by Thawer, Tish
* * * * *
CHAPTER FOUR
Once Aryiah dropped Devin off at her house––a nice little bungalow in the older section of downtown Colorado Springs––she made a bee-line across town to her apartment which was settled on a bluff high above Garden of the Gods.
Aryiah loved her apartment. It was a two bedroom, one bath with granite counter tops, a fireplace, and vaulted ceilings. Her home was layered with varying shades of creams, reds, and blacks, with accents of gold and silver thrown in. Her furnishings weren’t overly expensive but had nice clean lines and a very contemporary feel to them. Home sweet home.
She dropped her overloaded book bag on the floor next to the sofa. Then, glancing at the clock, Aryiah realized it was only a little after 11 a.m. and she didn’t have to be to work until 2 p.m. She already showered that morning for her early trip to the library with Devin, and with how well that turned out…Yep, time for a nap.
As she lay down on the couch and pulled the cashmere throw over her, Aryiah was suddenly struck by an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. She’d felt worn out before, but not like this. It was as if she couldn't stay awake, even if she tried––like something was pulling her down into oblivion. Her head hit the pillow, and in that moment, she was out.
In the darkness surrounding her, Aryiah could feel someone else’s presence. She called out, "Hello? Is anybody there?"
No one answered, but catching the sound of movement behind her, she quickly spun around.
The air enveloping her was so thick, it almost felt alive. Suddenly she spotted the most brilliant pair of green eyes not far from where she stood.
Shit…oh shit, oh shit. She couldn’t tell if this was an animal or a person and she didn’t have a clue what to do. But almost immediately a sense of peace settled over her and she realized she wasn’t afraid.
She took a deep breath and called out, "Hello? Can you tell me where we are?"
"You are in Lower World, my Lady, and I am your guide."
Okay, maybe she was feeling a little scared after all. "Um, Lower World? As in Hell?"
"Does this look like Hell to you?" asked the strong voice.
Aryiah looked around as the blackness started to dissipate. She was standing at the mouth of a cave on a cliff ledge that overlooked the most beautiful valley she'd ever seen. Flowers of all kinds covered the landscape. Evergreens trees and lush ferns surrounded a crystal blue lake sparkling in the sun, and on its far shore stood a gray stone castle.
Aryiah quickly turned to find her guide, then jumped back, covering her mouth with her hand. Not out of fear, but out of pure shock.
"Well…does this look like Hell to you?" asked the beautiful black wolf with the most amazing green eyes.
* * * * *
CHAPTER FIVE
Aryiah bolted off the couch, tossing her cashmere throw to the floor. The alarm she'd set to wake her was blaring in the background. She ran to turn it off, realizing it must have been going off for a while, because it was now 1:43 p.m. There was no way she could be ready in time to make it across town to the hotel.
Aryiah was a concierge at an upscale hotel and worked the 2 to 10 p.m. shift. She liked her hours because they allowed her to sleep in, get things done in the mid-morning, and still go out after work if she wanted to. Not that she did much of that.
She lived in the Springs for most of her life, except for the Texas nightmare, so she was very knowledgeable regarding local history and all the touristy things to do around the area. She liked her job and was damn good at it.
That’s what made this phone call difficult. She'd never called in sick before, and with such short notice, she wasn’t sure how well her boss was going to take it. But there was no denying her dream left her feeling scattered and anxious, almost as though she was forgetting something.
"Yeah, going to work!" she reminded herself as she picked up her cell.
"Rochelle, it’s Aryiah. Yes, I know I’m usually there by now. No, I’m not on my way. Well, because I’m not feeling very well and I know that I wouldn’t be of much use today. Of course I’ll be of use by my shift next week. Look, I’m sorry for the short notice, but I fainted today at the library and...no, no I’m fine. Like I said, I’m just not feeling a hundred percent yet. Okay, thanks, Rochelle, and again I’m sorry for the short notice."
