by Dahlia Lu
They shook their heads in condemnations. “Fiend...”
She nodded in agreement. “A little theatric, but it’s the truth. He really is a fiend.”
The Lycans’ faces suddenly stiffened as they looked past her.
It was her turn to frown. “He’s right behind me…isn’t he? That would be a little too cliché.”
They nodded.
Damn it!
“Is that supposed to be an insult directed at me?” the insane deity asked.
She mouthed the word ‘run’ and the Lycans scattered. She slowly turned around.
“Busted,” she mumbled to herself. “Do you ever sleep?”
He shook his head. “God...”
“Hmm…”
“One - one.”
“That’s not true at all. It’s still one - zero.”
“If you had escaped, then it would have been two - zero. But you failed, so the score is one - one.”
“Really…?”
He nodded.
When he reached for her, she jerked back. “I can walk back to my room!”
He folded his arms to the back of his head and leaned against them as he followed her.
She looked at the frozen scenery in front of the gate and then turned to him. “When are you going to unfreeze them?”
He briefly glanced in their direction. “You said they were noisy.”
“Are they going to be okay? I mean… they have been standing there for over twenty four hours. Are they going to die without food or water?”
“Would you like to find out yourself?”
“No, no,” she shook her head. “What I mean is, you can’t hold up this place forever. You have very frightened hostages and I don’t want to know how they ‘cleaned up’ the corpse of the man you murdered. Perhaps a change of location is in order.”
“Must you be so demanding, mortal? I have already granted you what you asked for.”
“You’re like one of those genies who like to twist a wish around and make things worse.”
“Genies…? What are those?”
“Magical spirits trapped in an oddly shaped lamp and if you free them, they will grant you three wishes. At least that’s what the cartoons say.” She paused. “I see the similarities now. Do I get any wishes?”
“You did not free me and you have me confused with something else entirely.”
“Fine, fine,” she muttered, opening the front door and heading inside. “If you are a god, then what are you the god of? Most mythological gods have designations. In Greek Mythology for instance, Apollo is the god of the sun and prophecy, while his twin sister Artemis, is the goddess of the moon.”
He inched his chin an inch higher and proudly said, “I am…” he blinked in confusion, “I am…”
“You seemed to remember everything but your name.”
He muttered something in a foreign language and then heaved a deep breath. “I understand now. Lucifer must have stolen it.”
“Stolen what?”
“My true name…”
“How do you steal someone’s name?” In a mocking voice, she said, “I stole my coworker’s name! My name is Steve now.”
“Silence, mortal…! I need to think.”
“You were serious, weren’t you?”
“That is the only way he could have trapped me in the first place. Clever archangel…” He blinked a few more times. “His true name…! Why haven’t I thought of it before? If I knew his true name, then I could force him to rise!” He sharply turned to her and then shook his head. “He wouldn’t have entrusted his most valuable possession to a mortal.”
“Back to square one then…? Why don’t you just let it go?”
“After what he did to me…?” He asked in a low and dangerous tone and then roared, “Never!”
She sighed. “It was worth a try.”
He backed her against the wall and pinned a hand overhead. “You haven’t a clue! None…!”
She unconsciously gulped.
He arched his neck and brought his lips to her ear. “Does it make your heart ache to know what I will be doing to him?”
Amara could hear her own labored breathing.
“I will return every ounce of pain he inflicted upon me. I will torment him mentally and physically, until I reawaken his instinct. I will drive him to the brink of his sanity. And you are the key to his demise.”
She whimpered when his large hand shoved up her skirt.
“It has been a while, hasn’t it?” He said silkily with a smirk on his strikingly gorgeous face. “Do you want to know the difference?”
Not the time to think about how handsome he looks, Amara.
She calmed her breathing. It was not the time to be a girl. “I think you were right about being too long without a woman that even a mortal looks attractive to you. Especially in one you find annoying and repulsive at the same time.”
“Desperation does that to a man.”
“But you are more than a man. You are a god.”
“Your ability to coax a man’s ego is appalling and yes, that is a compliment. I’m beginning to see why Lucifer chose you and I know that he is very particular about… everything.”
He didn’t. On another note, you kidnapped the wrong girl. Two - one.
She swallowed a laugh that threatened to give away her secret. “May I recommended a place for you to find… willing immortal women?”
He had a still expression on his face.
“Uh…” she blinked. “Well… I have heard the demons talking of this place that’s crawling with immortals. I have been curious to go, but I may get killed…being a mortal and all.”
“Wouldn’t it be simpler if you just tell me where it is?”
“On one condition… you will take me with you.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I have been dying, not literally, to go!”
“I don’t remember the last time I negotiated with anyone.”
“Then I think you should get fresher memories.”
