A Lady of the Realm (House of DeDe)

by Sharon E Mamolo

  I stomped on the ground furiously. I never did get a chance to ask about the damn contract. I knew how Realm contracts worked, generally speaking, but I didn’t know what Sasha had put on paper.

  “How’d you manage to escape from where he had you?” Malachi asked with a grin.

  I didn’t answer. I was practically running towards the car. He continued, “You signed the dog’s death warrant when she helped you. You need extensive tutoring on the laws. Did Ian tell you anything useful?”

  “Ian?” I asked shocked. How did he know about Ian when I had just found out hours ago?

  “Your cousin, I believe. Let me guess; you shouldn’t trust Sasha?”

  We had reached the house by then, and the car was right where it was supposed to be. I clicked the safety, and the sound of the locks popping open seemed loud. Climbing into the driver seat, Malachi slid in on the opposite side after helping Peaches into the back.

  “Think you could explain something in easy to follow words?” The beginnings of a headache was pounding away behind my eyes. I could use some vodka, but I was using Sasha’s car. I didn’t feel like explaining shit, let alone sweet talk or threaten my way out of inquiries.

  I could hear the smile in Malachi’s voice as he spoke. “Not likely. Sasha likes you, Beth, don’t overthink the board.”

  He said nothing further as I processed the information. Sasha liked me. For an elf to like a person was a big thing. My status was unimportant because no one knew my true understanding with the elf. I could go with that.

  “I’m not his possession.” I wanted to make sure he knew that. Whatever else happened tonight, I wasn’t about to allow that misconception to live another second.

  Malachi tapped on the armrest as he digested my tart words.

  “You are, Beth, you’re his allodial. You must play your cards carefully if you wish otherwise. Why are you cross?”

  Cross? I’d like to see how calm, rational and collective he would be if someone he trusted tied him up. I smiled grimly, switching the subject to an innocuous detail he’d mentioned.

  “You know, the only one I need protection from is him. Tell me how to achieve that, half-breed.” I sighed deeply as I turned the corner. “I know about the Lilith agenda. He didn’t have to put on such an elaborate ruse.”

  “Beth...”

  I turned to look at him more closely. He had his head down; his hands held loosely on his lap. He glanced up; his eyes smoldering deeply as he stared into mine.

  “You’re going to do well in Court.” He shook his head slightly and continued. “We need to discuss the contract with your name on it.”

  Clenching my eyes briefly from the pain pounding behind them, I hissed softly. “Yeah, I know, Malachi, but not tonight. I’ve got other things on my mind.” I said concentrating on the road.

  He laughed as he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s what I like about you guys with human blood. Is it always one thing at a time?”

  “Do you guys jump from subject to subject like hotcakes?”

  “Summer solstice is fast approaching.”

  The pounding was increasing. I didn’t like talking to non-humans when my head ached. It took effort to keep up with their wandering thoughts. I licked my lips and swallowed.

  “I know exactly when it is.” I had it marked on several calendars in my place and at Sasha’s. I wasn’t subtle about the convention. I wanted to go, to claim my title.

  “You don’t have much time.”

  I squinted my eyes, shaking my head slightly. This wasn’t something I wanted to think of. Politics was such a tedious subject. Right now, I wanted to resolve the Sasha question. The guy I thought was a friend. I shouldn’t think so much. My head began to throb.

  “Not tonight,” I said absently as I reached out one more time with my mind.

  “Of course” he said.

  “Good.”

  I was drawn to Malachi just as I was drawn to Sasha. Again, the feeling had intensified lately, and I didn’t understand why. It wasn’t exactly romantic. It was partly lustful. What I felt was a yearning to be with him. It wasn’t the wasting feeling I often felt with Sasha. Peaches, sensing my mood, was grumbling in the back seat about not trusting anything with fairy blood.

  As I pulled around the corner of the last city block, I groaned in disgust. Why was it that all occurrences happened at St Louis Cemetery Number 1, as if there were no other cemeteries in the city? I stopped the car outside the large iron gates and turned the engine off. The night was abnormally quiet for the city. I couldn’t even hear the reliable sirens in the background. Malachi gripped my upper arm; I turned around, staring into his vibrant eyes.

