Acca

by Christina Bauer

  “We’d like to investigate the Pulpitums again,” says Lincoln. “Now.”

  Connor picks up an éclair and eyes it. “Sure, whatever you want.”

  “Although, I wish you’d let us focus on these things.” Octavia wrings her hands at her waist. “You should be enjoying your wedding, not worrying about the transfer stations.”

  “Yeah, we should,” I say. “But the situation with Acca is out of control, and that makes us wary.”

  “Situation?” asks Connor. His lined face is the picture of innocent confusion.

  I throw my hands up. “How can you ask that? I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here. Was I the only one who watched Lady Adair of Acca turn into fucking Armageddon while rigging up all the Pulpitum in the process?”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “That was three months ago! Acca tried to kill me and force Lincoln into marrying that psycho bunny, and you know what’s happened to them since then? Zero. Zip. Nada. Nothing. If anything, Acca is going after Lincoln even more with this codex-stealing fiasco. And still, you’re doing everything you can to help them.”

  For a few seconds, everyone stares at me, dumbfounded. Finally, Octavia speaks. “Ruling Antrum is very complex, Myla. Connor is balancing some extremely delicate situations.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Octavia gasps. “What did you say?”

  “I said bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.”

  A tortured look comes over Lincoln’s face. “Myla…”

  “No, I’ve tried keeping my mouth shut. That clearly isn’t working.” I round on Connor. “It’s time someone told you the truth. Lincoln and I both thought we’d moved past this strange connection between you and Acca. Obviously, we haven’t.”

  Everyone stares at me with varied looks of shock on their faces. I take that as an invitation to keep right on going.

  “Ever since you found out that Lincoln and I can have kids, you’ve been acting super-weird again.”

  Connor stiffens his shoulders. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  That does it. Now that I’ve started speaking my mind, the torrent of rage I’d been holding back comes a-rolling out. I march over to Connor and poke him in the chest. He drops his éclair to the floor, and I take that as a small victory. “What does Acca have on you? Pictures of you doing it with a goat? Your balls in some kind of plus-three vise of magical obedience? Because whatever it is, you need to move on. This thing between Lincoln and me? It’s happening.”

  “Be reasonable, Myla.” Octavia gently guides me away from Connor. “We love the idea of the two of you being married. That said, the thrax are still mourning the loss of Lady Adair. She was almost Lincoln’s fiancé, too, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” I mean for the words to come out with venom, but they’re said in a soft conciliatory tone. Lincoln’s mom is an expert at turning any conversation around. I still have the vague sense that I’m in the right here. I can’t quite remember why, though.

  “You must give our people time to get to know you,” adds Octavia. “Once they do, I’m certain they’ll adore you and your marriage.”

  Lincoln sets his arm around my shoulders. It’s a protective move that I value very much. “Myla is the great scala. The thrax should be kneeling at her feet. The only reason they hesitate is Aldred. He’s using blackmail to poison their minds.”

  Connor sets his fists on his hips. “That’s quite enough. We need to be honest here as well.”

  Octavia pales. “Connor, you said you’d wait until after the wedding.”

  “I did. However, it seems the children want to air things now.” Connor rounds on me. “Three months ago, you pulled out the souls from our entire nobility. Their spirits hovered over their heads. Yes, that action got rid of Adair and Armageddon, but it scared our people half to death. You’re a demon. In Antrum. Yanking out their souls. And they are demon fighters. Now, you want to marry my son and you expect them to be thrilled about that fact? There are bound to be repercussions.”

  Every line of Lincoln’s body firms with determination as he steps between Connor and me. “Show some respect. Myla saved Antrum that day.”

  Octavia shakes her head. “That may be. Sadly, all our nobles saw was one demon interacting with another.”

  They see Armageddon and me…as equals? Possibly even allies?

  “Is that true?” My voice cracks with sorrow.

  “All Connor and I are saying is that, in this moment, we must do a careful dance to keep all the thrax in line. Half of them didn’t want to attend the wedding.”

  My shoulders slump. Not attend the wedding? Octavia’s words hit me like so many fists. “They’ll never see me as more than a demon, will they?”

