Danny stared at me wide eyed. “Brett said you were detoxing.”
“When do I ever . . .” I looked to Brett then back to Danny and then held out my hand. “Hand it over.”
Brett reached behind the television and pulled out a paper bag.
I wiggled my fingers. “Gimme!”
There was only one place in the whole of Everlight that sold these little bites of heaven, and it was always rammed with customers. Danny knew the owner, so our monthly movie nights were almost always accompanied by these delicious treats.
I pulled out a raspberry-filled sugar-coated dough ball, popped it in my mouth, and began to chew. I sighed as the warm gooey raspberry exploded in my mouth. “This ish delishous.”
Bella giggled. “You’ve got sugar all over your face!”
“And raspberry all over your teeth,” Brett said.
I shook my head. “I really don’t care.”
Danny dipped his hand into the bag and pulled out a dough ball. He popped it in his mouth, rolling his eyes in exaggerated ecstasy.
Whereas Brett was a monolith, Danny was a panther: dark haired, lean, and graceful. But right now, with sugar on his face and all over his black polo shirt, he looked nothing like the serious executive he played all day.
“Look at you!” Brett laughed.
He leaned across as if to brush the sugar off Danny’s shirt but at the last minute plucked the paper bag from my fingers, picked out a crispy dough ball, and shoved it in his mouth.
“Show gud,” he said, showcasing the masticated contents of his mouth as he spoke.
Bella burst into giggles.
“Wha?” Brett leaned down toward her. “You think thish ish funny?”
Bella pressed her lips together to staunch her laughter and shook her head.
“You know what I do to little kids that laugh at me don’t you?”
“No tickles!” Bella squealed but didn’t make a move to run.
Brett lifted his hands, wiggled his fingers, and then attacked.
The next few minutes were filled with Bella’s uncontrollable laughter and Danny’s amused chuckles. A bubble of warmth expanded in my chest as I watched Brett give Bella a reprieve and turn his tickle power on Danny. This, right here, made it all worth it. My friends. My family.
This was home.
***
We were crammed onto the large sofa, just settling to watch a fantasy movie about a mermaid, when I noticed Brett and Danny exchanging glances.
I hit pause. “What? I thought you liked mermaids?”
He smiled. “Love em, it’s just . . . we had something to ask you both.”
I sat up straighter. “Well, ask then.”
“Will you be my best man?” Brett asked.
Was he serious? Gah! “Course I will you dummy!”
Danny looked down at Bella. “And we’d love you to be our flower girl.”
Bella’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Cindy got to be a flower girl last month and she had the prettiest dress. Do I get a pretty dress?”
Danny chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Course you do sweetheart.”
She bounced on the sofa. “Wait till I tell mum!”
I pulled her into my arms. “You’ll be in bed by the time she gets back. You can tell her tomorrow.”
Brett grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl in my lap. “Let’s watch this movie. Bloody love mermaids!”
Danny pressed play and we snuggled up on the sofa for some fantasy aquatic entertainment.
CHAPTER11
M um joined me on the squishy sofa in our cosy living. She’d rolled in at one in the morning and hadn’t rolled out of bed until lunch time. If she had a hangover it didn’t show, she looked as alert and glowing as always.
It was almost two in the afternoon now, and Bella looked ready to burst with her flower girl news.
“Have they picked a date yet?” mum asked.
“Nope.” I took a sip of my juice then placed it back on the coffee table. “But they plan on a summer wedding.”
“And guess what mum? Tell her Kenna, tell her!” Bella hopped from foot to foot.
I smiled at Bella’s enthusiasm. “He wants me to be his best man.”
Bella clapped her hands. “And tell her the rest!”
I rolled my eyes. “And they want Bella to be a flower girl.”
Mum smoothed Bella’s hair and made all the right noises.
In the background the television screen flickered while a figure addressed the world silently.
I’d muted it when Bella had wandered in. She was supposed to be up in her room for this, but there were a few minutes till the announcement so . . .
Mum glanced at the screen then at me. She inclined her head—the signal to send Bella up to her room. My little sister may have argued with mum, but she could never say no to me.
“Bell, babe, it’s time.”
Bella sighed but didn’t argue. With one sideways glance at the screen she headed out of the room. We listened while she climbed the steps and waited until we heard her door shut before turning the volume up on the television. The silent man came to life in all his gravity.
“—of the lottery are in. Thirteen names, thirteen lives to protect the many. We owe these people our undying gratitude, their families are now our families, and we owe them our eternal support . . .”
“Just get on with it already!” Mum said.
Her hands were curled into fists, her knuckles white. She hated this as much as I did even though we were both exempt—she because of her age, and I because of my status as Fearless. We watched every year regardless, and we shared in the grief of the families that did lose someone.
The names began to scroll on screen, complete with picture, borough, and residential code, just so there couldn’t possibly be any confusion.
We scanned the names, not recognising any until the last one.
Mum’s hand flew to her mouth and my insides twisted.
“I got to go.” I was on my feet and heading out before mum could reply.
