Solis: Modern Descendants

by elda lore

  “Thank you. Thank you so much, Veva.” He blinked again and shook his head, as if to rid the potential tears. “I think she did it all to spite Zeke.”

  “She did.” Zeke stood at the edge of the foyer. “And I think we should discuss this all later. For now, I have a party I’m hosting, and I wish for my sons to be present. People are curious.”

  “What people?” Solis snipped. “Aren’t you the center of enough attention? Three missing people won’t make a difference.”

  “It makes a difference to me, and I’d like you to return to the dining room.” He stood straight in his gorgeous tuxedo, a man of strength and power with one weakness. I’d like to think it was his heart, but I knew another part of him caused all his troubles.

  “How could she do this?” I questioned Zeke, like I had so many times as a child, looking up to him as a father-figure.

  “Later, my child.” The soothing words hit me wrong.

  “Not later. I’m not a child, and I want answers now.” I stomped my foot, disproving my statement. Zeke’s lips fought a smile.

  “So petulant, like her.” He scoffed. The comparison to my mother irritated me more. I was nothing like her. Nothing. I would never disown a child.

  “Zeke, your guests are speculating.” Mel’s nails-on-a-chalkboard voice ripped at my skin. Anger boiled upward. I was ready to lunge for her, feeling the need to choke someone. Sensing my building rage, an arm locked around me, and my back hit the chest of Solis. Bare skin rubbed at his dress shirt, but heat still emitted through the cloth. A warmth overcame my body, and I relaxed against him.

  “We’ll be right in,” Solis addressed Mel. “Can you give us a minute?” He spoke over my shoulder addressing his father. Zeke nodded, holding up one finger. He spun and gripped Mel’s upper arm, spinning her to retreat with him. She didn’t miss the chance to peer over her shoulder, though, and eye the three of us. Still holding onto me, Solis spun us as one to face Heph.

  “Heph, go back.” Solis’ voice encouraged but Heph hung his head.

  “I’m done tonight. I’m going to the stables.” With that he turned one-eighty, and exited the front door, leaving Solis and I standing over the blinding sun design.

  “If I’m her daughter, and you’re his son, but Heph’s our brother, that makes us…” I choked. My mind raced, logistics long ahead of reality.

  “Whoa, Veva, slow down. Think of it like his, hers, and theirs. You and I aren’t related. There is no blood connection.” My breathing sharpened and my chest rose. My hand covered my beating heart. “Besides, all that happened between Zeke and Hera, resulting in Heph was ancient history.”

  “History? You mentioned destiny. Aren’t all those crazy, ancient Greeks interrelated or something? And each one is destined for…” I stopped. Those crazy, ancient Greeks included him…and suddenly me. “Are we some kind of history due to repeat?” I gasped.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But the pinch to his voice proved he understood.

  “Are we destined to be together, although you’re a cheating cad, and I’m a raving bitch, and we never get along?” I stopped, realization hitting hard. “We’re like Zeke and…” The sharp intake of breath choked me. “Oh my God, it can’t be true.” Both hands covered my mouth while my eyes opened wide. “This is too much for me.”

  “Slow down, Vee.” His hands rubbed up and down my arms. A satisfying warmth wrapped over me.

  “Don’t play games with me,” I snapped, sensing he had done something to my body to trigger the calming response of his touch.

  “I don’t play games.”

  “Oh, yes, you do. And I free you of your obligation to spend time with me.”

  “It wasn’t an obligation, and I’ll never be free of you.” He released me with those words, turning me to face him. His hands circled my upper arms, pinning me with his stare, braced for my flight.

  “You and I are destined to be together.” The way he spoke, the words circled me, confident and assured. That warmth of a setting sun spilled over my body, coating me in heat for a man I loved to loath.

  “You and I are nothing,” I spat.

  “You and I are everything.” His mouth crashed mine, and we battled for control. It wasn’t pretty. I bit his lip. He gnashed back at mine. He forced his tongue in my mouth and my teeth covered it. He sucked back a breath, but I followed his lead. My tongue swiped his lips, and he captured it with his teeth. Our eyes remained open, too close and unfocused. One of us would have to give as we stood in this ridiculous position of his teeth holding me captive by my tongue.

