by Haven Handel
“He was a man, lending himself to the dark. Dark spirits influence the light inside of all mankind. Some seek the dark; others are just more susceptible to it.” The man she spoke of had sought the dark, taking pleasure in others’ pain. There was no guilt in taking his life.
“I never saw him again, thank God,” Cassandra whispered.
One week after my wife was attacked in the hotel room, the man’s body was found in a ditch, his skull crushed, his body torn from limb to limb. Bear attack, the local authorities revealed. How insulting. I still remember the sound of his screams as I’d torn him apart. It had been incredibly satisfying. I would not tell my wife now. It may bring her relief, but at the cost of guilt.
Cassandra worried the material at the hem of her dress. “And we are fighting the dark spirits? They are coming here because I broke our wedding vows? I don’t understand.” Her face furrowed as she tried to piece together her strange new existence.
Taking a deep breath, I began to tell our story. “In Ancient Greece, a curse was placed on my family. A business man from the Ambrosias broke a deal with the wrong merchant—one who dealt in the dark arts. Donte Ambrosia, a trader, betrayed his word, broke his vow to the merchant. He found out too late that the man was a wizard. A curse was placed on the entire family. As soon as an Ambrosia man makes a solemn vow, they are then inducted into the spirit realm. We can see the dark spirits. We are given certain powers at that time. Almost as a taunt. Because as soon as an Ambrosia breaks a vow, the dark spirits are unleased upon us, and we must defend ourselves.”
“And your power is turning into a wolf?”
“I have other powers. I am faster, stronger, than I was as a human. I live in a state of heightened senses. I no longer need sleep. I can see the dark sprits all the time. And, yes, I can transform to a wolf.”
“What about Draco? What did you mean when you said, ‘let us hope we will not need his powers’?”
“Draco is stronger than the rest of us. He transforms to a wolf, and then, if needed, can turn to something much deadlier. I hope you will not ever see it.” I prayed things would not go that far—that we would be able to defeat the spirits ourselves. “The evil has followed us through time and around the world.”
My young wife murmured, “I wish I had been given powers when we married.”
Of course, only my fearless Cassandra would respond to such news like this. Eager to be a part of the danger instead of being terrified as she should.
“The powers are a pleasure at times. But not worth the cost. When your life transforms from what you thought the world was, to being able to see the darkness that lies below the surface, it can be a great burden. To see so much evil, and pain. The pack and I do what we can, when we can, but we cannot defeat all evil. And there are our everyday lives we still must live.”
Cassandra asked, sniffling, “Such as your job in finance?” Her eyes were intense, trying to read the expression on my face.
“Yes, sweetheart,” I said chuckling. “I do work in finance. I manage my family’s infinite wealth that we have accrued over the years. And you are my family’s lawyer.” As I often did because it gave me comfort, I tucked a stray hair behind her ear before adding, “And you are quite good, I must say. The rest of my time is spent, monitoring.”
“Monitoring dark spirits,” she said.
“Yes.” The weight of her returning to my chest made me feel at peace for the first time in ten months. Reaching out, I twirled a long strand of her hair around my finger.
My gentle touch was rewarded by my wife peeking up at me. There was her smile, the one that lights up her face, the one that I remembered from our early days when our biggest argument had been what style of chandelier to hang in the great hall of our home.
Cassandra leaned her cheek into my hand. Placing her hand over mine, closing her eyes, her lips laid a gentle kiss on it. “I love you, Deo,” she murmured.
Opening my palm, I caressed her face. “I love you too, Cassandra.” Wrapping my hands around the back of her head, I twined my fingers into her hair, drawing her face towards mine.
Moments before my mouth could meet hers, Cassandra whispered, “Can you forgive me?” Her dark eyes locked on mine. Fear was trapped inside of them.
I kissed her.
Giving a little sigh as I pulled away, Cassandra’s eyes remained closed, willing me to kiss her again.
“I have,” I answered her. “Can you forgive me?”
Eyes opening wide, Cassandra breathed, “Forgive you for what?” Wiping her eyes, she leaned back.
“For leaving you.”
