by HR Moore
Christa clapped and whistled loudly. 'That's my girl!'
Talli hopped her feet together, held the sides of her skirt up, and curtsied to the crowd.
'That felt wonderful,' she gushed, gliding back to her seat.
'Now you've seen the moves in action, it's your turn,' Meredith said to the rest of them. 'Rose with Talli, Caspar with Christa, and the two young'uns.'
'We're not that young anymore,' Jon grumbled, walking to the other side of the room with Elliot.
'Younger than the rest of us,' laughed Talli.
Meredith took Amari to the back, showing her the basics of self-defense while the others sparred. Amari picked it up quickly, her muscles seeming to instinctively know what Meredith wanted her to do.
'Not as bad as I'd feared,' said Meredith, after an hour. 'We can add in a few attacking moves next time too.'
'Thanks,' said Amari, feeling good after the exercise. Her muscles would ache in the morning, but it was nice to get her blood pumping.
'Did someone say it was dinner time?' asked Talli, picking herself up from where Rose had deposited her on the floor. Amari couldn't quite believe it.
'Never underestimate the power of experience,' Caspar whispered, his body so close she could feel his breath on her ear.
Amari closed her eyes for a split second, the memory of a queen dressed in all her finery flashing before her eyes. The monarch was striding towards a dais, where her throne awaited. Amari quickly opened her eyes; she'd had enough memories for one day.
Dinner was beef Wellington, mashed potato, and green beans. Amari had no idea how Elliot had managed to cook it to perfection in between training.
'I'm confused about the boundaries,' said Amari, as they tucked into a dessert of summer pudding and clotted cream. Her stomach was already bursting at the seams, but it didn't seem right to pass up something so delicious. 'How do they work?'
'The boundaries?' asked Jon.
'Between nations. Where does Pagan territory stop and Templar territory start, for example?'
'In that particular case,' said Rose, 'the boundary is through the middle of the Atlantic, up almost to Iceland and Greenland, where the Viking's territory begins. Everything below Denmark and above the Mediterranean is ours, right the way along to the far side of Poland, down through Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.'
'So, in some countries, more than one nation owns territory?' asked Amari.
'Of course,' Rose replied. 'Modern borders were drawn long after our territories were agreed. And, of course, if a nation is wiped out, or goes to war and is defeated, our territories have to be redrawn, so they move around over time.'
'An organization called the Registerium keeps the official record, in case of dispute,' said Caspar.
'Although, a lot of the new or tiny nations don't register until there's some benefit to them,' said Elliot. 'So even the Registerium isn't a complete picture.'
'Are people from other nations allowed to travel in Pagan territory without asking first?' asked Amari. 'Is there some kind of demon passport?!'
'That's a grey area,' said Talli, giving Amari a meaningful look. 'They're supposed to ask for official permission, but people rarely bother these days.'
'The problem is, it's impossible to track unregistered demons,' said Meredith. 'As long as everyone respects the Registerium's rules, we generally overlook trespassing.'
'What are the rules?' said Amari, scraping up the last morsels in her bowl.
'No war unless there's good reason,' said Christa.
'The Registerium gets to decide what constitutes a good reason,' added Talli.
'No exposing us to humans. And no fighting with anything other than knives—guns draw too much attention,' said Christa.
'Christa used to work for the Registerium,' said Talli.
'Yep,' Christa confirmed. 'And each nation has a representative on the Registerium's council. Generally, demons sit for one lifetime; it's an interesting job.'
'Too political for me,' said Talli, screwing up her face. 'People lying to you all the time, trying to register false identities, fabricating rule contraventions, trying to get their territory increased when they're not entitled to …'
'… but I got to see who was trying to get the Registerium to back what cause,' said Christa. 'When a nation's gearing up for war, it's helpful to have the Registerium on side. A lot of the smaller nations will follow whatever the Registerium decides. Even if the Registerium decides not to fight, they might impose fines and sanctions, which can really help turn the tide of a war.'
