Forever (Descendants of Ra: Book 4.5)

by Tmonique Stephens

  Every time they found a pit, EJ had a speech. Reign swallowed his ire as EJ raised the Harvester over the pit—completely unnecessary—chanted some inane gibberish and finally ended with. “All of you, rise and climb out of the pit.”

  Energy rippled through the goop. A claw twitched. A tail flicked. Then hooded eyes popped open. One by one, in the most orderly fashion, the quimaera pulled themselves free of the gelatinous goop and scaled the walls. Reign and EJ had witnessed the awakening numerous times. They were no longer affected by the spectacle. Thomas’ jaw dropped to his chest, yet his gun and blade remained at his side.

  After the pit had emptied, his gaze cut to EJ. “All right. I’m impressed. Now what?”

  “Now, I open a portal to a nice quiet stretch of I95 where I’m going to take my entourage and give them back their freedom.”

  Thomas tilted his head at Reign. “So you’re the muscle in case something goes wrong?”

  “Yes. And also this.” The edge of his blade flamed and he brought the fire to the pit. The goop ignited with an orange-greenish glow.

  Using the Harvester, EJ sliced the air and opened a vortex. He ordered the quimaera to pass through. Thomas and Reign brought up the rear.

  The vortex snapped closed behind Reign. A thick copse of trees filtered the drone of tires on blacktop coming from the other side.

  “What now?” Thomas demanded, his attention on the quimaera.

  “Now, he releases the beasts from their bondage.” Reign stood next to Thomas.

  EJ gathered the quimaera around him. “I know you can’t understand me, but I still want to say sorry about all of this. Yeah, you didn’t deserve this shit, but, hey, if you weren’t fifty-one percent dirty, the Harvester wouldn’t have borrowed your soul. Not laying blame, but I’m just saying.”

  “EJ! Get on with it.” Reign snapped. His patience had run dry.

  “You’re free to return to your real bodies. Free from the Harvester’s possession. Free to resume your lives.” The dagger trembled in his hand and a visible wave of power leaped from the tip and washed over the beasts. Bones shifted and shrank. Scales shed. Tails vanished. Elongated faces retracted and human features reformed. When it was over, confused, naked humans shivered in the breezy May night.

  “There are naked people on I95 two miles from the Townsend overpass on the northbound side of the highway.” EJ said into his burner phone and then crushed the device.

  He opened another vortex and they were on a hill overlooking the former quimaera.

  “So what’s next?” Thomas said.

  “Next is me going home and seeing if Candy Cane wants to snuggle.” EJ saluted both men and opened a vortex. It was the only way he could travel.

  “Take him back to the city, EJ.” Reign nodded at Thomas.

  “I’d say I can do it on my own, but thanks for the ride.” He didn’t move toward the opening. “Are you going to Lexi?”

  “Yes.” Reign faced him, resigned to the continuing argument.

  “Is she really involved in this? I mean, helping you find these quimaera. Changing them back to humans?”

  “Alexis is more than involved. She fought in battles against the quimaera. Been injured saving me. Even fought a goddess and nearly died.” All of this he’d already said, and her brother continued to doubt.

  “Nearly died?”

  “Your sister is a...” Reign looked at EJ for the word.

  “Badass.” EJ filled in. “She’s an original.”

  Thomas nodded. “She always was, beneath the bullshit our mom shellacked on her. So, she likes all this Egyptian voodoo stuff?”

  “Like a duck to water,” EJ answered.

  Reign glared at him while Thomas nodded. He scrubbed a hand down his face. Scratched his five o’clock shadow. He seemed to be stalling, gathering his thoughts. “So what are your intentions with my sister?”

  “I intend to make her my wife.”

  Thomas held out his hand. “Not without me there.”

  Surprised, Reign shook Thomas’ hand. “You approve?”

  Thomas shrugged. “I don’t disapprove anymore. My sister is not getting married without at least one family member there. That job falls to me.”

  “I’m gonna head out so you two can finish brother-in-law bonding.” EJ stepped through the vortex.

  Flashing lights rounded the curve of the highway a mile away followed by the sound of approaching sirens drifting on the air.

  “Can I buy you a drink?” Thomas offered.

