by Garnet Hart
She grinned and sat on the chair he had pulled back for her. He settled beside her and a young waitress handed her the menu list.
“I have some good news,” she said after the waitress took her order. Eversince she came to Las Vegas, Geoff had been her only friend. Anything that happened in her daily life, he was always the first one to know. Except about the Lycans, of course.
“Can’t wait to hear it.”
“I mixed a perfume that I named Esmeralda. My teacher showed it to his friend who is working for Calvin Klein. And just this morning, I got a call from Calvin Klein and they want to buy the right to manufacture the perfume. They also offered me a contract to work in their company.”
“Wow! Congratulations!” Geoff exclaimed. “That’s really great! When will you meet them?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t think I’d be here for the meeting.”
“Why? Where’d you be?”
“I need to travel to England to attend to important family matters. I haven’t told you that I have relatives in England, have I?”
“No, you haven’t.”
“Well, that’s my problem. I don’t know how long I’ll be there and this meeting is set next week. I need your help, Geoff.”
“Name it, you have it, Em,” he replied, addressing her by a nickname he himself made.
“I want you to represent me in this meeting. I want you to sign the contract on my behalf.”
“Sure, but you sound like you’re leaving me a will, Em. Come on, you want me to go with you to England?”
“No, no, no. I know how busy you are.”
“I’m never too busy for you, you know that. I’ll always find time for you.”
She smiled at him sweetly. “Thanks.”
“So how much is CK paying you for the rights?”
“Three hundred thousand dollars.”
“That’s low. I can negotiate for half a million on your behalf.”
“Really?”
“Leave everything to me. I’ll have my agent handle your career, if you want. She’s a genius.”
“Oh, thank you Geoff!”
“Alright. Now, it’s my turn.”
“What?”
“I was nominated for the Emmy Awards.”
“Best Actor?”
“Of course!”
She quickly covered her mouth before she could scream.
“I want you to come with me on the awards night. I’ve a good feeling I’ll win this, and I want you there with me.”
Her smile faded. “My uncle will not allow me,” she replied. Geoff really believed Garr was her uncle.
He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “If I present you to the whole world, that might convince him that I mean you no harm.”
She stared at his face sadly. There was no doubt he had the purest of intentions toward her, but he knew nothing about her. He was the kindest man she’d ever known and was the person she could consider her friend. Aside from Garr, he was probably the only one who cared about her even if she had nothing to offer him in return.
She looked away before she could cry. She happened to see a man seated in a table a few feet away from them. She frowned.
That beast again, hiding his monstrosity underneath that expensive suit.
Two of her guards were seated just at a nearby table. The rest were left at the ground floor lobby. She could only imagine the tension her guards were feeling with their enemy sitting just a few meters away.
And the bastard didn’t seem to give a damn about the restraining order! She could call the police right now and have him arrested. But of course, she couldn’t. It will create a scene and Geoff will be involved.
“So, would you go with me?” Geoff asked, grabbing back her attention.
“Of course,” she lied. She would just call him on the phone to explain that she would be leaving the US indefinitely. For how long, she really didn’t know. She hoped it won’t take a year to win Vanar back, if the Invictus would win, at all.
“Hey, where are you?”
“Huh?’
“You were so deep in thought I’m beginning to get jealous of your thoughts,” he teased her.
She smiled. He was so sweet. She raised her hand to Geoff’s cheek and pressed a kiss on his lips.
Geoff froze. She had never done that to him before.
She threw Lior a covert glance and found him glaring at her. His lips moved and uttered the word ‘bitch’.
“Asshole,” she silently replied before looking back at Geoff.
“Don’t do that here,” Geoff told her in a chastising tone but his eyes were twinkling. “It’s not fair as I cannot return the favor in the manner that I really want to.”
She laughed and hugged him while stealing glances at Lior. The Lycan’s face was darkening. She was afraid he might lose his temper and make a scene.
