Sweet Sleep (The Children of Ankh Book 1)

by Kim Cormack

  “Yes,” he cheered, “it’s totally spiked.”

  The lights whirled around, and he smiled, thinking, this dance has old roller-skating rink lighting. It felt like he should be skating around in a circle holding someone’s hand … Lily’s hand. He wanted to be holding Lily’s hand. Memories began to shuffle around in his head. He had danced to this song with her a long time ago. The song ended and then it began to play again. He buckled over with the power of the memories that flooded his brain with information. His head was killing him. The strobe lights were definitely not doing him any favors. He stood up straight again as the strobe light flashed once more, he had a vision. He was looking back at the hotel room where he had left her to get ice cream, and he saw the headlights from the oncoming big rig. That had been unpleasant, but over in a split second.

  He shut his eyes and opened them again. He remembered loving her over and over again as they danced their way through time. He had loved her to the point of desperation. Matt remembered the first time he laid eyes on Lily. He was walking home from town, and this vision in white galloped past him. She was riding a horse bare back with bare feet. It was a peculiar thing to do. Her midnight colored hair streaming behind her in a wave of shimmering silk. He watched her pass by, completely awe struck by her exotic beauty. He watched her gallop across the span of the field and over the hill. He began to walk in that direction instead of going home, out of sheer curiosity. Eventually he came across her black stallion, wandering by the river bank. He saw her swimming in the water. She had left even her undergarments on the shore. Their eyes met and he couldn’t bring himself to move. A respectable woman would never swim naked in a river. They just did not do these things. He thought she would get mad at him for staring at her but instead, she walked out of the water and stood before him completely naked. Lily did not flinch. She did not even make the smallest attempt at modesty as she bent down to retrieve her clothes. She put her undergarments on and asked him his name.

  He had almost forgotten it. He said, “Samuel. My name is Samuel Roberts.”

  She extended her hand towards him and said, “Hello Samuel, my name is Lilarah.”

  She slipped her dress on as he asked for her last name. She replied, “Just Lilarah. It’s just Lilarah.”

  They sat together on the edge of the river bank and talked until dawn with their toes dangling under the surface of the water. Just as the sun began to creep across the horizon, he leaned over and kissed her lips to the gentle explosion of the first rays of light. They fell in love with that kiss, in an instant he belonged to her. They spent the entire summer together. They made glorious love by the twinkling stars and promised to be with each other forever.

  There was only one problem with their beautiful love story. He was promised to somebody else. When he finally went to his family with his feelings, they agreed to meet her. She bewitched his father and his four brothers. His mother saw her as a threat to her social standing. She was too free spirited for polite society. His mother refused to release him from his engagement.

  When he decided to run away with Lilarah. He told one of his brothers what he had planned. He was to meet her by the side of the river in the spot where they first met, and they would disappear into the night. Samuel was tied up in the cellar for a good two months. He had been gone long enough to make her believe he had changed his mind. He was not set free by his family. He escaped and made his way on foot back to where Lilarah and her father were staying. She was gone. He walked all the way home and when he arrived everyone had been slain. His fiancé swore that she saw Lilarah at the farm earlier that day. On the counter was a note from Lilarah saying that he would pay for what he had done to her. He would pay for breaking her heart. His fiancé had written the letter herself and placed it where it would be easily found. At first Samuel had hidden the letter. He didn’t say anything at all. He couldn’t believe it. On the day of his family’s funeral he saw her in the distance standing by a willow tree. She had killed them all. He knew the truth. He had the letter from her. He was overcome with grief. He began to drink and made the mistake of telling someone about Lilarah.

  The town sent out a search party to find Lilarah and her father. They found them during the night at a camp along the trail. He thought she had caused the death of his whole family. She had caused it, but she hadn’t meant to. The mortals that knew about the clans had to die. His family had been corrected. The town convinced him that Lilarah was a witch. That was the name she had gone by the first time he loved her. Lily was only a nickname. Her name had been shortened so she wouldn’t stand out. He could still remember the all-encompassing devastation he experienced when they brought her body to him.