  His eyes shuttered closed. His lips molded around my tongue and drew backward. His teeth released me. Initially prepared to fly away from him, I remained to fight, giving into the sudden freedom. My mouth met his. He stilled. We stood, holding our lips together for a moment. Neither of us moved. I don’t think I even breathed. Then his lips led as they formed over mine, and I gave into the capture.

  The softening touch melted me like the rich caramel of his eyes and I relaxed into the kiss. Our lips danced slowly, sucking gently at each other in turn before coming together again to a spiral and twirl as one. My hips joined the dance and I pressed forward in need of connection. The peacock at my leg broke free of my dress and my knee rose against his gray pants. His hand instantly cupped under my knee, drawing my leg upward and opening me to him. The kiss deepened.

  His other hand found its home at the nape of my neck. A powerful position, it controlled me and yet I reveled in the comfort of its placement there. Our mouths danced. Our hips swayed. Our thoughts one.

  “Veva?” My mother’s voice crashed me back to reality.

  “Mom?” Solis released me so quickly, I stumbled backward. His hands still on me, he helped balance me.

  “Solis, could you excuse us for a moment?”

  His eyes met mine. I wanted him to stay. I was afraid I’d break under her. She’d ruin something. Something I’d never felt before. She would smother it, smother me, but my mother and I needed to talk. I nodded for Solis to go and defeat came to his honey eyes. He released me and stepped around my mother, but her hand came out, and she motioned toward his lips.

  “You might want to wash that off.” Her stern voice implied disgust. Solis let his eyes burn at her before excusing himself.

  “Mom, I still can’t believe you are here.”

  “Demi and I needed to visit. It’s been years since we’ve been here. I became concerned for you. You know I don’t trust Zeke’s philosophies.”

  “What philosophies are those?” I retorted.

  “His morals on sexuality.”

  I laughed without humor.

  “Judging by the position I just found you in, I see my concerns are justified.”

  “Mother, please,” I sighed, dismissing the fact that another second and I would have let Solis take me against the wall of the entry way.

  “I didn’t raise a slut.” The words slapped me, but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before from her. Anger built anew in me, like a slow kettle boiling water. My fists clenched at my sides. I stood taller.

  “No, you didn’t. You raised a woman afraid to commit to a man. Afraid that a man would never commit to me, and provided me with every tool to distrust the opposite sex.”

  The sharp intake of breath in response was as if I slapped her back. Her brown eyes opened wider before narrowing to slits.

  “Don’t talk back to me. I see I’ve made a mistake allowing you to come here this summer.”

  “A mistake?” My voice rose. “Allowing me the freedom I deserve at twenty-three years old?” I scoffed again, humor being the farthest emotion from my thoughts. “On that note, I thought you’d be happy to get rid of me. You got rid of Heph.” This time the words struck harder. Her hand covered her mouth.

  “How dare you?”

  “How dare you?” I snapped back. “I can’t believe you never told me I have a brother. Why?” The whine in my voice proved I was on the verge of
tears. The anger, the frustration and the betrayal all coming to crash, like boiling water frothing up and over the pot.

  “Heph is a complicated story and none of your concern.”

  “None of my concern? I just learned I have a brother, and it’s not my concern?” Taking a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders. “My concern is for a child you dismissed because of your hatred for a man, an innocent child that didn’t choose to be part of your sick game with Zeke. A child who grew to be a man who’s been nothing but kind and protective of me since I got here. I never knew about him, and he knew all about me.” My palm slapped against my thigh, reminding me briefly of the sensual dress I wore, the party that played out down the hall, and the celebration we were supposed to be attending.

  “I didn’t mean for any of this to come out like it has.” Her voice softened, but the sympathy I had for her vacated years ago. To harbor such bitterness, such hatred, all her life, had to be exhausting. It exhausted me.