'And you said the Templars are causing trouble?' asked Amari, putting down her spoon and leaning back in her chair, trying to relieve the pressure on her stomach.
'Unfortunately, yes,' said Rose. 'They've been antagonizing us for the past hundred years or so, testing us, seeing how much we'll let them get away with. We think they're going to try and take this island, but everything's gone quiet. Random attacks are their only communication.'
'What?! As in England, Scotland, and Wales?' said Amari, in disbelief.
These people went around taking countries?
'Why?'
'There's a lot of magic here,' said Rose. 'Islands are prone to magic.'
Amari's expression was skeptical, like Rose had crossed a line.
Rose laughed. 'My dear, what, if not magic, do you think supports our reincarnation?'
'Like wands and potions and flying on broomsticks?'
'No broomsticks,' said Talli, 'and no wands, but small magics. Herbs, energy, healing crystals, music and vibrations, projections, that kind of thing.'
'Have you ever had a thought about someone pop into your head, entirely at random, and then find out something significant happened to them at that moment?' asked Caspar.
'Or just known something was wrong, but didn't know what?' said Christa. 'And then gone home to find your house flooded?'
'It's magic,' said Talli, her eyes flashing playfully.
'Mind blown?' laughed Jon, taking in Amari's expression. 'Wait and see what weird shit this one's going to pull tomorrow night.' He nodded at Talli. 'She's kind of like our spiritual leader.'
'Just call me Priestess,' said Talli, with a smile.
Amari thanked Elliot for dinner, then told everyone she was going to bed.
'I need to grab a couple of things from your room,' said Caspar, following her out, ignoring the watchful eyes of the rest of the table.
'Where will you sleep?' asked Amari, as they climbed the first set of stairs.
'There are plenty of spare rooms,' he said. 'I'll be in the one just across the landing.'
'I could sleep in another room if you'd prefer,' said Amari. 'It seems unfair to kick you out of your bedroom.'
'It was your room first, actually,' said Caspar. Not to mention the hundreds of little things in there that might cause a flashback, or—please Gods—her full awakening.
'If you're sure …'
'I am.'
He followed her up the second set of stairs, giving in to the temptation of watching her as she climbed in front of him.
They entered the bedroom and Caspar moved around, opening drawers, pulling out clothes and a couple of books.
Amari sat on the bed, watching him. She shuffled back so her head rested against the headboard.
'I think that's all I need for tonight,' he said, heading for the door.
'Sit with me for a while,' said Amari, the words rushed. She added, almost shyly, 'I still have a lot of questions … if you don't mind.'
'Of course.'
He placed his belongings on one of the button-backs and sat on the bed, as close as he dared.
Her body, with its fiery, Mediterranean features, suited Raina to a T. Caspar smirked as he remembered a short, White, toneless body Raina had once found herself in. She'd been aghast, but try as she might, she'd never managed to get it into shape. Raina had always said that body was spiteful, that it had wanted her to look bad. Caspar had liked it; he'd qui
te enjoyed the curves.
'What?' said Amari. 'What's funny?'
'I was just thinking how well that body matches your personality, and remembering one that didn't suit you quite so well.'
'Didn't suit Raina, you mean,' she said, looking at her hands.
'It's the same thing,' he said, shifting forward, but catching himself before he touched her.
'Will I even remember who I am when Raina comes back? Assuming this isn't some weird reality TV show.'
Caspar laughed.
'I'm only half joking.'
'I know,' he said. 'You'll be exactly the same person when you wake. You're Raina, even now. Your personality is her personality, you just don't have all the memories and experiences that nuance her. You're more heavily influenced by this life, rather than a collection of all of your lives.'
'So I won't be wiped out?'
'You'll be the same, just with vastly improved combat skills, and some different opinions. Your subconscious is Raina; you and she are one and the same.'
'Different opinions about what?' she said, searching his eyes.
