
First And Last
The Magical Sword Book Four
Stacey Kennedy
Published 2011
ISBN 978-1-59578-765-1
Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2011, Stacey Kennedy. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Liquid Silver Books
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Editor
Tracey West
Cover Artist
Anne Cain
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Blurb
THE MAGICAL SWORD, BOOK FOUR
Meet Nexi Jones---Witch, Guardian and now, Lady of the Underworld. Embracing her new role, Nexi begins the task of changing a world led by darkness. But not everyone is happy to see her rise to power. Before long, a resistance within the Underworld is forming.
As the darkness begins to close in around her, Nexi's magical abilities flourish in response---forcing Nexi to dig down deeper into her past to discover this source and why she was gifted with such incredible strength.
With her Guardian, Kyden by her side, Nexi will meet her greatest challenge yet as she begins to discover that fate might have been a bitch, but she was a bitch with a plan.
Please visit http://www.Demonoid.me
for more books from our generous members.
Baileyd
The Magical Sword series wouldn't have happened without the help of my best friend, Tanya. She's my number one cheerleader who spent hours proofreading Nexi's stories when they were nothing more than scribbles. This last one goes out to you, babe!
Nothing could have prepared me for what faced me now---nothing at all.
Magnus, my destined mate, was dead, by my own hand. Since Magnus and I had completed the bonding ceremony, the role of Ruler over the Underworld had now landed in my lap.
Oh yes, it's unbelievable. I'm now the Lady of the Underworld. Coming to terms with such insanity, my body reciprocated with full out laughter.
No one said a word. The demons, witches, and warlocks that filled the room all studied me. Some of them laughed a couple times. Others just looked royally pissed.
"Ahh..." I finally managed after my laughter ceased and my breath returned. "Wow, that's funny."
Kyden brushed the hair back from my face, his touch gentle and loving. I glanced up and saw my hunky Guardian---his typically strong features soft with relief and dazzling green eyes more than amused by my fit. As his gaze held strong with mine, the memory of all that had taken place hit quickly. For the first time since this whole bizarre situation started, all the emotions I should have felt slammed into me, and my breath caught in my throat.
You see, while Magnus was here and our bond held strong, all I could feel was anger, and my love for Kyden had vanished. Now that Magnus' hold was gone, it took all of a second before those tears of laughter became ones of sadness.
I let out a scream that echoed the pain in my heart and did nothing to hold back the tears that began to fall.
Misa rushed forward, grasped my arm tight. "My Lady, are you all right?" Her all-American girl look was troubled indeed, but don't be fooled---she's a demon.
Kyden gathered me up into his arms as I sobbed heavier than I had in my entire life. Sobbed that I almost lost him and everything that mattered, but mainly because I'd betrayed him. Not only had I slept with Magnus in the dreaming, but Kyden had seen me want him. Had seen me kiss him and witnessed my undying love for Magnus.
I couldn't even look him in the eye.
Zia, Master of Witches and one of the four master supernaturals who governed the Otherworld, knelt down beside me. Her long strawberry blond locks brushed against my arm. "You have nothing to be shameful of, Nexi. A soul bond is not one by choice." She gave a firm look that I'd expect to see from someone who was as close to me as a mother. "Do I need to slap you to make you see reason?" She made it a habit to smack some sense into me if I couldn't see it---regularly.
I glanced up at her, momentarily eased by the distraction of receiving a blow from her. "No, that won't be necessary."
Kyden let out a long deep breath, which I only heard, since I refused to look at him. How could I? After all that happened, how could he still love me? He stood with me in his arms, said nothing to the others and quickly left the auditorium.
When he reached a large Maple tree, he sat beneath it, cradled me in his arms, and took my chin in his hand to force my gaze to his. "We're going to sort this out now. I won't have you feeling shame or guilt. So, tell me, Álainn, what troubles you?"
Álainn, Gaelic for beautiful---normally hearing him use the pet name he gave to me sent waves of love straight to my soul, but now all I felt was empty. "I slept with him. We were bonded. Oh my God, Kyden, I've betrayed you."
His grip on my chin tightened, his eyes bore into mine with such intensity it captured my already shallow breath. "You think I give a fuck about Magnus and his attempt to lure you?"
"How can you not?" My voice squeaked, tears streamed down my cheeks. "How can you forgive me?"
He brushed his fingers along my cheek to wipe away the tears. "There's nothing to forgive you for." His voice gentle and so unlike Kyden. "I don't doubt for a moment where your heart lies. Besides, he took you in the dreaming---it wasn't flesh on flesh. And what happened in there," he nodded back to the auditorium, "is to be expected. His bond had taken you. The fact that you had the ability to deny it and destroy Magnus in life itself is enough. But I know you. The real you---the Nexi Jones that stole my heart would never have considered another."
"But...I..."
He put his finger on my lips to quiet my words. "No. I told you, there's nothing that needs to be forgiven." He sighed again, even deeper. "All that matters is that I still have you."
Tears still streamed down my face as I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as tight as I could. "I love you, Kyden."
"As I do you," he whispered against my ear.
We stayed that way for a while, just holding onto each other. Sure, my heart still felt heavy, but something else filled my thoughts. I backed away to meet his gaze. "You almost died." I could barely even say the words, unable to think of what could have been.
"But I didn't." His gaze was unwavering. "This is the last conversation you and I will have on this subject. We have been granted the right to be together again and we won't waste it. We won't worry about what has happened or took place, only focus on each other and our future. Am I understood?"
I nodded, understood his words perfectly and sank against his chest as he wrapped me in his strong protective hold. This was the last time we would ever talk of Magnus, and what took place, because he didn't matter---what happened didn't matter. All that mattered was us, our love and life---no matter how strange it was about to become.
We stayed like that for a while, hugging each other, never letting go. Never again would we be apart and I relished in the love I felt in his embrace.
After my tears finished, Kyden leaned back and smiled down at me. "We need to get back. You have a world to rule."
His gaze was amused. It was a great restraint on his part that he wasn't doing a serious belly laugh. I gave his arm a good smack. "It's not funny. This is insane. What are they thinking? I can't rule them."
He stood with me still in his arms, then placed me on my feet, took my hand and squeezed it tight. "It's a peculiar situation for sure, but one you can't deny. So, best we just go face this and see what they want from you."
"Just when I think I can't take anymore, life only seems to get harder. You know, I'm thinking your whole idea about leaving the Otherworld doesn't sound all that bad right now."
He cupped my cheek, ran his thumb over my bottom lip. "I'm afraid, Álainn, that isn't a choice anymore. Don't worry, I'll be with you. We'll get through this together."
I leaned into his hand and smiled. At least, I had that. He would be beside me through anything. With him, I had everything.
Hand in hand, he led me back toward the auditorium. When I entered, everyone stood and bowed. I snorted, thoroughly annoyed. "Oh, please."
Kyden chuckled.
"Are you okay?" Zia inquired.
I loved the telepathic communication we shared as Spirit Witches, especially in times like these, when others didn't need to hear.
"Better. But what the hell, is this for real? Do they really think I'm going to lead them?"
Her smile was more than amused, it bordered on hilarity. "I'm not sure what they expect of you, but it seems as though Azar and Misa must have a plan since they assisted you against Magnus. Be kind to them, Nexi. They gave you a great gift by helping you."
"I know you're right, but Zia, I can't do this. I. Don't. Want. To. Do. This."
"There are steps for you to appoint a new leader, but right now, we need to learn more of this world. You cannot appoint someone who you know nothing about. Think of the consequences. Let's just take this one step at a time, all right?"
Just then, Misa approached me and bowed. "My Lady..."
"Nexi," I interjected before she continued. "My name is Nexi."
"Okay then." She smiled. "Lady Nexi."
"No, drop the Lady, just plain old Nexi."
Misa looked around completely confused. "You're asking me to call you only Nexi?"
"That's right." I glanced around the room to all the Underworld creatures. "All of you. My name is Nexi. That's it! Got it?" Everyone in the room exchanged a confused glance. The sight of it made me laugh. "And none of this bowing stuff. It's quite ridiculous." Their befuddled expressions shifted to complete bewilderment. I had the real feeling that I was asking for the impossible.
To hell with it, I had other matters to attend to. My gaze fell upon Azar. A warlock who looked just as one would expect---scruffy with long white hair and dark eyes that exuded power.
I released Kyden's hand and stepped toward him. As I reached him, he bowed. I touched his arm, drawing his gaze back to mine. "Why did you help me?" He'd withdrawn the hold Magnus had on me. Without his help, it wouldn't have turned out this way. I would have been lost to the darkness forever.
He held his hand out, an offering for me to read his thoughts. Just a neat trick the Spirit Element gives to me. I took his hand without hesitation and opened myself up to him so that I could get a grasp on what this was all about.
In an instant, visions flashed through my mind and I recognized the first one immediately. I'd seen this memory in Misa's mind at the beginning of this mess. At the time, though, she'd pulled away so I couldn't see more. Now, it became clear.
Azar and Misa wanted to change the path of their world, protect and make it different---better. But Magnus was set in his ways. Yes, they could have defeated him, but then Pye would have taken his place. This would have been worse. So, that's where I came in.
Misa planted the idea into Magnus' head to have Pye destroyed. Then, with him out of the way, they put the plan into motion to destroy Magnus. They believed I had all the qualities of a supreme leader and no longer wanted to live in the realm of evil. They would have stopped Magnus' hold over me earlier if they hadn't needed me to bond to him first. It guaranteed that I was next in line to rule.
The visions stopped and I released Azar's hand. Stunned, shocked---I was speechless.
Kyden stroked my arm in a soft touch. "All right?"
I glanced at him. Still unable to speak. This was all very serious, but to be truthful, I had no idea what to say. Off all the things that I thought this might be about, this had never once crossed my mind.
They chose me to lead. Me.
"Nexi, you have to say something." Zia's voice filled my mind.
I glanced at her. She gave me a nod of encouragement, to say whatever needed to be said, but still I couldn't. I seriously drew a blank. I'd never been without words before or so completely dumbfounded.
Misa cleared her throat, broke the silence. "Um...Lady...I mean to say, Nexi, needs some time to process. Let's give it to her."
Just like that, every warlock, demon, and witch stood in unison and left the auditorium. All that remained were Misa, Azar, Zia, Talon, and Kyden.
When the final Supe left the room and the door closed, Zia ran to me, hugged me with every ounce of her strength. "I didn't think it was going to turn out this way." Her voice hitched. "I love you, Sweetie."
Still, I stood speechless.
Zia leaned back, then glanced worriedly at Talon. The Master of Guardians, and Kyden's father, had just released his son from a tight embrace. He looked a lot like him---had the whole 'slay my dragon' thing going on. "I think she's in shock," she said.
"Help her."
Zia glanced back to me, kept her hold tight on my arms, and released her magic. A rush of ease filled me.
I exhaled deeply, then gave my head a shake. It relaxed me enough to ground myself again, but I was still unbelievably shocked. Clearly, Zia didn't want to take away the sense of what was going on here, knew I needed it to make good decisions, but took the edge off.
"So..." I hesitated. Everyone looked at me, waited for me to continue. "You do know that I'm a White Witch?"
Misa nodded, a sweet smile spread across her face. "Yes, we know."
"And you do know I won't accept Black Magic, right?"
"Why do you think I didn't allow you to accept it after the bonding ceremony? We don't want you to change." Azar smiled.
Now it made sense. At the time, he suggested that Magnus and I wait until we were alone for me to accept Black Magic. With all types of sultry promise, Magnus had agreed. A deep shudder erupted within me as I remembered the way he looked at me then, the way I felt and wanted him. Just yuck!
I shifted my focus away from thoughts along that line and got back to business. "Why?"
"We like how you are," Misa responded.
I gave my head a shake, tried to understand all this, but nothing seemed to make sense. "I'm so confused." I gave my temples a good, hard rub.
Misa laughed. "What's there to understand? I told you repeatedly that we're not what you think we are. Yes, we're demons and must siphon souls to feed our world and our magic, but we disagree with our past leaders. We don't want innocent souls taken."
I had to laugh at the idea of such insanity. "You're good evil guys?"
"Makes you like us, right?"
I did remember when she'd told me this awhile back but I thought she was totally nuts. The truth was, now, I did like her. Demons are the pure essence of evil and she denied her very own soul to live in kindness. That definitely put her on the side of the good guys. Still, none of this made any sense.
"Honestly, why have you chosen me? There were lots of powerful witches and warlocks here tonight. You could have picked any of them."
Misa's smile was shrewd. "Not as powerful as you. With you leading, it puts us in a position of great safety. No one can go up against you, which will keep our world and our wants, protected."
Before I could process that, Zia said, "She's right, Nexi. You've grown undeniably strong. You shielded Kyden against Magic---used your shield on another. I still don't believe it."
My magic always did seem to be stronger with emotional motivation behind it so it really didn't surprised me anymore that my powers exploded when I needed them most. Besides, my mind just couldn't break away from how insane this all was. "But I have no experience with leading anything. I'm only twenty-four years old for gosh sakes. I can't do this."
Azar placed a hand on my shoulder, his smile kind. "You were born to do this and we'll be here to guide you."
I waited a good ten breaths as I let my mind process the situation. It wasn't going to go away and would happen whether I liked it or not. So, as they say, better face the music and find out exactly what they wanted from me. "Lay it on me then, what do I have to do?"
"First, we need to establish rules that your minions must adhere to." Misa informed.
Suddenly, a horrific thought came to mind. "I don't have to live here, do I?"
"You are the Ruler of the Underworld. You can do whatever you like---the rules are yours to make."
My gaze met Kyden's, relief palpable in my tone. "Well, that's a bit of good news."
"Indeed."
"You can assign yourself minions to handle your daily duties, and to look after the world for you, if you don't wish to live among us." Misa continued.
Okay, easy decision. "I appoint you."
"Me?" Misa gasped.
"Well yeah, you seem to know lots. You'll do fine." Better than I could do, and oddly, I trusted her. Yeah, I trusted a demon, never thought I'd see the day.
She started to bow, but I grabbed her arm quickly. "Please don't. That's just too weird."
"As you wish, my..." she stopped herself and smiled. "Nexi."
I smiled in return. Whoever guessed that I'd find a friend in Misa? I would never have thought it possible. Friends come from unusual places, and I couldn't deny that when I looked at Misa, all I saw was a friend.
"We'll be in nightly contact with you about situations that arise and matters you must deal with. It'd be my pleasure to act as your Siren to assist you and deal with most of the trouble without you. The role is normally given to a witch, but times have changed now, haven't they?" Azar cut in.
"Great." Maybe my involvement wouldn't be as much as I thought. These two seemed to know what the hell they were doing. "So, you'll only come to me if something really serious comes up?"
"As Siren, I'll deal with anyone who goes against the laws you put forth. We'll detain them here. Then, weekly you'll need to come so they can stand before you."
I sighed loud and proud. There went my whole plan to let everyone else handle it thing for me. "All right, got all that, so what do we do now?"
"We need to bring everyone back in so you can set in place the new rules." Misa stated.
My gaze hit on every face here. "Er...I hope you are all going to help me with this?" I was glad to get a nod from each of them in return.
Half an hour later, we had rules to set the Underworld to rights. The crowd piled back into the auditorium and took their seats. Misa gave me a quick nod to begin.
"Here goes." I said to Kyden, who gave my hand a squeeze before letting go. Nerves rattled me. Public speaking was never my strong suit. So, I made it quick.
"Rule one: No more taking innocent souls. Anyone who does will face destruction. Understood?" Every head nodded so I continued. "Only humans who have done something wrong, murder, rape, you know that kind of stuff. Those souls you can drain, and do whatever you want with, but that's it."
When a Demon drained a soul, it didn't actually kill them, just weakened their life force---took a few years off. If they ruined lives, who cared that they'd die a little early. I sure didn't.
"Rule two: If a human asks for something in return for giving his soul," Which was how the majority of the souls were taken---given freely in exchange for something. "You cannot do anything evil. Got it? No hurting others, stealing, murder, anything that falls into those categories."
I continued for what seemed like hours, until my mouth ran dry from talking. The rules were simple ones, we weren't able to change the way of the Underworld, but we could run it along the same lines of the Otherworld. With the only difference being, I was the Council. What a big joke, right?
"I have put Misa in charge. So, anything needs to go through her." Everyone nodded again. "Azar will now be my Siren. If there is trouble, go to him, and he'll sort it out." With that all said and done, I looked toward Azar. "You need to choose your..." I hesitated, searched for the right word, "...guard."
Azar leaned in, his voice low. "Sorry, that's your job. We'll arrange for a challenge for you to choose who defends you."
"Oh. Well, okay. We can do that." I had no idea what I was doing and really hoped I didn't look as ridiculous as I felt.
"Is that all then, Lady...I mean to say, Nexi?" Misa asked.
"Yes, that'll do." I glanced around the room and looked upon a few faces before me. "I guess I should probably thank you all. If it wasn't for your support, things would've turned out very different."
When Magnus called out for help, no one had given him aid. A couple of firm nods acknowledged me, but that was about it. I glanced back at Misa who smiled at me. "I guess that's it, so can I go now?"
"You do not need to ask my permission," she replied softly.
"Okay." I walked back to Kyden and grabbed his hand. "Let's go then."
Everyone in the auditorium stood and bowed as Kyden and I walked, Zia and Talon followed. "Stop doing that."
No one listened.
Zia chuckled and stepped alongside me. "Better get used to it, Lady Nexi."
I scowled at her. "This is so not funny. I'm just glad I don't have to really do anything. Anyways, it sounds like they want most of the things we do, so that's good right?"
"We're entering a new time. I never thought I would live to see the day when the Underworld joined the Otherworld in its endeavors."
"Or that I'd be running it." I had to laugh at the craziness of it.
"We always knew you were special. Drake and Tryianna would be proud of what you've become. Their daughter, the Ruler of the Underworld." She laughed quietly. "They'd never have believed it."
"Will I...do you think..." I searched for words.
She took my hand and smiled. "You'll do fine. Not to worry, Sweetie, we'll assist you. You won't be alone in this."
The second we reached the bottom of the hill, Kyden squeezed my hand while Zia did the same to the other in preparation for the coming teleportation. That's how the portal works. Wherever you come in, you only need to go back to that same place and think of home.
A moment later, it hit. My breath sucked into my body as my eyes closed for the force of it. When the air quieted and I could breathe again, I opened my eyes, glad to be back in the Council's Foyer. The portal belonged in the Otherworld, and was a thick wooden door that sat in a room better described as Kings Chamber than a Foyer. I never could understand why they called it that.
My gaze immediately landed on Kyden's. "Home, sweet home."
He smiled, wrapped his arm around my waist and opened his mouth to speak but I put a hand up to silence him.
"I have been a mess. Do you know what you've done to me?" Willow's annoyed voice rang through my mind.
My familiar had probably been in hell these last few hours. As my protector, we're always connected in mind, therefore, she would have known everything that happened through my eyes. It's the way she could sense if I was in danger and protect me. However, since she was unable to enter the Underworld, she couldn't do anything about it. It must have been hard.
I picked her up and snuggled my face into her black fur. "I'm sorry, Willow. You must have had a rough go of things." My tone came out sarcastic, but I could tell from her purr that she knew how happy I was to be back here with her. She felt whatever I did.
As I placed Willow back on her paws, another person I loved came to my mind. She would have gone through hell these past couple of nights too.
"Haven." My soul-sister, the equivalent to a soul-mate, but without the romantic junk. We are sisters destined to be together and can sense what the other feels. Usually, it annoyed me that I couldn't feel anything without her coming to investigate, but right now, all I knew was that I needed her. "Where is she?" I asked Zia.
"Finn took her home to sleep," Zia answered. "I'll come with you and we'll wake her."
"I'll go and inform the others of what has taken place." Talon said, as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. He glowed with happiness. He hadn't lost his son, and I could tell from the look in his eye that he was just as happy not to lose his daughter. Warm fuzzies spread through me.
With Talon on his way into the Council's Hall, Kyden kept my hand tight in his as we walked toward the Witches House located at the east side of the castle. It was a blessing that it is not too far from the Guardians House since the Gothic castle was big enough to get lost in---it'd happened on numerous occasions in fact.
The entrance to the Witches House was marked with the word Witch etched into the stone wall. Suddenly, urgency ripped through me. The memory of her in pain, how cold I was to her, overtook my thoughts. I needed to get to her.
I released Kyden's hand and ran for Haven's door. Luckily, it was only a few doors down. Once there, I grabbed the handle and flung it open to find Finn sitting on the couch, his head in his hands.
His gaze immediately snapped up and he was off the couch in a second flat. His slender muscled body tightened tremendously as this surfer babe's expression shifted to confusion. "Nexi?" Kyden stepped in next to me and leaned against the doorway. Finn looked like he saw a ghost. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. "Kyden," he whispered.
"Yes, you fool." Kyden laughed.
Finn ran at full speed toward us and lunged himself at Kyden. The second they thudded to the ground, he started laughing. "I expected to float right through you."
Kyden chuckled along with him. "Mind getting off?"
Finn jumped up, reached his hand out for Kyden. He took it, hopped to his feet and embraced him in a tight man-hug. The two would never use words to say just how glad they were to see each other. Male pride and all, but I could see it written all over their expressions.
He released Kyden and latched onto me with a hug. "What happened?" he asked, backing away from me and glancing between Kyden and I.
"Let's wake Haven first," I said and moved into the living room. "I don't want to have to repeat it."
I headed past the kitchen and into the bedroom. When I entered, Haven looked so peaceful as she slept on the bed. I sat down next to her and took her hand. She is a ray of sunshine, and it never left her even when asleep. She practically glowed. Her bouncy brown curls lay across the pillow and cradled her sweet face. Zia sat on the other side, and ran her hand along Haven's head.
Instantly, Haven's big blue eyes fluttered open and her gaze met mine. "Nexi."
"Yes, Haven. It's me." Tears filled my eyes as I squeezed her hand. We were home and safe.
Seconds later, Haven jumped to her feet, glanced at everyone in the room, then fainted. Finn lunged for her and scooped her up. "Well, that wasn't the reaction I expected." I laughed.
Zia chuckled along with me, stood and approached Haven. She rested her hand on Haven's cheek and immediately woke her.
"You are all right? Kyden is alive? You're back?" She rambled on.
I laughed, patted the bed for her to sit with me. "Okay, take a deep breath, and let me tell you what happened."
By the end, Haven sat with her mouth wide open. Finn looked equally shocked.
"You're the Ruler of the Underworld?" Haven whispered, disbelief clear in her tone.
I nodded. It was all I could do; worried she wouldn't be pleased with the news.
Haven blinked twice, then burst out laughing, as did Finn. Kyden and I joined in.
"Just when I think it can't get any worse, something always proves me wrong." I sighed and wiped tears from my eyes.
Haven wiped her own and took a deep breath to gather herself. "It's not so bad. You said it yourself---you don't really have to do anything."
"I guess." I shrugged a little. "It's just so bizarre. I never thought I would be grateful to a bunch of demons."
Haven giggled. "Me neither." Suddenly, a curious look came upon her face. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I feel fine. Why?"
"Then we have somewhere to go." She smiled.
"I'm not going anywhere. I only just got back." I jumped off the bed and moved next to Kyden. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and lightly ran his fingers across my skin.
Haven stomped her foot, her lips pursed in a pout. "But I have something planned for you."
"How have you had time to plan anything?"
"Well..." She smiled sneakily. "It was something I planned a week ago and since all is well now, we should continue on with the plans, don't ya think?"
"Plans for what?" I asked, hesitantly. I'd become suspicious, who can really blame me? Haven had a knack for doing the unexpected.
Kyden leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Have you forgotten what tomorrow night is?"
I met his eyes, trying to think. Tomorrow. What was happening tomorrow? Then, it hit me like a smack in the face. "Our bonding ceremony?"
He smiled, brushed his fingers across my cheek. "I'm glad you haven't forgotten."
Haven watched me impatiently to give her the acknowledgement she sought. As much as I wanted to stay with Kyden and never leave his side again, we had agreed that this wouldn't rule us. This situation was over and I needed to treat it as such.
As the acceptance settled in, I noticed the mischievous look in Haven's gaze. "What have you planned?"
She wriggled her brows. "You'll see."
Oh for Christ Sakes! This was going to be bad.
"This is amazing," I exhaled as I leaned back into a giant hot tub filled with rose petals. Of course, Haven sat next to me. She'd pulled together a whole group of us---Zia, Misa, Briar, Sabi, and a few other Witches to join in the relaxing splendor at the Juvenex Spa in New York City.
I was a bit sad that Rynn, Briggs' mate, was unable to make it, but she was busy with wolf business. Boy oh boy, was she missing out.
We'd already distressed and detoxed in the Jade Igloo Sauna, sweated in the Diamond Herbal Steam Sauna, then had an invigorating Cold Rainforest Shower. Now, Haven and I soaked in a private tub that resembled a hot natural spring, more than an actual tub. It was serenity with a splash of bliss.
After about an hour soak, we met up with the others. All seated in pedicure chairs that massaged my back brilliantly while a poor woman got to work on my feet. It'd been a while since I had a pedicure. Life had been crazy, so sue me for enjoying it fully.
The poor little Asian woman worked up a sweat while she went to town using her foot file paddle.
"My lover will enjoy this silky new body of mine," Briar commented.
Briar, a Witch who, on the outside, looked about as pretty as they come. With coiled red hair, amazing aqua eyes---it all made her soft looking. Her mouth was entirely something different though. She sputtered profane and naughty comments constantly that had me holding back laughter.
I cracked an eye open and glanced at Haven. We both burst out laughing.
"Something funny, dears?" Briar asked.
"This tickles," I said, gave a wiggle of my toes in an attempt to save the moment.
After that we joked, laughed, gossiped---did everything girls should do at a spa. But now, it was onto the body treatment, the dreaded hair removal.
Haven stayed with me, while one of the beauticians began waxing my brows. After she placed the gooey hot stuff on my brow, placed the cotton covering over it and pulled it off, I shouted, "Ow."
"Stop being such a baby," Haven retorted. "I went first and survived it."
So, I could handle vampires, big bad witches, but all this ripping out my hair, plucking at my skin---I could live without.
When the woman finally finished assaulting my brows, she moved southbound. I shot straight up and held the fluffy robe tightly closed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"A Brazilian wax." The beautician glanced at Haven. "That is what you ordered for her?"
"You did what?" I gasped.
"It's not for you." Haven giggled. "It's for Kyden. Now, lie back."
Resolving that it was better to just get this over with than spend the next twenty minutes arguing with Haven, only to have her win, I lay back down, grabbed onto the edge of the bed I was on and gripped it madly. "Oh, dear God." Haven always won, dammit.
The beautician opened my legs and raised them so my feet rested on the sheets. She raised my robe up so it freed the part of my body I definitely did not want her to see and nudged at my legs to open them. "Just relax your legs."
Yeah, right.
As she was about to get to business, I glanced up at her as she stood at the end of the bed looking down at my most private of places. "Not all of it. Don't you dare leave me looking like a girl in a training bra!"
Haven chuckled. "I would never do that. It'll be pretty." She kept her gaze on my face which only made me happy. We were close and all, but if she had her eyes anywhere else, I'd throw a serious Nexi-fit.
I almost responded to her until the hot wax came across my skin. Instead, I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Oh, this was not going to be fun.
By the time it was over, my throat burned from all the screaming I did. Haven's cheeks glittered with tears of laughter that flowed rapidly as she watched my pain. Jerk.
Good thing I had the healing ability or I'd walk funny. I had to give it to Haven, it did look pretty. It's not like I was a woman from the 1800's, but I never went to this extent to keep things neat and tidy. This might become a ritual.
After I got dressed, I returned to the room to find Haven nearly bouncing with excitement. "This was only phase one of our fun night."
"Wonderful," I said sarcastically. "I can hardly wait to find out what's in store for me next." I had a real bad feeling about this.
When we got to our next venue, I couldn't have been more on the mark. "Please tell me this is a joke?" A flashing sign that read Manhattan Men glowed in the night.
"You lived as a human once." Haven giggled. "And this is what they do before they get married." She took my hand, dragged me along. "Come on. It'll be fun."
Fun?
Haven paid our admission and as we stepped through, we were instantly hit with sounds of womens screams everywhere.
"God help me," I groaned.
"Yum," Misa purred from beside me and gave a sultry smile. "This is going to make my duty to the Underworld all too fun."
"Huh?" was my only response.
"I'm a Sincubus." When I stared blankly at her, she laughed and continued. "I steal souls by...gettin' it on."
"You do not?" I snapped, stunned.
She nodded, a very sexy move. "Sure do." She glanced around at the near naked men dancing at the individual tables. "Look at them, all manly, and delicious."
"Remember the rules, Misa." I reminded her. "No one innocent."
She laughed and waved away my concern. "We're talking about strippers here. I bet one of them has done something, abused a girl or committed a crime. Don't you worry yourself with that, I'll find one." Then, her look became one of determination. "By the way, we need to work on that. Your lack of knowledge of our world is..."
I stopped her next words by raising my hand. "I get it. You don't need to go on."
"We can go through everything after the bonding," Misa replied, even though, she didn't look at me any longer. Her focus locked on one of the men dancing to our left.
"Gross." I tore my eyes from her and moved over to Haven, who was in discussion with the bartender. He looked from her to me, then gave huge smile. Oh God!
Zia took my hand, dragged me over to a table, where the rest of our party had sat down. "I have never been to a place like this before," her gaze followed one of the dancers as he walked by. "I see the appeal."
I laughed too, unable to help it. Good lord, these men were practically perfect. The Manhattan Men's Club knew how to put on a show. Every man was model-fit with perfect physiques, rugged handsome faces, and smiles that led the mind to a naughty nature.
"Mmm, these humans are scrumptious," Briar purred.
Double gross!
Finally, Haven came over to the table with a hunky waiter in tow. She smiled as she sat next to me. The waiter handed us each a chocolate Martini and then two tequila shots. I grabbed the shots and downed them in two point two seconds. I needed to be drunk to survive this. Everyone laughed as I cringed from the gross effects of the shots. Tequila did one thing, got you drunk and that was about it. Yuck!
After everyone else knocked back their shots, Zia said, "Let's get this party started. Haven, hand me a bill." I could only stare at her in shock. She was so not going to do what I thought she was. "Let's not tell Talon this part, but wow, look at them."
I continued to stare in complete bafflement as she waved the bill in her hand. A dancer caught the gesture and sauntered on over. "Oh, dear God." That was all my brain could comprehend.
The dancer spun Zia's chair around and she gasped a little. Her eyes widened as he began to dance himself all over her. Haven bounced up and down screaming, as were the others. I just wanted to bury myself in the ground and die.
Three Martinis later, another two shots, I was a little more comfortable and found myself giggling right along with them. My hands and legs were covered in oil, since the men seemed to be smothered in it. Haven had taken it upon herself to continually hold bills over my head to keep the entertainment coming.
I was enjoying myself a bit. That was until a deep male voice said, "Ladies, you're in for a treat tonight. Welcome to Manhattan Men! Soldiers, bring up the bride for her last night of freedom."
Oh God. Oh God. Oh my fucking God!
Suddenly, four delicious looking hunky gods grabbed my chair, raised me up off the ground, and wisped me toward the stage. "I'm going to kill you," I shouted at Haven on the way.
She was having a glorious ole time as she screamed and hollered along with the rest of our group. I, on the other hand, was mortified. It was one thing to be surrounded by others in this place, but to be put in the spotlight. Lord, help me.
I was planted right in the centre of the stage as the four men in sailor uniforms got right down to business. They danced around me as if I was some Queen and they were my servants. My face was as red as a tomato, I was sure of that. I tried to keep my eyes off them, but having their willies flapping around in front of me, I couldn't look away.
Haven laughed hysterically. I scowled at her, which only made her laugh harder. By the end of it, I'd been flipped around, held upside down, humped, groped, and basically slapped with penises.
Thankfully, they released me, kissed my cheeks, and allowed me to get the hell off the stage. When I got back to the table, Haven's tears streaked her face. Misa looked jealous. Briar and Zia just looked drunk.
"Please tell me that is it." I hoped, pleaded, begged.
Haven nodded. "That was enough, let me tell you. Your face was priceless."
Without another word said, I exited the strip club as fast as I could and practically ran back to the alleyway where we came into New York City.
To my total disappointment, Haven decided that Kyden and I should spend the night apart. She wanted to make this as much a traditional human event for me as she could. I thought it sweet and all, but I needed to see him. It killed me to be away from him. I just needed to make sure he was okay and safe.
After Haven dozed off in my bed, I gave myself a little healing to sober up. Just a bonus of being a Spirit Witch---hangovers was a thing of the past. I slowly crept out of bed and made my way to her place.
Kyden and the guys had a much calmer night of watching UFC with some beers---that's more of a Kyden thing. Mine too, but I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter.
I reached Haven's residence in no time. At the door, I slowly opened it, then closed it as I stepped her living room. Kyden slept soundly on the couch, one arm raised over his head. I froze. I couldn't wake him, he looked so peaceful. He was safe, which was my concern first and foremost. Warmth rushed through me. We survived this and would be together forever. Love can conquer it all. We had proven that.
I spun around quietly. Just as I reached the door, Kyden's warm body pressed against mine. "Where do you think you're going?"
He turned me to face him, and I smiled. He wore only his silver shorts, and those Manhattan Men had nothing on Kyden. He had a thick build, every muscle sculpted as his bronze skin gleamed in the moonlight that shone through the window. "I didn't want to wake you."
He arched a brow. "You do realize you're breaking the rules?"