“Who’re you looking at?” Geoff asked and followed her gaze. His eyes widened. “Isn’t that…” He turned around to take a better look. “Yes, it’s him. I can’t believe he’s here.”
She was stupefied when Geoff stood up and approached Lior’s table, looking very thrilled to see the bastard. They shook hands.
This was not good. Lior could take away the only friend she had if he wanted to, especially that Geoff was acting like a die-hard fan toward him.
To her horror, Geoff returned with Lior to their table.
“Emerald,” Geoff said as they stood before her. “This is Lior Wolverton. Lior, this is my friend, Emerald Greene.”
Lior smiled and thrust his hand toward her. “Great to finally meet this movie star’s girlfriend.”
She ignored him and looked away. Geoff nudged her but she still refused to accept the bastard’s hand.
“Please sit with us,” Geoff asked Lior. They both settled, and it annoyed her more that Lior chose the chair across her, especially when she saw that smirk on his face.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about Lior, Em,” Geoff told her. “He’s an award-winning producer in Britain.”
“No. I’ve never heard of such ugly name my entire life. It sounds like a savage beast that preys on humans. They should stay in the forest and not be allowed to stray here in the cities.”
Geoff gaped at her, as though seeing a new side of her for the first time.
“I’ll say the same with names that sound like gems,” Lior replied. “They should remain hidden forever or they’d provoke greed among humans. Unless they’re fake,” he especially emphasized the last word.
She eyed him hard while Geoff switched his glances between them.
“Am I missing something here?” Geoff asked.
Asra did not say a word and looked away.
“You have a call,” Lior told her.
She looked at him. “What?”
“Your phone is ringing.”
She reached inside her pouch and felt her phone vibrating. The extra-sensitive senses of this Lycan was really something.
It was Garr. His men must have called him to report already.
She pressed the cancel button. She must not speak with Garr in the presence of this Lycan. He could hear the voice of someone speaking from the other line. There were two messages from Garr, as well. She kept her eyes on Lior as she opened the message, to make sure that he would not read it. Garr wanted her to leave the restaurant immediately.
Lior was smiling at her. If Geoff was not there, she’d grab the heavy ashtray on the table and smash it on his face.
She needed to leave. Now.
Geoff insisted to walk her to the parking lot. Asra refused.
“The paparazzi, remember? They might be outside the building, waiting for you.”
Geoff shrugged. “I don’t care. If you don’t want me to take you home, let me take you to your car instead.”
Lior was listening to them argue with amusement.
He knew her predicament, the bastard!
She covertly threw a glance at her Lycan guards who were now restless a
t their table. Geoff might notice them. Why would she be escorted by two burly men? She was not even a celebrity. He might suspect something and she didn’t want to raise any suspicion in him.
Geoff said his goodbyes to Lior.
“We’ll talk about your next movie, soon.” Lior promised Geoff.
“Great! See you soon, Lior.”
She turned around and left their table.
“Asra,” Geoff followed her, her Lycan guards right behind him.
They caught up with her in the hallway. “Asra, we need to leave the building, now! It’s Garr’s order!” said Connor urgently.
“Hey!” Geoff said. “Who are you?”
The Lycan ignored Geoff. “Let’s go, Asra. Lior’s men have surrounded the building. We are outnumbered. Garr is coming but it may be too late if we don’t leave now. Let’s take that elevator.” The Lycan pointed at the row of elevators at the end of the hallway.
“Asra, who are these men?” Geoff asked her, confused.
She saw Lior walking toward them. Then there were a dozen of them, rushing like the pack of beasts that they were.
“Geoff, I need to go. I’m sorry. I’ll call you!”
Adolph ran to one elevator. “Come on!”
Connor grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the lift.
“Asra!” Geoff shouted. “What is happening?!”
She entered the elevator just as Lior reached the elevator lobby with his pack.
