by Jaymin Eve
He had shoulder-length fiery red hair, a deep rich blood red, even more potent than my own. But it was obvious where my hair color had originated. Flashes danced through his eyes, the color of newly turned autumn leaves, burnt gold. He was intimidating, a strength and power unlike any I’d ever experienced. The longer I stared, the less potent was the glowing, until I barely noticed it. Had he dimmed his glow somehow?
He moved to Lallielle. They embraced, as if they hadn’t seen each other in days. The love between them was intense. For a moment I swear an intertwining aura circled them in waves of pink and silver. I shook my head. This ‘crazy’ thing I was starting to do was a little concerning.
Was this my father?
This larger-than-life – possibly glowing – man-giant?
Lallielle’s stories all implied that she’d made all the decisions alone.
Where had this colossally over-sized person been during everything?
He laughed loudly then, a deep husky woof. He even threw his head back as if there was nothing he did that was half-hearted.
“I can read your thoughts, daughter, especially when you are projecting so strongly at me.”
I froze. Did he just say ...? What the eff? “Can everyone read my thoughts?” Surely not. Brace would have known we were from Earth and that I thought he was the yummiest thing since chocolate chip cookies.
“No, Josian is special.” Brace said it laughingly, interrupting my inner monologue.
Josian turned and flashed some type of hand signal I didn’t understand. Grinning broadly, Brace reciprocated.
My parents moved closer before they sat on the floor. It looked kind of ridiculous to see such a stunning couple sprawled on the ground.
Josian was even more intriguing close up. His rich golden skin continued to glow lightly. He was like a sunrise.
“Josian is your father and he can read your thoughts because he’s ... more special than anyone you’ll meet on First World.” Lallielle snuggled into his side as she talked.
She was dwarfed by him as he clasped her left hand and raised it to his lips to kiss.
“Your mother is being overly generous toward me. I’m not special, just different. I’m not from First World and am far older than any creature that walks these worlds.”
Of course he was.
His lips twitched minutely.
Shit ... crap ... stupid mind-reader.
“Stop reading my thoughts – they’re private – and it’s rude.”
He held his free hand up in surrender, but his eyes twinkled with unshed laughter.
“So if you’re not from First World, then where?”
His engaging smile never wavered. “I’m a part of an ancient clan of ...” He paused, his expression thoughtful. “Deities – for no better explanation. We are Walkers and for many millennia we have wandered the galaxy, explored worlds and defined cultures. We were the teachers of mischief and mayhem. We do not age or die.”
My jaw dropped open.
He grinned broadly. “Now the majority of my family sleep. They wake at different moments throughout history. In many of the major moments on record – throughout all seven of these worlds – Walkers were involved.”
His entire demeanor softened as he stared into Lallielle’s eyes. “A few of us have found our reasons to settle into worlds.”
The autumn of his eyes deepened to a rich vibrant gold as he touched Lallielle’s cheek.
I just had one thing to say. “A deity? Come on, you’re some type of god?” Give me a break.
I’ve never had much interest in religion.
Yeah, I’ve heard the stories. I figured they were created to scare people. I’ve never encountered any actual evidence of their existence.
Lallielle elbowed him. “He wishes.” She looked at me. “There are no confidence problems amongst Walkers.”
He winked at me. “Deity’s not completely accurate, but it’s close. Our people have been worshipped as gods over the years.”
“So what are your powers?” I had an amusing vision of Josian in red-and-blue Superman tights.
His grinning mirth did not waver. If anything, there was an extra twinkle in his molten eyes. Had he just seen my mental pictures?
“We cannot control or create worlds. Our key abilities lie in world-walking and adaption. We can live anywhere and we can walk between any of the worlds. We do not need anything to keep us alive – food, water, shelter, oxygen – nothing.” He shrugged. “And we are strong, heal easily and are almost impossible to kill.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I glared at Lallielle. Why had she sent me to Earth for safety when my father was this alleged god?
For the first time Josian’s face dropped slightly.
Lallielle, picking up on this minute change, looked at him questioningly.
“She wants to know why I didn’t save her,” he answered quietly.
Lallielle patted his arm and smiled.
His expression lifted a little. “I was a bit of a scoundrel, moving through the worlds, seducing women and then moving on.”
He didn’t sound embarrassed; it was said as simple fact.
“Your mother changed everything; finding her was finding home. But of course at the time I was strong willed and hard headed. I resisted the feelings, fought against bonding and left. I had no idea she was pregnant. I had no idea I could even mate with humans. We might look genetically similar, but I’m not human. I was ... I believed it wasn’t possible. Luckily Lalli is from the oldest and strongest of First World. No other could carry my power to term in a child.”
His mesmerizing eyes flashed.
“I will never forget what I’ve done, the pain I’ve caused. I left your mother in a deteriorating world, pregnant and alone whilst I threw the equivalent of a temper tantrum across the universe. I’m only grateful my brothers knocked some sense into me pretty quickly.”
Lallielle chuckled then. “Keep in mind ‘pretty quickly’ to these immortals was actually three years here.”