"I just had to come and see you."
He leaned in closer. Before he kissed my lips, he said. "I know the feeling and I'm glad you did." He scooped me up, carried me to the couch and laid me down softly. "This isn't a stirring from your night out, is it?" He laughed.
"Please, you stir me all your own."
He brought his lips back to mine and kissed me so softly, but oh so hungrily. Kissing him now, there was more, it was deeper. Each swirl of his tone curled my toes and had me on the verge of begging him to take me.
Slowly, he removed my clothes as I reached helped him out of his shorts. Once he was free, I couldn't help but notice, the strippers had nothing on him in that department either. Kyden wouldn't have been a boy scared to change in the boys changing room. Gifted, he surely was.
He came back over top of me, began to kiss his way down my stomach as I ran my hands over his shoulders. When he reached my warmth, he glanced up at me, surprised. "What is this?"
"A present for you. Like it?"
He traced the neatly trimmed heart with his fingers. "I do." He gave the patch of hair a soft kiss before he came back up to my mouth and kissed me until my mind erased any thought but the warmth that was building inside of me.
Kyden hadn't missed a single part on my body---almost as if relearning what was so close to being taken from him. He didn't waste the chance to touch any part of me and his hands were everywhere, as were mine.
Before I was about to burst with erotic need, I reached down to grab his head where it was nestled between my thighs and pulled him back up. In a slow movement that was so perfect, he slid inside of me.
My back arched at the fullness of it. He locked my head between his arms as he gazed deeply into my eyes, and moved with long, steady strokes. I wrapped my legs up around his hips, held him closer, needed him as near as he could get. I met his every thrust, intoxicated by the rightness of how it felt to make love to him.
His strokes quickened and I was sure this lovemaking wasn't going to last very long. Not after all we'd been through. The need, the love I could see in Kyden's eyes, declared his need for release. Yet, I knew he waited, as always, unselfish and not wanting to finish without me.
Thankfully, I was nearly there. The need to keep quiet so the others didn't hear became difficult. The added restriction just made the sensitivity stronger. With each thrust, my body tingled with pleasure. He never stopped gazing down at me---never tore his adoring eyes from mine as he began to work harder.
My body responded with pleasure as my climax built around him. He groaned deeply, as his own was taken to higher limits by my constricted warmth. With our eyes glued to each other, he gave a few hard, demanding thrusts before the world faded away to heavenly bliss.
Kyden hadn't even stopped trembling and my breath had yet to return when the door slammed open. "Nexi, you are in big trouble." Haven stood at the door, her arms folded across her chest, completely irritated.
"Now you're in for it." Kyden chucked as he squirmed and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over us.
"Get up," Haven shouted. "We're going back to your room. Right now!"
Finn entered the living room rubbing his eyes, looking far beyond tired. "What the hell is going on?"
"That." Haven pointed to me. "Look at that."
Finn glanced at Kyden and I wrapped in each others' arms and laughed.
Haven flew through the room, and grabbed my clothes off the floor. "Let's go."
Kyden grabbed his shorts, which rested on the coffee table, and put them on, then wrapped the blanket around me so I could stand. I leaned up and kissed his lips softly, before Haven latched onto my arm to drag me away.
"Nexi," Kyden said just as I got to the door.
I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Mmm?"
His smiled was full of pure love and adoration. "That was just a warm up for tomorrow night."
Yum!
The mirror couldn't lie. I looked beautiful---more than I had ever looked in my life.
Haven had designed such a beautiful wedding gown. A strapless chiffon, floor-length dress, an empire line waist and a bust that held a deep bank of silver embroidery that looked very similar color to my sword. The deep ivory shade was a stunning contrast against my skin and I appeared almost tanned. Not an easy task since I was usually pale during mid-summer.
After about an hour on my hair, by the time she was done, I stood bewildered to say the least. If she wasn't a witch, she'd be a hairdresser. Two French braids ran alongside my hairline and left the rest of my long dirty-blonde hair in loose messy curls.
Lastly, she finished off with my make-up. Earthy tones layered my lids, long black lashes defined my hazel eyes, soft peach cheeks gave a permanent glow, and shimmering lip-gloss glittered brightly along my lips.
"It's time," Haven said softly. I glanced at her through the mirror to see tears slide down her cheeks. She lunged at me and wrapped herself tight around my back. "I'm just so happy. I know we're not supposed to talk about it, but I'm so thankful everything worked out."
I reached up and held her hands that lay across my chest. "I know, Haven, me too." I took a deep breath, determined not to cry. Haven hadn't spent all this time making me pretty only to have me wash it all away.
"Come on, Haven," Zia said as she entered the room. "Everyone is waiting."
Haven gave me a quick kiss, as did Zia, then they left. I glanced down and ran my hands over the dress. The soft fabric tickled my hands, when a sudden gasp caught my attention. I spun around to see Valor walk into my bedroom.
The Patriarch. To werewolves he was their leader. The Alpha of all Alphas. To me, he was just Valor, my dearest and closest friend.
He stepped forward, eyes wide. "Kyden is extremely lucky, Nexi. You look absolutely stunning."
I blushed. Sure, we were close, but he had never given me such a compliment before. It was strange coming from him. Supes weren't overly affectionate, but that only solidified how close we'd become. "Thank you."
He continued toward me and pulled me into a very warm hug. "I wouldn't have missed this night. What a wonderful celebration."
"I'm so glad you came." I tilted my head so it rested against his chest.
Valor had special meaning to me and having him here for the ceremony came pretty close to having a family member here.
That thought had been on my mind constantly throughout the preparations for tonight. God, did I miss my parents. This night would have made them all so happy and it did hurt that they weren't here to share in it.
"I..." he hesitated, reached into his pocket and drew out a necklace. He held it up, a wolf head pendant on a chain dangled from his finger. "I got this for you."
I gasped, not caring that it was a very girly sound at that moment. It was extremely beautiful. He chuckled and spun me around, clasped the necklace around my neck. He turned me back around again, then smiled sweetly. "There, perfect."
I reached up and touched the necklace. "It's so pretty. Thank you, Valor."
He nodded and held his arm out to me. "I know I'm in no way a replacement for who should be doing this for you, but it would be my greatest honor to lead you to the ceremony." He offered, his gaze sweet and tone shaky, as if overcome with emotion.
Without hesitated, I wrapped my arm in his, my heart full. "I wouldn't want anyone else."
In no time, we headed down the hall and out of the castle toward the Witches Meadow. "So...is it crowded down there?" I asked hesitantly.
Valor winked. "Not too many."
When we arrived at the meadow, I gave him a look that said he was a lying jerk. He chuckled. Not only was everyone from the Otherworld here, but everyone from the Underworld too.
I didn't focus on that for too long since the meadow took precedent. It looked exquisite. Obviously, magic played a part here because it never looked this beautiful. It always took my breath away, so that was really saying a lot. The trees were all the same, but tonight, beautiful white dahlias adorned them everywhere. It made the meadow look so alive.
In addition, it wasn't just that. Thousands of candles were everywhere. It was by far the most elegant and romantic setting I had ever seen. Haven did an amazing job---she took over the plans the moment she heard Kyden and I would be bonded. Trusting her was never a mistake. This was perfect and more than I was capable of dreaming up.
As we came into view, the entire crowd gasped, and low murmurs spread throughout.
My cheeks flamed as all eyes focused on me. "Why are those of the Underworld here?" I whispered to Valor as we started down the hill.
He angled his head down and whispered in same hushed tone. "They have come to witness the ceremony of their leader. It's only proper."
One by one, as we passed by members of the Underworld, they all bowed. "Oh, will you just stop that," I snapped.
Valor chuckled.
However, my annoyance immediately ceased when Kyden stepped in front of my willow. Haven got that right on the money. There was no other place in the world that I would want to do this than under my favorite tree.
My breath caught as I took him in completely. He was beyond gorgeous. He wore a kilt tonight that was similar to Talon's. Its detailing was superb and fit his body tight. He also had glitter along his body. Apparently, it was a ritual in the Otherworld since Haven had put it on me too. Boy, oh boy, did I appreciate it on him more. It made his sleek body look that much more appetizing.
Valor stopped when we met up with Kyden. He leaned down and kissed my lips.
"Enough of that." Kyden laughed, as did the crowd. He was never threatened. He knew the love Valor and I had for each other was entirely platonic. If anything, I knew it warmed him that we were close.
Valor leaned back, tears glittered in his eyes. Clearly, he hadn't expected such an emotional outcome, but his face showed just how much joy it brought him that he was here to witness this ceremony. In fact, it showed on every face present.
Kyden took my hand and led us beneath the willow. When we stopped, his gaze ran the entire length of me, then met my gaze again. "Gods, Álainn, you're lovely."
I smiled at the compliment, and then glanced out to the crowd a little. Everyone was here. Haven, of course, was bawling. Even Talon looked a little teary-eyed. Briggs and Rynn gave me a little wave, as did Isla and Dante who stood beside them. Briar smiled bright. Thalia, the Mistress of the Mid-West, and Hayes nodded a hello. Brax, Master of Weres and Zade, Master of Vampires, looked proud. Misa and Azar appeared outrageously happy.
Zia drew my attention as she took our joined hands in hers. "Welcome. This is a night for us to rejoice in the bonding of our two friends." She smiled down at me. "As in our ways of the Otherworld, please recite words of adoration to each other to state the reasons for your bond."
She looked at Kyden, gave him a nod to begin.
He sighed deeply, looked to the ground, then met my eyes again---so much emotion displayed in them. "Since you came into my life it has been filled with nothing but chaos."
Huh?
"Not a day passes that I do not fear for your safety, fight against others or battle for your honor." Again, he sighed, even deeper. "Even your personality has been nothing but trying to me. Your unwillingness to let me help you, your hard headedness and your smart mouth are a constant pain to me."
What in the hell? I snorted a loud sound of unhappiness. "It better get better than this." Seriously, he is on the verge of losing a limb.
The crowd laughed in response.
Kyden smiled, gave me a wink. "On a nightly basis, I feel frustrated, irritated, and aggravated with you."
I scowled at him. What type of non-romantic shit was this?
He laughed, rubbed away my frown lines with his fingers. "That night..." His smile drifted away as he swallowed deep. "That night, I would have died for you. I would have given my life for yours because, as much as you drive me to the high moons with your independence, it's for all those reasons that you have captured my heart."
My frustration dissolved and tears welled up in my eyes. My chin started doing that thing, the little quiver that let you know you were about to burst out into sobs.
"I would never change a thing about you." He reached up and wiped my tears away. "Nothing---not one piece of who you are." His hand cupped my cheek. "That night, I knew I was going to die, but I never feared it because if I only had a few short months to love you, then that was enough. I would have died fulfilled, with a need for nothing more."
Tears ran down my face.
"It's for those reasons that I chose this bond. If I have the chance to love you longer then I will do it, fully and completely. And will always be entirely grateful that I have been given that right."
The crowd was silent enough to hear the wind rustle through the trees. After many quiet moments passed, Zia finally stepped forward, wiped her own tears.
Kyden's eyes never left mine as she handed him a ring. I stayed locked in his gaze while he glided the ring over my finger. When it popped over my knuckle, I glanced down and my eyes went wide.
Valor's diamond looked tiny compared to what was on my finger now. It was a sparkling fancy pink diamond. On either side of the cushion-shaped diamond sat shield-shaped diamonds, all mounted on a Victorian inspired platinum band.
It wasn't normal to do a ring exchange at a bonding ceremony in the Otherworld, but I needed it. I liked the idea of having a symbol for our ceremony. Maybe there was a little human in me after all.
"Nexi," Zia's laugh was loud next to me. When I glanced up to her, it was obvious she'd said my name a couple times before I responded.
Kyden chuckled.
I took a long deep breath to stabilize myself. "I'm never going to get through this without being a blubbery mess."
Low laughs ran through the crowd.
Kyden took my chin and our gazes locked. "It is you and I. Nothing else."
I gathered every ounce of control on my emotions. I took another long breath, before I looked back at him. "When I first came here, my world had been shattered. My heart was broken until you loved me. You fixed my heart and became an undeniable part of my life."
I gave him a small smile. "You might be possessive and a bit of a pushover." The crowd laughed in response. So, I was getting him back a little. He smiled at the attempt. "But I understand the reasons behind it. You're right. We are in constant battle with the world around us. The odds are always stacked against us. Loss has become something that I've grown to accept as part of my life. But nothing, no loss I've ever felt, compares to what went through me when I stared at you lying on the ground, lifeless."
Zia burst out into tears in front of us and I could hear Haven's deep sobs behind me.
As much as I could have fallen to pieces, I needed to get through this. He deserved to hear it. "When I lost my family, it was hard." I sighed again. "So hard, but I knew once I met you, that it'd be okay. I could be happy again and would recover. But that night, I saw for the first time I couldn't. My life held no meaning anymore. My world couldn't exist if you weren't in it."
A tear fell down Kyden's face and Talon behind him was in a similar state. I reached up and wiped away the tear as I cupped his cheek. "Since coming here, I've been in danger constantly. Every night seems to bring more scary stuff that I wish I could avoid, but I wouldn't change it, not for anything because it brought me you. You have been, and will continue to be, the reason I want to keep going no matter how crazy life gets. That's why I chose this bond, because there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here in your arms."
Still crying, Zia handed me his ring. I had chosen a platinum tungsten carbide band. The contrast between the warm hues of the platinum against the cooler shade of tungsten carbide made for an amazing looking ring. It was a thick band and perfect for him, masculine in every way.
After I placed the ring on Kyden's finger, he wrapped his hands around my face and took me in a brilliant kiss. His tears tickled my cheeks, as I was sure mine also did his.
He backed away. Zia was still bawling. I glanced to her and smiled. "Pull it together." I laughed.
She smiled, wiped her tears, and took a few deep breaths. Haven was just a big ball of mess in Finn's arms but I loved her for it. She loved me unconditionally and my happiness overwhelmed her. All I felt through our bond was happiness that never needed to explanation and just utter joy.
"Let's continue." Zia said as she glanced between Kyden and I. "As we've heard, you're being joined tonight to fulfill your lives together, to enter into a new journey. Is this your wish?"
Our gazes glued to each other, we replied in unison. "It is."
"As it's your wish, I seal your bond." When her words ended, power began to whip around us. Then, a bright white light flashed before my eyes, and what happened next was completely unexpected.
I saw myself through Kyden's eyes. Saw the way he loved me. What it meant for him. The way my smile lifted him, how my being near him settled him, and the compelling need that lived within him to see me safe.
Every moment we'd ever experienced flashed before my eyes.
When the visions stopped, my eyes opened to Kyden's brilliant smile. With that, feelings of complete and utter love filled me. However, they weren't my feelings, but his.
He had said it would be similar to what I felt with Haven, but this was entirely different. It captured me deeper---affected me more. I figured it had something to do with being in love. Not that I didn't love Haven, I did, but with Kyden it went many levels deeper.
Kyden pulled me into one of his earth-shattering kisses as loud applause broke out among the crowd. When Kyden backed away, I laughed at the joy of it.
Zia hugged us and wished us well, as did Talon. Willow gave us both a rub along our legs and Haven just bawled all over me. From there, it was a hundred congratulatory hugs. When the crowd started to dissipate as they went over to the food, Azar approached. "We need to proceed with our ceremony now."
I glanced at Kyden. He shrugged in response. Little trickles of confusion filtered through me. Mine---his? Who knew?
"Now that you have accepted Kyden as your Lord," Azar explained. "We must also accept him too. He must agree to adhere to the laws of the Underworld."
"Oh," I whispered.
Amusement flickered through me. I met Kyden's gaze again. His expression didn't give a clue to the humor he was feeling. I liked this bonding already. His unreadable expressions were history as I looked forward to the ability to feel everything he would feel from this day forth.
Azar stepped in front of Kyden and raised his hand for the others of the Underworld to quiet. They did so instantly.
"Kyden, our Lady has taken you as her Lord. Will you do what you must to protect her, and us, your minions? Will you stand beside her and support her as our Ruler of the Underworld? Will you put personal necessities aside to keep the Underworld safe? Will you do what you must to ensure its survival?"
Kyden nodded firmly. "I will."
No emotion came through our bond, but I knew he meant what he said.
"By the laws of the Underworld," Azar stated. "I hereby name you Lord of the Underworld."
Immediately, Kyden stiffened and his pain tore right through me. He was being marked as a Leader of the Underworld. I'd been granted the tattoo of my weeping willow, which rested at the base of my neck. I'd been lost in its beauty for an entire hour as I watched it moving like a fall windy day in the mirror. Needless to say, I was quite curious what Kyden would be granted.
When his pain stopped, I released the breath I'd been holding and spun Kyden around. When I saw what rested on his back, I gasped.
"What is it?" Kyden asked, breathless.
"My sword." I ran my fingers along the tattoo that rested between his shoulder blades and ran down the length of his back. I knew it was mine because the sword was slender, but the obvious factor was my name written along the blade, which moved ever so slightly.
Azar had told me you were granted something that was important to you and held special meaning. It touched me that Kyden's tattoo was of my sword. The sword, a symbol of his Guardian role that he did indeed feel proud of, plus it being mine was the importance of me in his life---the importance of protecting me. It couldn't have been a better mark.
Azar handed Kyden the mirrors and he looked at it. "It's brilliant."
"All hail, Lord Kyden!" Azar shouted.
"All hail, Lord Kyden!" those of the Underworld responded.
Everyone else laughed. Kyden and I didn't as we had an obligation to the Underworld. They took this seriously, so we would too. Even so, Kyden's amusement was obvious even without my new ability to sense it, as a little curve to the corners of his eyes would have told me as much.
He held his hand out to me. "Let's go enjoy our night, Álainn."
Boy did we ever. The Witches' Meadow had seen many full moon parties, but tonight, it was more like a ball. None of the rowdiness that usually happened, just soft music, great friends, and way too much smiling. My cheeks hurt.
By the time the sun started to come up, the vampires had left for obvious reasons and the crowd began to dissolve slowly into just a few stragglers. Haven had gone to bed hours ago, obviously worn out from all her amazing preparations and all the excitement.
I stood chatting with a very drunk Talon. I would probably never get this chance again and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of his blubbering conversation about all the battles he'd been in.
Just as he began another round of stories, Kyden wrapped his arms around my waist. "Had enough?"
Leaning back, I rested my head against his chest and he leaned down to kiss my shoulder. "Yes." His lips continued to kiss my skin as Talon babbled on.
Zia laughed, which drew my gaze. "I think it's time to take Talon home."
Talon actually swayed a moment, reached up and touched his head. "Yeeessss...I...home."
"What?" I laughed.
Zia just waved it away, took his hand and gave him a shot of healing. In a moment, Talon looked clear headed again. He cleared his throat. "A few too many, I suppose."
"Never, I loved your stories." I leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"Go on, you two," Zia said. "Come on Talon, you can help me clean up."
I glanced up at Kyden. "Home then?"
He nodded. "Yes, home." His body closed in on mine, and it was immediately apparent that sleep was far from his mind.
Feeling just as eager, I wiggled against him and he groaned. He grabbed my hand and walked with determined strides back to the castle.
Once we entered the bedroom, I let go of Kyden's hand and stopped at the door. "I have a surprise for you."
Kyden's brow arched as he sat down on the bed, curiosity filled his eyes. "A surprise?"
I nodded, then glanced at Willow, who stood at my feet. "Time for you to get out."
"We only just got back and you're kicking me out?" She looked appalled in her own kitty way.
"Trust me, Willow, you don't want to be around for this."
Kyden's arched brow rose higher at that comment. I simply smiled in return.
"Perverts." Willow hissed and scampered out of the room.
With her gone, I gave Kyden a sheepish smile and headed toward the bathroom. I quickly closed the door behind me.
Nerves tickled every part of me. Haven had given me a gift before the ceremony and told me to use it. A little bonding gift for Kyden, she said, and I knew exactly what to do to make this night a special one. Our bonding night had to be memorable.
I reached behind me, unzipped my dress, stepped out of it as it fell to my feet and hung it on the back of the door, I rushed over to the antique bookcase that rested next to the sink and grabbed the small black boutique bag that sat on the counter.
I reached in and took out the white lace bra, tiny thong---like what's the point of it---tiny garters, and thigh high stockings with lacy tops. Quickly, I slinked into the lingerie, pulled up the garters, and attached the stockings to each clip.
"What are you doing in there?" Kyden snapped from the other side of the door.
"Patience, my Guardian, patience." A heavy sigh came thereafter.
I laughed, fluffed my hair and looked myself over in the mirror. I had to admit, I looked damn sexy---fit to be a playboy centerfold. I took a couple of long deep breaths to dispel every ounce of my nervousness as I slipped into the three inch stilettos. I wouldn't pull off this outfit if filled of nerves.
With a last glance in the mirror, I grabbed the door handle and opened it. It was almost comical what happened next. Kyden sat on the bed, his head lifted as I walked into the room. When he looked me over, his eyes went wider than I'd ever seen them. His famous unreadable face showed so many emotions---shock, awe, desire, were just the ones I knew well and all those emotions rushed through me just as quickly.
"Do. Not. Move," Kyden growled.
I chuckled and leaned as sexily as I could against the doorframe. One arm up, legs crossed---I had him eating out of the palm of my hand. "You like what you see?"
"That...Álainn..." Words were lost to him.
I lightly ran a lazy finger down around the curve of each breast. His eyes followed the movement without missing a beat. "I said, do you like what you see?"
He gulped and nodded. His jaw was so tight, muscles contracted with each clench. He made a sound in his chest that wasn't just need but pure possession. I slowly started to move toward him.
"No," he shouted. I jumped, startled by the loudness of his voice. "Do not move. Let me admire you there."
I played along, stepped away from the door and slowly did a little spin, let him enjoy all there was to see of me. When I turned back around his eyes were hooded---almost slits as his desire rushed through our bond.
"I'll never know what I did to deserve such a beauty as you." He stood up, took a step forward and touched my breast. I slapped his hand away. He met my gaze with a fierce wanting. "I'm not to touch you?"
I made a tsk, tsk sound and shook my finger at him. "No." His shoulders sank a little. "Not yet anyway."
His eyes glowed with the need to devour me. "What is it you wish of me then?"
"Go and sit on the bed." I slowly walked over to the CD player on the dresser, an extra wiggle in my hips that caused Kyden to groan with each step I took. Once there, I pressed play and Little Bird by Annie Lennox sprang to life from the speakers.
So, I stole the idea from Striptease. I needed a little help in this area, I'd never done anything like this before, and hoped I didn't trip and make an ass out of myself. Hell, if Demi Moore could do it, so could I. I killed vampires for Christ sakes!
I spun around and ran my hands slowly down my body to let Kyden know my intention. He stood quickly and looked ready to pounce. I shook my head at him, waved my finger again. "Sit back down." He let out a frustrated groan, but took a seat. "The rules are as follows..."
He arched a brow. "There are rules?"
I nodded as I continued to run my hands up and down my stomach. "Tonight, there's no touching me. Got it? We have a strict hands-off policy here."
"I will comply." His eyes burned, every intention to break that rule clear. I wasn't the least bit surprised when he sat on his hands to insure he kept to the rules.
I stepped closer toward him and got right down to business. I slowly danced in front of him, rubbed myself to please him. He never said a word. He didn't have to. His eyes said it all, plus the little flickers of desire coursing through our bond told me he enjoyed himself immensely.
When I had him ready to beg for more, I straddled his thighs to continue my dance on top of him. His breath came out in sharp gasps. "You're going to kill me, if you continue this."
"Mmm... you like this?" I teased.
"I've never..." he started, but when I rubbed myself against his hardened length, he groaned loudly, unable to resume his words.
Only a few minutes later, his need made his face squint in pain. I could've drawn this out just to tease him more, but I felt the same. I needed more of him.
Kneeling down front of him, I unclipped his kilt. He lifted his hips and I removed his shorts. His eyebrow arched in a sultry question, which I answered in the only way I knew how. I took him into my hand then devoured him. He jumped, then instantly fell back on the bed as I took him with all the passion I felt in my soul.
There was no hesitation, stopping or slow movements. His groans were louder than I'd ever heard. He was at a complete loss for control as I swept over his body with my mouth and hands in a way that was purely primitive.
The bond just encouraged me. His pleasure washed through me, showed me what he liked most. How he liked the swirl of my tongue, the rough stroke of my hand, the way I took him in so very deep.
His body bucked against me as his climax approached. "Stop...you must stop," he shouted. "I'm..." His words cut off with a loud grunt as his orgasm rippled through him.
When he gasped at the sensitivity of his completion, I lowered my hands and sat back on my legs, waited for him to come around. I was more than pleased that I'd just rocked his body.
He laid there for a moment, his stomach moving up and down in heavy long breaths. When he raised his head, his expression stunned me. He wasn't sated or relaxed as I expected. Oh no, what burned in him was a need to take me for everything I had.
In a second, he had me on my side, my panties shredded, and drove into me with a force that stole my breath. He pulled my thigh up while he drove me to places where stars existed. The hardness of his erection left me flabbergasted. He had finished, there was no doubt of that. How he was capable of being so ready with this type of enthusiasm had me floored. But who cared! This was incredible. Now that we were bonded, not only was I feeling my pleasure, but I experienced his as well. "Sweet glorious Jesus," I gasped.
"Mmmm," was Kyden's only response.
With only a few more of those mindboggling thrusts, I skyrocketed into an orgasm where I swore my body for all of a second died. As I plummeted back to reality, he pulled out and lay on his back.
In a way that only a strong male could pull off, he raised me above him until I gripped the headboard. He placed his mouth against my core, and within seconds, I screamed in heavenly bliss as his mouth lavished with a desire that had me panting in seconds. Intensifying the sensations, he groaned and the vibration that trembled along my skin had me gripping my thighs against his head and shuddering deeply as another climax soared through me.
When reality returned to me, I was surprised to find myself flipped on my back as Kyden knelt between my legs. He pressed his fingers against my opening and only sat gently for a moment. Then his fingers continued the pursuit to render me unconscious. His muscles bulged as he used his strength to slam pleasure into every part of my being.
With each hard insertion, his hand played against my G-spot and began to spark the mother of all orgasms. Heat began to soar through me as my entire body gripped, tightening against the pleasure tearing within me. Tears streamed down my face as intense delight blasted me to the point of pain. Kyden increased his speed, and it was all it took to send my body in another climax that was all consuming. My body tightened around his fingers as warm liquid washed along my thighs.
Before I could ask, am I dead? he flipped me back over onto my stomach and thrust into me with every ounce of his power. My body was tender, sore from the intense ecstasy, tight from muscle contractions. The moment my body gave way to his entry, he leveled me in a way meant to satisfy his urges.
Moments later, we were both completely sated.
I laughed, a sound that was part exhaustion, part amazement. "I'm dead. I really am. You killed me with orgasms."
"Arouse me like that again and you'll get worse," Kyden said, his tone quite serious.
He withdrew and lay on his side. I turned over toward him and snuggled against his chest as he wrapped an arm around me. "Christ. If I knew you were capable of that I would have done that sooner." I leaned up and kissed his lips. "You've been holding out on me."
His grin was sleepy. "I've never been so aroused. Feeling your intensity is unbelievable."
"I'd say. Well, there's something to be said about a little loss of control." His eyes lit up. "Just not now, I'll be surprised if I can even walk." That was a lie. My abilities could heal me instantly, but I liked this feeling. Worn out from a good romping just felt good and I wasn't about to erase the effects of tonight.
A few minutes passed as sleep began to settle in. "Kyden." My voice came out as a soft whisper.
"Mmm..."
"I love you."
He gave my ass a little pat. "Back atcha, Álainn."
The next night, my body hurt in all the right places and then some.
Kyden sat with his feet up on the coffee table watching a UFC fight. I'd just finished my shower and stepped back into the living room when a knock sounded at the door. Knowing he probably hadn't even heard it, since he was in 'the zone', I walked over and opened it. Misa stood on the other side, smiling from ear-to-ear. "Honeymoon's over," she announced.
"So soon?" I grumbled.
"Sooner the better. The challenge is being arranged and you need to learn more about the Underworld before you choose your guard."
I glanced back at Kyden, pleased to see that he'd taken notice of something other than the television and was aware of Misa's arrival. He turned off the TV, stood and approached us, grinning. Clearly, he sensed my annoyance that she'd come so soon. "Come on in, Misa," he said.
Misa happily stepped in, and took a seat on the couch. Who knew this day would come. A demon sat in my living room---bah!
Willow apparently agreed with me. "What is that thing doing in here?"
I chuckled softly, kept Willow's snippy question to myself and shook my head at her. She took the hint and trotted off to the bedroom, away from the said demon.
Kyden took a spot on the loveseat across from Misa and I joined him. "What do we need to know?" he inquired.
Misa took a deep breath before she began, which only told me, this was a conversation I wasn't going to enjoy. "To start at the beginning, the stories are quite simple. There was a time that supernaturals lived among the humans in the Earthworld---peacefully. As time went on, two rulers emerged in a way very similar to what we know between our worlds. One ruled for the greater good. The other ruled in darkness. The two were constantly at war with each other and battled repeatedly to make the Earthworld what they believed was right. We know them as God and Satan." She took another long breath before she continued. "When the battle between the two leaders approached a point of total destruction to the Earthworld, the Fae..."
"The what?" I interjected.
"The Fae. Fairies." Misa looked completely surprised that I didn't recognize the term. "You don't know of them?"
I gave my head a big bewildered shake, and glanced at Kyden. "Another realm I don't know about?"
He chuckled and nodded.
Misa continued. "When the Fae's princess, Aaliya, intervened, she constructed two other realms. Now we know them as the Underworld and the Otherworld. She demanded God and Satan take over these worlds in an attempt to stop the long-standing war. But as you know it never ended and still hasn't."
Okay, this was just ridiculous. Kyden leaned forward completely enthralled and seemed to believe this. However, I was having a hard time with it.
"Angels were God's followers," she went on. "Immortals who believed in his ways. To protect humans, save souls, use magic for the greater good. Satan's, of course, were the exact opposite, and as we know are called demons. Through time, Black Magic evolved away from the elemental force, and now as you know, White Magic and Black Magic are two completely separate entities."
"Explain how you're different then?" Kyden asked. "Why do you deny your instinct to commit evil?"
"My ancestors were fallen angels. Cast out by God for committing sins. They once believed in the way of God, but were weak against the call to the darkness. Over the years and breeding, God's trait in us has grown stronger."
His brow arched. "And this happened to all of you?"
Misa shook her head quickly. "No. There's not many of us."
"Jesus," I gasped.
"No, Jesus was God's son," Misa retorted. "We're talking about God here, not Jesus."
I laughed at the wishy-washiness of words. "So, what happened then? Do God and Satan still exist?"
Misa looked at me as if my head was screwed on backwards. "Have you seen them around here?"
I returned her look with one that said I realized how stupid my question was and that she should move on.
Thankfully, she obliged. "When the battle between them grew, Aaliya was at her wits end. The danger they were putting the worlds in was vast. So, she banished them to the Realm of the Dead to spend their days locked away to rule their realms as they chose."
My brows shot up. "A Realm of the Dead?"
Misa nodded. "The humans call it Heaven and Hell, but we know it as realms. Aaliya knew this was the only option to end the war. Now the two live as they wish and do what they like."
"But they can't come back here?" I asked.
"It's not easily done, and hasn't been attempted. Aaliya knew this was the safest choice, and as you've witnessed, the right one. But still to this day their legacy lives on." She winked. "It's just a little different than humans think."
I gave my head a shake, and then another. It was hard to wrap my head around this. Could what she be saying be really true? Is this how it all began?
"Anyways, these past events that you have found yourself in have long been in the waiting."
My mind was still stuck on what she'd just said, I couldn't process what she was going on about now. "In the waiting?"
Misa's smile was full of mystery. "It was foretold that a being of mixed heritage would come to the Otherworld, and be the one to lead us into a new world."
Gulping deep, I managed to ask, "Who foretold that?"
"The Fae, of course. A few of us a couple hundred years ago started to seek each other out. Azar and I were the first."
"A couple hundred years?" I whispered, suddenly aware of something I hadn't thought of before. I tended to avoid this conversation. Yes, we're all immortals, but it still freaked me out whenever I met someone really ancient. "How old are you?"
She winked. "Old."
It'd probably scare me if I knew the truth, so I ignored the curiosity that lingered and moved on. "But why does Azar do it? He was born into the Underworld---not from a fallen angel."
"It was Azar who sought me out. With his abilities, he knew my views on the matter. It was his wish to see that the time of Satan's destruction met its end. We wanted to succeed where God has failed."
"What did you do next?" Kyden asked.
"After Azar and I committed to the plan, we then went to the Fae for guidance."
"Why would you not come here to the Otherworld for help?" I asked. "Why the Fae?"
Misa burst out laughing. "They are more powerful than you could imagine. Seriously, she created worlds. That should make it clear enough."
"Right." I laughed. Still, it was hard to imagine a being powerful enough to create an entire world. I couldn't wrap my head around it.
"When we met with the Fae, Aaliya told us there would indeed be change in our worlds and that change was you." She smiled brightly. "We have been waiting ever since."
"You've been waiting two hundred years?" I exclaimed.
Misa nodded as if the time meant nothing to her, which maybe if she was as old as I thought, it didn't.
Kyden hummed a moment. Curiously there wasn't much emotion that crossed through our bond, only intrigue. "How did you get the others to agree? And in such secrecy? If Magnus knew your plans, I have no doubt he would have destroyed you."