  Surprised again, Reign was about to say yes, but, “I don’t think that is wi—”

  “I’ll have a soda...if you come with me.”

  Suspicion had Reign on edge. Trust wasn’t something he handed away. Yet Thomas was Alexis’s brother. “Where?”

  A smile tweaked Thomas’s lips. “I know a place with the best whiskey.”

  Reign’s future brother-in-law was starting to grow on him, much like EJ. He clapped Thomas on the shoulder. “Where is the place?”

  ~~~~~

  Holding a tumbler of whiskey while sitting in Martin Lever’s study wasn’t where Reign expected Thomas to lead him. The things a man did for the woman he loved. Thomas winked at Reign and took a swig of his soda as his father poured a tumbler of bourbon and sat at his desk.

  “Are both of you on drugs? What’s the latest thing you young people are taking? Molly? That’s what it’s called. Are you two on Molly?” Martin demanded, his gaze swiveling between Reign and Thomas.

  This was his response to Thomas telling him the truth. Exactly what Thomas predicted. Reign rolled his shoulders releasing a fraction of the tension tightening his muscles.

  “Dad, we are not—”

  “Alcohol addiction is bad enough. I will not tolerate this Thomas! And you!” Martin’s attention landed on Reign. “You’ve corrupted my daughter and now you start in on my son? Damn you, I’d call the police, but I don’t want my son in any more trouble, and I want to know where my daughter is!” He slammed his fist onto the desk.

  “Why?” was the first word Reign uttered.

  Martin sputtered. “Because she is my child and I demand to know where she is.”

  “No.” Reign downed his drink, enjoyed the burn, and stood. This meeting was pointless. It was two a.m. He should be curled around Alexis. Not listening to the useless demands of her father.

  “Where are you going?” Martin followed as Reign headed for the exit.

  “Home.”

  “Wait!” Martin demanded.

  Reign kept walking toward the exit.

  “God damn it, I said wait!”

  Reign kept going even when he heard Martin and Thomas rushing behind him. Martin dashed in front of him and blocked his path. Doubled over and breathing hard, the exertion left the elder red faced and wheezing. “Tell me that she’s all right.”

  He did care about his daughter. Grudgingly, Reign acknowledged. “She is well and healthy.”

  “Is she in New York?”

  “Yes.”

  Hope flared in her father’s eyes. “Close? Can I see her...please?”

  Something about her father begging pricked Reign’s conscience. For a moment, he saw himself in Martin’s position—a father concerned for his daughter. What would Reign do...Hell, what wouldn’t he do for his child.

  I’d tear the damn world apart.

  Aggression rolled through him, and he eyed Martin with a new appreciation. That didn’t mean Reign would cave to the man’s pleas. “If I allow you to see Alexis, what would be the first thing you would say to her?”

  Martin imitated Ember’s guppies the night Gypsy knocked over her aquarium. His mouth opened and closed, searching for an answer or air to clear his fuddled brain. He seemed to gather himself and pinned Reign with a stony glare. “I would tell her I love her. I can’t say I understand any of this”—he flung his hands wide—“but regardless of the circumstances, I love my daughter.”

  And she loved him. Reign could see the love and regret on
her face every time she spoke of her father. What did he need to do to gain this man’s approval?

  “You can see Alexis at our wedding in five days.”

  Martin sputtered, face flashed red. Thomas cursed, mumbled something about waiting for a better time to tell him. Reign smirked and waited until Martin could breathe again. “Give me the rest of tonight to convince you I am not a criminal and your daughter hasn’t wasted her life?”

  “And if I’m not convinced at sunrise, you will walk out of her life forever?”

  The man was crafty. Not craftier than Reign. He would never leave Alexis for any reason. That didn’t mean he couldn’t humor her father. “Only if that is her wish, not yours.” He waited for an answer.

  “Agreed,” Martin said after a tense minute.

  Martin didn’t believe anything Thomas told him. Now, it was time to show his future father-in-law everything he didn’t believe, and more. Use to a low-key approach to his powers, Reign took a page out of EJ’s playbook and embraced the theatrical. He extended his hand, allowed his power to coil in a visible display of color. Martin and Thomas drew back as the air distorted. From a pinpoint, light spilled into the room and expanded in a burst. Heat baked the room and quickly cooled, leaving behind a disk-shaped vortex waiting in the center of the room.