  “I can walk with you a little farther.”

  His eyes did that smoldering thing again, and he leaned forward. He kissed me on the forehead softly. My hand came up of its own volition to stroke his face gingerly. Ahhh. I could get used to this kind of attention.

  My breath came out in a soft exhale. His eyes glittered, but he kept still. Peaches was growling in the back seat, or maybe she was having a difficult time breathing; it was hard to tell. He spoke first, his breath coming out soft and warm on my flushed face.

  “Shall we?”

  I nodded, unwilling to say anything. Peaches stumbled behind, keeping up despite our brisk pace.

  I knew which way I had to go. Malachi’s presence was reassuring, and I leaned further towards him. As we walked, I felt increasing pressure on my legs and chest with each step. Malachi stopped, his eyes slitting slightly as he turned me around to face him.

  “This is as far as I may go, though the bitch can follow, she’s yours.”

  He touched my face with his hand and gently kissed each cheek. He looked at my necklace and grinned.

  “Good luck, I’ll see you soon.”

  “Will you now?” I asked.

  “But of course. I’ll be home waiting.”

  “Give me your number, half-breed,” I demanded.

  He cocked his head and eyed me skeptically. “Why?”

  I smiled. “I’m taking a vacation.”

  He grinned. “Ah duckie, I do love your sense of justice. Let’s say I wait for your next move.”

  He dug in his pocket and retrieved a business card, which he handed me.

  “My cell number is on it. Might I suggest you memorize it before the night’s over, just in case. Or give it to the bitch to memorize for you.”

  The business card was heavy. Beige cream recycled paper emblazoned with a burgundy script font. It read Lord Malachi, House of Blaine. The cell phone number was a 504 number, local. The firm associated with him was one I’d heard of too. It advertised in all the papers. Generous bleeding hearts with the huge donations they made to just about everything in the city. I looked up.

  “If I lose this, can I find you at the office? I mean can they find you for me?” I asked as I slipped the card into my back pocket to join the number on the book of matches.

  He cocked his head and nodded before he answered.

  “Of course, luv.”

  He bowed low, turned around swiftly and vanished in a burst of purple color. Peaches immediately began her tirade.

  “Whatever else might be going on my Lady, you can’t trust that swine. You can’t trust anything with fairy blood, especially him. Neither the fairies nor the elves trust him and that says a lot about a man. The outsiders don’t trust him but of course, they don’t trust anyone. The vampires are scared of him. The shifters don’t acknowledge him, scared of his power they are. The only two who acknowledge him openly are Lord Alek and Lord Caius. Both of those are rumored to have corrupt blood by all accounts. I tell you m’lady, the truth is a concept that he isn’t familiar with.”

  I stopped in my tracks, exasperated by the obvious prejudice.

  “I don’t want to hear this. I can make up my own opinion. Some people are just misunderstood.”

  Peaches stilled and sat on her haunches as she stared up into my eyes.
“There’s a difference between misunderstood and a person only showing a mask,” she said I ignored the dog. I liked Malachi and didn’t care for her attitude concerning him. I turned towards the pull, disgusted with everything about tonight. I was going to find the no—good elf.

  Chapter Eleven: Divorce

  I followed the irresistible tug. Like a puppet on strings, I moved soundlessly in the deserted cemetery against my common sense. He had no notion I was there. If he did, his essence would’ve changed. I crept closer, wondering out loud if Lilith could detect my presence.

  “She doesn’t. She’s all into her conversation.”

  Supersonic hearing. Great. Maybe it’ll come in handy in the future. I stopped as I rounded the corner of a crypt; the spokes around the tomb looked ominous in the moonlight that filtered through the oak trees. I finally saw them. Their voices carried on the still night air.

  “‘Tis time we get on with what we came to do. I have other engagements tonight.”

