“How are you managing with all the humans around?” Mason asks worriedly.
I shrug. “As Aiden tells me, mind over matter. I’m fine. I just have to focus on something else. It helps that I had a soul before I left hell. I’m getting better with control every day.”
Mason nods and offers me a root beer from the stocked fridge. I shake my head.
“What do you want to do, play a board game or something?” he asks, sounding bored.
I don’t know what I want to do. What am I supposed to do? One thing I need to do is train. I haven’t in too long and I need to learn all I can. Mason would make an excellent trainer. I recall him wanting to train me when I was still a halfling. I recall how excited he was about it too.
“Will you train me?” I ask him hopefully. He perks up and nods.
“Of course I will. Fighting is what I do best.”
After hitting the floor more times than I can count, harder than I have ever hit the floor, I am exhausted. Aiden never through me down so hard likely because he didn’t want to hurt me.
“Get up,” Mason urges, extending his hand. I take it and he pulls me up. “That was better, but you need to be more alert. Pretend you drank eighteen energy drinks. Will yourself to move faster.”
I do what he says and find myself buzzing around like a humming bird. I had no idea I could move so impossibly fast. I hit the floor again hard. I was focusing all of my attention on moving and not on Mason. I groan.
“Any idea what cool abilities my father had?” I ask. “I really hope I get some, seeing as physical fighting doesn’t seem to be a talent of mine.”
“You’ve only been fighting for a few months. I’ve been fighting centuries. You’re doing fine. It’ll take a long time to learn all I have. Likely centuries,” Mason assures me, though it’s not really assuring. “Your father could compel and he was an aphrodisiac. Those were his main talents besides the whole being able to make a changeling without permission thing. You need to learn what your talents are so you can use them against opponents.” Mason says this like I should know what an aphrodisiac is. He waits for me to reply as I wrack my brain for the definition. I’ve read enough books that I should know what it is. It takes me a moment, but I eventually recall something from one of the first books I ever read about demons.
I squint as if it’ll help me remember better. “They make people fall in love?”
Mason shakes his head. “No, well, it works that way with humans if they want it to, but with other demons, aphrodisiacs can only become attractive to folks which leads their opponents to become distracted and make mistakes. This talent—like many cognitive ones—does not affect hunters.”
I wonder if Landon or Blayk has this ability. Just as I think it, Mason says, “Blayk has this talent too.”
I think about my mom. Was she compelled to love my father or attracted to him because he was an aphrodisiac? Yes, my mom is a complete loser with an addiction she cannot defeat, but what if it was my father’s being demon, making her fall in love, and then leaving her, that made her this way? I feel something new for my mother. Sympathy.
Mason and I spend the next week training. Though I don’t see a change in my skill level, Mason claims he does. On the eighth day in Jacksonville, Landon shows up bearing bouquets and a letter, both for me. Forrest follows him in the door, a sly smirk on his face. “Your love sends flowers,” he says in a cocky tone.
I set the flowers on the table and rush to open the letter. In it he tells me how much he misses me and what he’s done all week. I pull out a pen and paper and begin writing my reply immediately. The boys leave me alone to do my thing. I tell him about my training and how many times I’ve beat Mason in poker. I then tuck the letter in an envelope and hand it to Landon who tucks it in his pocket.
“How is he?” I ask both Landon and Forrest.
Forrest shrugs and Landon says, “He’s running the demons. I don’t know. He’s been busy. I haven’t really talked to him. He’s really gotten down to business. He’s been a bit grumpy though.”
That’s nearly all the information I get out of them before they leave again.
The next week Mason and I go see a movie, which I decide to never do again. It’s far too loud for our supernatural ears. Mason warned me as much but I still begged him to take me. When we came out, neither of us could hear, so we found ourselves yelling back and forth to each other like idiots. We also order Chinese one night and stay up late watching my favorite movies. Other than that, we train. We train a lot. Mason tells me stories of his childhood, of his life as a hunter too.
