by Rain Oxford
Divina’s hair was very orange, which made her look younger and more Asian than Caucasian. “You should change your hair back.”
“You don’t like it?”
“I love it. That’s why, if you want me to keep my hands to myself, you should change your hair back.”
She grinned. “If I wanted you to keep your hands to yourself, I wouldn’t have married you and we wouldn’t have two kids.”
Xul laughed while Ron gagged.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, so I answered it. The man who was more like a father to me than anyone else in my life, my mentor in magic and adulthood, gave me that warm smile that told me he was proud of me. I hugged Edward with everything I had, for I had missed him more than I knew. He hugged me back, walked me out of the doorway, and shut the door behind us. “I take it you missed me?” he asked.
“I did, Dad,” I said, and felt his breath hitch. “I thought you would be back before now.” I let him go reluctantly.
“It just took longer than I had intended. Why are you wearing that?” he asked, holding my arm up to see the bracelet.
“It’s a long story. Basically, it’s been modified so that only someone acting on behalf of the balance can remove it. Come eat some breakfast and I’ll tell you about the mess we’re in now. Divina is cooking.”
He froze halfway through the living room. “Divina is cooking Earth food? Actually, I think I’m not hungry.”
I laughed. “I’m kidding. Come on, Ron is cooking.” We entered the kitchen and had to get some chairs from the living room to squeeze around our small, four-person table.
When Ron tried to hand Edward a plate, I realized the Guardian was staring at Divina. “Your hair is orange,” he said helpfully. She ignored him.
Ron gave Edward some steak chops with bread and me a very interesting version of breakfast lasagna made with eggs, cheese, ham, hash browns, and a tomato sauce. “How did you cook all of this?” I asked. He managed to cook everyone’s perfect breakfast, including Edward’s, as if he knew the man was returning.
“I like cooking,” Ron shrugged. He himself just shared some of Hail’s breakfast.
“That reminds me, I need to talk to Shiloh about getting something special for Hell. I found Ron a gift the other day and I couldn’t just get something for him and not both of them.”
“What is the occasion?” Mordon asked.
“Nothing, I just saw something I thought Ron would like. I couldn’t not get it. So I have an idea for something for Hell---”
The child’s head jerked up. “A pool? Did somebody say we’re getting a pool?”
Ron rolled his eyes. “It’s about to be winter, stupid, nobody is getting you a pool.” Hail’s bottom lip wobbled and his eyes pleaded with Ron to change his verdict, as if my younger son could make it suddenly…
“Don’t you dare tamper with the weather,” I growled when Ron looked ready to give in to his brother. “Nobody is getting a pool until March at the earliest.” At least, that was when our apartment complex was scheduled to have one built.
“So what are we doing today? Not that I want to go to school or anything,” Ron said quickly.
“Well, what we need to do is figure out what those demons had planned. I mean, they kidnapped the children for blood sacrifices? Why?” I asked.
Xul looked thoughtful, but Edward scowled. “I think you need to update me on what exactly is going on around here. Do demons actually need a reason to sacrifice children?”
“Excuse me!” Xul was outraged.
“Like you never hurt anyone before,” Edward said.
“Leave Zeb alone,” Ron said. “He’s a good demon now. Dad’s right; I think kidnapping people was a way to get us there. What I want to know is how they knew were coming to this town.” His no-nonsense tone was adorable.
“They were just way too prepared,” I agreed. “They could have ambushed me when it was just Mordon and me here, but they waited until they could get the kids. What about the school? How long have they been there, because Rebecca said the outsider demons moved in three months ago. That was two months before me. They waited until I arrived before they started kidnapping kids.”
Xul leaned his elbows on the table and sighed. “Four teachers moved here and were hired on at the school three months ago. Apparently, four teachers quit suddenly and without warning, and nobody else would take their place, so the school board had no choice. There were already several demons, wizards, and fae there, however.”
“Hail’s science teacher…” Ron began. “He said she smelled weird, like dirt. I assumed she was a demon, but demons, according to Tatum, smell like blood. Tatum said that the fake Alyssa smelled like dirt. Mrs. Sharp smelled like a graveyard. That being said, I can’t smell things like Mordon can, so I might be wrong.”
“Mrs. Sevenstar is not a demon. She was also Drake’s teacher, but I finally had him removed from her class for ‘repeated allergic reactions.’ By the way, Dylan, I forged your signature on a few doctor notes. She was endangering the kid’s life.”
“So she’s a threat to Hail?” Ron asked.
“No, she’s afraid of Hail.”
“But she isn’t demon?”
“She’s elven,” Xul explained.
Edward choked on the water he was drinking. I handed him a napkin while Ron and Hail stared at him like they couldn’t understand his reaction. “Okay. Someone really needs to catch me up.”
* * *
We spent two hours talking about everything that happened since we moved here, but we didn’t come to any profound conclusions. Divina took more food for Nila and his bodyguard. The boys went outside to play at the apartment playground with Drake and Xul volunteered to watch over them. Mordon and I cleared the kitchen table and then I pulled out a few children’s books to try to teach Mordon to read. He was improving quickly.
