This Time
Page 10
“Obviously.”
“Very good, My King.”
“Nothing will stand in the way now. She will be mother, wife and slave to my will. Once the ceremony is complete, she will never leave me. Her soul will finally belong to me.”
“Um, of course my King.”
“She will be here soon.”
“About that. Uh, my King?”
“What is it?”
“I must tell you.”
“Speak, you fool.”
“Helen has tried to summon you and there seems to be a problem.”
“And what problem would that be?”
“Forgive me, My King, but it seems she was unable to complete her summons. We are all fairly sure that your bride is no longer in route to meet you.”
“Well, that is a problem.”
…
I woke covered in sweat, my body shaking.
“He knows!” I shouted to the room.
“Calm yourself, Gracie! Who knows what?”
I sucked in my breath, my arms were finally working and I grabbed onto Ann. “Oh, Annie, Lu knows! Helen got through to him! He knows I’m not coming.
“How could you know that?” She sat on the edge of the bed. “You just had a bad dream. It’s not surprising with what you’ve been through,” she soothed, her new mothering skills shining through.
I closed my eyes. It was a dream, but I knew deep in my soul that it had been real. I had somehow looked into Hell. My body continued to shake and I frowned.
“No, Ann. I was there. Somehow I was there. Lu was preparing for me. He wants to marry me so I can have his demon babies.”
Her eyebrows met her hairline. “Okay, Gracie. I’m just going to go wake someone up. Anyone. They need to hear this.” She rose and ran from the room.
I sighed, covering my eyes with my arm I tried to calm my trembling body. “Oh this is just friggin’ great, they’ll all think I’m nuts.”
Seth chuckled as he breezed into the room, smelling of sage and mint. “You should have more faith, Sweet.” I turned my head as he moved into the room. His hair was short. He changed his hair like a woman changed her purse. He sat close, smiling.
“You can move again?”
Anxiety was eating away at my stomach worse than the holy water and I frantically waved his question away.
“Lu’s going to start looking for me. Helen got her message out.”
He smiled. “We know she did. How are you aware?”
“I saw Lu! I was there. This little imp thing told him that I was no longer on my way. Wait, what do you mean you know?”
A dangerous light entered his eyes and he smiled again, revealing too many teeth.
“I like it here, Sweet. This was your sanctuary from me, I understand. Did you know that demons do not do well here?” He laughed. “Well, anyone with a little evil, really. I would have had a hard time of it if it were not for your blood.” His smile went all the way to his eyes.
I just stared, my mouth hanging open like a trout.
“Your Helen is suffering and we did not even need to lift a finger. Her pretty flesh hid a very tainted soul.” He sighed as if he believed that were tragic. “Before she became completely catatonic, she spilled her guts. She confirmed that at least part of her message was received. She felt the link, but as soon as we entered this realm, her connection was severed.”
I goggled. “What happened to her? What do you mean you didn’t have to lift a finger? Seth you better start making sense or I’m gonna start chucking things!” I was beyond confused and that pissed me off.
“Brindleland is enchanted. The entire village has been absolutely stuffed with enchantments. Old sorcerers from a time long past wove the spells. It is a mighty thing they have here, Sweet. I am surprised the magic tolerates anyone in a bad mood.” He smiled again.
He was so uncharacteristically happy, and then understanding dawned.
“You’re here.” I locked eyes with him. “And you’re okay?”
He nodded. “Yes, the evil taint in my vampire nature is no longer strong enough to register as evil at all.” He looked at the IV bag hanging from the skinny metal pole. “This is my blood, Sweet.” He looked at me again. “I’m filling you with blood and you are becoming stronger. Only the blood of a Madea could do that. Gavyn was positive.”
He smiled again and I felt myself reveling at how truly beautiful this man was. And then just as quickly, I frowned. “This also means that Lucian is Madea enough to heal me as well.” I placed my hands on the bed and moved myself up. “He really is as much of a Madea as you?”