  Reign motioned the two men forward. They came with wary steps, but they came. Time to show them what it meant to be a demi-god.

  Chapter Eleven

  EJ paced in the hallway out of view of the family gathered in the billiard room. From the voices, Roman and Stella, Avery and Emeline, Ridley, Quin, Jackson, and Thane were enjoying each other’s company. The only one missing, Brayden. One less person to rake my ass over the coals.

  Shit!

  So much for good intentions. His phone rang the second he exited the vortex. Carl had jumped ship and quit on Jonas. If that weren’t bad enough, he’d taken all of the contact information for all the vendors. Seemed Carl had dreams of setting up his own shop. Too bad that dream couldn’t have waited ANOTHER DAMN WEEK!

  EJ stopped short of punching the nearest wall. There was only one thing he could do.

  Double shit with an added oh, fuck!

  Time to call in the troops and throw himself on their mercy. That meant walking into the living room and ruining the surprise. There wasn’t an alternative. If he could clean up this mess on his own, hell yeah, he would. His many limitations included wedding planning. If Reign had any hope of having a decent ceremony, EJ had better get his thumb out of his ass and ask for help.

  “I miss you, Hector.” EJ glanced at the ceiling, his thought centered on Hector laughing his ass off in Heaven. He would’ve reamed EJ and had everything sorted within the hour. Hector was dead, and so was EJ if he didn’t correct the mess he’d made.

  Maybe not dead. More wishing he was dead after the beat down.

  EJ stepped into the room. Ridley peeled away from Emeline and dashed into his arms.

  “Hey, baby.” She pulled him down for a slow kiss, plenty of tongue, the way he liked it. He tugged her to his body, loving the feel of her curves. She broke his kiss and whispered in his ear, “Let’s go and get nakey.”

  Not waiting for an answer, she took his hand and started for the stairs. Losing himself in her wet heat for the rest of the night was exactly what he needed. His cock played knock, knock behind his zipper as he played with the rock on her finger.

  What if some idiot had ruined their special day?

  “We can’t. Not yet.” Maybe she could help and not involve anyone else. “You know anything about planning a wedding?” he whispered and earned a puzzled shake of her head. So much for that idea. He turned to the family and cleared his throat. “Everyone, can I have your attention?” A fly with a one-way ticket towards a windshield, that summed up his situation as everyone’s gaze shifted to him.

  Ah, hell. Time to man up.

  “I fucked up.”

  Silence. Ridley moved closer, and didn’t that make him love her more.

  Roman rested his pool stick against the table. Before he opened his mouth, Avery chimed in with, “What did you fuck up?”

  “I helped Reign plan a surprise wedding for Alexis, but everything’s gone tits up.”

  “You did what?” Stella marched over and got in his face. Then everyone spoke at once.

  Roman— “Of all the asinine things—”

  EJ plowed ahead. “The guy I hired can’t do the job; his assistant bailed on him. So I’m here asking for help. We have to do this for Reign.”

  “We?” someone sniped.

  “Me. Okay! I’m screwed.”

  Quin— “Yep, you are.”

  The rest was lost in a jumble of voices while Thane saluted EJ with a drink and then slid out of the room. Coward. EJ fumed and locked his jaw. Only one of them needed to swing for this mess. “Shit, I know!” he shouted above the din.

  “That was really sweet of you babe, really dumb, too,” Ridley kissed his cheek.

  Stella poked EJ in the chest. “Yeah. It was sweet and dumb, especially since Reign and Alexis are—” She closed her mouth with an audible click.

  “Are what?” EJ didn’t think he’d like the answer.

  She hesitated, lips pursed. “I don’t like to break Reign’s privacy, but...they’re not sure what they want. They’re still working out some shit and then you come along with your not so helpful advice—”

  “Hey. Don’t talk to him like that.” Ridley stepped between EJ and Stella. “What he did came from a good place.”

  “What else have you done?” Avery cut through the bickering.

  Before he could answer, Ridley zoomed over to Avery. “All he did was help Reign surprise Alexis,” she snapped.

  Avery shook his head, his green-eyed gaze on EJ. “That’s not all you did, is it?”

