by HR Moore
'Yes,' said Caspar, his lips twitching in amusement.
'Well, hopefully my being here is gift enough,' said Amari, wrapping her arms around him, 'because I don't have anything else.'
She tucked herself into Caspar's side, resting her head against his shoulder. Caspar breathed her in, kissing the top of her head.
They watched as Talli led a procession to the stone circle. Talli stepped inside, while everyone else fanned out around the edge. She looked dramatic, primal, as she knelt before the altar, placing a bouquet of summer flowers onto the stone.
Talli chanted words Amari didn't understand, and when she finished, prostrated herself on the ground, staying there until the final rays of light disappeared below the horizon.
Christa stepped into the circle of stones, moving gracefully to Talli, every step purposeful. She took Talli's hand, helping her to her feet, until they stood face to face in front of the altar. They kissed, and a drumbeat reverberated across the crowd. It sounded again, then again, other drums joining the first, slow, but building, electric tension thrumming through the crowd.
A pipe trilled above the drums, the sound sending a shiver shooting up Amari's spine. A stringed instrument joined the pipe, and Amari's hair stood on end. Other instruments joined until music poured around them, filling them.
The demons lining the circle danced, skipping and twirling, lighting fireballs on chains as they passed the burning element bowl.
Soon the whole place was writhing, frenzied, with fireballs twirling in the gloom. People whooped and thrilled and called to each other, cavorting, primeval in the flickering firelight.
It was different to the gentle swaying and dancing at the sunrise ceremony. The mood was darker, uninhibited, dangerous. Amari paused for less than a heartbeat to wonder if they'd all lost their minds, before her inhibitions too took flight.
Everywhere she looked people were coupling up: Talli and Christa, Gemma and Elliot, Jon and a man Amari didn't recognize. And then Caspar's mouth was on hers, and they were dancing, swirling, cavorting along with the rest.
Amari's body and mind gave in completely, letting go of any lingering reservations. She pushed herself flush against him. He slid his leg between hers, and they moved as one.
They danced, and kissed, and fondled. Amari slid her hands under Caspar's shirt, Caspar's hands skating across her behind.
He maneuvered them to the edge of the field, towards the darkness, then undid the laces fastening the front of her dress, gaining access to her bare breasts.
Amari gasped, recalling the memory from when she'd first worn the headpiece. It had been so like this; it all made sense now.
Caspar pushed her against a tree, pinning her with his hips, pressing against her. She clawed at his backside, her hands against his bare skin, inside his clothes.
He dipped his head to her breasts, Amari's hand going to his hair, holding him there. She moaned as he flicked her nipple with his tongue.
'Yurt,' breathed Caspar, 'before they're all taken.'
Amari had a number of questions about what he'd just said, but none of them mattered. She followed him, their fingers linked as they danced towards the yurts.
Caspar pulled her in front of him, kissing her neck from behind, his hands wrapped across her as he moved them inside the nearest open door. Caspar closed the flaps behind them, wasting no time before prowling towards her, sliding her dress off her shoulders. He let it drop to the floor, revealing her naked body beneath.
Caspar dropped to his knees, holding her hips as he kissed her, licked her, sucked her. Amari shivered, crying out at the first contact, grabbing his hair, pressing him to her until she could take no more.
She crouched, resting her weight on his legs. She grabbed at his shirt, tearing it off, then unfastened his trousers. She pulled them down around his knees, then climbed on top of him, guiding him inside her.
They both moaned as she sank onto him, Caspar's hands gliding over her backside. They moved together, fast and hard, nothing like it had been before.
Caspar picked her up, and Amari wrapped her legs around him. He lowered them back onto a pile of sheepskins, eyes locked as he moved inside her.
She rolled them over, straddling him, throwing her head back as the pressure built. She wound tighter, tighter, until Caspar slid his fingers between them, and suddenly, she was free. Caspar drew out her pleasure until he could take it no more, his body stiffening as he, too, found release.