When Landon shows up at the end of the week, he looks exhausted. He explains that Aiden has had him running all sorts of errands all over the world. He tells me that Aiden’s been off this week, but I brush it off as him being stressed out and missing me.
It’s not until the end of the third week, when Landon arrives without a letter, that I begin to worry. “How is he?” I ask.
Landon shrugs. “He seems better but his terrible attitude outweighs that.”
“He’s still grumpy?” I ask.
Landon rolls his eyes. “To say the least. He banished three servants yesterday for forgetting to vacuum his room.”
I look at Landon like he must be joking. That isn’t something Aiden would do.
Landon shrugs. “Maybe he doesn’t work well under high stress?”
I have no idea. Even though Aiden hasn’t written me a letter this week, I write him one and send it back with Landon.
Landon returns the next week without a letter once again. This time he stays for two days and teaches me how to ‘call’ Aiden using my mind like Forrest did with Terry. Each time I do it, Aiden doesn’t respond. I feel sick, like something is very wrong. This isn’t Aiden. The Aiden I know would pounce on getting the chance to speak to me.
When I finally reach him after three days of trying, he sounds monotone, empty. “Aiden?!” I ask.
“Yes?” he responds casually.
“How are you?” I ask curiously.
“Busy. I have to go. Please stop trying to talk to me so much.”
Then he’s gone. My stomach falls and I crumple to the ground. Mason comes to sit next to me. “Did you speak to him?” he asks, looking confused.
“Yes. He told me to go away and basically to stop bothering him,” I admit.
Mason hugs me and looks as confused as I feel. I start wondering if Forrest was right when he said Aiden would move on.
The next week Landon doesn’t come, but when our souls arrive that night, we get some news.
“You hear about the new law?” the changeling man asks Mason as he pays for the order like it’s a pizza or something.
“No?” Mason says, counting out cash.
“Changelings have to pass some test. If they fail, they…” the man runs his fingers across his neck in the sign for death.
“Where did you hear that?” Mason demands.
“Everyone is talking about it. Mr. Castile introduced the law yesterday,” he tells Mason. I find my hand flying to cover my mouth. No, Aiden would never do such a thing.
When another week rolls by without any word from Aiden or a visit from Landon or Forrest, I find myself crying a lot. Mason leaves me alone for the most part but after a while he seems to conclude that he can’t just let me cry. He comes to my room and lays down beside me. I barely even notice.
“Megan, I’m sure there’s a rational explanation,” he tries. He fails because the tears don’t stop.
I close my eyes and wipe at my cheeks with my sleeve. “I don’t get it.” How can Aiden be so cold? The only time I’ve ever seen him so cold was months ago when… Reality hits me harshly in the chest. When Aiden took Mason’s soul, that was the only time he’s ever acted so coldly. When Aiden took Mason’s soul, he’d been in hell long enough it changed him, darkened him. That time he was only there a day. How long has he been in hell this time?
I remind myself that he never went bat shit crazy
while I was with him in hell.
Mason notices that I’ve stopped crying and wraps an arm around me. “He loves you. I’m sure he has a reason for everything.” Mason must be getting tired of saying this.
“Hell taints demons, makes them more evil than they are otherwise, impossibly,” I mention.
“You think he needs a break from the place?” Mason wonders.
I don’t know how to answer that.
We are interrupted by the doorbell. I race to the door but Mason beats me there. He insists he open the door in case a threat stands on the other side. The figures on the other side surprise me. It’s Aiden and a whole whack of guards. They fill the entire hallway.
Aiden stares at me as if looking at a stranger. “Hello, Megan,” he greets me. I’m surprised to hear the warmth in his voice. Something is wrong with his eyes. They’re empty.
“Aiden!” I cry and can’t help but rush to him and wrap my arms around him. He holds me tightly.