The expression on her face was panicked. “When?” she asked, visibly upset.
“When I found out that you had that drink, the kiss. That you had gone up to the room, regardless of what happened afterwards, I closed myself off to you. The betrayal crushed me. And I could see you were in pain, pain that I had no power to heal. And you never told me what had transpired that night. I wanted you to, but I felt I couldn’t ask. Your silence and my hurt pushed us further apart. I told myself I was just busy with preparing for what was to come, but now I see I was protecting my heart.”
Cassandra closed the space between us, burrowing into my side. My arms wrapped around her tightly, my mind wishing I could keep her here, right here, forever. I took in her scent, tucking her head beneath my chin. “My Cassandra,” I said, my voice tight with emotion. “My baby girl.”
“I’m so sorry, Deo,” she said, her voice tiny.
“It’s over. Mistakes were made, we have forgiven one another; we are moving on.” I could feel her head nodding underneath mine. “But your ‘no lunch date with Andrew’ rule still applies, I’m afraid,” I teased, hoping to ease the heaviness of the room.
Cassandra groaned, placing her palm on her forehead. “Ugh. He’s here now. I still can’t believe he followed me.”
I pictured Andrew fearlessly brandishing his stick, up against five large, Greek men. “He is brave. I will give him that.” I chuckled. My anger towards him had cooled. “He is a good friend,” I added, quietly. “To do that for you.”
Sitting up, putting her head in her hands, Cassandra moaned, “But now we have Cy here and Andrew here, and I don’t even know what is coming or how to prepare.”
“Shh.” I lay back down, guiding Cassandra back to my side, resting her head upon my chest. “Baal and Alekos will care for them, and train you. All will be well.”
She curled up, snuggling down, wiping her eyes on the fabric of my shirt, like a child would.
“It will all make sense in time, my love. I promise. For this moment, let us enjoy one another.”
My wife could lay her body still, but her brain would never rest. “Why do you hate Draco?” she asked, after only a few peaceful moments of silence.
Flicking a lock of her hair, I twirled it around my finger. “I don’t hate him. I respect him, and I love him as a brother. A brother whom I envy,” I sighed
“Envy, how?” Cassandra asked. Her fingertip tapped at a button on my shirt.
“I am your husband, protector in this world, but in the spiritual realm, I cannot be. That is Draco’s job. And I must trust him. It is difficult to watch another man protecting your wife’s life.”
She began slipping the little buttons through the buttonholes of my shirt. “I understand. But why the contempt, the anger?”
“We do not always see eye to eye on your care. And then there is the matter of Cynthia.” Not impressed with most of the pompous lawyers at Cassandra’s firm, I respected Cynthia. But I liked her better alive. Cynthia—damn, Draco for knowing my wife better than myself at times. Our eternal struggle. Cassandra needed Cynthia here. I could see that from the easy smile that played at my wife’s lips only in the company of her closest female friend. “Though she gives me a good run for my money too, keeping me on my toes.”
“Draco said I would work better with her here,” Cassandra answered, softly. My shirt now fully unbuttoned, Cassandra pu
lled the collar over my shoulders, one at a time, exposing my chest.
“Perhaps. But are you safer with her here? That is my main concern. Your safety.” I reached my free hand around her, swatting her bottom. She gave a little jump as the sharp slap hit her skin. “Safety comes with obedience.”
Placing her hand on my bare chest, she pushed herself up, looking at me from under her dark lashes. “Are you going to punish me now?” she asked shyly.
Tugging on the strand of her hair wound around my finger, I growled, “No, Cassandra. I am going to love you.” I turned my body over hers, pressing her into the soft feather bed. I slowly reached down, brushing my lips against my wife’s. “What we need now is to connect, physically, in a way that we haven’t before,” I whispered in her ear. Cassandra gave a contented sigh as I pressed my mouth against hers.
I had made love to my wife many, many times over the past ten years. Tenderly, loving, gentle. Almost as if I was afraid to hurt her.
Not tonight.
I was ready to take my wife in a way I never had, a way I now realized she had spent a decade longing for. The way she needed me to. With devotion and dominance.
