by Cat Adams
“It’s true, Aunt.” Adriana used the familiar term that I suspected was more a tradition between the royal houses than a fact of biology. “You should check with your own prophet. My sister-to-be will someday look remarkably like Celia, but without the fangs, tattoo, or scarring.”
“You lie.” She spat out the words, glaring at each of us in turn.
“Be careful, Aunt. Do not assume I will not call for a duel. Or Celia, either. She’s quite the fighter, as I’m sure you remember from watching the two of us duel.” Adriana kept her tone light, but her green eyes were flashing dangerously and there were spots of color on her cheeks.
Oh, hell. I didn’t say anything, but I thought at her, hard. Don’t drag me into this. Yeah, I’d fought a duel with Adriana—I’d had to. But I did not want to fight another one, thank you very much. And against Chiyoko? Unh-unh. Nope. No way.
Adriana smiled without mirth. “You needn’t worry, Aunt. My mother will bear a suitable heir before I, myself, have children with Dahlmar. This I swear.”
I wondered a moment at her wording. Was she preggers? Oh crap. I mean, no big deal to the sirens. But Rusland’s ultra-religious types might have a fit.
I’m not pregnant yet, Adriana admitted in my mind. We have abstained by our own choice. But I will be, soon enough after the wedding that they’ll be counting on their fingers.
The car had started up again, apparently we’d cleared security. Just another minute or two and we’d be pulling up to the main building.
Um. Congratulations?
This time the smile lit Adriana’s face. Thank you.
I glanced over at Chiyoko, trying to see if she was listening in or not. She probably was. Most sirens do. They shouldn’t; even they admit it’s rude. But they do. The queen’s visage might have been carved from granite. “We shall see.”
The Secret Service agent opened the car door. I got out so fast it made him blink. Adriana announced that she was going to her office to take care of some business. She said that she’d be under guard and occupied until dinner, and suggested I go unpack.
That sounded like a great idea to me. I got as far as my old rooms in the guest house before Queen Lopaka’s assistant, Hiwahiwa, appeared at my door. She wore a green lavalava and would’ve looked perfectly elegant if she hadn’t been so obviously upset. While I didn’t know exactly what her relationship was to Laka and Okalani, I was betting there was one and it was close.
“Princess, please, can we talk?”
I wanted to say no. I really did. Instead, I stepped aside, letting her walk past me into the living area.
My suite in the guest house is very, very nice. It takes up most of the top floor, and since the security was so good, I felt perfectly fine about opening the French doors to the balcony off of the living room so that I could listen to the waves and smell the ocean breeze. I could feel the sting of spelling at the edge of the balcony but it was so elegantly done that I wouldn’t have noticed without my vampire blood.
The cabinets, dresser, and built-in desk were solid oak. The desk held a top-of-the-line computer. The curtains were dark gold, the color a perfect match for the carpet, and both had been color coordinated with the cream, gold, and brown checked comforter on the bed. There were half a dozen throw pillows in brown and gold, although at the moment most of them were piled in the far corner of the room rather than on the bed. I didn’t like throw pillows much.
A conversational group was arranged at the other end of the room, all of the furniture equally expensive, comfortable, and color-coordinated. The final touch was a beautiful, abstract oil painting that used all of the colors in the room. It was huge, taking up most of one wall. But it was gorgeous, the kind of thing I could stare at for hours while noticing more and more details.
Hiwahiwa walked straight over to the conversational group, waiting expectantly for me to join her. I tried not to sigh as I took a seat, which gave her permission to sit down. The sooner we got through this, the better it would be.
“Laka sent you?”
“Yes, Princess, she did.” Hiwahiwa looked at me with sad eyes. “Okalani hasn’t returned. Not knowing what else to do, Laka sought the advice of a prophet.” The tears that had been brimming in her eyes spilled over. “In the vision, her captors said they had to keep her alive for now, but she is terribly injured.”
