by S. E. Akers
I lay there reeling from her blow and painfully aware of the situation. Any chances of me finding an exit were on hold; only one of us would be walking out here — the one left least banged up and bloody.
Good enough, I affirmed and then rose to my feet.
Our steps carried our frames around in a heated circle, each of us poised for a nasty fight. “You’re not so tough without Tanner’s wards protecting you,” Lorelei laughed.
“You’re not as pretty with your hair pulled up in a bun,” I blasted back, wishing it were actually true.
Lorelei clenched her hands, keeping a tight lock on her temper. “Is that all you’ve got?” she glared.
“No,” I grinned. I held up my right fist and then gave my ring an endearing twist. “I’ve got a moonstone.”
Lorelei beamed a pearly-white smile. “Not for long,” she sang, all sweet-like. Then she closed her mouth directly and reopened it with an even toothier grin — purposely flashing a transformed set of fangy, razor-sharp choppers dripping from her mouth like icicles. “And I have YOU to thank for these!”
I jumped back in a flinch. So it seemed dipping into her darker creature-side had a teensy side effect. I was seriously going to have to add “hindsight” right under karma’s name on my list of active-duty bitches. Thoughts of her fangs sinking into my flesh forced a hard lump down my throat. After all, Castor Valorre was able to yank out a few of my hairs under Ms. Lá Léo’s defensive wards, and there was no way in hell I was letting Smeagol over there Frodo this thing off my hand.
Her abrupt charge sent me racing to the other side of the table in search of my own makeshift weapon. After all, she’d opened the door for chair slinging, and I was sure going to oblige her with a little payback — on top of putting some distance between me and that saw-toothed, bear-trap resting above her chin.
Lorelei stroked her hand across the top of the abalone table and gave it several pats. “Why don’t you make things easy on yourself and hop on up here.” She taunted me with a few vicious “snaps” of her mouth and then nodded to my hand. “One way or the other, that finger is coming off.”
I kept my stormy glare locked dead on her as I kicked my foot under the edge of the table, sending both it and her flipping back onto the floor. I jumped on the underside of the table and dropped my stare to her pinned frame. “No thank you,” I cooed and then gave the slab several rigorous stomps before hopping off.
Lorelei threw the tabletop off her with a growl and shot to her feet. Each of us snatched hold of a chair and readied them in the air, gripping their backs like bats on the first day of Spring-Training. We started to sling our first strikes when a female voice called out, “ENOUGH!”
We each halted our swings immediately and then looked around in search of the voice’s owner. All the water falling from the archways had come to a complete stop. Within seconds, a woman stepped out of the shadows at the top of the sweeping staircase. My eyes sparked when I recognized Nerina making her commanding descent down the steps in all of her Water Guardian glory. Her long dress robe flowed and billowed like the most graceful current, trailing behind her approach. It was kind of nice to finally see her in the flesh instead of staring at a white marble likeness — and that colorful flesh of hers turned out to be a glistening nutmeg-hue at that.
“Both of you would be best served by placing those chairs down on the floor and giving your tempers a rest in them,” she advised.
The annoyance in her tone had me feeling like I was back in grade school and had just been summoned to the principal’s office. I may have been projecting a humbling sense of shame, however Lorelei opted for a downright pompous slide into her seat. I stared at her rightfully stunned considering whose presence we were in. All the diva lacked was a crown wrapped around that bun on her head because the queen had officially taken her seat. Pardon me — her throne.
Nerina shifted her vibrant blue eyes between the two of us for a moment. Regardless of how displeased she seemed, her motherly aura still radiated like the glow of a full moon, right down to her soft facial features and the tiny ringlet curls framing them.
“Lorelei,” the Water Guardian began, “Do you know why I have summoned you here?”
Lorelei tossed her head casually and began tapping her finger against her chin. “Well, you haven’t spoken to me for centuries . . . And, if memory serves me correctly, our last conversation ended with me refusing your offer . . .” She crafted a cheeky smile. “Is it to catch up?”
