by S. J. West
A young woman with flame red hair in curly short pigtails on top of her head opens the door. She’s wearing a dress that is vintage steampunk complete with a brown leather corset and flowing skirt. She looks to be around the age of seventeen, even though I know she’s much older than that. It’s obvious that she’s been crying, because her eyes are bloodshot and her nose is red.
“Julian …” she sobs, looking surprised but at the same time relieved to see him.
Julian moves so fast I don’t see him grab the woman until he has her by the throat with her back up against the wall of the small foyer inside the house.
“Why, Evie?” he demands harshly. “Why have you been trying to kill Sarah?”
Evie looks startled and confused by Julian’s questions, but finally answers, “Because that’s what I was told to do.”
“Who gave you that order?” he screams at her. “Who?”
Evie looks even more bewildered as she replies in a hoarse whisper, “You did, Julian.”
To say I’m stunned by Evie’s revelation would be the understatement of the century.
“Why are you lying to me?” Julian challenges harshly. I may not be able to feel Julian’s emotions, but the heartbreak in his voice is evident. He thinks Evie is being duplicitous in her answer, but I know she isn’t. I can feel the truth of her words and her own raw emotions.
“Julian,” Evie pleads between sobs, “I’m not lying to you! Don’t you remember coming to me last Friday night in Atlanta, begging me to help you end your life? I did everything I could to try to talk you out of it, but you insisted it was what you wanted.”
“That’s a lie!” he screams at her again, refusing to accept what his friend is telling him, but he has to know deep down that the scenario is entirely possible and more than likely true.
Evie’s emotional breakdown becomes hard for me to watch as she starts to cry that much harder from Julian’s terse accusation. He keeps her body pinned tightly to the wall, even though she isn’t trying to escape his grasp. She doesn’t struggle or even beg him to set her free. All she can do is cry and look at Julian as if she’s lost her one and only friend in this world.
“Let her go,” I tell him, walking into the foyer and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Julian, you need to let Evie go so we can talk to her and listen to what else she has to say.”
Julian yanks his hand away from her neck, but Evie stays leaned up against the exposed brick wall looking like a frightened child. Her distraught gaze travels away from Julian to me. There’s no hatred in her eyes for me or even the least bit of disdain. She looks forlorn, tired, and uncertain as to what to say to me. I can’t imagine how awkward it is for her to come face to face with the person she’s been attempting to murder.
“You say Julian is the one who told you to kill me?” I ask her, since Julian is standing stock-still and simply staring at Evie like he doesn’t know what to say to her next.
Evie slowly nods her head and looks back at Julian.
“You came to my hotel room in Atlanta last Friday night,” she tells him, causing Julian’s back to immediately stiffen. Realization of what must have happened finally begins to sink in. “You told me that you couldn’t go on living the life of a vampire and that it was breaking you in two because you were having to force yourself on Sarah in order to feed off her. You begged me to help you end your life, and you said the simplest way for that to happen would be for me to kill Sarah. You even gave me specific instructions on how to find people on the dark web to hire and do the job for me so I wouldn’t have to watch you die.”
“Why were you in Atlanta?” Julian asks in a quiet voice.
Of all the questions he could have asked Evie, I thought that one was the oddest.
“I was there to play at a private event, but it ended up being cancelled,” she says, wiping a fresh set of tears off her cheeks. “You came to my room that night and asked me to help you with your death wish.”
“That wasn’t me,” Julian tells her. “I mean … it was my body, but I wasn’t in control of it at the time. I don’t remember coming to see you or asking you to kill Sarah for me.”
“You weren’t in control of your body?” Evie asks, looking baffled by his choice of words. “That doesn’t make any sense, Julian. If you weren’t in control, who was?”
Julian sighs deeply as he closes his eyes and leans his head back slightly, accepting the story Evie is telling us.
“There’s a lot I need to explain to you,” he tells her, sounding weary of the whole situation.
“Then let’s go upstairs to the living room,” Evie suggests. “And you can tell me everything that’s been going on and why Mira has called for the conclave to take place early. She refused to tell me the reason over the phone.”
All four of us walk up to the second floor where a small living room and kitchen make up the main area. It only takes us a little while to tell Evie everything that happened in Destin and why Julian wasn’t in control of his body at the time.
“Now that we have you up to speed on things,” I say to Evie, “mind if I ask you a few questions?”
“Shoot,” Evie says, then cringes. “Sorry. That was probably a poor choice of words considering the people I sent after you.”
“About that,” I say. “Why did they kill themselves after they failed to kill me?”
“It was something Julian told me to do. Or, I guess, not-Julian. Whatever you want to call him when he isn’t himself. He specifically instructed me to compel the people to kill themselves if they failed in their mission to assassinate you. I asked him why, because an order like that was so out of the ordinary for him, and he said he didn’t want anyone to figure out what we were doing by questioning these people.”
“If they had been left alive,” Julian says, “I would have figured out what was going on when the werewolf first started this whole mess.”
“And what about the alfar weapon the warlock used on me?” I say. “Is that something he just happened to have in his arsenal?”
