by SJ West
Malcolm chuckles softly at my confession as he playfully nibbles the skin along my right shoulder.
“Then hold onto me, my love,” he urges huskily, “because we won’t be leaving this bathroom for quite some time.”
When we finally do emerge from our morning tryst, I have just enough time to feed the babies and prepare myself for the day ahead. For some reason, I don’t feel as worried as I did earlier about the meeting. Having found a way for Liana to accept me is a large part of the reason. I’ve been so consumed by worry over her hatred of me that everything else took second place. Now that we’ve found a way to resolve that problem, the next hurdles we need to defeat are these baseless accusations that I’m the one responsible for the destruction of Virga and the attack on Stratus.
I have to hand it to Helena. She manipulated the situation masterfully. We knew she would use Silas and his cohorts to attack us, but I suppose we all thought it would be a frontal assault on us personally. I never dreamed she would come at me from behind by destroying a whole cloud city and placing the blame of its destruction squarely on my shoulders. Emperor Edgar Ellis disrespected me at the previous meeting that was held at the Mars pavilion, unknowingly marking himself and his citizens for death in Helena’s scheme.
Malcolm and I take the babies downstairs and find Jess, Mason, and Lucifer gathered in the living room, having a conversation with Ethan.
“Were you able to get things in Stratus under control?” Malcolm asks Ethan as he holds Liam in his arms.
“For the most part, yes,” Ethan says, looking worried.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him, sensing something is amiss.
“I can’t find General Stewart,” he informs us. “We made arrangements to meet up this morning so I could take him to the Mars pavilion. We’ve scoured the city, but he’s nowhere to be found.”
“Oh no,” I say, unconsciously cradling Liana closer to me. “Do you think Lorcan found out he was going to help us?”
“That would be my guess,” Ethan confirms. “I don’t think anything else would have caused him to miss our meeting.”
I look at Malcolm. “What can we do to help him?”
“I don’t think we can,” he replies. “At least, not right now. Let’s work on clearing your name first. Then we can make a formal inquiry about Barclay’s whereabouts.”
“You don’t think Lorcan killed him, do you?” I ask worriedly. “You and I both know Lorcan is a sadistic coward. I wouldn’t put it past him to stab Barclay in the back for trying to help me.”
“I don’t think he would do that,” Malcolm says thoughtfully. “No matter how powerful Lorcan believes he is in Stratus, Barclay is still general of the Imperial Army there. His men are loyal only to him. As you just pointed out, Lorcan is a coward. There’s no way he would kill Barclay because he knows such an action would incite a riot among his soldiers.”
I see the wisdom in Malcolm’s words. If there is one thing I can count on from Lorcan, it’s his need for self-preservation. He knows I can kill him with just one touch. If the world finds me guilty of the crimes I’m accused of, then I have nothing to lose by ending his life. Such a fate would be a kindness he doesn’t deserve, though. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that he colluded with Helena in her scheme to discredit me. He knowingly allowed the people of his cloud city to be attacked by the rebellion angel forces. After this is all over, I know I will have to find a way to take Lorcan off the Stratus throne and place Kyna there instead. The people of Stratus will never be safe if he’s allowed to remain their emperor.
“Mommy, are you holding Liana?” I hear Lucas say as he walks into the living room with Vala and Luna on either side of him.
“Yes, I am,” I say proudly to my son, unable to stop myself from smiling over the fact.
“Why isn’t she crying?”
I untuck Liana’s right arm from the blanket I have her swaddled in and show Lucas the bracelet.
“A little magic from Heaven helped us solve the problem. We made a bracelet from the baby rattle Lilly gave me.”
“Ohhh,” Lucas says, nodding his head sagely. “That was a smart idea. I wish I had thought of that.”
“I was going to ask about her changed behavior toward you,” Ethan tells me, looking a bit sheepish, “but I didn’t want to be rude.”
“It wouldn’t have been rude of you to ask,” I tell him, tucking Liana’s arm back by her side and smoothing the blanket over her once again. She gurgles as she looks up at me, smiling.
