course, sir,” Sylvia replies, completely unfazed by his rudeness as she continues to smile at her employer.

  Now I know why Sylvia’s smile is so practiced. Anyone who works for Edgar Ellis would have to fake joviality on a regular basis.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you, Empress Annalisse and Overlord Devereaux. I hope you enjoy your time with us in Virga,” Sylvia says before turning around and descending the staircase.

  After she leaves, I look back at Edgar.

  “I’m glad to see you made it out of Alto unscathed, Edgar.”

  “Yes,” Edgar says. “As soon as the tremors started, people began teleporting themselves back to their homes.”

  “Sylvia said you were expecting a visit from us. How did you know we would be coming here today?” I ask him.

  Edgar lifts his chin a bit, making it appear as if he’s looking down his nose at us.

  “Callum told me you would be coming. Tell me, Anna. Are you trying to corrupt my son as well? It’s bad enough you brought your whore into my home, but I will not allow you to throw yourself at my son.”

  I look over at Malcolm waiting for him to erupt in anger considering Edgar’s disparaging remark against his character.

  But, as always, my husband in God’s eyes does something unexpected.

  He busts out in laughter.

  Both Edgar and I just stare at Malcolm as he doubles over in mirth. After a minute, Malcolm is finally able to bring his amusement under control, but not before having to wipe his eyes because he laughed so hard he cried.

  “Thank you, Edgar,” Malcolm says taking in a deep breath, still chuckling. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but I don’t believe anyone has ever called me someone’s whore. Do you think I can have that engraved on my tombstone? Here Lies Empress Annalisse’s Manwhore, Forever Stiff in Her Presence.”

  I giggle. I couldn’t help it.

  I look back at Edgar and see that he is not amused. He has his head down with his chin close to his chest, still looking at us disapprovi
ngly just at a different angle.

  “You can try to make fun of me if you want,” Edgar says haughtily, “but it’s the two of you who are the butt of jokes among the royals.”

  Malcolm completely stops laughing as his eyes narrow on Edgar.

  “Do you think I care one bit what they say about me?” Malcolm demands, no longer sounding amused. “Why would I concern myself with what a bunch of over-indulgent, snobs whisper about to make them feel superior to others? But watch what you say about Anna in my presence, Edgar. She’s ten times the ruler you are. At least she cares about her people, both Cirrus citizens and down-worlders. Have you ever even been to your own down-world? I doubt it. I’m sure a man such as yourself couldn’t bother to take the time to look at those who are literally beneath your feet. You, of all people, should know not to cast the first stone. If those you rule knew what you did to your real first-born son, I doubt they would treat you so kindly.”

  Edgar lifts his head as his eyes grow wide with worry.

  “How do you know about that?” he whispers.

  “I know a great many things about you, Edgar Ellis. Things I’m sure you would rather remain secret. For example, I know you had an affair with one of your house servants when you were seventeen and knocked her up. Your father banished her to the surface when he found out, and you didn’t even bother to go looking for her or your child. How have you lived with something like that for so long? The bad thing is that it isn’t even the worst of your sins. Shall I name more of them? Will my gentle reminder of your past transgressions finally wipe that stupid smirk off your face?”

  Edgar’s superior act crumbles a bit, showing the coward underneath.

  “No,” Edgar says to Malcolm. “That won’t be necessary. I’m fully aware of my failings. There’s no reason to go through them with me.”

  “Then perhaps you should simply answer Anna’s original question to you,” Malcolm says. “How did you know she would be coming here today?”

  “My son came to me last night and left something in my care for her,” Edgar answers, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a small black box. “He told me to give you this neural memo when you arrived. Though, he didn’t say why you would be coming for it or where he was going afterwards.”