'About me,' he joked.
She tilted her head. 'What will I think about you when she wakes?'
'You've been pretty angry at me for the last couple of lifetimes,' he said, raising his eyebrows.
She appraised him, looking from one of his eyes to the other.
'What did you do?' she said.
Caspar went rigid, clasped his hands, then turned his body away. He couldn't talk about this with her; she didn't remember her side. When Raina came back, she'd accuse him of trying to manipulate her.
'Hey,' she said, crossing her legs and leaning forward, briefly touching his arm. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.'
'It …' he started, then paused. 'I don't know how you'll react when you wake up. It terrifies me.'
Silence stretched between them.
'How did you know it was me?' said Amari. 'I get that hunters have special abilities, but did you know it was me, right from when we first met?'
'Yes,' he said, without hesitation. 'Awake demons feel magic more keenly, and your magic's almost as familiar to me as my own. When we shook hands, I could feel it, and I recognized your eyes. And as soon as you started talking, I was absolutely certain.'
Amari sat back and looked up at the ceiling. 'What's the point of all this?' she asked, rubbing her face with her hands. 'I mean, it's hard enough to contemplate the meaning of a single life. But endless lives? Did I irritate a divine being somewhere? Is this my punishment?'
Caspar shifted to face her. 'It's no different for us than anyone else. We all have to work out what's important to us, what we want to do with our lives.' He paused until she looked at him. 'And it's not a punishment. Never think that.'
'Why?'
'We get second chances,' he said, 'and a chance to make a difference.'
He looked away, fisting a hand in the bed covers, seeking an outlet for his frustration.
'Like what? What difference can any of us really make?'
'We can try; we can fight for equality, to stop people like the Templars from taking over. And we get to learn, to love, to take care of the people who matter to us, to laugh, dance, sing, and … we get to be together.'
Silence settled over them once more.
'All I ever wanted was a family,' said Amari.
'Yeah?'
'I wanted kids, with Dean, more than anything. Did we ever …?' She avoided his eyes as she said the words.
Caspar's heart pounded. 'It's rare for demons to have children. Even if they do conceive, there's no guarantee the child will be demon too.'
'Oh.' She bowed her head. 'It's weird … I've never been into other peoples' kids. Honestly, I find most of them repulsive; I'm the worst kind of person, I know.'
Caspar shrugged, like it was probably true. Amari shoved him.
'The idea of my own kid though … it's … something I want.'
Caspar's hand went to the front of his shirt, clutching at the fabric; children were what every demon wanted but knew they would never get. It burned a hole inside them all.
He searched for words. 'It … might happen. But what's more likely is that a hunter will find a child who everyone thinks is mentally ill, because they keep talking about a past life, or because they're having strange dreams, or they know too much for someone their age; a new demon, who needs a mother.'
Amari shook her head. 'No. That's not what I mean.'
Chapter 8
The following morning, Amari jogged down the stairs, breezed into the kitchen, and announced to Meredith and Gemma that she would be returning to her hotel room to pick up her stuff.
Meredith and Gemma tried to talk her out of it, told her they would go instead, but Amari was adamant. Eventually, Amari just walked out, seeing as she wasn't a hostage.
Caspar entered the kitchen just as she did so, left with little choice but to follow in her wake.
They took a taxi to the hotel, Gemma and Caspar waiting outside while Meredith went in with Amari. Caspar had wanted to go in too, but Amari had put her foot down. She didn't need him looking at all her personal stuff, and Dean's parents could still be kicking around. She didn't need them seeing her with another man.
Meredith swept the bridal suite while Amari waited in the doorway. Amari resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had to remind herself that yesterday they'd been attacked. Was it really only yesterday?
Once Meredith gave the all clear, it took Amari only a couple of minutes to pack her things. She followed Meredith back into the elevator only ten minutes after they'd entered the lobby.
