Fallen: A Paranormal Romance Novel (Shadows Of Regia Book 1)

by Tenaya Jayne

  He chuckled. “It gave me a chance to have a nice long chat with Maddox, and you look beautiful. Doesn’t she?” he prompted.

  Maddox looked at her seriously. “She does.”

  “Dad, you’re so weird…how are you feeling today?”

  “Pretty good. So, Maddox tells me you two are planning to spend the day together. What are you going to do?”

  She looked at him. “Uh, I don’t know.” She panicked. “We’re not going somewhere people are going to take our picture and ask us questions, right?”

  “I thought we could go visit Tesla for a while if you want. Then we can go wherever you like. Or we can stay here. I don’t care. I need to run home for a few minutes and change.”

  “I’ll go with you.” She stood up as he did.

  He raised his eyebrows again, but he didn’t say anything to her. “Sir,” he held out his hand to her father. “The protection for your house we talked about will be ready this afternoon.”

  Her dad shook his hand and nodded. “Thank you. Don’t be a stranger.”

  “My presence, or lack of, is entirely up to Erin.”

  Her dad gave her a hard look. “Be nice,” he ordered.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Maddox headed to her room, picked up his sword, and went through the open portal on the wall. She followed, landing in his room right beside him. He stared openly at her, his eyes turning more grey than green as they roamed slowly over her whole body.

  “You look so hot, Erin. Are you trying to torture me?”

  “A little, you know in a normal way. I’m not trying to hurt you. Do you want to kiss me?”

  “Yeah, but I better not…I might not stop if I start.”

  She smiled and headed out of his room. “I’ll wait for you to change then.” She closed the door behind her and bit down on her lips. Her lips really wanted his, but she also didn’t want to start something they weren’t going to finish.

  Erin took the moment alone to look around the house. It was so nice. Not too big, not too small. All of it was livable space. No useless rooms for show. Nothing pretentious. The house was happy. It had the life of the people who lived there imbued into the walls and furniture. Maddox grew up loved. She was happy for that. Happy for him.

  He came out and stood beside her as she looked at some family pictures on the wall. She was captivated by one in particular. He noticed her fixation on the picture.

  “Tesla’s wedding,” he said.

  “They were bound together by the Heart?”

  “Yes, but even before that, they were soul mates. X is the only human to have ever been able to survive here. He’s really human in name only. One of a kind.”

  “Like her.”

  “Yeah. There’s no one like her,” Maddox said with affection.

  She smiled at him sideways.

  “What?”

  “You love your sister.”

  “Yeah, so? Her wedding started a new trend in Regia. But despite the desire to copy their ceremony, The Heart refuses to do it again. It doesn’t talk to just anyone.”

  “Were you at the wedding?”

  He pointed at another picture from the wedding, and she giggled. “Aww. You were a really chubby baby.”

  “Yes, I was. Can we quit this now?”

  “All right fine.” She faced him and scowled.

  “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.

  “Geez, you’re so…so…posh. Do you always have to dress like a model?”

  “You don’t like my clothes?”

  “Oh no, they’re very nice. Too nice. How much did your outfit cost?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “It’s just such a waste of money.”

  He crossed his arms. “Class warfare? Is that really where we are, Erin? You took your time trying to look nice for me. I was trying to do the same for you, but if it pisses you off…”

  He turned to head back to his room. She grabbed him by the arm. “I’m sorry. That was stupid of me. I just feel awkward next to you. Everything on you is worth a fortune, at least a fortune for me.” She spread her arms out. “This is the best I have.”

  “You could wear a torn rag and still outshine every woman in Regia. No one is even going to look at me with you at my side.”

  His watch pinged. He looked at it. “It’s Melina.”

  He responded to her quickly and looked back at Erin. “I told her I’m unavailable to play today.”

  “Did you really say that?”

  He showed her the message he sent. She snorted.

  “I noticed your sword last night. Can I see it? Will you tell me about it?”

  “Sure. There’s not much to tell.”

  She followed him back to his room. He took the sword off the wall and handed it to her. She slid it slowly from its scabbard and gripped the hilt in both hands.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said quietly.

  “It was a gift from my parents. It’s kind of a family thing, to have a blade made from the obsidian of the mountain.”

  She held it up and moved it from side to side. Maddox grabbed her wrist and took the sword out of her hands.

  “What?”

  “You have no swordplay experience.”

  “You can tell?”

  He nodded. “I don’t want you to accidentally cut off my head.”

  “I wish I had fighting skills. I didn’t have a flashy education at the Academy, like you.”