  Lilith walked away from Sasha, clearly upset by his words but trying valiantly to conceal it from him.

  “It didn’t have to be this way, Alek. You’ve lost yourself.” She sighed deeply and turned around to face him again, her face blank and smooth. “Take that witch for instance. You go to such an extreme for what?” she asked with no hatred in her voice, just understanding.

  “You know nothing of the situation,” Sasha answered.

  “She’s using you,” she said, raising her hand up and towards him as if to take his in a moment of compassion.

  Sasha took a step back, hissing, “Lilith, what I do is of no concern to you.”

  “But you need me.” The pain behind her words was indescribable. It clutched at my heart, wrung my conscious, and filled my eyes with tears. For a split second, I actually felt sorry for her. Sasha felt pity. I could hear it when he spoke.

  “That was a long time ago.”

  Lilith pointed into the distance as she spoke. “We still have time.”

  I heard the smile in Sasha’s voice as he answered. “Let’s draw our swords. I’m not leaving tonight the loser.”

  He extended his hand towards two shining swords embedded in a mound of deep green moss. Lilith moved forward and grabbed one with obvious anger, hefting it in her hand. Sasha grabbed the other with steely determination in his demeanor.

  “As you wish, Lord Alek,” Lilith sneered.

  They bowed their heads and started towards each other in a stance. Peaches’ constant chatter was at least informative.

  “It’s the ancient battle stance. There are rules of engagement depending on the proceeding. For a divorce like the one Lord Alek requested, they must both follow a certain etiquette. The swords will make sure that neither breaks the rules. They have until first light to finish or they both forfeit their lives. That’s only happened once.”

  Unbelievable that it could happen at all. From what I saw, they were most definitely trying to kill each other. I had once taken a fancy to fencing after watching my first Olympics. I should’ve realized that most of the competitors were shifters of some sort with inhuman speed and coordination. I quickly realized that I had no chance of mimicking the graceful flow and movements of the sport. Watching the two beings battle for their lives gave me a deep respect for the sword. I wouldn’t last a minute in combat.

  They parried and lunged at inhuman speed, the metal clanking musically and sparks flying from their exchange. The clearing was void of all sound except for the clash of metal and the occasional grunts when one or the other got a good blow in.

  Their bodies glistened as they danced to their own beat in the moonlight. The smooth marble—like muscles rippled sinuously with every supernatural move. Their blood, so much blood, flew in big heavy jewel like drops with each swing of the swords. Sweat, dirt, and blood matted Sasha’s golden red hair against his neck. The grime made him look like a deranged berserker from another time.

  I gradually became aware of the other voices around me but was instantly assured that they were all ‘other’ voices. Peaches was bringing them up to speed with what had happened. Her smug tone conveyed how much she was enjoying the limelight. The cacophony of voices was in my head. I was going to have to figure out how to tune them out as soon as I had a chance.

  I continued staring at the bodies going back and forth in the clearing. Sasha’s swift, snake—like, movement caught Lilith by surprise. He tripped her with his sword as she came flying towards him. She went sprawling, her hands flinging forward to catch herself lest she do a face plant. She shouldn’t have wasted the effort because before she finished grunting out an oath, Sasha kicked her in her face with all the force he could muster.

  The sound of the impact, his foot against her face, was like rock on rock. She was motionless for several seconds as he stood over her, his chest heaving in and out from rage. He turned her over, the sword poised above her throat for the final plunge.

  I could feel his anger from where I hid. It boiled over, scalded the air, and tinted my sight. He kicked Lilith in the face one more time, a howl of rage erupting from his lungs. Blood flew out of the corner of her mouth, a thin arc of red liquid. She wiped it with one hand, her eyes sparkling gold.

  In one quick fluid motion Lilith’s head was severed. I was in shock, the animals stunned, and Sasha enraged. He stepped back roaring in anger.

  “No one may interfere; those are the rules,” Sasha yelled at the top of his lungs. I stumbled back, falling onto my knees in pain. Peaches whined softly in my ear, concerned.

