Alisha took his hand in hers and held it tenderly. “When will I see you again?”
With a shrug, Armando said, “I don’t know.”
“You’re leaving Houston?”
“It’s time to go home.”
Alisha used to regard Armando as mysterious, unreadable figure. Now she realized she could absolutely figure out what he was thinking. Armando hadn’t chosen to survive, but he seemed resigned to it. At least he wasn’t alone.
“I’m going to rebuild the mansion,” Alisha told him. “I’m going to find a way to preserve the Socoli legacy.”
“And your mother’s?” Armando lightly squeezed her hand. “She did try to save Vanora.”
“Arianrhod’s strength was carried down the family line. It just got turned against her.”
With a sorrowful but pleased smile, Armando nodded. “Vanora didn’t let her win.”
“That’s my sister for you.” Alisha let go of his hand to wipe tears away.
“You’re just as strong as she was.” Armando leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. “Remember that.”
“She loved you. With all her heart.”
“I know. And I will always love her.” Armando’s golden eyes shifted to a point nearby. “A word of advice.”
Alisha followed his line of sight to Dexios, who was piling werewolf and human bodies onto a pallet. An incinerator deep inside the haven would be burning for days. “About him?”
“He’s going to be a good friend. Let him be one.”
“You’re reading my mind.” Alisha laughed. She hated getting close to yet another person just to lose them.
“No, no. I just know that you’ve spent a great deal of time hiding in that mansion. It’s time to live. For real. You may be the new Queen of the Night, as Leto calls you, but don’t hide. Let this be Roman’s legacy.”
“Me carrying on his ways,” Alisha said, nodding. “I thought of that. A new way of life for all vampires.”
“Without war. Without death.”
“For Roman.”
“For all of us.” Armando touched her shoulder one last time, then walked away.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Alisha glanced toward Alexander. He simply nodded.
“For Roman,” Alisha whispered, and it felt right.
* * *
Eight Months Later—
“I had a weird dream,” Alisha confessed.
“Weird how?” Dexios looked up from gathering exhibit catalogues from a display set just inside the art gallery doors. He handed over one of the glossy magazine and flipped his open. A long curl of dark hair fell into his eyes, but he didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe he was hiding behind it.
Even in his own grief over Kallos, he’d made sure to make life as easy as possible for Alisha. Over the last eight months they’d dealt with pockets of vampires attempting to kill Alisha. Each time they’d been easily thwarted. Dexios handled all of Alisha’s security and she trusted him implicitly. He’d become an invaluable advisor as she handled the reformation of the vampire world and the rebuilding of the Socoli Mansion. Dexios had also taken care of all human world red tape when it came to Vanora’s death. It was tempting to believe he was doing it all by Leto’s command, but Alisha had remembered Armando’s advice. Dexios was a good friend. One she’d desperately needed after ascending to her new title.
“You’re not answering. Weird how?” Dexios finally looked at her, arching an eyebrow. “Was it a warning?”
“No. No. It was about Vanora.” In the months since Vanora’s death, Alisha often dreamed of approaching dangers, but also about Vanora. Those dreams were the ones that affected her the most. At first they were comforting dreams about Vanora spending time with their parents in a beautiful afterlife. Or spending time with Roman. In one dream Vanora had been at a nightclub while hanging out with Sheila and Angel. Then the dreams had changed. They’d become disjointed and confusing.
“Go on.”
Alisha nervously scuffed the high heel of her boot against the floor. She hadn’t even planned to tell Dexios about the dream, but standing in an art gallery, exhibiting her ex-boyfriend’s art, she felt the need to talk. “Well, she was in a room full of... what’s the word for the thing the thread is wrapped around that goes on spinning wheels? Sleeping Beauty plucked her finger on it?”
“Spindle?”
“Yes! That! Anyway, she was in this massive room just filled with them and Vanora was unraveling them.”
“Interesting dream.” Dexios gave her a slight smile. “And weird.”
“Very.”