  “Sure they teach some stuff at Academy, but my real training was always at home. Or when I tagged along to work with my Dad.”

  “That’s awesome. Will you tell me about it? What’s it like on the Obsidian Mountain?”

  “I’ll tell you, but…” his expression morphed, his eyes sliding out of focus. “My dad is my hero. I wish I was more like him. It’s really something to watch him fight, and he’s the only mage in Regia, the only one in like a hundred years. He trained me in the Kata since I could walk. I thought one day I’d be able to be a mage, too. When I hit my adolescence, I realized that wasn’t a possibility for me.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’ve climbed up the ranks in the Kata, but I can’t even break through to the level of master. My dad says I hesitate, and I won’t get out of my own head when I fight.”

  “Is that true?” she asked.

  “I think I’ve never had anything to fight for. Training is all well and good, but I’ve never been in a real battle. I’ve never had to fight for my life or the lives of those I love. I don’t know what I’m made of. I can’t until I’ve been through the fire like that…no one who wasn’t a full blood vampire has ever become a mage anyway. I’m too mixed to achieve it, even if I was a master.”

  He held his sword up and gazed at it. “It’s my power, inside this glass. I don’t know what that means. I don’t have any power, but when my parents made this sword for me, they put my blood inside it. Tesla’s swords are filled with lightning, my mother’s too. I don’t understand this patterned gold light, or what it means if anything.” He sheathed the sword and shook himself. “You want to go to Tesla’s now? She makes the best coffee anywhere. Particularly for half vampires like us.”

  “I’m nervous, but I want to go.”

  He framed her face and kissed her mouth. She sighed into him. When had this become natural? Their mouths were keeping company more and more.

  “You’ve got nothing to be nervous about.”

  He opened a portal, took her hand, and they went through together.

  Sixteen

  Kendrick handed the dead girl’s watch to his mom and waited. He paced along the wall like a caged animal.

  “Sit down,” she said. “Good night. You’re so nervous.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He sat, but he twisted his hands together.

  Her smile grew as she scrolled through everything he had. The pictures. The fake messages. All of it.

  “Very good work, son. Was she easy to kill? Did you enjoy it?”r />
  “Parts of it.”

  “You kept your head throughout the whole thing. I’m proud of you.”

  “Thank you, Mom. All you have to do is hit send, and it will break everywhere.”

  “Have you picked the next one?”

  “Yes. And she will be more painful than the others. Maddox actually cares for this one. He’s territorial with her. And she has a sweetness the others lacked. The public will want his head.”

  “She sounds good, but don’t lose focus, son. This isn’t about Maddox.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Erin gaped at the house for a moment. “Wow. They live in that?”

  He chuckled and pulled on her hand. “Cool, huh?”

  “I like it. It’s weird. A good weird.”

  Her watch pinged. A message from Jaris.

  I miss you. Will I see you tonight?

  I’m busy. Talk later.

  “It’s Jaris,” she told him.

  “Did you tell him you’re unavailable to play today?”

  “No. I wasn’t that cute. I just said I was busy.”

  The big door swung open for them. Erin’s heart sped up—face to face with Tesla. When she’d seen her before, she was so absorbed thinking her dad was dead that she didn’t get the chance to talk to or even really look at her.

  “Come in,” Tesla smiled and moved aside.

  She was rooted where she stood. Maddox pulled her in.

  “Hi,” she managed. “I’m Erin.”

  “I know. I’m glad you came to see me. Maddie’s told me about you.”

  “Please stop calling me that,” he whined.

  Her nerves bounced in her stomach. “I…thank you for saving my dad’s life.”

  “No problem. Is he doing better?”

  “Much. He almost looks normal again.” Erin tried to come up with something to say. “Um…I saw a few pictures of your wedding. Your dress was amazing.”

  Tesla smirked, and it looked just like Maddox’s smirk. “That was a long time ago now.”

  “You look exactly the same though.”

  “Thanks. I’m actually only three years older than Maddie.”

  “What?”

  “Long story. I’ll tell you sometime if you decide you’re going to be my sister after all.”

  Erin just swallowed.

  “I promised her you’d make coffee,” Maddox interjected.

  Tesla smiled. “Oh, all right. I’m going to have to teach you how one of these days.”

  “Yeah, but if you teach me, I’ll lose my best excuse to just show up here,” he said.

  They followed Tesla into her kitchen. Erin sat next to Maddox and waited quietly for her coffee. She observed the way the two of them spoke to one another. It made her sad she was an only child.

  “Oh!” she shrieked and pulled into Maddox as the black smear of a nightmare stalked into the room.

