by S. J. West
“But you didn’t,” Malcolm reminds me.
“Only because you stopped me,” I say, realizing it’s the truth.
I would have killed Lorcan if Malcolm hadn’t intervened when he did. My soul screamed for me to spill his blood while I had my hand around his throat and completely helpless to stop me. And…what would have been the harm in killing him? It probably would have saved us a lot of trouble later on. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I could have snuffed out his puny little life like I would a bug on the bottom of my shoe. He was nothing, and I could have turned him into that with just one thought. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to take pride in my newly acquired powers, but how could I not? I was becoming the most powerful person on Earth and with each additional seal I retrieved, that power would grow exponentially.
“Anna…”
Malcolm’s simple calling of my name brings me out of my reverie. I look up at him and see the concern on his face.
“What were you just thinking about?” He asks me.
“I was thinking about how powerful I am,” I admit. “And how powerful I will become.”
“Being the most formidable person in the world means nothing if you don’t keep control of it,” Malcolm tells me. “My greatest worry is that it will slowly take control of you without you even realizing it.”
“I can handle it,” I say with confidence. “I won’t let it manipulate me.”
“I think it might already be testing you, Anna. Like you said, the only reason you didn't kill Lorcan was because I stopped you.”
“And why did you?” I ask. “You know as well as I do that it’s dangerous to have him in control of Stratus.”
“And like you told him, we’ll be keeping an eye on him and what he does.”
“But it would have saved us a lot of trouble if I had just killed him then and allowed Kyna to rule Stratus.”
“That time may come in the future, but for the moment we need to concentrate on your mission. Abaddon understands how powerful you are now. He won’t try to go against you anytime soon. Right now, he isn’t a threat. If he becomes one, I won’t stop you from killing him.”
I sigh heavily because I’m becoming tired of the conversation.
“I should go see Kyna,” I say, changing the subject.
“Not until I stitch up this gash,” Malcolm says, pulling out a drawer in the vanity where a medical kit is stored.
It only takes Malcolm a few minutes to stitch up my wound and bandage it. We both change into casual clothing before heading downstairs to find Kyna. If I know Millie at all, I suspect she has Kyna in the kitchen eating freshly baked cookies and drinking a glass full of cold milk. It was Millie’s idea of comfort food, and I have to admit it always worked on me.
We do indeed find Kyna and the others down in the kitchen enjoying milk and cookies. Kyna has taken off her gold feather jacket and veiled crown, allowing her wavy red hair to flow freely past her bare shoulders. Everyone is sitting with her at the table except for Brutus. For some reason, he’s keeping his distance from her as he stands leaned up against the doorframe.
As Malcolm and I reach him, I touch his shoulder to draw his attention.
“Thank you for catching her,” I tell him. “I should have known Lorcan would try to ruin the moment.”
“I didn’t keep my eyes off of her the entire fight,” Brutus tells me. “With someone like him, you never know what he might do out of spite.”
“Why aren’t you sitting with her?” I ask in a whisper.
“It's too soon,” he says with a small shake of his head. “She needs some time to get used to her new circumstances. I’m in no hurry.”
“You angels and your self-restraint,” I say with a smile of appreciation.
“Years of practice,” Brutus replies with a grin.
I squeeze Brutus’ arm for reassurance before walking over to the table.
When Kyna sees me, I see tears cloud her sparkling emerald green eyes. She stands from her chair, walks over to me, and wraps her arms around me with a strength I wouldn’t have thought someone of her slight stature would possess.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” she says, a small sob in her voice. “No one else had the gumption to stand up to him even though they knew what he was trying to do was wrong.”
I hug Kyna back hoping the action will bring her some sense of security.
“There’s no way I would have just stood back and let him do that to you, Kyna.”
Kyna pulls back from me, and I see that her tears are falling freely now.
“But you don’t even know me, Anna. We only met a couple of times in our lives. Why would you risk your life for me?”
“We could have never met before, and I would have acted the same way,” I tell her. “Sometimes you just have to stand up for what you believe is right and fight those who would take advantage of their power over people. Lorcan was abusing his authority and had to be put into his place.”
Kyna drops her arms from me and wipes away the tears on her face.
“I always knew you were strong,” she says to me. “Even when we were children, you always held yourself in a way that made us all want to be around you.”
“I did?” I ask. As an adult, I heard people mention the aura I had that naturally drew them to me, but I didn’t realize it was present while I was a child.
Kyna nods. “Yes, you did. Jered and Desmond were telling me about your plans to reform how the cloud cities rule the down-world. I want to do what I can to help you, if you’ll let me.”
I smile. “Absolutely. We’ll need all the help we can get to make a difference. Though, it might take the rest of our lives to make it long lasting.”
“I’m in it for a long haul,” Kyna pledges. “I’ve never approved of the way we’ve treated them.”
“I know,” I tell her. “Desmond told me you tried to send down supplies to your own down-world when you could. Unfortunately, that can only do so much. We have to find a way to make sure they’re able to keep what they need to have a better life, but still provide the people in the cloud cities what they need to survive, not just what they want. I think we should to do away with the law that prevents down-worlders from having access to our technology. I don’t think it serves a purpose anymore. We need to help them learn how to use the technological advances we have to help improve their lives.”