Nerina approached Lorelei with a steady glide. “Your vendettas end today,” she announced. “Both of them. You will not seek to harm neither Arica nor Shiloh in any way from this moment on, am I clear?”
Lorelei squirmed in her seat like she was set to explode. “Then tell Seraphina to unbind me!” she demanded, slamming her fists. “And I might leave Arica alone — if she vows to never show her face to me ever again!” Then she whipped her stare to me. “But I won’t make any promises with this one.”
“And why is that?” Nerina asked. “Enlighten me to your reasons. If you truly wanted a moonstone, you could just as easily seek to take one from a number of beings. Is it the diamond’s power you crave?”
“No,” Lorelei replied with a blasé sneer. “Simply her heart.” Her shoulders rocked with a shrug. “The rest would be gravy.”
“That is not a reason,” Nerina scolded.
Lorelei batted her eyes flippantly. “Vengeance for my love, Federo?”
I whipped my head to hers, my eyes popping wider than a spotlighted deer. REALLY?
Nerina wasn’t buying it either, not from the humorless look that lay heavy in her eyes. “I have tolerated your tantrums for long enough,” the Water Guardian sighed. “You may be the little girl who used to play in these halls, but there comes a time when one must sever their emotional ties . . . Do you wish that to happen permanently?”
Lorelei gripped the bottom of her chair. “Those were severed the day the Aquamarine was claimed,” she seethed. She glanced over at me with a nettled glare, seeming irritated that I was privy to their conversation.
“None of us knew Lorelei, not even your mother,” Nerina assured. “Would you have rather we killed you when we found out who your father was and what you stood to become?”
Lorelei rose from her chair and rushed to Nerina. “I died that day,” she grumbled, trying to keep her words hushed. “So from my perspective, it doesn’t matter.” Lorelei stood there, mad and quivering. Truthfully, she looked like she needed a hug or something consoling to let her know Nerina still held some pity in her heart for the circumstances revolving around her birth. Lorelei took a step closer to Nerina, only to be left open-mouthed and shocked to a standstill when the Water Guardian took a firm step backward and turned her head. It was shunning enough for me to watch; I couldn’t imagine how Lorelei felt after the icy move.
Lorelei’s eyes blazed with a look of pure contempt. Then she spun around dramatically and plopped back down in her chair. “You know, I think I am ready to end this feud,” she simpered. “And I think the first thing I’ll do once we’re done here is to start making plans for my next full-moon getaway. Maybe go somewhere more mountainous?” She gave her fingernails a frivolous shine. “I’d like to see what all the fuss is about. I didn’t get to spend much time seeing the sights on my last trip.”
I rocketed out of my seat, my tail feeling just as fiery. “DON’T YOU DARE!” I barked.
“Why not?” Lorelei posed, batting her eyes. “There are so many friendly-faces I would love to meet. The only thing I know about them is what my spies have told me and the pictures they’ve collected the times I’ve sent them there,” Lorelei goaded. “Let’s see . . . There’s a Samuel . . . a Chloe . . . and a particularly lovely woman by the name of Charlotte,” she added, looking painfully thoughtful. “Oh, and you can consider what I do to that last one a personal favor.”
Lorelei’s threats came to a halt when she abruptly buckled over with a throaty retch and then started
spewing water out of her mouth. And not just a little, it was like she was churning out her own waterfall every time she went to say something. She quickly stopped trying to speak as soon as she noticed her skin shriveling up. The sight of the wrinkly pucker seizing her flesh was a far cry from staying in a tub too long; she was down a good third of her mass. Nerina was siphoning all the water right out of her body.
Nerina tilted her stare to Lorelei as she sat on the floor choking. “I suggest you be just as wary of your words as your actions, child. There will be no talk of that, is that clear?”
Lorelei locked her turbulent eyes on Nerina. “You CURSED ME?” she shrieked.
Nerina’s expression remained impassive. “Yes. Her human relations are of no concern to you. If you so much as mention them again or any other human connected to her, this is the punishment you’ll be met with. The magnitude of your wrath is unwarranted. Shiloh has done nothing to provoke it.”