They stared at each other. “Very well…”
She pulled her fist out of the air triumphantly. “We’re hitting New York, Baby!”
She wiggled away from his trap and then searched the mansion for a map. When she found one, she slapped it on the table and pinpointed it with her finger. “Can you get there?”
He caught her hand and the scenery around them changed. Towering skyscrapers were competing for space in the sky. The crowd heading toward them veered away frantically. She staggered a few circular steps from the dizziness.
Still not used to teleportation after all of these years.
Amara heaved in a deep breath to calm herself. She turned to him and said, “I don’t remember where it is exactly, since I’ve only spied on the place once, so we may need to ask for directions and take the subway.” She scanned her surroundings. “Actually… we're close to the tower. I think I remember where it is now.”
She led him down a few blocks and pointed at the tall, gray building shooting straight into the sky. “It’s on the top floor. We need to take the elevator…” they were already there, “or not.”
She clutched onto his forearm to shake away the headache. “This cannot be good for my brain cells.”
Raw brick walls, leather furniture, red lights, pop culture of immortals…and the staring. “Yep, this is the place.” She gave him a playful punch. “Go on, stud.”
“Try not to die.”
“You threw me to a pack of Lycans and I made it out alive.”
The females swamped him almost immediately.
Now, I plan my escape. She lightly tapped the tips of her fingers together in a rhythmic order. Excellent...
Her eyes widened. “Oh my god, they have a pool on the balcony!” She gasped
. “Do I go or do I stay…?”
Concentrate, Amara.
A deathly cold hand bit into her shoulder. “You’re not supposed to be here,” a man’s husky voice whispered into her ear.
She leaned her head back to see who it was and met his golden gaze. His eyes looked like they were made of liquid gold. She exhaled with relief. “Chevy…!” She turned around and hugged him tightly.
“Don’t Chevy me, missy. I have told you many times not to come near this place.”
“It was forced upon me, I swear!”
“Forced?”
She pointed at the deity. “I was kidnapped by that man there, who claimed to be some sort of ancient god aiming to seek revenge on Lucifer. He thinks that I’m Kali.”
“Why would he think that?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “He is not at all sane. Apparently, Lucifer had him locked up until now. I don’t think this is a good time to talk about it. We need to get out of here.”
“You’re right,” Chevalier agreed. He made contact with her shoulder and teleported to his home.
“Three times back to back…? Oh my head!” she cried.
He hurried to the built-in bar and grabbed a bottle of vodka. “This is going to be cold, but bear it.” He opened the cap and poured the vodka over her head.
“Chevy!” she shrieked.
“I’m sorry, dear, but I must mask your scent with alcohol, until I can find some sandalwood.”
“Sandalwood…?”
“Very effective…”
“Oh.”
“And look at you. The last time I saw you, you were only a child.”
“And the last time I saw you… you looked the same.”
He shifted away and then back again with a white towel in his hand. She took it and wiped the alcohol off her face. “This stings...”
His hand rubbed the back of his neck. “How is Kali?” He asked the question coarsely, as though it was clamped in his throat.
“If you are curious, then why don’t you visit more often?”
He turned around and headed toward the kitchen. “Are you hungry?” He opened the refrigerator. From where she was standing, she could tell that it was empty. “I’ll order.”
“You two go into avoidance mode every time I mention about the other.”
“Pizza or Chinese…?”
“This is exactly what I mean.”
“You’re right, let’s order some pizza.”
“She’s ill.”
“Ill…?” He shifted in front of her and grabbed her by the arms. His expression turned for the worst. “Is it serious? Is she in pain?”
Amara shook her head. “You’re incurable. She’s immortal, remember?”
He released her and stared at her angrily.
“Don’t give me that look, Chevalier. If you love her then you should storm into that castle and whisk her away. Her husband had been away for a while now, thousands of years to be exact.”
He swept his hand over his face. “I don’t want to talk about this, especially not with you.”
“Because I’m a child…?” She gestured toward her body. “I’m pretty grown.”
“I have thousands of years over you. You will always be a child.”
“Even when I become old and wrinkly and devoid of teeth you will still see me as a child?”
He nodded.
“Whatever.” She pinched her wet clothes. “How long am I supposed to wear these?
“You can change. You just can’t wash the alcohol off yet. Go look in my closet and find something comfortable to change into. While you do that, I will order a large pizza and head off to find some sandalwood oil.”
“Three - one.” She mumbled to herself.
“What?”
She smiled almost to herself. “It’s my scoreboard.”
Noctis had blindingly underestimated the mortal.
She was ingenious at thinking on her feet and had an innate ability to form allies amidst the most disagreeable of situations. He had his eyes off of her for less than a minute’s time, and she had already charmed a male into taking away. She’d carefully masked her scent so that he could not even detect a trace of it. No doubt she is keeping score.