"There were a few others who felt as we did," Misa answered. "It wasn't necessary to inform the others until the night of..." she waved her hand. "Well you know that night. We assumed when the assembly recognized Lady Nexi's powers they would side with us."
What a huge risk! "How could you be so sure?"
"We knew they would be afraid," Misa replied.
I glanced at Kyden to see if he knew what she was talking of. He shrugged. I looked back to her. "Afraid of what?"
"You."
A loud sharp bout of laughter escaped! How ridiculous. "And why would they be afraid of me?"
"We hoped your magic would speak for itself and it did. You shielded our Lord Kyden that night. Do you forget so easily? That has never been done and to see such power is undeniable. If they were to show their alliance to Magnus, then when you destroyed him, they would be as well. They're not stupid beings."
"Oh," I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.
"Interesting," Kyden commented, with a raised brow, but the feeling that shot through me was one of immense pride. The knowledge that he was proud of my strength gave me the warm fuzzies all over. Kyden rested his hand across my thigh and lightly caressed it---feeling the love right back.
"Well that's the background, which you needed to know." Misa licked her lips as if her mouth had run dry. "Now, onto the beings. We're all different and you need to understand that so you can choose appropriate guards to watch over you."
I sighed and rubbed my temples. "This is giving me a headache."
Kyden laughed. "Go on, Misa."
"When the worlds were born and Satan reigned over the Underworld---including Satan---there were seven demons in total that made up his guard and were known as the Demon Lords. Each of them carried one sin to seek out souls. When the human would have a desire to commit one of the sins, the demons would grant their request and steal their soul."
"Sell your soul to the Devil, right?" I offered.
Misa nodded. "Let's see, there were Mammon, Asmodeus, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Belphegor, and Satan." She counted on her fingers as she went along. "Yes that's seven, each of whom presided over one of the seven sins. You know---lust, greed, envy, etcetera. These are demons' ancestors. Ones who long ago left our realm to join Satan, but in their place, demons have been born to follow in their duty."
"You breed?" I snapped out.
She shrugged. "We are destined just as you and Magnus were."
I cringed at that and Kyden stiffened. The emotions that ran through us both made breathing difficult.
Kyden smoothed his hand over mine, gave me a soft smile in an obvious attempt to settle the pain in my heart. I had to admit, having this bond with him made things between us even stronger. It took the unknown out of the relationship. The wondering what the other person is thinking. Whatever I needed, he would react to it because now he could sense it. Reading Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus was a thing of yesterday.
Misa didn't notice our little moment and went on. "We're destined to one that will make our offspring stronger. So, it continues. We seek out humans who are desperate to receive their sin, give it to them with our powers, then drain a part of their life force."
"Okay that explains that part, but what about the witches and warlocks there," I stated. "When did they come into the picture?"
"As the battle resumed between the two worlds, Satan's witches began to breed with the demons and produced warlocks."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," I said with a little shrug. "So getting it straight, demons seek out humans that want to commit one of the sevens sins, and when they do, the demon will give them what they're after in return for some of their life force?"
Misa nodded.
"Do the humans know?" It was the obvious next question.
She shook her head. "After the life force is drained, the human's memory is gone with it, and another one put in place to explain the reasons for getting what they were after." She raised her brows a little and gave a knowing glance. "It keeps our world safe."
"Hrmph," I wasn't at all happy about that. They should know that they're taking a few years off their life to get that new car, but really, some people would probably do it anyway. I let it go. "What do the witches and warlocks do then?"
"It works in a similar way. They offer souls to the Underworld to give it strength. Before, as you know, it didn't matter what souls they would take. They would draw the runes and give up whoever they pleased."
I held up my hand to stop her before she got ahead of herself and left me confused in the wake. "What runes?" She reached back and tapped her back. The indication was clear. My hand touched my tattoo. "They'll draw my willow?"
Kyden appeared a bit taken back and even placed his hand on top of mine as tension ran through me. His, mine? I settled on, both.
"And Kyden's as well," Misa added, her tone casual, as if she were ordering a banana split and not talking about scary things.
Something felt so wrong and dirty about this. Until now, I hadn't realized why I'd been granted this tattoo, and now knowing it didn't sit well with me. "So, you're saying that when they draw either my tattoo or Kyden's, the rune will activate dark magic?"
"That's right."
God, I needed a really long hot shower. "Why do they do it? I mean, what do they get out of it?"
"To be a part of the Underworld, you always have to be giving to it, feeding it. Our magic is driven by human life forces. Witches and warlocks can only remain in our realm if they are doing that. They're just providing to their world is all." She stood. "I believe I've told you what you need to understand the Underworld better so that you can make an informed decision about your guard. Remember, you need the strongest beings surrounding you. To keep you and our world protected. Choose wisely."
Just like that she left, the door slammed closed behind her. For a good ten minutes, neither Kyden nor I moved. We sat in silence as our bond swam in emotions.
I finally snapped out of my shock and turned to him. "Well that was certainly a lot to take in."
He arched a brow. "Indeed."
When Misa said the challenge was being arranged, I hadn't really thought she meant so soon. It had only been hours since she left Kyden and I, and now we were in the auditorium in the Underworld.
"Wowzers, look at them all," Haven said next to me.
She had firmly told me that she'd be coming to witness this event, as did everyone else too. The majority of the Council's guard was with us tonight. The chance to see the Underworld was just too tempting to pass up. The realm was so secretive, everyone drooled with desire to see it.
Me, I would rather be somewhere else. A little guilt made me swallow deeply. We had yet to find a way to get Willow here. She couldn't pass over into the Underworld, and wasn't pleased in the least that she was left behind.
Focusing away from my guilt, I glanced at Kyden who sat next to me in a ridiculous throne chair that rested against the back wall of the auditorium. "I hope this is quick." I felt like a complete and total idiot in this chair. Talk about being put on display, a place I wasn't fond of. Thankfully, since we made the rules, I could have Haven and the others stand next to us. It definitely made the moment less tense.
Kyden brushed his hand across my cheek. "It'll be alright, Álainn." Even though he said it, I could feel the protectiveness running through him. He didn't like me being surrounded by so many dark beings.
It was odd to feel his possessiveness first hand like this, and it sure helped me understand him better. It wasn't that he wanted to control me but it was more about him, his feelings. He couldn't lose me and the thought of my being in danger terrified him. He didn't like feeling terrified or frightened, and that's why his possessive trait always came out so brusquely.
Kyden's expression turned curious as he continued to brush his finger against my cheek. "This place makes you happy?"
Clearly, he sensed the emotions I felt from getting a grasp on why he was the way he was. "No." I shook my head softly. "You do."
He leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss.
"Our Lady and Lord," Azar's voice drew our attention, "have gathered here tonight to see this challenge. All who wish to guard them step forward."
Suddenly, the auditorium filled with dark swirling clouds, and then swiftly, thousands of demons stood before us.
"Bah," I shouted.
Kyden jumped too. My shock startled him but he chuckled in response. "It's going to take some time to get used to that."
"Ha! I told you I was a basket case." When I heard of what bonding was exactly, I knew Kyden was in for it. He was always so controlled, rarely reacted. Cool and calm, on the other hand, was far from that.
"I'm glad I do, Álainn." He reached out and took my hand in his, squeezed it tight. "It shouldn't surprise me that you act entirely on your emotions, but it does. I wasn't expecting that. I thought you'd have hidden a little of yourself, but you don't. You expose it all and I cherish that about you..."
I snuggled into him. "You're Mr. Unreadable."
He winked.
Someone cleared their throat loudly. I snapped my gaze from Kyden to see that everyone watched us, most with smiles. "Er...sorry about that," I told Azar. "You can carry on now."
Kyden chuckled.
Azar didn't look frustrated, simply smiled and looked back to the crowd. "Lady Nexi and Lord Kyden, may I present your followers who have requested to join your guard." He waved his hand out to the crowd of well over a hundred demons, witches and warlocks.
I leaned back over to Kyden. He angled his head down and I whispered in his ear. "What do we do now?"
He shook his head and whispered back, "Haven't a clue."
My gaze fell to Misa and quickly waved her over. When she reached me, she bent down so I could keep my voice low. "Er...what do we do?"
She attempted to hold back a smile, but failed miserably. "They will fight before you, and you will see their strengths to determine who you want to choose."
"Fight?" I gasped.
"That's right. You want the strongest among them and need to see what they're capable of."
I looked back at Kyden to find him chuckling. Obviously, he found amusement in my apprehension. Watch hundreds of demons fight, not bloody likely.
Hmm...what to do?
Questions ran through my mind. I seriously didn't want to watch this, had had enough violence lately. Finally, I settled, knew exactly what to do.
"Good idea," Kyden agreed. Then, I heard, "Let's just get this over with and get out of this god forsaken place."
I stared at him in complete shock.
His brow arched at my bewilderment. "Problem?"
"Did you just read my mind?" I whispered softly.
The arch of his brow rose higher, and his face equaled my current state of perplexity. "You didn't say that out loud?"
I shook my head, unable to find words. He gained my ability to speak telepathically. How could this be?
Zia stepped away from where you stood next to me and knelt in front of Kyden. "You heard her thoughts?"
He nodded, amazement soared through our bond. "I did."
"And I heard his, too," I said quickly, still beside myself. "Is that normal when a witch bonds? You know, to pass on her abilities?"
"No, I should say that it isn't." Zia cupped my cheek and smiled. "But I wouldn't expect anything different from you." She looked back to Kyden. "Simply incredible."
"Indeed," Kyden breathed.
Azar cleared his throat again.
My gaze fell back to him. He looked a little flustered at all the interruptions. "Oh, right. Sorry, again."
I gave Kyden a little kiss and used our bond, "Just think of the stuff I can say to you now that no one is listening---like when we get home I want to..."
Zia cleared her throat loudly. "Nexi Jones."
"Oops." I laughed.
Right, not appropriate. I forgot she could hear me too. In response, I put up my mental shield to keep her out, just in case I forgot and sent another inappropriate message. I wondered if I could block Kyden as I can Zia. We'd have to test that later.
Kyden laughed.
But back to the current task. I stood from my chair. "Okay, let's do this another way. Honestly, I have no interest in seeing these demons kill each other." The room huffed and puffed. Mostly, I heard Ryker and Finn. They were obviously disappointed with my choice. Too bad! I was changing things, they'd have to get used to it.
"All of you line up in front of me." They immediately followed the order and assembled in a lineup that resembled kids waiting for the school bus. I laughed at how quick they complied.
I approached the first demon, grabbed his hand. He looked perfect to be a guard. Tough guy, hard face, but the second I read into him I knew he was all wrong. He harbored anger that the Underworld was being run by those of the Otherworld and loathed us entirely because we restricted his taking of innocent souls.
The choice wasn't a hard one. "Sorry, you won't do." That earned me a deep scowl before he strode off.
From there, it was demon after demon. By the end of it, I had only chosen two demons.
Tyde, a captain of the football team type with stylish and short dirty-blonde hair, handsome young features, and kind but dark eyes. He was very easy on the eyes.
And Quinney, a tall voluptuous woman with auburn hair cut to her ears in an angled bob, and round eyes that sat between two pleasantly plump cheeks. Obviously, she liked the curves of a woman's body because she opted for this form. She wore it well.
Azar stepped up beside me. "Are these who you choose, Lady Nexi?"
First, I gave myself a little jolt of healing. That was exhausting. One mind was an easy read, but hundreds drained the system.
Feeling better, I glanced back at Kyden. "You agree?"
He smiled and gave a simple nod. "I trust in you."
I addressed Azar. "Yes, these are the ones we choose."
"Very well," he responded. "Now, the witches and warlocks will present themselves."
Quite quickly, more than a hundred gathered in front of me and I groaned. "Oh, dear Lord."
Haven giggled, and a rush of amusement filtered through our soul-sister bond. I glanced back at her to see a hand over her face as she shook in laughter. Oh, this was so not funny. I shot her a dirty look that she caught as she dropped her hand but only intensified her amusement.
I ignored her, glanced back at the group of witches and warlocks and got right down to business.
A half an hour later, the warlock hunt got us nowhere. Half of them would have destroyed me if they were capable or given the chance, which they weren't, so there was no rise for concern there. The witches had a similar resolve. They would never support or give aid to a White Witch.
Why they offered to guard me made no sense at all. Since they had no interest in actually helping me if the time came---maybe it was a sense of duty. They had to side with me because there was no other choice, but if they had the power, I'd be eating dirt six feet under.
The only consolation was Tyde and Quinney---Supreme Demons as Misa called them. In terms that I could understand, she explained that they are the highest-ranked demons in the Underworld.
As the auditorium began to clear out, Misa came up next to me and smiled. "Good choices."
"Well, they were the only ones who had any shred of good in them. It wasn't really a hard choice," I replied.
Her smile grew. "Like I said, perfect choices then."
I liked at Misa. It took a while for me to get over the fact that she was a demon, but now, I could see her as nothing else but a friend. Funny, to admit that, but there it was. I only let my mind ponder that thought for a moment, before I said, "So, are we done here?"
"You are," Azar answered. "Lady Nexi and Lord Kyden, may I present to you your Guard." He waved out to Tyde and Quinney.
They bowed.
"Oh for Christ sake's, how many times do I have to say it," I snapped. "Stop doing that. And by the way," I looked to both Tyde and Quinney, and included Misa in the glare. "No one needs to protect me. Got it?"
Each of them exchanged a confused glance, then looked back to me. "You don't want us to protect you?" Tyde asked, his tone incredulous.
"You heard it right! If I'm out on assignment, none of you better show up and kill for me. I'll be so entirely pissed." I gave my foot a stomp to show just how much I meant it. "And you do not want to see me angry."
They all bowed respectfully, even though I had just told them to stop their ridiculous behavior. When was anyone going to listen to me?
Little flickers of pride and love drifted over me. I glanced back at the source. "Well said." Kyden smiled.
Without hesitation, I flung myself at him. He caught me in his arms easily.
"Take me to your bed, my Lord."
A couple of uneventful nights passed.
I was glad that life seemed to be return to normal. Well, my kind of normal, that is.
What made me even happier was the Council had agreed to send Kyden and I out on an assignment in New York City. "Who knew going to kill a guy would be such a breath of fresh air," I said to Haven as we descended upon a home that was well away from the busy part of town. Middle class house in the rural part of New York City. The only thing that made it stand out at all was the large backyard. Simple home, but great land.
Haven giggled. "This seems easy now, doesn't it?"
"I'd say." Considering what I'd been up against these past couple weeks, this was actually quite refreshing, and it felt wonderful to be back in my element.
Just as we approached the backyard, I could see a man with his back to us, bent down as he examined the ground. As we drew closer, he stood and turned toward us. "Nice to see ya again," Detective Foley said.
The Weretiger looked exactly as he did the last time I saw him, sometime before Lazarus. Lordy, that seemed like a thousand years ago. Foley's everything a Weretiger should be---scary. Built to the hilt, with his shaved bald head and grayish blue eyes, he was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
"Likewise," I replied. He offered his hand. I took it and gave it a firm shake.
After a few more niceties between us, Kyden glanced around, then back to Foley with a curious look. "There is nobody here?"
"Very observant of you." Foley guffawed.
Kyden snorted something close to annoyance, but before he could put a voice to it, Foley continued. "We were contacted and told if we came to this scene we'd find that a murder happened here."
Just as Kyden stepped forward to examine the ground, a loud squish came from beneath his foot. "Bloody apples." He shook his foot to get the sticky mess off, then nudged Haven's arm. "Time's a wasting, let's see what happened here."
She raised her hands, and in seconds, the scene was before us thanks to her gift from the Earth Element. She can manipulate time to recreate past events. Cool, right?
Once the scene was before us though, my pride about Haven completely vanished as I sighed in total exasperation. "Oh, just fucking wonderful."
A Demon, yeah I recognized one, was doing some kind of ritual. He drew a rune on the ground with black ash, and to my horror, used human blood as well. The rune was a simple pentagram, but on each point of the star was a tribal symbol, looked almost like music symbols, but just different and evil.
The man who lay dead in the center had a deep cut in his stomach, and the demon kept dipping his hand into it, then slowly walked around the circle to let the blood drip into the ash.
The worst part was that the human's face was frozen in a state of deadly shock. Mouth wide open, eyes terrified---complete yuckiness! Like, never get the image out of your head, icky.
After a final drop of blood landed on the ash, the Demon shimmied into a black ghostly nothing and they vanished into a black puff of smoke. All that remained was the pentagram.
The vision froze and we all just stared at each other. I'd never seen anything like this, nor heard of it for that matter.
"This is peculiar," Kyden finally said.
I laughed. "Peculiar? You're kidding right?"
"Right alarming, does that suit you better?"
"Yes, much better," I said aloud, which earned me an odd glance from Foley.
"A demon." Foley bent down and examined the pentagram on the ground, which still sat before us. "We were contacted by an anonymous source who told us of this incident. Nothing about demonic forces was mentioned. Leads me to wonder who would've known about this?"
Yeah, I wondered that myself. I glanced down at the pentagram and noticed an image in the center that appeared to be just a fancy pitchfork, and looked tribal. My gaze snapped back to Foley. "Dark ones, that's who."
"What do we do?" Haven asked. "I've never seen anything like this before. What the heck was that demon doing?" She pulled back her magic and the rune vanished before our eyes. Apparently, whoever had called it in, had taken the time to clear the ground of the ritual that had been started.
"What do you think?" I asked Kyden. I was at a complete loss. My familiarity with demons was only what I'd seen so far. Runes and such were very much not in my knowledge base.
Kyden sighed. "I've never seen anything like this. We need to discuss this with Misa. Of anyone, she should know what this is all about."
"Just what I want to do," I sighed. "Take another trip down under."
The moment I stepped foot in the spectacular glass home, a horrible feeling in my gut formed. Misa's home once belonged to Magnus. Being back here was a big fat reminder of him and quivers shot straight down my spine.
"It's all right, Álainn." Kyden leaned down and kissed my lips softly.
It settled the tremors, but I still didn't like being in the house. It only solidified my need to get on with this.
Three times, I had repeated the story of what we saw, and Misa was having a hard time processing it. She stood, mouth wide open. With an action that looked forced, she clamped it shut, but the bemused expression never left her face.
We all stayed that way for a total of fifty breaths---I counted.
"Soooo..." I finally said. "Are you going to say something?"
Misa's mouth slowly parted, then to my annoyance, she repeated, "You saw what?"
"Please do not make me repeat it." I rubbed my temples. For Christ sakes, did I really need to go over this again? The story had run dry and to me it didn't seem all that bad anymore probably because I'd told it for the umpteenth time.
Kyden chuckled.
Misa gave her head a little shake, I suspected to clear her surprise. "Let me get this straight. A human was in the center of a pentagram. There was a tribal-looking design in the center with other symbols at each point. The demon used the human's blood along the pentagram, then poof, the human and demon disappeared. Is that right?"
I gave a tired nod. "To put it simply, yes."
She stood from the couch we sat on and began to pace. Her expression tight, her jaw even clenched a few times.
Oh, this was so not good. Suddenly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what all this was about. If a demon was worried, shit was about to go down. I mean really, what could a demon be worried about?
"What does it mean?" Kyden demanded.
Misa stopped pacing and glanced back to us. "I have no idea. I've never in my time heard of a human and demon who just poofed into nothing."
"You haven't?" I gasped.
She shook her head, very slow. "It's not a normal occurrence. We drain life forces, not kill the human entirely. It's not a normal thing for a demon to do a ritual. Warlocks, yes. Witches, yes. But demons don't need to." She spun on her heels and headed for the front door. "Let's go to Quinney. She is older and may know what this is about."
Kyden and I quickly jumped up to follow her. I just wanted the hell out of this house. Returning here, with no good memories, was still too new. The moment we stepped out into the night, I inhaled deeply and sent all those memories back to the place I never go to. Hidden deep within.
Kyden took my hand, smiled down to me and a blast of love coursed through me. Ah yes, happy memories, those were the ones to focus on.
As we walked past the houses, it was still hard to accept that it resembled a gated community, but in a large pentagram. Demons glanced out their windows at us and bowed as we walked by. My body shivered. It still gave me the hebejebes at just how normal this all appeared.
The homes however were fantastic. The American dream.
Quinney's home was no exception, with its white limestone walls, cast-iron gates, limestone arches, massive courtyard and sculptured fountains.
Before we could even reach the door to knock, the door opened. "My Lady. My Lord." Quinney bowed.
"Hello, Quinney. It's nice to see you again and you don't need to do that." Someday I'd get to stop the repeated instruction, but for now I let it go.
She gave a kind smile and waved us through. "Please do come in."
Tonight her angled bob hair looked even redder and glossier. She'd either dyed it or opted for a brighter look. Whatever it was---it looked damn good. Not like I'd tell her, it was neither the time, nor appropriate, I thought.
As we entered, Tyde stepped through a doorway just off to the right and gestured for us to enter.
I followed Quinney into the sitting room. The room was elegantly designed with simple black microfiber fabric couches, red walls, and flowers in tall vases everywhere. The scents in the air were inviting and soothing, to say the least. Not really the décor to expect from a demon, but these weren't just any demons. These were good demons. Insane, but true nonetheless.
Quinney motioned us to the couches, and we sat. She and Tyde, however, stood in front of us. It was awkward. "You can take a seat you know."
"As you wish, Nexi." Quinney and Tyde sat opposite us in the loveseat.
Immediately, I took notice of the way they sat close together and angled their legs together. There was a closeness between them that couldn't be missed. "Are you two a couple?" I asked them.
Quinney smiled. "Yes, Nexi."
Okay that was just annoying. Now that I told her not to call me My Lady she was just replacing it with Nexi. It still felt ridiculous. "Well that's nice. How long have you been together?" I wanted to get to know them a little. If we were going to be around them a lot, it only felt right to do so.
"We have been together for well over..." Tyde hesitated. "Ummm..."
Quinney laughed softly and smacked his leg. "Two thousand years."
"You're fucking kidding?" I gasped.
Kyden laughed.
"We are quite old." Tyde responded.
We sat quiet for a moment. I think they allowed me time to process that. Truthfully, I couldn't. That's damn old. Too old. Resigned that the thought was going to continue to shock me, I move on. "So, the reason we are here is because a demon killed a human."
Quinney did a double take. "What was that you said?"
I sighed deep and threw my hands up in frustration. "It's like I'm a friggin' broken record."
"It is an unusual situation." Kyden rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. "This is to be expected."
He was right and all, but criminy, this was entirely frustrating. I took in a deep breath, an attempt not to smack my head against the wall and gave them the information they needed to help us here. "Yes, you heard me right. A demon was doing some bizarre ritual. You know with black ash and blood thing, then poof, they both disappeared."
Quinney and Tyde exchanged a curious look. I didn't miss the implication. "You've never heard of this either?"
"Never," Quinney replied. "You say a demon was doing the ritual? Like an offering?"
"How in the hell should I know." I shrugged.
"It looked like that," Kyden offered.
"Hmmm," Tyde pondered. "Best we look to the Diabolus Somes for an answer."
"The what of the what?" I burst out.
Amusement flickered through me. Obviously, Kyden was getting a rise out of my stupidity. I shot him the look at that one. The amusement grew.
"It's our history," Quinney explained. "After you destroyed Magnus, Misa brought it here. Our status of superiors in the Underworld leaves us the best choice to watch over it---to keep it safe. It could be detrimental to the worlds if someone who wanted power obtained it."
Well, what in the hell were we waiting for? "All right, well go get the damn thing."
Tyde was off in a jiffy, back seconds later with a book that definitely looked like it dated back to the beginning of time.
"Good lord, what is that thing made of." I leaned forward to examine the thick book.
Tyde handed it to Quinney and she ran her hand over the cover. "The cover is ultrathin sheepskin, but the inside is plain old paper."
She opened the book, and paper wasn't quite the appropriate word. Maybe once it was paper. Now, it looked like newspaper---all crumply and worn.
I glanced at the writing, annoyed to say the least when I couldn't read a word of it. "What language is that?" It looked like scribble.
"Latin," Kyden answered.
My gaze fell to his. I'd actually wondered this long ago, but with all the other shit going on, it just never came up. "Speaking of that, why do you know how to speak Latin?"
"Immortals are old, Álainn. Latin was once the language spoken. Many vampires still to this day use it. You have heard them, have you not?"
I thought back. The memory of the vampires that wanted to off me for killing Lazarus was a memory I chose to lock away in the vault. But they did use a language that night that I hadn't recognized. "The Vampires at the lodge."
Kyden nodded. "You see why it would be important."
"I guess I do, but why haven't I learned it?"
Laughter came around.
My irritation hit the roof. A bunch of demons, laugh at me? Oh, hell no! "What's so damn funny?"
"Nexi," Tyde amused. "Do you honestly think if a vampire saw you he would care to even use words against you?"
Misa snickered. "He'd probably just book it."
I waved away the compliment. I didn't like being put in the spotlight, so I quickly moved along. "So, read it. What does it say?"
"A thousand years ago, we took the original Diabolus Somes that was in the Kurdish language and transcribed it into Latin," Tyde said with a little shrug. "It was easier to read."
Kurdish, Latin, it was all gibberish to me. Translating it into English would have been the best choice. Of course, why would anything be easy, it never was. My curiosity always did get the better of me. "Where is the other copy then?"
"The humans have it," Tyde answered. When he saw I needed more than that, he answered my next question. "Since we had this copy, there was never a need to get it back. Besides, they have it bunkered down. It won't fall into the wrong hands."
My gaze fell upon Quinney as she began to read. "Darkness is glory---the truth lies before you." She looked away from the book to meet my gaze. "Quote from Beelzebub."
"Lovely," I exhaled.
She gave a soft nod in agreement, then read some more. "I exist in all and subsist in the hidden." Our gazes met again. "Quote from Satan."
I exhaled deeply. "Even better." Spookiness was all around, and my body reciprocated as such and shivers of fear ran through me.
Kyden wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. "There is nothing to fear here. They cannot hurt you. The ones she speaks of are gone."
"I know, it's just spooky."
Quinney flipped through the book a while, and stopped as she ran a finger down the page. "Ahh...here it is. The rituals." She glanced back up to Kyden and I. "Do you remember what the rune that was drawn looked like?"
Kyden shook his head without hesitation.
"I remember," I said.
He arched a brow, looked incredulous. "You remember something you only saw for a moment?"
I shrugged. "Well it was scary and that type of things stays frozen in my mind." I glanced back at Quinney. "Do you have a pen and paper?"
"Just draw it in the air," she replied. "I'll be able to identify it."
I closed my eyes for a moment, concentrated back to the rune on the ground. After a moment or so, it became clear. I lifted my hand and drew what I had seen. I focused on the pentagram with the tribal thingy in the center. It was a little unsettling how easy it was to draw. It almost seemed natural.
Just as I closed the circle of the rune, a loud gasp snapped my eyes open and I nearly shit myself. The rune was right in front of my face, suspended in the air and glowed bright. It looked identical to what I'd seen on the ground, only mine was pure light---no darkness surrounded it.
I jumped on Kyden's lap, latched my arms around his neck in a death grip. "Fucking, fuck, fuck. What is that?"
Kyden squeezed his arms around me, lifted his head so he could see around my neck. "Good question."
Quinney stood slowly and approached the rune. "Well, that's a clear indicator. I didn't mean for you to actually draw it."
"Just take it away," I screamed. "Get it. Get it."
Tyde jumped up and waved his hand in front of the rune. "I've never felt anything like this." He cocked his head to the side, then his gaze met mine. "It's not from Black Magic."
"I don't care what it's from," I screeched. "Just get rid of it."
"I am quite sorry, Nexi," Tyde replied, still very much intrigued, "but I cannot."
Scared out of my wits, I looked at Quinney, then Misa, nearly begged for help. "You two get rid of it."
Both Misa and Quinney approached the rune that sparked with bright white light. Misa reached out and touched it. It crackled loudly, which sent her screaming back. "Note to others, don't touch it." She shook her hand as if electrocuted. "That hurt."
Quinney glanced away from the rune to me, then pulled me off Kyden's lap to stand in front of her. "You must diminish it since you were the one who created it. Withdraw the rune quickly." Her voice was urgent.
"I don't know what to do." I kept my eyes fixed on the damn glowy thing, waited for that moment where something drastic would happen and have me screaming bloody murder.
"You need to close it. Finish the ceremony," Quinney demanded. "Focus on that. Focus on the need you had with the rune being completed, and now you wish for it to leave."
I needed it gone. That was a must and didn't question her. Hopefully, she knew what she was doing. Quickly, I closed my eyes and focused inwards.
"I thank you for coming to me, but now I ask you to go. You have served me well." Seemed like the thing to say.
A loud crash, followed by a huge gush of air made me fall back onto the couch. With the move, my eyes opened to see the rune create a flash of light, then it vanished.
"All right, Álainn?" Kyden said in my mind.
"No," I shouted aloud. "What the fuck was that?"
Misa, Tyde and Quinney stared at me with something close to awe, which made me sink deeper into the couch. Not again. Their expressions told me I was not going to like the conversation ahead.
After an incredibly long moment of silence, Misa said, "Sooo...you can draw runes."
"Yeah, I see that." Idiot! "But why can I do that?"
"Stumped me." She glanced at Quinney. "Do you know?"
Quinney shook her head in a quick fluid movement. "Runes are a part of Black Magic." She pointed at me and gave a knowing look. "You don't use Black Magic."
"No. I. Do. Not," I spoke each word clearly to ensure everyone here understood that I wouldn't go near such magic.
Kyden interjected. "I wonder if it's from the bond with Magnus. You may have siphoned some of his ability."
"Could that be true?" I asked.
"It's only assumption I can come to. Since you shouldn't be able to do what you just did, it can be the only cause."
I lifted my chin in defiance. "Well, I won't be using it."
Kyden brushed his hand across my cheek and smiled, very gently. "It didn't look dark to me. The runes I've seen are a mirror image of Black Magic. Yours was bright and white. I don't believe you have anything to worry about."
Quinney took her seat, her face an image of wonder. "I have to agree. I've never seen a rune that was white. Nor have I seen one that's drawn in the air like that."
"Really?" I squeaked.
"Normally, as you know, runes are drawn on the earth in black ash." She examined me closely for a moment, then picked up the book. "I will need to see if there is anything like this in here." She paused, then looked up again. "There is no need for the two of you to stay for this, it could take hours. I will keep at it until I have the answers we need, then I will come to you with my findings."
"Thank you for that, Quinney," Kyden said, as he stood and pulled me with him. The others followed suit, and accompanied us to the door.
I just wanted to get home and away from all this rune talk. Really, another new ability had shown itself. I was really growing tired of new things in my life. I just wanted old, boring Nexi, who had a few gifts, and that's about it. It was all becoming really quite tiresome and I could feel the weight of it. Can't the lesson of discovery be over?
At the door, Misa opened it, and a breath of frustration exhaled from my body as a large crowd of warlocks and witches surrounded the home.
My gaze found Kyden's. "I'm guessing this isn't the welcoming committee," I grumbled.
He arched a brow, the irritation showed equally on his face. "Indeed, I think not."
Quinney stepped around me and pushed me behind her to face the awaiting crowd of very unhappy Underworld beings. "What business do you have here?" she demanded.
"We have come to put right our world," one of the Warlocks answered in a growl. "Our world will not be run by a White Witch. It's a travesty."
I sighed heavily as I looked at Kyden. "I guess we should have expected this?"
"Hrmph," was his only response.
Deep protectiveness ran through me. Kyden puffed up as each second passed. He now saw firsthand the danger I was put in when he wasn't around. Just let me say, it wasn't going over well. He was pissed.
"You have no say in the Underworld," Tyde argued. "You're not members of the assembly."
"This is also not the proper place to discuss it." Quinney added.
"You," the same Warlock snarled, "are pathetic. You went against our nature and along with a plan to destroy Magnus so that this horrendous leader could rise to power. You should all be crushed along with her."
Misa growled. "You wish to declare a challenge against our Lady?"
A Witch stepped forward, glared a deadly threat toward me. "We're not issuing a formal challenge. We seek to destroy her now." With little warning, she blasted out a wave of energy. It was so quick, I didn't have time to react and her magic came straight for me.
Kyden instantly shoved Quinney out of the way, stepped in front of me and pushed me back. Horror blasted through every particle of my body. He had no protection against magic. What in the hell had he just done?
Time slowed, sounds erased, as I fell backwards. The second my butt connected with the grass, magic erupted around me and knew he'd just been hit. I didn't have time to shield him, it happened too fast.
I screamed and closed my eyes, unable to watch. Panic stole my breath. Another blast of magic sent me flying back to hit the front door, and every window in Quinney's and Tyde's home exploded.
A loud scream shot through the air. There was enough sense it my mind to realize it wasn't Kyden's and sounded female. I opened my eyes open to see Kyden on his feet in front of me and the witch that had attacked us was now gone.
The crowd was stone silent.
I jumped to my feet, and rushed to Kyden's side, spinning him around. "What in the hell happened?"
He looked a bit dazed himself. "I have no idea."
"I saw it," Misa said, breathless. "He shielded himself. The magic hit him, then flew back at her and disintegrated her completely."
"Holy frig, you've gained my ability!" Utter shock filtered through me---some of mine, some of his---we were both stunned.
Now that I knew he was safe, those feelings quickly vanished into rage. "What the fuck were you thinking?" I yelled at him and gave him a good punch to the shoulder, which caused him to stumble back. "You could have been killed."
"It wasn't a thought, Álainn. I saw it coming at you and acted," he answered, calm and collected. Typical Kyden. "I didn't think of the consequences."