Alisha couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked in a royal blue button-down shirt under a lightweight leather jacket and black trousers. She was dressed in a black blouse and slacks with pointy-toed boots. In the last few months her hair had grown to nice length and she’d French-braided one side and let the rest fall over one shoulder.
“You know, we’re a good-looking couple,” she observed.
Tucking an arm around her, he escorted her into the gallery. “We are devastatingly good-looking.”
With a grin, Alisha bumped his side with her elbow. “Suck up.”
“I have to agree with the queen,” Dexios replied very seriously.
“I’m not your queen.”
“Well, you are a queen.” Dexios stopped short. “I don’t get it.”
In front of them was a display of gears jumbled together and spray painted with anti-government slogans. Sitting on top was a Christmas angel.
“Sin is always playing with themes of opposites,” Alisha explained. “Light and dark. Good versus evil. Love and hate.”
“A vampire and a werewolf,” Dexios added.
“We both have sharp teeth,” Alisha reminded him. “Not that opposite.”
“Speaking of opposites, I heard from Tracy.”
“Is she still in New Orleans with Alexander?”
Dexios nodded. “The established supernaturals in the city have finally relented to allowing them to stay. Alexander proved he was originally from the city, so that went a long way in persuading them to let him remain. They see him now as a piece of their culture.”
Alisha was relieved. She was slowly learning that there was much more to the supernatural world than she’d realized. “I’m glad they’re staying together. They need a friend after losing their partners.”
“Maybe they’ll get a happy ending,” Dexios said after a beat.
“Happy endings are good,” Alisha agreed.
Dexios lifted an eyebrow while looking past her. “I thought Sin wouldn’t be here tonight.”
“His social media said he was out of town on personal business.”
It was the only reason Alisha had decided to come to the gallery. At first she had flirted with the idea of seeing her ex-boyfriend, but then decided it wasn’t the wisest choice. But she was trying to rebuild her life and her love of art had been hindered for too long. She’d always enjoyed Sin’s creations, so she’d convinced Dexios to come with her when Sin was supposed to not be in attendance.
“It must have been canceled, because he’s walking this way,” Dexios said.
Alisha turned and her slowly beating heart gave one hard thump. Sin sported spikey platinum hair with black tips and wore a simple black t-shirt and jeans. He was as handsome and as charismatic as ever.
“Holy shit. I’m blown away. Alisha. Wow!” Sin’s grin absolutely dominated his face it was so wide.
With a panicked smile, Alisha gave him an awkward wave, then realized she should shake his hand. He held onto it a few seconds too long before turning to introduce himself to Dexios.
“I’m Sin.”
“Dexios.”
“Cool name.”
“I could say the same of yours.” Dexios gave Alisha a sidelong look of amusement.
Sin returned his full attention to Alisha. “Wow. I didn’t know you were still in Houston. I heard your place burned down when all that crazy terrorism stuff went down.”
“It did burn down, but I’m still living here. You’re back in Houston, huh?”
“Yeah. I moved back a few months back.” Sin’s smile remained on his face, but it had a different sort of vibe to it. “My... wife has family here.”
Alisha really hated when the past sucker punched her. “Oh. Cool. I didn’t know you were married. Your social media didn’t say that.”
“Yeah. It’s new and we’re keeping it on the low down for the time being. Her family really isn’t too keen on me, or the baby.”
“Baby?” Her voice sounded too high. Of course the second sucker punch to her heart probably had something to do with it.
“Yeah. Due very soon. It’s the reason I decided to not head out of town. That’s why you’re here tonight. Right? Because you thought I wouldn’t be here?” Sin was so good at reading her.
Dexios was very still, and Alisha wished he’d do something to disrupt this agonizing conversation.
“It’s just a rough time,” Alisha finally answered. “I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face the past. Our past. I lost my sister, you know.”
“I’m really sorry about Vanora.” Sin meant it, and that sincerity cut even deeper. “She was the best. Such a cool kid. I know she must have been an awesome young woman.”
