The Seven: Four tales of passion, danger and love

by Ciana Stone

  It was ugly and it made me realize that I'd played a part in it as well. I could have said no to the talk show, just had my publicist issue a press release that I was fine and writing away. But I'd wanted the attention, the notoriety.

  So I was as much to blame as he.

  And that meant I had to admit that his mother's plan made sense. In fact, (gag me) it was actually brilliant. Millions of women would be oohing and aahing over it – the love story of the century, played out between the Vampire prince and the romance writer.

  The problem was, I didn't want to be part of the circus anymore. That was a lesson I'd learned the hard way. What happened at that talk show opened my eyes. I couldn't continue to be part of that kind of thing.

  August believed that the new peace between his kind and mine was doomed. At first I didn't understand his reasoning but now I do. They are stronger and more powerful than we humans. They possess abilities that frankly make them superior to us.

  How long would they be content to be seen as the interlopers, the "things" that were being accepted but still viewed as outsiders who were only tolerated? They could annihilate us if they wanted to and they might one day. Humans can't even get along with one another. We hate each other because of race and religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation and things as small as being too pretty or too talented or too smart.

  There's much standing against this peace and I believe that without Augustus, his mother would hold sway over the Council and advocate a different course of action. It's Augustus who sues for peace, not seeking center stage but being thrust into it anyway.

  The point is, I have a decision to make and I don't know what to do. My Grannie would ask me what I wanted. Well damn, I know that answer. I want Augustus. More than anything. But I'm scared. Scared of him getting tired of me, of one day not seeing me in the same light and wanting to be away from me.

  He says that's a risk in any relationship and I know he's right. Just like I know I want to say yes.

  So what's stopping me?

  Even though it had because of her that dinner had been delayed, Asha still kept them waiting for nearly an hour before she made her appearance.

  Layla tried not to be envious of Asha's graceful movements or her sensual and sultry beauty but it was darn hard. She felt clumsy, unsophisticated, and unattractive in comparison. The only consolation was that the object of her envy was Augustus' mother.

  Once they were seated, Asha directed the server to fill the wine glasses. Layla wasn't paying much attention to the server. She was busy watching the looks being exchanged between Augustus and his mother. Even with his ability to shield his thoughts she could feel the tension radiating from him.

  How awful it must be to be unable to relax around his own mother. Even as the thought popped into her mind, she tried to squash it. Augustus had warned her that his mother's powers of perception were quite advanced, which meant she could easily tap into Layla's thoughts.

  Layla hurried to lift her glass when Asha raised hers in a toast. "To family."

  Had it not been for Augustus snatching the glass from her hand she would have drank. Her stomach churned when drops of blood splashed into the pristine white tablecloth before he set it aside.

  "Fetch Ms. Summerfield wine, preferably white."

  The server hurried away at the order while Augustus glared at his mother. "My apology." Asha waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "I forgot she is not one of us."

  Layla could feel the rage come to a boil inside August. It filled her with a mix of emotions – gratitude, love, and anger on the insult that was aimed as much at him as it was at her.

  "But soon to be family, nonetheless."

  The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Asha's supercilious smile vanished. "Pardon?"

  "Oh, I'm sorry, we forgot to tell you. We're getting married."

  Two seconds later, she realized the trap she'd fallen into when the smile returned to Asha's face. She so played you.

  Layla felt like hurling something at Asha. How could she have been so stupid? She knew Asha saw their marriage as a promo opportunity for The Seven. Had she known that Layla had resisted the proposal? More than likely.

  So she'd played Layla and Layla had fallen right into her trap.

  She was mad, at herself as much as Asha. Until she looked at Augustus. The smile on his face was one of love, and yes, gratitude. She could feel it. He knew she'd reacted as much in his defense as her own.

  Well you've gone and done it now, haven't you?

  Layla sent a quick "screw you" to that inner voice and returned Augustus smile. Let his mother think she'd played them into doing what she wanted. The truth was, Layla loved Augustus, and now that she'd said yes, she was excited about it.

  She'd never imagined she'd find the man of her dreams but she had. So what if he was a Vampire. People overcome differences in race and religion all the time. This wasn't any different.

  Delusional much?

  Layla didn't want to listen to that voice or to admit that her situation was unlike the examples she'd quoted to herself. She wasn't just marrying someone of a different ethnicity.

  She was marrying a Vampire.

  *****

  Layla ended the call with her publicist and pushed away from the desk. The plans for her and Augustus' wedding had gotten way out of hand. Asha was inviting nearly every world leader, politician, mogul, media personality, and celebrity in the country. She was treating the event as if it was a wedding for a royal family.

  Maybe to her kind it was. In the month since she and Augustus had returned to his ranch in Texas, Layla had spent a lot of time with their kind, talking and learning as much about them as possible.

  Much of what she'd learned had changed her perception of The Seven. Aside from their preternatural abilities, they weren't all that different. They fell in love, got married, had families, built careers, and did everything humans do.

