Hidden In Darkness (A Seven Realms Book Book 1)

by S. J. Stewart

  What mark existed that could rid an Oracle of her barrier? What was the benefit of getting rid of the barrier at all? He wondered.

  His eyes perused her again. He could think of one reason, doubtful it was why it’d been done. Confusion filled him to the point of annoyance. He lifted the corner of his lip in a sneer. “Why?”

  She crawled across the floor, scooping Alette into her arms. “Why would you do this?” She asked him.

  His eyes held no remorse as he looked down at them. “I told you, I’ve lost something that needs to be recovered and will stop at nothing to get it back.”

  The distrust was plain on her face as she tilted her head to look at Thiriel. “What have you lost? What could be worth all of this?” She ran careful fingers over Alette’s bleeding body.

  A slow smile spread across his face, laced with menace as he bent at the waist to look down at her. “If you are Ela the Oracle, then you will be the one to help me find it. Failing to do so, will cost Alette her life.”

  14

  MELAS

  Beads of sweat dotted her brow. The same tiny beads clung to her flesh at the back of her neck before giving up their hold and leaving lazy trails down the curve of her spine. For all the arguing between Orren, Andrei, and Ridhor when she’d been at their cabin in the Black Woods, she sure felt human.

  Every ache in her body told her she was.

  Dragging her forearm across her brow, Melas opened the fridge and pulled out a water bottle. Twisting the stainless steel cap off, she tilted it up and took long, thirsty gulps. It was a cool relief that made her feel out of breath. The combination oddly refreshing.

  She wasn’t sure what she expected when she stepped through the fog encircling the Dark Realms edge taking her first steps into the Mortal Realm, but it hadn’t been this easy transition. She would be so bold to admit she found the routine comforting.

  Normalcy was something she’d never been so daring to wish for. Here in Iceland— yes, a beautiful scenic town in Iceland off the water with a breathtaking backdrop of snow-tipped mountains— in the beautiful cottage Ridhor invited them into, it did feel normal. They weren’t on the run from some unknown. Ridhor wasn’t a Berserker who, for some reason she still didn’t fully understand, swore to protect her and her daughter. They were just three people, slowly falling into a place of comfortable, effortless routine.

  She kept her guard up, steel walls surrounding both her and Zura for the first few weeks. Now, despite her wariness and stubbornness, she was finally breathing a little easier.

  Ridhor kept his word. He tried to acclimate them into the Mortal Realm as painlessly as possible. He showed them the town, took them out exploring and provided them with a laptop and cellphones. Not that they had anyone to call, but it made browsing the internet for information much easier.

  Zura even began playing with Ridhor.

  Normally Melas would be against her letting her guard down, but seeing Ridhor follow her around like a cub seeing a toy for the first time was wearing away at her resolve. He told her children were cherished but she’d never seen someone so soft, so full of longing and love as when he stared at Zura, willing her to give him some form of attention.

  When she finally gave in, he smiled.

  Melas was frozen in place, her eyes wide as saucers as she saw his granite face transform into a beautiful sight that rivalled the Icelandic scenery. He took cautious steps towards her, sinking to the floor in front of the tea set he brought home for her and spent over two hours gingerly sipping from empty cups as they chatted away.

  As hard as she was, as closed off as she tried to keep her heart, Melas would admit it was adorable.

  As was the space he set up for Zura.

  The cottage was stunning. Unlike the cabin in the woods, it was more minimal. The outside was bright red. Clean lines and big open windows made up the outside of the two-story cottage. Inside was clean. Minimal white, cream, and birch furniture went through the whole of the house. The only splash of colour was the deep greens of the plants in different woven baskets all through the cottage. She had no clue who was taking care of all those plants while he was in another realm.

  It was a four-bedroom cottage with three bathrooms and a finished basement. The rooms were almost identical in decor. The house seemed expertly decorated and never touched again. Here for when he needed it, and the need just never came.

