by N P Hector
He was clean shaven now with the length of his silver hair plaited at the temples. She felt her stomach flop as he smiled at the gift she had offered. Tilting her chin up, he slanted his mouth over hers. A loud cheer emerged from the crowd and music began to play again.
She relaxed against him as the chaos resumed around them. He pulled away and looked her up and down. “You are the most magnificent woman I’ve ever seen.” His smile widened. “And you’re all mine.”
He took her hand and led her to a second throne beside his. He offered her a seat and explained the intricate dances. There were beautiful people all around them. Some with a subtle glow below their skin, others with suspiciously pointy features. All swirling and twirling around them.
Rom held her hand and pointed out different sects. She began to relax in her seat.
Joan flashed to their side and smiled as a nearby couple jumped at her sudden arrival. Prancing forward, she leaned against the throne Selene was seated on. “Selene, do you mind if I steal you from Rom?”
Selene nodded and let Joan lead her to a table of refreshments, hands on both of her shoulders. “You did so well! I’m so happy for you. Now, just survive the rest of the night and you’ll be fine.” Joan stopped at the table and ladled wine into a beveled glass. Taking a small sip, she nodded and then handed Selene the same goblet.
Mono had made its way around her high school and it had honed her already keen dislike of sharing drinks. She didn’t want to offend her friend, but there were so many other glasses. “Um, no thanks.”
Joan poured herself a glass and explained. “Oh, sorry about that. Just being careful. You’re the only human here, and there are substances that are extremely harmful to you but not to us. Don’t take anything without running it through me, Kat, or Rom. Okay?”
Selene nodded and eyed the crowd warily. She caught the eye of two very pale looking men and shied away from the stares. They laughed and turned to their companions. “Don’t mind them. They’re just trying to tear you apart. They know things are going to be shaken with your arrival.”
Selene was shoved into Joan as a few people brushed past her. Luckily, Joan caught her.
“It’s ok, it’s fine.” She made eye contact with the offenders and said very loudly, “I’m sure they’re classier than intentionally shoving me.”
“Do you want me to get Rom?”
Selene took a sip of her mulled wine. “No, no. I need to do this on my own. Besides, I handle hostage situations. I can handle a few snarky courtiers.”
Joan took her arm and they began to stroll around the edges of the ballroom. Joan had so much knowledge, and her facts were always punctuated with keen and witty observations.
Selene found that she was enjoying herself. Joan made the ball so much more interesting, and she enjoyed watching the intricate dances. All the colorful men and women dancing and swirling in a rainbow of fabrics. The music was unlike anything she had ever known but she found herself swaying gently to its rhythm.
A couple swooped dangerously close to them and Joan had to steady Selene by the elbow as she jumped back to avoid being swiped by the fae woman’s voluminous skirt. Selene laughed at the fun of it all. The dancers were so involved in the patterns of the music. She stopped laughing when she felt Joan stiffen beside her. “What’s wrong?”
Joan took a hearty sip of her glass and indicated towards Cullum. He was dancing with a petite dark-haired woman with beautiful curls. Selene recognized her as Dr. Lauren. Her powder blue dress was like a dream against the duskiness of her skin. He lifted her by her tiny waist and spun her in circles in time with the other dancers.
They were beautiful, but Selene felt her ire rise on her friend’s behalf. “How could he dance with her when you’re here?”
Joan tried to sound blasé. “I’m too tall and muscular to be lifted like that. He’d really have to work to spin me that way.”
Selene looked at her friend like she was crazy. “He should be honored to dance with you! Look at you! You’re gorgeous!” And she wasn’t just saying that to boost her friend’s ego. The gold of the dress brought out a similar hue in her friend’s brown hair. Where Selene was short and the pattern and weight of the gold dress would have overwhelmed her, Joan proudly carried the dress and looked statuesque. “Seriously, do you know who I’d kill for legs like yours?”
A waiter swept by and Joan plunked the glass on his tray. “Cullum is an idiot. He knows that if he asks me to dance I’ll just turn him down. We haven’t spoken directly to one another in years.”
