by Dahlia Lu
He knew what she was asking, but he was reluctant to answer. “You reek of alcohol,” he said, changing the subject. “Did your maternal instinct not kick in yet?”
Amara looked down at her flat belly. I don’t think it will anytime soon.
She wanted to change the subject too. “I haven’t seen you around.”
He watched her. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
She did say that she didn’t want to see him. She couldn’t contradict herself now. “Yes,” she stubbornly lied. When he began to turn, she added, “Then.”
He lifted a lazy gaze at her. “Make up your mind, mortal.”
“I can’t. This attachment I developed toward you is as ironic for me as it was for you. I’m being such a …girl! Just because you said a few nice things to me after you’ve repeatedly put me down, my brain registered it as kindness. But I know you are anything but kind!”
“Why would you ever think of me as kind?”
“Exactly!” She agreed. “Something is terribly wrong with me. Here, feel,” she reached for his hand and guided it toward her chest. “My Heart’s hammering out of control just because you’re in the room. I couldn’t stop thinking about you over the last couple of weeks, and it’s frustrating me! I’ve had enough of you in real life. I don’t need you to invade my mind, too!”
“It’s completely normal,” he assured her.
“Normal? You call this normal?”
“My third brother’s second wife went through the exact same thing when she was with child,” he said casually. “It’s expected, and perfectly normal, for a female to develop attachment to the father of her offspring.”
Yeah, only there isn’t any offspring to speak of.
Amara massaged the bridge of her nose. “I have something to confess…” She hiccupped again.
Not until Raya had her wedding, Amara! Trent would be able to protect her.
“Oh, nothing,” she quickly said, wanting to get past the previous statement.
But who will protect me?
“Mortal?” He raised a brow.
“It’s the alcohol talking,” she defended herself.
“Then sleep,” he commanded. “You will not have another drop of alcohol until you deliver my child safely into the world.”
“Our child,” she thoughtlessly corrected him. Then she mentally cursed herself. Just keep on digging a deeper grave, Amara. It’s not like you’ll ever be able to crawl out of the one you’re already in.
Amara awoke on the massive carved bed inside their bedroom at the mansion. Waking up in a different place than where she’d slept had lost its effect in surprising her. Sunlight was beaming into the room through the window, causing her eyes to sting. She departed herself from the soft bed linen and went to the bathroom to start her morning routine.
After a refreshing shower, she went downstairs for breakfast. She thought Noctis would be waiting for her, but, much to her disappointment, he wasn’t there. She had breakfast alone. Again.
Amara pushed back the chair and set out to find him. It took her close to half an hour to search three floors room by room.
Still couldn’t find him.
She decided to go to the basement level of the mansion. She’d never venture down there before, but it seemed necessary that she makes the trip.
The door to the basement was locked. Amara ran back up to her room to retrieve a credit card and then ran back down again. She pushed her shoulder against the door and slid the credit card through the crack. It works like a dream. If it didn’t work, she could also pick a lock with a paper clip.
Amara traveled down a spiraling flight of stairs to the level below. It looked like a medieval dungeon. There was a creepy element to this mansion that puzzled Amara. First, they had a network of catacombs under a huge mausoleum, and now a dungeon downstairs. She began to ponder about the previous owner of this mansion.
Ah, there is the light switch.
Amara walked down the curved hallway, peering into each room. There were many furniture pieces covered in white sheets. Spiders and other insects found a happy home in this unkempt place. She continued down the hall to the room at the end. It appeared cleaner and more spacious than the other rooms. She ventured inside.
She was startled when she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back.
“Mortal!” He roared, “What are you doing here?”
She exhaled when she recognized his voice. “Looking for you,” she replied. She turned around and met his furious blue eyes.
“Another step and you would have walked into my time trap and sealed your own fate!”
She looked down at the ground and couldn’t see what he was talking about. There was nothing there.
He waved a hand over the ground. A large white circle filled with strange inscriptions revealed itself. “Don’t venture down here again,” he warned.
“What’s the big deal?” Amara asked. “What’s the difference between this time trap and your other time traps? The worst that can happen is being frozen for a few hours.”
“The difference,” He sighed, “is that this is a trap to catch immortals. I designed it especially to imprison Lucifer.”
“I’m mortal,” she reminded him.
“Our time flows differently, so you would be able to leave. But if you don’t know your way around, you’ll be wandering endlessly between time and space forever.”
“Oh,” she bit her lower lip, “which translates to bad. I got it.”
“If you needed me, you could have simply called my name.”
“I’m not very good at summoning spells.”
“I will come, mortal.” His fingers lightly brushed across her sapphire necklace. “This trinket will not be able to stop me from finding you anymore. We are bound. Petty magic would not be able to keep me away. Now, what did you want to see me about?”
“You’re going to find out by yourself anyway, so I’m telling you now.”
“Tell me what?”
“This Saturday is Raya’s wedding day. I want you to stay away. You can do what the hell you want after, but let the girl have her wedding day. Can you do that?”
“Who is she marrying?”
“Trent. Why else do I want you to stay way?”