“She was amazing.” Alisha jumped slightly when Dexios set his arm about her waist, but she leaned into him with relief. She needed his support to make it through this conversation.
Sin’s gaze flicked back and forth between her and Dexios. “So... you’re... engaged? Married? Got a secret kid stashed somewhere?”
“Oh, we’re...” Alisha floundered. She didn’t want to sound like a total loser in front of Sin, but it wasn’t like she could say she was the Queen of the Night, the source of all vampires.
“New,” Dexios interjected.
“That’s good. Starting a new relationship is good. I’m glad.” Sin focused his attention squarely on Alisha. “It’s good to see you. I was really worried about you for a while. I heard you dropped out of sight and stopped painting. A real hermit. Hell, at one point I thought maybe you were a vampire.”
Her laugh was a little too high. “Oh, no. I’m not secretly hanging out with Keanu Reeves.”
Sin blinked.
“The actor. He doesn’t age.” Alisha looked at Dexios for help. To her dismay, she saw he was enjoying her flustered state a little too much.
“Oh, yeah.” Sin laughed. “I forgot about that whole theory. I just went through this phase where I thought about all the weird stuff with you and I halfway convinced myself you were a vampire.”
“She’s actually the queen of the vampires,” Dexios corrected.
“I got a tiara and a sash and corgis!” Alisha knew she sounded nervous as hell, but couldn’t help it. Sin had guessed and that was frightening.
Chuckling, Sin shook his head. “That’s the last thing I could ever imagine. Alisha. Queen of the Vampires.” Catching a signal from someone nearby, Sin clasped her hand, then Dexios. “Gotta scoot, but thank you so much for coming out. Good luck. Both of you.”
Once Sin was busy speaking to a prospective buyer, Alisha and Dexios quickly slipped out into the parking lot. The air was humid, but on the chill side. Fall was coming, but she could feel the leftover heat from the day radiating out of the asphalt.
“That was awkward,” Alisha decided.
“He guessed.”
“Yeah.”
“But then he convinced himself it wasn’t true.”
“Lucky for me.”
Reaching the black bulletproof and magically-warded SUV that Dexios used to ferry her about, Alisha sighed. “At one time I really, really loved him. I even tried to talk myself into believing I could somehow work it out with him.”
“And now?” Dexios unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for her.
“I want him to be happy.”
“I meant how are you now?” Dexios regarded her thoughtfully. She was pretty certain he was assessing her reaction.
“Well, I’m not going to do anything dumb like date an artist and try to figure out how to pretend to be human. I’m going to be an artist and try to figure out how to be this whole Queen of the Night thing at the same time.” Alisha shrugged. “It’s not easy, but you’ve got my back.”
When he kissed her, she wasn’t really surprised. Maybe she’d been expecting it. Or maybe one of those gloriously sexy dreams she’d had about him was actually a premonition. It felt absolutely right to feel his lips on hers and the press of his body arousing delicious feelings of desire.
When he finally broke the smoldering kiss, Alisha brushed her fingertips against his cheek. “That’s been a long time coming.”
“I needed that time.”
Kallos was his ghost, just like Sin had been hers. Maybe both had finally been set to rest.
“So did I.”
It was the truth. Accepting her new position had been hard enough. She hadn’t wanted to take any risks with someone she leaned so heavily on as she adjusted to her role.
“Now is our time,” Dexios said with a voice husky with yearning.
Their next kiss held the promise of a new beginning.
* * *
In Alisha’s dream her sister stood in a vast empty room. Empty spindles littered the floor. At Vanora’s feet was a sharp knife.
“The Fates wove the thread, measured, and cut. Over and over again. They designed cruel fates that people couldn’t escape. No matter what a person did, they were shackled to their destiny.” Vanora crouched and picked up the knife. “So I wove the Fates’ thread, measured, and cut. Now people can choose for themselves. Their mistakes are their own. They’re free from fate. Free to choose. How will you choose, Alisha?”