After a while, I looked over to see Edward staring at us. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
He shook his head slowly. “I was just thinking. You have always seemed so at home on Duran. After Ron was born, I never thought you would move back here. I hoped you thought of Duran as your home.”
Mordon stared at me, waiting for my answer. I knew my family wouldn’t want to stay here. I was born on this world, but all my best memories were on Duran after Edward found me. To everyone else, Duran was their world. As much as I wanted them to experience this world and have a normal life here, I had never intended on it being permanent.
“I like this town. I like the people here,” I said. Mordon stifled a sigh, so I ignored him. “Everyone here is lost or lonely or ostracized. They can’t be with their families because they’re different, half human, or stranded. This town is like a home for refugees, and no demons are going to come in and invade. Duran is my home but this is the only home left for these people, and I will not let it be overrun.”
Edward frowned. “You remind me of someone sometimes.” He stood. “There is one thing this world has that makes enduring my loss of energy worth it.”
“What’s that?”
“A shower. I trust you have one.”
I pointed him to the hallway bathroom. “I’ll be back,” I told Mordon as I got up. I went into my room, shut the door, and flopped down on the bed.
As I stared up at the tiled ceiling, I reminisced over the day I found the book in my yard. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had any of this. My life was crazy, hectic, and dangerous. The adrenaline alone should have killed me by now. Plus, between Xul and Vretial, I should have had serious issues with trust. Every day was either a struggle to give my kids a normal life, a battle to survive the day, or a race against the clock to save my world… And I didn’t want it any other way. This was my life, this was me, and I loved it.
* * *
I didn’t realize I had closed my eyes until I felt an odd urgency sensation, like a memory that was vital for me to remember. I opened my eyes to find myself at a small river, similar to the haunted springs… peac
eful. Across from the river were mountains and behind me there were cherry trees in full bloom. The petals were swept up by the gentle winds to spill across the ground as if to make a flowery bed.
A girl stood in front of me, maybe fourteen. Her hair was raven-black and framed the porcelain skin of her soft face. Her eyes were like emeralds that glittered despite the fact that she faced away from the sun. She wore a green silk dress and had no shoes, but when her eyes followed mine to her bare feet, she laughed.
“I’m always losing them,” she explained. “I like walking in the grass barefoot.”
I knew this girl. I had seen her before. My heart hammered in my chest with both happiness and fear.
As the wind began to pick up, her cheerful grin faded into the same sad smile that Divina gave me when she knew everything was about to go wrong. “You have to wake up, Daddy. You have a battle to win.”
“Is this real? Are you real?” I finally asked.
“There are many different paths. Some of them will end in happiness for everyone. Some of them will twist into dark traps that no one can survive. Follow your instincts, trust your heart, and listen to your head.”
* * *
I shot up on the bed feeling like I had been jolted with electricity. My heart pounded out of control and I panted like I had been running.
I fell asleep?
I got up and stepped into the bathroom to wash my face. The cold water calmed me enough to breathe, so I returned to my room, trying desperately to remember what I had dreamed. It was important, I could feel that much.
I stood in front of the mirror on the back of the door and scrutinized my own face. I didn’t look thirty-five. In fact, it seemed unfair that I didn’t even look remotely tired. Maybe people on Earth would think I was a normal human because I looked like one. I used to be one.
A sound by the bed drew my eye to it in the mirror. Seeing the succubus who had accosted me at work lying on my bed, I jerked around. The bed was empty. I nearly sighed and wrote off, but instead I turned back to the mirror. There she was, as clear as day, smirking at me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I think you know exactly what I’m doing here.” Her voice was smooth, but definitely not in my head.
“Get out of my room.” Once again, I twisted around to see her, but she was gone. When I looked back in the mirror, she was right behind me. “This is an illusion. You’re not really here.”
“Is it?”
In the mirror, I could see her slip her hands under my arms to clutch at my chest… and I felt it. As if she was really there, entirely solid, I could feel the heat of her body and the sweet pressure as she pressed herself against my back. Her fingers slowly unbuttoned my shirt, but my body was a few steps behind my mind. By the time I made any attempt to stop her, my shirt was already wide open.
“Mordon, Linda’s back,” I said.
I stepped away and turned to try to stop her, but since I couldn’t see her, I didn’t know where exactly to put my hands. My mistake was to try anyway, as it backfired badly when I grasped her large, soft breast instead of a firm shoulder.
“How bold!” she said, delighted, and then pushed me unresisting into the wall.
“Mordon, get in here now!”
I felt her naked chest against mine as her quick fingers started on my pants. Her scent hit me like a ton of bricks; sweet, but with a kick like wine. My heart thudded loudly as my fingers began to feel tingly. I reached out to push her away again, only to clutch her waist weakly, as if my strength was gone. Her small, warm fingers closed around my member and I started to tell her to get off when her wet lips closed over my throat and the only thing I could utter was a moan.
My brain was no longer working, though my eyes finally were, because I saw her when I opened them. She was naked and gorgeous.
I am married.