"It's my duty to protect her," Quinney growled. "You shouldn't have thrown me out of the way. I would have died for her."
Kyden arched a brow. "No, that is my job."
I stomped my foot at this territorial pissing match. "It's nobody's job to protect me. I can take care of myself." I glanced at Quinney. "But thank you, by the way."
She nodded and smiled.
"You thank her and I get a lashing?" Kyden protested.
"Damn right you do." I grasped him by the arms, tried to shake him, which didn't go so well since he's like three times the size of me, but I tried anyway. "It's not your job to protect me. When will you get that through your thick, arrogant head?"
"It is my duty," he replied simply.
Before I could blast him a good one, someone from the crowd reminded me they were still here. "We are not finished with you," the same warlock who spoke before said in a low feral growl.
I turned on them, let every ounce of anger I felt in my bones be heard in my voice. "I'm not finished with you either, jackass, but I'm too pissed to deal with you right now. You'll just have to fucking wait."
With that, I sent the Air Element out to freeze them all where they stood. Sure, they could blink and all, but their feet were stuck to the ground and rendered them incapable of any sneaky shit again.
"Wow," Misa gasped, clearly awed.
As if I gave a flying-fuck about that right now. I turned back to Kyden and snarled, "I can't believe you did that."
"I'm fine. Nothing happened."
"Nothing happened, did it? You could have been killed because you're stupid. I've told you over and over again that you cannot fight against magic, and there you go, throwing yourself at it. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Quinney chuckled at my chastising Kyden. I glared at her, yet she didn't stop smiling. "This is not funny! He could have died."
"But..." she shrugged, "he didn't."
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" I glared at Kyden. "You know, I have always felt bad about leaving you behind, but now I don't. You idiot!"
He arched a brow. "Done?"
"No. I. Am. Not." I paced, threw my hands up, swore, anything I could to relieve the rage that flowed through my veins.
Kyden sighed numerous times, but said nothing. Misa, Tyde and Quinney all looked amused. I couldn't even take satisfaction that the Warlocks and Witches looked scared shitless.
I finally huffed, unable to feel an ounce better. I was just so angry with him. How could he take such a risk? Right now, I didn't want to be anywhere near him. "I'm going, and do not follow me."
Kyden exhaled even louder this time, yet said nothing as I turned away from him to leave.
"Ahh...Nexi," Misa called out, "you need to deal with these ones."
I swore something very inappropriate and turned back around to approach them. "You're all idiots too. What the hell is wrong with you?"
No one answered me. Of course, they wouldn't. They were all too scared to say a word. Being frozen, unable to move because a little tornado wrapped around your body, would do that. "Instead of living your lives, going on about your business, now you're choosing to die." I threw up my hands in frustration. "Why am I surrounded by idiots?"
Fear flashed across each of their faces. I drew on fire. My anger always helped the magic---gave it extra flame. It was a dangerous thing and not what White Magic was about, not to use out of anger. I was safe here, my anger wasn't directed at the group, it was directed at Kyden.
It only took seconds for magic to fill me, then with another loud swear word, I released it. If I wasn't so pissed, I may have been shocked as the fire poured from within me, and in a wild fire ball incinerated every being here---except the good guys of course.
"That sure was something," Quinney admired.
When the cracks of fire settled, Kyden stepped forward. I glared at him and he froze where he stood.
So, he wasn't that stupid to provoke me. Obviously not after seeing that display of strength.
"Do. Not. Follow. Me." My voice came out as a deep growl. I spun around and headed back to the main gate. "I'm surrounded by complete idiots. Complete fucking idiots!"
As the teleport took me, the last thing I heard was Kyden's long deep aggravated breath.
My willow was exactly what I needed. The soft leaves of the tree were an instant comfort to my pissed-off-at-my-mate mood. Even better, my four-legged Willow joined me too. Still to this day, she complained that I'd named her after my favorite tree. I thought it sweet, but she thought it cruel.
"So, he gained your ability to shield?" Willow asked as I gave her head a scratch.
Most of the time, I loved my little familiar and the connection we shared. Such a cute and black fluffy thing, how could one not love her? Other times though, she could be a little bitch. Still I loved my little protector, who sometimes went panther on me.
"It was incredible." The longer I sat here, the more the sense of wonder grew. How did my magic pass on to him? Protect him when he needed it? I knew it wasn't me who did it. I wished I could take the glory, but hadn't assisted him, yet he shielded himself.
Willow purred as I scratched under her chin. "Good thing he could or he'd be dust in the wind."
"He's so stupid," I retorted and dropped my hand from Willow's face, aggravated all over again. "I don't need him to save me. I can handle myself."
"Is that what's eating your goat?" Willow looked more peeved that I'd stopped petting her, than really interested in this conversation. "You think he doubts you?"
"Yes...no."
She lay down on the ground and began to lick her paw. "Now, you sound stupid."
"Hey, don't be snarky with me. It's just confusing. I mean, I know he believes in me, and now with the bond, I understand why he acts the way he does. But damn it, I don't need him to help me." I huffed in anger. "His stupid, protective, 'need to defend you' nonsense hit the roof tonight. His lack of common sense could have gotten him killed."
Those few words registered in my mind and reality sank in. What really troubled me surfaced. He could have died. I barely took one full breath before I broke into tears.
Willow jumped to her feet and rubbed her head against my arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I won't be snarky anymore, promise."
"It's not you, Willow." I sniffed. "I'm just so tired of this. Every night something seems to happen. I hate living on the edge and in fear that someone else is going to be taken from my life. I live in a constant state of worry that I could lose more people I love. It's happened too many times. I can't take it anymore." I dropped my head into my hands and sobbed.
A second later, I felt myself lifted into strong arms. "I assumed since you were feeling sadness that it was safe for me to come down," Kyden said.
"I'll see you two at home. By the way, I'm starving, so don't be long," Willow said as she scurried off.
Kyden shifted me in his arms, sat down beneath my willow, and gazed deeply into my eyes. "Please do not cry. It kills me." It did, I could feel the fierce torment running through him.
"I just can't take this. My God, Kyden, you came close to dying tonight. Too damn close."
He sighed, a long troubled breath. "Yes, I realize I may have acted stupidly, but loving you drives me to such things. When I saw the magic coming toward you, fear drove me to act. It was without thought that I jumped in front of you."
I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I can't lose you. Do you hear me? I cannot go on without you. You can't act so foolishly."
"I'm sorry." He pushed me away from him a bit so he could look into my eyes. "But I also don't believe we'll have to face such a thing again."
I wiped my tears. His apology settled my remaining upset with him. He never apologized, ever. It meant a lot to hear it come from him.
"I'm still in shock that you've gained my ability. Does that mean you can use magic then?"
He shook his head, and ran his hands over my damp cheeks to dry them. "I went to see Zia when I got back. She identified that I indeed have been gifted the ability to shield magic, and therefore, send it back like you can. I cannot produce it on my own though."
"And just how did she identify that?"
He grinned. "She sent a tidal wave my way. It was a quick test to determine the protection and it did indeed prove that I held the power to deflect." He winked. "She was soaked in the process."
I laughed, then sighed deeply. "I just wish everything was normal again. You know, no Underworld, no demon scary talk, just kicking some serious ass."
He leaned forward and kissed my cheeks. "I agree with you, but it is what it is." He kept my face in his hands, cradled me in his strong grip. "There will be a time, Álainn, when the danger around us will cease."
"God, I hope you're right."
Suddenly, a loud scream came from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Haven running down the hill, with Zia, Talon, and Finn following. "Is it true? Is it really true?" Finally her words became more than screaming nonsense.
"It is."
She came to a skidding halt on her knees in front of us. "I can't believe that! Giving your ability to a Guardian," she shook her head, awe danced along her face. "That's unbelievable."
Zia came closer. "Work it all out?"
"Yeah. I was just really scared, that's all."
"I imagine you were, but it's a pleasant thing to know this long-standing fight between you two will finally be over. Hmm? Now, he can join you and those worries are put at ease."
I hadn't really thought about the fights between us being over finally. It really made him crazy when I went fighting without him. I guess it did come as a relief to know that I'd never have to have this argument again with him. I also knew the problem was going to be letting me fight. If he saw I was in danger, he'd probably act just as he did tonight and take control of the situation. This argument wouldn't never entirely be put to bed. He wanted to protect me and I wanted to fight my own battles. The problem was neither of us would give in. Ever.
"Kyden told us the jist of what happened, but he said that there was something you needed to tell us. So, what is it?" Haven interrupted my thoughts.
I glanced directly at Zia, needed to see her reaction when I told her. "I can draw runes."
Yep, got the reaction I thought it would. Her jaw dropped.
After she found her voice, she asked, intrigued. "Is that so? It's quite unusual and I've never heard of that before. Did Misa have any answers for why you would possess this trait?" She cocked her head, curiously. "Maybe it is from the bond with Magnus."
I nodded. "That's what Kyden thought, too. Quinney is searching the devil's book thingy they have, which holds their history, to see if there are any other situations like this in the past. Said she'd come if she found anything."
Zia gave an approved nod.
"Kyden also told us how you handled the witches and warlocks tonight." Talon's voice was full of pride. "Sounds as if they didn't stand a fighting chance, well done."
I sighed and rubbed my face. "Well, I was angry."
Zia knelt down in front of me and took my hand in hers. "I know you're going through a lot now, Sweetie. You have gone through too much for any one person to handle. But just keep believing it will all become right again. Keep positive. Don't let this wear on you."
"It's just so tiresome, Zia." I dropped my hand from my face to look at her. "I'm so sick of the death, the danger---just all of it."
"I can understand that. But there's great responsibility here. You need to set right what has begun. In the end, peace will find you. Try and focus on that."
I sighed, the deepest, most exhausted sound that had ever come from my mouth. "I'm taking a moment and throwing a pity party. I'm entitled."
She leaned in, kissed my cheek and said aloud, "Yes, you are entitled. Just keep what I said with you."
Kyden arched a brow. He hadn't heard the conversation between Zia and I, which didn't surprise me. We'd learned that he could intrude on our conversations. It had something to do with the Spirit Element, or so we thought.
Just then, a loud growl came from atop the hill. My gaze snapped toward it to see Brax running down the hill in his wolf form. Not something you see every day, which was exactly why Zia, Kyden and I jumped to our feet and ran toward him, the others following behind.
His shift came halfway down the hill, and when he returned to human form, he shouted, "There's been another attack."
"What's happened?" Talon demanded as we met up with him.
Brax was breathless. "I was just contacted moments ago by Detective Garver. They've come across another scene where the body has vanished."
Kyden and I exchanged alarmed glances. One case was bad, two was catastrophic. Our peace that I longed for wasn't about to start now.
A thought rose to my mind that needed to be voiced. "How do they know someone has been killed?"
"They got an anonymous tip and Garver is a wolf. He said the scent of the human's blood still lingers there."
Another anonymous tip---something fishy is going on here. Who would know of this? Dark ones for sure, but if there were more on our side, then why hadn't they come forward?
"Garver is waiting for you at the scene." Brax was still short of breath. "Go now and quickly."
Rotten apples layered the ground, which was almost in contradiction since the apple trees at the small farm in New Jersey flourished. "What in the hell is with all the apples?" I asked Kyden.
He shrugged in return.
Tonight, Detective Garver resembled a 'made man'. Dark gray trench coat, designer suit, and even the classic homburg hat, he looked impressive and handsome.
Just because I was bonded, didn't mean I was dead. When a man looked like Garver did, a woman took notice.
Kyden cleared his throat loudly. I glanced toward him to see his brow arched---not in a pleasant way either. He'd noticed my ogling the suavé detective. Either felt or saw it. Either way, he didn't like it.
Oops!
"What was that you said?" Kyden asked, apparently moving on.
I laughed a little at his briskness and kicked an apple. "The apples. They were at the last scene too." I looked back up to the group, which included Detective Garver, Kyden and I, plus Haven and Finn. Of course, Finn wouldn't be left behind now knowing what we were involved in. "Wonder if there's some meaning there, or if it's just a coincidence."
Kyden grabbed an apple and tossed it in the air. "There are no such things as coincidences, Álainn."
He thought so. Me, I still believed some things just happened with no reason for them. Now wasn't the time for such a conversation.
Haven stepped up in beside me. "Ready Freddy?"
I looked at Kyden. He threw the apple into the bushes, then nodded at her. She raised her hands to the sky, and in a blink, the demon was before us. It was a complete replica of the last scene. Normal looking guy---who was anything but---same rune, same human body lying the center. Yep, the exact same scary shit.
Right on cue, the demon began to circle around the black ash, spread the blood within it. Suddenly the scene took a different turn.
Just as the demon began to start to chant, he gasped and fell to his knees. Slowly, the rune began to twirl, spin---fast. Then, a black figure grew from the ground and just as it formed, it flew straight into the human's body.
This was something out of a horror movie, but the difference being, this was real. The man jerked, screamed, then went dead quiet. His eyes slowly opened and he stood.
This was no human. His eyes were dark, the essence of pure evil. The man turned toward the demon that was bowed, then he inhaled deeply and smiled like the devil himself. Then, poof---they were both gone.
The vision froze.
"Holy Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," I gasped.
Kyden arched a brow. "Why does this trouble you?"
I had to laugh. "Ahh, hello, why does this trouble me? Did you not just see that?"
Kyden glanced back to the rune, his face a mask of confusion. "I saw what we saw before." His gaze fell back to mine. "Why is this different?"
Clearly, he could sense the fear that shivered through me. He knew this was different, but the question was, why was he asking such a ridiculous question? My gaze dragged to Haven. Even she looked confused, which only seemed to intensify as she looked around. Where these people blind?
"Did none of you just see that?"
Finn gave me an equivocal look. "The demon and the guy disappearing?"
"No, the black thingy that went into that guy's body." Every face stared back at with a blank expression. "You really didn't see that?"
Kyden answered. "I saw what I did before. The demon did the rune, then he and the human vanished."
Oh, this couldn't be good. Why was I seeing things the others weren't? I needed help and needed it now. "We need to get Quinney here, I'm not sure..."
Before I even finished, Quinney appeared in a pink negligee. "Bah," I screamed, startled. Then, I glanced at her attire. "What are you wearing?"
"You called for me..." she glanced down at her perky breasts, which were clearly visible through her nightgown, "I was in bed."
"Er...ahh...sorry about that."
Her form shimmied a little, then a black pant suit appeared on her body. "Being a demon has its advantages." She winked. "I'm actually glad you called for me. I have just found the information we were looking for, but first, what is it you need of me, Nexi?"
"The short story, we were called to another one of these demons rituals. But this time, when the demon closed the rune, a black figure formed, then took over the human's body."
"You all saw this?" Quinney asked.
Her face was like Kyden's---unreadable, which only annoyed me. I needed to learn that trick. I couldn't hide anything, ever. Maybe I was a tad envious they could.
"No, none of us witnessed it, only Nexi." Kyden replied.
Intrigue flashed across Quinney's emotionless face. Then, it went blank again. "Would you mind showing me the vision again? It is important I see it."
"Righty-o." Haven raised her hands back to the sky.
Within minutes, the vision came before us and ran through the same events. That was just the handy part of it all because it was a moment in time that could replay repeatedly if needed. But who would really want to watch these types of events again? Not me.
By the end of it, Quinney stood stunned. Speechless. We all glanced at each other waiting for something to happen or be said, but it never came.
Kyden cleared his throat, broke through the thick air of silence. "Quinney, are you all right?"
She glanced to him, an O formed on her moth. She shook her head.
My patience began to wear on me after a few minutes as she tried to regain her composure. "For Christ's sake, say something already. What is it?"
Quinney gave her head another shake as if coming back from wherever it was she went to. "I...I..."
"You're sounding like Elmer Fudd." I grabbed her arms and shook her. "Get on with it. Did you see it too?"
"Yes, I did see." Her voice came out in a whisper. "And what that was, was a demon summoning another."
"For what?" I managed.
She shrugged, looked back to the rune on the ground, tension filled every part of her. "That is the question now isn't it?"
"Do you know who he summoned?" Kyden inquired.
Quinney paled. She glanced up and looked right at me. "Mammon."
"Mammon!" I squeaked. "Like one of the seven original demons, Mammon?" This could not be true.
Quinney nodded.
My mouth recovered faster than my fear. "Why and how could he do that?"
"The history of the Demon Lords is far different than the history of Satan," Quinney explained. "When Aaliya banished him to the Realm of the Dead, the Demon Lords went willingly with him." She rubbed her hands together. Was she shaking? I sure as hell was. "They were deathly loyal, but since it's Satan's realm, they're not trapped there like him. They can be summoned back. The human here," she waved, "was given up as an offering---as a vessel for the demon to take shape."
"Why would anyone want to bring a Demon Lord back?" I didn't understand any of this. The whys and hows weren't adding up in my mind.
"That I cannot answer, but it's in no way good. Why Lyrn---the demon---would summon Mammon is only something he can answer. I would suspect it is for personal use, but since this is the second incident, I'm afraid it must be something more."
"But this didn't happen at the last scene?" I observed.
"Not everyone has the strength and power to summon a Demon Lord. The last scene you were at the demon must have failed. Therefore, the human was destroyed in the attempt. At the time, I didn't see that this is what anyone attempted to do. But now, it all makes sense, doesn't it."
Pure protectiveness suddenly ran straight through me. Kyden latched onto my waist and pulled me tight against him. "Why was Nexi able to see this when none of us could?"
Quinney's gaze examined me, curiously. "Must be her connection to the Underworld, the bond she had with Magnus. But that is all just guesses at this point." She glanced back to the rune on the ground. "Just before you called for me, I stumbled across the rune you drew. It's a summoning rune."
I snorted. "Which is now old news."
Quinney nodded. "We will need to look into this further before we go after Mammon. I'm not quite sure how to defeat him. Even a weak Demon Lord will be a strong offender. Let's get back to the Underworld, maybe Azar or Misa will know more." She glanced between Kyden and I. "Besides, you are both needed there soon anyway."
My brows rose. "We are?"
"It's time for you to deal with those who have betrayed your new laws." She twinkled a little. "I'd recommend you taking this as an opportunity to read into these betrayers."
Oh joy!
Quickly, we used the portal to get back to the Otherworld and picked up a few stragglers on the way. Of course, no one would miss this. Then, we transported to the Underworld. It was a good thing I'd become more adjusted to these portals or I might be a little winded. Okay, maybe I still had a hard time with it, the world had spun for a moment, but I wouldn't admit that since everyone else seemed fine.
As we headed past Misa's house towards the auditorium, I asked Quinney, "So explain to me how I said your name, then voila, you appeared?"
"I'm your Guard, Nexi," she answered as if that should answer my question.
"Yeah, so?"
Weird!
"If you have need of me, I'll come to you."
Once we arrived at the auditorium, Kyden and I sat in the ridiculous throne chairs. The room once again filled with Witches and Warlocks alike. Sure, it was a little less since I destroyed a bunch of them, but still, a good many.
"Now, Nexi," Ryker leaned down, spoke in a low voice. G.I. Joe look-alike gave me a stern look indeed. "We have come for a show tonight. Let's not disappoint."
Kyden let out a loud laugh, as did Haven, Finn, Zia and Talon.
I just rolled my eyes at them.
Azar stepped into the center and the awaiting crowd quieted. "We have come tonight under grave circumstances. First, if you have not heard, our ruler was attacked last night. Hunted by our kind." The entire room gasped and low whispered hums filtered through the auditorium. "As expected, those who betrayed her were dealt with appropriately. Is there anyone else here that feel as those betrayers did? If so, step forward, and declare it."
"Does he seriously think someone will?" I asked Kyden.
His gaze fell on me. "He's making a point."
I thought for a moment, tried to ascertain what point that was exactly. After a minute or so, I came up empty. "And what point would that be?"
"That their assembly is united and anyone who acts now is acting alone without their strongest support."
"Oh." I shrugged. "Guess that makes sense."
Of course, as expected, no one stood.
Azar spun around to face us. "No more will betray you."
"Don't be so sure about that," I whispered under my breath.
Azar quickly left the center, walked toward me with purposeful strides. He cocked his head when he stopped in front of me. "Trouble?"
"Oh yeah---heaps of it."
Quinney approached and whispered in Azar's ear. His face slowly lost all of its color. He staggered back a step and stared at Quinney.
"You should say something," Kyden told me.
"What the hell am I going to say?"
"Your mouth has never been a problem before." Kyden said aloud, his grin devilish.
I smacked his arm, the jerk. "That is so not funny, Kyden." I stood and approached Azar.
I grabbed his shoulders and gave him a little shake. "Let's get this over first." I looked around the room, my gaze settled on all the faces that looked all too intrigued by what was going on. No need to send everyone into a frenzy. "This is not the place to discuss this."
The cloud of horror slowly began to fade from his eyes. "Yes, you're right." He quickly gestured toward Quinney. "Bring them in."
She immediately responded to the order and fled the room, only to return with three demons. I didn't recognize any of them. But why would I?
Kyden stood from his chair the second they entered the room and stood protectively beside me. Also expected.
When the demons stopped in front of me, I looked them over. It was really hard to believe how much evil lurked in these beings. They look so ordinary. Young, mid-twenties, perfectly cut hair, pleasant faces---so deceptive.
I finally looked at Azar. "So, what have they done?"
"Each one has taken an innocent soul," he answered.
Naughty demons. I started to approach them, but Kyden pulled me back. "Come with me then, geesh!" Kyden inclined his head, and let me step forward.
"Why have you done this?"
The young girl was the one who answered. She looked like your original teeny-bopper---long hair, too much make-up and clothes that were entirely way too tight. "The rules you have set about are ridiculous. We are demons. It's what we do."
I sighed and tiredly ran my hands over my face. I was beginning to feel old---too damn old. I lowered my hands and looked from demon to demon. "You all feel the same way I presume?" They nodded in unison. "Well then, first thing first." I grabbed onto teeny-bopper's hand, and just as I did, she jumped back.
Instantly, Kyden latched onto her, held her still. Since I knew she could do her spooky shit and vanish, I sent a little air out to force her still. Her eyes went wide as my mini tornado wrapped around her body. "You did this to yourself."
Kyden released her, gave me a little wink as he took his position beside me.
I kept teeny-bopper's hand tight in mine and let the adrenaline of Spirit come to the forefront, foregoing every other element that lingered within me. I focused on that one sensation. When Spirit held strong, I opened myself up to the demon's mind and let her memories flood my own.
There were quick flashes of everything that was wrong with our world. The longer it went on, the more I wished I could pull away. What I saw wasn't good. Oh, we were in serious shit---that was undisputable. Demons in the Underworld would never stand to see Kyden and I run their world or live under these new rules. The worst part---and it was fucking bad---they knew a way to stop it.
Here is where the Demon Lords came in. My abilities were unmatched. The demons believed that, but my strength against the Demon Lords did not compare. They were Satan's sidekicks, for Christ sakes. The power they held within them was something similar, to well, me.
And the extremely shitty part...these Demons didn't plan on just summoning one. They were going to summon all seven.
Holy fuck!
The visions stopped. My eyes snapped open. I dropped her hand and took a step back. "Fucking, fuck."
Kyden lunged forward protectively, latched onto my hand and dragged me toward him. "What is it?"
"It's so bad, Kyden. So very, very bad," I used our bond, didn't want to alert them to the fact that I knew their plan just yet.
He glanced around the auditorium, then his eyes settled back on mine. "We shouldn't talk of this here."
"Got that right," I said aloud. Quinney raised her brows. Obviously, my words were not linking together. I could only imagine how nuts I looked right now. But I didn't give a rat's ass. Panic made my throat tight. I needed to get this part over with so I could fill the others in on what I discovered. I looked at Quinney. "So...what do we do with them now?"
Quinney looked at Misa, who stood at my side within a quarter of a second. "You must destroy them, Nexi. They've gone against your rules." Then, she whispered. "You need to show your strength here. So, the others fear you."
I exhaled, fright forgotten as annoyance returned. "Er, Misa...I've never killed a demon. What do I do?"
A slow smile spread across her face. She was either laughing at me or at the situation. I didn't find either one very funny. She looked back at the crowd. "Please excuse us for a moment. Lady Nexi wishes a private meeting."
The crowd stood and bowed.
I mumbled numerous obscenities while Kyden chuckled quietly behind me as we followed Misa, Azar, Quinney and Tyde into a room just off the auditorium.
Just as we met the door, I glanced back at Zia, and she gave me a reassuring nod, as did Talon. I really hated doing this without them. To me, they were my leaders and it felt horrible to exclude them. They never made a move to follow so I left it alone.
Focusing back on the situation at hand, the second the door the simple sitting room closed behind me, I sent my lips flapping. "Holy Shit! They're summoning all the Demon Lords. They want to bring them all back to defeat me. To make right what has happened here." Every single face held equal shock, including Kyden's. "Er...sorry. I guess I shouldn't have come out with it like that."
Quinney shot a concerned glance at Tyde. "I feared the summoning of Mammon was just the beginning."
Tyde nodded, looked not too happy. "I believe you're right. Never would I have expected retaliation in this regard." He shook his head slowly. "We have to stop this before they summon more. One we can handle, two, it's possible. Three is when it gets difficult."
"What action must we take then?" Kyden asked.
"While I've been reading the Diabolus Somes, I did come upon a story that I thought might be relevant to Nexi." Quinney informed. "Long ago, it was said that there was one not from the Underworld gifted with the ability to drawn runes..."
I cut in quickly. "Who was it?"
Quinney shrugged. "No names were mentioned, but it said that she attempted to send demons to the Realm of the Dead when Satan overpowered her." She gave a knowing look. "It also said she was a White Witch."
I could tell by her look that she had connected this to me somehow, but I just couldn't piece it together exactly. "And this has something to do with me because..."
"We suspect that whatever magic this witch held is probably the same that you hold within yourself. She had the ability to draw runes, just as you can." Tyde answered.
Kyden rubbed the small of my back, drawing my attention. "I must agree with them, Álainn. The situations do sound very similar."
"So it's a little the same." I couldn't deny the similarities. No one had ever heard of a witch that could do what I could, but I still didn't really get what that all meant. "But what does that mean exactly, how can my abilities to draw runes help any?"
Misa interjected. "Sabi."
"Sabi, what?"
"From what I've heard over the last while of being with you, she has the ability to foresee the future within the darkness. She could be quite useful here."
Misa was right, of course. Sabi's gifts were to see darkness stirring, but the problem was that it only came seconds before. Usually by the time she'd seen the vision or informed us of it, it was too late to act.
"You think we should keep her near?" Kyden asked, quietly.
Misa nodded. "She should stay close to you at all times. Anytime she sees a demon attempting to summon one of the Demon Lords, you can immediately go and banish it."
I laughed. "How do you know I can do this at all? I mean really, sending me face-to-face with a demon in the middle of summoning a Demon Lord isn't the ideal guinea pig."
Quinney's eyes sparkled with knowledge. "I assumed you would use these demons." She gestured toward the door. "As your test."
I spent the next five minutes trying to come up with every excuse to get out of this. As always, they all fizzled out.
"Fine," I finally succumbed. "Show me the damn rune."
Ten minutes later, I sat staring at the symbol on the page, thinking that Quinney had in fact up and lost her mind. "Er...isn't that a pentagram?"
Quinney shook her head. "From the writings here, it says that this is what is known as a Pentacle. You see how it runs straight up and down. A pentagram is upside down." She pointed to the rune on the page. "Each point of the star represents one of the elements---with the highest point of it representing Spirit. The circle around it is the sacred space which resembles the collation between each element and the unity it holds."
"So, it's not an evil symbol?" I asked.
Tyde leaned over my shoulder, examined the rune for himself. "Far from it. I've never seen this rune drawn."
I swatted him away from my face. He laughed, which earned him a scowl.
I focused back on Quinney. "And this will banish demons to Hell?"
Quinney shrugged heavily. "From what I read, yes. The one who used this rune years ago did just that. But in truth, I really don't know. Let's go test it." She looked excited as she and the others started headed toward the door.
I wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. "Okay, wait..." They all turned back to me. "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then, I'll finish off the demons for you." Tyde assured.
"But won't that make me look...weak?"
"I'm positive this will work," Misa said. "So, we will not need to even worry about this."
"All settled?" Azar asked.
Kyden nodded, and glanced back at me. "They're waiting for you, Álainn."
Nerves rattled me. "Just give me a second. Geesh!" I rubbed my shaky hands together and met Azar's gaze. "What are we going to do about Mammon? How do you banish a Demon Lord?"
Azar sighed deeply. "We'll need to look into this further. Finding him will be the tricky part and to send him back will be even harder. The only time Demon Lords were banished was when the Fae intervened."
"Oh, Aaliya, right?"
He nodded. "It was Aaliya who banished them, along with Satan, when they chose to stay with him."
This seemed easy enough. "Can't we just contact her and get her to do it again?" Loud laughter filled the room.
"This is not something she'll assist with. It's only if the Earthworld was in danger would she step in." Quinney answered and patted my shoulder in a very reassuring. "I'm sorry, Nexi. You must deal with this on your own."
"Great." I glanced at Kyden. "It only gets harder." I grumbled.
He reached out and wrapped his arms around my waist, protectively. "I'll be with you. We'll get through this just as we have gotten through everything else."
All right, well that earned him a half smile. At least I had that. I didn't have to face all this scary shit alone. There was some reassurance in that.
I stepped out of Kyden's arms and looked back to Quinney. "What do I have to do?"
"It's quite simple. The fact that you can draw runes at all shows your strength, and by the looks of this rune, I'm pretty sure the Pentacle is meant to banish those who have done wrong."
"How can you be so sure of that?" I asked her.
"Because this rune is White Magic based. It's pure---perfect in every way. As you've seen with the Pentagram, it's flawed since it's upside down, which is why it's a symbol of Black Magic."
"A demon or any being from the dark realm couldn't use this rune." Misa added.
"Why?" I needed to ask.
"It would destroy them instantly."
Like that answered my question. "And the reason is..."
"It is going against the grain, so to say. A demon cannot use a rune that is meant for White Magic. Therefore..." Tyde explained.
Oh yeah, now I was seeing it clearly. "A White Witch shouldn't be able to use the runes that are meant for Black Magic." They all gave a firm nod. "What does that mean then? Why could I draw that rune before and not be destroyed by it?"
Azar shrugged, his white hair bounced on his shoulders. "That's a question we cannot answer. Why you can have Black Magic respond to you when you do not hold it is completely unknown. It should not be so."
Kyden grazed his finger along my arm and drew my gaze to his. "I wouldn't expect any different from you, Álainn. You have obviously been given this gift to set things right. It's time to do that."
Sure, he was confident. I, on the other hand, sweated bullets. He latched onto my hand and I hesitantly followed behind him.
As we exited the room, the crowd hushed around us. Zia gave me a smile. Haven looked worried, obviously sensing my apprehension. Talon just gave me a reassuring nod, even though he had no idea what I was about to do. Support nonetheless felt good.
We stepped back up in the front of the demons and all eyes fell on me. "I...I..." Yes, I stammered like a fool. What to tell them? How to start?
Kyden's growl came beside me, then he stepped forward and glared at the demons. "We won't tolerate this impertinence."
Yeah, that's what I wanted to say. I could have given him a big kiss for taking the wheel.
Miss teeny-bopper glared right back. "We won't tolerate you."
Her curt tone annoyed me enough. The look she gave Kyden topped the cake. No one looked at him like that, except for me when he pisses me off. Anger filled me. I was sick to death of these bitches.
Sick to death of...death. Tired of being a fucking broken record.
Without even thinking of it, I stepped forward and slapped her face. I used her soft skin as an outlet for the irritation that ran through my blood. I would've slugged her, but it felt wrong to punch a little thing like her, even though I knew what really lived in there.
I do have a heart you know, sometimes.
The sound echoed around the room, her face snapped to the side. Slowly, she brought her gaze back to mine. "I'm so sick of this," I shouted at her. "Do you know what I go through only a daily basis?" I hesitated, waited for her response. She didn't give one. "Well, I'll tell you. I'm nearly killed, constantly torn in a thousand directions, and someone I love is usually in danger."
My anger grew and I unleashed it. "I Don't. Want. To. Do. This." I glanced around the room and met every gaze here. "I want you all to live in peace and just go about your business doing your Black Magic stuff. I just don't want innocent souls to be taken. Is that seriously too much to fucking ask?" The room was dead silent while I had my little meltdown. "I. Do. Not. Want. To. Kill. You." My words came out slow and full of rage, and ensured that she and the others here got my point. "I've seen enough death, but you keep pushing, driving me to only one option."
Teeny-bopper opened her mouth, but shut it again instantly. She was obviously rendered speechless by my outburst.
"Don't you all just want to live? There is more to life than the taking of innocent souls. Don't you have friends? Lovers?" I drew in angry breath in and started to pace. "There's more to life than just acting all evil and mean."
Haven giggled behind me.
I stomped my foot and stopped in front of them. "Dammit! Well, you did this to yourself and I'm not going to feel bad about it."
Fear crossed each of the demons faces and before they could act. I lifted my hand, and traced the pentacle in front of me. My finger tingled as energy flooded me. It didn't take long to complete the rune and when I finished the circle, a loud swish of air grazed through the auditorium. Teeny-bopper's hair swept across her face.
Gasps came all around me as the Pentacle growled brightly with a shimmering white light. "Er...it's not doing anything." I quickly glanced at Quinney.
She shrugged in return.
I looked back at the rune, and suddenly, something deep within me flared to life. This rune wasn't like the other one I'd drawn. This one was connected to me, mine to use. I raised my hands up in the air, felt the magic from the rune pour into my soul, and when the energy was almost too much to bear, my hands shot forward and I screamed, "Banish thee."