His face turned thoughtful. “That woman is not what she seems…” he muttered to himself.
“Well?” She said, waiting for an answer.
“I’m not going after him anymore, mortal. I have a feeling I won’t get anything out of him. His sense of loyalty is too strong. His will is even stronger. I tried to breached his mind once before but he successfully blocked me out. No one has ever done that before.”
“Promise?” She held out her pinky to him. He stood there, wondering what she was expecting on him. She lifted his hand and hooked her pinky with his. “You’ve promised me. You can’t go back on your word.”
“I never go back on my word.”
Chapter Eighteen
And so it has begun, Nala wryly thought as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Thick crimson blood was dripping from her mouth down to the ceramic lining of the sink. She turned on the faucets to wash it down the pipe. She tore a piece of paper towel from the roll and wiped the blood off her lips and chin. She disposed of the used towel in the toilet and flushed it down.
Nala turned to the knocking on the bathroom door. “Are you alright?” her other-self asked. She knew he could sense the blood.
“I’m just having a nosebleed,” she lied. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“No, take your time,” he other-self said. “We have plenty of time before the ceremony.”
Her wound had been healing properly since she was discharged from the hospital over a month ago, but another kind of pain had taken its place. One that wasn’t visible, but just as painful nonetheless. Other than that, things had been going her way. She had his trust, or at least a part of it, and that was enough. At least it was to her.
She’d spent more time with him the last mo
nth and a half than she had in the last five centuries. It was the first time in her life she knew the meaning of word happy. Pain was the payment, and she’d gladly pay the price.
She wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead and readjusted her simple, ivory dress. Her reflection was triumphantly staring back at her. Today, she would have what she had always wanted. She was a bride. His bride. The day was hers in more ways than one.
Chevalier was pacing back and forth in nervous anticipation. He poured himself glasses of water at ten minute intervals. After he had his drink, he began to pace again. He was anxiously wringing his hands.
Amara’s eyes followed his pacing and eventually got dizzy from just looking at him. It was her turn to pour herself a glass of water. She wore a light peach, ruffle skirted dress. Her hair had been modestly braided and sprayed with micro silver hair glitters. Most appropriate for a wedding.
She’d helped Raya plan a rooftop wedding on one of the tallest building in the city. After long hours and some gruesome manual labor, the place looked a dream. Dim blue lights lit up the area, giving it a magical atmosphere. Thousands of skillfully crafted crystals in the shape of white and blue roses covered almost on every surface. A bouquet of ruby red crystal roses sat as the table’s centerpiece. They enchantingly reflected the lights around them. Since Trent was footing the bill, Amara spared no expense in making the night perfect for them.
Every little detail was perfect, down to the edible gold flake trimming on the champagne glasses.
Chevalier’s head shot up when he heard footsteps approaching. His golden eyes lit up as the door slowly opened. A soft gasp escaped his throat when Kali entered the door.
Amara smiled at his reaction. She purposely stayed quiet and waited for Chevalier to have his moment. He hadn’t seen the woman he loved in over a decade. He deserved his moment.
Kali inclined her head at the sight at Chevalier. Her beautiful violet eyes were teeming with tears. She spread out her arms to welcome him. “Chevalier…”
Instead of running to her and whirling her in his arms, he took a step back. An ice cold expression came over his face. “Hello Kali,” he greeted her. His voice was so cold, even Amara felt the chill.
Kali’s arms slowly fell to her sides. Amara saw the hurt in her eyes. “H-how have you been?” Kali stammered.
“Well,” he replied curtly.
“Good.” She uncomfortably averted her gaze.
Amara frowned at Chevalier. It could have been the perfect moment, but he blew it. “She got up from her seat and gave her mother a hug. “I’ve missed you.”
“And I you, Amara.” Her mother pressed a light kiss on her cheek. “How have you been?”
“Perfectly well,” she told the white lie.
Trent was walking toward them, wearing a formal dark grey suit. “Hello mother,” he greeted Kali with the same coldness in his tone.
“Trent…” She smiled at him. “Congratulations…”
“Thank you, mother,” he replied politely.
“Do you need help with anything, Trent?” Her mother offered. “I could…”
“Everything is already taken care of,” her son replied.
Another fatal stab, Amara thought.
“Really, I could…” Her beautiful voice began to crack. “Excuse me a moment…” Kali excused herself and rushed into the bathroom inside.
Amara turned sharply at the two men. “I am ashamed of the both of you! How could you treat her like that?!” She scolded them.
Chevalier gulped down another glass of water and Trent lowered his head to look at the floor beneath him.
“Chevalier!”
“It’s complicated,” he said ruefully.
“And you, Trent! How could you treat your mother as if she was a stranger! When was the last time you came home for a visit? And now this?”
“You don’t understand,” Trent replied.
“I understand enough. Both of you are just heartless!”
“You don’t know anything, so shut up!” Chevalier snapped at her. He’d never spoken to her like that before. Amara shrank back. He jabbed his fingers into his hair and let out a frustrated growl.
“I thought you loved her…” Amara muttered softly.