“Can I hold her?” Jess asks. “You’re not the only one who was getting tired of her crying all the time.”
I place Liana in Jess’ waiting arms.
“Hello, baby girl,” Jess croons. “You and I have a lot to talk about while your mommy goes to fight the bad lady.”
“Unfortunately, it won’t be a physical duel,” I grumble with disappointment. “At least with swords it would be a fair fight. I’m not sure I can do much with just words.”
“You’ll find a way,” Mason tells me with a wink. “All of the women in your family have been strong-willed …”
“Nothing wrong with having that trait,” Jess interjects.
“Did I say it was a bad trait to have?” Mason asks her. “No. I did not. It’s one of the best inheritances you could have asked for from your ancestors. Just remember to choose your words wisely and don’t let your temper get the better of you. I’ve been known to do that on occasion, and it never worked out in my favor. You’ll need to keep a level head while they try to tear you down. If you can do that, I think you will come out of this relatively unscathed.”
“I’ll do my best to keep my temper in check,” I promise.
Mason looks at Malcolm. “That goes for you too,” he tells my husband. “Take up for your wife, but don’t start a war with your words or your fists. I know how protective you get when someone you love is being attacked.”
“I’ll try” is all Malcolm promises.
“I would offer to go with you,” Lucifer says, “but I think that would only cause you more problems than my presence is worth.”
“Sadly, I agree,” I say.
“Don’t worry,” Malcolm tells my dad. “The other Watchers and I will be there to keep an eye on things.”
“I assume you don’t want any of us there,” Ethan says, speaking for himself and the other War Angels.
“I don’t think that would be wise, do you?” I reply. “The world believes the lie Helena has fed them. It’s probably for the best if you all lay low for now and wait for today’s outcome.”
“I’ll stay here in case you need us,” Ethan says. “I can round up the others in a matter of minutes if something comes up that needs to be handled.”
“Thank you,” I tell him. “We’ll get this worked out, Ethan. I promise.”
“I know you’ll try,” he replies, not sounding as hopeful as I would have liked.
However, I understand his concern. If we’re not able to convince the world that my War Angels were framed for a crime they didn’t commit, God’s plan for them to produce children with human women could be placed in jeopardy. What group of women would want to fall in love with, much less have the children of, mass murderers? Certainly not any women I would want my War Angels to marry.
“We should probably go,” Malcolm advises me. “Jered and the others are supposed to meet us there.” He turns to Ethan and hands Liam to him. Ethan looks perplexed, not understanding why Malcolm has chosen him to take care of our son.
“You need the practice,” Malcolm explains, answering the bewildered expression on the other man’s face.
“Great,” Ethan mutters under his breath as he cradles my second son in his arms.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” I tell them all.
“And we’ll be here waiting for your return,” Vala assures me.
“Mommy,” Lucas says, holding his arms up to me in the universal sign that a hug is desired.
I bend down on one k
nee and bring my son into my arms.
“Good luck,” he tells me. “Helena can be a bully, but I think that’s just because she’s sad all the time.”
I’m slightly taken aback by Lucas’ words. He almost sounds like he’s taking up for her behavior. He still doesn’t know the extent of what she’s done. I’m not even sure how to tell a seven-year-old that five million people lost their lives in one moment of blinding light.
I pull back from him and say, “Then she needs to find better ways to treat others.”
“I’m not saying she’s a good person,” Lucas clarifies. “I know she isn’t, but she’s not all bad either. She protected me as much as she could on alternate Earth. If she had been completely heartless, she would have just left me on the streets to fend for myself. She didn’t do that, though. She kept an eye on me. I’m just saying that maybe arguing with her isn’t the only way to get what you want.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” I promise. After I kiss Lucas on the forehead and stand back up, I twine one of my arms around Malcolm’s and say, “Let’s go.”