  An omnipresent voice came from everywhere at once filling me with dread. I was sure that my presence was no mystery to the owner of that voice.

  “I believe the correct response is thank you.”

  I still couldn’t tell who the owner of the voice was. For some reason, when I looked towards the area where he was supposed to be, the air shimmered bright blue and indistinctly.

  “Damn it, Sigmund, what are you doing here?”

  “A favor to your shadow. We don’t need any blood on your hands, Sasha,” he said.

  “Let them interrogate me, Sigmund. I win every time. Besides, I’ve been waiting over two hundred years to slice Lilith in two,” he said.

  “Is that why you hesitated?”

  Sasha’s sword vanished from his hands as he continued to shake his head. He grimaced and swiped his hand across his forehead.

  “I was merely savoring the moment.”

  A hollowed laugh filled the cemetery. The indistinct person turned, and he seemed to be looking at me. Sasha turned towards my direction; it was then that he finally noticed my presence.

  “My, my … and here I thought Malachi was giving me a tall tale in order to help you two out of a mess,” the indistinct person said.

  Sasha smiled coldly. “No tale, sir,” he said.

  “And the spitfire is a Lady?”

  “Not just a Lady, she’s the DeDe heir, my allodial,” Sasha said.

  The light burned brighter, intensified and settled. A man stood in front of Sasha in a neon green suit. He had on dark sunglasses, which he took off to look at me better. He gave me a smile but spoke to Sasha.

  “A Lady in name only I wager. I want the job. Call me when it’s time, young man.”

  “Yes, sir,” Sasha said crisply.

  The man bowed and disappeared in a bubble of hilarity. I blinked a couple of times but there was nothing more to see. Nothing, that is, but Sasha’s bloody body standing in the dim light waiting for me.

  Chapter Twelve: A Break

  Sasha walked slowly towards me in predatory grace. Every unconscious tick of his muscles promised lethality. His steps were soundless upon the greenery of the cemetery ground. An actual smile played across his features, which were thankfully, unmarred from the fight. New scars were forming along his right bicep as I watched with academic fascination.

  Lilith was dead. The only sure way to kill any member of another race was decapitation. The French peasants had it correct when
they went for the guillotine as a means of execution.

  He had no idea I knew what had occurred between them prior to shimmer man coming to the scene. No idea because I’d become better at shielding my mind. We hadn’t had time recently to talk about abstract ideas. No time to discuss the change in my psychic abilities since we slept together. Time, once my enemy, had manifested into a friend.

  His eyes narrowed infinitesimally as he looked around the cemetery. Stopping just a foot away from me, I didn’t understand the sudden urge I had to throw myself into his arms. I should be furious with everything about this night not relieved that he was okay.

  “How’d you find me?”

  His voice was low, seductive. It would be easy to answer his question and forget everything else. I clenched my hands at my side remembering what he did to me. I had to remember he didn’t trust me. I was only one of his people.

  “You’re such a douche bag.” I was proud of how calm I sounded. I didn’t go into hysterics or a full-blown tantrum, as I wanted too. My vision didn’t blur into a hazy, bloody red, even when he gave me a thin patronizing smile.

  “Bethany, I was pressed for time,” he purred gently.

  My hand twitched upward, ready to strike his face. He saw the movement and stepped back.

  “I want to go home,” I said.

  He glanced around and noticed the audience that had grown in mere seconds. A large group of other worldly creatures had started to gather after shimmer man had disappeared. The first topic of conversation was Lilith’s death; the second topic was my scandalous appearance at the duel. He reigned in his expletive before the gathered spectators and absently scratched his head.

  “After you,” he said curtly.

  “The car is by the front gates,” I said over my shoulder as I headed in the right direction.

  I walked ahead of Sasha who was right on my heels. Peaches brought up the rear keeping a fair distance between herself and Sasha. I reached the car first and slid into the driver’s seat, after letting Peaches jump into the back. I wasn’t about to abandon her. Sasha was quiet, and it was becoming difficult to understand his feelings while I was still upset.