***
I pulled up outside Brett’s at the same time as the escort van. Two male Fearless Officers jumped out just as I dismounted. Their faces weren’t familiar. Probably from another base. Striding over, I cut them off before they could step onto the path. The taller of the two tensed, his hand going to the Taser at his waist. I caught the twitch of curtains from the corner of my eye—we were being watched by the whole damned street. I flashed the badge I rarely used and the officers relaxed.
“Guys, one of us lives here.”
“Ah, shit,” said the shorter guy. “I thought I recognised the other name on the tenancy papers.”
“The monolith?” the taller guy asked.
“Yeah.” My throat was suddenly dry. “They just got engaged.”
“Fuck. You think he’ll . . . You think he’ll be okay?”
You think he’ll be trouble, is what he meant. “I honestly don’t know, so you mind if I go in first to scope things out?”
They shook their heads, “No, go ahead.”
I walked up to the front door and knocked. Brett opened it almost immediately. He didn’t look past me at the van. He simply stepped back, let me in, and shut the door. I found Danny in the kitchen, eyes red and swollen, a mug in his hand.
“I’m okay, I’ll be okay,” he said.
My eyes welled. “Fucking hell, I was supposed to be making this easier!”
Danny did his snort laugh thing that always made me giggle. “It’s okay. You being here makes me feel better. I don’t want him to be alone tonight.”
I looked to Brett, whose face was a stony mask.
Danny clapped his hands together. “Okay, I should grab my toothbrush or something, right? Am I gonna need a toothbrush? I don’t know. I . . .” He moved toward the hallway, and then stepped back. “Should I bother taking anything?”
He looked so helpless, standing there in his joggers and t-shirt, his hair dishevelled and his brown eyes wet with sorrow.
Danny reached for him. “Will you walk me out?”
Brett’s jaw ticked. “I can’t.”
“I’ll give you guys a moment.” I squeezed past them both and stood by the front door.
I was a voyeur—a useless eavesdropper of their grief. Their sobs echoed throughout the house, seeping into the walls. I’d never forget that sound.
Danny plodded out to me a moment later. “Walk me out, Kenna.”
I glanced over his shoulder at Brett, but he’d already retreated into the kitchen.
I linked arms with Danny. “Okay.”
We made our way down the path to the waiting van. The short guy opened the door at the back, and a peek inside showed a mini bar, cushy seats, and even a television. He would be a prisoner riding to an uncertain fate in style.
He climbed up and turned back to me. “Take care of my man, Kenna. He may look strong but he’s a pussycat really. Did you know he won’t even kill a spider? He’s a real softie and this . . . this could break him.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, because there was a dam of emotion in my chest threatening to burst at any moment, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. I needed to be strong for them both.
I stepped back as the doors slammed shut.
The engine roared to life and the van peeled away from the kerb just as the front door flew open and Brett barrelled down the path. I grabbed at him, trying my best to hold him back, hold him together, as the vehicle sped down the street and round the corner out of view.
We were headed back up the path to the front door when my pager buzzed. I unclipped it and scanned the message. It was a call out—a local eatery with a possible creeper problem. The coordinates had already been sent to our rides. Insensitive wankers! My eyes pricked.
Brett stared at me, jaw clenched.
I reached for my phone. “Fuck it, they can find someone else.”
Brett grabbed my hand. “No. I need to do this.”
His eyes gleamed with the fire of vengeance, and I felt the answering call in the tightening of my chest. Yeah, I wanted to do this too.
“That denizen picked the wrong day to take a stroll.”
***
I took a swig from the bottle of whisky and handed it to Brett, who finished it off. We stood on Times Bridge, covered in creeper gore and bits of food, and watched the Twilight Gate beyond the river. Behind us, a quarter mile back, was the Evernight Gateway—heavily guarded around the clock and warded to fuck just in case. I’d thought killing the creeper would help us, and while we’d been hacking and slashing and generally making a complete mess of the restaurant kitchens, for a few moments the pain had taken a back seat. But once the threat was gone the pain was back, rolling over us like a relentless tsunami. So we’d found ourselves here. Looking out at the gateway Danny had been taken through mere hours earlier.
The Twilight Gate was beautiful at night—an archway that reached up to the sky—slender, regal, and ornate. It had become a landmark for the city. Covered in everlight, it glowed like a beacon, reminding us that beyond the horror and darkness lay a realm of beauty unlike anything we could imagine.
Shame it had also become a gateway to Erebus.
When the gates first appeared, the government sent probes through both. The probes sent into the Evernight Gate were all destroyed upon entry. We don’t know for sure what lies beyond, and so we take Erebus’s word that only death awaits us on the other side. The tithe reach Erebus’s Evernight home via Twilight, where they’re handed over to Erebus’s emissary. He takes them the rest of the way through via a portal.
“What do you think he does to them?” Brett asked for the fifth time.
“I don’t know.” The same reply for the fifth time.
Brett was hurting. He would hurt for a long time. The worst thing was the not knowing. It was the lack of closure. I knew this. Mum knew this. Bella was too young to recall, but my step dad, the only father I’d known, had vanished seven years ago. I’d wondered about his fate for years, and then one day I’d simply stopped wondering. Instead I told myself he was dead. It was better that way. It was better than wondering.