“No,” Evie looks at Julian. “You gave it to me. I didn’t know what it was, but you told me to hire a warlock and that they would be able to figure out how to use it to kill Sarah.”
“And the woman from Destin,” I say to Evie, “you never saw her? She didn’t come with Julian when he found you in Atlanta?”
Evie shakes her head vigorously, causing her curly pigtails to bounce.
“Not that I know of,” she replies. “Only Julian came to my room that night. As soon as he convinced me to help him, he left.”
“That seems strange to me,” I say, looking over at Julian. “Why didn’t the woman test Evie to see if she contains the soul she’s looking for?”
Julian slowly shakes his head as he says, “I have no idea. Maybe her plan to use Evie was more important for some reason. Or, maybe she lied to you about looking for a particular spirit. At this point, I don’t think we can trust anything that she told you.”
“Well, one thing is obvious,” Nadia chimes in, “she never intended to kill Julian or Petru in Destin, even though you found them near death. If her plan all along was to try to make these attempts on your life, then she must have known you would feel Julian’s life ebbing away and seek him out to save him.”
“But why did she want me to go there?” I ask as my mind swirls with confusion.
Nadia shrugs. “You’ll have to ask her that question once we figure out where she’s hiding, because I honestly have no clue.”
“I don’t understand why she went through all of the trouble of dragging Evie into this and placing Sarah’s life in jeopardy,” Julian says.
“I don’t understand it either,” Nadia admits. “If she wanted either one of you dead, you would be. She had ample opportunity to do it while she was controlling you during those two days. It seems like she has some other motive that we’re just not seeing yet. She’s obviously working toward some particular goal. We just need to figure it out before she accomplishes it.
”
“One more thing,” Julian says, returning his attention to Evie, “why can’t I feel your presence?”
Evie reaches up and touches the dangling earrings in her lobes.
“You gave me these earrings and told me they had been enchanted so no other vampire could sense my presence.”
A sudden buzzing noise fills the silence. I look over at Nadia and see her pull out a cell phone from a hidden pocket in the folds of her full skirt. She glances at the screen and then says, “Catch,” to Julian as she tosses the phone to him.
“One of the guards at the house returned your phone to me while I was getting the car,” she explains.
“And why would an alfar guard have your phone?” I ask Julian.
“They wouldn’t let me take it to Alfheim,” he replies. “Something about not wanting me to take pictures with it.”
Julian looks down at the phone’s screen to see who is calling before sliding his finger over the glass to accept the call. I don’t even have to ask who’s reaching out to him. I can hear Mira’s angry voice clearly from where I’m sitting.
“Somebody’s not a happy camper,” Nadia comments with raised eyebrows. “I’m glad I’m not the one she’s angry with.”
“Shh,” I tell her as I try to make out what Mira is saying, but I soon discover that it’s pointless. She’s speaking in Hungarian, and I can’t understand a word she’s yelling anyway.
Evie leans forward in her chair and whispers, “She’s telling Julian that he should have contacted her as soon as he returned to the city.”
I lean forward too so our heads are closer together. “Is that all?”
Evie listens for a moment more before saying, “She says Petru has been trying to get in touch with Julian. He and someone named Gage have found a warlock who can help do what he wants. She isn’t saying what though. I assume you know what they’re referring to.”
I nod. “We’re looking for someone who can talk to the spirit inside Julian to see what we have to do to make her leave his body. Like Julian told you earlier, we’re hoping to find a way to rid you all of the ghosts haunting you.”
“To finally find a way to end this curse would be beyond wonderful,” Evie says excitedly, looking hopeful over the prospect of being human once again. “Can I come with you when you meet with this warlock?”
“No!” Julian answers, having heard Evie’s question. “We don’t know if this person can be trusted yet or if what we’re going to try will even work. Let me be the guinea pig. I refuse to put anyone else’s life in danger until I have all of the facts.”
Evie sighs in disappointment and sits back in her chair, looking like a petulant teenager who’s just been reprimanded by her parent.
Julian returns his attention back to Mira on the phone and tells her he’ll call her back when he has more information. He doesn’t waste any time before calling Petru to let him know that we’re back in town and to arrange a meeting with the warlock Gage found. From Julian’s side of the call, I know that the warlock is here in New Orleans and that Julian wants to meet with him first thing in the morning.
After Julian ends the call, he looks up at me and says, “Petru will text me the address and time for the meeting tomorrow. Hopefully this works and we can finally put an end to all of this once and for all.”
“We still have a few things in Alfheim to deal with,” I say, turning my attention back to Nadia. “When should we put the first part of your plan into motion?”
“I say we go back there now and do it while everyone is still gathered at the ball,” she answers.
“Do you think people will still be there?” I ask. “I thought everyone would leave, considering there was a dead body bleeding all over the floor when we left.”
“None of them will leave until you say the ball is over. It’s bad manners otherwise.”
“Then let’s go,” I say, standing up to leave.
Evie walks us to the front door.
“Will you call me tomorrow after you meet with the warlock and let me know how it goes?” she asks Julian.