The elevator doors opened, and Meredith stepped out, striding towards the exit. Amari was right behind her, until a hand clamped down on her arm. Amari whirled around, and her blood ran cold. She found, to her dismay, Dean's sister Jade, glaring at her in the way only teenaged girls could.
'Jade, hi!' said Amari, too enthusiastically.
'Where have you been?' Jade demanded. 'Leila told us you went off with some man. We've been waiting for you to get in touch and explain yourself.'
Explain myself? Amari almost laughed in her face. 'Given your brother's working, I decided to do the same. That man was a colleague.'
'But you were ill,' she said, 'and Leila didn't say he was a colleague.'
'Because Leila didn't know,' said Amari, forcefully. 'And, by the way, I don't have to explain myself to either of you.'
'Leila's really hurt, you know. She thought you would've confided in her.'
Was she for real? 'About what, exactly?'
'If you're having an affair and didn't want to marry my brother.'
Amari barked out a laugh. 'I am not, nor have I been having, an affair. So take your teenaged melodrama and leave me alone.'
Amari left the hotel, her back riddled with the daggers Jade thew from her eyes.
'What was that about?' asked Meredith.
'Dean's little sister,' said Amari. 'She's always hated me, and now she's decided I'm having an affair.'
'If anything, Dean was the affair,' said Caspar. Meredith punched him on the arm. 'Ow, what?'
'You're an idiot,' said Meredith.
Amari had already hailed a taxi and was getting in, Gemma hot on her heels.
'Where are you going now?' asked Gemma.
'To my … Dean's house, to get some clothes.'
'That's absurd,' said Caspar.
'That's the first place someone would go if they were trying to find you,' said Gemma.
'That's why you guys are here, isn't it?' said Amari, getting in the car and telling the driver the address. 'Come or stay, it's up to you, but I'm going.'
She held her breath; she really didn't want to go alone.
'Get in the front,' Meredith told Gemma, pushing Amari into the middle so she could climb in beside her.
Caspar went to the far side door, huffing loudly and muttering under his breath.
'Wait here,' said Meredi
th, as they pulled up at the top of the street. 'Keys and security code please.'
Meredith and Gemma got out. They each took a side of the road, stalking towards the townhouse where Amari's rehearsal dinner had been held only two days before.
Finally satisfied the area was clear of threats, Meredith entered through the front door and Gemma ducked round the back.
Caspar and Amari sat in the cab, the driver looking bored.
'How long are we going to sit here?' the driver asked. 'Not that I mind … just want to know what kind of wait I'm in for, that's all.'
'Only a few minutes,' said Caspar, his tone clipped.
Amari threw him a stern look; there was no need to take his irritation out on the driver.
'We shouldn't be here,' Caspar hissed, low enough that the driver couldn't hear. 'It's reckless.'
Amari shrugged. 'I need to get some of my things.' Before Dean gets back and burns everything I own, she didn't add.
Dean. What was she going to do about Dean? She still wasn't certain the Pagans weren't some cult. Maybe this was how they got people to join … maybe she should go to the police.
Meredith appeared at the door, signaling that it was safe for them to go in. Amari didn't hesitate, throwing the door open and striding down the road. Caspar scrambled to catch up.
Amari walked in through the front door, feeling like an intruder in her own home. Because, it wasn't her home any longer.
She looked at the artwork on the walls, most of which she and Dean had bought together. She ran a hand over the fabric of the sofa they'd had for years. She looked at the photos of her and Dean on numerous holidays, and with friends and family, that she'd lovingly placed in frames and dotted around the place to make it feel like home.
She walked up the stairs, into the master bedroom, feeling guilty as she looked at Dean's side of the immaculately made bed. Cufflinks sat in a little bowl on his nightstand, most of which she'd given him.
His slippers were next to the bed, a half-read book on international relations sat on the chest of drawers. Looking around, she could pretend that nothing of the last two days had happened. She could lie down and imagine that she and Dean were blissfully happy; about to embark on a wonderful life together.
