by Jen Colly
“Did no one speak up, fight back?”
“Hush now,” she said, playfully smacking his shoulder. “I’m telling the story.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But I’ll be disappointed if the entire city rolled over and let this happen.”
“Rollin, you have to understand, a small town is nearby, and because of our close proximity to humans, we’ve always been under heavy Guardian control. Valenna rests beneath an active abbey,” she explained. “I believe, at first, no one knew what to do. The aristocrats did indeed try to take back the city, but no one defies the Lady of Valenna. She executed the aristocrats, save three.”
He lifted his head to meet her now watery gaze. “Your parents?”
“Yes.” Her voice broke, but she pushed past the sorrow, drawing on him for strength. “After my mother and father were killed, I was cornered and nearly marked against my will. Twice. Each time I only escaped because the captain himself saved me at the last moment. After the second attempt, I knew why I’d been spared. The captain was saving me for the lady’s son, or possibly his own.”
Bette covered her mouth swiftly, looking away from Rollin’s intense gaze and trying desperately to get her emotions under control.
“I take it the other two aristocrats left alive were unmated females,” he said, a controlled anger evident in his tone.
“No.” Bette’s lip trembled, remembering the last time she saw Delmor. “Delmor would have been killed too, if not for the fact that his daughter was yet a child.”
“You’re here, and unmated,” he said, reaching up to gently stroke her neck with this thumb. “How did you get away from them?”
“I didn’t.” She shook her head, her breathing uneven. “I went home and locked the door. Five locks. Ten years of solitude. Guardians are supposed to protect their people, but I was no longer under their protection. They pulled on my door. Laughed. Taunted. Day and night. Sometimes they would only knock. Other times one of them would whisper ‘mate or die’ through the keyhole of my door.”
Rollin scooped her up off the bed in one swift motion, laid them back down together, and held her tight to his chest. Her head on his shoulder, he kissed the top of her head. “Ah, Bette, I didn’t know. I didn’t… Ten years of this?”
“More or less,” she whispered into his shirt, numbed out by mentally revisiting her past. “Keeping track of time was satisfying, and maddening. My count might be off.”
“Your count?” Rollin scoffed. “I don’t know how you didn’t go mad.”
“I did. At least on occasion.” She rubbed her cheek over his shoulder, taking great comfort in the warmth of his embrace.
“If the city is closed and you were being watched, how did you get out?”
“Delmor,” she said the name fondly. “An opportunity presented itself, and he took advantage and helped me.”
Rollin went still against her. “Why not save his own daughter?”
“She was already gone.” Bette shook her head. “Safe, but gone. He never said where. I pray he told me the truth. Wherever she is, she’s without family. Alone.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” he said, giving her back a reassuring rub. “You’d be surprised at how resilient kids can be.”
The way he said those words, the deep sincerity… Bette pulled back, laid her hand on his cheek. “You’re talking about yourself. You were resilient.”
Rollin shrugged, a slight shift in a single shoulder.
“How old were you?” she asked, stroking his cheek as she looked him in the eye. Was this what he’d confronted the lady about regarding the loss of his mother?
“Demons attacked the city when I was eleven, killed my mother to take me. They took six kids, dragged them above because the lord would follow. It was a good trap. They just didn’t count on Cat.”
“The lady?”
“Oh, yeah. Cat tore those demons apart. Because of her, five of us lived.” He paused for a moment, likely in remembrance of the life lost. “I coped. So did the others, in their own way. I’m sure your young friend will be fine.”
“Genevie,” she supplied.
Rollin smiled. “Genevie will be fine.”
“Rollin,” she said, eyes wide. “You let a demon go today.”
“Mercy for a demon.” His chest expanded beneath her hands, a big, deep breath. “Never in my life did I think I would do such a thing.”
“He never hurt anyone,” she said, hoping to reassure him. “You did the right thing.”