“I will,” he promises, giving her a kiss on the forehead like she’s his little sister. “And no more playing with assassins, Evie.”
Evie laughs nervously. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I thought I was doing you a favor.”
“If you ever see me act out of character or ask you to do something odd for me again, talk to Sarah first.”
“No worries about that. I’ll definitely get a second opinion next time.”
The trip back to the alfar mansion only takes a few minutes. Before I know it, we’re all back inside the ballroom with everyone else in Alfheim. Nadia immediately goes to speak with Shael so we can set the next step of our plan into motion.
“Meow!”
I look down and see Viktor staring up at me as he taps his tail agitatedly against the ballroom floor. I can tell from the intensity of his glare and the speed with which he is tapping his tail that he’s upset with me. I assume it’s because I left him here in Alfheim when I returned to New Orleans.
“I’m sorry,” I say, leaning down to pick him up in my arms. “It was an emergency. You’ll be happy to know that there won’t be any more assassins coming after me, and we can return to Earth soon.”
This line of reasoning doesn’t seem to placate my cat very much. As I cradle him in my arms, he tilts his head up as if to say that I shouldn’t have left him behind and that he should never be an afterthought.
“You’re right,” I tell him, feeling extremely guilty for my oversight. “I was being thoughtless about your feelings. Please don’t stay mad at me.”
“You know,” Julian says from his place by my side. “It’s almost as if you understand exactly what he’s thinking without him actually having to tell you.”
“Everything I need to know is in his body language,” I reply with a sigh. “Plus, I can still feel his emotions even when he’s in cat form. I’m sure that helps.”
“Sarah …” I hear someone say.
I turn my head in the direction of the voice and see Jhann Nysas walking up to me.
I have no idea what to say to him and feel my mouth become dry from nervousness.
“I thought it might be a good idea for us to talk,” Jhann says as he comes to stand in front of me. I see him eye Julian warily and wonder if this is the first time he’s ever been so close to a vampire.
“Do you think we could put a pin in that discussion for right now?” I suggest to my chosen alfar fiancé. “I would rather do it when there aren’t so many prying ears around to hear what I have to say.”
“I see,” Jhann replies, looking puzzled by my reluctance to speak with him. “When exactly would you like to discuss the plans for our wedding?”
I let out a nervous laugh. “Why don’t we work on getting to know one another first?” I suggest, thinking this is a reasonable request. “We barely know each other.”
“I see,” Jhann says again, even though he now looks suspicious about my motives for delaying our nuptials. “I will have my people coordinate with yours to arrange the engagement ceremony.”
“Engagement ceremony?” I ask, taken slightly by surprise. “And what is that exactly?”
Jhann smiles. I have to admit that it’s a nice one. I can certainly understand Nadia’s attraction to the head of House Nysas.
“Basically, it’s a party where we declare our intention to marry one another. It’s an alfar tradition.”
“I see,” I say, mimicking his words and earning a smile from him. “I’m not sure I have any ‘people’ yet, but I assume Shael has some who can handle the arrangements for me.”
“Sarah,” I hear Nadia call out, drawing my attention to her as she walks up behind me. I notice her eyes dart in Jhann’s direction, but only briefly. “Shael is ready. Are you?”
I nod. “Yes. I’m ready, but are you positive this is something you want to do?”
“My job is to protect you,” Nadia states unequivocally
. “And this is the best way I know how to do that and to help you reach at least one of your goals. If you’re happy, all of Alfheim will be too, in time.”
I bend at the waist and set Viktor back down on the floor. When I stand back up, I tell Jhann, “I don’t mean to be rude, but there’s something I need to attend to right now. I promise that we’ll talk again soon.”
“Of course,” he replies, inclining his head as he graciously accepts my departure.
I return my attention to Nadia and say, “Lead the way.”
Julian and Viktor follow behind me as Nadia and I make our way to my Aunt Shael.
When we reach her, Shael asks Nadia, “Are you positive you want to do this? I know how hard and how much you’ve had to give up to get where you are in this house.”
“My only concern is Sarah’s happiness and safety, Your Majesty,” Nadia replies. “That’s all I care about.”
Shael accepts Nadia’s words, even if she looks reluctant to do so.
“Then let’s get started,” she says before turning to Alden, who is by her side. “Gather everyone’s attention for me please.”
Alden takes a step forward and says in a booming voice, “To all those present!” He shouts to the crowd, “Your queen would like to make an announcement!”
Everyone in the room stops talking and forms a semicircle around where we stand. Once they’re all in place, Shael says, “As you all know, every member of the royal family is allowed to pick a member of the Valengard to serve as his or her sentinel. My niece, Sarah, has chosen the person she wants to fill this position for her.” Shael turns to Alden who hands her a small black box. She then turns toward me and says, “Sarah, please announce your choice and place the sentinel ring on the middle finger of the person’s right hand.”
I take the ring box from Shael and face Nadia.
“Nadia,” I say, “I choose you to be my sentinel. Do you accept this position?”
“Yes, Princess Sarah,” she replies, curtsying before me. “I accept the duty and promise to always uphold the honor of my station and provide you with the best protection available.”