  Octavia steps forward and takes my hands in hers. Her fingers feel so tiny and dainty in mine. “They will see you, eventually. You’re a wonderful person. However, you must be patient. Besides, the thrax aren’t the only one with prejudices. Your people have issues with Lincoln, don’t they?”

  How I hate to admit this, but she’s right. I mean, the quasis did sing that “Kumbaya” song with hate speech against my fiancé. “Yes, I suppose they do.”

  Octavia gives my hands a squeeze. “These are age-old misunderstandings between our peoples. You and Lincoln are breaking new ground. That takes courage and time.”

  My throat tightens with grief. I get the whole “be patient” thing. Still, it hurts like hell. “I guess so.”

  Even as the words leave my lips, some small voice in the back of my head screams that I just got derailed. There was something more important at stake here, wasn’t there? I try to recapture my line of thinking, Somehow, all I can focus on is the fact that the thrax can’t stand me.

  I blink hard, my mind refocusing. No. I won’t let this conversation get derailed. My train of thought comes back online. “I didn’t ask you here to discuss the misunderstandings between our people. And I won’t be deterred from the real threat here. Pulpitums, people.”

  “Myla’s right,” continues Lincoln. “We want Acca off Pulpitum duty. I need a copy of the duty roster to do it.”

  Connor shrugs. “Can’t give you that.”

  Lincoln’s eyes narrow. His body fairly radiates rage. “I suppose there’s no point in asking you for a list of all Acca nobility and their thanes? Now that the codex is with the Arbiter, it’s only a matter of time before Aldred is convicted. Aldred isn’t the only rotten apple in the Acca barrel. We need to clean up that House. In order to accomplish that, I require a full list of everyone in Acca. We must decide who will be exiled after Aldred’s in jail.”

  “I’m working on it, my boy. There are millions of thrax in Antrum. It takes time to find everyone from Acca.”

  I’d say bullshit again, but I feel like I’ve used up that card today. And, if I’m being honest, I’m still feeling blue from that whole being-hated thing.

  “We’ll get it to you shortly,” adds Octavia. “I promise you both.”

  “I see.” The tone of Lincoln’s voice says he thinks that’s a whopper of a lie. “And will Aldred be at the wedding tomorrow?”

  Connor’s mouth thins to a determined line. “I think you know the answer to that question. Of course, he’ll attend. It’s what has to be done to keep the peace.” Connor throws up his hands. “There’s no point continually rehashing our positions here. You have one idea about how to lead Antrum. Your mother and I have another.” He shoots a glare in my direction. “And no, there were no goats involved in our decision making. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and we know the best way to rule.”

  “Precisely.” Lincoln’s usually so calm and collected. This time, though? His words come out as an almost snarl. “We have different ideas on how to rule. So in that light, let me make one thing absolutely clear. If Acca isn’t dismantled and I don’t believe with every fiber of my being that Antrum is safe for Myla and our children, then I’m stepping out of the line of succession. Acca won’t have to fight to gain
the throne. I’ll give it to them. Aldred’s the senior Earl. Without an heir, the throne is his after you’re gone.”

  All the blood drains from Octavia’s face. “What?”

  My mouth falls open. “You can’t be serious.”

  Lincoln turns to me. With the slowest and gentlest of movements, he cups my face in his softly calloused palms. The warmth of his touch moves through my soul. “You are what’s most important in my life, Myla. All this work to dismantle Acca was only to ensure your safety here in Antrum. If it isn’t secure, then I will step down.”

  His words rattle around my brain. This can’t be real. “But you’re a wonderful ruler. We all know you’ve been running things for ages. And if you leave Antrum to Acca, you’ll be dooming your people. Acca can’t manage demons on Earth. Look what happened at the Wheeler Institute. This will affect the humans, too.”

  Lincoln leans in until his forehead touches mine. “I can’t do any of this without you, Myla. Not even if I wanted to.”

  My eyes prick with tears. I feel the same way. Without Lincoln, I’m not sure I could move a soul, even if the igni were freaking out.