Selene had noticed that although Cullum was dancing with Dr. Lauren his gaze kept straying back to Joan. A thought occurred to her and she turned to Joan, horrified. “Does Dr. Lauren know that he’s your fated?”
“No one does.”
Selene relaxed. “Thank goodness, I really liked her.”
Joan turned to her friend with a wide grin. Suddenly, the smell of baby powder overcame them and a pair of two fae men approached the women. One of them had brown hair and a beard, he was accompanied by a man with a long face and salt and pepper hair. The brown haired man had a medal and a sash across his waist. Selene didn’t know what for.
They stopped just in front of them and the brown haired man spoke. “I’ve come to inspect this version of the jewel of Andorra.” She didn’t know what that was, but the way he said it made her skin crawl. She extended her hand, “I don’t where you can find that jewel, but I’m Selene. Nice to meet you.” When he lifted an eyebrow and looked scornfully at her hand she withdrew it slowly. The butler look alike with salt and pepper hair spoke condescendingly, “when addressing the Western Fae all other Fae are expected to bow.” Selene looked over and realized that Joan had dropped into a curtsy.
Even if that was protocol, he was an ass for being so rude.
She felt her anger rising. There was nothing more she hated than people who spent so much time trying to make other people feel smaller. Her dusty old customer service tone seeped out, and she chirped, “well, it’s a good thing I’m not a fae then, hm?” She followed the sentence by reaching out and clapping a hand on Mr. Pompous Beard’s shoulder. Joan’s shoulders began shaking and she realized that her friend was trying her hardest not to laugh.
The Bearded man shrugged his shoulder away from her hand and snarled, “this is the Jewel of Andorra? I pity Romulus.”
Selene’s eyes flashed. She had thought that the jewel had been part of the necklace she was wearing. Now that she knew that it was meant to refer to her person, and that he had wanted to inspect it made her skin crawl in anger and disgust. She spoke coolly, “I don’t know much about your fae etiquette, but I can easily surmise that what you said was decidedly impolite.”
The two men stomped off and into the crowd. When they disappeared Joan rose to her full height and let out full guffaws. “I am so happy that you aren’t a fae and that you could do that! I’ve been wanting to do that for centuries. God, what an ass.”
Rom appeared at their sides and gave Joan a questioning look. “What are you two up to over here? And does it have anything to do with the leader of the Western Fae?” The two women looked at each other innocently before bursting out in laughter.
Romulus smirked and then drew Selene to him. “Joan, could you please give us a moment?”
Joan bowed her head briefly and strode bac into the crowd. Rom turned her to face the man beside him. “Selene, I’d like to introduce you to--”
“Cheese man?”
Rom looked surprised. “-- Gideon.”
The man she had met earlier in the library bowed at the waist. “So nice to see you again, and so soon.”
“You’re Gideon?”
“The one and only.”
Rom’s eyes moved between the two. “You two have met?”
Keeping her eyes on the blonde man, Selene explained, “earlier in the library.”
Gideon clapped his hands together. “Is there somewhere more private we could go? I understand that there’s s
ome confusion regarding your fated.”
Selene went to shake her head just as Rom gestured towards the doors in the alcove. “The garden.”
Selene felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she and Rom followed Gideon. She and Rom had just found their way, and now she feared that Gideon would disrupt that calm.
Chapter Seventeen
A soul mate is not found. A soul mate is recognized.
– Vironika Tugaleva
Romulus led them both into the garden. The area was walled in with paved stones and stone seats. The smell of orchids and peonies blooming filled the air. The small garden was lit by the large windows of the ballroom and the moonlight. At any other time Selene would have found it romantic. But tonight she was filled with apprehension.
Romulus brought her to the bench and helped lower her to the seat. He stood beside her protectively and kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The man, Gideon, sat on the bench across from them.
“Romulus, you know how this works.” Rom nodded and clenched his jaw. She could feel the tension roiling off him.
Why is Rom so worried?