  With ample room, they could have a bedroom each but Ridhor set everything they would need in one bedroom. Feminine toiletries and pyjamas that would fit them both waiting. As though he prepared for them to come here somehow. It made her a little suspicious at first, but she quickly learned it was less him being creepy and more him attempting to anticipate their needs.

  When they came down for breakfast the morning after their arrival, there were boxes and bags in the living room and he told Melas to go through everything. Anything that didn’t work he would return. He showed her how to use the map app on the new phone he had waiting and set a route for her, knowing they wanted to go out and explore. By the time they returned, gone was the generic, though beautiful, bedroom replaced by the most stunning room Melas had ever seen.

  It was forest-themed, with trees as the wallpaper and a treehouse bed. It had an area rug meant to look like grass and over a dozen stuffed animals. She had no idea how he managed it but he transformed one of the bedrooms into what most kids would think was a dream come true.

  On top of all the hard work he put into making the most amazing bedroom for Zura, he was nervous. He took them both upstairs and stood in the hallway outside the door filled with so much nervous energy it was clear on a face that was normally impossible to read. He wrung his hands together and explained she didn’t have to sleep in there if she didn’t want to and of course, could still sleep with Melas. He just wanted her to be happy.

  Adorable.

  Zura loved it.

  After that, it became more and more difficult for her to be suspicious of him. Add that to the little things he was constantly doing for Zura for no other reason than to see her happy, Melas was finding it hard to keep those walls up. Zura was her weakness, anyone who did anything to make her that cheerful got under her skin. No matter how hard she fought it.

  Walking over to the kitchen island, she looked out the large window stretching from over the sink towards the wall behind the dining room table and watched as Ridhor chased Zura around outside.

  They’d just been sparing out there, she hadn’t gone easy on him either. He should be just as tired as she was, and he likely was. That wouldn’t keep him from playing out there with Zura if she asked him.

  Poor guy was wrapped around her little finger.

  Walking over to the window, she rapped her knuckles against the glass. When the pair looked up, she waved them both inside. It was the least she could do. He’d done enough for them already. She didn’t want him running himself ragged at the hands of the endless pit of energy that was her five-year-old.

  They both grinned at her before turning to run inside.

  Trust wasn’t something that came easy for them. Despite everything, she still made sure Zura was always in sight. Zura was also reluctant to let Ridhor touch her, even when they were playing. Just as Melas would avoid any physical contact with him.

  They were comfortable, but that caution was still branded on their soul.

  Zura came bounding in, Ridhor close on her tail. “Mommy, can I have juice and a snack?”

  Nodding, Melas set out some crackers, meats and cheeses on a cutting board they set aside earlier and turned to pour her some juice. “How about you, big guy?”

  “Just water.” His voice was gruff. Even though they sparred for over an hour and he just chased Zura around the grassy hills, his breath was slow and even.

  Melas grabbed him a water bottle from the fridge, handing it to him. He sat on a seat next to Zura, leaning against the kitchen island slightly as he chugged his water.

  “We saw two airplanes!” Zura ex
claimed suddenly, as though she just remembered. “They flew so low. Have we been on an airplane?”

  Melas frowned. “I’m not sure, baby.” If they had, it was just another memory lost to them.

  Nodding, she took a bite out of her cube of cheese. “Yeah. Me neither.”

  No new memories had come to light since they’d been here. She kept hoping something would come, that coming to the Mortal Realm would somehow change things. It’d been the only adamant thing in her mind. They were human. Humans lived in the Mortal Realm, so shouldn’t all her memories be here?

  So far, no luck.

  Maybe they were just in the wrong place. She looked at the wonder of Iceland as though seeing it for the first time. Maybe the key was travelling, going to more popular cities like Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Dubai… the list was long, but maybe she lived in one of those places. Maybe one of those places held all their memories.

  “Ridhor said we could watch a movie!” Zura bounced in her seat.