Manifesting in the dreamscape, Alisha reached out and took the knife from Vanora. “I choose to live. To love. To be what I need to be.”
“Can I show you something?” Holding out her hand, Vanora waited for the answer.
Setting the knife on an empty shelf, Alisha nodded. “Show me.”
The room vanished to be replaced by a very small temple on the peak of a mountain. The temple consisted of seven pillars that held up a doomed roof and a small scrying pool at the sister’s feet.
Vanora stood across from Alisha, clad in an ivory gown that shimmered with iridescent colors when it moved in the jasmine scented air. Then sun shone over Vanora’s head, but it didn’t burn Alisha’s flesh. Beyond Vanora was a lush garden filled with beautiful flowers and tall trees.
Glancing down at herself, Alisha saw she wore a black dress that glittered with starlight. A rapid look over one shoulder revealed a garden filled with night-blooming flowers under a twinkling sky with a glowing full moon
“The sun and the moon,” Alisha whispered, understanding.
“Queen of the Night,” Vanora giggled.
“Queen of the Day?” Alisha gave her sister a thoughtful look.
“You are balance.” Leto said, and stepped into the temple. “The new balance.”
A green gown was draped in such a way it barely covered her nude body, and her dark hair fell unfettered to her waist. Bits of leaves and twigs were caught in her tresses. Face flushed, limbs gleaming of sweat, Alisha had the impression Leto had just transformed into a human visage. She had the satisfied look of a dog–or wolf–after running about.
The She-Wolf stood in the center between the day and the night, illuminated on one side by the sun, and the moon on the other. “Alisha and Vanora, long ago my children were in harmony with one another and brought goodness to the world. The role of the gods was to nurture humans. Guide them. Protect them. But over time we were corrupted, and all that came to the end. The Fates grew cruel. My children became selfish and power hungry. And disorder came in their wake.” With a wide smile, Leto took the hands of the sisters. “But now order has returned.”
Alisha stared at Leto in confusion. “How?”
“What you have forgotten all this time i
s that I am your mother, too. Through Arianrhod, you are connected to me. You’re not her legacy, but mine.”
Alisha shifted her gaze to her sister. “Do you understand what’s going on?”
Vanora took Alisha’s hand, unifying the three women. “We’re the balance, Alisha. Leto wanted to give humanity back the ability to shape their own destinies while liberating the supernaturals to live peacefully among each other.”
“But over the years I realized that there was still a role to be played by what people once called the gods,” Leto added.
“We’re the caretakers,” Alisha whispered, remembering how she’d felt the night she’d drank the blood of the Seven Sisters. “Vanora of the day. Me of the night.”
Leto nodded.
Alisha fit all the pieces together. “But that means you’re... alive!”
“In a new way,” Vanora replied. “But yes.”
“But I saw you die.”
“My human self did, but I’ve never been totally human.”
“She sacrificed her human self and liberated the... well... goddess within.” Leto smirked. “It was the only way to truly kill Aeron and destroy the spell.”
“So you’re coming back? Home?” Alisha didn’t want this to be a dream, but reality. The excitement coursing through her was unbearable. She’d never wanted a dream to be a portent so badly.
“I will. But I have to do something first.”
Leto gently united the sisters other hands, pulling away from the circle to leave them alone. “Do what must be done, Vanora.”
“What’s going on?” Alisha demanded.
Fastening a loving look upon her, Vanora said, “You’ve always been the light in my life. My older sister, my mother, my best friend. You’re also the Oracle in our family. Your vision was just clouded by your human side. Beyond that, Alisha, you belong in the sun. When Arianrhod’s spell was destroyed, a new age came. New witches are being awakened. Oracles are beginning to see. They need you, Alisha.”
At first Alisha thought her hand was maybe falling asleep in the real world as she slept, but then she realized something more powerful was happening. The energy racing along her arm was flowing out of her. “Vanora, what are you doing?”
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Third Season Page 39