Rom knew what to expect but she certainly didn’t. The hidden nature of it made her feel so much more stressed than she should be, she reasoned. Maybe if she knew more she could be more in control. “If you could explain it to me I’d really appreciate it.” Selene arranged her skirts and leaned forward.
Gideon nodded and clasped his hands before him. The playful facade melted away to reveal a very stern, very serious and powerful man. “You may ask me one question and one question only. If you decide not to ask, then I will never respond to future requests again. My talents are in high demand. So, think wisely about whether you want to ask, and what you want to know. I will be brutally honest in my response but can only answer in the affirmative or negative. There will be no carnival shows here, no palm reading. You get a one-word response and I am bound by the fates to only tell the truth.”
Wow, it sounds like he’s had to repeat that a lot.
He spoke so smoothly that the whole explanation had to have been rehearsed. She wondered briefly how often he gave that speech. There was something nerve wracking about asking the question knowing that the man wouldn’t be able to elaborate. Now that he was here and she knew the conditions, she wasn’t entirely sure that she wanted to even ask a question.
Would it get them any information, anyways?
Rom had warned her that this fae would be troublesome, and that by drawing his attention they’d be welcoming disaster. But she hadn’t listened because she didn’t want to listen. She wanted to tell him that she didn’t have a question. But then she remembered the earlier part of his speech: if she refused to ask a question then they’d be forsaken. Looking at how respectfully Rom treated the fae, she got the strong sense that Gideon was not one to be trifled with. She had to ask a question, here and now. She had invited this so she needed to be resolute. That still didn’t stop her from nearly jumping out of her skin when he looked at Selene and asked her, “Selene, do you want to do this?”
No, I’d like very much not to do this.
But she knew they had to. Now that they had summoned Gideon they had no choice but to follow through, or risk has wrath and derision in the future. She looked to Rom and begged him to forgive her.
Seeing her apprehension, Rom leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss. “Selene, I love you. Ask your question.”
Gideon knelt before Selene. Seeing his movement, Selene also went to kneel but Gideon stopped her. “No, my dear. No need to soil your dress. I am happy to kneel. Just give me your hands.”
Selene placed her hands gently in his outstretched palms. Looking into Gideon’s eyes, she asked the question that had been burning since Rom had insisted they were fated.
“Is my soul that of Sorcha’s?”
Gideon’s head snapped back and his whole body glowed. His eyes were completely white and he thrummed with energy. Horrified, Selene tried to pull away but found that her hands were tied to his. She shot a panicked look at Rom, and he rubbed her shoulders in response. “Don’t be afraid. This is his process.”
She swallowed her fear and watched as Gideon’s glow dimmed and his skin returned to its regular luminosity. She waited with bated breath for his response. Rom’s hands were heavy on her shoulders and she knew that he too held his breath.
He let go of her hands and stood. “You wanted to know if you are Sorcha, returned to your beloved. And the answer is No.”
Selene heard Rom release a breath in a hiss. She felt like she had been sucker punched in the stomach. But at the same time, it made sense. She had never felt any connection to Sorcha. She felt drawn to Rom, and the images of the couple in the pool, but she didn’t feel any pangs of familiarity when viewing memories of the silver haired beauty.
But I know with everything in my soul that I love Rom.
She placed both palms on the rough surface of the bench as if to ground herself. There was a dark flash of movement and Rom was suddenly pinning Gideon to the garden wall by the throat. His shoulders bunched with aggression and his eyes flashed silver.
“Rom stop it! Put him down!”
It was as if he couldn’t hear a word she said. She stood and moved to his side, but flinched back when he roared, “liar! This IS Sorcha!”
Scratching at the larger man’s thick wrists, Gideon struggled against Rom’s powerful hold. His face was turning an alarming shade of purple. Despite the hands at his throat, he still managed to gasp out a few words, “that is NOT Sorcha.”
Romulus released the other man abruptly and stalked over to Selene. She looked at him with pleading eyes. He brushed her collarbone tenderly. Their corresponding marks glowed. He growled, “then how do you explain this? The feeling of a fated bond?”