“I agree,” Kyna says. “Just let me know what I can do to help.”
“I will,” I assure her.
I see Kyna’s eyes glance in Brutus’ direction behind me before she leans in towards me and whispers, “Why does your friend keep staring at me? He hasn’t said much since he saved me from the fall.”
“I think he might be a bit smitten with you,” I whisper back.
I see a rosy hue dapple Kyna’s cheeks at my remark.
“Really?” She says, glancing briefly at Brutus with renewed interest. “There is something about him, isn’t there?”
“Yes, there is,” I agree.
I still find it curious that Kyna simply acts interested in Brutus and not head over heels in love with him. I make a note to myself to ask Malcolm about the discrepancy between her reaction to her soulmate and mine.
“Do you happen to have some clothes I can borrow?” Kyna asks me. “I really don’t want to wear this stupid dress Lorcan made me wear any longer than I have to.”
“I’m sure we can find something for you to put on,” I say, wrapping one of my arms around hers. “Let’s go raid my wardrobe.”
I begin to walk out of the room with Kyna by my side. When we pass Brutus, I see Kyna glance in his direction and bestow upon my friend a glorious smile. Brutus looks almost shy at her notice of him and lowers his eyes for a second as a pleased grin stretches his lips, and he looks back at her.
I give Kyna a brief tour of the house while we make our way up to my old bedroom.
“I’ll be moving my things into Malcolm’s room now that we’re married,” I tell her. �
��So you can have this room for your own personal space while you stay with us.”
“I don’t want to be a burden,” she begins to protest.
“Don’t even think of it that way,” I tell her. “You’re our honored guest for as long as you want to be.”
Kyna and I go through the clothes in my closet, and she settles on a dark blue V-neck sweater, a pair of dark grey slacks, and some comfortable slippers.
“We can get you some clothes of your own tomorrow,” I tell her. “In the meantime, wear whatever you want of mine.”
“Thank you,” Kyna says, hugging me again before pulling back. “You know, this is the first time I’ve felt safe since my parents died.”
“Were the rumors true?” I ask, curiosity getting the better of me. “Did Lorcan orchestrate their deaths? It seemed like a strange coincidence to all of us that they would die in a freak accident at the same exact time.”
“I never found any definitive proof, but yes I believe he murdered them,” Kyna says in disgust. “If I can prove it, I can petition to have him imprisoned and take control of Stratus like my parents wanted.”
I want to tell Kyna that her brother isn’t really her brother anymore, but I know now isn’t the time to bring her into the fold of secrecy that we live under. I’m not sure when we will, but I know it’s a decision we’ll all need to make together. Right now, she just needs to adjust to the new circumstances of her life.
“I’m sorry he killed your parents,” I tell her. “I grew up without a mother and now Auggie has banished my father. So, I sort of know what you’re going through.”
“I heard rumors that your mother died during childbirth here in the down-world. Is that true?”
I nod. “Yes. She did die giving birth to me.”
“I’m so sorry,” Kyna says. “My parents weren’t the best, but they were mine. I can’t imagine how different my life would have been without my mother’s presence in my life. I’m sure if your mother could see you now she would be proud of the person you’ve become. You’re a natural born leader, Anna. You’ll do great things during your reign.”
“Thanks,” I tell her. “I hope you’re right.”
“I don’t have a single doubt,” Kyna says with a lift of her chin. “And I plan to help you as much as you’ll let me.”
When Kyna is ready, we walk out of the room and see Brutus walking towards us down the hallway. I wondered how long he would make himself wait before coming after his woman. I understood the strength of the bond between soulmates. Honestly, I was surprised he held himself back for this long.
“Princess Kyna,” Brutus says.
“Please, just call me Kyna, Brutus,” Kyna says graciously. “I think you earned that right after saving my life. Thank you for that by the way.”
Brutus grins. “It was my pleasure, Kyna. I thought you might like to see the horses in the stables.” Brutus looks over at me. “Malcolm and the others would like to have a word with you in the sitting room, Anna.”
“Thank you for telling me.” I turn to Kyna. “Why don’t you go with Brutus? You can see the new Arabian Jered gave me for a wedding gift.”
Kyna looks slightly confused. “I thought you were still married to Auggie? But you’ve mentioned being married to Malcolm twice now.”
“Legally, I am still married to Auggie,” I tell her. “Mostly just so I can keep my status as Empress of Cirrus. But my heart belongs to Malcolm, and we made our vows to each other last night in front of our friends and family. To me, he’s my real husband.”
“What happened to Auggie, Anna?” Kyna asks, looking baffled. “He used to be so kind.”
“He used to be a totally different person,” I say, not speaking a lie but unable to tell her the whole truth about the change in Auggie just yet. “He’s a monster now, and I have to find a way to take control of Cirrus away from him.”
“I wish you luck in that endeavor. I know from my own experience how hard it can be to do.”