When we phase into the pavilion on Mars, people from each cloud city are slowly filling up the seats within the circular building. Malcolm phased us straight onto the dais for Cirrus, where two gold thrones have been set. Each of the seven cloud cities has their own designated section. Olivia has her back turned to us while she speaks to a man from her delegation. When I look over at the Virga section, I only see a handful of people present sitting behind the two throne chairs on its dais. One chair is empty, but one chair is not. Mammon, in his guise as Prince Callum Ellis, sits in the chair Edgar Ellis sat in during the previous meeting. It’s a stark reminder that Callum is now the Emperor of Virga. I’m certain Helena warned him about the impending doom his city would have to suffer in order to perpetrate my downfall. Since he wasn’t in the city when it was destroyed, I have to wonder if he watched the bomb go off and if he felt anything as he watched his city fall out of the sky. Odds are he didn’t have the capacity to empathize with the dying. Otherwise he would have come to us like Baal did and told us what was happening so we could try to stop it. I don’t pity him in the slightest, even though almost everyone present does.
The once-great cloud city of Virga is gone, and its new emperor is partially to blame.
“Did the bracelet work?” I hear Brutus ask eagerly from behind us.
When we turn around, I see that Jered, Desmond, Brutus, and my papa are sitting in the row of seats directly behind our chairs. As an added surprise, Slade is with them to add his support. They all look worried, but there’s really nothing I can do about that. As I look behind my line of Watcher protectors, I see row after row of lords and ladies from Cirrus who have decided to attend the meeting and act as witnesses to the proceedings. Low, nervous mutterings can be heard within the pavilion with our arrival. I’m not sure if those present are scared of me or hate me with every fiber of their being. It seems as though they’ve already condemned me even before I’ve had a chance to defend myself.
I return my attention to Brutus and try to focus on the happiness I felt before coming here.
“It works perfectly,” I tell him. “Thank you so much for staying up last night to make it for us. You just don’t know how much I needed something good to happen before we came here to face all of this.”
“I’m just glad we came up with something that works,” Brutus tells me.
I look at all my Watchers and have to wonder if they still feel like their thousand-year wait for me was worth it. In this moment, I don’t feel worthy of the sacrifices they all made to stay on Earth and help me.
“We’re here for you, lass,” Desmond tells me, almost as if he knows where my thoughts have wandered. “We’ll find a way to clear your name and make things right again.”
“I think we’re going to need a miracle,” I reply.
“Then that’s what we’ll pray for,” my papa tells me. “Just get through this day as best you can and remember that it won’t last forever.”
The atmosphere in the pavilion changes from one of uncomfortable nervousness to excitement. I follow the gazes of most everyone in the room to find that my archnemesis has arrived.
Helena stands proudly beside Levi on the Nimbo dais. Standing side by side, they look like the perfect couple. The polite smiles plastered on their faces make them appear as tranquility personified. Helena politely acknowledges all the gawkers with a slight nod of her head in greeting before she and Levi take their seats.
I keep a steady gaze on Helena until she finally looks over at me. She no longer has to pretend that she accepts me as her equal. I’ve been vilified in the eyes of the world, and no one in this room will consider her hostile reaction to me as questionable. Almost everyone else believes I’m a mass murderer, so why shouldn’t she?
Bianca Rossi teleports into the room on the Alto dais. She looks over at me and nods her head slightly, but it’s all the confirmation I need to know she gives me her full support. Just as she takes her seat, Ryo Mori from Cirro teleports into the room. I still can’t believe Baal is on our side. However, I know he’s only doing what he has to in order to ensure Bianca’s safety. Still, thinking about Baal caring for someone else more than himself is just odd to say the least. I never could have imagined him acting selfless, especially not for a human.
Olivia stops speaking to the man she was conversing with when we first arrived and turns around to face the rest of us.
“I see we are only missing the Emperor of Stratus,” she notes, scanning the crowd. “Does anyone from his delegation know if he plans to attend this meeting?”