Amari woke the following morning and nuzzled into Caspar's naked body, under a sheepskin he must have pulled over them at some point during the night. He stirred, tracing leisurely lines up and down her side, dipping in and out of her curves.
'Mmmm,' she purred, 'that's nice.'
'How about this?' he said into her hair, slipping his fingers between her legs.
She bucked against the shock of his touch. 'That's something I'd like to find out more about, once we get out of this field,' she said, lifting her head to look into his eyes.
'You didn't care about that last night,' teased Caspar.
'Well, this is the morning, and there's no music and darkness and … whatever else was going on. Now there's only a field full of silence. People would hear us.'
'We could be quiet,' he said, squeezing her nipple.
She arched into his touch, feeling her resolve weaken as his mouth found her other breast.
'Caspar!' shouted a female voice from somewhere close by. 'Caspar, wherever you are, Rose wants you, now! Don't make me search every tent in this God-damned field! I'm counting to three … one …'
Voices shouted in protest.
'He's not in here!' said a cross-sounding man.
'Don't you dare come in here,' said a woman.
'Typical,' said Caspar, giving Amari one last kiss before casting around for his clothes. 'I'm coming!' he shouted.
He picked up the white fabric of Amari's dress, handed it to her with her jewelry, then put on his trousers and shirt.
Amari pulled her dress over her head, fastened it, and followed Caspar to the entrance, almost crashing into him as he stopped and turned back to face her.
'I … last night …' He searched in vain for words.
Amari looked up into his eyes. 'Me too,' she said, then kissed him.
They linked hands, Amari's heart swelling with love. But at the same time, it broke—for the person she'd been, who never would've cheated on her husband, and for everything else her life had been before.
Chapter 15
Rose watched as her council filtered into the kitchen at Maltings.
She wished endlessly that Raina would wake up; Raina's counsel was what Rose craved most.
This group were her chosen ones. They'd been with her, running the Pagan nation, for lifetimes. There were others too, between lives, or incarnated and asleep somewhere, but she was glad the group was so numerous and strong in this moment.
Not that that made it any easier to know how much to tell them … The whole truth was rarely the best option when it came to demons. The promise of reincarnation led to a certain disregard for the value of life. They could be unpredictable, rash, and damn the consequences, even if they'd lived enough lives to know better. But tell them too little … they'd grow suspicious, liable to act rashly then too.
She took in Caspar and Amari's linked hands, watched as they wrapped their arms around each other, whispered together, ignored everyone else in the room. Had she made the wrong decision? Letting Caspar be the one to try and wake her? Letting him bring her here, where Amari's emotions would be so muddled?
But these were no ordinary times. She'd done what she thought was best, as she always did. She just hoped the consequences weren't too severe, that Raina would understand …
Talli looked at Caspar and Amari too, then gave Rose a questioning glare, probably wondering why Rose wasn't stepping in to stop it. It was unusual for demons to take things this far before they were both awake. The power balance was tipped firmly in Caspar
's favor, since Amari was unaware of all that had happened in the past.
Rose shook away the thought. Raina would be back soon, and she was old and experienced enough to look after herself. Rose needed Caspar on her side. If this was what it took, it was a compromise she was willing to make, for the good of them all.
Rose hadn't always been the leader. Raina, Caspar, Talli, and Christa had all had their turns, but none of them had wanted the job for long. Rose was the only one who'd stuck at it, finding it suited her skills. But then, she'd never fallen in love again, had never had to make the difficult choices the others had to face.
'Things are not looking good,' Rose started, without preamble. 'I told the Registerium about the attacks, along with the trade threats, the known trespassing, the disappearance of several Pagans. However, the Registerium doesn't consider this enough to justify war.'
'Rightly so,' said Talli.
'Yes. I don't disagree with their decision. The new Templar representative is a woman named Janet. She was all smiles and promises of friendship, but Malcolm, our representative, says Janet has been backchanneling whenever she gets a chance.