  “When did you mean for it come out? There is so much happening here, and I don’t understand any of it. And I sense you know. You know all about this place and the people who live here. So many secrets, Mom.” Like boiled water, I went over the pot and singed the stove flame. “Is there anything special about me?” My voice dropped, feeling inadequate compared to the rest of the people at Zeke’s estate. Maybe they all have something unique about them, and I was the outlier. The ignorant outlier.

  “Oh course you’re special, honey.” My mother stepped forward and reached for my hair, like she would when I was a child. She’d brush it behind my ear, but I didn’t want her touching me, and I flinched back from her outstretched hand.

  “I don’t mean like that, Mom.”

  “How do you mean?” Her tone deepened as her hand lowered. Her eyes narrowed again.

  “Like Solis, Leos, and Hades. Am I special like them?”

  Defeat took control. My mother’s shoulders fell, as did her head. Her hands clutched before her.

  “I don’t think tonight’s the time to discuss all this. Let’s just return to the party, and we can talk tomorrow.”

  “No, Mom.”

  “No?” She questioned.

  “I’m not waiting anymore. Tonight. Now.” I held firm. If she didn’t want to talk, she’d have to be the one to walk away.

  “Fine.” She exhaled and looked up at me. A comforting brown did not meet me, but swirls of displeasure like a murky pond did.

  “One day, your power will come to you. I have no way to predict what it will be or when that will happen, but a Day of Discovery will occur. Like a birthday, it will be the awakening of your gifts and talents.”

  I stared at my mother. Who was this woman? I suddenly wondered. My whole life felt like a lie, but then I recalled what Heph said. A long, long time ago. How old was my mother? She looked less than double my age. She’d been eighteen when she got pregnant with me, or so I thought. I realized, facing a woman who was an older version of me, I knew nothing about her. The front door opened, and Heph entered. His boots were caked in mud and dust covered his thighs. A piece of hay graced his dark hair. He stared at the two of us. Nodding once, signaling to excuse himself, he crossed the hall for the corridor.

  “Heph?” My mother’s voice was the meekest I’d ever heard. He stopped with his broad back toward us. “Could I speak with you?” A veined hand fluttered over her hair and her fingers trembled. Heph turned to face her, uncertain and hesitant to speak with the woman who rejected him.

  “Tomorrow.” His gruff voice surprised me. Full of hurt—I recognized that pain—set to bubble.

  “Tomorrow.” She smiled weakly, and he dipped his head again before turning back for the family’s residence.

  “Well,” she offered to me, “I think we’ve made enough of a spectacle this evening. I hear music. We should rejoin the party.”

  I stared in disbelief. That was it? A Day of Discovery? She’d talk with Heph? Did she think this made up for everything? Two seconds of explanation and a promise to speak with Heph. The boil in me lost its steam. I assented to her request and followed her like a dutiful daughter down the hallway.

  SOLIS

  Thank the gods. Veva’s prolonged absence put me on edge. Her mother’s scowl told me Veva was in for a verbal lashing, and I didn’t even know Hera. With her head hung, Veva separated from her mother, and headed straight for the bar along the back wall. The party had moved from the dining room to the ballroom dripping with a crystal chandelier and more candles. I crossed the room as if a magnet pulled to its pole. I wanted to comfort her in any way. Despite a tough exterior, Veva had been through too much over the last few days: Witnessing my powers; hearing Mel, and her vicious lies; and learning Heph was her brother were all too much information for one human girl to withstand.

  I reached the bar at the same time Veva downed a shot of sweet whiskey. Her cheeks were sallow and her lips puckered, but she swallowed the harsh liquor, and her shoulders relaxed.

  “How are you?” I asked, resting my elbows on the wood structure. Veva stared forward, shaking her head. System overload, I confirmed, from her lack of words.

  “Let’s dance.” Her fingers gripped the edge of the bar, and my hand covered hers. I had to remove her fingers one at a time, the tension was so tight. Veva was wound; I recognized her temper.

  “Hold onto me,” I encouraged, and her delicate fingers curled into my palm as she nodded in agreement. Gripping my hand, I led her to the dance floor. The music pulsed. Afraid to release her, I was relieved to see the music melting into her, and her curvaceous body began rolling to the beat. Her arms lifted and her hips swayed, and my dick strained. Veva’s moves seduced without trying. She spun in a half-circle, and I tugged her back to me. Her backside brushed against the strain at my zipper, and I nipped at her neck.