I turned to Brett now, intent on giving him the same advice, but the look of utter despair on his face stayed my tongue. Let him have a few more moments. Let him build the towers of hope in his mind for a little longer. If they helped him sleep at night then he should have them.
I followed his gaze, set now on the shimmering magenta river. Under the everlight that danced in the air, the river was a shifting entity seething with life. Shapes and shadows darted beneath the surface. Some as long as a man, some even longer. The river was a mystery in itself; an aquatic world populated by creatures we’d yet to be formally introduced to.
“I bet it’s peaceful down there,” Brett said softly.
I didn’t like the dead tone of his voice, or the emptiness of his expression.
“Let’s go home, bud.” I hooked my arm through his, tugging him away from the railing
He didn’t fight me, but followed me meekly as I looked to hail a taxi.
Back at his house I tucked him into bed, prepared to take the couch, but he pulled me down with him, and I did the best I could to comfort a monolith as he cried himself to sleep
.
CHAPTER12
A few days passed before I had the chance to visit Lauren again. I was loathe to leave Brett, even for a second, but he insisted that it would be good for him, that he needed some alone time.
I made the journey out into The Wild, crossing into Market Borough as the sun set, leaving the world under the protection of a watchful moon and the limited everlight that coated this borough. Tonight the scent of moonflowers was strong in the air—a cross between sandalwood and vanilla—the scent was both powerful and intoxicating. It was a favourite in Market Borough. Healers and shamans used it in a variety of concoctions. There was a garden a few streets away filled with the gorgeous white blooms, amongst other interesting flora that seemed to be emerging every day.
Parking my ride up against the kerb outside the bar, I hurried inside. Clovers was busy tonight, and I found Lauren working the bar with Valla. To everyone else he looked like an average guy—dark hair, dark eyes, nothing special. If the woman who he was shaking a cocktail for could see how beautiful he was, she’d be drooling all over the bar. He looked up and caught my eye before continuing with his cocktail making.
I tucked myself into a corner booth. He’d be over once he was done with the customer. In the meantime, people watching was always an interesting pastime.
I scanned the floor searching for familiar faces. A short balding man with a friendly smile raised his hand in my direction. Did I know him? He broke away from his companions and wound his way past the tables toward me.
“Hello. How are you today?”
There was something really familiar about him. My scalp prickled, and I dropped the veil seeing him for what he was. The short, toothy djinn that ran the house of worship round the corner.
“You.”
He shrugged. “Me.”
“Have you come for an apology?”
“Do you have one for me?”
Mums sobering words came back to me. Man, I hated it when I was wrong. “Actually, I do. Someone who means a lot to me said some stuff that . . . well . . . I shouldn’t have been so judgemental. You deserve my protection just as much as any human.”
He cocked his head, his eyes narrowing speculatively as he studied me. “I do believe you mean that.”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
“Well, you were quite vocal the last time we met.”
“People change. They learn and grow.”
“Which is all the creator wants from his children.”
“Woah.” I held up my hands. “I said I was sorry about the whole you-don’t-belong-here thing. Let’s not bring your creator into this.”
>
“My creator?”
Okay, I was so not in the mood for this. “Look. I don’t believe. I am not a believer, so I’d appreciate it if you dropped the subject.”
He shrugged. “Very well. But if you’re in the area and just wish to hang, then please drop by.”
“Hang?”
“It is what you youngsters say isn’t it?”
A shadow fell over us. “Pastor Cimran. How are things at the House?” Lauren asked.
The little djinn looked up and smiled, his pointy teeth gleaming in the lamplight. “Oh very well, Lauren. We missed you at worship last week.”
“I’m sorry. I was . . . away. But I’ll certainly drop by sometime this week.” His gaze went to me then back to the djinn. “How do you know Kenna?”
The djinn raised his brows at me giving me the floor.
My cheeks heated. “I accidentally went into the house of worship the other day.”
Lauren’s brows were up now. He knew my feelings on the whole god thing too.
“What? It was a mistake.”
“I don’t believe in mistakes, only opportunities to affect change.” The pastor patted my arm and dropped me a wink. “Enjoy your evening Kenna, and do visit soon.”
He left us to join his companions, which now that I’d dropped the veil, I could see were human.
Lauren slipped into the booth opposite me. “I expected you days ago.”
“I’m sorry. I would have come sooner but my friend Danny, you know, Brett’s boyfriend, well, fiancé now, was selected as tithe.”
Lauren’s eyes gleamed with empathy. “I’m so sorry, that must have been horrific for you both.”
“I don’t know what to do to help Brett. Danny was his world.”
“All you can do is be there for him. Give him space if he needs it, but let him know you’re there. Only time will heal.”
“What happens to the tithe? Do you know?”
I’d never thought to ask him before, but it was different when the tithe was someone you loved.
He leaned back against the red leather of the booth, his gaze hooded. “Not for certain, and speculation won’t help anyone.”
Beyond Everlight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Fearless Destiny Book 1) Page 6