  It was nice to see her relaxed. The tension they both felt in the Black Wood long faded, replaced by a blanket of ease.

  Here, Zura was a regular kid.

  It was nice.

  Smiling, Melas raised an eyebrow at Ridhor to tease him. She knew full well he would never say no to Zura. “He did, did he?”

  Swallowing the rest of his water, he came around the island to rinse it in the sink before setting the reusable bottle to dry. “If it’s okay with you.”

  “I’m beat. Sitting with my feet up, watching a movie sounds wonderful.” It really did.

  “I’ll have to speak with Orren first. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken. It’s unlike me to go this long without checking in.”

  The mention of Orren made her rigid, reminding her she shouldn’t forget to guard herself. “Update him on your charges?”

  In a rare show of emotions for Ridhor, he frowned. “No.”

  Something about Orren burrowed into her chest, sucking all the air from inside. He was this power threatening to steal her control, weaken her resolve as he reached into the depth of her. He would pry her open for answers she didn’t want him to have. He would steal the wheel from her grasp if she let him, steering her in whatever direction he wanted.

  She didn’t like anyone in her life having that control.

  Even now, living with Ridhor, she was always in control of her and Zura. Every decision was run past her.

  Orren should have asked her before knocking on her bedroom door with an Oracle in tow. Maybe if he had, Ela would be in her weird blanket thing instead of in whatever predicament she found herself in now.

  She felt slightly guilty snipping at Ridhor for checking in with Orren. They’d known each other a long time before they came along. It was unfair of her to think he wouldn’t need to check in with his friend after following— or taking— them to the Mortal Realm.

  Letting out a long breath, she didn’t apologize or take it back, though she probably should. It was a break in their routine. It made her nervous. Ridhor had become something they could predict. Orren and Andrei were still unknowns and she didn’t know what would happen if they decided they were going to crash the normalcy established here.

  “Do you have to?” Zura frowned, excited for the movie. “Maybe you can watch the movie first and call Orren after.” She curled her nose up when she said his name, and Melas couldn’t help but smile. She got her spunk from her mother.

  Hopping off the stool, she ran over, grabbed the blanket from the couch and sat down, patting the seat next to her. “I will let you share my blanket.” She sang the sentence lightly, trying to convince Ridhor to forgo his plans to call Orren for the movie she chose that neither Melas nor Ridhor would probably enjoy.

  He stared at her for a long moment, running his fingers over his jaw through his thick beard. “I could call after the movie.” He nodded before walking over to sit beside her in the spot she tempted him with.

  Melas smiled before shaking her head. Putty in her hands, she thought. “Popcorn?”

  “Yes.” They said together.

  As she set the pan to heat the kernels, she couldn’t help but frown. Against her will, the three of them were becoming a family of sorts. It wouldn’t be long before this imploded, everything always did.

  15

  ORREN

  His body weighed a ton as he slid into the black satin sheets of his bed. He slithered across the fabric like a snake, working his way up to the top where he slumped face-first into the pillows before letting out a long sigh.

  He was thoroughly exhausted.

  So much happened in a short amount of time. His waking hours seemed to bleed into his nights. Stealing his one pleasure in this life; sleep.

  It began with the appearance of Melas and Zura in his foyer and sailed downhill from there. Ela losing her barrier, being marked and unable to talk about Melas’ identity. Ridhor leaving for the Mortal Realm. To top it all off, a barrier-less Ela disappeared from the breakfast table.

  Into thin air.

  Ridhor hadn’t been in contact with them. He had no idea if he ran into trouble in the Mortal Realm or what the case was. It was making him nervous. Ridhor wasn’t the type to just take off and leave them in the dark. That was more of an Andrei thing, and even he was pissed about it.

  He’d been unable to contact Ela in The Veil as well.

  They were both sure she was called back into The Veil once Fate found out about her new vulnerable condition. Maybe now she was keeping one of her favourite children under lock and key until she could figure it all out.