Just as the words left my mouth, wind poured through the auditorium, and loud piercing screams forced me to my knees. My hands covered my ears and tried to deafen the sound. I managed to open my eyes to see my magic circle around us, swirl in a foggy mist around the demons as they screamed and writhed in pain.
A second later, a flash of light erupted, and just like that, it vanished, demons included. "Holy sugar shit." I stood, breathless.
Everyone in front of me, Talon, Zia, Ryker, even Kyden, returned to their feet. The Underworlds in the bleachers rose from under their seats. Cowards.
Finn jumped to his feet and ran toward Haven. "Haven. Haven."
Confusion gripped me. I didn't sense anything wrong with her. What was he going on about?
He scooped her up and hugged her tight. "Are you hurt?"
"Finn, put me down," she demanded. "Why on earth would I be hurt?"
He placed her on her feet, his gaze more protective than I'd ever seen it, which only confused me. "Are you okay..." I started.
She interrupted me and blushed. "I'm fine. Finn is being stupid." She waved away the concern with her hand and pushed Finn away.
"It worked," Misa's quiet voice said from behind me.
I spun around, witnessed their faces show a thousand emotions all at once. Now, I blushed. I really hated being in the spotlight like this. "I guess it did."
Kyden stepped forward and pulled me to him. He lowered his head and gave me a kiss that sent butterflies floating about in my stomach. "You're incredible."
Arousal stirred and it wasn't mine. Seeing my strength did one thing and one thing only---got him hard in a second flat! Usually I'd be more inclined to indulge in this line of thinking, but I was too shocked by what just happened to really focus on anything else.
Ryker laughed loudly, and gave me a hard slap on the back. "Now that was just the type of show I was looking for."
Again, I ignored him and looked back at Azar. "Are we done here then?"
He shook his head, then glanced at the crowd. "You have witnessed our Lady in action. Do any of you doubt what she is capable of?" No one said a word. "Right then, take your leave and remember the rules. Be sure not to forget what happened tonight. It'll be your fate if you break those laws."
The crowd quickly left the auditorium, and once the room cleared, Zia quickly stepped forward and took my hand. "Now, tell me what is going on?"
I took a deep breath, then told her all the past events as simply as I could. By the time I finished, she and Talon just stared at me. Haven and the others just kept looking at each other in shock.
Talon finally broke the silence. "Did you just say that Mammon, the Demon Lord, has been released from the Realm of the Dead?"
I nodded. "Quinney recognized him immediately."
"I have had no dealings with these Demon Lords." Talon's brows drew together in unhappiness. "They were before my time."
Misa laughed. "Before most of our times I'm sure."
"This is unheard of." Zia glanced at Azar. "What will you do now?"
Azar shrugged. "As I've told Nexi, I have no answers at this time." He glanced to me with an expectant look came upon his face. "What do you think we should do?"
"I haven't a clue," I replied. Like I knew how to fix all this, I was still trying to process it all. Really, I wasn't the one to look to for answers.
Azar stepped forward, his eyes bore into mine. "Are you so sure of that?"
"What the hell is he talking about?" I snapped to myself...or so I thought.
"Haven't a clue," Kyden answered.
"No idea," Zia added.
"Er...I'm pretty sure of that, yes."
Azar sighed tiredly, his gaze frustrated. "You're withholding yourself. Why is that?"
"Withholding myself...from what?"
Zia laughed as did Kyden, but I was at a loss as to what he was trying to tell me.
Azar examined me, cocked his head to the side. "You have such amazing abilities, yet, you don't seek to discover them. You withhold yourself until you just happen to stumble upon it or need it."
"Not this again." Over and over the same shit repeated itself. I continually heard this exact conversation numerous times, while training with Kyden, then alongside Zia. It was always the same. I doubted my ability, didn't accept it as true, and it took a good hard reminder from each of them to set me straight.
"This is a habit of hers?" Azar asked Zia.
She appeared well amused. "Her human instincts hinder her ability to believe."
"Ahh," Azar stated. "I see."
"You see what?" Okay, this was far past annoying. I felt like the third person here when being talked about. I didn't like it one bit.
Azar leaned back a bit and crossed his arms as he studied me. "There's something to you. Something I've yet to figure out. I truly believe for us to succeed in banishing Mammon, we'll need to follow the witch Quinney has mentioned in the Diabolus Somes. The one who holds similar abilities to you. I suspect the level of magic you share is comparable. Since we're unaware of who this was we cannot seek their assistance in this matter. Therefore, we must learn what we need to from you."
I guffawed. "Good luck with that."
"Have you ever tested her to see where this strength comes from?" Azar asked Zia.
"No," she answered. "I didn't want to push her. It has been..." she hesitated and smiled at me, "challenging for her to accept this new life and train in her new roles. We haven't had much time to look into anything further. To be honest, I assumed it was her mixed heritage, but now," she hesitated again and looked over at me curiously, "that you mention it, is there more to her mixed heritage, something that makes her so unique?"
"You know, I'm right here." I said, irritation with both of them reaching sky-high limits. "Why are you talking like I'm not?"
Kyden chuckled, which he tried to disguise as a cough and failed.
Azar smiled. "It's time then to discover who you really are and where these special gifts come from." He reached forward and took my hands. "Close your eyes, Nexi. Settle yourself."
"What are you doing?" I demanded, tried to rip my hands away from him.
He smiled, his eyes danced with laughter. "Just close your eyes."
I glanced at Kyden and he nodded encouragingly. I grumbled something nasty, took Azar's hands back in mine and shut my eyes, hoped to get this over with. The sooner I shut up, the sooner we could go on to something else. I seriously had zero idea what he was looking for. I was a Guardian and a Spirit Witch. That's it.
"Quiet yourself," Azar hummed. "Quiet the Guardian and the Witch within you. Settle those parts of you until there's nothing left except empty space."
Easier said than done. I was both entities. How do I separate those parts from myself? This was impossible.
Azar continued, "There's more to you than what you know. There's more beneath the magic that lives within you. Search for it. Define it. What is there?"
"Er...nothing," I quipped.
Haven laughed loudly.
Zia touched my shoulder, and a blast of calmness spread through me. I sighed from the peace and comfort of it and went still.
"You know why you are so powerful." Azar continued.
I did?
"You're special. There are no others like you. You're gifted by a source that's something different. What is it?"
I tried to find answers for him, wanted to give them to him. I searched deep. Why was I gifted this way---stronger than everyone else and able to do things that no one else could?
After some time of searching deep, going through the layers of the Guardian power and my magic abilities, something filtered through. It was like nothing I'd ever felt before and was foreign to me. A sense of power coursed through my blood. It wasn't an element or energy per se. It was light.
That's exactly what it felt like, a strong beam of light that glowed bright within me and not like a happy light---the heaven above kind of light---just pure power.
Definitely something strong and real, but what exactly? I wasn't sure what the source was or why it was there. I definitely would have a hard time describing it to Azar. If it wasn't my Guardian power, or the elemental based magic, just what the heck was it?
Just as I pondered that, something caught my attention and had nothing to do with this power inside of me. A pull grabbed hold of me, yanked me forward, and even though my eyes were closed, they drifted over to Haven. Her outline glowed before me.
A shimmering white light surrounded her body, but centered low in her belly was a blue glittering glow. Warmth and happiness shot straight through me.
My eyes snapped open. "You're pregnant."
Azar gasped. "I'm what?"
I laughed, as did everyone else. "Not you, silly." Then, I glanced at Haven. "You." I pointed right at her stomach. "You're pregnant."
My hand twitched to smack myself in the head. How had I not seen it with Finn's extra protectiveness? I felt abashed that I hadn't noticed all the little signs. The pickiness over food, the glow in Haven's eyes, and the way she kept touching her stomach. It just never occurred to me.
Haven's eyes went wide the moment I said it. "Gosh, thanks for the letting the cat out of the bag."
"Oops." I put my hand over my mouth and said beneath it, "Sorry. It just...er...spilled out."
She gave me a forgiving grin and the feeling rushed right through me. She was happy that I knew.
Azar interrupted our little blissful moment. "What did you feel?"
"Not now." I waved him off and trotted over to Haven. "You're really pregnant?" I glanced between her and Finn.
Finn nodded and smiled brilliantly.
"We are." Haven answered, patting her stomach.
"Holy cannoli!" I glanced at Kyden, who was alight with happiness. "That's so exciting." Then a thought struck me. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Haven shrugged. "I didn't want to jinx it. I was waiting until I passed the two week mark, just in case."
The two week mark?
Kyden stepped in next to me, obviously read my confusion. "Supernatural younglings are born within four months. The chance of a miscarriage usually happens within the first two weeks."
"Oh." I glanced at Haven, took her in my arms and hugged her tight. "I'm so happy for you guys. I didn't even know you were trying."
Haven hugged me back, sank right into me, and I felt the warmth of her hug. "We decided a little while ago and had Zia release the magic on Finn."
Zia was the Otherworld's birth control pill. A little magic went a long way. As Haven admitted that, a tinge of annoyance hit me. "Why would you not tell me this? We never kept secrets."
Haven's smile turned into a frown as she leaned in and whispered. "You've been through so much this past little while. It seemed so tiny in comparison."
"This," I stepped closer to her and placed my hand on her stomach. "Is huge, Haven. Promise me, you'll never keep something like this from me again."
She nodded in earnest. "Okay, I promise."
My heart sank a little. It royally sucked ass that Haven felt she couldn't tell me her happy news because my life is so chaotic. That something this important didn't compare---didn't matter. I gulped back the yucky feeling, desperate not to ruin this moment. I reached out to Finn and hugged him. "Ahh...you guys are going to have the cutest youngling ever."
Finn chuckled in my ear. "Let's hope so."
"Of course we will." Haven smacked his arm after I released him. "She'll be the cutest."
"She?" Finn asked with raised brows.
"Just a feelin'." Haven smiled.
Azar cleared his throat, drew my gaze back to his. "How did you know she was pregnant?"
"It was kinda like a pull. As if I needed to look at her, and when I did, a bluish light glowed around her belly. I don't know." I shrugged, mildly embarrassed at his awed look. "I just knew."
"I hate to interrupt, Nexi, but did you discover anything?" Misa looked to Azar as well. "We need to hear if you discovered anything else. Time is pressing."
Oh, right, I'd totally forgotten about the whole search within yourself bit. "I definitely feel something I never did before. It feels kinda like...well...a source of power, but I have no idea what it's from. It doesn't feel like the Guardian power or the elements, it just feels different. Does that make any sense?"
Azar nodded, then took my hand. "Does it feel like this?" With his touch came a wave of darkness to slither through my blood.
I snapped my hand away and growled at him. "Yuck, no."
Azar's gaze was hard as he studied me. "So, it isn't the Guardian power or White Magic. It has nothing to do with Black Magic."
Zia's gaze mirrored Azar's. "So what is it then?"
After a long period of silence and the examining looks started to get on my nerves, I'd had enough. "It's me! That's what it is."
Zia smiled softly and kissed my cheek. "Yes, Sweetie, it is you."
Azar turned to Quinney, gestured toward the book she held in her hands. "Leave the Diabolus Somes with her. Let her read it."
Quinney began to approach me, but I adamantly held my hands up. "I don't want that thing."
"You're the best person to read this," Azar said. "Study the runes. See if any of them call to you or make any sense to you."
Quinney placed the book in my shaky hands but I held it away from my body. "We need to discover a rune to banish Mammon back to the Realm of the Dead and quickly. The longer he is on Earth, the more strength he will gain. We cannot allow this. If we do, he'll begin to do these rituals himself." She looked desolate. "This is not something we want to happen."
"Yeah, no shit," I managed.
"There are many unmarked runes in the Diabolus Somes. Ones that have been drawn, but unclaimed," Tyde said. "By the look of them, they appear to be White Magic based, but their purpose is unknown. Kyden can translate the Latin if need be."
"Keep an open mind," Azar added. "Let the runes speak to you. I believe the right rune you need will show itself to you."
I snorted. "You all seem so sure of that, but I just hope your trust isn't misplaced."
"It isn't," they all said in unison.
Back in the Otherworld, we'd said goodbye to the others and walked Finn and Haven home to the Witches House. After another round of congratulations and hugs, they went inside. Kyden and I made our way to Sabi's.
Just a few doors down, I read Sabi written in calligraphy on her door. I'd always been grateful for the mark of names on doors or I'd never find anyone in this place.
At her door, I turned to Kyden. "I just hope she doesn't mind." Moving into our place for a little while probably wasn't on her to do list.
"It's her duty." Kyden gave a hard knock on the door.
A moment later, Sabi answered and looked a little disheveled. Her long dark hair was a complete mess, her cheeks flushed, and her amber eyes, with cat-like pupils were a little wide. "What is wrong?" Her tone was urgent.
"Er..." I laughed nervously. "Are we interrupting you?"
She blushed and opened the door a little wider. Ryker appeared wearing nothing but a towel.
My eyes widened. When did they get together? I hadn't heard they were a couple, or even held the slightest bit of interest in each other. This little revelation surprised me.
Ryker cleared this throat, tucked the towel in tight around his lower half. "What's going on?"
"We must talk with Sabi," Kyden answered. "Is it all right if we come in?"
"Of course," Sabi replied, looking down her body. "Just give me some time to...ahhh..."
"Pull yourself together," I finished for her.
She giggled and nodded. "Be right back."
As they headed off to the bedroom, Kyden and I sat down on the sofa. Sabi's place was a Japanese marvel. Gray slate walls, gigantic painting of dragons on the wall, with low black couches. The look wasn't my taste, but it was still nice nonetheless.
Less than a minute later, Sabi joined us, looking much more appropriate for guests. "Sorry about that." She sat down in the couch next to us.
Oh, this I couldn't hold in. I leaned forward a little and whispered. "I didn't know you two were a couple."
She shrugged. "It's new."
New usually meant dating not romping in the sheets. What kind of new was this? Love new or just friends with benefits? I was going to get to the bottom of this, but right now, we had more important matters to attend to.
Ryker finally joined us, took a seat very close to Sabi. Surprise tickled a little. Since knowing him, he never seemed attached to anyone. Usually, it was a friend with benefits kinda thing. He seemed to want to stay close to her, needed to be near her.
Kyden took my hand, and smiled, obviously sensing my happiness for the two. Sabi was a downright cool chick and Ryker was, well, just Ryker. A lot like Kyden. But he had become a close buddy.
"What's going on?" Sabi said, drawing me from my thoughts.
I gave my head a shake, back in the moment, and got down to business on filling them in about everything.
When I stopped, Sabi looked mildly frightened. "They're summoning the Demon Lords? Like bringing them back here?"
Ryker wrapped an arm around her and drew her in close to his side. It appeared to ease her slightly.
"It appears so," Kyden replied.
"And you want me to what---stay with you?" She chortled.
"It's really the only way," I told her. "We need to act quickly so that I can stop them but because your premonitions don't give us much time this seems like the best option."
She looked at Ryker, then back at us. "Where am I going to stay?"
Shit, I hadn't thought of that. Not the couch. What kind of invitation would that be? Kyden burst out laughing at the horror flaying through me. I smacked his arm. "Shut up, you."
He winked at me. "We'll have a room set up for you."
"How do you expect we do that when we only have one room?" There was no way I was sleeping on the couch. I needed space, thank you very much.
Kyden arched a brow at me and Sabi and Ryker laughed. Then, I remembered, like a smack in the face, what exactly would take place. Oh, wasn't I the stupid one now.
"Oh, right." I squirmed, a bit embarrassed. "Magic."
"All right," Sabi said and stood. "Let me pack a few things and we can be off."
She took no time to get her things together and we all ventured over to gather Haven before going back to our place.
Twenty minutes later, I stood in my living room, looked at Sabi's bedroom that was now just off our living room.
"There," Haven said proudly, examining her masterpiece. "Looks nice, don't you think?"
Her ability with the Earth Element gave her the strength to manipulate anything attached to the earth. She could make stuff appear, or change, if she needed to. I gave my head a good, hard shake. "That's so bizarre, I don't even have words." Seeing a room appear before your eyes takes a bit to get used to no matter how much magic I'd been around lately.
Haven smiled big. "Who needs a designer when you have Haven the Extraordinaire?"
I laughed. "Touché." I reached down and touched the little bump on her belly. "So, how does it all work? I mean, you're not even showing and you only have a few short months left. God, humans would envy you."
She glowed. Health exuded from her. Rosy cheeks, radiant skin, even her eyes seemed a deeper blue. "She'll grow quickly. Give it a week or so and I'll be out to here." She made a big circle with her arms and even puffed up her cheeks to insinuate just how big she expected to get.
"Let's go, Haven," Finn interjected. "You need your rest."
She grumbled something, then met my eyes. "He's become more and more like Kyden every night." She gave me a knowing look. "It's very annoying."
I burst out laughing. Now, she knew what I went through. Looked good on her.
After Finn and Haven left, I knocked on Sabi's door. She answered it with Ryker sitting quietly on the bed. Talk about uncomfortable. "Er...do you have everything you need?"
She leaned against the door and smiled. "Yes, thank you. If anything comes up I'll come and get you."
"Okay, that works." I was about to turn around, but said quickly, "The fridge is full---help yourself to anything."
She was already shutting the door before I even finished the words. She obviously had more important things to do than talk with me.
"They need to leave," Willow griped at my feet.
I glanced down at her and gave her head a scratch. "It'll just be for a little while, Willow."
She squinted her fluffy face and looked very unhappy about this situation. "Fine, but if that idiot---the Guardian---says one word to me, I'll piss on his pillow."
Her threat was serious. I should know, she'd done it to me. I had other things to worry about right now so I ignored her little statement and looked back at Kyden.
I sighed deeply, wanted desperately to have more time to put off this conversation. I'd dreaded this moment all night, but knew Kyden and I needed to have it.
He was enthralled with the Diabolus Somes. His nose buried in the book. Sucking in a breath for bravery, I sat next to him on the couch and touched his hand.
His gaze snapped up to mine and he leaned back, laced his hands behind his head. "Interesting read."
I eyed the book like a sworn enemy. "I'm sure it is." Then, I took another deep breath, prepared for the fight ahead. "Listen, we have to talk."
His brow arched up. "We do?"
I nodded slowly and searched for words to put this to him. "Okay, so...you know how Sabi is going to come get me when she sees something?" He nodded, intrigued. "Well...I think it's...it seems like a good..."
Kyden laughed. "What is it, Nexi?"
"You should stay back." Kyden's brow arched, a bold look crossed his face, so I continued quickly, "Just until we know what we're dealing with. We don't know if my shield works against demons and you could get hurt." I tensed and waited for the storm to hit.
Kyden studied me a moment, then reached out to pick the book back up. "Makes sense."
I sat there dumbfounded. What the hell? No yelling? No demanding that he come? No punching holes in walls? Wait...what? "You're okay with that?"
He didn't look up from the book. "I am."
"But why?"
He laughed and met my gaze. "You get upset that I demand to join you, and when I say I agree with you, this upsets you too. Make up your mind."
"I'm not upset, it's just so unlike you."
He cupped my cheek and ran his thumb across my lips. "I trust in you, Álainn. Besides, you're right. My impulse to save you cannot be controlled so it's best not to put ourselves in a situation like that again. Until we know if I can be shielded, I will yield." He looked back to the book. "Be sure to call on Quinney so that you're not there alone."
I sat there in silence and watched him. Holy shit. It happened. This never-ending battle between us finally reached its end and the biggest surprise of all was that he was the one succumbed.
Of all the times I dreamed of this day, I expected to feel elated that he was the one to give in and I would be declared the winner of the never-ending fight. I felt none of that within me now.
Only one thing captured my thoughts.
A second later, I acted on that line of thinking and threw myself onto him. It surprised him, which showed just how quickly I acted. He hadn't had time to even process my emotions, but it didn't take long for him to grasp my intention. He lifted me up, carried me into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.
He reached for my kilt, but I stopped him and sank to my knees in front of him. "Oh no, this one is all for you."
It took him a second to free himself from his kilt, and the moment he did, I took him in hand, then into my mouth. Reward for good behavior, right?
Not long after, I had stripped out of my gear and snuggled into bed next to him. He ran his finger down the length of my spine. "That makes you happy, does it?" he asked.
"Very happy." I lifted my head from his chest and looked at him. "I've waited a long time for you to come around and stop being such a jerk."
He arched a brow. "A jerk?"
"Yes, a jerk. It's about time you put some trust where it belongs."
He tapped the end of my nose with his finger and grinned. "If the roles were reversed would you behave differently?"
I considered it. Would I allow him to fight without me? Especially if I knew he was in danger. Dammit! I hate it when he is right.
He chuckled and pulled me closer into him. "As I thought." He resumed running his finger along my back. "We'll test this shield against Quinney to see if it will hold. Then, we'll go from there."
"Look at us, Kyden, we're compromising." I really was quite astonished. "Whoever thought this would happen." I sure as hell didn't.
"I don't want to upset you. You've enough to deal with. I can put my wishes aside to stand behind you. That's not a concern." He gave my butt a little pat, then sighed. "We need to get back to the book."
I groaned. There was no putting off. "I'll go." I quickly jumped off the bed and headed for the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kyden demanded.
"Getting the damn book." I reached for the door handle.
"Not like that, you're not." Kyden's curt tone stopped me in my tracks.
"Like what?" I looked down and realized I was naked. "Yikes." I burst out laughing. "I totally forgot we weren't alone."
I grabbed the bathrobe off the door, then went out to grab the evil thing. After taking the book off the coffee table, I returned to find Kyden had clicked on the night table lights and was just finishing putting up our pillows. I dropped the robe, jumped into bed beside him and ran my hands over the thick cover of the book. "Tell me, what does Diabolus Somes mean?" Since my skill in Latin was non-existent, his help in this department was very necessary.
"Devil's Remains."
I should have expected it to be something creepy, but wasn't prepared since I shivered. Ignoring that, I opened the book and looked at the first page. It was so cryptic. There was some writing on it, but there wasn't any sense of order. Just scribbles here and there. "What does this mean?" I asked, pointing to the words, Ego sum totus.
Kyden leaned forward to look. "I am all."
Fear ran cold through my blood. The devil probably wrote this himself. I skipped through most of the literature part. I wasn't interested in what he had to say and it would probably just scare the shit out of me anyway. I wanted to be able to sleep in the next year.
Finally, some runes appeared. Page after page, runes with descriptions underneath flew by in front of me as we flipped through the book. I stopped at one that nearly jumped right off the page at me, and not in a good way either. A classic Pentagram, but had a goat's head in the center.
"What does that say?" I whispered pointing to occultus unus.
"The hidden one."
I gulped and looked up at him. "This is very, very evil."
His gaze turned curious. "What makes you think that?"
"I can just feel it. Something is very wrong with that rune." I shook my whole body to rid it from the hebejebes and flipped the page, anxious to put that bit of horribleness to bed. Soon, I came upon a Pentacle. It looked normal enough, except this one was inverted slightly, and it practically glowed off the page. I looked at Kyden. "Does it glow to you?"
"No."
"Weird. It's glowing so brightly it's hard to look at." It really was that bright and hurt. My eyes squinted to adjust to the brightness. I ran my fingers across the rune and it tingled beneath my touch. Just as the rune before felt wrong, this one felt completely right. Looking at it, touching it---warmth and power spread through me.
"That is an odd feeling you're having, and one I have never felt from you before."
I examined the rune closely, unable to look away from it. "This must be what Azar meant when he said it would show itself to me."
Kyden nodded. "Let's try something." He jumped up and knelt in front of me.
I burst out laughing.
He arched a brow. "Problem?"
"Er, yeah, look at your dangly bits. They just look so funny with you sitting like that."
He gave me a chastening look. "Will you focus?" He jumped off the bed, threw on his shorts, and knelt back down beside me.
I laughed a few more times, then settled myself. Inappropriate I know, but when the funnies grab hold, sometimes they're impossible to contain. "What exactly do you want to do?" I asked once I stopped smiling.
"I believe Azar is onto something. I could feel it within you earlier. Something was there." He examined me, typical show-nothing-on-your-face Kyden, but with the bond, I could sense he was completely enthralled. "Yet, it couldn't come through. There's a reason this rune shows itself to you."
Just as he reached for my hand, our door flew open and Ryker stormed in. I gasped and drew the covers up. "Knocking would be nice, you know."
"Come," he stormed forward, pulled me from the bed. "It's Sabi."
"Let go of her now," Kyden roared.
I ignored him, as did Ryker. Panic filled me. She had a vision. The urgency of this situation hit me. I dropped the sheets and ran to Sabi, who was slumped over the couch.
Christ, that was fast! I wasn't expecting it be so soon. I reached out to her instantly and gave her a boost. She jumped to her feet dressed in a Hello Kitty nightdress. Who knew she'd wear such a thing? It was almost comical. Nothing in me could laugh and if I didn't act now, another Demon Lord would be summoned. Oh, hell no!
"We must go," Sabi grasped my hand, and we ran toward the door.
"Nexi!" Kyden shouted. "You're..."
His words were lost to me---totally tuned out. I didn't have time for him. We had to get to the scene or we'd be too late. Having one Demon Lord here was enough, and seriously didn't want two.
"Listen," I said to Sabi as we ran down the hall. "Once I get there, come back immediately. It's not safe for you there."
She nodded, breathless. "Gladly."
We hit the Foyer, slammed open the door to the portal, and when the world returned to me, we stood near an old farm house, obviously long ago abandoned. The smell of old rotten wood hung in the air. The house was barely standing. The windows were bordered up and the door creaked as the wind brushed by.
"He's there." Sabi pointed to the left.
I followed her gaze and saw the Demon nestled in between some apple trees. Shadows from the night gave the view an entirely 'shit yourself scary' kinda vibe. "Go Sabi, go now."
"Be safe." Then, she vanished.
"Quinney, Tyde," I whispered.
My Demons shimmied into view. "What do..." Tyde's eyes went wide, then his words died by his laughter. Quinney put a hand over her mouth and shook from laughing.
"Am I missing something?" I snapped. "What in the hell is so funny?"
Tears rimmed Quinney's eyes and Tyde held onto his stomach while he laughed so hard, he nearly fell to his knees.
"Nexi..." Quinney leaned forward, "where are your clothes?"
I glanced down, suddenly mortified. "Oh shit, I'm naked." I wrapped my arms around my chest and crossed my legs in sheer embarrassment. Not like it really helped, it was hard to hide everything. "Well, there's not much I can do about it now, and a demon is doing the summoning ritual. Let's go and stop this."
Quinney nodded firmly, but Tyde hadn't stop laughing. Not for a moment. In fact, he was now on the ground dying with laughter. Who knew a demon had the ability to laugh like that, but he did, and he could hardly contain himself.
"Tyde," Quinney chastised. It didn't help any, he still went on and on. She gave a little glare, then grabbed my hand. "Excuse the imbecile."
I really couldn't blame him. In any other situation, I would find this way too funny, but now, all I could do was focus on the demon and hope I could stop him. The breeze was warm, but even still, goose bumps rose along my skin. Walking was slightly difficult as I was doing my best to hide my female bits and pieces and cover my ass at the same time so Tyde couldn't see it.
When I heard his laughter grow louder, I glanced back and gave him the look, which only made him laugh harder. Ass! I focused back on the scene. Luckily, the demon had just finished the circle. The human hadn't been sliced open yet, and even better, he was still alive. Asleep but alive, his stomach was cut open, but somehow he had survived this.
Only a foot away, I screamed out. "Oh no, you don't." The demon spun around and froze. His eyes went wide as he ran his gaze over my naked skin. "Keep your eyes to yourself, you bad demon. Just because I'm naked doesn't mean it's a free show."
"Drachan, you will stop this," Quinney said firmly.
He smiled slow and easy. "You'll never be able to stop what has been started. I'm just a mere part in this. Destroying me will stop nothing."
"Nonetheless," I retorted. "We are going to stop you."
He glared at me. "You don't speak to me." His voice was so callous, so cruel. "It's an insult and one that I won't have."
Before I could react to that verbal attack, Quinney snarled and then shimmed into her black fog, but so did Drachan. High piercing screams came around me as the two battled. God, they were so loud. I couldn't help notice that I had become used to their screams. They weren't so sharp, just more of an irritation. Like an annoying mosquito buzzing around my ear.
But now, I was in a serious dilemma. I couldn't banish Drachan with Quinney so near. If I did, she'd be banished to the Realm of Dead also. My shield held strong around me, as if I even needed it. Quinney did an amazing job keeping Drachan away from me. She's powerful indeed. He couldn't even get close.
Finally, I huffed in frustration. "Quinney, you need to get back. You can't be in the rune." She either ignored me or hadn't heard. I only had one card to play. As much as I hated to use it, what choice did I have. "As your Lady, I order you to cease this battle."
In a millisecond, she shimmed back and bowed before me. "Oh, God." I reached down and pulled her up. "Stop doing that."
Drachan took the chance to attack me. His black empty soul searched for a way into my shield. It wasn't painful or distressing but flat out irritating.
"Stop that," I swatted at his ghostly form. Of course, he didn't
This had to be over now. More annoyed than anything else, I drew on my Air Element and send a wisp of air out to Quinney, sent her back with Tyde, and raised my hand quickly to draw the rune.
The moment I closed it, it glowed before me, then just as before I said, "Banish thee," I was leveled with power and flown back on my ass as wind poured around us and white light blasted the skies. With a loud bang, it ripped away and the night sky drew dark once again.
When I glanced over my shoulder, Quinney had somehow managed to remain kneeling, her head bowed. "For Christ sakes, Quinney. Get up."
She stood. "As you wish."
My irritation ran higher as I heard Tyde's loud banter. I glanced at him, he hadn't moved an inch. "Would you stop laughing?"
He took a deep breath. "You're..." He looked up at me, then back down my body, and burst out laughing all over again. "You're buck naked."
I sighed, ready to blast him one. "It wasn't a thought, jackass. Sabi had the vision and I came." I looked to Quinney. "Can you go and get me some clothes?"
She nodded with an equally amused smile. "Of course. Tyde, gather up the human, it's still alive. The Otherworld will know what to do with him."
Tyde nodded, still smiling.
I glared at him. "Some guard you are! You did nothing but laugh. I should fire your sorry ass."
Furious, I went to hide behind a tree until I had some damn clothes.
The door closed behind me. Kyden grinned up at me from where he sat on the couch. "I'm glad to see less of you."
"Look who's home, the idiot who stormed out of here naked," Willow said at nearly the exact same time.
"Hush you," I snapped at Willow, then met Kyden's gaze. "Okay, so I forgot I was naked. It sure gave Tyde a good laugh."
"I bet it just did." He gave his devilish grin, stood and approached me in lengthy strides. When he reached me, he took me in his arms and his lips met mine violently.
Now that we were bonded, being away from each other was difficult, or so I heard. Since it was only a short time, I hadn't really had the time to miss him. It obviously tore at him---maybe due to the element of danger involved---his concern for me.
I could feel it in the hard edge of his lips and the tight grip around my back. Even if his tormented emotions weren't telling me as much, I reciprocated his force with one of my own. Just as the sensual energy ran high, Kyden slid his lips to my neck and that was when the damn book came into my line of vision.
Fuck, I should've left my eyes closed. I sighed deeply and pushed Kyden back.
He groaned and met my gaze with his usual arched brow. "Problem?"
"Oh, no. No problem at all. Just a bunch of demons summoning Demon Lords. You know," I waved my hand dramatically, "nothing out of the ordinary."
He chuckled. "Back to work then?"
I nodded, not a very convincing one, but did follow him back to the couch. Just as I was about to sit, I scooted toward the bedroom.
"Let me change first." Not that I minded the jogging suit Quinney brought me, but I always felt so peculiar to be out of my Guardian gear. I'd become fond of the little kilt and bra, it was like my second skin now.
"I assume you got there in time?" Kyden shouted from the living room while I changed.
"Yeah." I came back out into the living room and sat beside him. "We brought the human back here. I healed him and Zade gave him a new memory." The convenience of having vampires around, all their mind-warping abilities came in handy.
"Good." Kyden glanced back to the book. "Where were we?" He shuffled through the pages. Apparently, he had done some light reading while I was gone, since he seemed to know exactly what he was looking for.
Why did he have so much interest in that damn thing? I'm no history buff. All I needed to know is which rune would send Mammon back. That was it. All the rest could stay in the past as far as I was concerned.
"Right, here it is, the rune that reacted to you." He glanced at me. "Is it still glowing now?"
I leaned forward. "Yup."
"All right, then." He took my hand and placed it flat down on the page. I giggled a little as the rune tickled my skin, warm and tingly. He placed his hand over mine and took my other one tightly in his, keeping us connected. "Now quiet yourself, Álainn. Rest your mind."
I sighed once, then again, to let my mind go blank. Focusing in, I released the elements around me. I let go of Air, that's cold and wispy, let the burn of Fire within me subside, and focused on the odd new sensation that sat deep within me.
Suddenly, the rune beneath my hand began to warm. The feeling of power began to come forth.
"Yes," Kyden whispered. "Focus on that. Let the power fill you. Speak to you."
The light within me began to glow deeper. My blood slowed as calmness spread throughout. The feeling was all the same, the sense of light remained, and I knew this was fueled my magic. What made me different? I'd never felt anything like it or seen it in anyone else for that matter. I still couldn't indentify or explain it. I was back to square one.
Just as I was about to open my eyes, the rune began to burn. "Ouch," I screamed as I tried to yank my hand way, but it was glued to the page.