Captive? Was that even possible? I mean, Okalani was the strongest teleporter I’d ever even heard of. I knew she could teleport through shields. What could possibly hold her?
I should have known Hiwahiwa would be listening to my thoughts. I simply had to learn shielding if I was going to spend any time on this island.
“There was a demon.”
I didn’t know what to say. Demons. They are the worst of the monsters. Fully evil, frighteningly intelligent, and literally hell-bent on the absolute destruction of humanity. I’ve run into them before, even had one specifically targeting me for special attention. There is nothing in this world that is worse. Then again, they’re not from this world—they have their own dimension. They can only come through here and wreak havoc when invited. And still, bad as they are, dangerous and evil as they are, there are idiots who will call them up. With the right protections, they can sometimes be trapped within a casting circle. But get one thing wrong … I shuddered, my flesh crawling with goose bumps.
Emma had been captured and abused with the aid of a demon. Her father and brother had betrayed me in order to save her. In the end, I’d helped them willingly. We saved her, got her out. But she’d had to have the memories magically wiped to stay sane.
“I’m so sorry.” I was. More than I could say. Because Okalani wasn’t just in physical jeopardy. She’d done things that could damn her soul. Unless something was done, she could be the demon’s plaything for all eternity. I didn’t know if hell was real, but souls most certainly were and demons could claim them, leaving the body an empty shell. I’ve been told by priests that it’s worse than death.
“So am I.” Hiwahiwa was actually wringing her hands. “Laka is … not right. It’s as if she’s lost her mind. The doctors have her sedated.”
I could see that. How bad would it be, knowing the child that you loved was in such danger and that there was absolutely nothing you could do to save her? Worse, Laka probably blamed herself. Although there was no way she could’ve stopped this from happening.
“Princess, before she passed out, Laka gave me a message for you. In the vision the men controlling the demon were talking. They said that you had been captured, that they were going to use cameras to film them feeding you to that thing and broadcast it on the Internet.”
I managed to make it to the bathroom before I threw up.
I took a few minutes to clean up, brush my teeth, and try to pull my thoughts together. It was hard to do. My emotions kept getting in the way—foremost among them panic. I forced myself to take deep, soothing breaths. I could do this. There were no demons here, now. I was fine. The future isn’t set in stone. Every choice we make can cause changes, ripples in time and reality. Visions show probabilities, not facts. Even Vicki, who had been one of the most powerful clairvoyants born, had admitted that. This could change. I could change it. Sometimes, just the knowing of the future is the changing event.
When I managed to get myself under control, I went back into the living room. I found Hiwahiwa standing at the French doors, looking out at the ocean.
She spoke without turning around. “I’m sorry for my indiscretion, Princess. I shouldn’t have upset you. You won’t be able to save her. No one can. Her body is broken. She will … die.” Her voice broke on the last word. She gave a harsh gasp. “But she repented what she did. She was trying to make it right. If you kill her … her soul…” Hiwahiwa couldn’t finish the sentence.
Her soul might be saved? Maybe. I didn’t know. I’m not religious. I’ve had exorcisms performed on me to remove demon taint. I’ve received last rites from a warrior priest, even though I’m not Catholic. I�
�ve had rabbis, imans, and monks pray over me. I didn’t know for certain if Hiwahiwa was right. Redemption is a tricky thing. But I believe in God. I believe he/she forgives us if we truly regret our sins and try to make amends. I believe. But I don’t know.
“Please, Princess. If you get the chance, please.” I tried to stop her, but Hiwahiwa actually dropped to her knees, begging. “You have to kill Okalani.”
How could I say this without insulting her? “Hiwahiwa, I wasn’t raised here. I’m not a siren by birth. I was raised in California, to American standards. Honor killings are still murder there. Suicide is a crime in many states, no matter the reason. Please understand that because of my beliefs, which are every bit as important to me as your beliefs are to you and Laka, I cannot … will not intentionally take a life unless I’m trying to save my own or someone else’s.”
