by T J Kelly
The opposite side of the room from where I stood was another wall of glass. It overlooked the cement area outside the stadium where more people had gathered. The tables and podium were set up close to the glass. That way the people outside would bear witness.
The contract that would turn Rector Enterprises over to me was in the center of the table. I would be the majority stockholder. Not only would I have the fifty-one percent of shares I just won, but also nineteen percent that I had received as my personal inheritance.
Armageddon waited by the tables as my guardian and apprentice master. Mort stood by his side in the role of my attorney. At first, I thought it was funny when I learned that Mort practiced law. Then I realized having a cutthroat mentality was exactly the right thing for a courtroom.
Mort read the entire contract. He nodded then waved his hand, making three exact duplicates of the packet. This was the responsibility of the winner’s attorney and ensured there weren’t any last-minute additions like back in 1823. One of the winners relied on the trial staff rather than his own attorney, and unintentionally signed a contract to Promise his son in marriage with one of the clerk’s daughters. It was a legal nightmare, but it turned out all right in the end because the clerk’s daughter was as clever as she was gorgeous, and the winner’s son fell in love and wanted to marry her anyway.
As for me, I wanted to know for certain the contracts were legal and there wasn’t any funny business. I didn’t want to end up Promised to the janitor’s son or something. Not that I knew the janitor’s son. He might even be a great guy. But it was the principle of it all.
I signed each of the four packets under hot lights, cheering crowds, and my uncle’s gaze. Mort stood by until I was done, then observed as the mayor signed each copy. Next was the Council Chairman’s turn, who ignored me as he signed the contracts.
Mort spoke magical words over the contracts to bind them. One packet was handed back to him and he left immediately. He would lock it away in one of the vaults in the basement at Castle Laurus. Two copies were handed to the county clerk who would travel back to the Council building and file them officially with the national and international government oversight committees. The final copy was handed to the Chairman of the Council, who passed it to his own clerk.
I waved to the crowds and the cameras, smiling, nodding, and pretending I wasn’t about to pass out. Putting his arm around me, Armageddon herded me out past the dignitaries, business leaders, politicians, and myriad other people in the room. I had to shake hands with many of them, but my uncle managed to keep the conversations brief. It was past three in the morning and the time for pretty speeches was over. He finally led me out into the hallway.
“How are you feeling?” Armageddon asked.
“Exhausted. Thanks for getting me out of there. I’m ready to drop.”
My uncle gave me a side-hug as we made our way down the hall so we wouldn’t have to stop. I wasn’t sure where I was anymore and let him guide me.
“I’m so proud of you, honey. We all are. You’re incredible. We couldn’t stop laughing when you set up that shield with the pictures on it during round one. You pulled off some beautiful bits of magic, too. They’ll be replaying clips and talking about it for months to come. I see the medic took care of you. You don’t feel any pain or anything, right?”
“No, I’m fine. Poltens did a great job. I’m about ready to pass out from exhaustion, though.”
I was light-headed. I wanted to get out of the stadium and go home as quickly as possible. There would be time enough for crowds and congratulations and celebrations later.
As we rounded a corner, my uncle pulled up short. His arm was still around me but he yanked me closer to his side, his body suddenly humming with magic and tension. I had been looking down, watching my feet so I wouldn’t stumble in my exhaustion. I looked up to see what was happening.
A small moan escaped me.
Chas was standing there, right in front of us, blocking the way. I could tell he had braced himself for a fight. His body was also humming with magic.
“What are you doing here? Haven’t you caused enough damage?” Armageddon demanded. I could tell he was furious. Actually, I felt a bit of fury myself, although it was mingled with fear and hurt and sorrow.
“I need to explain, Ged.”
“Oh really? I think your actions were explanation enough. Do you have any idea the harm you did to Lia’s chances? What the hell were you thinking? Haven’t we done enough for you, Chas? Did nothing in the last five years mean anything to you?”
My uncle had to be hurt, but he hid it well. He only sounded angry and righteous. It was an impressive display, and I would be terrified if I were the one on the receiving end.
“I did it for her! Okay? I did it to save her. I want to explain, so she knows why.”
My uncle started to guide me away, but I said, “No, Uncle Ged. I want to stay. I want to know what he has to say. Can I have a few minutes?”
Armageddon studied my face and then nodded. He stepped to the side where a few people had entered the hallway from one of the other doors. I moved closer to Chas and then waved my hand. A veil slipped between us and the others, surrounding Chas and me in total privacy.
“Okay,” I said. “Explain.”
THIRTY-ONE
Revelation
“I’m not supposed to say anything, but I’ve been desperate to talk to you since this happened.” Chas ran his hand through his hair, leaving little tufts sticking up all over. It made my heart ache to stop myself from reaching out to him when he was obviously upset.
“Well, that makes two of us, then. I want to know what’s going on.” My voice was shaking. I was so hurt and angry and scared about what I might hear.
Chas looked around to make sure nobody could see us, but my veil was completely solid. Nothing could penetrate it.