Lorelei shot to her feet, looking fit to be tied. “NOTHING?” she growled, her eyes twitching wildly. Then with a violent jerk, she tore out her bun and let her long red tresses fall around her trembling frame. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, she snapped out her new fangs to complete the frightful look. Lorelei pointed to her head and mouth. “You call this NOTHING?” she raged.
Nerina’s composure held a lot more restraint than mine. Seeing her new vicious veneers right along with her brain peeking out of the top of her head like a blood-tinged gray star atop a Christmas tree was shamefully gut-cringing. But in my defense, I was aiming strictly for a limb. It wasn’t my fault she’d moved. And who knew you could piss off a supernatural to the point of “physical damage”? It seemed someone else stood to benefit from a little meditation-time by way of a proustite to deal with a few of their emotions if you asked me; I would be the first in line to help the bitch slap on a collar, no asking necessary.
My averted stare just happened to fall upon Tanner entering the chamber. His gaze quickly shifted from me to Lorelei. And judging from the sag of his bottom lip and the confounded look pummeling his eyes, I probably should have already shed a little light on that particular omission.
Samuel was right… Those silent lies will come to light when you least expect them.
“And I know exactly what blade that bitch used to!” Lorelei grumbled. “Because it’s taking twice as long to grow back!”
Tanner turned his aghast stare to me instantly. Oh, I’d say going off the way his eyelids pressed to a close that the cat was officially out of the bag now… Or the kurki was out of its cradle. Either way, I was so busted.
Yep, I sighed. Hindsight is definitely going on the list…
“If I were you, I would be grateful it can grow back at all . . . An ability that only the Aquamarine grants, mind you, ” Nerina submitted. “And you were hunting her, after all.”
Lorelei crossed her shaky arms and pointedly trained her stare to one of the columns. Even in spite of how much she hated me, I truly did feel sorry for her. I only hoped the wards in here kept Tanner from sensing it. I didn’t need a lecture about “my greatest weakness” on top of the grilling I was bound to get over sneaking out of the house with that kurki in tow.
Nerina approached Lorelei, her eyes deliberately seeking compliance. “I know there is still good hiding somewhere inside you,” she contended. “But mark my words, if you cannot find it in you to end this or bring harm to another human on your quest for vengeance, I will cut that stone out of you myself and bear whatever wrath the universe inflicts for it.”
Lorelei spun around angrily. “Why haven’t you done it already?” she barked. “I used to think it was out of love, but for some reason, I’m starting to suspect you can’t.” Lorelei prowled around Nerina with a fierce and cocky strut guiding her frame. “I’ve heard rumors that your powers are waning, right along with The Veil’s. Maybe you need to think twice about whatever wrath the universe holds for you? You just might find yourself stuck on the other side of The Veil without your stone.” Lorelei sharpened her glare. “Maybe sooner than you think.”
Though Nerina stood there looking unfazed by her remarks, that didn’t stop Tanner from asserting his displeasure. “Just send her back,” he urged to Nerina. Then he shifted his stare to Lorelei, his violet eyes looking as dark as two blackberries. “Unless she wants to hang around for a family reunion,” he smirked.
Lorelei turned to Nerina in a panic. “It’s HERE?” she gasped, her gorgeous face flooded with terror.
“Yes,” Nerina replied. “This is where the creature remains imprisoned.”
Tanner took a heated step towards Lorelei. “Why don’t you slip into your tentacles? I’m sure Daddy would love to see how you’ve turned out.” He tightened his sneer. “Personally, I think you’re a chip off the old block.”
The red streaks in Lorelei’s eyes swirled with a ferocious sense of tenacity as they washed him from head to toe. “I’ve always found nature’s sense of humor rather twisted when it comes to granting beauty. Some of the most attractive people lay claim to the ugliest of hearts.”
Tanner eyed the top of her head with a glare so repulsive it looked like he’d taken a swig of togwort. “Then what’s your excuse?”
Lorelei reached for her chair in a grumble and hurled it at Tanner not a second later. Of course he knocked it away effortlessly with an even wider grin.