“I believe the appropriate language for this era would be… that little bitch!”
He felt irritated beyond belief. A god like him losing to a mortal like her? Never... He would sooner return to the dark prison than to admit that. Once a warrior, he knew that all was not lost. He may have lost a battle or two, but it was only the beginning. Error on his part, he had underestimated his enemy, but no longer. As soon as he gets her back into his clutches, he will make certain she understands that it was he who will be the victor of their little war. He will strike fear into her heart like so many before her. She will revere him and she will learn to obey him unconditionally.
It is I who will prevail over her in the end.
Sinking deeper into the seat, he let out a low growl, as the two females on each side of him ran their lusty hands and pressed kisses on his body. It felt good, but the thought of tracking the mortal down thrilled him exponentially. So much so that a smirk appeared on his face against his will.
The hunt is on, mortal.
Chapter Five
Chevalier had instructed her to bathe in a few drops of the sandalwood oil to mask her body scent and for the last four months, it worked well. She worriedly stared at the nearly empty bottle of sandalwood essential oil on the countertop, making a mental note that she needed to go buy another one and soon.
“I’ll buy a whole case,” she said and slowly sank her head into the warm running bathtub. When she emerged, she sighed in contentment as she reached for the bottle. “Catch me if you can…”
She jerked her hand back when she became startled by the banging on the bathroom door.
“What?” She shouted, surprised by the harshness of her voice.
“You bitch, this is my bathroom time!” Her roommate shouted through the door. “I have a date in half an hour!”
“Hose yourself down outside! I’m not moving.”
“Amara…!”
“Five minutes!”
“I don’t have five minutes! I have to shower and get my hair and makeup done before then!”
Mumbling a curse, Amara climbed out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around her body. As soon as she opened the door, her roommate shoved her aside and began striping off her clothes.
“You drive me crazy, Lizzie,” Amara said before she closed the door. “When are you moving out anyway?”
“Never…! I love you too much!”
“You know what I don’t love? You returning late at night and making so much noise that I can’t sleep. Don’t think I don’t know you snuck a guy or two into your room. Evidences are everywhere and they’re flavored!”
“How would you know unless…”
Amara rolled her eyes at the accusation. “I can read the wrappers!” Amara rubbed her arms as she shivered. “I’m cold! Let me know when the bathroom is free. Don’t take it hostage for too long.”
The phone was vibrating on her bed.
Amara picked it up after seeing the caller’s ID, keeping it a good distance from her wet hair. Then she remembered about the speaker option. “Yes, boss?”
“I’ve got a job for you.”
She began to towel dry her hair. “You always do. It’s never, ‘Hi Amara, I called you because I want to...’”
Her boss humorlessly laughed. “Your client will meet you in half an hour at Le Petite Lumière. He will be wearing a black suit and red tie.”
“So urgent…? How bad is he?”
“Suicidal.”
“Ouch!” She winced. “I’ll be there as quick as I can.”
Amara got dressed as quickly as
possible and drove to the destination with the help of the GPS on her phone. It was a fancy looking French restaurant with a uniformed doorman. Apparently, her client was loaded. That or he wanted to spend his money before he did the deed.
She told the receptionist that a friend was waiting for her and she looked around the restaurant for a man with black suit and red necktie. There were three, but she walked toward the most depressed looking one who was sitting alone.
“I’m the one you’re waiting for,” she said to him. He lazily looked up and then let his eyes sink again.
She seated herself next to him and tapped on his hand. “What’s the matter?” She asked softly.
He poured her a glass of wine and said, “I just need you to sit here for a little bit. You don’t have to do or say anything.”
“But I love talking,” she replied with a smile. “I mean, don’t you want to talk to someone before you jump off a bridge?”
He scanned around the restaurant to see if anyone had heard and returned his attention to her. “Look, I don’t want to talk. I just want your company….”
“What’s the harm in talking to me now that you’ve already made the decision? Are you afraid that I would talk you out of it?”
“No one can,” he said with determination.
“Exactly... Aren’t you a tiny bit afraid that no one would understand your side of the story before it’s silenced forever? Don’t you want someone to understand your point of view?”
He dug his fingers into his hair and slumped onto the table, slightly rocking back and forth.
“Deep breath,” she said to him.
He inhaled deeply and then met her eyes. There were screens of tears in his red, tired eyes. She could tell that he was trying hard not to let them fall.
“I’ve lost everything…” he said with a half-sob. “My wife left me. She took the kids. I have nothing left.”
She patted his back. “Did she have a good reason to?”
He hesitated. “My business was failing… badly. I was so stressed about it. I worked so hard just to keep it afloat. I spent nights away from home, staying at the office. I was so afraid.”