  It turned its red eyes on her and smiled terribly. Her blood ran cold. Maddox chuckled and rubbed her arm.

  “Relax. It’s just Fluffy.”

  The monster laughed an evil, demonic sound. “Just Fluffy? I resent that.”

  Dumbfounded, Erin continued to cling to Maddox. Then X walked in.

  “Hello,” he said casually to Erin.

  “Hi,” she squeaked, staring at X. He was quite freaky and totally beautiful. Not as gorgeous as Maddox, but it was close.

  X held out his hand, palm up to the monster. The next second it vanished.

  “Wha…where did that thing go?” she asked.

  “He’s in here,” X said showing her his hand. A clear stone, like a crystal, was strapped to his palm. He sat down across from her and pinned her with his ice blue eyes. “So you’re her? The reluctant life mate.”

  “Um…”

  “Do you really hate Maddox?”

  “Yes.”

  X laughed. “Are you scared to be here?”

  “No.”

  “You’re not very honest.”

  “Stop it, X,” Tesla said.

  “All right. All right.” He got up from the table and wrapped Tesla in his arms. “You’re making that nasty stuff again?”

  “No one’s asking you to drink it.”

  Everyone’s watches pinged at the same time. Scrambled words and images blurred the headlines. Incoherent flashes came through, then it was gone.

  “What was that?” Erin asked.

  Maddox’s watch pinged again. He stood and walked into the other room before answering the call, but his voice carried through anyway.

  “Hey, Redge. I’m at Tesla’s house right now…I saw something. It wasn’t clear…Do you need me to come there? Okay…Yeah… Bye.”

  Before Maddox came back, X got a call, too. He didn’t leave the room to answer it. “Kindel…Nope. Nothing was clear. Yeah, I’ll talk to him…Let me know.” He ended his call and sighed.

  “Is there another dead girl?” Erin asked.

  X gave her a hard stare. Maddox came back in and sat down next to her again. “It’s okay, X. I trust Erin.”

  She looked at him, amazed. He said it so easily. Was it true? Did he trust her?

  “Lots of ugly stuff leaked to the media. It needs to be sorted through. Kindel stopped it from breaking.”

  “I deleted all my old contacts, but they’re still on my other watch that I left at Fortress. Those girls need protection, or at least to be warned.” Maddox said. “I’m worried about Mel and Erin the most. Someone was outside Erin’s window last night.”

  “The dome for Erin’s house is ready,” Tesla said. “Mel’s already well protected and informed, but you’re right. What did Redge say?”

  “That I need to be ready to make a public statement if the news actually does get through.”

  “If you and Erin could go public with your relationship, that would—”

  “She’s not ready for that,” Maddox cut Tesla off.

  “I’m just thinking of things to protect you,” she argued.

  “It doesn’t matter,” his voice made it clear the topic was closed.

  “I’m sorry. I think I should go,” Erin said. “I don’t want to add to the stress.” She stood. “Could you open a portal for me, please?”

  Maddox stood, too, and put his hand on her lower back, directing her gently out of the room and through the front door.

  “I’m sorry,” he said once they were outside. “I saw that going a bit differently in my mind. I thought you would like them.”

  “I do. It’s not that. I just don’t know what to do…I feel weird. Like I’ve encroached on something too personal. I don’t feel comfortable being a part of…I’m the outsider. And your family is in turmoil right now.”

  “You’re right. This isn’t fair to you, and I’m trying really hard to be fair to you, Erin. I’m trying to not push. I’m trying to not charm you when I want to. But this whole business is scaring me. I’m worried you’re going to be targeted. Just last night—I can’t even let myself think about it because I get all freaked out and furious at the same time. And I don’t know what is going to be required of me in the next few days, or hours, in that case. But I have to know you’re safe.”

  She took in his voice as he spoke, his eyes, and what he was feeling transferred from his heart to hers. Taking a deep breath, she made a choice. He needed her help.

  “I won’t be that girl. The one who insists she’s fine and can take care of herself when she’s really just a helpless dumbass who causes more trouble and puts herself and others in danger. I won’t be that girl. I’ll listen.”

  “Wow. I think I just fell in love with you.” He leaned in and kissed her lips, but just briefly.

  “I am pretty awesome,” she teased, using snark to hide behind. “What can I do so you don’t worry about me?”

  “Stay close. And when you’re not, stay under the protections on your house or mine.”

  “Sounds like I need a guard to go anywhere.”

  The door opened behind them, and X stepped out.
“There already is one. Well, sort of.”

  “What?” she asked.