Her lips left my neck and met mine. All the while, her fingers were working my body like she had known me forever. My heart was beating too fast and I was becoming very dizzy, yet it didn’t matter. I was suddenly on the bed, naked, with her lovely little body squirming on top. I knew this wasn’t right, but what was left of my mind was completely disconnected with my body. Even as my brain was trying desperately to dredge up enough blood to function, my hands were pulling her closer.
“Can you see me?” she asked breathlessly.
Her voice scrambled whatever semblance of thought I had left. “Yes, of course.”
“Then you’re all mine.” Her grin was devilish as she held me still and started to lower herself…
And the door burst open. Linda shrieked with outrage as Mordon pulled her off me. Instead of shoving her away, however, he snapped one of the two metal bracelets around her wrist. When he let her go, she tried to dart out the door, only to find Edward standing there with all the intimidation factor of a wolf on a baby sheep.
She halted and looked from Mordon to Edward with a panic. Realizing she couldn’t vanish and being intelligent enough to know the cause, she started trying to tear the bracelet off.
“Dylan,” she whimpered in a soft, desperate voice. “Help me, Dylan.”
“Your magic will no longer work on anyone,” Mordon growled.
I tried to get up and managed to get my legs over the side before nausea and lethargy hit me hard enough to cause black spots to swim in my eyes. My moan this time was in pain and I somehow ended up on the floor trying not to throw up. I felt less sick the last time I died.
“Why didn’t you come the first time I called you?” I asked Mordon as he helped me get up.
His expression was really guilty when I sat back on the bed. “I fell asleep. Now, what do you want me to do with this troll?” he asked.
Said trolled shrieked at his insult loud enough that I squinted in pain. “Interrogate her, gag her, and hand her over to Ghidorah. Find out why Sardis hired her and if she knows how much information they have on us.”
They brought a kitchen chair into the bedroom, tied her to it, and gagged her. Then Mordon got me a glass of water while Edward collected “supplies.” The Guardian gave me some Wigknot bark and patted my shoulder. “Maybe you should wait outside for this,” he said somberly.
I knew he wasn’t serious because they brought the chair into my room so that I could be a part of it. He was just trying to scare Linda. “Don’t hurt her too badly. I heard that succubi feed on sex energy. If you tear off her nails and stuff, no one would want her and she’ll starve to death.”
“So?” he asked.
When she froze, I smiled widely at her. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t do that often. They usually cooperate by the time he starts to cut their tongue out.” I was feeling better, especially when she started shaking.
“Let’s get started. Linda, right?” Mordon asked. She nodded. “Okay. I’m going to ask you some questions. You will not speak until I have asked you a question. You will then give me the complete and honest truth immediately or I will have Kiro here extract the answer by force. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with this questioning session and would like to stop, you can decline to answer, in which case my brother here will banish you to the void.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard all about it from the demons,” I chimed in.
“You may ask for water once, and I may allow it depending on how forthcoming you are. Are you ready?” She nodded, shaking like a leaf, and he took the gag out of her mouth. “First question; what do you know of the one the demons call the goddess?”
“Nothing.”
“What do you know of Ilea?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“What do you know about Dleso Atos?” I asked.
She looked at me. “Who?”
“She’s being truthful,” Mordon said. “What do you know,” he asked.
“All I know is that Sardis hired me.”
“What are the demons planning?”
“Demons? What does any of this have to do with those creeps?”
Mordo
n scowled. “Sardis is a demon.”
The succubus scoffed. “No, he’s not. I know demons, and they stink. This guy was a badass and had more power than any wizard I know, but he wasn’t a demon. He didn’t tell me anything about his plans, he just told me he wanted me to seduce Dylan and keep him distracted for a few days.”
“You’re sure he was Sardis.”
“That’s what he said his name was.”
“Did he look like a vampire reject from Hollywood?”
She frowned. “Not even close. He had shoulder-length hair… kind of a red with silver highlights maybe… it was odd. And he had grayish eyes. Maybe they were blue, but they were dull. I wasn’t paying attention to how he looked.”
“Did he have a bag at his side? Like this one?” I asked, indicating my book bag.
“Yeah, but it was leather.”
“Unreliable witness,” I said to Mordon. He rolled his eyes. “No, seriously. A person’s memory for details is often flaky at best. Especially when someone is trying to be helpful by describing an event or person, their mind will try to fill in blanks with details that are untrue. Unfortunately, once those details are in their heads, the witness can be absolutely one-hundred percent sure of it. Nine times out of ten, if I suggest a detail, like that the perpetrator was wearing a coat, the witness will picture that person with a coat and be able to tell me the color and fabric of the nonexistent coat with absolute certainty.”
“So you are suggesting she just happened to think up someone who looks exactly like Rilryn.”
“No. I’m suggesting she vaguely described a man’s hair and eye color and we both instantly put those details into our suspect database. Rilryn was my father’s friend. Ronez trusted him.”
“Rilryn has also attacked you under the supposed control of another. Sounds like a great excuse to me. I’m not saying we hunt down the Guardian with pitchforks, I just think we might want to distract him from finding that weapon.”