When I pull away, he stares at me and a slow smile warms him. Like before, like when I pulled him out of the dark trance he was in when he took Mason’s soul, his eyes warm and his stoic expression turns softer. He blinks hardly and then turns to Terry who I see is amongst the guards in the hall. Terry looks relieved.
I feel like I’m out of the loop. By Mason’s expression, he feels the same way.
“Megan,” Aiden says quickly, closing the door on the guards and pulling me into his arms. “I’ve missed you.”
Confused, I hug him back carefully. “What? It hasn’t seemed like it,” I admit.
“You are my rock, Megan, and without you in hell to keep me stable, I lose myself,” he whispers into my ear. “I’m terribly sorry for my behavior.”
He sounds like he means it, but something still bothers me. “Then what are you doing to the changelings? You can’t have them all pass a test for their lives! That’s crazy!”
He nods. “I will stop that.”
I sigh with relief and Mason seems to relax as if he were worried about the test himself.
“Are you saying that when I’m with you in hell you keep your sanity, but when I’m not there, you lose your mind?” I wander.
He automatically nods. “Yes, I am.”
I struggle with this thought. This isn’t some sappy romance movie. How am I the reason he keeps his sanity? I think it’s all in his head.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
“To see you, love,” he murmurs into my ear in a purr. “I’ve missed you.”
Although there’s now a touch of warmth in his eyes, I still sense the darkness. He kisses my cheek and then my neck urgently like he never has before. I have to admit that for a moment he has me under his control, that is, until I see Mason standing behind Aiden looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Aiden,” I say and look straight into his eyes. “You need to snap out of it.”
“Kiss me,” he begs.
I refuse even though it’s tempting. “You’re not yourself.”
He blinks once, twice, and then a third time. “Megan,” he breathes in a raspy tone. He then takes three steps back from me, his jaw clenched. “Fuck,” he growls. This startles me. Aiden doesn’t swear often, at least not around me. “I swear to god if I didn’t have you I’d be so lost.”
Mason cocks an eyebrow, studying my confused expression or maybe Aiden’s words.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can fight the darkness without giving in to it,” he admits and I see truth in his eyes. He is struggling. Does he want me to return with him to hell? Is that why he is here? “I just needed to see you.”
I nod, no words coming to me. “Is this safe?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “No, but a few minutes ago I didn’t care about safety so much.” He kisses the top of my head and then pulls away to look at Mason. “Continue to keep her safe. If I lose it, discontinue obeying my orders and do whatever you can to keep her safe,” Aiden instructs. I don’t really get what he means at first, but then I realize that he’s instructing Mason to disregard his word if he begins to lose himself to the darkness and do anything to keep me safe, even if it’s from him.
Mason nods and bows automatically.
“I have to go before news gets out that I’m visiting you,” Aiden mutters into my ear. “I love you, and god damnet, Megan, do something with your life that’s more exciting than playing poker and training. Go to school or something. Make friends, human or demon. Live. Don’t wait for me, love, because I’m not sure I’m strong enough to remain myself without you.”
I can’t tell if he is being genuine or if he’s trying to tell me to come back to hell with him. He’s gone before I can ask for clarification.
Terry hesitates in front of the door, staring at me with pleading eyes, like he’s begging me to come with him back to hell. He only stands there for a few moments before following Aiden.
Aria shows up the next week with pizza and all three of us devour it. Mason is over excited to see his sister. He asks her a million questions and tells her all about everything. Aria takes everything very well, though at times she hesitates or seems to question things he or I say.
“How is Crispen?” she asks and neither Mason nor I have an answer.
She seems to accept this and goes on to ask about Aiden. Aria is still with us the next day when Forrest arrives. Forrest is tense around Aria, nervous. I wonder if Forrest has ever really been around a hunter.
“Forrest is a strange name,” Aria observes.
Forrest scoffs. “So is Aria by my standards, do you see me complaining?”
Aria lets it go and laughs.