"What..." Kyden started, but then his words faded away as I was pulled into a memory. I knew exactly what it was because I'd been in Zia's before and it looked just like this. Almost as if I were watching a movie, but was in it and could see everything, hear words. Yet, not interact with anyone.
A witch stood in a dark forest near some large apple trees with the rune I'd just seen drawn in the air, but this one was a little different. Within the inverted pentacle was another symbol. Á Ù.
Six demons surrounded her and I could immediately sense their power. But even more shocking, it was hers that astounded me. Her strength was unparalleled.
She was a White Witch, that I could tell, but I'd never met a witch this powerful before, not even Zia. I couldn't see her face since her back was to me, but she wore a white cloak with a hood. All I could hear was the sound of her soft voice but was unable to make out anything.
Swiftly, the demons shifted into their black form, and just as they did, she began to chant in Latin, Primoris quod Permaneo, over and over again. Her words smoothed together as she stood strong against the earsplitting shrieks around her.
Suddenly, a blast of white energy erupted, and with loud piercing screams, the demons evaporated into thin air, then it all went quiet. The witch repeated the line again, but she sounded so sad, like she failed. It didn't look like she failed to me. The demons were gone, shouldn't that be a cause for celebration?
As quickly as the vision came, it vanished, and my eyes opened to Kyden. He looked beside himself, to say the least, which only told me one thing. "You saw that?"
"Indeed I did." His voice wavered, not in fear, just incredulous, and that coming from him meant he was very shocked.
"What the hell was that?"
He shook his head slowly. "I haven't a clue."
"Holy shit." I could barely breathe, confused as to what had just happened. "The rune was like this one," I pointed at the book. "There was an Alpha-Omega symbol in it. Did you see that?"
"I did."
It was hard to get a grasp on anything, to understand what this meant. It didn't take a genius to know that the witch in the vision was the one who Quinney and Tyde spoke of. The one who held the same magic I did. Who was she? How did she attach the memory to the rune so I would see it? Why did she act as if she failed?
I had no answers. To focus on these things was pointless, so, I stuck to the stuff I could find out. "What was she saying?"
"First and Last."
Right then, our door flew open and Zia stood, breathing heavily.
"I saw that." It didn't surprise me that she had, our connection was wide open right now, in case I needed her. "Come quickly. I know of someone who might help us here."
I jumped to my feet, as did Kyden. Zia stopped him with a hand in the air. "No, Kyden, you must stay here. We don't want to scare her off by bringing too many. Nexi will be safe. I promise you that."
Kyden nodded firmly. As I took off, he gave my ass a hard slap.
"Ouch." I hurried to the door, rubbed my butt the entire way. Just as I stepped out, I quickly glanced back over my shoulder. "But I liked it."
Kyden winked.
Snow layered the ground. Evergreen trees and snowy peaked mountains provided the only shelter from brisk winds. Zia started forward quickly toward a small stone home nestled low in a valley.
"Where are we?" My teeth chattered. "And why didn't you tell me to put on a coat?"
Zia glanced back, her nose red with frost. "The Alps." She shuddered a little and wrapped her arms around herself. "I hadn't thought of a coat." She quickened her steps. "Come quickly."
I picked up my pace and ran forward. "Frig, its cold here." This place would be cold with full winter gear. Being half-naked, my body became frostbit with each second that passed.
Luckily, we weren't far from the house, and just as we reached it, the door flew open. Zia rushed in, I followed close behind. The smell of flowers and spice danced along the air and the warmth of this cozy home surrounded me, instantly giving relief.
"Zia," a soft voice came from beside me.
I followed the voice to see a Witch. Surprise brightened her violet exotic eyes as her little mouth perched together. She wore an Indian dress with fringe trim and fluffy fur boots that reached her knees. With her long black hair pulled into two low pigtails, she definitely resembled a Native Indian Princess.
"Hello again, Ember," Zia said, rubbed her arms in fast movements to warms herself. "We need your help."
Ember paid no attention to Zia, her gaze had fallen on me. She slowly stepped in front of me and stared, as if searching for something. Her violet eyes bore deep into mine.
After a few moments of awkwardness, I wondered if she was waiting for me to say something. "Hi. I'm Nexi."
"Nexi," she whispered with a soft expression that made her eyes all but melt.
Huh?
I glanced at Zia, hoped she could shed some light on the weirdness of this situation. She watched Ember with an odd look. Then, she shook her head at me. I played it cool and didn't put a voice to Ember's peculiar behavior.
Ember finally took a deep breath and her gaze broke away from me to look back at Zia. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Zia." She walked over to the simple oak benches that sat before a fireplace. "Come and sit, you both look like you're freezing."
Feeling like a damned icicle, I didn't hesitate. I went straight over to the fireplace, sat down on the bench and put my hands out to warm them. Zia sat next to me just as Ember handed us a thick fur blanket. I hesitated for a moment, feeling yucky about wrapping some dead thing around me, but I was too cold to resist.
As I wrapped the blanket around me, I studied Ember a little. Witches always had a little pull to them. Black Witches felt raw and wrong while White Witches just expelled brightness.
Zia was the strongest witch I'd known and she felt nothing like the Witch before me. The power within her almost created a glowing aura.
Ember took a seat in the rocking chair that rested right beside the fire and as she sat, a wolf sauntered over to lie down at her feet.
"Werewolf?" I couldn't sense that he was, but weirder things have happened, better just to ask.
Ember laughed softly and gave his ear a scratch. "No. Sayer is a pet. Nothing more, but special nonetheless." She glanced away from the wolf to Zia. "What can I help you with?"
"Do you know what has happened in the Underworld lately?"
Ember's gaze flicked to me a moment then back to Zia as she nodded. "I know, yes."
"We have just that learned that demons are forming a resistance and rallying to summon back the Demon Lords to see that their world is given back to them," Zia explained.
Ember's violet eyes darkened. "I feared something of this magnitude was happening."
"How did you know that?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Something felt wrong."
Her response made me wonder just who and what she was. She was unbelievably powerful, that was a fact, but she felt different. Her power felt close to what I remembered Pye, a warlock I destroyed not long ago, being like. His magic wasn't elemental, more like an energy, but Ember is a White Witch. I couldn't sense an ounce of evil in her.
"She's a very old Witch," Zia said, clearly reacting to my thoughts. "That's why you're sensing such power from her."
"Are you saying she's a Spirit Witch?"
"Felt dark..." Ember continued.
"Yes. She has the ability to manipulate all the elements."
"Darkness stirring..."
I glanced at Zia. "That Witch sitting there is not a Spirit Witch. I can feel it. She's different, but I can't quite place it."
Zia's brows rose, but was interrupted when Ember said, "Do you know what Demon Lords have already been summoned?"
"Mammon," Zia answered. "Nexi intervened with an attempt tonight and banished a demon attempting to summon another one."
Hearing this did not shock Ember. "Is that so?" She only left me confused.
Instead of answering her question, I asked one of my own. "Do you have history with demons?"
She smiled wistfully. "I've had some dealings with them, yes."
As I processed that, a deep sense of longing sank into my soul. After a moment of trying to understand it, I realized it was Kyden. Why hadn't I felt this before when I left him? I guess it was probably because my mind was preoccupied with the demons and my naked ass to think about anything else.
It was strange really. With Haven and our soul-sister bond, I always felt a need to get back to her. See her. With Kyden, a deep emptiness sunk in heavily and left a profound weight on my chest that we were apart. I did my best to squash the feeling. There wasn't anything I could do, so why dwell on it?
Zia examined me, sensed my inner mess, then glanced back to Ember. "Nexi is in possession of the Diabolus Somes."
Ember's gaze widened, a look of fright crossed her face. "You didn't bring it with you?" She looked about ready to take her wolf and run.
Zia shook her head. "Of course not."
"Good," Ember appeased, then her gaze became curious, as she looked between Zia and I. "What is it you wish me to help you with?"
"A rune..." Zia started.
Rewind! "Hold up a second, why does the book frighten you? I mean, should I be frightened of it?"
"That tome is a reminder of the past, and one I wish to leave where it is. It's not of any danger to you. I..." Ember hesitated, and after a long pause she finished, "I just don't want to see it again."
"Oh. Okay then." I waved her on. "Carry on."
"What history does she have with the book?" I asked Zia.
"That's a very good question." Zia examined Ember a minute, yet stayed off the subject. "As I was saying, a rune in the Diabolus Somes has reacted to Nexi and shown her a vision."
Ember's gaze snapped to mine, widened in surprise. "The rune reacted to you?"
I nodded. "I tried to read the damn evil thing, then came across one of the runes. It was kinda glowing. After I touched it, it started to get warm and that's when the vision came through."
"What vision?" she gasped.
"It was of a Witch who was doing a banishment ritual, I think. There were six demons with her and she kept chanting, primo qu pero."
Ember laughed softly. "Primoris quod Permaneo."
"Yup, that's it." I was quite glad she was good with the whole Latin bit, it could have been embarrassing if I had to say that more than once. "She said those words and then poof the demons vanished."
Ember leaned in, her gaze focused on mine as she whispered, "What did the rune look like?"
"Well," I hesitated a moment, a little put off by her intensity. I really wasn't expecting her to be so interested in this part. I mean, most people focused on the fact that demons tried to summon Demon Lords. She accepted it all way too easily, and that unsettled me. "It's your classic pentacle, but slightly inverted with an Alpha-Omega sign in the center."
Ember sat quietly and stared at me. It started to become a bit awkward. "Er...sorry, am I supposed to say something here?"
"No. There is nothing further to say," she whispered.
We sat there in silence. I glanced between Zia and Ember who stared at each other. Suddenly, Ember stood and headed to the kitchen. Were her hands trembling?
I looked at Zia. "Is she all right?"
"Give her a moment. She's more aware of this situation than I knew. I came here in hopes that she'd have information and could assist us since she is so old. To be honest, I didn't expect this."
We gave Ember a few moments to settle herself, and she eventually returned with a cup of tea in hand and sat back down beside her wolf. "Why have you come here, Zia?" she finally asked.
Zia smiled kindly. "I assumed you'd have some insight into the meaning of this rune. There are not many of us who were around at that time. I assumed since you were, you might have heard of this. We need your guidance. This situation involves us all."
Ember looked at me and sighed deeply, her expression was steady and strong. "Is it your wish to stand against these demons?"
"I don't think I really have a choice in the matter," I said, honestly.
"There's always a choice," Ember replied, sternly. "Do you grasp the danger you'd enter into?"
"Danger is my constant best friend." I joked. "What are a couple demons, right?"
Ember's look came measured. "The danger you have known is nothing compared to what you'll be up against. The task you are about to undergo will test you in ways you cannot even imagine. You must enter into this willingly. Understand what's being asked of you. If you don't, it will not only destroy you, but you stand to lose everything that has been long built."
Now, I was confused. What the frig was she talking about?
Zia appeared the same. "Ember, please explain what you mean by that. I'm a little lost as to the point you're trying to make."
Ember looked down at her hands as she gripped the mug she held tightly, then looked up and met my gaze, head on. "The vision you saw, the witch who was there...well...it was me."
My brows literally shot up to my hairline. "It was you..." I glanced at Zia who looked equally stunned. "What? Okay, wait...what does that mean?"
Ember took a sip of her tea. The cup shook as she lowered it away from her mouth. "As you know, long ago the Demon Lords were banished with Satan to the Realm of the Dead. However, they were summoned back, returned to the Underworld to search for a way to help him return. With God's removal from the worlds, his conquest to overtake and rule was an easy feat."
"Why hadn't we heard of this?" I quipped. "Kyden never mentioned it when he read the Diabolus Somes. Even Misa and Quinney never said anything about it."
Ember gave her a knowing look. "Failures are not written into the Diabolus Somes. When it was discovered what the Demon Lords tried to do I set out on a journey to stop them."
"All by yourself?" I exclaimed.
She didn't look proud, her eyes sank in complete misery. "I failed."
Which is exactly what I saw in the vision, she really did think she failed, but I couldn't quite understand how she could come to that. "You banished the demons though?"
She nodded. "You're right. They're gone, but I couldn't close off the realm. I didn't have the power within me to do it."
Oh, this was just silly. "Don't you think you're being just a tad bit hard on yourself? I mean, come on, just sending them back is an accomplishment in itself."
She smiled at my attempt, but still, her eyes held so much pain. "It's not enough. I feared for so long that the day would come when they would return. I also feared there would be no one to stop them."
"But you did it before, why can't you just do it again?" Hope filled my tone. Maybe I wouldn't have to do anything. This sounded better already.
She shook her head and my hope vanished. "You only get one chance to use this rune. If you fail, it will no longer react to you. The Pentacle you saw. It's not just a simple rune as you suggest. The design of the inverted Pentacle is for us White Magic Witches to dabble into dark powers, join them, but not take us in the process. The Alpha-Omega sign in the center is the purest form of White Magic that exists. It's God's Symbol. Primoris quod Permaneo. First and Last. This speaks of God himself."
"Holy fuck." I slapped a hand over my mouth.
Ember laughed. "Yes, that sums it up well."
"How did you learn of this rune?" Zia asked.
"That cannot be shared, I am afraid, but what I can tell you is when you use the inverted Pentacle your strength needs to be more powerful against the Black Magic. It will drain you and fight against you. When I attempted to close off the realm, I failed because when I was drawn into the Realm of Dead, Satan told me not to close it and I listened."
"Holy shit." Yep, holy swear words were all my mind could come up with.
"You've grasped the seriousness here," Ember replied to my outburst. "The strength to use this rune is not an easy task."
"Jesus. Okay, I grasp the situation." This just became all too real, and for the first time in this whole ridiculous thing, I felt scared---really, really, fucking scared. "Do I even have the strength to do what you're suggesting?"
Ember nodded. "My ruin spoke to you. Only one capable would have that affect on it."
I rubbed a hand over my face, tried to sort all this out, get a grasp on really what I had to do here. I needed to simplify things. "So, I just find Mammon, use that rune, then poof he'll go back. I just have to say those words and close off the realm." Putting it that way didn't seem like such a big deal---draw a little rune, say a few words, easy peasy, right?
Ember's eyes darkened, her face said it all, but she answered anyway. "I'm sorry, it will not be that easy."
"It never is," I grumbled.
"When I failed, it left an opening for the Demon Lords to return again. To be summoned if needed."
"Why haven't they summoned the Demon Lords before now?"
"I'd suspect the reasons behind that are because they've been happy with their leaders. There was no reason for them to return---until now." She took a deep breath. "And now that Mammon has returned and not been immediately sent back, his strength will grow."
"Well, that doesn't sound good," I stated the obvious.
"It's not. Mammon will siphon energy from the demons who have summoned him. I can promise by this time, he's fully restored and will seek to restore all the Demon Lords back into the Underworld." Yup, it was as a bad as I thought. "He will start to summon the rest of the Demon Lords and when they return, they'll use a very old rune..."
I interrupted her. "Let me guess. It's a pentacle with a goat's head?"
She nodded solemnly. "It is Satan's symbol. Occultus Unus. The hidden one---he hides in all. Is all. The magic comes from Satan himself." She gave me a very stern look. "If you fail here and cannot banish them before they use this rune, they'll begin the ritual and once they draw that rune, I'm sorry to say, your fight will be pointless."
"What is the ritual they will do?" Zia asked her.
"Any rituals that have to do with the Demon Lords and Satan's magic, always take place in apple orchards."
"I noticed that. Apples were at all of the scenes."
"They'd have to," Ember answered. "Apples were the very beginning."
"The very beginning of what?" I had to ask.
"Adam and Eve. The forbidden fruit. Satan tempted them and they were not powerful enough to deny him. Thus, came the first sin. In basic terms, it was the first offering of a soul. The first humans who turned to him."
I guffawed. "Seriously, that story was true?"
Ember nodded firmly. "Most of the history within the Earthworld has significant truth, it sometimes just gets a little muffled is all." I gave my head a little shake to process that as she continued. "The apple trees are an energy source. That's why you'll notice that the apples around the rune have died---it has stolen the life from them."
My head was spinning. As much as I tried to listen, I needed to clear a few things up before I could move on. "What hadn't the Fae leader, Aaliya, thought of this and not closed off the realm to the Demon Lords too?"
The second my words ended, Ember lit up---I mean lit up---like glowing all over her body. "Er...what is wrong with you?"
Her eyes widened as she glanced down at her glowing arms. "Oh, it's nothing." She rubbed her arms as if that was going to take it away. "My magic overwhelms me at times."
"Well that was just weird," I speculated.
"Certainly was," Zia replied.
Ember closed her eyes, then the glow completely vanished and she continued as if nothing had just happened. "The Fae act foretold events. Did you know that?"
It took a moment to stop looking at her arms, which now appeared totally normal, but needed these answers, I dragged my gaze back to her. "I heard something about that."
"Well at the time, it was only foretold to close the realm off so Satan could never escape, not the Demon Lords. No one expected that the Demon Lords would want to return and leave Satan, or that anyone would create a rune so strong the Demon Lords would be able to siphon Satan's magic."
That just seemed ridiculous. If they had done this in the first place, I wouldn't be in this mess. "They never go against that they've foretold?"
"Never," Ember replied adamantly. "It didn't reveal itself until many years later that leaving the Demon Lords free to roam was a mistake. This rune, with the goat head, is the strongest of Black Magic known. Obviously, it has yet to be tested, since I did stop them before." Her look was troubled. "But I do not doubt for a moment that once Mammon gathers his strength, he will start to bring back the others as you've already seen. When they call to Satan's magic," she actually paled before my eyes. "Hell on Earth will be among us."
Wonderful!
"All right, so what's with the Alpha-Omega rune? How does it work?" I asked, though I didn't want to think about the idea of just what Satan's magic could do if unleashed. Bah!
"There are two dangerous elements to using this rune against the Demon Lords. Firstly, if you're not strong enough to use it, it won't work for you, therefore, you'll be standing face-to-face with the most powerful demons, defenseless. If you succeed and draw yourself into the rune's power, then you will face Satan himself."
"Excuse me?" I couldn't have heard that right.
Her brows rose, a look of surprise crossed her face as she looked to Zia then back to me. "Did you not realize that you would be drawn into the Realm of Dead?"
"Er...no." Did she say this before? Either I heard it and didn't process it or she had not made herself clear.
"When the Pentacle opens to the Realm to the Dead, it's Satan you'll encounter. You'll need to overcome his lure to close it and deny the power he offers to you. If you don't, the realm will not close and this could happen again."
Enough said. I jumped to my feet, looking for my exit. "That's it. No fucking way. You're all insane. I ain't doing this. I'm not talking to the Devil. Are you insane?"
Ember smiled through my hysteria. "Finally, the appropriate reaction."
Suddenly, Ember's front door slammed open, the cold wind blasted through the room and Kyden lunged through with sword drawn. At first, I leapt with joy to be united with him, but that quickly changed to total irritation as he tackled me to the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" I squeaked from beneath him.
He glanced around quickly, his heavy weight made breathing difficult. "Where is the trouble?"
"There is no trouble," I snapped. "Get off me."
He jumped to his feet and pulled me with him. His gaze fell to Ember and Zia, who sat wide-eyed at him, then he looked back to me. "What had you so afraid?"
Finally this little interruption all made sense. He had sensed my fear. He thought I was in danger and came to help me. I burst out laughing, as did Zia and Ember. "Oh God, did you see that?" I exclaimed through my laughter.
"What is funny?" Kyden didn't find it amusing. "And what made you so afraid?"
"He just ran in like He-Man," I gasped, holding onto my stomach, which made Zia and Ember just laugh harder.
"You can all stop that," Kyden said, annoyed. We didn't. Finally after a moment, Kyden's impatience ran even higher and washed right through me. He cleared his throat, an obvious attempt to save face. "It looks as though you're fine here. I'll meet you at home." He left, leaving us all hyperventilating.
After a good five minutes of laughing, I grasped my stomach, begged my insides to relax a little. "That was too funny."
Zia wiped some tears and sighed. "The fear he senses is new to him so it will come out quite intense. He's not used to feeling that from you and I'd expect he is not used to feeling such an emotion at all."
"You are newly bonded?" Ember asked.
"Just a few nights ago," I responded, sat beside Zia and wrapped the blanket back around me.
"Ahh," she said in understanding. "It takes some time to get used to feeling someone else's emotions and understand them. He must have assumed fear meant danger."
"My insides feel bruised." Then, I sighed, sending away that moment to laugh about later and got back on topic. "Anyways, what were we talking about?"
"Satan," Zia offered.
Thankfully, Kyden's little hero moment eased my hysteria and I could think a little more clearly. "All right, so tell me everything again from the very beginning."
She did just that. Told me of the history which I already knew, explained that we needed to let all the Demon Lords be summoned into the Underworld, because without doing so, I couldn't banish them all and close off the realm. Then once we had them all together, I needed to draw the rune before them. If it didn't work, I'd be in deep shit. If it did, I still had to ignore Satan's pull and close the realm.
A good thing was that my magic would protect me there. Satan couldn't do a damn thing to me, but it wasn't any more settling.
Why did the difficult shit always seem so simple to say, yet be so damn difficult in reality?
The second we stepped back into the Otherworld, we were bombarded in the Foyer.
Quinney, Tyde, Azar and Misa babbled quickly. Ryker had Sabi wrapped in his arms. Obviously, she had another vision---being that she appeared utterly drained. Haven and Finn asked questions continually, and Kyden stood off to the side, arms crossed, smiling sultrily.
"Well, hello to you," I said through the loudness that surrounded me. Everyone went quiet.
Zia chuckled. "That's a bit better, I should say."
"Come on." I waved everyone on as I started toward the Council Hall. "Let's get everyone together so we don't have to go through this a thousand times."
When we stepped into the Council's Hall, Talon, Zade and Brax sat in their throne chairs. Then, like on cue, the chatter started all over again. But, one voice clearly broke through.
"I need you," Kyden's voice purred in my mind.
Zia's gaze immediately fell to him, then me, and she winked. I slammed up my shield quickly to keep her out. Some things she just didn't need to hear, and I was only too happy that at times like this I could keep my mind private.
"I want to enjoy every square..."
Haven tapped her foot impatiently, and kept repeating, "So, tell us, what happened?"
As much as I tried to ignore Kyden, I shivered slightly, the heat of his words poured through me. No one ever mentioned this part of the bond. Apparently, after a long separation, once you were reunited, the need to join would overwhelm. Focus became a challenge.
"Mammon has taken over the Underworld." Quinney said,
"We came immediately," Misa called out.
Ryker's voice was slightly louder than the rest. "Sabi had a vision, but we couldn't get to you in time. Another Demon has been summoned."
"I want to spread your legs..."
Oh, Jesus!
"Quiet!" I exclaimed. "All of you." I glanced at Kyden and gave him a stern look. "You, too."
He responded with a smile that was purely sexual, which sent a blast of desire to steal my breath. Good God, the man could undo me with a simple look.
The voices around me finally quieted.
I cleared my throat, demanded my body to give it a rest. "Ryker, thanks for trying to get to us in time." He nodded at the acknowledgment. Then, I glanced to Sabi. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Just tired." She looked it too, the visions always felt so weak. Good thing I could fix that. I stepped forward, took her hand and gave her a blast of Spirit to revive her. In an instant, color returned to her face.
With that out of the way, I looked at Quinney. "Now then, what was that you said?" "Mammon has summoned Asmodeus, the second Demon Lord."
I pointed at Sabi. "Yeah, old news, but thanks for the warning."
Quinney gave an appreciative nod and continue, "They have returned to the Underworld and taken it over." She gave me a meaningful look. "All have sworn allegiance to them."
Big surprise there.
"We came immediately," Misa repeated herself.
"I want to feel you wrapped around..."
My cheeks flushed. Dear God! My body trembled and everything else quivered in response too. Heat built in places that should remain cold when surrounded by this many people.
Tyde gave me a curious look. "Is everything all right, Nexi?"
"I'm fine," I answered, gave a wave of my hand to dismiss him. No, I didn't need them all to know this. Moving along was the only way I was going to get through this. "So, Mammon is powerful again?"
Tyde nodded. "Extremely. He appears almost fully restored. The second we saw him, we knew exactly what happened, so before we had to swear allegiance to him, we came here quickly."
"Asmodeus is still very weak, but it won't take long. I have a suspicion that they will all soon return." Quinney added.
She was right on the marker.
"We appreciate your loyalty to us." Kyden said, no hint of desire in his tone. How in the hell did he do that? To me, he said, "Feel you warm, wet..."
I exhaled a deep breath as my entire body warmed with a need that was uncontrollable. I squeezed my thighs together, prayed I didn't do something very embarrassing here.
"Have you discovered anything in the Diabolous Somes?" Azar asked.
I could barely speak. My stomach clenched with a wild hunger to be with Kyden.
"She has found something, yes, but we also have just discovered how to stop this." Zia responded for me.
Bless her heart for saying something. There was just no way in hell I could answer anything right now. My throat felt tight, my mind centered on the throb between my legs.
"What has taken place?" Talon asked.
Zia explained the past events as Kyden continued to whisper enticing words to me. By the end of it, I could barely even stand, even squirmed a little. Haven eyeballed me as if I was out of my mind. Obviously, hearing of this crazy shit shouldn't be arousing.
After Zia finished, Talon asked, "We need to do what?"
Zia nodded grimly. "You didn't mistake what I said. Ember instructed us to let Mammon summon all the Demon Lords. It's the only way to send them back to the Realm of the Dead and close it. They need to be together to do it, since that's the way they entered the realm."
"Rubbing along..."
I shivered, tried everything to keep my focus on Zia. I couldn't look at Kyden. My control barely hung on, and if I met those light green eyes, I'd be a goner.
"But if we allow that, human lives will be taken." Haven squeaked.
"I know that, but we don't really have a choice, now do we?" I was horrified to note that my voice came out husky and deep.
Everyone's gaze flashed to mine, clearly not understanding the tone of my voice. I smiled, embarrassed, and gave a nervous laugh.
Haven leaned forward and whispered, "Um, are you okay?"
I nodded. My face burned, red heat blasted my cheeks. Suddenly, it became quite apparent that I had been rubbing my thighs together. In front of everyone, too.
Dear God!
"Mmm...your body needs me..."
I forced myself to stop moving about, focused on my shield harder. I wanted, needed, to keep Kyden out. I put everything I had into it, held it firm.
"Craves and wants me..."
Shit! It didn't work. I couldn't block him out.
Everyone looked at me as if I was right off my rocker, as my breath became pants. Not only was this deathly embarrassing, but seriously, the desire running through me was unbearable and completely uncontrollable.
"Just continue," I said urgently, desperate to think of something else.
Thankfully, Zade listened. "I suppose we don't have a choice here. If it will ensure the Demon Lords will never return, this has to be done. We have a responsibility to finish this."
"My cock begs for you..."
That was it. Without thought, I snapped my gaze toward Kyden, the desire that I had been trying to keep at bay flooded me. He looked equal parts amused and aroused. Unable to stop myself, I ran toward him. He picked me up, grasped me tight, and leveled me with a kiss that was desire at its best. He began to walk, the air breezed past as he hurried out of the Council's Hall.
Talon cleared his throat. "Kyden..."
Kyden growled in response, never stopped our departure or kissing me.
A few minutes later, a door slammed and before I knew it, I was sprawled upon our bed. He drew away from my lips with an expression that left me breathless, tore off his kilt, while I removed my shorts.
Instantly, he was on me. He grasped my hips, raised my ass off the bed and impaled me with fierce determination. I screamed out at the intensity of it, the intrusion of such hardness forcing its way into my body.
Separation from each other caused his body to respond with full-blown need. The meaning of the word woody came with a whole new understanding. This wasn't meant to be lovemaking, but to release the tension he'd suffered from our separation. His need to have my body sailed through me and soared through our bond. I felt it just as strong, my body so ready for him and eager to find its release.
His thrusts were rough and fast. The hardness within me almost hurt with the pleasure it gave. I gripped his flanks as he demolished me with his body. His gaze stayed glued on me, intense and completely focused on staking his claim. The heavy weight that slammed against me forced screams from my throat that illustrated just how incredible this was.
Within minutes, his grunts had deepened and I was on the brink of eternal glory. He gripped my shoulders, using that advantage to gain speed. And he gave it.
Thrusts that showed his strength, proved just how powerful he was. My body responded completely and I screamed louder to urge him on. So close, almost there. My entire body tensed.
After a hard thrust, he grabbed onto my legs and put them over his shoulders. The angle was an instant rush to my senses. He was in so deep, right to my very core and I could feel it all throughout my body. He placed his hands next to me on the bed and angled me up further, so he could fill me as much as he could. My eyes went wide as "oh shit" echoed from my mouth.
He grinned devilishly and my body squeezed around him, responded to just how sexy I found that smile. Then, he leveled me with hard thrusts that no woman should be able to survive, yet I begged for more. My screams, his deep grunts, settled through the room. He angled me even more and it was just the spot. "Don't stop...oh God..."
Kyden growled as my body went into full spasms around him. His thrusts increased in speed and that was all it took. I screamed, he roared, and we both got lost in our own surrenders.
Before I could even remember my own name, a hiss came beside my head. I glanced over to find Willow glaring at us. "Next time you two decide to treat each others' bodies like a battering ram, would you mind letting me know so I can move. Now get off, you're on my tail."
"Oh, shit! Sorry Willow, I didn't know you were under there." I lifted my back and she jumped off the bed and hissed at us.
We both chuckled.
"The bond, the need to have you so intensely was not something I expected." Kyden jumped off the bed and reached for me. "But we have more important matters to get back to."
I laughed. "Really? Sex in the middle of this isn't important?"
"Not that it isn't important---having you will always top my priority list---but as Talon once told us, getting our rocks off should be done at more appropriate times."
That made me act and act quickly. Talon was going to be pissed. Kyden and I were known for one thing, our lack of control. Facing the Devil actually appealed to me more right now than what I'd face when we saw Talon again.
I quickly got dressed and was out the door only a minute later. As we headed down the hall towards the foyer, I glanced at Kyden. "This is going to be embarrassing, you do realize that everyone knows we just...you know."
He winked, but said nothing. Classic Kyden, ashamed of nothing, and would never apologize for his needs.
When we stepped through the Council's Hall, I expected Talon to be angry. He knew our control lacked when it came to each other, and it pissed him off more than once, when we acted on our impulses at inappropriate times. This was clearly an inappropriate time. But I was surprised when I met Talon's gaze, he looked far from upset. In fact, he looked amused.
"Sorry about that," I said, flustered.
Talon waved it away and smiled. "You're newly bonded. It is to be expected."
Phew!
Misa cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we do have pressing matters here."
"Right. Back to business."
Azar continued if we hadn't just left. "It won't take long before Mammon summons them all and their strength is restored."
"Not long like what, a day, a week...what?" I asked.
"A few nights."
I sighed very, very, deeply, and glanced at Kyden. "We have our work cut out for us with this one."
He nodded grimly and glanced at Quinney. "If it wouldn't be any trouble, I was curious if you assist me to test the shield Nexi provides to me."
Quinney's brows rose in surprise. "You want me to attack you?"
Dammit! I was hoping he forgot about that little test he had in his mind. Not that I didn't want him by me through this, I did. I just didn't like the idea of him being attacked, and having to watch it. It came with mixed feelings.
In response, Kyden took my hand in his and squeezed it. "I trust you will deal with this, but it's important I'm there with you. I..."
He was being sweet, trying to be supportive and not his usual overbearing self. I gave him a little kiss for that. "I want you there. I need you there," I told him truthfully. I just didn't like the idea of this test. Watch while he is attacked unsettled me.
"Good." He said with a firm nod, then turned toward Quinney. "Let's do this."
Finn piped up. "Time for us to go, Haven."
"I'm not leaving." Haven griped.
My gaze fell to hers and she was giving Finn a stare down. It made me giggle. Haven is very soft, all the time, but this pregnancy was giving her an edge I hadn't seen before. She looked so determined. So pissed off.
Finn gave her a hard look. "It will not be safe for you here."
"Stop treating me like that," Haven retorted. "I'm fine. I'm not breakable, you know."
"That is my youngling that rests in you. Mine to protect." Finn's voice came stern. "That is the end of it."
Haven scowled and complete anger filled her and ran through my blood then grew beyond measure. "Haven...no." She didn't hear me as rage consumed her. Finn's eyes went wide just before she slapped him across the cheek.
I instantly burst out laughing. Who knew she had that kind of strength. She was so tiny, so not usually a physical type of person. Yes, I resorted to violence when my anger overtook me but she never acted like this.
"I told you to stop bossing me around, you big bully."
Without any hint of warning, she bent down and touched the ground, blasted him with her magic. To my utter shock, she moved the ground beneath him. He bounced around like a basketball, then went sailing through the air to crash against the wall---hard.
My smile vanished.
"Bloody hell, Haven," Kyden shouted. "What have you done?"
"What does it look like I've done?" she replied, quite proud of herself. "Big lug got what he deserved."
I ran over to Finn, who still hadn't moved. I nudged him a little and gave him a shake, but he still didn't move. "Haven, you knocked him out cold."
She nodded, unconcerned. "Being bossy---I warned him to stop doing that to me."
I laughed, unable to stop myself. This was so not funny, but then again, it kind of was. I reached out and gave Finn a jolt of Spirit to revive him.
Instantly, he jumped to his feet and scowled at her.
Haven's loud shout echoed through the room, "Don't ever do that again." With that, she stomped off.
Finn followed behind, more pissed than I'd ever seen him. Couldn't really blame him there. Good grief, she'd become Haven the Avenger.