She watched in horror as Lior grabbed Geoff’s shoulder and bared his fangs.
Fearing for Geoff’s life, she jumped out of the lift before it could close.
Chapter 18
Lior had to give it to Garr. The Lycan walked into his lair with a small army of twenty-four Las Vegas policemen, all of them, Lycans.
Fuck, he knew it. No wonder the police came to him for Asra. Garr had managed to make himself powerful in America. In Las Vegas at least.
Garr was no doubt here for Asra. Well, the old Lycan can either try to take Asra in peace or in bloodshed. Either way, Garr will fail. If Garr had to succeed, he’d have to walk over his corpse and he had won too many battles to lose against an old Lycan who used to take orders from him.
At this point, he was prepared for a full-on war between their packs if he did not desist from trying to sabotage his plans. Garr’s small pack was nothing compared to his army of more than a thousand Lycans in Skye. If he so ordered, they will come to America aboard his ships and jets and hunt down Garr’s group, which he’d calculate to be no more than two hundred Lycans. Garr was a huge detriment to his ultimate goal for Vanar. His ways were for fools. Going against Odin with his puny army was the work of a bloody fool.
“I come in peace, Lior,” the old Lycan started.
“Then you have to promise me that you will no longer attempt to take what is mine, Garr.”
“Yours? You mean Asra?”
He didn’t answer.
“She is not yours, nor is she mine, Lior. She should be free to choose where she wants to side. And she has chosen the Invictus. Ask her yourself.”
“She has chosen the side of a bloody idiot.”
“This idiot is loyal to Vanar.”
“And what about your loyalty to me? To my father?”
Garr narrowed his eyes. “I was loyal to you once, because you promised that you’ll get Vanar back for us. But for hundreds of years, you’ve done nothing to fulfill your promise. Instead, you served our enemies. My loyalty is with Vanar, while you… you are a puppet of Asgard.”
Lior’s blood rushed to his head. His fingers itched to strangle this old Lycan who dared insult him, but he held himself. “I have my plans, Garr. You should have waited.”
“For how long? For a millennium?” Garr scoffed. “Lior, your people are tired of waiting. They want to go home. Our people back in Vanar are sick of being slaves of Asgard. They want their old lives back.”
It was a bitter truth but he knew, Garr spoke some truth. But he refused to accept what Garr was telling him, that he was a traitor to Vanar. That was the farthest from the truth for he knew in his heart, he loved his people and Vanar.
“I will go back to Asgard and help Odin defeat Surt. The Songstress will assure him victory. Then I will ask Vanar as reward and he will mostly likely grant my wish. I’m almost there. And if you’d only help me get rid of those Demons, then my job would be easier. We can all go home.”
“I don’t trust your god,” Garr replied. “If Odin has the songstress, he’ll use her to conquer other worlds. Soon all realms would be under Odin’s feet, and all would bow down to his power. That was what he’d wanted all along, to be praised as the god of all worlds.”
Lior turned away. Indeed, Odin had been waging wars among other worlds to gain more power and glory. He’d stolen many artifacts that belonged to other worlds and had destroyed the balance of power among realms in his quest to become the most dominant god of all.
“Don’t you see? Odin is far more powerful than any of us, and that’s why my father had surrendered to save our race from extinction. If we’ll just cooperate with Odin, then we’d all be fine. We don’t need to resort to war. If we remain loyal allies and friends with Asgard, then Odin will give us back our homeland.”
“Odin, Odin!” Garr growled. “I’m sick of hearing that bullshit. He’s a liar! He has deceived your father. The Lycans you found in Midgar when you came here two hundred years ago were those who escaped execution in Vanar. And that included me and other Lycans who had been fighting alongside Asgard. Odin’s a traitor! He wishes to annihilate the Lycan race, but has been doing it slowly so Fenrir would not notice. We have told you that a long time ago, yet you refused to believe it. You still do. Open your eyes, my lord.”