Kyna returns her attention to Brutus. When she does, her face lights up with a smile, and there’s a special twinkle in her eyes as she walks to stand beside him.
“I would love to see the horses now,” she says to him.
Brutus holds out a crooked arm for her to take, and they begin to walk down the hallway away from me.
I stand and watch them until they begin to descend the staircase to the first floor, hoping to give them a little space and private time with one another. I would love nothing more than to witness the two of them flourish in their new relationship.
As I walk down the hallway, something draws me to my mother’s room. I stare at the painted door for a moment before I walk inside and find the person I expected to find there.
Lucifer stands by the window looking out towards the courtyard.
“I heard what you did to Abaddon,” he says before turning to face me. “Did you really have to humiliate him like that in front of his people, Anna?”
I close the door to the room behind me and walk over to stand in front of him.
“He needed to be taught a lesson,” I reply. “I doubt you would have even given him a chance to live if you had been in my position.”
“No, I wouldn’t have,” Lucifer says succinctly. “I would have killed him. Now his hatred for you will fester, and he’ll find a way to make you pay for what you did.”
I sigh because I know he’s right, but I really don’t want to argue about it.
“Since you phased directly to her room, I assume you used to visit my mother here when she was still alive.”
“I’ve been here before,” he tells me, as his eyes are drawn to the bed. “The last time was the night you were born. I can still remember…”
Lucifer phases before he can finish his sentence. I can see by his phase trail that he went directly to Hell, but I know it wasn’t of his own free will.
Within the blackness of his phase trail stands a solitary figure, Helena. Her mocking smile seems to be daring me to come and find out what she’s doing to Lucifer.
I really hate bullies.
And I’ll be damned if I allow her to torture my father against his will.
Chapter 16
When I phase into Hell, I find Lucifer sitting on the bench completely covered in a thin layer of snow that’s just beginning to accumulate on him. His eyes look glazed over like his mind is locked inside a nightmare that he’s unable to awaken from. I look over my shoulder to see what he’s staring at and see the exterior of a quaint two-story home with a façade composed of a mixture of river rocks and wood siding. I hear angry shouts come from the interior of the house and instantly recognize the voices as belonging to Lucifer and my mother. It’s night time, and I can see their silhouettes through the curtained window of one of the upstairs’ rooms.
“They’re fighting about you, of course,” I hear Helena say.
I look behind the bench and see her standing there looking quite pleased with herself. She’s still wearing her red sequined dress. Her long blonde hair is perfectly coifed as it hangs over her right shoulder.
“Lucifer wanted Amalie to abort you when they figured out you were killing her,” Helena tells me. “But your mother was stubborn and wouldn’t even listen to his pleas for her to get rid of the monster growing inside her.”
“I already know this,” I say, not needing to be reminded of the fact that my birth killed my mother. It was a truth I had lived with all my life. Intellectually, I understood there was nothing I could have done to prevent her death, but emotionally such a guilt never quite leaves you even when reason says otherwise.
Helena smiles. “Well, here’s your chance to learn the facts and not just what you were told.”
“Lucifer,” I hear my mother say behind me, forcing me to turn around to face the scene inside the house in living color.
My mother is lying in a bed already looking on the edge of death. Her eyes are ringed with dark circles, and her skin is as pale as the white sheets she's laying under
. She doesn’t look that far along in her pregnancy because there’s barely a bump on her belly. Lucifer is pacing back and forth beside the bed, clearly agitated.
“Lucifer,” my mother says again, finally drawing his attention, “stop fighting me on this. There’s no point.”
Lucifer stops pacing and stares at my mother like she’s completely lost her mind.
“She’s killing you, Amalie!” He shouts, as if the volume of what he’s saying will help her understand his words better. “How can you just lie there and let it happen? We don’t need a child to make us complete. We’re perfect just the way we are.”
“I will not murder my own baby,” my mother says fiercely, even though I can see that each word is costing her precious energy to say. “You can’t ask that of me, Lucifer. Not if you truly love me as much as you profess to. You of all people should understand me well enough to know I could never kill my own flesh and blood.”
“I can ask it of you and I will!” Lucifer bellows. “You say you would be murdering her, but isn’t that what she’s doing to you? Every moment you let that thing grow inside you is a moment of life that you will never get back.”
“She didn’t ask to be born into this world,” my mother argues. “We are the ones who created her. How can you even think about destroying a child that’s half you and half me, Lucifer? She was conceived out of the greatest love I’ve ever known in my life. Why would you want to kill something so beautiful?”
Lucifer walks up to the bed and sits down beside my mother.
“I can ask because if I lose you, I lose myself, Amalie,” Lucifer says, looking on the edge of desperation. “You are dooming me to live in a world where you don’t exist anymore. If you truly love me, you won’t leave me to suffer the rest of my life without you.”
“And if you truly love me, you won’t keep asking me to kill our baby for selfish reasons.”
Lucifer takes one of my mother’s frail hands into his, bringing it up to his lips.
“Please, Amalie. I’ll find you a dozen babies to raise as your own. I’ll do anything you ask. But please, abort this child before she takes you away from me. I can’t survive in this world without you.”