  That was the moment he discovered that the girl that he loved, the girl he had put to death had been pregnant. He recalled placing his hand on her still rounded belly and breaking down. He had killed her the first time. Perhaps that was why he always died. In every version of his life that had followed he had deserved to die for what he had done to both her, and their child. The agony of the emotions that invaded his brain all at once made him want for nothing but her. This is how it happened. This was how they’d become stuck together in a never ending circle of pain.

  He could love her for a thousand lifetimes and never repay her for what he had stolen from her. How had she found the strength to forgive him? The gift of the forgiveness she had given him filled his heart with love. He was grateful for every second she had given him. Matthew Brighton remembered absolutely everything now. Was he in heaven or hell?

  At that moment, the doors flew open and Lily walked into the dance. She looked absolutely breathtaking even with a bad perm and a puffy shouldered, blue satin dress on. Her eyes lit up as she saw Matt and they walked toward each other. This is heaven, he thought as the music restarted and grew louder almost on cue. Matthew Brighton was definitely in heaven.

  ~

  A few minutes earlier the Brighton house had been a gong show of epic hilarity. The last time Lily had observed Grey, he had been yanking an arrow out of his shoulder. He had proceeded to have a drugged up, testosterone fueled hissy fit. He roared, “Come out of the trees and fight like men.” He was hurling objects at the trees trying to knock the Trinity shooters out.

  Triad wasn’t even bothering with him. They appeared to be fully focused on her, and she would imagine Lexy who was defending the back door. Grey cheered as a Trinity nosedived from his safe spot in the tree and ran into the brush. Grey pursued him into the woods.

  Lily had been narrowly missed by a few arrows, but she did not seem to be Trinity’s intended Target. They usually had a plan. They were much like the Ankh in that way. She knew the majority of the shooters were most likely aimed at Lexy. She was guarding the back door. She was not the chick you wanted to get up close and personal with in a fight. She had a powerful ability as a healer, but her true calling was to be a warrior. She had no fear, and she recovered so quickly that you just could not keep her down. She noticed her hand light up, and she knew that either Grey or Lexy had gone down. She smiled as she envisioned her friend with fifty drugged arrows in her still heaving clan away from the back door as she collapsed.

  Lily brandished the tree again and yelled, “Fore,” as she smoked another large Triad dude who looked like an ogre into the bushes. They kept coming back for more. Lily had begun to feel as though the Triad were a bunch of enormous children, lining up for airplane rides in the grass. Lily pivoted around and booted someone in the head. She felt the searing sting of an arrow as it went straight through her thigh. She snapped off the end and screamed in agony. She tugged the other part out, but not fast enough. She started to feel lightheaded. She was exhausted. Usually she could sense the arrow’s path as it came whistling through the air before it had a chance to land its mark. Lily was a creature of instinct.

  She heard Tiberius’s voice and became side tracked for a split second, and that’s all it took. She gasped as a Triad knifed her a few times in the back. She let
out a primal scream and released a burst of her pheromones into the air. The man behind her and the girl who was approaching her dropped into the grass. She saw a Trinity drop out of a tree on the outskirts of the yard. They would be temporarily incapacitated. The Trinity had released an arrow as they had fallen. The pheromones discharge had taken everything she had left. She couldn’t inhale. Her lungs had been punctured. The last arrow plunged straight through her heart.

  Each clan had their own set of specific strengths, and vulnerabilities. Triad came on like a collection of brain-free freaks. Triad obeyed orders. The Trinity were remarkably sneaky. They mastered their skills as hunters. They could sneak up and execute you with a roofied arrow before you knew they were there. They had always managed to take Ankh completely by surprise.