Seth’s smile faded. “Yes he is, but not as much as I am. I believe he moved the process along with some of his magic, I do not know for sure, but he is Madea.”
“I figured as much.” I frowned again as all the possibilities rushed me. Overwhelmed, I slouched back into the covers. As confusing and emotional as all of this was, we had much bigger fish to fry.
“So,” I leveled a look at him, “you aren’t worried at all about Lu?”
“Do stop calling him that.” Seth’s smile was gone, his eyes were filled with fire. “We know he had you in his control and his lies were great. We know that as his wife you felt it your duty to…” he stopped abruptly and stomped to the other end of the round room. Sighing he covered his face with his hands and then growled out his breath. “He … Well, you two…” He made a vague motion with his hands. “Fuck!” He fisted his hands in his short hair and then spun, facing me he yelled, “Well it was many, many times, Grace!”
It was my turn to cover my face. Images of the sex I had with Lu made my body hot. He was an incredible lover and I was horrified to admit that thinking of it made my stomach dance into fluttery knots. What he could do to a woman was impossible to explain.
“Sweet? May I interrupt your thoughts for a moment before I am forced to shove my blade into my skull?”
I sucked in my breath realizing too late what I had done. “Oh, kill me!”
“I would rather not. However, it will be nice when you reach your full strength and can control your magic.”
“Not that I want to keep entertaining this subject, but how the hell could you have known that I had sex with Lu?” I asked, feeling like a total slut.
“Other than the frequent times you ravaged each other in public you mean?” he glowered.
I covered my face with the sheet and whimpered, “I didn’t…mean to?”
“I apologize,” he sighed. “Let us just say that had we not witnessed it for ourselves, your mark would have tipped us off. Our Jamie was smart enough to research what was happening.”
I looked at my arm. Under the bandage and IV, I could see how large my tattoo had become. “I’d forgotten that. I must have looked at it a million times and never thought twice about it.” A vision of Lu sliding his tongue along the silver flowers, his strong back flexing, his skin like satin while we…
“Grace, please!”
“Sorry,” I shook my head. Cripes, even without the demon blood, the evil bastard was a drug. “Sorry, Seth. I can’t seem to control it.”
“Try harder,” he said flatly.
“You said Jamie knows what this is?” I ignored his pissy face and gestured to my arm.
“Yes. You are under a contract which binds you to Lucifer. The first mark, in this case he chose a rose, binds you to him of your own free will. Each additional mark represents an agreement in your contract. With each change, the original mark strengthened. The larger the mark, the more intense the binding. It is only logical to assume that what you have done must be quite significant.”
My brows rose and I looked at my arm once more.
“Since there were no ceremonies that we were aware of and from the wagging tongues of the penthouse staff, you could have only bound yourself to him through your frequent sexual encounters,” he glared at me, his nostrils flaring, “when he had you at your most vulnerable.”
I felt my face heat. “Lord, Seth! I was ou
t of my mind. You act like I’ve been standing in line to offer him my body! I’ve known Lu for months and months! If I wanted to fuck him so badly, do you seriously think I would have gone through so much trouble?”
“No, I do not think that in any way, Sweet. You were a victim and I know this. It is, however, quite difficult to imagine your horrid and undying suffering when you are projecting such erotic and lustful images into my head.”
I covered my face again. “God, I am so sorry! I know, I wasn’t suffering at the time, I was doing what I wanted to do with my husband. But believe me, when I’m all better, Lu is going to have more than Hell to pay!”
SIXTEEN
“Still nothing?” Ann bounced a wiggling and very pudgy Missa on her knee. The baby was the most beautiful child I had ever seen. Her chubby, little hand kept curling around her mother’s long hair and pulling.
I smiled as Ann took another handful of hair out of the child’s hand with a grimace. Tiny strands ripped free and I bit my cheek. It looked kind of painful.