'She's promising the small nations the earth in return for their ongoing support. She's sweet-talking Registerium officials, and she's intercepting messengers from other nations, gleaning as much information as she can about their visits. Malcolm says he thinks she's looking for something—or someone—but he doesn't have any proof.'
'Did he have anything else that was helpful?' asked Christa.
'Only that there's been increased Slayer activity. The Slayers are using social media to find new recruits, and they're utilizing technology to find us. They seem better organized and better funded than ever before.'
'Great,' said Jon. 'War with the Templars, no allies, and a whole load more maniacs who want to kill us for no reason.'
'You have got to get that melodrama under control,' said Talli. 'Who said we don't have allies?'
'Janet's bribing everyone!' said Jon, defensively.
'The smaller nations can be bought,' said Talli, 'but not the bigger ones. And there's no love lost between most of them and the Templars.'
'Didn't you guys say the smaller nations can tip the balance, though?' asked Amari, leaning back against Caspar's chest.
'Thank you,' said Jon.
'Yes, they can,' said Rose, 'which is why we're going to try and get to them. But Talli's also right, we have natural allies among the larger nations. Without them, we don't stand a chance.'
'We're going to build a coalition?' said Christa.
'Yes.'
'It's been a while since I traveled,' said Talli, with no hint of excitement, only resignation.
'Where to?' asked Elliot. He took hold of Gemma's hand and gave her a sad look.
'I'm still working out the details, but you'll need to go to the Aborigines, of course. Meredith should go to the Wakan, then the Animists, Caspar and Amari to the Buddhists, and then the Vikings, Christa to the Aztecs, then the Russian Spirituals, Talli to the Egyptians, then the Persian Zoros. I'll see the Holy Star, and the Shindu Council.'
'What about me?' asked Jon.
'You and Gemma can hold down the fort in London. We can't leave the place abandoned,' said Rose.
'And you do have to keep the rest of us in food and clothing, remember?' said Talli.
Jon scowled at her.
'You can also work out an approach for the smaller nations,' said Rose. 'Go through the records and see which Pagans used to belong to the smaller nations. Especially from Asia, the island nations, the Canadian ones—they usually know something useful—and try to find out what's happening on the West Coast of America. I heard a rumor about a new nation, but haven't seen any evidence yet.'
'Will do,' said Gemma, visibly inching closer to Elliot.
Rose hated splitting them up, but what choice did she have?
'And if Raina wakes,' said Rose, 'you two fly back immediately, straight to the Registerium. I don't care what personal issues may be going on between the two of you. Put them to one side. All that matters is that Raina registers as Pagan, before anyone else can claim her as their own.'
Amari and Caspar went straight to their bedroom to pack. They would be driving back to London with Meredith, Talli, and Christa as soon as everyone was ready.
'I'll book our flights,' said Caspar, pulling out his phone. 'Do you have your passport number? We can fly tonight.'
'Whoa, slow down,' said Amari, stopping midway through putting a handful of clothes in her bag. 'Dean's flying in from America this evening. I'm not going anywhere without seeing him first.'
'Amari, you can't be serious. It's too dangerous … for you and for him.'
'I've been ignoring his calls and messages for days. I've been cheating on him, sleeping with you, frolicking around the countryside like some kind of cult convert. The least I can do is talk to him, face to face.'
'Do you want to go back to him?'
Amari screwed up her face. 'How could you even ask me that? I just told you, I've been ignoring him … and everyone else I know. I turned my phone off because I know there's a barrage of abuse on there about how I'm treating Dean. Abuse I deserve.'
'He left you the day after your wedding. He's not blameless.'
'You don't believe that any more than I do. I knew who I was marrying. It's me who's changed, not him.'
'Do you wish none of this had happened?'
'Honestly? Yes, part of me does. But only so I wouldn't have to hurt Dean. What I had with him was special, among humans at least. We loved each other, deeply. We wanted the same things from life. But it's nothing compared to the way I feel about you.