Gideon shook his head and leaned against the wall while we fought for air. “You know.” He gulped in more air. “That this is the price my skills demand. I cannot explain. I can only speak the truth.”
Romulus slung his fist into the stone wall and stalked towards Gideon once more. “You are telling me that she--”, he pointed towards Selene, “is not Sorcha?” His voice was raw as he struggled to hold back a flood of emotions.
Gideon nodded. “That is not the soul that belonged to Sorcha.”
But he still loves me. And I love him.
Moving forward, Selene cupped Rom’s face. His breathing was harsh and he seemed erratic. “Rom, I’m not Sorcha. I’m Selene.” When his eyes became vacant her own filled with tears. Her voice broke as she spoke, “you love me. Here, now, in this life. What we feel is real!”
He jerked his chin from her loving hold. Tears began to stream down her face and she found she couldn’t stop them. “Rom, please.” A sob broke through. “I love you.”
He broke his silence and looked at her. But this time, his gaze was distant. “I love Sorcha and am faithful to her. She is my fated. We were born from a dying star.” He shook his head and rubbed his temple. “This was a mistake.”
Selene felt pain rip through her at those words and crumbled to the stone floor. Her shoulders heaved with the effort to keep her cries inside. Her skirt pooled around her and she clutched at her stomach.
He stormed out of the garden and into the ballroom. He roared so loudly that the mirrors shook, “everybody out! Begone!” Everyone froze in shock. When no one moved he slammed his hand against the wall and a pulse of energy burst through the room. “I said GET OUT.” People disappeared in quick flashes and Romulus stormed out of the ballroom.
Selene bit into her knuckles to silence the sobs racking her body. Gideon wrapped his suit jacket around her and rocked her as she cried. “I am so, so sorry Selene.” Selene sobbed into his chest.
“You spoke the truth. I could never be angry at anyone for that.” A great sob escaped her. “I just didn’t expect it to hurt so much.”
Gideon made soothing sounds and wrapped the jacket tighter around her. “Is there anyone I can g
et for you?”
Out of instinct, Selene almost said Rom. But at that moment, Joan burst into the garden and shoved Gideon off Selene. “What the hell happened here?”
She didn’t care for her glamorous dress and sat on the ground beside Selene. “Oh my god, did Gideon hurt you?” She looked up at the man and seethed, “if you hurt Selene I swear to god I’ll kill you, I don’t care how powerful you are.”
Gideon threw up his hands and backed away. “Selene, I really am sorry. But it’s the truth.” With a great flash he disappeared, leaving Selene and Joan alone in the garden. All was quiet now, with just Selene’s muffled sobs filling the air.
“Rom left me.”
“Selene, honey, what happened?”
“I’m not Sorcha. I don’t have her soul. Rom doesn’t want me.”
Joan bit off a curse and lifted Selene to her feet. “What an ass. I thought he said it didn’t matter?”
“He doesn’t want to be unfaithful to Sorcha.”
Joan bundled her into a great big hug. “Tell me what you want to do. How can I fix this?”
“Can you take me to Jamie’s, please?”
Joan looked at her remorsefully. “Selene, I can’t do that. You’re still being hunted and Jamie doesn’t know anything about this world. We’d be putting her in danger.”
At the girl’s broken look Joan wanted to kill Rom a thousand times. “How about we take you to your room and then figure it out in the morning, hm?”
Selene nodded and kicked off her shoes. Picking them up, she rubbed her eyes. In a flash, they returned to the dressing room.
Impossible!
Rom’s mind screamed at him. He was so sure that Selene was Sorcha reincarnated. He was so drawn to her that he felt they could start a lightning storm between them. She was everything he wanted in a fated and everything he didn’t even know he wanted. He was so sure.
This must be a mistake.
Flashing to the pool, he screamed into the void. Kicking through the pool, he yelled into the air, “Fates, show me the truth!” But the pool remained dead. The moon was not yet full and the pool could not respond.