It seems like it’s only been minutes when Aria says she must leave. Forrest stays three more days, long enough to harass Mason and I to death. Mason has turned out to be a pretty good roommate all things considered. He cleans up after himself, doesn’t snore, and isn’t annoying. He knows when to give me space.
Chapter 8
“What are you thinking about?” I ask Mason after Forrest leaves.
Mason licks his lips. “I’m thinking about the last time I went out for a drink, the last time I was at a bar.”
“Why?” I ask confused.
“I don’t know. I like the odd drink now and then. I like meeting women and…” he trails off.
I am instantly reminded that Mason is being forced to spend time with me like this. He has to be here because Aiden instructed him so. My face falls.
“Don’t take it that way. Megan. I actually really enjoy being with you. You’re more fun than I ever would have guessed. I see now what Crispen saw in you, what Aiden sees in you now. You have a certain light about you. I just miss freedom sometimes,” he explains vaguely.
“I thought changelings weren’t supposed to feel that way,” I observe.
He debates this. “Each day I feel like I’m less and less controlled by Aiden. One day I have a feeling that I’ll be free again. Like Forrest is. At least I hope so anyway.”
I sit up from the floor and look at Mason who’s on the couch. “You’re not controlled by Aiden anymore?” I ask, hearing hope in my voice. I want freedom for Mason, for all changelings. I get that they’re normally happy with dedication and loyalty to their superiors, but I can’t imagine having my brain so warped that I constantly felt like kneeling at someone’s feet.
Mason hesitates and then shrugs slightly. “I feel much need to do everything Aiden says, but each day it’s not quite as strong, the need to please him dissipates slowly. One day, maybe not for ten years, but one day, I feel I may be free again. It could be all the time I’ve been spending with you lately. I don’t feel like I have to listen to everything you say anyway,” he says the last part teasingly.
I stick my tongue out at him. I find myself smiling. “You just told me a minute ago that I’m not so bad,” I accuse.
He chuckles and shakes his head. “I did. You’re not so bad, Megan.” His pearly white teeth catch my attention as he smiles. How can anyone have
such white teeth? His smile falters. “If I knew that it was possible for demons to be so...normal...I don’t think I could have killed them so mercilessly.” He flips a coin in his hand. “Looking at you right now, at your smile, I can’t imagine ever killing you or anyone like you. Don’t get me wrong, there are some real nasty demons, but not all of them are so bad. I mean look at you, Aiden, Landon, even Forrest.”
“And you,” I point out.
He shrugs. “I think I’m a better man than I was when I was a hunter,” he admits softly and shoves the coin he’s playing with into his pocket.
“Do you think pure bloods have the ability to be kind, to feel raw emotion like you do but without the elixir?” he questions, becoming even more serious.
Mason knows about the elixir Landon gave me. He also knows that Landon took it and Aiden was born with it in his system. We had to tell him because otherwise things could get confusing for him because we’re so unlike most pure bloods.
I don’t think about it long. “Maybe,” I answer. “I don’t really know many pure bloods. I met one once and well, my dad once. I saw that one in the soul room at the castle.”
“You’ve only been in contact with three pure bloods besides Aiden, Landon, and yourself?” he asks with shock apparent in his voice.
I nod and laugh. “Yeah. Aiden wouldn’t let me near them or them near me. Why do you think the castle was sectioned off when I moved in there? The royal family was separated from our part of the castle and Aiden’s guests were all ushered to his office from outside. It was made sure that I never even seen pures.” I’m about to add that I’m not exactly upset about this because I’m not really fond of the normal pures that I do know, but Mason speaks up.
In a gruff tone he says, “Maybe that’s for the better. Some of them are pretty fucked up and sick. I think there are a lot of things Aiden’s kept from you to keep you safe, to keep you so soft and innocent. I think he likes you that way. We all do. It’s a breath of fresh air for all of us.”
I’m not really sure what to say about this, so twiddle my thumbs like a moron.
Changeling (Black Petals Book 2) Page 10