'I can't remember the lifetimes, but some part of me can feel them. They hum through me, crisscrossing layers of antiquity, propelling me towards you. It's like I can't live without you.'
Caspar pulled her into his arms. 'It's the same for me.'
'But I know you did something to Raina. Something so bad that despite these feelings, despite the fact she would've had to rip out her own heart to do it, she stayed away. That terrifies me. The way I feel now, I never want to be without you, but …'
'Then don't be.' He buried his face in her neck. 'You've punished me long enough. You ripped out my heart too, and … I don't know if I can do it again. I'll do anything, anything you want, just forgive me.'
She pulled back. 'You know I can't promise that.'
He put a hand on her cheek. 'Just promise you'll remember how this feels. Remember us together. Remember everything I've ever done is because I love you.'
They got back to the city as the sun was going down. Amari was preoccupied with thoughts of Dean, even with Caspar's side pressed up against her, their fingers entwined.
She'd played scenarios over and over in her head, and still had no idea what to say to him. But before they even got close to Cloister Cottage, Meredith got a call. The male voice through the car's speakers told them to detour to rendezvous point five.
'What does that mean?' asked Amari.
'It means something's happened at Cloister Cottage,' said Meredith.
A few minutes later, Meredith pulled into an unassuming side street, coming to a halt in a loading bay. A stony-faced, plainly dressed man appeared out of the shadow of a tall office building, and Meredith rolled down the window. The man stepped close, speaking in tones so low the rest of them couldn't hear his words. Meredith nodded, rolled the window up, and drove on.
'Someone tried to break in earlier today,' said Meredith. 'Our guards called the police. Luckily, the police got to the cottage in time, so the guards didn't have to get involved. They watched the whole thing and played back the video footage. It was definitely demons.'
'Where are we going?' asked Amari.
'We can't stay at the cottage if it's been compromised. We'll go to one of our other houses,' said Talli.
'Will we ever be able to go back?' asked Amari, shocked. 'You've been there for generations …'
'We might be able to,' said Christa. 'It's hard to say.'
'Whoever it was might only suspect the place belongs to us,' said Talli. 'They might not know for sure. It's lucky the guards didn't have to get involved. Often the main purpose of attacks like these is to gather intelligence.'
'But they're suspicious enough to test the place,' said Meredith, 'which isn't a good sign.'
'It's so much harder now with video cameras everywhere,' said Caspar. 'The cottage is protected with magic, but CCTV footage makes it impossible to stay hidden like we used to.'
'As soon as a demon's face is confirmed, all you have to do is infiltrate the right government department, and you can track them all over the place,' said Meredith.
'And as everything becomes more connected,' said Talli, 'it's getting worse.'
'They were confident enough to trespass to the center of our heartland,' said Meredith. 'Not good.'
'Although they did it at Midsummer,' said Caspar, 'so they're not so confident as to want to face us.'
'Not yet, anyway,' said Talli.
'But why do you need to stay hidden?' asked Amari.
'To avoid coordinated attacks on the leadership,' said Christa.
'The leadership?' said Amari.
'Us,' said Caspar. 'If the Templars—or anyone else for that matter—could take us all out at once, the Pagans would flounder.'
'We'd be ripe for a takeover,' said Talli.
'Most demons don't like war,' said Caspar. 'We've all seen too much of it.'
'Some Pagan demons would lobby for a new leader, rather than get involved in a war,' said Christa, 'or might even accept a takeover from another nation, if they thought it would avoid conflict.'
'That's part of the reason why events like Midsummer are so important,' said Talli. 'To show we leaders are still here, still strong, still a force to be reckoned with.'
'Hopefully, if they see us strong and united, they'll support the decisions we make,' said Caspar. 'Even if it means war.'
'We need to get out of London,' said Meredith, driving into an underground carpark somewhere near Waterloo Bridge. 'There are cameras everywhere … there's a chance we're being watched right now. We'll travel separately to the country house.'