  He didn’t know.

  That was the problem.

  There was far too much he didn’t know right now.

  Ridhor finally called tonight, almost a month after he left. To make matters worse, he refused to discuss Melas and Zura. Suddenly their privacy was important to him and he didn’t want to betray their confidences or make them feel he was watching them.

  Orren thought that was exactly what he was doing.

  Didn’t he go to the Mortal Realm to watch over them?

  Annoyance ate at him, causing an unhappy groan to slip from his lips. The overgrown bastard. What the hell was he playing at?

  At least he told Orren where they were staying. His place in Iceland. Orren thought he would’ve taken them somewhere more populated, like his place in America or maybe Andrei’s place in England. He had a nice place in Japan as well. A city seemed to make more sense. He doubted Siglufjörður, Iceland held any memories for them, but what the hell did he know?

  Rolling over onto his back, he flung his arms over his eyes.

  He needed sleep. In the dreamscape, he could plunge into someone else’s fantasy and lose himself in their feelings of ecstasy and gratification. Since the satisfaction he craved seemed to be evading him in his wakefulness.

  Sighing, he kicked a leg out, trying to get comfortable.

  The satin of his sheets felt like a caress on his bare flesh, welcoming him. They called to him, telling him of all the pleasure that awaited him. If only he would sleep.

  Sheets enclosed around him, completely enveloping him in their gentle caress. It wasn’t hard to imagine they were the tender strokes of a woman’s hand. Long fingers caressing up his shins before tracing up the inner lines of his muscular thighs. Playful fingers that danced over his deep brown skin, drawing lazy circles that had his breathing hitching in his chest, shivers down his spine.

  He faltered when the weight of a firm body pressed against his knees as the soft skin of open palms ran up his thighs. So real, he could feel the mattress dip with the weight of an extra person climbing atop it. Warmth spread over him, taut nipples across the tops of his thighs as the palms moved higher to clamp around his waist.

  His eyes flew open when he felt hot breath on his apex. His silver eyes meeting her deep, black gaze. Brow arched up, challenging him in a way she knew turned his blood to fire before she pursed her plump lips and blew.

  Ch
illed breath danced across his heated skin. A sensation he never thought would bring him to life but had him suppressing a groan trapped in his chest. Throwing his head back, he closed his eyes.

  This couldn’t be real. It was a trick of the mind. Over exhaustion.

  If he were asleep he would be in his hallway. He would be choosing a door in the dreamscape where some slumbering being would help him get rid of all the pent-up frustration building in him. He wouldn’t be on his bed in his room, wrapped in his sheets with a familiar gaze staring up at him.

  There was no slipping into sleep without realizing it for an Incubus.

  Reaching down, he wrapped his hands under her arms and pulled her up to his chest. Her surprised giggle had him throbbing for her. It was glorious. Suddenly he felt he needed to make sure she made that sound as often as possible.

  Straddling his waist, she drew her hips back slowly, gliding over his length. Nothing but the thin fabric of her sleep shorts separating them, her breasts covered by a transparent chemise top. She kept her gaze locked on his as she slid forward. Her breath hitching, her perfect palm-sized breasts lifting as she threw her head back. The thick mane of her curls tumbled down her back, the ends brushing the tops of his thighs lightly. The sensation made him shudder and harden.

  “Sweet Lilith,” He hissed.

  They both pulsed with desire. Pleas both were too stubborn to call out bubbling in their core, demanding relief.

  The pressure of her was perfect as she moved against him, her thighs gripping his waist as she slowly moved her weight back and forth. Her hands reached out, resting on his chest as she maintained the slow, calculated movements.

  He could come from this alone, need built up in his belly begging for relief.

  Dropping her gaze, she watched him with heavy lids.

  Her lust coated his flesh, feeding him. It set his craving ablaze, igniting a hunger he didn’t think could ever be salved. He felt her need in his veins, throbbing through him, making him salivate.