“Right before it was time for you to leave, I stepped outside your suite to calm down. I was so worried about you. My father and uncles came out of their suite and dragged me with them while they walked downstairs. My dad gripped my arm so hard that I knew I wouldn’t be able to get away. Dad’s impossible to deny once he gets a hold on you.”
I nodded. I didn’t agree with Chas, but I was trying to encourage him to continue talking.
There was a small bench up against the wall. The upholstery had seen better days, but it looked comfortable enough. My knees were weak, so I walked over to it and sat, patting the spot next to me. Chas flopped down, but as far from me as possible on such a small bench.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He said he wanted me back. That when he learned about my magic and how powerful I’ve become, he realized what a mistake he’d made. He said if I came back and finished my term as his apprentice, he would swear that I wouldn’t have to hurt anyone with my voice.”
I frowned. No words of love or regret, just a statement of power. Oberon Taine slipped down even further in my estimation. What kind of monster couldn’t value or love his own son?
“I can see how that would be tempting. How you would want to go back to your family,” I said. I was holding myself very still.
“No, don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t care about any of that.” Chas turned towards me and scooted closer, reaching out his hands to clasp mine. “Lia, my father told me that he would make an oath in blood that he wouldn’t kill you if I came back.”
Chas was looking into my eyes, searching them. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but the small spark of anger I felt probably wasn’t it.
“So you went back to your father because you thought I needed your protection? That I couldn’t handle myself in the ring? Don’t you trust me at all?” I struggled to keep from yelling.
Chas sighed. “I knew you’d be mad at me. But look, Lia, you don’t know them the way I do. And I know you better than you give me credit for. You said you’d take Ged with you and I knew you were lying through your teeth. You should stick to telling the trut
h, especially when you’re talking to somebody who grew up in a family of legendary liars. If I could get my father to make a blood oath that he would let you live, then I knew it was worth it.”
My heart squeezed inside my chest so hard I couldn’t breathe. Of course, Chas would go with his father if it meant saving me. I knew there had to be more to it than him being his father’s spy.
“So you got him to promise, and now you’re his apprentice?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Beneath my anger and pain, the light of hope appeared. I was suddenly giddy. “That’s only another two years. You can come back then, right? There aren’t any laws that require you to work for the man who apprenticed you. I can wait two years!”
Chas sighed, closing his eyes. When he opened them, his gaze was filled with pain. “My father had to give up his plan to kill you,” he said, exasperated. “Do you really think he’d take two years of service as payment in full?”
I drew back, yanking my hands away. I didn’t like how he was talking to me. “Of course not. So why don’t you tell me what else your dad demanded while he was tricking you into thinking you were keeping me safe?”
“It wasn’t a trick! And I would do anything to keep you safe. You know that. My father has no problem killing. He’s done it before. He wanted me to sign on for a life term of service. My life for yours.”
“No! Tell me you didn’t do that just to keep me alive in the trials?” My heart was pounding as my body trembled. I wasn’t sure if I could handle much more, not that day, not after all I had been through.
“I promised him, Lia. Not only did he swear that he wouldn’t kill you in the trials, I made him promise never to kill you. Not ever.”
My mouth was dry. I couldn’t make a sound.
“Don’t you see?” he continued. “It doesn’t matter if he lost today, he’ll still come after you. He hates you! He can’t bear the humiliation of losing to a seventeen-year-old girl. I made a blood oath to serve my own family, without having to kill anyone, in trade for your life. For always!”
I stared at Chas, utterly appalled. The thought that he didn’t have faith in me, in my family or the Irregulars, hurt me. Underneath that pain was my desperate desire to deny what he was saying. The agony of love nearly overwhelmed me. So did the fact I lost him when he swore to serve the family he hated for the rest of his life. Not just for two years, but forever.
“Was that all?” I asked breathlessly, barely able to speak. “Is that all he took from you? Took from me? Is that all he made you promise?”
Chas stared at me silently. Oh, yes, there was something else. I knew it. And I was terrified to find out what it was. But Chas didn’t open his mouth. He just sat there looking at me.
“Tell me!” I cried. I finally found my voice and was yelling. “Tell me what he did, tell me what you promised to do!”
I leaped up and stood over Chas, looking down at him, wanting to shake him. Oberon wouldn’t trade his son’s life for mine. Oberon didn’t care that much about Chas. He didn’t cherish the man Chas was. Oberon would never think he was getting the better end of the deal unless he took more.
“It’s Clarissa, okay?” Chas groaned. “I had to Promise to renew our vow, to give her back the contract she lost when my father banished me. I have to fulfill all of my prior obligations.”
“No!” I screamed. “How could you? How could you do that? Is that why you told your father we were together? Is that why you exposed our secrets to him, to your family? Because you’re going to marry somebody else now? And to marry that snake? That nasty, horrible, vile woman? Why did you do that? Why didn’t you believe in me? Don’t you care about me? Don’t you love me at all?”
I was hysterical, yelling, so angry at Chas that I wanted to hit him, smack him right in the face, slap away the kiss Clarissa had left there, with the force of my hand and magic.