Sabi interrupted my laughter. "I'm not needed anymore then, right?"
"There's no point for you to warn us of the summoning rituals, but you'll need to let Nexi know once the demons have all regained their strength." Quinney answered.
"That, I can do." She took Ryker's hand and they left, too.
"The Demon Lords will plot against you," Misa said to the Council. "Once they have gained their strength. They'll plot against you all. Seek to destroy the Otherworld."
Zia nodded. "It was an obvious assumption."
"Sabi will know of it and then we'll stop them." I added.
"You," Talon said quietly. I glanced to him in confusion. "You will stop them," he clarified, but didn't look at all happy about it. Sending his daughter-in law to fight a bunch of scary-ass demons wasn't exactly ideal.
I felt the love.
"No," Kyden interjected. "We." Then, he motioned for Quinney and she began to approach him.
"Wait," I shouted, taking a step forward in front of Kyden to stop him. "What if it doesn't hold?"
That stumped her. Clearly she didn't know what to say and said nothing.
"Start small at first," Kyden offered. "Then, if it fails, Nexi can heal me. If it holds you can increase your power slowly."
Quinney nodded.
My stomach sank with fear as Kyden stepped around me and approached her. He stood strong before her, I'd give him that. No emotions surged through our bond except determination. He obviously wanted the support, but no way in hell, would he let me do this alone. He needed this to work and would see that it did.
Quinney slowly withered away to black smoke and began to circle around him. The shield held. Her essence couldn't find a way through. Kyden had no fear or hesitation. Just the determination that this wouldn't fail.
Quinney started moving faster, quicker around him. Her piercing scream came loud, but the shield held strong and never wavered. Suddenly, Tyde joined in.
"No." Fear spread through me.
Two demons, this was ludicrous! Down deep, I understood the need to do it, even if I didn't like it. They were two Supreme Demons. If the shield held against both their strengths, it would hold against the Demon Lords. It had to be done.
Tyde and Quinney combined their strength together as one. I'd never witnessed anything like it before. The black smoke grew to twice the size and darkened. Within the smoke, flames erupted. Orange and blue spirals circled around Kyden, yet he never faltered.
As they released more of their power, horror began to sink in through our bond. For the first time, Kyden experienced Black Magic. The wrongness of it, the evil that crept through every part of it. Quinney and Tyde's screams grew louder. We all sunk to our knees to cover our ears, Kyden included.
Emotions poured through our bond, his fight against such evil, the need to stop its existence and the helplessness he felt knowing there was nothing he could do. His revulsion slammed into me as he saw the truth to Black Magic. To understand exactly what it is and means.
I understood his dismay. God, had I been there. I never closed my eyes. Never stopped watching, but the shield was unbreakable. He was safe, and I was relieved.
Only a second later, the shrieking ceased, then Quinney and Tyde appeared, looking proud.
"That was brilliant," Tyde exclaimed.
Kyden lowered his hands, as did I, and sadness flew straight through me. His sadness.
I rushed to him, sank down in front of him and ran my hands along his body, searching for injuries. I grasped his face and pulled it down to meet his gaze. "What's wrong?"
Never had I seen such misery. "You have faced that alone." He gave his head a shake, although it didn't move much in my grip. "You shouldn't have ever faced that alone."
My breath left my body as I realized his sadness was for me. He was upset that he wasn't there to help me through this, to feel this with me. I leaned in close to his lips. "Well, I won't ever have to again, will I?"
He closed the distance between us. "No, you will not."
His mouth met mine.
The following night, we were in Brooklyn, surrounded by an apple orchard. Big surprise!
Good thing my magic could give a little jolt or I think everyone would be in serious trouble. With all that had happening, no one was getting much sleep, including me. We were all running on empty and everyone looked tired. But not anymore, who needed caffeine with witches around.
The night was dark, almost two o'clock the last I checked. That part wasn't unusual, I'd become so used to vampire hours, it didn't even wear on me. Still, sleep was necessary. Staying up all day worrying about what was to come didn't help much.
A farm house sat about a mile in, indicating just how large this apple orchard was. On most days, I assumed this farm was filled with happy memories of families coming from the busy city to pick their own apples when fall hit. Now, it was anything but happy.
"Quinney, Tyde, Misa," I called out. My demons appeared instantly.
Quinney glanced around as she took in the surroundings, then looked back to me. "Another summoning?"
I nodded. The call had come in from Detective Garver. I'm sure Sabi had witnessed it, but what did it matter. We needed this to happen, as crazy as that sounded.
Zia stepped out in front of us and raised her hands. We all waited, her abilities gave her the same gift as Haven. Being that she and Finn where probably still in a squabble, Zia agreed to come and release the vision.
Only a moment later, the image was before us. Mammon stood outside the pentagram with his athletically defined body, slender face, short black neatly cut hair.
Of course, he stole that body, he was probably nasty as shit under there. The other demon, Armeaous, Ameros...oh hell, whatever his name is, sat on the outside of the rune, looking weak.
Shockingly, this scene was far worse than the last. Being that there were four bodies lying within the pentagram, and the twenty...
After a second count, I had gotten it right. Twenty demons surrounded the outside of the pentagram, each of them with a deep slash across their wrist, blood dripping within the circle. Horror consumed me as my assumption came true. The bodies that lay lifeless on the ground rose as four Demon Lords possessed the humans' bodies.
"Fuck," I gasped. Kyden's handed tightened around mine. "Holy fuck, does everyone see this?"
No one answered.
The vision faded. We stood, shocked, our gazes quickly searching each other out, tried to find words for this. The power that exuded from the Demon Lords was shit raving scary, the fear evident on every single face here, including Kyden's.
"That," Tyde finally sputtered, but hesitated, a little lost for words. "I wasn't expecting him to gain this much power so quickly."
"To summon the last four...at once..." Quinney agreed.
I interjected at that. "The last four, but wait, that's not seven."
"You're right," Misa said in a hushed tone. "That's only six with the last being Satan."
Holy fucking fuck!
I figured there'd be more time. This wouldn't be now...couldn't be now. Did they expect me to banish them? I needed more knowledge, more time to understand all this.
I wasn't ready. It took a second to respond appropriately. "This is fucking insane. Why have I been drawn into this craziness? What the hell is it with me? Why do I have to face these freaks? Why can't it be someone else?"
Everyone stayed quiet while I yelled and had a Nexi meltdown. "I'm not doing this, by the way," I told them in a very stern voice. "There's no way in hell. Let them have the Underworld. I'll give it to them. I'll send a note, I'm not going there. Did you feel them? Did you sense their strength? They're going to kill me."
Kyden opened his mouth.
"Oh no, you just shut it." I stopped that immediately. "No way. I'm going back to Carson City and forgetting all about this. Yep, that's what I'm going do. None of this is real. There, I said it, it's all made up and I don't believe in it."
Suddenly, Zia grabbed my hand and the world went black around me.
My eyes slowly opened, the haze of sleep drifted away. I yawned, stretched, then the memory of what happened came back to me.
I shot straight up in bed. "I can't believe you did that." I shouted.
Loud laughter came from the living room and Kyden's rush of amusement coursed through our bond. I stormed out and pointed directly at Zia. "I can't believe you did that to me."
She gave an unashamed smile. "You needed to calm down."
"Don't ever do it again," I snapped with a firm stomp of my foot. "That is so not right, using your magic to knock me out. I won't forget this, let me tell you."
She didn't even seem to be listening. In fact, no one did. Everyone focused elsewhere. As I looked around, I noticed why. Sabi was in Ryker's arms, drenched in sweat, looked utterly despairing.
"Jesus, are you okay?" I gasped, hurried forward and knelt by the couch.
She shook her head and grabbed my hand. My mind faded away as I was lost in her premonition. It was a little jumbled. Flashes of the Demon Lords using the rune, but then it would flash to my smiling face. It wasn't clear.
When the vision faded, I gave her the exact befuddled look I was feeling. "Okay, that made zero sense."
"It's because it hasn't been decided," Sabi replied, breathless. "It will go one way or the other, but I'm not sure which one because it keeps changing. The visions just won't stop."
Aw, poor Sabi. I was kind of glad at this moment I didn't have her gift, it looked utterly exhausting.
"Are you feeling alright?" Kyden asked.
I glanced at him and smiled. "Better." Which was true. The hysteria had faded, but I was still scared silly.
Demon Lords were nothing I'd ever felt before. One of them wasn't all that different from Pye. Six of them together was impossible. How was I going to do this? Doubt flew through me.
"Don't doubt yourself," Kyden said sternly. "You have the ability here."
"How do you know that? No one knows that. It's just a big guessing game, and what if they're wrong. I don't want to die."
"You won't."
"And you know this how?"
He shrugged. "I just know."
I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face. "I just want this all to be over."
Why me? Why couldn't somebody else do this---scratch that---I wouldn't want anyone else to deal with this. Why did we have to deal with it all? Why did evil have to exist in the first place? Couldn't we all just play nice?
Suddenly, hands grabbed mine. I looked up at Haven. "You've got this."
I was glad to note that she was herself again, not this crazy kick-ass woman who I'd never met before. Still, her words didn't ease me. "How do you know?"
"I feel it in you, it's there. I've felt it since the moment you came here. There's something strong within you, Nexi. If only you could see it and believe in it, these Demon Lords have nothing on you."
I snorted. "I'm not so sure about that."
"Of course they don't." Her smile came sweet and sent warmth right to my heart. "Because you have something they don't."
My brows rose. "Which is?"
"Us...this...," she rubbed her stomach, "you have reasons to make everything right. That's why you will overcome this. I believe in you."
"She's right, you can do this." Zia added.
"Get in and get out," Finn said next.
From there, the others followed suit with encouraging words. Kyden was the last to speak.
He knelt down in front of me and took my face in his hands, massaged my cheeks gently. "You've been gifted with an ability to stop this. This needs to be done and I truly believe there's something within you that's bigger than any of us know. I agree with Haven, I feel it in you. It will protect you."
"I'm scared." There, I admitted it.
"Of course you are," Kyden whispered, in a tone I rarely heard from him. "But it's a fear that has no merit. You can do this. I do not doubt it for a moment."
I looked into his eyes, into the eyes of everyone around me, I couldn't disappoint them. Not now, not ever. Haven was right. I did have reasons to make this right. If it meant my life, over theirs, then there was only one choice.
Did I want to die? No. Did I think it was possible? Yes. I didn't come this far to see all the people I love, who I've fought so hard for, to be lost now.
"I love you all," I said, looked from face to face. "You all know that, right?"
Every head nodded.
Kyden smiled, sweetly. "We're going then?"
"Yes, we're going."
Twenty minutes had passed and my nerves still hadn't settled. We waited in the Council's Hall, and everyone I loved was huddled around me, focused and standing strong. None of them doubted me here. I could only pray it wasn't misplaced. What if I failed?
A little shuffle at the doorway caught my attention. I glanced toward it as Ember stepped into the Council's Hall. "I came as fast as I could."
"Thank you for coming," Zia said. "We'll be leaving shortly, but we have some questions."
Ember stopped in front of me, her smile warm. "All set to go?"
"No," I responded.
She gave a knowing nod. "We never are." Then, she glanced to Zia. "What is it you need of me?"
"Please go over the ritual with Nexi again," Zia replied. "We need to be sure she's completely prepared."
Ember looked back to me, serious. "The biggest concern will be how to keep the demons away from you. You need time to draw the rune. I can promise they will attack instantly."
"That is of no concern," Kyden interjected. "We'll guard her."
Ember seemed appeased by that and continued. "You'll have to act quickly then. Your friends will not stand long against them."
"I'll be quick." I hoped that would be the case when I got down to it. "But do I have to use anything to draw the rune?"
"Use anything?" She appeared baffled.
I shrugged a little. "The Demons use black ash and blood. Is there anything, umm, from White Magic that I need to use?"
Understanding dawned on her face and she shook her head. "The ability to draw runes lives within you. Just draw the rune in the air as you've done before. There'll be a bright flash and when the pentacle glows before you, you've relinquished its powers."
"What must she do once the rune is drawn?" Kyden asked.
Ember's look wasn't encouraging. "To awaken the rune you have to recite these words, Primoris quod permaneo."
Dammit! I should've practiced this. My Latin sucked, but I gave it a try. "Prina qu permo."
"Primoris. Quod. Permaneo," Ember said slowly.
After ten more tries, I began to catch on. Latin was in no way an easy language. Frustrating, but at least it provided everyone with a little amusement in these dark times. Then, a thought came to me. "What exactly does, First and Last, mean?"
"It's a metaphor for God. He was the first, and with what you're trying to accomplish he'll be the last. You represent him by banishing ones who disbelieve in his ways."
"Whoa," I was too awed to come up with anything more eloquent.
"The rune will guide you. That's not of any concern. When you're drawn in, you'll hear a voice, you know who this will be?"
I nodded grimly. "The devil himself."
"He'll try and tempt you. You have to fight him hard. Trust me when I tell you, it's not any easy task."
Which brought a question to my mind. "What did he tempt you with?"
She shook her head. "I didn't get that far. He was able to overtake me the second I landed in his realm."
Not a very settling thought. "All right, so I have to keep him out of my head, ignore what he is telling me and then what?"
"You'll have to recite these words, Quondam patefacio, iam propinquus."
"Great, more Latin." My gaze fell to Kyden. "How am I going to remember this?"
"It will come to you when you need it." His tone was full of confidence. "I'm sure of that."
He was sure but I sure as hell wasn't.
Forgetting my doubt, I repeated the line aloud at least twenty times before I got it right. That was a bit of my downfall. My memory is short term. Give me a book, I'll read it, and the words are stuck for a little while. Ask me an hour later what I read and I'd come up blank.
Considering I was about to be put into a deadly situation, let's hope that my short term memory lasted and didn't leave me blank in my moment of need.
Finally, after the words seemed engrained in my mind, I asked Kyden, "What does Quondam patefacio, iam propinquus mean?" I was quite proud of myself that it came fluently.
"Once open, now closed."
Words always sounded so much more important in Latin. It just seemed all so simple---too simple. Looking into Ember's gaze, I could see doubt raged fiercely within her. That just affirmed that denying the Devil was in no way an easy feat.
Again though, my thoughts just kept coming back to what would happen once I got there. "What will he tempt me with?" I asked Ember.
"I cannot say. For everyone it is different, but he will use something that will be hard for you to deny."
Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard after all. There wasn't anything I wanted. What could he offer me that would be strong enough to go against my morals? I couldn't think of a single thing.
"What will happen once she has completed this?" Kyden asked.
Fierce trust ran through me. Never had he felt so sure about anything. Normally, something of this caliber would send Kyden into 'you are mine, I will defend you' mode, but tonight I felt nothing from him other than confidence and a deep belief that we would come out of this all right.
What had changed? Why was his belief in me so deep now? I examined him while trying to figure it out. Long ago, he never would've let me enter into something like this, now he pushed for it. Sure, he was going to be with me, which I knew was his biggest concern. It wasn't that I was fighting; it was that I was fighting without him. Still though, this was just so out of character for him.
He glanced to me and smiled softly as he read my thoughts. "Our bonding has given me insight."
That surprised me. "What kind of insight?"
"I don't doubt for a moment that you'll be safe. It's almost as if I know you were born to do this. To be here at this very moment."
"How do you know that?"
"Because you're right, it is my nature to conceal you from danger. To stop you from acting foolishly, but everything about this tells me not to. That I've been given your ability to shield so that I may protect you through this battle against the Demon Lords. There has to be a reason for that. There is something bigger happening here. It's strong within you. Everything that's happened has been to lead us to this moment, and as I told you once, I do not believe in coincidences."
I pondered that for a moment. Was I a believer in fate? Did I believe that life had a plan and events happened with a purpose to lead you to a place where you are destined to change something---to stop it?
No, I hadn't been. But I wasn't the same person I was when I stepped foot into the Otherworld. I began to think back through every event that had happened. If Lazarus hadn't taken Tryianna's life, I never would have left the Otherworld. I wouldn't have been raised by humans, which ultimately would have had a lasting effect on my beliefs.
Swiftly, every piece fell into place like clockwork.
If Lazarus hadn't killed my family and captured Kyden I never would've been compelled to see his demise. If Lazarus wasn't dead, I never would've met Astoria who led me to Magnus. If Magnus and I never been mated, I would never have become the Leader of the Underworld, never would have met my guards, who led to me to discover I could draw runes.
My God, Kyden was onto something. Fate might be a bitch, but she was a bitch with a plan.
Suddenly, Haven poked my shoulder. "Would you two stop that, I want to hear what you're saying."
I laughed glancing to her, that was a very long conversation between Kyden and I, and no one heard it. I could only imagine what my face looked like. "Sorry."
"And you should be," she retorted.
Quinney entered back into the hall and called out, "It's time, the Demon Lords have gathered."
Kyden took my hand firmly, and even if the fierceness within his hold didn't tell me he was confident in this, the emotions running through me would have. "We've got this." He smiled.
I gave a firm nod. "Easy peasy."
He laughed softly, before he took me in a knee-wobbling kiss. I guess to remind me what I needed to come back to. I didn't mind the reminder. After he released me, he took my hand and we followed the others out into the Foyer. Misa and Tyde waited, both wearing an expression of battle. They were ready.
"Before you go," Ryker said from down the hall. "I need you out here a moment."
I looked at Kyden, wondered just what Ryker was up to. Kyden shrugged, clearly, he had no idea and the curiosity showed on his face. He kept my hand in his as we followed Ryker down the hall toward the door that led outside.
The moment I cleared the door, I gasped, surprised at what---who---stood before me.
"What is this?" Kyden asked.
Ryker's smile was sly. "You don't think we would let you have all the fun without us, do you?"
Obviously, he wasn't the only one who felt that way since the grounds of the Otherworld were filled with Supes. Not just any Supes---my Supes. Everyone who had touched my life since I'd first called the Otherworld home.
The Mistress vampires, Thalia and Ellery stood off to the left with Hayes included, and their entire entourage. A hundred, or more, vampires stood behind them. Hadley, the vampire from the FBI who assisted me with Astoria was here, and so were some of her comrades, who also included Detective Broden and Detective Foley. Briar stood right out in the center and many other White Witches I had met.
I couldn't forget about Brax and Zade. Of course, the other Council members would be here to support me. They stood off to the right surrounded by every witch, guardian, werewolf and vampire who made up the Council's guard. The number of Supes here was staggering. Even Ember had followed us out and stopped next to me. Clearly, she was going to partake in this alongside us.
Everyone was here. Everyone wanted to help me.
I was so touched, tears began to well up and my throat tightened as I gasped a sob. Then, my gaze stopped on one particular face I hadn't expected to see tonight.
Valor.
Beside him was Dante, his son, and Thor, the Texas Alpha, along with at least ten more Alphas standing strong behind him. Of course, Valor's daughter Isla was nowhere to be found, and I'd bet it wasn't her decision not to be here. Wolves were as protective as Guardians---enough said.
Valor smiled sweetly and approached me, took my hand in his. "You're in a bit of a tight spot, aren't you?"
I laughed through the tears. "I'd say." Then, I hugged him with all the love I felt.
When I released him, Rynn filled my line of vision. She was Kyden's best bud, Briggs' mate, and a young wolf I helped a while back to adjust to her new life as a werewolf.
She stepped forward and hugged me. "I'm here to pay my debt to you. You helped me once, it's only right I do the same."
Over her shoulder, Briggs nodded firmly, and even gave me his mischievous grin.
Tears where so heavy in my eyes I could barely see. They'd all come? All the lives I'd touched had actually meant something and they'd come to help me. My heart swelled with so much emotion, breathing became difficult.
A few tears fell down my cheeks. Kyden caught them as he pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around me. "You see, Álainn. They all believe in you, all here to see you succeed. All the lives you've affected and now they're here to save yours."
As much as this touched me, and it did so deeply, I couldn't allow everyone to be put in danger. Enough of us were already in heaps of it. After two deep swallows to gather myself, I said, "I'm so grateful that you all came, but I'm sorry, I cannot let you do this."
Shouts of disagreement burst out around me. I hushed them by raising my hand. "It's not safe for any of you and I won't risk it."
"We can handle ourselves." Thalia shouted out, appalled
"These are demons. Demons, Thalia. How are you going to fight against them?"
A slow, shrewd smile spread across Thaila's sweet face. "It's not the demons we'll be worrying about. I'm sure their only focus will be you."
I was confused. What the frig was she talking about?
Valor must have seen my confusion and clarified. "Those of the Underworld who have pledged allegiance to the Demon Lords will be there, Nexi. We can assist you. It's our duty and our right to give you aid here."
Understanding dawned. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. Not only would the Demon Lords be there, but all the beings from the Underworld would be too. They would attempt to stop this---to stop me.
As crazy as this was, and oh, it was crazy, I just never put two and two together. Plus, I could see on every face here that they wouldn't be stopped. It appeared they all thought they owed me something for Lazarus' destruction, saving Dante's soul from Magnus, helping Rynn or any of the other trouble I'd gotten myself into. I knew they wouldn't listen to reason.
Kyden rubbed the small of my back, drew my gaze back to his. "They'll buy us time so you can draw the rune." He sighed deeply and stared at me, nearly begged for me to listen. "It's the only way. Without their help, our efforts will be meaningless."
Resigned that I had no say in this, I sighed and glanced across every face here. "Please do not get yourselves killed. You'll give me a pile of guilt I'll never get over."
Low laughs rumbled through the night sky.
"Worry about yourself." Kyden grasped both of my hands, pulled me close to him. "Nothing else."
My mouth parted to answer him, when abruptly, I was ripped from his arms and wrapped in someone else's. It took me a second to realize Talon hugged me fiercely, and whispered in my ear, "I love you and undeniably so. You have become so dear to my heart."
Talon was about a zero on the emotional scale, so this was quite huge. "Oh, Talon, I love you too." I began to cry all over again.
He released me, took my face in his hands and kissed my cheeks. "See yourself safe."
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him as tight as I could. Fate had always handed me a difficult card to deal with, but in moments like these, I also saw what it brought too. Family. Just cause it wasn't blood, didn't mean it wasn't just as strong. "You be safe as well..."
Suddenly, a shriek cut me off. I backed away and saw Haven, hands on hips as she glared at Finn. "I'm going, so don't even think about stopping me. Remember what happened last time you acted stupid. I'll do it again. Don't push me."
Finn leaned in and whispered something to her.
"No. I'm going." Haven flicked her hair over her shoulder, full of defiance. "I'm done talking about this."
My gaze met Zia's and she smiled at me. I wasn't even sure if I sent her a telepathic message or she just knew where my thoughts were headed. It didn't matter, as long as we were on the same wavelength, I was happy.
Haven would throttle me for it later---if there was a later---but this was a choice I was going to make for her. She didn't need to come to this, it was just too dangerous. I would never risk her life, or her younglings, and that was that. If I had to face her wrath later, then so be it.
Zia snuck in behind Haven and reached out to touch her shoulder. A second later, Haven started to drop and Finn immediately caught her in his arms. I always envied that ability of Zia's. Spirit gave me the magic to heal, but not the power to manipulate the body in any other way as Zia could. I couldn't have it all.
Finn smiled in thank you as he scooped her up in his arms. "Let me take her home, then I'll be back to join you." He turned and began to walk away.
I trotted forward and grabbed his arm. "No, Finn. Stay with her." His mouth parted, his objection almost near, but I put a finger over his mouth to stop him. "Choose her. It's more important."
His eyes softened, objection forgotten. That's why I loved Finn so much. His world revolved around Haven. He couldn't argue my point and the small smile on his face told me he wasn't about to. He nudged my arm with his, playfully. "Get in and get out."
"Simple, right?" I grinned.
He laughed, leaned in and kissed my cheek, then gave a nod of support to Kyden before he left.
With Haven safe, I glanced back out to the crowd and felt surrounded by love. Everyone was here to make right all the things wrong. The strength from this crowd exuded around me. I swear I could feel the spark of it through the air. Confidence, loyalty and adrenaline made the wind smell rich with power.
Suddenly, a hiss followed by a deep growl came at my feet. "Do you know what you are putting me through?"
I looked down at Willow. "Putting you through?"
"I'm your protector, and you keep going off to the Underworld where I can't help you. You're giving me so much stress I'm starting to lose my hair." She wiggled her butt, where her hair did look a little thin.
"So sorry, Princess Willow." I scooped her up and kissed her fluffy face. "Let's hope this is the end of it." I handed her to Kyden.
After he gave her a scratch and she snuggled into him, he placed her on the ground. She looked back up to me. "Just don't go and do something stupid, like get killed."
Willow could be a little bitch, but she was mine, and I only hoped this wouldn't be the last time I saw her.
Kyden tucked his finger under my chin, raised my gaze to his. "Are you ready then?"
I let out a harsh gust of air. Was I ready? Could I ever be ready? I doubted it, but this needed to end. For all I'd gone through already, what were a few Demon Lords? Scary, for sure, but I didn't have to face there alone. There was some resolve in that.
Whatever happened, it happened with us together. "Yeah, I'm ready to go knock on ol' scratch's door."
The moment we landed in the Underworld, Kyden's hand tightened around mine. His protectiveness flooded me as we stood staring at all six Demon Lords and the entire Underworld standing strong behind them.
Traitors!
One thing was clear, however, they were here for a fight. Their gazes locked on me. Their determination shone fierce as they glared my way.
The night was so dark. We stood on flat ground with open fields surrounding us. Behind us was the community of houses. I could feel the darkness all around me. The only assumption was that the return of the Demon Lords had given the Underworld a renewed strength.
In the middle of the field, a pentagram was drawn. A really big pentagram, the size of a baseball diamond. We'd either interrupted their plan to begin the ritual to draw strength from the rune, or they were just getting ready. Whatever it was, my need to stop this engulfed me.
Mammon smiled cruelly as he stepped forward. "We want her." He pointed at me. "Only her. If you leave now, we'll spare your lives."
An icy shiver raced through my blood. Fuck, he sounded scary. Before I had a chance to answer, Kyden stepped in front of me, shielded me with his body.
"You will not have her," Kyden roared.
Mammon cackled, the rest of the Demon Lords followed suit. It was bizarre to say the least. These guys could have been your Sunday night football buddies. They just appeared so normal. Sure, I could sense the dark power within them, and their eyes told me they were anything but human, but it was hard to grasp how evil they were when they look so friggin' ordinary.
"As you wish." Mammon continued to laugh and the crowd behind him tensed, expectant of the awaiting battle.
"Be strong, all of you. Let good prevail." Talon stepped forward beside Kyden, raised his sword, and let out a battle cry as he lunged forward.
It took all of one-point-one seconds for all hell to break loose.
"Quickly," Kyden shouted at me and pulled me against his back so his body sheltered me.
Quinney, Tyde and Misa took protective stances surrounding me. I was safe from all angles from what was coming towards us, and by the looks of it, six very pissed off Demons---well their weird black smoke, to be exact.
My guards shimmied into their black form and screams poured out around us. Wind roared through the air. Magic created loud rumbles along the Earth's floor as fire ran along the ground around us. Witches fought witches. The Guardians and werewolves fought the warlocks. The Demons however weren't fighting, they were protecting the pentagram. Assuring no one would get near to free the humans.
It was impossible to tell who was who. The battle was a complete blur before me. Fear mixed with anger was all-consuming as it drifted through the air. Breathing was difficult.
"Nexi," Kyden shouted. "Now."
Just as his words ended, the Demon Lords hit his shield, and the emotion that went through our bond stole my breath. Nothing had ever been so dark.
The Demon Lords screamed and searched for a way to get to me, but were unable to. Quinney, Tyde and Misa circled me to provide a barrier that the Demon Lords couldn't break, while Kyden provided a shield against them. The Demons were shit-out-of-luck. They couldn't drain and consume me.
The sky filled with light as magic erupted all around use. God, I could only pray that no one was being hurt.
Only a split second had passed and exhaustion settled into Kyden. The horror he must be facing as the Demon Lords tried to sneak their way through must be horrific. But he grunted deep, and determination coursed through my blood.
I needed to end this. I raised my hand to draw the rune when suddenly a soft cry stopped me. The sound meant only one thing...a child. I peaked around Kyden's back to see a young girl stood in the middle of the battlefield sobbing.
What the hell was she doing here? She wasn't a supernatural, just a normal four or five year old girl. A sweet little thing, soft curls, big brown eyes that were wide with fright. Her little arms trembled as she watched the battle before her.
"Help her," I screamed.
"What?" Kyden's voice came out strangled.
"The child," I yelled. "She's going to die. We have to help her."
Kyden broke his focus and glanced around. With the distraction, a demon pushed his way through. Kyden lost a little strength and sank to his knees. Instantly, he rebounded and lunged himself on top of me. We both tumbled to the ground. He went rigid against me as the Demon Lord attempted to enter again.
Thankfully, his attempts were useless and Kyden's shield held strong.
Kyden quickly pulled me up, brought me close to his back, and I noticed the sweat forming on his body.
This was beginning to wear on him. I couldn't waste another second.
As much as I knew this needed to end, I wouldn't sacrifice the child. If I didn't intervene she was going to die. I pushed past Kyden and ran as if my life depended on it, which it did. His loud roar came right behind me, as he stayed right on my heels. "What child?"
A breeze swept past my back as he tried to stop me. My feet hit the ground hard, sent splices of pain with each step that jammed into my lower back. I never stopped running toward her. She was so frightened and terrified.
The child was surrounded by magic. I screamed, prayed she'd be all right. She alone, was my only focus. Time slowed, every second felt minutes long.
To my complete horror, a large wave of energy headed right for her. Her wide eyes grew wide and her face streaked with tears. Without thought, I drew on my magic, no real a plan, just knew I had to stop this. I dug down deeper than I ever had, and with a push that came soul deep, my magic poured from within. I gave into the power that sat deep within me and let go of all my restraint. Heat and adrenaline gripped me.
The blood coursing through my veins boiled as my insides began to burn. I'd never felt anything like this before. Never had my magic been so powerful. There was no pain, but it was explosive. My body felt that in any moment I'd disintegrate into tiny particles.
Just as the power grew to an uncontrollable level, the burst from my body and the cause of that, forced me to fall to my knees. Since I was running at full speed, I did a complete face plant in the dirt and skid across the ground. The moment I stopped, I jumped to my feet, spit out a mouthful of dirt as I took in the scene around me.
Nothing could have prepared me for what was before me. Nothing at all. The world had stopped. Everyone held in limbo. Time no longer existed as it froze.
Royally confused, I glanced back at Kyden. His expression was fierce as he was broke into a run, completely frozen in time. It looked so ridiculous it was almost funny, but I just couldn't find it in me to laugh right now. Considering that behind him the Demon Lords were in hot pursuit.
Zia had her hands raised to the sky as witches were drowned in water. Azar had obviously just blasted his energy out, since the air appeared to ripple around him. Warlocks were pressed hard to ground with horror caught in their expressions.
Talon had just decapitated a witch, her head was in mid flight. Valor attacked a Warlock as Briggs had bitten into a Witch's throat with Rynn on her leg. Go Rynn! I couldn't help but feel a bit proud, even in the current circumstance.
Sabi and Ryker were back-to-back, working together. Sabi provided protection against the magic as Ryker used his sword to finish the job.
It only took seconds to see that the rest of our crew was safe and all alive. That provided instant relief, but then the shock of the situation set in. Holy shit, what had I just done? Stopped time? How was that even possible?
A whimper drew me away from the battle and I glanced back to the young child who smiled up at me. She was the only one not frozen in time, besides myself of course. Which made me wonder what that was, but first, I had to give her some serious hell. "What are you doing here?"
She didn't answer. Instead, her smile grew and she waved at me.
I stomped forward, ready to give her a serious spanking. Okay, I'm not one to do the whole physical punishment thing, but hell, this little stinker deserved a good throttle.
"Oh that smile isn't going to work on me, little one," I snapped at her. "You shouldn't be here. But first, we'll take you somewhere safe, and then, you're going to explain to me how you got here in the first place."
The smile on her face remained as she reached a tiny hand out to me. I took it immediately, struck with pure power. A sense of lightness fluttered inside me as a greenish-blue light spread throughout the sky.
Then, the world faded around me. There was no danger or evil---all that filtered through me was heavenly delight---happiness and an odd weightlessness. Strange but true. I wasn't here or there but floated through a gateway that was taking far too long. Portals I'd experienced were quick and forceful. Not this one, it was quiet and gentle.
When the sensation dissolved and my feet were firm on the ground, I had the real sense that I wasn't alone. I blinked once, then a world came into view. Butterflies fluttered smoothly as lush green grass sparkled with dew. Flowers of all sizes spread throughout the grounds, all exquisite colors with odd shades that were soft, yet bright somehow. The world glittered with beauty before me.
"Welcome, Nexi," a soft voice sang behind me.
I spun around to see the loveliest woman. Her hair was long, nearly to the ground, blonde with a slight white shine to it. It wasn't just her hair that glowed; her whole body did, which only intensified as she smile. Her baby blue eyes drew in smaller as kindness spread across her face.
She didn't feel like a theat. Was she a human? No, she didn't feel human, but didn't necessarily feel supernatural either. Best get answers and quick. "Where am I?"
"This is the realm of the Fae." She waved out.
"Holy shit," I gasped.
She laughed and it sounded songlike---blended together with nothing more than an air of joy.
My mind worked quickly to piece this all together. How in the hell did I get here? The battle, the Demon Lords, the kid. Now, it all made sense. "The little girl, she wasn't real, was she?"
"It was an illusion created to bring you toward the gateway." She winked. "We knew you'd be obligated to help her."