“We hate them—call them ‘it’ or ‘creature.’ Five were orphaned because of demons. They killed Jovan’s parents, his sister. They killed my…”
Bette splayed her hand over the side of his head, pressed her forehead to his and returned his focus to her. “But not the one you set free.”
“No, not that one,” he said, and as his eyes closed, she felt him relax against her.
They fell into silence then, hanging on to each other.
Chapter 23
Balinese
The phone rang. Jarred from sleep, Rollin sat so quickly Bette’s arm slid down his chest and landed in his lap. She patted his stomach then rolled away, tucking her arm close to her body. In the aftermath of their shared emotional trauma, they’d fallen asleep together, taking comfort in simply holding each other.
The phone rang again, and this time he scowled at it. Twisting, he reached for the phone and brought it to his ear. “Yeah?”
“You’ve got to help me!” Oriana’s panicked voiced squealed on the other end of the phone. “It’s Maeryn. She’s… I don’t know. I can’t… I can’t…”
“Calm down, Ori. Everything will be fine. I’m coming right now. Don’t move.” Rollin hung up the phone and jumped out of bed.
“What is it?” Bette asked, pushing herself upright.
“I don’t know,” he said, shoving his boots back onto his feet and snatching his sword from the floor. “Something’s wrong with Maeryn.”
After wiggling out from under the sheets, Bette hopped off the bed and stepped into her slippers. She had no need to get up. What she was doing?
“Don’t just stand there staring at me,” Bette scolded. “Let’s go.”
Rollin grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. “I could hear her over the phone. She sounded so frightened,” she said, running alongside him. “You go on ahead.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. Oriana is notorious for blowing things out of proportion,” he said, a reminder to himself as well. “She’s a smart girl. If there was a true emergency, she would have hit the panic button.”
His body was in a bizarre state of trying to shake off sleep while adrenaline rushed through him, and, as a result, it felt like he wasn’t moving fast enough. When they finally burst into the Casteel home, out of breath but wired enough to tackle anything, only Oriana waited for them.
As big as she’d grown, she looked small standing in the entry, wringing her hands, fat tears welling in her eyes. With a wail, she came flying at him. Rollin caught her up in a big hug, rocking her.
“Hey, you’re fine. I’m here now.” Oriana was good and scared, and that was not at all like her. Rollin glanced around the darkened home. “Where is everyone? Why didn’t you—”
“Mom’s having the baby,” she said in a rush.
Wow, there was some news. “So what’s wrong with Maeryn?”
“I don’t know. I’m all alone. I can’t find her anywhere! She came back from Soren’s, but she paced for like hours and then she just left. She’s always back by now.” Oriana grabbed his shirt, eyes wide. “Rollin? What if she’s hurt?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find her. Soren said she wanted to see Jovan. Did you check with him?” he asked. “She’ll need to see him after what happened today, right?”
Oriana shook her head, the motion breaking loose the fat tea
rs to spill down her cheeks. “She visits, but she never stays.”
“But she still goes. Let’s check to be sure, okay?” he said, careful to keep his voice reassuring for Oriana’s sake. “I’m not leaving you here alone. You get to come with us.”
Rollin set her feet on the floor and Bette instantly reached out and took Oriana’s hand. “What are you doing?”
“You’ll need your hands free. For rescuing,” Bette said, looking pointedly at the sword on his waist. “Lead the way.”
She was right. They had no idea where Maeryn was or what kind of trouble she might have gotten into, and if he thought he might need his sword, then she was right to make sure he’d have the ability to use the thing. They dashed out the door, Bette and Oriana following closely on his heels.
Jovan lived on the east rim of the city. Rollin had only been inside the cave-like home once. His brother could live however he wanted, and did with great enthusiasm, but he didn’t care for the idea of Maeryn spending time inside that unfinished, unappealing hovel.