I sighed. “Nope. I’ve tried. I can’t even change my clothes.” I looked down at the hideous robe I wore. “I used to be able to do that without thinking.” I cringed back as Missa shrieked and began reaching for the ground. Apparently she had, had enough of her mother. “She’s a lot bigger than I would have imagined,” I observed as the child crawled under the small table that sat between Ann and me.
“Yeah,” Ann sighed and leaned back while she tied her hair in a knot at the base of her neck. “Elvin babies grow at a much faster rate. They reach full adulthood at around age 12, and then their aging slows.” She looked lovingly at her daughter and smiled. “She’ll live well beyond her mommy. I like that. This girl will live a very long life.”
“Her mommy will live a pretty long life too, I think,” I smiled, “if I have anything to do with it.” I took a sip of my tea. A special brew that Andrea, Gavyn’s wife, brewed for me. My hands shook, as I was still weak as hell, and the tea sloshed and spilled down the front of the robe.
“Yeah? You’re going to make me immortal, Gracie?” she laughed. “Before or after you make that ugly outfit go away?”
I sighed and blew out a breath. “It’ll happen. I’ll get it back.”
“You will,” Ann rested her hand on mine. “You are the strongest person any of us know. You will get it back.
All of a sudden, my foot got incredibly warm and a moist sensation ran between my toes. Missa spit up everything she had ever eaten onto my cool flesh, and I bit my cheek to stop myself from following her example and losing my lunch. I lifted my foot as Ann picked Missa up. She smiled at the child and cooed at her as if barfing on my foot had been a rare and precious gift.
“Miss Mess, you sure did a number on Auntie Gracie’s foot, didn’t you my lovey-dovey girl. Let’s go get a cloth.”
My mouth hung open as Ann disappeared into her little house, cooing and burbling at her child. I shook my foot just as Gavyn sat down next to me.
“She isn’t coming back is she?” I shook my foot again, hoping the milky gunge would slide off.
He winced at the mess. “No. Most likely not.”
“Great.” I stood to follow Ann and wash the goo from my foot.
“No. let me.” He knelt and picked up a small cup from the baby’s toy bucket. Then he retrieved some water from a bird bath and poured it over my foot cleaning the slime off nicely.
“Thanks, but I could have just gone in and washed it off.” I frowned as he took his seat again.
“I wish to speak with you,” he looked a little flushed.
“Oh, Okay?”
Great, what fresh hell is this?
“The village is readying for war,” he blurted.
My heart sank. I knew this was coming.
“But, you said that demons can’t get in,” I whined. “The enchantments. The charms?” I looked at his face. His expression filled me with dread. “Gavyn, what is it?”
“You’re right, Grace, of course. No Demon has ever been able to walk into our village.”
“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming on?” I watched his face closely.
“Helen made it through. We brought her in and she is suffering unimaginable pain, but she is here. So, no demon can enter this village…” he paused, “unless we bring them in.”
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Lucifer is no fool. He will figure out where we have taken you. He knows that we are the ones who intercepted you and he will figure out a way to get to you. I fear our women may not have the strength to resist him. They may lead him into the village. He is talented and has many tricks.”
“Well, damn, Gavyn. Order the women to stay within the village! Aren’t they all mated anyway? Why would they be looking at another man?”
He shook his head and shrugged.
“Oh, my God! You’re all still screwing as many people as you can, aren’t you?” I goggled.
“Many of our people are still stuck in the past. Tradition has always held that procreation is the most important goal in our lives.” He cleared his throat. “And it’s more fun.” His smile was crooked.
“Well, shit!” I sighed. “You’re… Uh, not?” I curled my lip unable to avoid my disappointment. I don’t think I could take it if Gavyn was a hound dog.
“No, Grace. I remain true to my mate. She is my heart. And the same holds true for your friend. She and Tobias share a very pure love.”