Chas jumped to his feet. “I did it for you, Lia. Because I love you! I’ll always love you! And now you’re safe. Now he won’t kill you! That’s all that matters. Anything is worth keeping you alive, Lia, anything!”
Words I had been dying to hear. I frantically tried to think of a way to respond, but he wasn’t finished.
“I found a way out for you,” Chas said. “I knew we were never going to make it, don’t you see? You’re so much better than me! Eventually, you would figure that out and then where would I be? Alone, without you, loving you and having nothing to show for it. At least this way you’ll be safe from my family and I did that for you! Finally, something I could do for you that you can’t do for yourself. And I’m glad I did it! I’m glad, Lia, because now I have something to show for my love.”
There was Chas, in front of me, yelling about how much he loved me, but it was twisted. Wrong. This was the stuff of nightmares, not my dreams.
“I wouldn’t have left you,” I said, forcing my words around the lump in my throat. “I love you! I’m no better than you are. You scorned my love. You went back to your father because you were scared! And now it’s over. You ruined it. You say it’s because you love me, but you don’t. If you loved me, you wouldn’t have signed that Promise to be with another woman. You wouldn’t have told your father about the two of us so he could use it against me! What’s wrong with you?”
I was screaming so loudly I thought I would break. Darkness shrouded my vision. I had no control over myself. He was lying to me, nobody who loved me the way I loved him would have taken away our chance to be together. I would never have done that to him.
Chas shook his head. “I told my dad as little as possible. He wanted to know a phrase to use that would hurt you to prove that I willingly came back to the family, but I didn’t tell him anything private. I swear to you, I didn’t tell him! I would never betray you like that! I love you. I’ll do anything for you, forever, I swear it!”
“Except be with me, right Chas? I mean so much to you, you love me so much, that you made it impossible for us to be together. Right? That makes so much sense. How stupid of me.”
Chas looked hurt, but I didn’t care at all. I wanted him to hurt at least as badly as I did because he took everything I wanted away from me. He didn’t care how I felt about it at all. His oath was about him and his grand gesture, fueled by his lack of faith in me. Because he didn’t think I could win.
“You’re not stupid. Just stop it. You’re amazing. Wonderful! I knew it would never last. You deserve more than me. I wanted to give you everything I could when I had the chance.”
“I want you, Chas. You. That’s all I ever wanted. How am I supposed to feel, knowing you’re the one who took that away from me?” I wasn’t yelling anymore. I was too broken, too angry, beyond furious that in his arrogance, he thought he alone could decide what was best for me. Yet he wasn’t confident enough to believe he was good enough for me.
Chas collapsed back onto the bench. “I know you don’t believe me, but I know what I’m talking about. You’re too naive to understand how badly a relationship can go when it isn’t equal. There’s no real balance between us. I know myself better than you do. I’m a Taine. And I’m willing to be a Taine now that I know it will keep you alive. That’s what matters to me, Lia. You. Your life.”
I stared down at Chas, sitting there, pleading with his eyes for me to understand him, to maybe even forgive him, to agree with him.
But I couldn’t give him what he wanted.
“I’ll never forgive you for this,” I said, defeated. “Never. You stole our future. You traded everything away for the promise of an untrustworthy man. I don’t care if he signed it in blood, he will never stop coming after me. He’ll find a way to destroy me if I don’t destroy him first. And I will. I will find a way to stop him. You should have believed that. I’ll never forget what he did today in the ring, and I’m going to be the one who ends him. You took away the life I was supposed to have for nothing.”
I could tell he didn’t believe me, positive he was right. But he was so wrong. The ache of my
loss pierced my heart as I stood there staring at him through my agony. He made the wrong choice. My love obliterated by the one I loved.
“Someday you’ll understand,” Chas said. “I did the right thing.”
I took in his voice, his face, his beautiful eyes. I took in his scent. I memorized everything about that moment.
Then without another word, I turned and walked away.
◆◆◆
I tore the veil spell aside and strode to where my uncle had been patiently waiting. I walked straight into his arms and burst into tears. Everything around us went silent except for the sounds I was making and the gentle shushing my uncle made into my hair.
“Hush, Lia, I’m here. Tell me what happened, sweetheart.”
I cried for several minutes before I could pull myself together. Armageddon patted my back and with that gesture came calm and peace. I realized he used a spell to soothe me so I could gain control.
“I’m fine,” I lied. Then wondered why I bothered. We both knew I wasn’t fine. Chas was right - I was a terrible liar.
I pushed back and looked around. To my relief, my uncle had used one of his own veils to obscure us. The last thing I wanted was to have my heartbreak exploited by the press because I was bawling in the back corridors like a fool.
“What did he say?” Armageddon asked.
We turned and began walking, a faster pace than before so we could leave as quickly as possible. I wanted to go home so badly that I could barely stand it.
I heaved a deep sigh. “He said he did it to save my life.”
“I see.” My uncle’s voice sounded strained. “And how does that work?”
Something about his tone made me feel better. It was good to know Armageddon was on my side, regardless of how rocky our relationship had been over the last few months.