  Lily had become accustomed to dying. The lights would go out and return brighter than the sun. This time she had something to look forward too. The darkness went away, and the in-between burst forth with brilliant blinding light. She was standing alone outside of a school gymnasium. She looked down at her blue dress and felt her permed hair, and she wanted to jump and start squealing like a thirteen-year-old. She was in one of the most treasured moments of her existence. Lily stared at the blue doubled gymnasium doors, and she knew with certainty that Matt would be there waiting for her on the other side. This was her moment of happiness. She took a deep breath, and pushed open the gymnasium doors. Their song was playing, perfectly timed to take her breath away. Lily’s eyes began to tear up. He didn’t look confused or frightened. He appeared to be patiently waiting for her.

  He began to walk across the room towards her. She began to walk. She would join him in the middle of the room. She had been in this moment before. She had replayed it in her heart and her mind a thousand times. Lily had often fallen asleep, and awakened in the light of day to find this moment was where her mind had left her dangling. A spotlight formed on them.

  Matt stopped walking and said, “So you’re obviously dead too?”

  She asked, “How much do you remember?” He held his hand out towards her. She slipped hers in his and it fit perfectly as always. Matt tugged her towards him as the song heightened. He kissed Lily so deeply and thoroughly that it took all her strength not to throw him down and have her way with him right there in the floodlight on the dance floor.

  Then he spun her around, drew her in close and whispered, “I remember everything.”

  Matt whispered against her hair, “Take care of my sister.”

  Lily smiled softly and replied, “It’s sort of my job.”

  Lily was glad he hadn’t asked her to promise. There was no possible way to guarantee Kayn’s safety in life or death. She knew Matt needed to hear those words to move on. They laughed, beamed, and danced around the floor with their hearts so full that they thought they might spontaneously combust.

  Then the song finished, and it began again. There was strange symbolism to the moment. The scenery changed, and they found themselves at a hotel room. The room where they had spent their last night together before he had died during his last life.

  He whispered, “I dreamt of this moment after we met.”

  Matt unhooked Lily’s gown, slipping it down her back to reveal her exquisite silky skin. Matt looked like someone had knocked the wind right out of him as he leaned forward to kiss Lily’s neck.

  She whispered, “Are you okay?”

  He spun her around to face him and said, “I have never been this okay.”

  Lily began to glow. She dissolved into gleaming dust and vanished into the air.

  She was gone. Matthew Brighton flung himself down on the bed and groaned into the pillow. He had never once been denied in life. Of course, he would be denied it in the afterlife as soon as he was about to have the experience, for the first time with someone he loved. Matt started to glow. He held out his hand and stared at his palm as it began to glow and disintegrate into the atmosphere around him. Matthew Brighton was recycled into the hall of souls.

  ~

  Back in the land of the living Lily stirred inside her tomb. The lid ground open to a grinning Frost. Lily seethed, “You jerk, I was five seconds from …” She left the rest to his imagination.

  Frost began to chuckle and said, “That sucks … shitty deal, my friend.”

  “Asshole,” Lily complained again, as she held out her elegant hand to Frost.

  Frost declined Lily his hand and teased, “Sorry, honey, not today. I don’t know where your hands have been.”

  Lily hopped out of her tomb and stated, “My hands didn’t have the time to be anywhere inappropriate. You make me want to bang my head on one of these tombs.”

  Frost whispered in Lily’s ear, “You’re obviously feeling a little … frustrated. It’s not my fault. There’s no need to take it out on me … unless you want to that is. You know I am always willing to take one for the team.”

  Lily sparred, “You have taken one for literally everyone’s team.”

  Markus walked around the side of the truck and groaned, “Listen, you two, I really do not want to hear this kind of talk coming out of my daughter’s mouth, honestly it’s disturbing.

  Lily sighed, “That ship sailed long ago, Dad.”

  “That doesn’t mean you’re not always my little girl no matter how old you are,” Markus grinned as he kissed Lily’s forehead.

  Lexy appeared to be extremely pissed off as they opened her tomb. This was not an unusual thing. She was still cursing out the one who had killed her last. She as on every other occasion had not remained dead for long. Markus had put her in a tomb to give her a chance to calm down. A supernatural time out.