  They'd hidden who and what they were for so long that few of them displayed their abilities to humans. It was only in places like the sanctuary Augustus had established and others like it that the Shifter children practiced their skills, learning to be part of a pack. It was only in these places of safety that Angels spread their wings, Fae used their magic, and witches practiced their craft.

  She'd not seen much of what the Daemons could do and to be honest was still intimidated by their race. Probably because of the name. Daemon just sounded evil and even if she wasn't sure that was applicable, she was a little frightened of them.

  Augustus had explained that among the Daemons as was the case for all the races of the Seven, there were rebels so to speak, beings who shunned the dictates and rule of the Council. By and large, their numbers were few and thus far they had been prevented from causing irreparable harm to others.

  Still, Layla got a major case of the creeping willies whenever Severin, one of the ruling Daemons made an appearance.

  It was hard to believe that her wedding would be populated by such beings. So far, her guest list was small. Her publicist, editor, and publisher would be attending. She'd not gotten an rsvp from her sister or brother and didn't really expect to. A few friends and people she'd worked with had been invited but only about half had responded.

  The one person Layla wanted to invite most of all, she'd not been able to contact. Ellie Whitehorse.

  When Layla had decided to self-publish her book, she'd asked Ellie to design the book cover for it. Ellie was a woman who'd had her own share of hard times and trouble but was such a good hearted person that she'd offered to do it for nothing.

  Layla felt bad accepting but at the time she had little funds at her disposal and promised Ellie that she'd make it up to her. Ellie was the first person to buy a copy of Layla's book and the first reader to post a glowing review of it.

  Ellie cheered her on despite going through some terrible times, herself. She lost her house and didn't know what she was going to do.

  Layla
tried to help and offered to let Ellie stay with her, but Ellie was proud and didn't want to accept charity. The last time they spoke, she mentioned receiving a letter about an inheritance and said she was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks.

  Layla wished her luck and expected to hear from her. It was during that time that her book sales exploded and she got a bit wrapped up in her own life. When the book hit the bestseller list, Layla called but Ellie's number had been disconnected. She sent Ellie a check for twenty-five hundred dollars for the cover art but the letter was returned.

  Augustus had offered to find Ellie for her and she was hoping his network could come up with an address.

  As if in answer to her wish, she heard the sound of Augustus' voice followed by the slam of a door. "Layla?"

  "In the study."

  She hurried to the front of the house and into his open arms. When his lips met hers, thoughts of the wedding temporarily disappeared.

  "Are you writing today?" He give the tip of her nose a kiss before releasing her.

  "Wedding stuff."

  "Hmmm."

  Layla knew that he was about as interested in wedding planning as he was about the latest shoe fashion. Augustus would have been quite happy to elope, or even better to have the wedding right there on the ranch.

  "Yeah, it's turning into a real three ring circus."

  "I feared as much."

  "We can call it all off. I'll tell your mother—"

  "No. Not for me. If this is what you want then it's what we'll do. This is your day, Layla. Your one wedding day. I want it to be everything you've ever dreamed of."

  "My one, eh? So you don't see divorce in our future."

  "Nope."

  She chuckled. "Funny how you can sound so aristocratic one moment and so … Texan the next."

  He smiled. "The reason I'm here is that we found your friend."

  "Ellie? You did? Do you have an address or phone number? I was starting to think we wouldn't find her. It's been nearly a month."

  His smile faded. "I know but we did find her — and it created something of a situation."

  Those words caused a tiny twist of anxiety in her gut. "What do you mean?"

  Augustus took her hand and walked her outside to the back patio. He took a seat on the sofa and pulled her down beside him, keeping a firm grip on her hand.

  "It's a bit complicated but here's what I know. Your friend, Ellie, inherited quite a bit of property from her father in Florida and moved there. She met and married a man who owns adjoining property. His name is Cam Marsh.

  "She also discovered that she has other family. Fae."

  "Fae?"

  He nodded. "My people actually found her a week after we returned home. But before I told you I wanted to have a more complete picture of why she was in Florida and who she was involved with."

  "Why?"

  "Because the news of our existence affects people in a variety of ways. Should she have fallen in with people who were set upon our termination, bringing her to the wedding would have been ill advised."

  Layla wasn't sure she liked that he'd had Ellie checked out, but she couldn't argue with his logic. No one wanted any problems at the wedding. The whole point was a demonstration of how humans and Preterhumans could coexist.

  "I'd be lying if I said I approved but I do understand. So you found out that she has family who are Fae?"

  "Not just Fae." Augustus reached up, removed his hat, and set it aside. "You can get a more detailed explanation from Xavier on the history, but the short version is that the Fae originated in another realm, as did most of our kind. We came to this realm eons ago and traveled back and forth at will.

  "At some point there was a rift between the Light and Dark Fae and the ensuing power struggle resulted in the doorway between realms being sealed. Some Fae – Light and Dark – were trapped here and others on the opposite side.