"Well it worked." As much as all this fascinated me, I had much more important things on my mind. "I have to get back to Kyden and the others. They need me."
She shook her head and her hair flowed around her in a wave. "You've stopped time. They're unaware that you have left. I promise they're safe."
"How can you be so sure?" I asked urgently.
"Please trust me, Nexi, no one will be hurt while you're gone." She smiled gently and eased my worries.
If they were all safe, I could indulge myself here. I examined her a little more. Intrigued by exactly who she was and why I was here. "Who are you?"
"I am Aaliya."
Oh, wow, now I took notice of her. This was her. The creator. The most powerful being known through time. My shock must have shown on my face because she laughed again.
Suddenly, beings began to appear slowly around us. Thousands of them, all looked human with the only difference being the glowing light that exuded from them---a bright aura of white light.
"Er..." I couldn't manage anything else.
Aaliya stepped forward and took my hand. "We've waited a long time for you to return home."
I burst out laughing. "Come again?"
Aaliya's face showed no sign of deceit. "Come..." she pointed to the ground below her feet, "let's all sit and I'll tell you a story."
Everyone complied. It was only right I did the same. I hesitantly stepped forward and sat next to her.
As I did, she began, "Long ago, we connected our realm with the Earthworld due to her energy source. It made us stronger and more powerful. Since then, we've become her protectors. We see to her survival because it secures our continued existence."
There was so much of what she just said that made my jaw drop, but I suspected this was only the beginning of my shock. "And just how did you do that?"
"As the Earthworld evolved, it basically became a sponge, soaked in the energy fed by the sun and because of that it provided a perfect outlet to siphon power from. Since joining the worlds, we as Fairies, have flourished."
That explained the glowing bit.
"When God and Satan's power grew stronger so did human followers---they all began to divide within the two leaders---believed what they were being told was the truth."
I found myself leaning toward her, my entire body tense. I took a deep breath to settle myself and straightened my spine. No need to sit on top of her.
"The Fae had long been in hiding, secret from the Earthworld, but a vision I had needed us to act." She glanced around at the crowd who were all locked into her story, then she looked back to me. "The vision that came to me told me I needed to intervene. If I didn't, the two would see to the Earthworld's end. We couldn't allow that."
"Obviously, they didn't object to this?"
"That's right. It was in the best interest of God and Satan to leave these realms. Start worlds of their own. It was a way for them to get what they wanted, and they held no objection to doing this. But, as you know, it only grew worse."
"Right. So you had to banish them?"
Her gaze met mine and looked terribly sad. "I had the vision to create two realms within the dead. Now, we know them as Heaven and Hell. The vision spoke of the necessity to banish God and Satan to be locked in their depths."
"But God was good. Why would you banish him?"
The corner of her mouth arched up in a soft grin. "He was good, you're right. His ways indeed coincide with ours, but we stay neutral."
"Oh, like Switzerland?" She frowned with confusion. I waved it away. "Never mind, please continue."
She nodded and happily obliged. "It's not our place to interfere with what takes place in the Earthworld. Our only thought is to ensure she survives, and that is where my abilities grant me a view of the future. Glimpses of what could be, and steps I need to take to stop problems. Not all the answers are given, and never do I see the effects it will have after. At that time, all the vision told me God and Satan needed to be banished there."
She looked so sad, and without thought, I grabbed onto her hand. I was a little stunned that I had just made such a move on someone I'd never met before. She smiled down at our joined hands before those troubled eyes met mine again.
"It saddens me to this very day what unfolded within the Earthworld, the division of religions, the wars and the death. Many humans of good heart were destroyed."
"But why didn't you stop it then?" This just didn't make any sense. "If you saw what was happening to the good ones, why didn't you help them?"
"My vision never told me to. We only act on what the visions show me. Fate has a plan and I'm here to guide it. My choices always follow it. I never act on my personal feelings, no matter what I may feel is right."
"Where do you get these visions from?"
"It's an inborn ability that guides me to see that the Fae succeeds. We've yet to truly discover, who or what, it is that grants me this right.
Wonderful! She was basing things off something that she had no idea where it came from. Didn't seem like the smartest of choices, but who was I to question her. Fate had already proved to me the wonders it worked. I couldn't doubt it now.
"All right, I get everything you're saying, but what I don't get, is why I am here?" The long awaited question needed to be voiced.
"Long ago, I received a vision of you, but it was not clear. It didn't show me how this would unfold at the time, but what it did show me was that you needed to be born."
That was a bit hard to swallow. "You can't be serious?"
She nodded without hesitation. "It wasn't until recently that I fully began to appreciate why that need was so important."
After a long pause, I urged her, "Which was..."
"The vision started with a youngling, who after some time, we discovered was Tyrianna."
My brows rose in shock. I couldn't have heard her right. Never in a million years, when I began this conversation, did I expect to hear anything like this. "How do you know my mother?"
Her eyes glistened and a confident look crossed her face. "Tyrianna was Fae. Well, part Fae, actually."
A loud bark of laughter erupted from my mouth, the only response I could manage. "Now this is a bit farfetched. Tyrianna was a witch who lived in the Otherworld."
"You're right, she was perceived as a witch. That is only a half-truth. It took more years than you could imagine to produce Tyrianna. Fae intermixed with witches, over and over again, to produce the right level of magic within them. Equal parts Witch and Fae."
My jaw dropped.
She either hadn't seen my shock or just ignored it. Whatever it was, she continued, "Tyrianna had the perfect levels of both kind within her and it provided just the right being to birth you. We sent Tyrianna to live with a witch who held more Fae Magic in her than Elemental---purposely kept her true identify from her. When she was old enough to begin to train as a witch, her memory had been altered, and she believed she was orphaned and because of that was sent to live in the Otherworld."
A scowl began to form on my face.
Aaliya noticed and a worried expression crossed her face as she quickly added, "As much as it may have been wrong to keep the truth from her, it was a necessity to see that there was no interference." She took a deep breath and smiled. "From there, fate fell into place perfectly and brought your mother, Tyrianna and your father, Drake together. Then, the long-awaited mixed supernatural was born."
"Wait...hold on...just wait a friggin' second." I squeaked. "Are you telling me I'm part Fae?"
"You're as much Fae as you are Guardian and Witch." She cocked her head, gave me an intrigued look. "Does this surprise you?"
I pondered that for a moment and looked around to the others who sat before me. For the first time, I recognized the power that came from them. I could feel it emanating off everyone here. I was just like them. This was the source of the light. "Actually, no it doesn't."
She gave a firm nod of acknowledgment. "The levels needed to be exact for you to inherit the Guardian power within you as well. If the Witch power was too strong, it would block the Guardian power from evolving. If the Fae was too weak, then it wouldn't give the strength for the Guardian power to develop." She smiled softly. "You see the dilemma we faced."
"Geesh, yes, I do." Still, I felt so lost. What did this all mean? "So what's the deal with the mixed breed thing? I mean, why was it so important?"
"It's a combination of two elements found in the original Supernaturals, Guardians and Witches. The pure essence of White Magic combined in one being, the closest relation to the power that existed in God."
I flatly ignored that comparison and moved on. "What about vampires and weres?"
"Vampires are the undead. Humans turned into immortality, and weres are similar. They're not inborn abilities and power. It began with a human that had been transformed."
"Oh," was all I could think to say to that.
"The vision I had spoke of the necessity to see that this youngling was brought into the world because she would complete the final act to ensure the safety of the Earthworld, the job that I had started. To close off the Realm of the Dead and see that no evil ever escaped it."
So simply put, but obviously, not so easily done. "Why did you go to all this trouble to produce me, if you could just close off the realm yourself?" She opened her mouth, but the answer came to me right as I voiced the question. "Because the vision told you to produce me, but nothing about closing off the realm, right?"
She nodded.
As I processed all this, a realization came to me. "I'm taking it this is why my magic is so strong?"
"Your Fae magic will work together with the Elements gifted to you. That is why when you ask anything of it, it's there to protect you. You're not limited by restrictions, which is how Fae magic works. Whatever you need of it, you only have to ask."
Well, guess that made sense as to why I held skills most witches didn't. We sat in silence as I ran the conversation back through my mind, and after some time, there was only one thing I still questioned. "Do I have family here?"
"Not anymore, I'm sorry to say. Your grandmother was a Witch, this is true, and your grandfather was Fae. That was one of the repercussions of this process. The mother died after childbirth. It's just too straining on the body. Your grandmother was willing to sacrifice her life for this cause."
I gulped. That took one brave witch to face death right after giving birth. Would I have done the same? I wasn't so sure.
"You did for some time have a family line, but Fae only live a short existence of a hundred years or so. Our power grows as we near death. We needed to use powerful Fae to pass on the powers, so since, your grandfather was near his death when he mated with your grandmother, he died shortly after. He was the last in his blood line."
"When did he die?" I whispered.
"Twenty-three years ago."
My heart plummeted. To meet another blood relative again, my heart longed for that. I learned long ago, life wasn't always fair and there was no sense wishing for something different.
Something didn't make sense. She said Fae beings died, but she was around since the very beginning. "Why have you lived so long?"
"It's only those of royal blood line who are everlasting."
Well, that settled that. All eyes watched me as I sat and processed. A thousand things ran through my mind, moments in time that brought me to this spot. Suddenly, a realization came to mind and one I couldn't ignore. One face stayed present in my mind.
The look! An expression of love that passed through violet eyes. It was so obvious.
Well, now it was. "Ember was the witch who cared for my mother, wasn't she?"
Aaliya smiled.
Then, the air shimmed, a flash of light erupted and Ember stood directly in front of me. "Bah, don't do that."
Ember laughed at my loud outburst and glanced around a moment. Clearly, she was confused if her wide eyes said anything about it. She looked back at me. "Trust me, this surprises me as well. The last thing I remember was being attacked by a whole slew of pissed off witches, and now, I'm here with the Fae."
It didn't matter that Ember wasn't blood related, she was the one who raised my mother and that made her family. Without a seconds thought, I flung myself at her and gave her a huge hug.
Instantly, she wrapped her arms around me, so tight. "You've obviously told her." Aaliya answered, "Yes, she knows it all."
Just like that, it all began to make sense. All the little unknowns that surrounded this whole event started to fall into place.
Zia had said Ember knew more than she expected her to. Now I knew it was even more than we thought. She had said it herself, she knew something was happening, but had no way to stop it. I backed away to watch her expression. "It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who contacted the Detectives, told them this was happening?"
"It was my way of helping," she whispered.
I lowered my arms, gave her a hard look to grasp all this. "Okay, just so we're on the same page here. You're part Witch and Fae, but within you the Fae is stronger. That's why I'm in the situation and not you, right?"
She nodded. "Yes, that's true."
"Explain then, why I saw the vision of you banishing the Demon Lords. You obviously attempted to send them back, but what's been told to me said that you wouldn't have been able to even if you tried. So, why put yourself in that situation?"
She dropped her head, ashamed. "When the Demon Lords came back through, I was left with no choice but to try. I was a part of the Otherworld and my loyalty to them needed me to act. I couldn't ignore the danger."
"So, you acted on your own accord?"
"I did," she replied with a nod. "Being part Fae gave me the ability to draw runes just as it does you."
Well that explains why I held the ability. It's a gift given to the Fae. Which told me how little we really knew about them and they did a damn good job at keeping their existence a secret.
Ember continued, drew me from my thoughts, "Aaliya never came to me with a vision of the future, but it was because there wasn't any danger. I thought I was strong enough to do it. I thought..."
Aaliya reached out to her, placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did well, Ember. You sent them back to the Realm of the Dead. The Otherworld was safe because of you."
Ember sighed quietly. "I wish I could've done more, then, this situation you find yourself in wouldn't be happening. But because I didn't have the magic that was needed, I couldn't succeed in fighting against Satan's draw."
She looked completely brokenhearted, not just that she failed but because of her inability to close the realm, I now found myself facing.
My heartstrings tugged.
I grabbed her hand, flooded her with every memory I had in my life. Every event and little piece, even things she probably had no business seeing, but I needed her to understand and this was the best way to show her.
When the memories stopped, her eyes opened with clarity and hope. "You see, there was nothing you could have done to stop this moment because it was meant for me. I realize that now. It wasn't yours to stop. It is mine."
"Not you alone," a deep voice said behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder to see a stealth-looking man vastly approaching. His hair was a tint of blue, his eyes a deep silver with ears slightly pointed at the ends. Nothing of him resembled a human. He was as mythical of a creature as I'd ever seen. And I knew why that was. He wasn't disguising his appearance.
When I looked back to Aaliya, she had chosen to reveal herself as well. She looked similar to before, but now her eyes were a little bigger, filled most of her face, and her ears had a similar point.
My gaze swung to Ember, even she had changed, but her features still looked more human than Fae, even with the glow and points to her ears.
"This is Noeth," Aaliya introduced. "He is my son."
He bowed respectively.
"Well, I have to say, I like this look of you all better." They were the most beautiful creatures I'd ever seen, including the handsome Noeth beside me. "You're all so pretty." It was their eyes really. They were so big and mesmerizing.
A thought surfaced that sent a wave of worry to pool in my gut. "I'm going to still look like me, right?"
The crowd laughed and it sang across the wind.
"Yes, you will. You're only part Fae," Aaliya explained. "Just the power lies within you."
Phew! I realized then how my words must have sounded. Not wanting to insult them, I added, "Not that I wouldn't mind, but I've kinda grown used to my look."
"As I was saying," Noeth interrupted, clearly not fond of small talk, or maybe he just thought my conversation was not worth continuing. "You won't be alone. Those of your kind are waiting for you to return and I will join you."
My brows rose. "You will?"
"As I told you before, it wasn't until recently that I discovered just how important you are. A vision has shown me the full truth of the power you hold." Aaliya replied.
I waited for her continue. She didn't. I laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, am I supposed to say something here?"
She nodded.
I mulled that over a moment, glanced around at the others, hoping they could give some clarity, since I had no idea what she wanted me to say. After a few agonizing minutes, I gave up trying. "Er...sorry I've got nothing."
Her large baby blues bore into mine, full of knowledge and wisdom. "You do know. It lies there within you. It's what you've wanted for so long and what you know you're capable of doing."
Minutes passed as I searched for an answer. A reason to give her. Did I know what I wanted? Sure, I wanted this situation over, but could tell that was not what she meant. Was there something more I wanted?
Slowly, but surely, the answer became crystal clear in my mind. How had I not seen this immediately? I did know exactly what I wanted and the truth was there the entire time. I'd even said it, time and time again.
I gasped, my eyes wide as a hand went over my mouth. Could it be possible?
Aaliya smiled, a bright grin that sent the glowing aura around her to erupt into a bright light. "That's right, Nexi. Now, there are two things you must know before we do this."
"What are they?" I asked urgently.
"I'll need to stay connected to you to protect our realm. The last and very most important thing you cannot forget...not everyone will be safe. Protect those who need it."
I will never forget...
My feet hit the grass of the Underworld. Everything from there happened slowly. Aaliya smiled while she held my hands tight as the world around us erupted back into chaos.
Screams and magic came from every angle around. The sky was alight with war.
Kyden's roar and panic instantly captured me. I slowly turned my head to see him in the state I left him, charging toward me with the Demon Lords rapidly approaching. His expression turned from fierce to one of blatant confusion as he saw Aaliya in front of me.
Beside me, Noeth drew a bow from his back, which seemed to appear out of thin air, and began blasting the demons with arrows, sending a bright flash to graze through the air.
Aaliya squeezed my hand. My gaze returned to her and I smiled. It was time.
I released one of her hands and drew the rune. It only took seconds for me to finish the Alpha-Omega symbol and lock myself into the rune. Time seemed slow even further. The loud screams around me seemed timeless.
"Primoris quod permaneo," I chanted, closed my eyes and let the words blend together and draw on the source of power from those words, what they really meant. This was the symbol of God and all that is good. I allowed myself to believe I was speaking to him and allowed his strength to envelope me.
Suddenly, wind began to stir, but I never opened my eyes. My hair whipped around my face but I never stopped chanting. Then, a bright light that resembled the orange sun flashed behind closed eyes, followed by a loud bang that brought complete quiet.
My first thought was, holy shit, it worked, and I got the Latin right. Then I thought about the fear of what I was about to face. It was entirely black here. No walls or burning molten lava, just black emptiness. It was far worse than anything I could've imagined to be surrounded by nothing, it was cold and downright scary.
Once I recovered from the horrifying hollowness also came the reminder of who I was about to meet. The Devil.
Just as that fear came forth, the presence of someone near floated around me. I'd been expecting a being that resembled a human or some scary-ass mythical creature with horns to be standing before me, but there was nothing here. No visible person.
He was here, though, I could feel him all around me. The darkness closed in. My breath caught and throat tightened, fear stole any sane thought in my mind.
Then, he spoke. "Who dares to enter my realm?" His voice was everything evil is---rich, deep, and scary as hell.
I gulped deeply to find even a smidgen of bravery. It did come as a relief that I couldn't see him. The visual of things could sometimes be far scarier and much more real than not. Not seeing him made him less threatening---less powerful.
"Nexi Jones," I responded without a shake to my voice. Pretty impressive, I thought. It seemed the appropriate answer. Saying, Guardian, Spirit Witch and Fae, just seemed a bit long and I really wasn't up to small talk with the Devil.
"Why have you come?" he demanded.
Hmm, how to put this. "Well, to be honest, I'm not actually quite sure. I know that I'm here to send the Demon Lords back and close off the realm, but the other part just hasn't presented itself quite yet."
He laughed and evil poured around me.
That was enough of that, thank you very much. I quickly began. "Quondam patefacio."
The Devil snickered, stopping my words. "It will not be that easy for you, witch."
"First of all, I'm not just a witch. Second, I had to at least try, now didn't I?" Of course, I wasn't sure it was going to work. Life was never that easy, but didn't mean I'd never catch a break.
His laughter resumed.
Just as it drifted away, without any sense of warning, he possessed my body. I fought with all I had to push him away from my soul. Satan's power was unrivaled. Sure, I had enough in me to stay true to myself, but having the ability to push him away was never going to happen.
"My darkness wants you," he whispered into my mind.
"I don't want it." This was becoming tiresome. Again and again, I was tested by Black Magic. Sure, it was rich with power. Yes, it could give me an endless amount of strength, but it was dirty, soulless. The fact that the Devil's magic was purer, it actually came as a blessing. Did I want this type of power? Hell no.
The Devil's voice poured out from inside me. "You don't know what it could give you."
"I know exactly what it could give me. I didn't want it before and I don't want it now." Point and point.
"You will not close the realm," Satan ordered. "You will leave now."
Oh, shit, this was surely a test. And it tested me to my fucking limits. Did I want to say no? Part of me did, but the other was strong. All I'd been through and seen made me fight against this. In the dark world, I couldn't get any stronger. I was their leader. What more could I want? They all knew I didn't want that position either. Denying this was a cinch. With every ounce of strength that lived in me, I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Get the fuck out of my body."
The pressure building inside of me eased slightly, but he still lingered there and kept a hold on my soul. Sickening in every sense. His presence in my body was more than wrong, it was a pure product of evil. Nothing good lived within him and the horror of that was cold and frightening.
His voice was amused. "You're strong. Not like the last, but I'm confident that this will change your mind?"
The Devil withdrew from my body and I gasped, relieved he was gone. Once I opened my eyes, breathing was lost to me. "Oh dear God...no." Horror fled through me as I now stood in an empty, dark-walled room with Drake, Tyrianna, Gloria and Frank in flesh and blood.
My heart sank and a wave of nausea washed over me. I gulped back the vomit that rose in my throat and found the strength to talk. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be in Heaven. You're not supposed to be here!"
They never answered me, which told me this wasn't real. It wasn't them. If it was they would've said something to me, told me how much they loved me or how much they missed me. They couldn't speak or feel because they're illusions.
Fucking Devil was good, I'd give him that. I gritted my teeth and got right back to business. "Quondam patefacio."
Just as I started the words, Gloria gasped and cried out loudly. "No, Nexi, don't send us back there. We're not in Heaven. Please, you must save us. You don't know what it's like for us here."
My mouth clamped shut. Oh God, it sounded just like her. Her eyes filled with tears and poured down her cheeks. She trembled, her eyes afraid. Revulsion sank deep.
I was wrong. This was the fate they received, to spend eternity to rest in the depths of this place? My stomach turned again with sickness.
Before, I had the chance to vomit, Drake stepped forward until he was just a few steps away. "We have missed you terribly." He glanced to the others. "She has come to save us." He smiled.
I gave my head a shake as tears filled my eyes. "No this isn't real, you'd be in Heaven. I know you would."
"The Devil captured us," Tyrianna said in a soft tone that I'd only heard in Zia's memories. "He stole us while we were crossing over. He knew this day would come and prepared for it."
I gasped as I stared into the face of the mother I never knew. "That can't be true."
"Sadly, this is all very true." She wiped a tear away from her eyes and looked utterly dismayed. "The others have not been here as long. It has been much longer for me." Fear crossed her face and she reached forward to take my hands, her eyes pleading. "You cannot leave me here. You must take us with you. He has promised that if you leave, we can go with you. We can be free from here. We can come home with you."
Tears trickled my cheeks. My Mother in the flesh. I needed to feel more of her. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around her. She was so warm. I sank into her embrace. Finally feeling just what it was like to be wrapped in her love. It felt so good.
Something gnawed at me, made me hesitate. Why hadn't I agreed yet?
Tyrianna pulled me away from her chest, her eyes so soft and very loving. This had to be real. It just had to be. Anything that was dark was always seen in their eyes, shadowed with evil. None of that lived in her. Her light hazel eyes glowed with happiness.
Just then, Gloria latched onto me, took me in her arms as she trembled. I gripped her tight, remembered just how this felt. How I missed her hugs. She smelled like she always did, like freshly baked cookies. "Mom...I've missed you so much."
"I have missed you too," she whispered beside my ear. "I love you, Nexi. I love you so much."
After that, I was passed onto Drake and Frank, who both embraced me in their love. I was back in their arms, a place I thought I'd never be again. It felt so good, too good. I didn't ever want to let go.
Frank made the decision for me and stepped back as he said. "My darling, Nexi. Your Mothers are right. You cannot leave us here. It's terrible, horrible in the worse ways. Your poor mother, what this is doing to her." His voice sounded so heartbroken, so worried for her. "You need to take us with you."
My guts were being ripped apart. Here were my parents, who begged me to save them. Trapped in this purgatory hell, and I was the only one that could free them. I shook my head in an attempt to get a grasp on this. My only choice was to save them, I couldn't let them continue on this way, but something kept nagging at me. Why was I hesitant to do this? This was my family who I loved and missed terribly. Why were the words to free them trapped in my throat?
Drake cupped my cheek and I sank against his hand. "Free us from here and we will return to the Otherworld with you. You'll no longer be without us. You won't feel the pain you have suffered from our disappearance from your life." He wrapped an arm around Tyrianna, gave the same strong look that I'd seen from him a thousand times. "We can help you defeat the Demon Lords. Your mother and I will stand by you as we fight against the darkness. We may not defeat Satan now, but we will in time."
There it was...the Devil's mistake.
Drake would never say those words to me. Just one simple statement changed it all. This wasn't them. Drake was a Guardian. They are by far the most protective beings and I knew him well. He'd never tell me to go and fight against dark ones. Ever. He'd be raging mad that I even attempted such a thing.
With that came a whole lot of clarity. This is what Ember had said, and not until this moment, did I remember her words. "He'll try and tempt you. You have to fight him hard. Trust me when I tell you, it's not any easy task."
Well, luckily for me, he fucked up and said the wrong thing because she was right. I was this close to giving in. Now seeing this for what it was, it was really almost comical. How could I have even believed my family was in Hell? They were the essence of what was good. God would have taken and protected them. I believed that.
I began backing away from them, and they all started to sob and scream for me to help them. Oh yeah, the Devil laid it on thick.
"Please Nexi, I love you. Save me," Gloria cried out.
Tyrianna's face streaked with tears. "I need to know you. I have missed you, my sweet baby."
Now, I was getting pissed. Fuck the Devil. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and covered my ears. I couldn't do this any other way. Sure, they weren't real, but their pain still felt like it was.
With all that existed within me, all the power that I learned I had, I screamed. "Quondam patefacio, iam propinquus!"
Roars of rage came around me, and I was blasted with power, which sent me flying across blackness. I never hit a wall or slowed down, just continued through a dark tunnel of horror.
A loud bang rattled into my soul, and with it came the awareness that it wasn't only the Devil with me now. They were all here. All seven Demon Lords locked within this darkness. The rage among them sucked my breath away, but just as it became too much to bear, something touched me. It wasn't dark, not in any way.
This was salvation.
It pulled at me as if it grabbed my soul from the inside out, then I was dragged from the darkness into a bright white light. It swirled around me, tossed me head over heels. Nausea sank in as I felt like I'd become a sock in a dryer.
Blessedly, as quick as it started, it stopped. I clasped my stomach, forced the barf to stay where it belonged. Within seconds, the dizziness settled. I opened my eyes to a white space that was everything Heaven should be---love, peace and eternal happiness.
I blinked slowly and gasped as the love around me grew. A love that was all too familiar. My family. They weren't here in physical form. There was nothing in front of me or around me, but I could still sense them here, feel them all around me. Touching me.
Tears filled my eyes. "I've found you---you are here."
I closed my eyes and relished how close their love and happiness surrounded me and touched everything.
But just as the euphoria within me peaked, I was blasted from below, pulled down hard enough that my breath immediately sucked back into my body. I entered a never-ending portal again. Moving fast through time, but also suspended. Moving, but not really. Bizarre couldn't even explain it.
I hit the ground, hard. When I opened my eyes, everyone circled around Aaliya and me, the rune still glowed. In fact, it appeared to be brighter and even a little larger.
Kyden was close. His warmth and protection engulfed me. I glanced over my shoulder, and his smile filled me with so much love. I glanced around to see everyone else was around me too, safe. They were all here. Face after face of those who I'd come to love and consider family stood victorious and proud.
Those of the Underworld all bowed to the ground. Obviously, with the demise of the Demon Lords they weren't feeling all that confident anymore.
Cowards!
Aaliya squeezed my hands, drew my gaze back to hers. "You know what to do."
I nodded softly and focused on the power that this rune held, the magic that was born within it and what it represented. "You've guided this journey, haven't you?" I shouted to the skies above. "Your big ole masterful plan. Well aren't you lucky that it actually worked. I could have made a real mess of things."
Laughter spread around me.
I returned my gaze to Aaliya just as she said, "Remember what I told you."
"I'd never forget. I will never forget any of it or anyone." I closed my eyes and began to invoke power from the magic that I not only knew was right, but my destiny. It was there bone deep, and I didn't doubt the outcome for a moment,.
Just as the magic reached its full potential inside my body, I mentally sought out Misa, Quinney, Tyde and Azar, demanded that the power filling me grant my request. It didn't deny me and reached out to search for them.
They weren't difficult to find. Beings that were born within evil and darkness, but denied it. They stood out like a sore thumb. I grabbed onto their beings, brought them into myself, and provided a shield to protect them from the impending danger.
With Aaliya's hand tight in mine, I shouted high to the heavens above. "Primoris quod permaneo."
It was only said once before the rune exploded and we were all blasted with wind, energy and just a rush of pure power. My entire body tingled as the power washed over me. I expected screams, sounds of pain, but it was so quick there just wasn't time for that.
A millisecond later, the power that consumed me vanished.
Kyden groaned beside me and rose. "Álainn," he shouted, then scooped me up in his arms and into his lap. "All right?"
I groaned a little. "Oww, that fucking hurt." My body was exhausted, left with no energy whatsoever. Moving would have been nice if I was capable of such a thing.
"Zia," Kyden called out.
A second later, she was there, her hand on my arms, and blasted me with a pure rush of Spirit.
I felt like a new woman again. "Ahh...that is much, much better." I raised my head from Kyden's chest and saw everyone begin to regain themselves.
As my gaze drifted along faces, it suddenly became aware to me that we were back in the Otherworld, resting just outside the castle. That shocked me. What stood in front of me made me jump to my feet. "Holy, fucking, fuck."
My eyes went wide as my Guard of Demons had large feathery wings attached to their backs. Each of them shared an equally bemused expression as they stared at their new extremities and made them flutter through the air. "Er...what happened to you?"
Misa's smile was so bright and elated. "You've done it." She flapped her wings. "You closed the realm and saved us. God has freed us and given us back our wings."
She flew toward me and landed right in front of my face. The move was so fast I didn't have the chance to prepare for it. "Bah." I swatted at her. "Slow and steady. I gotta get used to that."
Of course, I wasn't given the chance to. Zia ripped me away from Misa. "What have you done?"
Every gaze was glued on me. "Well..." I glanced over at Azar who was testing his magic. He had now gained White Magic and looked enthralled with his abilities to use the Elements. "Azar was right. I did know what I always wanted. It just took a little push from Aaliya to see it."
"See what?" Zia urged me on. "What is it that you wanted?"
"The end of it all."
Zia mouth dropped open and the rest of the crowd closed in around us. "So, what does that mean?" Her voice was breathless.
I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous they all looked, wide-mouthed like that. "I banished the Underworld into the Realm of the Dead and locked it away forever."
"The whole thing?" Talon gasped.
"Well yeah." I shrugged.
Zia laughed loudly, then everyone else followed suit.
Zade shook his head at me. "She just sent an entire world there and closed off the gateway." His shrug mirrored mine. "You know, not a big deal or anything."
"What?" I snapped out, a little irritated at his very bad impression of me. Or I hoped it was a bad imitation. "It was the right thing to do."
"You're right." Zia still laughed, but kissed my cheek. When she backed away, her eyes were brimmed with tears. "It was the right thing to do."
Kyden took my chin, drawing my gaze to him. "Why were the Fae with you?"
"Oh yeah, that was just another shit-kicker. You'll never guess where this special power in me comes from..."
Zia had an ah-ha moment and it showed clearly on her face. "You're Fae?"
Kyden arched a brow. "Are you now?"
"Part Fae, well...Fae, Guardian and Witch." Quickly, I gave the short version of my conversation with Aaliya, and the truth of my past. Everyone was stunned silly by the end of it and mouths formed a giant O.
I burst out laughing, unable to hide how stupid they all looked. "Yeah, that was exactly my reaction too."
"A nice thing, no? " Zia finally said after a few long moments while everyone processed the news. "To finally know your true heritage."
"I guess it's good to know the why's now, but I'm not sure it really changes anything."
Kyden chuckled, brushed a hand across my cheek. "Knowing this changes nothing?"
"Not really. Just explains the power I guess. But I'm still me---just plain old, Nexi Jones, bonded to Kyden."
That caused another sound of laughter.
"Do not move." Zia moved. "I want to hear everything that happened in the Realm of Dead, every single juicy bit of it, but I've got something to attend to." I'd never seen her move so fast, as she ran like a bat out of hell to wherever it was she was going.
Kyden wrapped his arms around my waist, brought my gaze back to his and leaned down to kiss my lips softly. Just before our lips touched, he said, "Álainn, you're anything but plain." He claimed my lips and I melted into a big pile of lustful Nexi.
When he pulled away, I could barely breathe. My eyes slowly opened, and his stared deep into mine as his emotions ran high. Pride, lust, happiness, the list was endless. Too many to even say. He gave me his devilish grin. "You do know you've done it, don't you?"
"Done what?" I whispered close to his mouth.
He brushed his thumb over my lips and I kissed it as it went. "You've gotten your wish."
"My wish?" I repeated.
"Peace."
I smiled softly in the truth of that. He was right. Sure, there would always be thirsty vampires or naughty werewolves that would face my sword or burn under my magic, but that, I could handle. No, scratch that---Kyden and I would handle it together.
As long as I had him, this unexpected family who bore no blood relationship to me and memories of the family I'd lost---I could get through anything. "So, where do we go from here?"
"We do what we always do." He brushed a finger across my cheek. "Remember you're the one who said to me once---we can't leave the Otherworld and have a responsibility to make the world a better place."
I laughed softly. "I did say that didn't I?"
"You did and you were right. We have a duty not only to humans, but for our future and any little ones that come along in our life to fight against evil that threatens to corrupt the worlds."
The one line said it all. Kyden had our life and future in his mind and for the first time since I stepped foot in the Otherworld, I could see the possibility of all that was to come.
Kyden continued, "You've gone through so much, but there you are...the same woman I met and fell in love with. Your family would be so proud of you, Nexi, as am I."
"I know." My voice came out a little taut, as I was flooded with the feeling of being touched by them. "It's been quite a ride. You know, I never thought I'd be happy to face thirsty vampires, or naughty werewolves, but honestly, for all I've been through it'll be nice to go back to a good ole fist fight."
"And I'll be there, right beside you."
I leaned forward, brushed my nose against his. "Which is exactly why I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
Just as the swell of happiness filled my soul with the knowledge that the dark days were over, Haven's loud scream ended my happy reprieve. "Nexi Jones, you're in so much trouble. Don't you ever do that again!" She stomped her foot, royally pissed and hands on her round hips as she leveled me with a stern gaze that just looked simply cute coming from her. "Ever, ever again!"
All I could do was laugh. This was all behind us, we were all safe and life would return to normal.
Well, Nexi Jones kind of normal, that is.
The End
About the Author:
Stacey Kennedy is an avid lover of the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres. If she isn't plugging away at her next novel, tending to her two little ones, she's got her nose deep in a good book. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband. Be sure to drop her a line at www.staceykennedy.com, she loves to hear from her readers.
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