He turned his face away and sighed. It didn’t in any way indicate a weakness; but there was a sense of tired.
“Time means something very different as you witness thousands of years pass. By the time I returned to First World, Lallielle had already made the difficult decision of hiding you. I missed my chance and Earth is a contradiction to any other planet: such a magic void that I could not find you.”
He shook his head.
“And yet you sit here before me and it’s the same as always: you emit no energy signature. You should be shining bright with power, but besides the occasional thought – nothing.”
I was relieved to hear that. I didn’t need powers on top of everything else.
“I wondered about that.” Lallielle said quietly. “And Josian, love, you must stop blaming yourself.”
She turned back to me while leaving a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“When I first met your father, I instantly fell in love with him. He was unlike anyone I’d ever known. At the time I didn’t know of the Walkers, but it soon became apparent he did not think or act as a human would. He was arrogant with his power – they’d wandered as Gods among people for too long.”
She laid a gentle kiss against his cheek.
“I’ve told Josian many times that, in leaving us, he was humbled. No matter his power, everyone has a weakness – his love for you and me – this is what changed him enough that he can live a normal human life.”
“What about Sam?” I was trying to work out the logistics.
“Samuel is your half-brother.” Lallielle’s features paled, the life draining from her eyes. “He has been lost to us for a year now. Born of drama. He has always walked a rocky path.”
I opened my mouth to ask what the hell she was talking about, but she continued.
“Before I met Josian there was a mesmerizer that lived here in Angelisian. He was a master at deception; no one realized he’d been driven insane from his power. He somehow starte
d to believe that I was his destined mate. He held me prisoner for two years.”
She swallowed.
“I wanted to die for almost every moment but I didn’t ... I survived. In the end, when Samuel was born, I could not let my baby be raised there, so I waited for the perfect moment, and I escaped. My dreamer abilities counteracted some of his mesmerizer strength.”
Josian growled quietly. The animalistic rumble filled the room.
“What happened to the man?” I had to ask.
Lallielle started to stroke Josian’s back; I was surprised to see how quickly he calmed from that small contact.
“Your father tracked him down. He saved me in more ways than he will ever understand.”
The look in his eyes told me the mesmerizer had paid for his crime.
I glared as power continued to bleed from the very essence of Josian. It felt as though, if I reached out my hand and touched him, I would be filled with jolts of electricity.
“Why haven’t you found Samuel and Lucy?”
His features grew hard; he was suddenly chiselled from stone.
“I do not know. It should be a simple matter for me to track Sammy. His energy pattern is the same as Lalli’s. But nothing. It’s as if his entire being has been removed from existence. The same with Lucy. Her essence lingers in town, but there the trail ends.”
I sat up straight. “They’re on Earth.”
Josian didn’t look surprised by my genius outburst.
“I believe so. I’ve explored far and wide there, for you and Sammy. But it’s like being blind with no powers. I’m not a human there, but far closer than is comfortable.”
Lallielle choked back a sob.
“I’ll not wait any longer. We will go to Earth and not leave until we find Sammy and Lucy.”
She sucked in a ragged breath.
“Losing you and Sammy was a punishment for my terrible choices. But Aribella has returned to us. Let’s find the others too.”
Chapter 9
After twenty minutes of such high emotions, I needed a break, a distraction. I locked eyes with Brace, who was quietly waiting in the wings.
“Has the lock-down been lifted yet?” I didn’t know how much longer I was prepared to wait. I wondered what would happen if I attempted to leave now.
Lallielle answered. “There will be a siren sound, and until that point no one is to leave their residence. It is unfortunately part of our magical security.”
Josian raised his brows, and gave me a grin. “You’re welcome to try and leave. As with most Walkers, I’m sure you won’t take our word for it.”
I looked between them before rising to my feet. With one last glance at Brace I walked to the front door. It opened easily, but as I attempted to take the first step outside my foot hit an obstacle. The entire doorway was an invisible barrier.
With a sigh, I walked back to stand next to Brace. I was struck by a thought as I glanced at Josian with his soft glow. Brace should pale in comparison to this man who was more than human, but he didn’t. Okay, his skin wasn’t glowing, but there was still something more.
His expression was unreadable as his eyes roamed over my face.
“Abby needs food. She hasn’t eaten all day,” he announced abruptly.
I didn’t need food. I needed answers and to get this lock-down lifted and to get the hell back to Earth. I opened my mouth, but Brace moved quickly, hands grasped either side of my biceps as he pulled me up off the floor so we were at equal eye level. As my feet dangled, I felt like a naughty five-year-old.
“Do not argue with me, Red. You’re no good to Lucy if you collapse from starvation.”
And then, with his gorgeous eyes flashing at me, and the accent-weapon assaulting me, I was no longer a five-year-old.
Josian was on his feet. It looked as if his hair was moving around his face, which wouldn’t be that odd, except there was no breeze. Brace glanced once, but, ignoring the angry god-man, turned back to me. He was waiting for my agreement and wasn’t wavering
Rolling my eyes, I nodded. He set me down.