Yeah that sucked. Rochelle was crappy at first but then mellowed out when she told her she'd fainted. Weird. It was only a couple of hours ago, yet it felt as if the memory was just out of reach.
Aryiah cleared her head and settled into the fact that not only did she have the night off, but that her next shift wasn’t for three days. She was glad she wasn’t truly sick, but sure wished she could shake the I’m forgetting to do something feeling she was currently experiencing. She headed to the kitchen, thinking a glass of water and a couple of aspirin would be the best place to start. But just as she leaned down to pick up the blanket from the floor, Aryiah noticed her book bag lying open. Frozen in shock, she stared at the bag and tried to process how in the hell a bunch of library books could be glowing.
* * * * *
CHAPTER SIX
Aryiah stood staring at the glowing book bag; mouth open, eyes wide. A pale green light surrounded it, shimmering as if it was made from hundreds of green fireflies.
I must still be asleep. Aryiah reached out with her right hand and gave her left arm a pinch. "Ouch!" Okay, definitely awake.
With curiosity overwhelming her, she bent down to carefully inspect the bag. As she got closer, she realized it wasn’t actually the bag glowing, but instead, one of the books inside.
As she cautiously reached in to grab the book, she felt a light tingling sensation moving up her arms. It was as if tiny electric shocks were shooting straight into her skin. Thankfully, it wasn't harsh, but instead, a gentle buzzing energy. Aryiah closed her eyes and reached for the book.
It felt amazing. She laughed as the sensation became a tickle, then removed the book from the bag, watching as the glow subsided. She looked down at the cover, noticing it was black leather with curved writing in red ink that read Aradia or The Gospel of the Witches by Charles Leland. Her head started to spin again.
"Damn this dizziness." She set the book down, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Aryiah hoped that by forcing herself to relax she could shake all the weird feelings she'd been experiencing today. After a few minutes of meditation she opened her eyes to read the title again.
This time the feeling she got was one of contentment. She opened the book and ran her finger across the page, following along with each sentence as she started to read. It wasn't long before she was engrossed in Leland's words. He described how he came to possess the Gospel, and relayed his take on the Italian strege––witches, sorceresses, or fortune-tellers of that time. Then, after the eleven paragraphs of the preface, she came to chapter one: How Diana Gave Birth to Aradia.
It was then Aryiah fainted...again.
* * * * *
CHAPTER SEVEN
Aryiah woke to the sound of someone banging on her door. What the fuck is going on with me today?
She got up and placed her eye to the peep hole. Devin’s face was staring back at her, scrunched up with worry. She slid the chain off the lock and turned the deadbolt. The second it unlatched, Devin threw the door open and shoved past her into the room.
"Are you okay?" She took Aryiah’s cheeks in her hands, testing for a fever, Aryiah guessed.
"I’m fine. But how did you know I fainted again?"
"WHAT?" Devin screeched. "I didn’t know that. I called your work to tell you to get your cell out so you could look at a picture of the outfit I sent you, and that’s when Rochelle told me you'd called in sick."
"Oh, okay. Yes, I called in sick because I just couldn’t get myself together in time to make it to work. I laid down to take a nap and woke up feeling really off." There it was again, that feeling she was forgetting to do something. "Anyway, I’m fine."
"What d
o you mean fine?" Devin asked. "You just said you fainted again."
"Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck is going on with me. After I got up from my nap, I called Rochelle, and then when I was headed to the kitchen, I almost tripped over my book bag…" Crap, should I tell her about the glowing book? Aryiah came to a quick decision. Nope.
Devin turned and looked at the bag in question, then tilted her head as she noticed the black book lying on the floor. Aryiah's breath hitched in her throat as she wondered if the damn thing was glowing again.
"What’s wrong?" she asked Devin. Maybe if she saw the glowing too, Aryiah wouldn’t feel like the only crazy person in the room.
"Nothing’s wrong. I just thought that book had your name on it for a second."