***
In the courtyard of the basilica, practice had commenced. Immense gray stone walls surrounded us, providing a false sense of security to those inside. The winter grasses were brown and short. Flakes of snow swirled in the air, melting as they touched our skin, the ground. The scene was peaceful. One you could imagine in a child’s treasured snow globe. We were safe, for now.
There were several maple trees, their branches bare, standing in the center of the courtyard. Baal and Cassandra were engaged in knife play, while Draco, ever present, looked on. Cassandra was dressed head to toe in black. Out of time and forgetting she would need flexible clothing for her training, I hadn’t purchased any. When Baal had fetched Cynthia, he had also gone by our house, quickly grabbing what he could find.
My wife, looking tall and lean and athletic, was currently throwing daggers into trees. Her dark hair swung over her shoulders as she threw the blade.
Baal flashed a wide grin at me. “Deo, your girl isn’t half bad,” he exclaimed, looking back to Cassandra as the knife hit the tree with a thunk.
I watched as the handle of the knife dissolved into the bark of the tree, leaving only a gash in the trunk as evidence it had been there.
“I did it, again!” Cassandra jumped in the air, clapping her hands, her hair flying. Her sparkling brown eyes turned to me, smiling.
Only my wife could be handed an enchanted blade, throw it successfully into a tree on her third attempt, and not faint as it disappeared into thin air. My heart soared. It was as I had always suspected; Cassandra was born for this life.
The irrational guilt I had carried for our entire marriage began to melt. I hadn’t known what I was asking her to pledge her life to; there was no way I could have. The weight of the knowledge that Cassandra had paired herself to a demon fighting animal had been heavy in my heart. It was healing to see her doing so well at Ravensloft. Perhaps there was such a thing as destiny.
Approaching Cassandra, I wrapped my hand around her lower back. “You look striking,” I murmured into her ear. “And even better with a blade in your hand, princess.”
Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes shone bright with excitement as she gazed upon me. “Thanks,” she said, brushing a stand of hair from her eyes. “Baal is a wonderful teacher”—she cut a glance at Baal—“when he’s not giving me a hard time. I had no idea I could do such a thing,” she mused, surveying her tree.
Having observed my wife’s practice from the library window, hair in her face, I had asked Aunt Margaret for something to tie it back with. “Turn,” I said, taking the red leather cord from my pocket. Throwing a curious glance at me, Cassandra turned her back to me. Taking her long hair into my hands, I tied the cord onto a lock of her hair, then separated her hair into three sections. Twisting the pieces together, I braided the cord into her hair. When I was satisfied by my work, I took another red cord from my pocket, winding it tightly around the bottom half of the braid. Her auburn hair was intertwined with red, beautiful and away from her face. “Now you can see properly,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders, rotating her towards me.
Shyly, Cassandra’s hand went to her hair, touching the cords. “Thank you.” She flushed. A mischievous look crossed her face as she whispered, “Watch this one.” On the tips of her toes, Cassandra turned from me and leapt towards the tree. When she was a few meters from the trunk, she landed. Whirling through the air, Cassandra spun. Her arm came across her body, her hand releasing the dagger just before her feet fell to the ground.
Thunk! The knife hit the trunk, splitting the cracked tree opened wider. Again, the blade vanished.
“Impressive,” I said. Seeing the smile on her face and lightness in her gait momentarily lifted the weight of worry I carried. Cassandra was even more herself in training than in the courtroom. She would do well in battle. If I allowed her to participate.
As if reading my thoughts, Draco appeared by my side. Crossing his arms over his chest, his stance wide, he spoke low, in his cool manner, “Deo. You see what I see. She must fight.”
“If you are her protector,” I sneered, keeping my eyes on Cassandra as she continued to practice, “why are you so eager to thrust her into danger?”
“Guardian,” Demon quietly corrected me.
“Then guard her.” I turned towards him; his eyes remained on Cassandra. “Leave the decisions of my wife’s fate to rest with me.”
Meeting my eyes, Draco argued, “A guardian does not only protect from danger. I must guide Cassandra to be her full self.” His face an emotionless mask, he turned his attention back to his ward.