  His brother knew him well. “I took him shopping, and he picked out Alexis’s wedding dress and dresses for all of you ladies.” He cringed at the curses flung his way. Including Ridley’s. Guess her love ended when it came to fashion. Good to know. Well, in for a penny, in for...whatever. He couldn’t remember. “Plus flowers and other stuff. There’s supposed to be a wedding in five days, and there’s not. Though the assistant did book a venue. That was the only thing he’d done before bailing.”

  He let them scream and curse him a bit longer. “Enough. Now how are we going to fix this?”

  “We again?” Roman snapped.

  Emeline threaded her way through the family and didn’t stop until she stood in front of EJ. He couldn’t help smiling at her round belly. Damn, he couldn’t wait to meet his nephew or niece.

  “EJ, why is this so important to you? You could tell Reign what happened and reschedule the surprise for another date. Alexis would be none the wiser.” Emeline asked.

  He lifted one shoulder.

  Emeline shot a quick glance at Ridley, then returned to EJ. “Could you put yourself in his shoes?”

  Suddenly, he couldn’t meet her gaze. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t want my wedding ruined by my stupid brother. I do have a heart you know.”

  “Yes, you do.” Emeline crooked a finger, and EJ leaned down for a kiss on his cheek. “And you are not stupid.

  “All right. This is a family emergency. What are we going to do?” Roman said.

  Everyone turned to Stella. “Reign wants to surprise Alexis with a wedding. Then we honor his wishes... and pray everything works out.” She threw up her hands. “Now tell us exactly what you did, EJ, so we can fix it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Alexis had no idea how long she sat in the chair Gloria had vacated. Her mother had sucked the energy out of the room and out of Alexis and, in the process, reduced her only daughter back to a pre-teen, full of angst and indecision. Right now, she had the strength and conviction of a bowl of Jell-O, all because her mother was finally proud of her. Proud of her because she was a carbon copy of the woman she hated.

  “What the fuck!” Alexis hauled herself to h
er feet. Her gaze flitted around the room in an attempt to latch onto something, anything that Gloria hadn’t tainted. She couldn’t.

  Alexis bought her grandmother’s house to spite Gloria—and failed. Then compounded the failure with her choice of decoration. Every stick of furniture she’d picked out, every piece of fabric, pictures, and knickknacks, subconsciously, she’d purchased to impress her mother. Well, at least she had achieved that goal.

  She hated the traditional style of design where everything was too pretty to sit on and uncomfortable. How could she have missed that critical piece of truth? Was the denial that deep? Was the craving to please so ingrained? Etched into her marrow? Weeping out of her pores?

  Must be because she hadn’t realized any of it until Gloria stood in the center of the living room, completely at ease with her surroundings. The room actually complimented her mother while Alexis with her dressy jeans and V-neck sweater looked like a guest in her own home.

  Her gaze landed on the mantle where she’d replaced her grandmother’s knickknacks and aged black and white family photos, with a single Baccarat vase filled with decorative stones.

  Ice settled in her spine. She’d brought the house because it was the one place always filled with love and acceptance. Her grandmother had crammed every nook and cranny of the home with warmth. Long after her death, the scent of oatmeal and raisin cookies, her mouthwatering German chocolate cake, her Sunday glazed ham, and homemade bread, lingered, as if absorbed into the fabric of the house; soaked into the plaster, brick and mortar, the foundation.

  Alexis had stripped all the essential ingredients, the reasons she had to have the house. She sterilized her grandmother’s home and turned it into a mausoleum. The icing on the cake: her mother’s approval.

  She picked up the vase and flung it across the room. The sound of it shattering wasn’t enough. Seven years after she’d jumped ship, she continued to swim in the filth Gloria spewed with such ease. Until that filth had seeped into Alexis’s DNA. Her mother had polluted her, and Alexis hadn’t even known. The blade formed in her hand without a conscious thought, and she buried in the cushion of the sofa. Each strike, she ticked off every insult Gloria had landed. Twenty years of her mother’s shit. The furniture was in pieces when she stopped, panting from the exertion.