Chevalier smashed the glass in his hand. The shards cut deep into his flesh.
“Then why did you act like that?” Amara pressed on.
“She was the one who made her choice, not me!” He roared. He dropped the shards onto the ground and dematerialized from the room.
Trent sighed.
“Are you going to run, too, brother?”
“Amara, you shouldn’t condemn what you don’t understand.”
“That’s because you two never told me anything!”
“Just leave things as they are.”
Amara firmed her lips. “Just be glad you have a mother, Trent. I never had a chance to meet mine.”
He caught her arm when she brushed by him. She halted and turned to him.
“I stand in my father’s image, Amara. I don’t want to be a painful reminder.”
“No,” Amara said softly. “You’re not a painful reminder. You’re unknowingly causing the pain. I’ve always knew that she’d lost her husband, but until today, I didn’t know that she’d lost her son too.”
He released her arm. “She’ll always have me.”
“Well, you could have fooled me,” she derided. “Don’t you realize that after Lucifer left, you’re the one she needed the most? Go talk to her, Trent. It’s better late than never.”
Trent spent a moment in thought. He strode back inside and knocked on the bathroom’s door. A minute later, Kali opened the door and gave him a gentle smile. Amara noticed her mother’s eyes were slightly red.
Amara thought she’d give them a moment alone.
She headed for the bridal salon to see the bride. Raya looked absolutely stunning, but in a sickly kind of way. She looked incredibly pale. Amara didn’t see the bridal glow people were talking about, but Raya was still very beautiful, nonetheless.
“How are you feeling?” Amara smiled. “Excited?”
“This is nerve-racking,” Raya breathed. “I just can’t help but think that something will go wrong.”
“Nothing will go wrong,” Amara assured her. “Don’t worry about a thing. This wedding will be nothing less than everything you dreamed it would be. I promise.”
Amara frowned when she noticed some of the blotchy red on Raya’s lips wasn’t lipstick. “Are you feeling alright, Raya?”
“I’m fine, why?”
When Amara pointed at her own lips, Raya bolted to her feet and rushed into the bathroom. She heard water running for about five minutes before Raya returned to the salon again.
“Do we need to postpone the wedding? I mean, if you’ve not completely healed yet–”
“No!” Raya protested vehemently. She quickly regained her composure. “I mean… no. There’s no need for that.”
“You love him, don’t you?”
Raya lowered her eyes, a look too sorrowful to be on a bride’s face. “More than anything in the world.”
“Then you’ll be happy, Raya, because you’re marrying the man you love.” Amara hugged Raya tightly. “And I’m so, so happy for you.”
“But stormy days are ahead of us, Amara.”
“Thick or thin, you’ll be happy. That’s all that matters. If you truly love him, you’ll make it through.”
“Yes…” Raya agreed softly.
“Come on, it’s about time. I can’t wait to show Trent how beautiful you look.”
Raya smiled. “He’d seen so many beautiful women.”
“There’s a difference! You’re his bride! Now come on, let’s go meet your mother-in-law.”
“Mother-in-law?”
“Her name is Kali. I’m warning you. Don’t be too surprised when you see her.”
Raya looked down at her hand and absently asked, “Why?”
“Because she looks you
nger than the both of us. I kid you not.”
Raya looked unsure, and Amara tried to set her at ease. “You’re nervous about meeting her? Don’t be. She’ll love you.”
Amara escorted Raya out of the salon and up the elevator to the top floor. She was excited to see that the guests had arrived. It was supposed to be a small private ceremony, but the more the merrier. She’d recognized most of the demons present so she greeted them like she usually did. It felt strange when they didn’t reply. They paid her no attention. Instead, their eyes were fixed on Raya, with obvious contempt.
The tension in the atmosphere was enough to suffocate.
Amara thought that Raya would shy back, but her eyes challenged them head on. Aggression was filling the air. Amara was ready to step in front of Raya when the demons turned their gaze to Trent. He scanned the demons surrounding him with an unyielding look in his blue eyes. No words were being exchanged, but they were evidently battling it out internally.
Trent took Raya’s hand and guided her to his back in an unmistakable sign of protectiveness. When a demon stepped forward, Trent sharply turned to him. His glare immobilized the demon. The moment was so tense that Amara feared it may turn physical.
“Do all of you want a repeat of what happened?” Kali, her mother, asked the demons. “Does anyone here doubt that he is Lucifer’s son? If you don’t let him get his way, all of you will lose him indefinitely. Well?”
The demons looked to one another. They reached a uniform decision and vanished into the night.
Trent turned around to face his bride. He held out a hand to his mother and she came to him. “Raya, I’d like you to meet my mother.”
Kali smiled and gave Raya a hug. Raya’s arms slowly came around her and tightened the hug. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” Raya said softly. “May I… may I call you mother?”
“Of course you can, dear.”
Raya gave her a tight squeeze. She glanced over to Trent and smiled warmly at him.
The ceremony went smoothly without further incident. Among the crystal roses and the few witnesses present, the two lovers exchanged their everlasting vow. They sealed their covenant as man and wife with a tender, affectionate kiss.