Lallielle stood, placing a hand on Josian to calm him. She had to do that a lot. Gods save us from stubborn, domineering, over-bearing, pompous, ass-hat ... my mental tirade continued as I alternatively glared at the men.
“I’ll organize some food,” Lallielle said, turning to exit through the side door.
Josian was still glaring daggers at an unconcerned Brace. A tension that hadn’t previously been there filled the room.
Luckily, Lallielle was back in no time.
“The girls are organizing a selection. I’m not sure what you like but you should find something to eat.”
Everyone sat again to wait. I felt an uncontrollable urge to observe the room. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that Brace was watching me while Josian continued glaring at him. Lallielle looked highly amused and I turned to stare out the window to the calm of the ocean. The testosterone was thick enough to choke the room. I caught Lallielle’s eye and couldn’t help returning her smile. Okay, it was pretty amusing.
A young, blond woman wearing a bright red shift dress entered through the side door. She was pushing a trolley overflowing with food.
The room remained quiet as we moved toward the delicacies. Josian angled his way behind me, cutting Brace off.
Without going into crazy detail, I’ll just say the food was out-of-this-world amazing. The variety was something I was sure I’d never get used to. Cold-cut selections and a variety of meats, along with an array of seafood. Lallielle particularly loved a strange orange bug thing. She continued to wave it at me to try. By the end I’d sampled everything.
The crackers, topped with rich, creamy cheeses.
Piles of pre-cut fresh fruit in every color of the rainbow. I barely found pause to breathe I was so busy eating.
I also had a little love affair going on with the sweet pink juice made from quant fruit. Like that meant anything to me. Other than a green-tinged meat, which was disgusting, I loved everything. Although I was starting to feel slightly queasy from having stuffed myself. I wasn’t used to the richness or variety of the food.
By this time, through the large front windows, the sun was setting over the ocean.
Knowing we would soon be heading back to Earth, I was ready to rid myself of one responsibility that had been weighing uneasily. Pushing aside my empty plate, I looked around for my backpack. I had no idea where Brace had dropped it. They were all involved in a quiet discussion, so, without disturbing anyone, I set off to search for my bag. I found both packs resting against the entrance hall.
Retrieving the stone, I walked back into the room. Everyone looked up.
“I need to give this back to you. I don’t want to be responsible for losing it again.”
I held the blue stone in front of me and for the first time noticed that it looked slightly different on First World. There were definite flashes through the blue and it was no longer one solid color. Instead, it looked as if it was transitioning through stages of blues.
Josian stood, so quickly there was almost no shift from sitting to standing. He took the stone from me. At that first contact, I jumped backwards. Blue sparks lit the room.
He laughed. “Oh, I’ve missed that little jolt. I know all First Worlders think this is one of the royal stones, but in actual fact it’s not really a stone. They are small living worlds, which have their own energy and ecosystem. We call them, lalunas. They were discovered by the original seven, who believed they were what collided with moonstale to create our race. Only fourteen separate lalunas were discovered.”
Lallielle and Brace looked astonished by this information. I was wondering how I’d known there was something more when I first touched it. Was it my Walker side connecting?
“To keep them safe, the fourteen were gifted by Walkers to First World and each of its younglings.”
I watched nervously as he tossed it from hand to hand.
“Josian, you’ve never t
old me that before.” Lallielle’s eyes were wide.
He shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, my love, it just never crossed my mind. I have so many years of stories and legends.” He turned to Brace and I. “And it is a secret. The worlds cannot know of them.”
Lallielle smiled at me, with just a gentle curve of full lips. “You don’t have to give it back, the stone, laluna ...” She threw a sideways glance at Josian. “Whichever one, is yours, Aribella. You’re the first baby of the new millennium, born under a blood Moon – you’re the Empress.” She smiled like that was the greatest honour.
She. Was. Insane.
Josian cleared his throat. “Uh, now don’t get upset, Lalli dear, but the laluna simply recognizes Aribella, because it recognizes Walker power. I know we have argued about this before, but we must not just assume.”
I was highly amused to see him tip-toe around his wife.
“We do not argue, Josian, we discuss,” Lallielle admonished.
“If Abby’s not the chosen Empress, why has there never been another born?” Brace interrupted from the across the room. He didn’t make any attempt to move closer. “Lucas needs his Empress more than ever.”
I glared at him. What the eff?
Brace was all ready to marry me off to Lucas like a prize cow won at auction.
Josian snorted. I looked up and he shrugged. “Sorry. You have a unique way of looking at things.”
I needed to figure out how to end the mind-reading thing.
Josian distracted me by answering Brace. “And to answer you, Brace, Aribella’s not the Empress. Why another hasn’t been born, I do not know. Keep in mind she isn’t even a full First Worlder ... she is Walker, which is even more potent and dominant.”
I waited for him to elaborate. I totally love it when people talk about me like I’m not in the room.
“The world crisis stems from a larger and more universal issue. In the last twenty years many Walkers who were in sleep stasis are waking – ahead of time. The imbalance in the universe is disturbing them.”
His tone changed.
“This tells me that this all has something to do with Walkers. Not a First World or royal family issue. They’re just collateral damage.