She stared at me for a long time. I let my mind go blank, just feeling the pain I knew she was feeling, both at Okalani’s situation and the choice I had to make. Finally, she stood, smoothed her lavalava, bowed her head as she’d been trained to do when in the presence of royalty, and backed away until she could turn and leave. Not a word was spoken, but I could hear heart-breaking sobs erupt from her on the other side of the door after it had closed.
Crap.
I sat and got more and more bummed the longer I was alone. After nearly an hour of wallowing, since I was already depressed, I tried calling my gran.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my gran. She’s good and kind—but hardheaded as hell. When my mom disappeared into the bottle and started sleeping around, Gran was the one who made sure there were groceries in the house, that Ivy and I made it to school. She’s been a font of love and wisdom my whole life. But at the same time, she’s always enabled my mother’s drinking. It was her car my mother was driving the last two times she was picked up for drunk driving. Now my mom was in prison on Serenity, and she’d made it very clear she never wants to see me again. She cut me out of her life, and I’m all for it. But that destroyed my relationship with Gran, who blames me.
But Gran isn’t the only one who is stubborn in the family. I keep trying, keep hoping that we can work something out. Besides, what with the press coverage of all the bullets and bombs, she had to be worried. Maybe this time she’d take my call.
“Hello?” The voice on the line sounded both older and feebler than I remembered. My grandmother had always been a ball of fire, with enough energy for two people twice her size. Not today. That, more than anything, frightened me.
“Gran, it’s me.”
“Celia! Oh thank God! Sweetie, are you all right? I’ve been watching the news. They said you were all right, but…”
“I’m fine, Gran.” Tears stung my eyes at the sound of her voice, hearing the words that made it clear she really did still care. I tried to pull myself together as my grandmother said soothing things to me.
“I love you so much, Gran. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, sweetheart.” There were tears in her voice now; I could hear the thickness in her words.
“I was wondering … would you maybe like to have dinner when I get back to the mainland? We can go wherever you want. My treat.”
“On the mainland? Where are you?” Her voice was odd. It was the tone of voice she always used when she’d done something that she knew I wouldn’t approve of, usually something for my mother. Hearing that was oddly reassuring in an “oh shit, here we go again” sort of way. It gave me something familiar to cling to.
I forced lightness into my voice that I didn’t really feel. “I’m on Serenity for the wedding. I’m the maid of honor, if you can believe that.”
“Serenity? Oh.” Now she definitely sounded weird. And worried. “Well, I’m sure they’re keeping you much too busy to see me. You’re probably staying in the royal compound, too, what with security being so tight. Most of the restaurants are on the other side of the island.”
Okay, that had me totally confused. Yeah, I was on Serenity. But Gran has a lovely apartment in an assisted living facility in Santa Maria. “Gran, what are you talking about?”
“Serenity, of course. Didn’t Dawna tell you? I sublet my place on the mainland and moved here so that I could see your mother more often without having to make a long, expensive trip.”
What the hell? No, Dawna hadn’t told me. Of course, her grandmother might not have told her. Or Dawna might have lost track, what with all her own wedding stuff going on.
I made myself sound cheerful as I said, “Well, now we’ve just got to get together. After all, I’m already here. Have you been to the compound? It’s amazing. You really should see the place. We can have a good, long visit.”
“Oh, I’d like that. I really would.” She sounded as if she meant it, but I could still hear a little thread of something fishy in her voice. Whatever it was, I’d find out when I saw her. Gran has never been able to keep a secret, and unlike my mother and me, she’s dispositionally incapable of being sneaky. “I’ll check to see when the shuttle runs out there.”
Okay, that wasn’t good. Normally she’d be having me drive her. Why didn’t she want me to see where she lived? I opened my mouth to say something, but she was babbling, trying to make sure I didn’t get the chance to ask any pointed questions.