Aryiah looked down to see what Devin was talking about. Hmmm. Aradia and Aryiah did look and sound an awful lot alike.
"Anyway…" Devin said, quickly changing the subject. "I’m glad you’re not really sick. Now you can help me finish getting ready for my date."
Aryiah let Devin raid her closet, and watched as she changed outfits three different times before settling on a little black dress, strappy black sequin heels, and a light silk scarf to drape over her shoulders. She looked great. Aryiah just hoped everything came back in one piece…she liked that dress.
"I hope it's okay that I told Gage to pick me up here," Devin said. "I didn’t know what was going on with you so I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to run home again."
"Totally fine," Aryiah replied. "So where did you meet Gage anyway? You haven’t given me the usual run down of your latest victim."
"I’ve actually known him for awhile. He works with me. I tried to get my claws into him before, but he didn’t show any interest until yesterday." Devin stopped primping in the mirror long enough to turn around and shoot Aryiah a serious look."Which you will not repeat to anyone. Ever."
Devin wasn’t used to having anyone not show interest in her. Being a bartender in one of the Spring's most popular clubs really helped get her noticed, which was exactly how Devin liked to be…very noticed.
Turning back to the mirror, Devin continued. "Anyway, he asked me out yesterday. Actually, he asked us out."
"What?" Aryiah exclaimed. "I’m sure I did not just hear that. Who has the balls to ask out two girls at once?"
Devin laughed. "It wasn’t exactly like that. It’s just that he’s seen you there talking to me before. So when he asked me out, he suggested that we double with you and your 'significant other' so there wouldn’t be any pressure for our first date."
Devin turned around, wearing a wicked smile."I told him that you didn’t have a significant other and that he would like the kind of pressure I was thinking of for our first date."
Aryiah couldn't help laughing out loud as she shook her head. Devin just shrugged, then grabbed the scarf from the bed. "Hey, this might come in handy later."
Aryiah sighed as she watched Devin wrap the ends of the scarf around each wrist, giving them a slight tug as if to test their durability. Then, with a playful smile, Devin did a little shimmy before heading to the kitchen to pour the two of them some wine.
An hour and a glass and a half later, there was a knock at the door. Devin jumped up to get it, obviously excited to get her night of sin started.
Aryiah was rinsing out their wine glasses as she heard Devin greet her prey, then shut the door. "Aryiah, I want you to meet Gage before we head out."
Aryiah rounded the corner, looked up, and came to a dead stop.
She'd never seen Gage before, not even at Devin's bar, but she couldn’t escape the feeling that there was something off about this guy.
Gage stretched out his hand. "Nice to meet you." His tone was serious but polite.
Aryiah hesitated. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she needed to run away from this man, but then seeing the weird look on Devin’s face, she reached out and shook Gage’s hand, not saying a word. The feeling to bolt intensified. So much so that she jerked her hand back and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
She heard Devin giggle nervously. "Please excuse my friend, she’s had a really weird day. Let’s just go. I can’t wait to have you all to myself anyway."
Devin called out, "Bye honey, I’ll check on you tomorrow."
Once she heard the door shut, Aryiah could finally start to breathe again.
* * * * *
CHAPTER EIGHT
Aryiah looked into the mirror. Her heart was beating fast, she was pale, and her eyes were dilated.
"What the fuck was that?" she asked herself. She felt bad for embarrassing Devin in front of her date. Gage.
Just thinking his name and picturing his face had her shaking again. He wasn’t bad looking. Tall, nice body, longer light brown hair, and those dark eyes. His eyes were what freaked her out the most. They were so dark they were almost black.
Taking a deep breath, Aryiah headed out of the bathroom and walked straight to the front door and flipped the locks. She needed to sit down. But as she turned, a bright green glow emanating from the floor caught her attention.
"Oh shit, not again."
She reached down and grabbed the book. But unlike before, the glowing didn’t fade. She made it to the couch, sat down, and just stared at the book. Then she heard the voice.