An elegantly dressed blonde woman sitting in the Stratus section stands. “He said he might be a little late, Empress,” she tells us. “He also said to feel free to start the proceedings without him.”
“Very well,” Olivia says, not looking especially worried over Lorcan’s tardiness. “Then I see no reason not to address the subject we are all here to discuss.” Olivia directs her gaze to Callum Ellis. “I believe I speak for us all when I say how deeply sorry we are for the loss of your father and your city, Callum.”
Callum snorts derisively and looks over at me, his eyes filled with unmitigated hatred. “I wouldn’t say that you speak for everyone in this room, Olivia. Especially not that bitch sitting over there!” Callum points an accusing finger at me. If he had been closer, he probably would have spit in my face for good measure.
“My wife did not blow up your city!” Malcolm states heatedly. “And before you go pointing fingers and calling people names, perhaps you should consider all the facts first.”
“Callum,” Olivia says in a calm voice meant to bring reason to the proceedings before they get out of hand, “I believe we should allow the Empress of Cirrus to address the accusations about her involvement with the destruction of Virga and its inhabitants.”
“She’s just going to lie,” Callum says scathingly. “What else do you expect her to do? Own up to her crimes?”
I see this as my opportunity to point out some common sense about my alleged guilt.
Feeling nervous, I stand from my chair and immediately draw the attention of every person in the room. If I’m going to clear my name, I have to speak up for myself.
I turn my head to look at Olivia and ask, “May I have the floor to address the allegations against me?”
“Please do, Empress Anna. I believe we would all like to hear what you have to say on the matter.”
I clear my throat slightly before I begin.
“I would like to address what the Emperor of Virga just mentioned,” I begin. “As he said, if I am guilty, I certainly wouldn’t be foolish enough to own up to the fact.”
“See!” Callum shouts. “She’s practically admitting she’s responsible!”
“No,” I tell him calmly as I attempt to keep my temper in check, “I’m trying to make a point. If I were the one responsible for orchestrating such a horrible crime, why in the world w
ould I have my men make a video claiming that the atrocities they committed were by my order? Not only that, but also to broadcast it for the whole world to see? That makes absolutely no sense.”
“I beg to differ,” Helena pipes up. “I think it makes perfect sense if you wanted to intimidate the world into following your lead. Doing something to make people fear you and bend to your will is a tactic that has been used by tyrants for centuries.”
“If that was my intent,” I reply, “why would I agree to come here today to defend my name and reputation?”
“Perhaps you’re simply trying to make us all second-guess what we’ve seen and heard thus far,” Helena counters reasonably. “Maybe you only came here today to mollify us into believing you’re innocent of this crime just so we’ll let our guard down to make it easier for you to attack one of us next time.”
“I am not here to do that,” I declare. “I’m here to set the record straight and assure all of you that I had nothing to do with the bombing of Virga or the subsequent attack on Stratus.”
“What about your War Angel army?” Levi questions, spreading his stolen Zuri Solarin lips into a grim smile. “Do you deny they were the ones who set the bomb off in Virga and attacked Stratus? We all saw the video footage.”
“The men in that video were not my War Angel contingent,” I tell him, even though I know he’s already aware of that fact. “I have personally never seen those men in my life.”
“And we’re just supposed to take your word that they don’t work for you?” Levi scoffs derisively.
“If you want, I can have all two thousand of my War Angels come here right now and prove to you that none of them are the ones in that video,” I offer.
“What good would that do?” Helena questions. “Who’s to say that you haven’t simply replaced the few that the world has already seen with stand-ins? In fact, I heard a rumor that your angels can actually force the souls of living men, women, and children out of their bodies in order to assume their forms. Is that true?”
“No,” I say. “That is a lie.”
“You say that,” Helena says, sounding doubtful, “but how can we really trust anything that comes out of your mouth when your honor is in question here? In fact, you’ve already been accused of killing your own husband just so you could take the Cirrus throne for yourself and your lover. Genocide seems like a natural progression for your particular type of cruelty.”