  She said, “The next time I see that frigging kid from Triad. I am going to rip his arms and legs off with my bare hands.”

  Frost said, “In other disturbing events … we lost Kevin to Triad.”

  Lexy was visibly upset as Frost helped her out of her tomb because he was, of course, sort of a gentleman on occasion. “Does Kayn know?” Lexy asked.

  Frost replied, “We were told to give her extra time in the in-between.”

  The two of them stood in front of the next tomb, and Frost casually inquired, “What’s a Zoolander?”

  Lexy started to laugh, “I’ll find it on YouTube for you later.”

  Then she started giggling again. Frost definitely had that over-posed, underwear model look to him.

  They opened the next tomb and Frost began to laugh as they opened the tomb to a confused new girl and boy sharing a tomb. The strangers who were Ankhs newest acquisitions said an awkward hello to each other as the tomb opened. Lexy cursed and stormed away at the sight of them.

  Frost glanced in and said, “Welcome to Ankh. I will obviously be your tour guide because one of you was stupid enough to piss off Lexy. I know pixie girl. You are one of the girls that shot me. Don’t worry, I don’t hold grudges.”

  Melody replied, “You slept with my best friend and fed her to demons.”

  Frost chuckled, “You have me there.”

  Zach climbed out of the tomb by himself. He said, “I ran that girl over with a truck. I didn’t run over the Lexy that Tiberius tell stories about … did I?”

  Frost began to chuckle and declared, “Oh, you are in so much trouble.”

  Zach thrust his hands up in the air and said, “Aren’t you supposed to protect me or something?”

  Frost said, “I would suggest flowers, but she might eat them and spit them at you.”

  Markus appeared with an absolutely furious Lexy. He said, “Come with me you two.” He escorted them both away.

  Lexy glared at Zach as she passed him. She climbed back into the back of the rig with Frost.

  He said, “If it makes you feel any better the new girl, Melody, killed me.”

  That made Lexy grin. She said, “I’m all good now. Markus says I can do whatever I want to him after he is fully sealed to the clan. Markus asked me to be nice for a few months.”

  Frost probed, “Can you be
nice for a few months?”

  She smiled as they wandered up to Grey’s tomb. She didn’t answer the question. Grey opened his eyes as his tomb opened and stretched. He was grinning from ear to ear.

  “Why are you smiling?” Frost said to Grey.

  He hopped right up and climbed out of the tomb. He grinned again and said, “I had the naughtiest dream.”

  Frost gave Grey a quick rundown. He told him about the two new Ankh clan members and that they had lost Kevin to Triad. He then filled Grey in about how he had woken up Lily before she got a chance to consummate the relationship. The boys both howled laughing.

  Frost patted Grey’s shoulder and grinned, “That’s what friends are for.”

  The three of them walked around the corner of the truck and Grey walked straight into Melody, knocking her into the railing and falling right on top of her. Their eyes met, and there was an uncomfortable moment. It was easy to read between the lines.

  Lexy placed her arm around Melody and laughed, “Let’s go anywhere else.” Lexy led her away, with a quick wave goodbye to Grey.

  Frost shook his head, “Even a cat knows that you should never pee where you sleep.”

  Chapter 35

  Please Remember Me

  Kayn’s body lay healing in a tomb, but it was only her body. Her soul was elsewhere. Kayn awoke in a field of buttercups, very similar looking to the field that she had played in as a child. She could see the chubby furry bodies of the fuzzy bumblebees darting from flower to flower. She was calmed by their gentle buzzing song. There were so many of them, yet they seemed to understand that she meant them no harm and went about their business. She looked at her hand and saw that she was a child. She giggled as she stood up. She began to dance and twirl around barefoot in the sea of bumble bees. Never worrying for a single moment that one might sting her. Then she remembered why she was here. She had lost Kevin. She was here to find him and say goodbye.