  “That’s my girl. Let go,” I whispered. Our bodies moved as one in a rippling motion, like waves lapping at the shore. My palm flattened on her lower abdomen, and her arms rose again. We rode the rhythm until the song ended. My cousin’s band had rocked the room.

  “So, we’re going to break for a bit and I hear there’s a karaoke machine to entertain you for a few minutes. I’m volunteering my cousin, Solis, to get us started.”

  I laughed and shook my head. No way. While I could hold a tune, there was no way I would sing in front of these people. Before I knew it, Veva left me on the dance floor and walked to the machine. She scrolled the songs, asked a question, and picked up two microphones. Stalking back to the center of the floor, she handed me one. I laughed harder. She had no idea what she was in for, until she sang out the first line.

  “You don’t own me.”

  My heart dropped. A classic from 1963 by Lesley Gore, Veva broke into a song I knew well. She handed me the mic and I took over adding in the modern rendition responding to her call: she didn’t know boys like me. For Veva, it wasn’t about owning her. She owned me. The first moment I touched her, sitting on the lounge chair by the pool, the electric shock instantaneous—I knew Veva was like no other. Then when we first kissed, heated and heady, Veva was a drug to me, and I needed another hit of her. When I finally got to touch her, the familiarity of her body blew me away. The refreshing scent after a rain storm, Veva filled me with something I hadn’t experienced before. Calm. Comfort. Care.

  I cared about her, and despite her stormy exterior, I sensed she cared about me in return. Her tender kisses down my back returned to my mind as I watched her eyes alight with glee as she reprimanded me with song. No, I didn’t own her. She owned every inch of me, including my heart, and it frightened me. More than my training or the prophecy, loving Veva scared me.

  Together, we put on quite a show. Veva berated me while she sang, admonishing me and wagging her finger in my direction. I pretended to be wounded and rapped my confidence back at her. I even fell to my knees at one point and hung my head. Our little audience applauded at the end, and Veva’s tension broke into that bubble-popping laughter I adored.
I stood instantly and lifted her in the air. I wanted my girl to fly like bubbles. I wanted her to be light and carefree, and love me, but I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t hurt her.

  The night carried on for a while, with more rounds of shots and more entertaining karaoke before Veva, breathing heavily, said she needed air. Taking her hand with mine again, I led her out of the ballroom and onto a low veranda. A single set of steps led down into the yard and I continued to guide her away from the chaotic celebration.

  “That was invigorating,” she laughed, holding her hand over her chest. “I haven’t sung like that in a while.”

  “You were pretty good in there.” I brushed back a wayward strand of hair falling loose from the pile on her head. I wasn’t wrong when I called her stunning earlier. She looked surreal, with her sculpted neck exposed and her spine teasing me.

  “You can sing, too. Is there anything you can’t do?” she giggled again as she stopped and turned to look at me.

  “I’m not sure I can tell you how I feel about you.” The words tumbled out of my mouth too quickly to take them back, and the wide eyes of Veva proved her surprise. She looked down at my lips, as if expecting more or willing them to take the words back. I couldn’t read her, suddenly.

  “It’s been a long day.” Her voice softened, and the hand at her throat slowly cascaded to the deep V of her dress. I swallowed hard as I watched her blaze a trail over her own skin.

  “I’d like to help you. What do you need?”

  “I need to forget all of this for a little while. Maybe we could paint?” Her statement a question, asking me, could I help her? Trusting me to help her forget, warmed my insides and I fought the goofy smile threatening to fill my face.

  “Follow me,” I said, crooking my arm, and watching as her smaller hand slipped around my elbow. We walked to the cottage. Once there, I offered her an old dress shirt to use as a smock. I slipped it over her arms and slowly buttoned the front. Her chest rose and fell as each button trapped her gorgeous dress underneath. My mouth watered, filled with a thirst to kiss her, but I sensed Veva needed some time and space. She needed to paint.