I felt my shoulders ease. I was glad that Tobias was faithful. Tradition or not, I would’ve fashioned some earrings out of his nuts had I learned different.
“So, these newest women are all alright with this swinger lifestyle?” I asked as calmly as I could.
“You are the one who filled them with understanding and acceptance, Grace,” he folded his arms.
“Touché.” I deflated in my chair. So it was a village of screw-happy elves and Lucifer was wandering around in his unbelievably sexy skin. No problem, no problem at all. “We have a serious problem.” I met Gavyn’s eyes.
“Yes, Grace. We do.” He folded his hands across his middle and crossed his ankles. “And it’s bigger than you think.”
I closed my eyes. Lu’s face flashed into my mind. His teasing smile as he lied his way into my heart. “Oh, I have a pretty good idea of how royally fucked we are.” I shook my head, “We need a plan.”
Gavyn sucked in a gulp of air and stood. “To the war room?” He held out his hand and I looked at it.
His glowing skin was filled with healing and I suddenly had an idea. Adrenaline surged into my veins and I closed my eyes taking his hand in mine. I was no longer tainted with demon blood and I was stronger than before. So if I tried, maybe I could heal myself with a little help from a friend. Concentrating on what I wanted, I tried to make it so. I looked down, expecting to see my ugly robe. I sighed with relief.
“Finally!” I stood, fully clothed in jeans and a light blouse. Wobbling a bit, and feeling a little dizzy, I braced myself on Gavyn’s shoulder. “Sorry for taking some of your healing.”
“You are welcome to whatever I have to give, my friend,” he said as he steadied me. “Are you better?” He frowned as I continued to wobble.
“I’m okay, not all better, but a little.”
“You’re getting there,” he gripped my arm and led me across the grass. “It just takes time.” He looked at me as we walked. “Which I don’t think we have a lot of.”
A chill raced along my skin and I glanced out along the tree line. I felt a small pull. It centered on my tattooed wrist and traveled to the top of my head.
“Oh, God,” I sighed, wrapping my arm around my waist. “Gavyn, we need to hurry,” I warned.
“What is it?” He tried to stop and look at the forest beyond and I pulled, practically dragging him behind me.
The war room was as large as the meeting hall I had visited not so long ago. I entered, pushing past the dozen or so elves milling about and ran smack into Lucian’s back.
“It’s nice to see you too,” he said, drawing me in and hugging me tightly to his chest.
Warmth and calm surrounded me. A Madea male, a voice inside me sighed with pleasure. I pulled away slowly. Getting lost in this man was not what I needed at the moment.
“Lu is near,” I said.
Lucian flinched. “Don’t call him that, Gracie. It’s too playful. He is evil incarnate. Powerful and cunning. ‘Lu’ isn’t serious enough.”
“Lu is all he’s getting from me, Lucian. If I change it up, he’ll think I respect him.” I turned around, taking in the room as I spoke. “I’m not going to give him that. He’s already gotten more from me than I could ever have feared.” I moved to a table covered with a tiny replica of the forest. “This is about so much more than a name, Lucian, and I’m sorry, but the issue at hand is the women.” I turned and looked at the large group of men. “Do the enchantments that keep you all safe have boundaries?” I asked.
Blank looks assailed me and my heart sank.
“You don’t know do you?”
“It isn’t that,” a blonde man stepped forward. He was shorter than most of the other men and very well-muscled. “We know of no boundaries, Grace. All we can tell you is that these enchantments are varied. We know that some fade in places where others begin. Many, many elders wove their magic here, and to be honest we don’t know where each spell begins or ends because we have never been breached, therefore we have never questioned their strength.”
“Oh,” I breathed and plopped onto a small chair feeling defeated. I rested my chin on my palm. “Okay, well you’ve all been hard at work, planning and strategizing. Please tell me you have a plan? I really don’t want to pick out china patterns with the Price of Darkness.” I felt close to tears as heat radiated from the roses on my arm.