“And honey, I want you to know how proud I am of you. My grandbaby, in a royal wedding! It’s so exciting. You’ll have to tell me all about it. I can’t wait to see the dress you’ll be wearing. I bet you’ll look so pretty.”
“Thanks. I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, it’ll take me a little time to work out the details, but I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Okay?”
“You do that, honey, you do that. I love you, baby.”
“Love you, too.”
I hung up the phone with mixed emotions: Love, frustration, and worry mingled with happiness at having actually heard her voice for the first time in months. My gran is a good woman. She isn’t perfect, but who is? But she was hiding something—probably something about my mother. I was going to find out what it was.
21
“I’m supposed to be guarding you.” I kept my tone light and pleasant, but inside I was seething as I sat in Queen Lopaka’s office, having a “brief conversation” with my cousin. Adriana had begun using her mother’s office when Queen Chiyoko arrived; I bet that had been a calculated move, to prevent Chiyoko from going through Lopaka’s things and to keep people from getting used to seeing Chiyoko in Lopaka’s place.
Adriana had practically begged for my help when we’d had lunch on her yacht. Now I kept getting shunted aside. First she’d left me behind to get the dresses. Then she’d said that I wouldn’t be needed today as she’d be in meetings and a state dinner. Tomorrow, because she’d be in meetings all day, she suggested I go shopping. Shopping, for God’s sake. What the hell? It was worse than annoying. It was insulting.
I know, and I am sorry. But none of the prophets, myself included, sees any threat to me this evening, and I would rather not have … tension between you and those previously assigned to guard me.
Tension? I hadn’t been tense, but now I was getting that way. Was there some sort of political pissing matching going on among the security agents? Because that’s the surest recipe for betrayal.
Celia, please? For me? I do understand how you feel. But it was hard enough convincing my regular bodyguards you were needed on the mainland. We used the excuse that you had actual experience with monsters. But we are on Serenity now.…
I saved your life on the mainland, and it wasn’t from monsters.
She sighed. Yes, you did. And it made the others look bad. They died and you survived.
I suddenly put two and two together. Which made things worse. There was only your word, and mine, that the gunmen killed the guards.
I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but yes.
That is so stupid. But typical. People don’t rise to the level of bodyguarding members of a royal family
without drive and ambition. Pride rides right along with those. No doubt some of the agents were just fine with me. And some of them weren’t. Their skill was being called into question. How could it not be? Probably the same thing was happening with Dahlmar’s people. Miller & Creede would definitely make all but the best look bad.
Adriana was trying to soothe the wounded pride of both loyalists and detractors. I let out a slow breath. So long as it doesn’t actually put you at risk, who am I to argue? We need your people on their game and at their best, not distracted by petty bullshit. I guess I can be big about it. Fine. I’ll shop. I’m going to need a couple more lavalavas anyway. And it’ll give me a chance to check in on my gran.
She nearly collapsed in relief. I understand rock and hard place. Been there. Thank you. Truly.
I shrugged. Whatever. But you realize that this is making me totally useless.
Her face actually showed surprise at this. No! That’s not true at all. You saved my life and that of my mother on the mainland. A couple of sentences from you in the back of the limousine has discomfited my mother’s greatest rival more effectively than all of my reasoned arguments. You have been far more helpful than even I’d imagined you could be—and you don’t know our culture all that well.
I blinked at that. I had?
Adriana stood and walked to the window, keeping her back to me. Her hands were clasped lightly behind her back; for all appearances to anyone watching, she wasn’t meeting with anyone at all. Celia, I am not fond of Queen Chiyoko. I can admit that. But I am coming to believe that she actually is trying to do what she believes is right for our people. She believes you would be a disaster on the throne and that my mother needs a true heir, one steeped in our traditions and beliefs, who can rule our people.
Well, she was right about that. Especially after hearing some of their “traditions and beliefs.” Well, I’m definitely not your girl. I can’t even get the support of your freaking bodyguards.