  Lincoln brushes his lips against mine. “I’d be proud to live my life in Purgatory as consort to the great scala. That is, if you’ll have me.”

  Okay, that’s a really sweet speech. I mean, I knew Lincoln wanted to get rid of the threat and fix Antrum. However, I thought it was for the general good of his people. It takes me a few minutes to realize that everyone’s been staring at me, waiting for my answer.

  “However we can be together, that’s what I want.”

  “So that’s a yes?”

  “A big yes.”

  Now, the strategic side of me wants Connor and Octavia to see that Lincoln and I mean business. But the feeling side? I can’t let Lincoln walk away from ruling so easily. We’ll have to have a long talk about this later. If Lincoln really wants to do this, I want to be sure that it’s for the right reasons.

  Octavia stands frozen, staring at us. I think a few hairs actually fall out of place. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  Lincoln pulls me into a deep hug. “Completely.”

  We’ve embraced before, yet this one feels special. Lincoln would give up everything for me. That’s huge.

  The reality of the situation finally sinks in with Octavia and she rushes over to Connor. “We’ll get them that list, won’t we?”

  “Sure, sure.”

  “Right.” I sigh. “Sure, sure…That’s what you say when you have no intention of doing anything. Honestly, how is Aldred blackmailing you?”

  Connor chuckles like I just told the funniest joke in the world. He’s the only one laughing, though. And the high-pitched sound of his laughter? It says I hit the mark. Aldred really is blackmailing Connor. In the long run, I suppose it doesn’t really matter what that blackmail is about. The point is that Connor’s a tool.

  “Glad we settled all that,” says Connor. Without another word, he stomps out and slams the door behind him.

  There goes a lying liar.

  Octavia steps over to give us both kisses on the cheek. “I’ll work on him. It will be fine.”

  “Thank you, Mother.”

  “Have a good night, Octavia.”

  She rushes away as well. The moment Lincoln’s parents are gone, I feel like someone pulled my plug. The last week has all been way too much excitement. I slump into Lincoln’s hold.

  He kisses my head. “You’ve hit the adrenaline crash, haven’t you?”

  “All I want is to sleep for a year. Minimum.”

  “I’ll take you to your room.”

  I close my eyes and wrap my arms around his neck. “My room is attached to yours. I can walk the whole ten yards to get there.”

  “Not on the weekend of our nuptials. You must stay in the future queen’s suite. I’m not supposed to be near you during this time.”

  I groan. “More traditions?”

  “More traditions.” There’s a smile in his voice, though.

  “Maybe if I take a nap here, I’ll be up for the walk.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful plan.” Lincoln scoops me into his arms. “Nap away.”

  I’m about to counter that actually, I can totally walk on my own. But honestly? It’s really nice to be carried around by Lincoln. And I do take a little half-snooze along the journey. When I awaken again, I’m lying in a pink bed in the frilliest room ever. Lincoln starts tucking me under the poofy covers. I’m still in my schoolgirl outfit, but what the heck? Right now, it’s feeling comfortable.

  “This is the future Queen’s suite?” I scan the over-the-topness of it all. The place is all pink, from the fluffy curtains to the plush rug. And every free inch of space is covered in little girly knickknacks and sculptures. “It’s like a unicorn threw up in here.”

  “I said tradition. I didn’t say attractive.” Lincoln starts stripping off his khakis, and although I’m enjoying the show, I’m a little confused.

  “I thought the whole point of sleeping here was that I’d be separated from you.”

  “There’s tradition, and there’s the fact that we haven’t been together in days.” He slips under the covers, and I’m very happy that my guy sleeps totally naked. Normally, this would signal sexy-times, but right now? It’s simply all the more reason to snooze in comfort.

  “This is nice,” I say through a yawn.

  “Very.” Lincoln wraps me in his arms and I cuddle into his side.

  My eyes pop open. “What about Lucifer’s coin?”

  “I brought it with us. It’s safe inside your backpack.”

  “That’s awesome.”