  "Ellie's father was a Whitehorse – that's what they were called in this realm. They are changelings as well as possessing other abilities. When he was trapped here, he bought property where a doorway was located and spent decades trying to figure out how to open it.

  "He had a son and a daughter on the other side."

  "Ellie?"

  "No, Ellie was here. Her father left her in the care of her maternal grandmother when she was very young."

  "Why?"

  "Because her mother died – or to be more precise, was killed."

  "Oh that's horrible. Who killed her?"

  "Her own people. She was Dark Fae. Ellie's father, Michael, was Light."

  "So Ellie is … Fae?"

  "Yes."

  "And didn't know?"

  Augustus shook his head. "Not until after she moved to Florida. She found clues and objects left by her father and located the doorway. Her brother Eldric was on the other side and because of their filial connection, sensed her activity and assisted her in opening the door."

  "How do you know all this?"

  "Fae magic. At least that's what I was told. Somehow they were able to discern the tale once they knew where to find her."

  "Okay, so now she and her brother are both here and the door is open again?"

  "Yes and no. She, her brother, and apparently a sister who, according to the Fae entered through another doorway, are here. But they sealed the door."

  "Why?"

  "To prevent the Dark Fae from crossing over."

  Suddenly it dawned on Ellie what the "can of worms" was. "Ahhh, so if the Fae here know then they want the door opened again."

  "Yes. It has caused a degree of tension between the Light and Dark Fae. Only because of a decree from the Council has open conflict been avoided."

  Layla considered it. "So does that make it dangerous for Ellie to come to the wedding?"

  "I don't think so. In fact, Xavier is eager to meet and speak with her and her brother. He and the Fae Councilperson, in fact."

  "Because of the door?"

  "Because her family is royalty among the Fae, her and her siblings in particular. Her father was King of Light, and her mother Princess of Dark. Ellie and her siblings are both and thus their powers are magnified. Thru them the Fae could potentially unite their race."

  "Or set it upon a course of war."

  "Precisely."

  Layla considered it. "Well, maybe I shouldn't invite her."

  "I don't think it make a significant difference now. Her and her siblings' existence has been revealed and can't be covered. And, as my mother so shrewdly noted, she and her husband Cam are but more testament to the fact that humans and our kind can coexist."

  "Ahhh, another promo opp."

  "Exactly."

  "Okay, then here's what I think. With things being as they are, I still want her there. In fact, her whole family. But I want to invite her in person so I can explain things. I don't want her coming in blind, if you know what I mean."

  "I do and I agree. In fact, I've ordered the jet readied just in case you felt like taking a short trip to Florida."

  "Today?"

  "Right after you call and check with your friend, Ellie." He pulled a slip of paper from the left breast pocket of his shirt.

  Layla accepted it and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'm going to go call her now if you don’t mind."

  "Not at all. I have some business to attend to that will take at least two hours."

  "Then I'll grab my phone and give you the study."

  They went inside and Layla hurriedly cleared the desk of all the wedding plans, lists, and notes. She got her phone, gave him a kiss, and then returned to the patio to call her friend.

  What a strange twist this was. Layla shook her head as she dialed. More and more she realized that the world and its inhabitants were not at all what she'd believed a few months ago. Not even her friend, Ellie, the down-on-her-luck woman with the heart of gold.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sometimes it's hard to believe that this is my life. Traveling on private jets, living
in a gorgeous home with the man of my dreams who just happens to be a Vampire.

  And finding a friend I thought I'd lost. I can't wait to see Ellie. I wonder if inheriting property, getting married and finding out she's Fae has changed her? She sounded happy on the phone but you sometimes can't tell from phone conversations.

  She didn't mention anything about the Fae thing. Not that I expected her to. It's not the kind of thing you just bring up in casual conversation. Then she never mentioned anything about Augustus being a Vampire and I'm guessing she knows since she mentioned seeing about us on the news.

  I hope when we see each other it's not awkward like it can be. Often the separation and lack of contact makes a reunion uncomfortable. I pray it's not that way for Ellie and me.

  Layla unbuckled her seat belt once the plane was in the air and ignored Augustus' look of amusement. He hadn't even bothered to buckle up during take-off. Maybe she was overly cautious, or just not used to traveling in the style in which he was accustomed.

  Their attendant placed a tray of food and chilled champagne on the table and at a gesture from Augustus disappeared into the galley area that separated the main cabin from the flight deck.

  Augustus rose to go to the table, pick up the champagne and two glasses and then looked at her. "Come with me."

  The tone of his voice told her that drinking was not his objective and she was more than happy to follow as he led his way into the private sleeping cabin.

  It was bigger than the bedroom of her house and furnished far more lavishly. The bed had been turned down, the windows closed and one dim light burning on a table beneath a window.

  Augustus set the champagne and glasses on the table and pulled Layla further into the room as he closed the door. He claimed a kiss that had her heart racing and her panties feeling moist.

  "You’re so damn good at that,” she breathed against his lips when he waltzed her backwards toward the bed.