He had been told of that, and it shocked him beyond anything else. According to Garr, a compassionate Aesir soldier had sent them a message that there would be a widespread persecution of the Lycans who were unable to serve Asgard in any way and to those who lacked loyalty to Asgard, and that included Garr for being openly defiant of Odin.
Lior had informed Fenrir about it, but even his father could hardly believe such thing. “Until I see a proof of these executions you are referring to, I’ll keep my judgment reserved.”
“If you wish to remain a puppet of Asgard, then consider us among your enemies,” Garr threatened. “Soon, all the remaining members of your pack will join us, and we will be on each other’s throats.”
“I am not a puppet!” Lior answered back harshly. “I am both a god and a Lycan. Vanar and Asgard are both my worlds. I serve not only Odin but my father as well, for the good of all worlds.”
“No, Lior, you’re not one of us. If you care a bit about your people, you could have done something to free Vanar. Truth be told, I regard your brother with higher respect even if he had joined forces with the Demons in a desperate attempt to get back his home. At least he had tried, although he had chosen the wrong solution.”
He sighed. So the rumor was true that Roar was the true founder of the Invictus and had been secretly supporting the group even while he was serving Asgard. “Why have you no’ told me this earlier?”
“As I said, I keep secrets to my death. I am just telling you now because Roar’s no longer connected with the Invictus. He had deserted us and forged an alliance with the Demons without our knowledge.”
He’d had noticed a long time ago that Roar did not have anything nice to say about Odin, but he had not expected that he was involved in any rebellion. “Where is Roar?”
Garr sneered. “You have more reason to look for him than I do, but if I do know where he is, do you think I’d tell you? Though we have separated and he wants Asra, too, we are still fighting for the same cause.”
“Were you the one who threw him down the cliff?”
Garr did not answer and Lior knew he guessed it right. “Did you kill him?”
“You could have found his body if I did.”
“Have you learned anything of his whe
reabouts?”
“Who knows? He could be anywhere. And don’t bother looking for him. He despises you.”
Lior sighed. He was only a year older than Roar and they used to be too close during their younger years. But eventually they became estranged from each other as their principles differed. Lior became a general for showing great loyalty to Odin, but Roar remained a soldier for refusing to attend any feast where Odin was present.
Lior knew Roar had that deep hatred in his heart, but Roar had never talked about it, not even to their father.
“He’s my brother. I can convince him to ask for forgiveness from Odin. Odin canna kill him, nor me… or he’d lose the service of my father and the Lycans that serve Asgard.”
Garr shook his head. “Why don’t you join us instead? If you still have some loyalty left to Vanar, join us in our quest to get our land back. Surely, you will be our King, and you can restore Vanar back to its glorious days. We have the songstress. She trusts me and she is willing to cooperate with me. She will help us.”
For a moment, Lior reconsidered Garr’s suggestion, but a part of him, his Aesir part, was screaming bloody traitor. “I only have a thousand warriors, and I’m sure yours is not any bigger or you could have attacked us a long time ago.
Asgard has hundreds of thousands of warriors alone, and all the goddesses who are not warriors can fight, as well. Even if we have a songstress, I don’t think she will be enough to fill in the gap.”
Garr was quiet for a while. “We’ll find other allies.”
“The Vampires canna help us. They dunna want to be involved in any war outside Midgar.”
“There are others, but unless you pledge your loyalty to Invictus, I will not tell you.”
Lior sighed, shaking his head. “Garr, why don’t you surrender to Asgard while I can still save your ass? You’re putting the lives of the Lycans in unnecessary danger.”
“Dying for our land is an honor, my lord. It is of utmost importance to the Invictus to put our lives on the line for our people and Vanar. If it’s necessary for us to die to give our people a better home, then be it.”
Somehow, he felt embarrassed. However, he had a different opinion about that. “You can have a good life here in Midgar if you wish to stay here. You dunna have to go to war.”