He cared even less for the idea of Maeryn venturing down to level seven to find Jovan. He’d sure as hell picked the darkest corner of Balinese, even knowing such darkness frightened Maeryn. His brother was an ass. Jovan couldn’t even consider how a place like this would affect her.
Oriana might be the baby, but Maeryn needed more babying, more…everything. Each member of the family had a vital role to play in her well-being. Oriana was her companion, Dulcina her courage. Jovan was her heart and soul. And in Maeryn’s mind, Rollin was her brother. Her only brother. How was he supposed to protect her if he couldn’t even find her?
The tunnel leading to Jovan’s home grew narrow, the light dimming the deeper they went. Supports were placed throughout this tunnel to prop up a ceiling that was at least six inches lower on the left. Rock and dust littered the floor from the crumbling walls.
“I don’t like this,” Oriana whispered.
“It’s all right,” Rollin said over his shoulder. “Jovan lives down here. I’m sure he’s already killed anything scary.”
“Oh,” Oriana said brightly. “That’s true.”
“Here it is,” Rollin said as the tunnel dead-ended at a door with a large gap at the top between the wood and rock.
Before Rollin reached the doorknob, he’d already made the decision to bust the whole damn thing down if the door was locked. It opened, a dim light drawing his gaze. The walls inside the home were curved like they’d been dug out, the ceiling low and rounded as well.
“Jovan?” He waited a few seconds. No answer. No sounds at all. He probably wasn’t home, but just in case… He put his hand out to halt their progression. “Stay back.”
Bette stopped inside the door and sent him an encouraging nod, wrapping her arms around Oriana to keep her from following.
There wasn’t much to Jovan’s home. An entry that doubled as the living room, a dirty kitchen, a small bathroom, and a bedroom near the back of the home that was more like a den.
Cautiously, he moved through the living room and into the bedroom where the lamp had been left on. The lamp barely helped, the light casting odd shadows around the room. It made the blanket on Jovan’s bed look purple.
Purple? It wasn’t a blanket. It was Maeryn. She lay curled in the middle of Jovan’s bed, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around her body. Something was wrong. He felt it in his bones.
Rollin was rock solid, always there for her, but he’d never been able to pull Maeryn back from the brink. That was Jovan’s gig. He’d never known how to help her.
“Maeryn? You okay?” Nothing. She was alive and breathing, and awake, but totally numbed out. “What happened?”
She didn’t speak, didn’t even flinch. He knelt before her, and she looked right through him. Tears had dried on her cheeks. God help him, but if Jovan hurt her…
Rollin scanned her for injury, but found nothing out of place other than a piece of paper in her hand. He tried to take it, but she only pinched her fingers tighter. There was something written on it. He twisted the paper around to read the deliberately neat writing.
I had to go.
~Jovan
Oh, God, he’d left. Jovan had truly up and left, and in the process, he’d shattered Maeryn. He had to get her out of here, away from anything belonging to the man who’d hurt her.
Rollin scooped her up, but the second she lost contact with the mattress, she came alive, wailing and twisting until she fell from his arms. She landed on the mattress, grabbing for anything within reach. Curled into a ball, Maeryn sobbed into the pillow.
He couldn’t leave her here. No matter how much leaving Jovan’s home hurt her, staying would do far more damage to her mental state. He curled his arms around her small quaking body. This time, when Rollin lifted her from the bed, the pillow came with her.
The moment she saw them, Oriana broke away from Bette’s hold and ran toward them, arms awkwardly flailing.
“Maeryn!” Oriana petted her sister’s long hair, but her only response was more tears. Looking up at him, Oriana asked, “What happened? Is she okay?”
“She’ll be fine. She’s just real sad right now,” Rollin said. “You can help me tuck her into bed when we get home, okay?”
Oriana nodded. “I can do that. I’m good at taking care of people.”
“Can you help me out and take the lead? Have the elevator open before I get there?” he asked, and Oriana sent a suspicious glance in Bette’s direction. “It won’t hurt her feelings. Bette knows you’re faster. Go on.”