"You were right to run from him."
Aryiah dropped the book and grabbed her knees, folding in on herself. This was definitely the strangest day of her entire life, and it just kept getting worse and worse. I really must be going crazy.
But why? she questioned, reality setting in. She liked her job, loved where she lived, and didn’t have anything in her life to stress her out to the point of craziness. So why was all this weird shit happening?
"Because it’s time for you to take your rightful place," the voice replied.
This time she didn’t freak out. She was starting to get pissed, so she yelled back, "What the fuck is happening? Who are you and what do you mean, rightful place?"
There was a slight pause and then the book lost its glow and the voice continued, "If you are ready to accept your destiny, I will reveal myself to you."
She placed her feet on the floor, readjusted herself on the couch, and straightened her spine. What the hell, if I’m going crazy, I might as well see what destiny has in store for me.
After a deep breath, and with a steady voice, Aryiah proclaimed, "I accept my destiny, now please show yourself to me."
A moment later a shimmering green light started to appear in the middle of Aryiah’s living room, sparkling just like the light of the book. Aryiah watched, wide eyed, as it grew bigger and bigger, brighter and brighter, until she was staring at a figure forming inside.
"Holy shit!" Not a minute after seeing the green light form, a man had materialized in the middle of her living room. A fucking gorgeous hunk of a man. He was tall, at least 6’4", tanned skin, dark hair cropped close to his head, and the most fantastic body she'd ever seen. He wore nothing but a pair of black military style pants and matching combat boots. Once she closed her mouth and peeled her eyes away from his amazing abs, she looked up at his face and was mesmerized by a pair of emerald eyes so brilliant, she swore they couldn’t be real.
How can any of this be real? she thought.
"Aryiah, don’t panic. I am real and it’s very important that I talk to you," the gorgeous stranger said.
Wait…how did he know what I was thinking? And why doesn’t he feel like a stranger?
"Please let me explain. To answer your first question, I know what you're thinking because I can hear all of your thoughts. To answer your second question, I am not a stranger, as we have met before."
Aryiah sat in silence, because right now all she could do was stare. After a few moments of self doubt, and thoughts of white padded rooms, she realized he must be telling the truth, because those were the exact questions she'd been thinking to herself.
So, mind reading? I can handle this. Since she'd studi
ed all kinds of metaphysical things when she was younger, telepathy and other psychic abilities weren’t something she was unfamiliar with. But a man literally appearing out of nowhere in her living room…that was a little hard to swallow.
"You’re handling this very well so far," Gorgeous said.
Holding up her hand and shaking her head, Aryiah interrupted. "Before you say anything else, or explain where we have met before––and you will explain...what's your name?"
Revealing a smile that caused her to melt just a little, Mr. Gorgeous held out his hand and said, "My name is Damarius."
With the smile still plastered on her face, Aryiah reach up and took his hand. She and Damarius gasped at the same time. As their eyes locked, a warm sensation ran up her arm, through her heart, and straight between her legs.
What the hell is happening? To her surprise, the answer he gave was not out loud, but instead, echoed inside her head.
Something that shouldn't be possible. He released her hand and stepped back. "I have to go."
Aryiah jumped off the couch and headed to block the door. "You’re not going anywhere until you explain all of this!"
His head dropped and he took a deep breath. "I would love to explain everything, but as I no longer understand what's happening, I have to go. I'll return soon to guide you." Then, in a flash of green light, even faster than when he appeared, he was simply gone.
Aryiah moved away from the door, feeling stupid. She forgot that blocking it wouldn’t stop him from coming and going. She now stood stunned, staring at the spot where Damarius had just been and thinking of the last thing he said, "I'll return soon to guide you." Then he disappeared right before her very eyes. Eyes...those beautiful, brilliant green eyes. They did seem familiar, and he said they had met before, but she just couldn’t place him. "Like I wouldn’t remember meeting someone like him," she said out loud.