Then with a wave of her hands, Nerina commanded one of the waterfalls to reappear. The watery sheets branched off into several appendage-like streams that raced towards Lorelei, swarming her from all directions. Once she was securely bound, they started dragging her out of the chamber. And she didn’t go quietly either — kicking and screaming the entire way.
“You mark my words, Tannerius! I’ll be the one to reign over your last breath! See if you’re so smug when you feel me clutching it in my hands!” Lorelei bellowed. Then she turned her savage glare on me. “And I’ll have your head yet!”
Nerina nodded to both Tanner and I and then proceeded to escort Lorelei out of the chamber.
Just as soon as they were gone, Tanner swiftly pulled me into his arms. “Remind me never to ask you for a trim.”
I bit my lip. “Are you upset?”
“Furious,” he grinned. “Just be glad Nerina’s ban-on-all-weapons is in place.”
I beamed a smile in his direction. Nah… He wasn’t that mad.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“Our hostess was gracious enough to let me park my car before collecting me,” he replied. “But she also requested I procure a couple of things first.”
“That was thoughtful,” I said, “and I’m sure appreciated.” Even I was thankful that she hadn’t plucked him right out his two-million-dollar driver’s seat. I didn’t want to think how pissed off Tanner would be. Though now I was really glad I’d handed him back the keys.
“Be honest,” Tanner began. “Were you scared when Nerina’s orb collected you?”
Shittin’ bricks… “Maybe a little alarmed,” I fibbed. “That’s all.” I pressed the toe of my shoe against the floor and cocked my leg. “I was actually more flustered over my hilt never showing up,” I huffed, pointing to my thigh.
“It’ll come back as soon as Nerina lowers her wards,” he assured.
“That’s good to know, but I’m putting this holster back in the vault. I felt like I’d lost my purse in the middle of a crowd — and I was naked,” I added, feeling nauseous. “I don’t want to run the risk of that ever happening again. I like it where I can see it.”
Tanner smiled and then brushed a few straggling wet strands away from my face. “So what did I miss?”
“Nothing,” I replied. “I think Nerina brought us here to mend our fences . . . but you see how well that went.”
“That’s not the only reason Nerina summoned you.”
My brow furrowed a touch. “It’s not?”
Tanner shook his head. “Come on. She wants to meet you.” He started leading me in the opposit
e direction, towards the grand staircase.
Now I was totally confused. “Where are we going?”
“To meet Nerina,” he repeated. “You’ve actually been chatting with Seraphina in disguise.”
My steps came to a slick halt. “WHAT?” I gasped and pointed back to the way they’d left. “That was Seraphina? The same Seraphina who saved me and gave me a moonstone that I’ve never thanked her for.”
“That’s the one,” he admitted.
My mouth cracked open. “Well, is she coming back?”
“Not likely,” Tanner remarked. “I’m sure she’s giving the hag a personal escort back . . . along with a tireless scolding of course.”
My heart felt undeniably heavy all of a sudden. “Doesn’t she want to meet me?” I asked.
“Yes,” he acknowledged with a smile. “But today she was summoned out of her seclusion to stand in for Nerina.” He lifted my chin. “You’ll get a proper meeting with her soon enough.”
“All right,” I muttered, trying to knock off the hurt. Playing a role or not, I sort of felt like I’d just been snubbed. This was the closest I’d come to meeting the reclusive Moonstone Talisman. Surely Seraphina could have let me in on her ruse somehow, like sending me a covert telepathic message or something along those lines. I would have even welcomed her slipping me a folded note or flashing a secret hand-sign. Then I could have finally issued her that “thank you” I’d been wanting to give her for months — in person. I could’ve even mouthed it out without Lorelei catching on. There was so much red inflaming her eyes, I doubted she could have seen anything anyway.
We carried on up the steps to find a much different figure standing at the top waiting for us. It was Nerina, but this Nerina was nothing but a withered and frail version of what I’d seen in the flesh moments ago and a far cry from the voluptuous marble statue on display in the totem room, despite the fact that her skin now looked just as colorless.