Oriana raced on ahead. The nearest elevator was a good distance away yet, but she forged on ahead, prepared to do her part to help.
Keeping a fast pace beside him, Bette whispered, “Is she hurt?”
“I don’t think so,” he said, unable to see Maeryn past the pillow.
Bette looked confused, then pursed her lips together as she thought over the situation, but never asked him for an explanation. She wouldn’t say a word, not with Maeryn there between them.
He couldn’t see Maeryn’s face, but she continued to quake and sniffle. Sixteen was too young for this kind of devastating heartache.
Jovan was no different. A young man of seventeen should not know that kind of rage. If Jovan had left the city, then he’d likely be above now, hunting demons as their older sister Dulcina did.
Maeryn and Jovan had been the hardest hit by what they’d all been through as children. The only peace they’d ever found was in each other, and now that was gone.
Oriana was a great help, keeping ahead of them enough to have the elevator ready and waiting for them. Now that Maeryn was safe, there was no need to rush though the corridors, but still he kept up a decent pace. He wanted her secured in her own bed and away from anything reminding her of Jovan.
They stepped out onto the first level. Currently it was quiet here, the dining hall abandoned at this time of day. Across from the double doors of the dining hall, down the mosaic tiled walls of a short corridor topped with a cathedral ceiling, was the church he often visited. He’d always gone after services; his time spent inside those gothic double doors more about remembrance.
But in this moment? He prayed as he walked. If Jovan was truly gone, there was nothing and no one else in this world who could help Maeryn.
As they entered the Casteel wing, Bette reached out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder, then she dashed ahead. Oriana opened the door, and Bette slipped inside the Casteel home.
Rollin strode through the grand entry, and headed straight for Maeryn’s room.
The door closed behind him, Oriana locking it securely before she grabbed Bette’s hand and pulled her into Maeryn’s room. Rollin had to step sideways to enter the narrow bedroom door, careful not to hit her feet on the wall. The girls were ready with the lights on low and the covers pulled back. He placed Maeryn on the bed and
she curled in tighter, her tears now falling silently. Not knowing what else to do for her, he grabbed the blanket and lifted it over her.
“Wait,” Oriana whispered, holding his wrist to prevent him from finishing the task. “She can’t sleep in her dress.”
He looked to Bette for help, and thankfully she came to his rescue, placing her hand on Oriana’s head as she spoke in a soft, motherly tone, “It’s a simple dress, sweetheart. Probably cotton. It won’t ruin. But how about we take her shoes off?”
“Okay,” she said, nodding as she saw the logic in Bette’s suggestion.
Oriana let go of him and raced around to unbuckle the shoes from her sister’s feet as Rollin tucked the blanket in tight around Maeryn. Before Rollin could stop her, Oriana was standing on the bed, shaking out a big comforter.
“Hey, now. Wait,” Rollin said, trying to get her attention, to stop her from disturbing Maeryn.
Bette came to his side, hooked her arm around his, and whispered, “She’s not hurting anything. Let her be.”
Oriana pulled the comforter up to Maeryn’s chin, then flopped down onto the bed, burrowing under the covers, careful not to pull them from her sister. Throwing her arm over Maeryn, she snuggled in.
“I’ve got her now,” Oriana murmured. “She’s safe with me.”
“Yeah, she is,” Rollin said softly.
Oriana needed to sleep beside Maeryn, because that’s what this family did when someone was hurting. She’d seen it happen all her life, though she probably didn’t remember how many nights Rollin had stayed with her, sleeping with two-year-old Oriana sprawled across his chest because she missed the parents who had been taken from her. What would she think when she found out Jovan, a member of their own family, had caused her sister so much pain?
Rollin backed out of the room with Bette, flicking off the light switch as they went. It was hard to close the door, to shut them from his sight, but they needed to rest, and he wasn’t going anywhere.