  Lincoln tightens his hold on me, which makes me all kinds of warm and cuddly. Soon, I fall into a very sweet sleep, thinking a single thought, over and over.

  This is how I will rest for the remainder of my days. With Lincoln’s arms around me.

  Not bad at all.

  26

  That night, I dream about sleeping. It’s totally weird yet not exactly upsetting. All I do in my dreams is snooze while feeling happy, cuddly, and warm. In fact, the whole experience is so awesome I find it tough to wake up. Eventually, I have to, though.

  Although I’m only half alert, thoughts of the day start rattling around my head.

  It’s Saturday.

  Yesterday, we got that damned codex into the courtroom.

  Tomorrow, I get married.

  And then, there appears the most delicious thought of all.

  There’s a very naked man between my thighs.

  I smile through my drowsiness. Today just get a hell of a lot better. My eyes flutter open. I lay on my back with Lincoln atop of me, his arms braced on either side of my head. I can’t help but admire his broad shoulders, ripped chest, and lean waist. Being part angel has its benefits.

  “My face is up here, Myla.” There’s laughter in his voice because yes, I just got caught ogling him.

  “I’m getting there.” I slowly drag my gaze upward. Yum. His brown hair is all messy and sexy, which only serves to highlight the strong lines of his cheekbones and jaw even more. Our gazes lock. “Good morning.”

  “Hello, wife.”

  “Not until tomorrow.” I stretch a little and wake up a lot more because that’s when I realize I’m buck-ass naked. “Hey, what happened to my school uniform? I feel asleep in that.”

  “You did?”

  “I know for a fact that I did.”

  Lincoln leans in and brushes his nose along mine. I’m suddenly very aware of the fact that only a thin sheet separates the bottom halves of our bodies. “You asked me to take it off you.”

  “Did not.” I smile. “But I would have if I’d thought of it.”

  He gives me the gentlest of kisses. “That’s why I’m here. To think of the things you want, but haven’t yet given voice to. I even got the Rixa patrol to bring back your fighting suit and my battle armor.”

  “I like that about you.” I total forgot we left that
back at the Wheeler Institute.

  Lincoln starts kissing my neck. “I thought you might.”

  “We should stop this. After all, we’re in the pink queen suite. You’re not supposed to be here at all, let alone naked.”

  More kisses. “True.”

  I shift my weight underneath him and feel Lincoln’s hardness against me. There’s no way I’m letting my guy go anywhere when he’s that aroused. It’s like a lust demon code of ethics. “So you’ll go in a few minutes. Maybe.”

  His full mouth winds into a lickable grin. “Yes. Maybe.”

  A low hum sounds from across the room. Jolts of awareness move through my body. I’d know that sound anywhere.

  A ghoul portal is opening.

  In this bedroom.

  The pink unicorn suite.

  And there’s only one person who’d do this.

  Walker.

  Dammit.

  Lincoln and I scramble to cover up. Meanwhile, a large black door-shaped hole forms in the space beside our bed. Sure enough, Walker soon steps through. My honorary ghoul brother looks undead and super-tall in his long black robes. I wish I had something to hit him with. Who portals into people’s bedrooms?

  “Good morn—” Walker simply stands there and stares, his body frozen with shock. The situation quickly gets awkward with a capital A.

  “Walker.” I make sure the sheet is tucked carefully under my arms. “There’s a door. Why don’t you go outside and use it?”

  Walker’s undead face turns gray, which is his version of a blush. “Yes, Myla. Sorry, Lincoln.” He opens another portal and disappears.

  I slam my head against the pillow and groan. “Well, that ruined the mood.”

  A knock sounds on the door. “Myla Lewis, oh Great Scala, are you in there by chance?”

  I roll my eyes. “Yes, Walker. I am. And I’m not alone. How sensitive of you to knock.”

  Lincoln rolls out of bed. His princely getup and my Scala robes sit neatly on a nearby chair. My guy really does think of everything. Lincoln slips on his leather pants. Did I mention that they’re black and body fitting? Well, they are. He gets it halfway on before leaning over and pulling out Lucifer’s coin from my backpack. “See? I told you I have it.”