Glancing over her shoulder to see if I was watching her next move, Cassandra saw Draco and I standing together. We must have appeared quite tense. Worry creased her brow.
I quickly placed a smile on my face. “Excellent work, baby girl,” I called to her. Her forehead smoothed, the light returning to her eyes.
“Show Deo the crossover you practiced with Baal,” Draco called. He kept his tone light, but a look of determination was beginning to etch itself onto his smooth face.
Giving a little nod to Draco, Cassandra turned her body fully towards me and her guardian, lining her back up with her practice tree, five meters from where it stood. Cassandra gave us a nervous smile; it was obvious she wanted to please us both.
Teeth biting into her bottom lip in the most adorable fashion, my wife took a moment to focus her energy. Feet shoulder width apart and planted firmly in the ground, Cassandra tightened the grip she had on the blade in her right hand. Left arm hanging loose, she bent her knees. Closing her eyes and giving a herself an encouraging nod, like a flash, her torso twisted, right arm flying around the center of her body and over her shoulder. Feet still in place, Cassandra released the blade.
Undetectable by her, as Cassandra released the blade from her hand, a violet-hued field of subtle, luminous radiation emitted from the body of my wife. The color surrounded her, a purple, hazy, brilliant cloud. Her aura.
I watched the sparkling metal of the knife fly, hitting the target. Crack. The split opened further, and the tree was now in two, equal parts.
Shooting me a quick, meaningful glance, Baal jogged over to the tree. “Good for you!” he shouted, slapping my wife’s open hand in an American ‘high five’.
The outer edge of the mauve radiance slowly faded, reaching towards Cassandra’s body, then vanished completely. It was gone as quickly as it had come. But there was no mistaking it.
“Thank you,” Cassandra breathed, slapping Baal’s hand. Her eyes looked to mine, desiring my praise.
Arranging my face in what I hoped to be a mask of encouragement, I said, “Beautiful. Well done, princess.” Swallowing hard, I waited for her to turn away from me.
Flashing me a bright smile, Cassandra went back to Baal, chatting excitedly about her pro
gress.
I stared at Draco.
Arms still crossed over his chest, Draco’s eyes never left Cassandra. There was a satisfied look on his face. I wanted to claw it off. Not smugness but pure satisfaction, the kind that said, ‘I told you so,’ without a word. He would not glance my way.
“It was momentary, but it was there,” Draco said, watching as Cassandra examined the scar in her tree, running her fingertips over the division.
“I saw it with my own eyes, Draco,” I admitted, defeated.
Cassandra had summoned her aura. She must fight.
No longer able to watch, I left the courtyard.
***
To my disappointment, Andrew was not proving to be as hopeless as I had assumed. Climbing to the inner ward above the basilica, I was greeted by the sight of Andrew and Alekos in hand to hand combat. Sparring, they made their way down the narrow, wall-enclosed upper courtyard.
Alekos, holding back his full skill as he was sparring with a mere mortal, was still fully engaged. Andrew’s hands shot out, lightning fast, each strike blocked by Alekos. Seeing me out of the corner of his eyes, Alekos called, “Halt.” Shaking hands with Andrew, he said, “Nice form.”
Bent over with hands on his knees, catching his breath, Andrew replied, “Thanks, man. I’m well practiced in the art of taekwondo. I have trained since I was old enough to walk. I love anything to do with martial arts. It fascinates me.”
Hearing my approach, Andrew straightened, glaring at me. A look of pure hatred and revulsion crumpled his classic facial features.
“Well done, Andrew,” I said, graciously
“Thank you, Deo,” the boy said, coldly. His blond hair stood on end, blue eyes flashing at me.
“Would you do me the honor of sparring?” I asked. In my suit, sans jacket, I was not dressed for the occasion, but it wouldn’t matter as minimum effort would be put forth, on my part.
Andrew sized me up, ready for a challenge. His jaw set, unwavering, he said, “I would love nothing more.” A cocky grin spread across his young face.
Poor boy. He had no idea what he was dealing with.
