Underworld Queen

by Sharon Hamilton

  “Lovely. Simply lovely.” Drucilla smiled at Audray, “He even warms my bones, and God knows it’s been decades.” She took the hand Jonas had been holding with Audray, separating them. She put his palm to her cheek and smiled. “In the old days, I’d have taken him for my own, if I could get him. Welcome, Blackbird.”

  Audray felt Jonas flinch at the name she called him. She knew it had some significance.

  Drucilla placed Jonas’ hand back with Audray’s and squeezed. “So your union is fruitful, I see.” She smiled as she stepped in front of Audray, putting both her hands on Audray’s cheeks.

  Drucilla closed her eyes and inhaled. “Ah, the smell of fresh life. It grows strong and healthy.” When she opened her eyes and removed her palms, a little jolt went through her body. “Oh my!”

  “What is it grandmother?” Molly said, suddenly alarmed.

  “The babe talks to me.”

  Audray was dumbstruck. She and Jonas gazed in shocked silence at each other. Deciding it was probably a good sign, they both smiled and then hugged. Jonas whispered, “Thank God, the child is healthy.”

  Audray was dying to ask a question. “What did the baby tell you?”

  “Well, this is just splendid. I’d thought I’d seen, or felt, it all. The babe asked me whether it should be a boy or a girl. It hasn’t made up its mind. It can choose!”

  “That’s incredible,” Molly offered. Carl was speechless. Jonas was tense.

  “And what advice did you give my child?” His brow furrowed, his voice deepened. His breathing was irregular and raspy. Audray’s hand was caught in a vice grip with his, cutting off circulation.

  Our child. Our child, Jonas.

  Jonas relaxed but his focus was intent on getting an answer from the old witch.

  “Never fear, sir. I don’t meddle with the affairs of immortals.”

  “My child will be immortal?” Jonas asked.

  “Not sure,” Drucilla said as she shrugged. “This I cannot tell.” She stepped back and addressed the whole group. “But I told it to let nature take its course. I said it wasn’t a decision any of us should make. I said to let Father decide.” She scanned her audience. “You all seem surprised with this.” She smiled and inhaled. “You have to know about the rules before you decide which ones to bend. But I don’t break them. Your child simply asked a question that was above my pay grade. Unusual for one so small to have such power, though, isn’t it? A really very exciting development, don’t you all agree?”

  Audray rubbed her belly, giving silent love thoughts, showering the baby with the goodness in her soul, which was growing each day, mirroring the growth of the baby.

  I am changing too, young one. I never thought I could love another as much as I love your father, and my heart is expanding to love you both. But you are flesh and blood. You are the best part of both of us. Be strong, and know you are adored.

  Jonas squeezed her, pulling her body into the delicious muscles of his. Audray felt safe and protected in his arms. His strength allowed her softness to take root and grow unbridled. It had never been anything she had wanted before. But now it was something she could not live without.

  “Come, come. Let’s go inside and have a spot of tea!” Drucilla clapped her hands in mirth, waddling into the tiny cabin as her guests ducked and followed her.

  Inside, it was lighter than Audray would have expected. Skylights that opened let in plenty of fresh air and wonderful late morning light, filtered through the green grape leaves that seemed to turn and grow as she watched them.

  Everything around her seemed alive. Drucilla had a pair of small green parrots. A mouse ran across the floor, Drucilla chasing it with a gnarled broom. “Know your place, Tabitha. You will get your introduction soon enough,” she spoke to the mouse, who squeaked a response before making it to the safety of a wall hole. A large fluffy white cat was lounging on a brightly flowered overstuffed couch. He was unceremoniously shooed from the warm pillow with a stern incantation Audray didn’t understand.

  Molly’s face was lit up like a Christmas tree. Audray noted how comfortable the young woman appeared, as if she had spent hours and hours here as part of her training. Stepping into the old woman’s home was like being introduced to a deeply intimate part of Molly’s past.

  Carl stared at every bunch of dried flowers hanging from the ceiling, every cupboard, dish, chair, rug or animal. Audray remembered the first time she had visited a Farmer’s Market and saw all the variety of beautiful fruits, vegetables and flowers. She had never known something so opulent. She’d always thought food came from packages and cans. Carl’s face looked just like what hers must have looked like those ten plus years ago.

  “Sit, sit. Please.” Drucilla scurried to the kitchen and turned on her electric teakettle. With a groan, she pulled over a small stepstool and reached up to the top shelf of one cabinet to retrieve several teacups. Jonas was at her elbow in a flash, as she handed down to him five sets of delicately handpainted flowered cups and saucers. None of them matched.

  Drucilla made a point to hold her hand out in front of Jonas’ face with her little pinky in the air, indicating she needed help down off the stool. Instead of taking her hand, the big dark angel picked her up by the waist and swung her around, setting her down as she squealed in delight.

  “Now, Carl, there’s a real man for you!” Drucilla giggled. Audray saw Jonas blush and look down at her.

  Yes, there is a real man. And he’s mine.

  Audray was rewarded with an air kiss.

  The unlikely serving pair prepared the tea, placed cream in a clear glass pitcher, and added sugar cubes to a small cut crystal bowl. Jonas presented the whole array carefully on a silver tray, placing it on the coffee table in the middle of the small living room. Drucilla seemed to beam with enjoyment, asking for orders and pouring the tea as if she were a duchess at a State dinner.

  As the tea settled in, Audray did feel relaxed, warmed heart and soul.

  “Now. You came for information. I’m of a frame of mind to help you. Ask me quick, because these moods don’t last too long these days. Molly can attest to this.”

  Molly almost spit her tea out.

  “Frogs? You think I’d turn them into frogs?” Drucilla asked her.

  “No. Not them, me,” Carl piped up.

  “The verdict is out on you,” she said, pointing a bony finger at his chest. “But I can see your use to my granddaughter, and for the moment, I approve.” She turned to Audray and Jonas, whispering, “I’d have him housecleaning, rubbing my feet, scrubbing my back in the tub, perhaps gardening…and see where it leads from there.”

  Audray found this delightfully hilarious. She covered her mouth and looked up at Carl, who knew he was being talked about and had a puzzled expression on his face.

  “Glimmering is so much fun, and,” the witch leaned in and lowered her voice further, “he is very susceptible. So much more fun when they are.” She winked.

  Even Jonas thought this was worthy of a chuckle.

  Carl looked around the room, clearly uneasy with his situation. Molly leaned over and took his hand. With a sweet smile, she tried to reassure him. “Sweetheart, you’re going to have to get used to my family. We are a bit eccentric.”

  Carl was going to say something, but the big white fluffy cat jumped into his lap and he spilled his teacup, which had been balanced on his knees.

  “Off! You are the devil himself!” Drucilla screeched at the cat, who found a patch of rug in the sunlight to hunker down on. The cat looked back as if unmoved by the event.

  Carl stood, exposing a dark stain of spilled tea, front and center on his jeans in the groin area. He cursed.

  “Not in my house!” Drucilla screamed. “You will not defile this holy place with obscenities.” Drucilla glanced at Jonas and Audray adding, “There are times for those kinds of words, and times when they are not appropriate.” She turned around and addressed Carl again. “Since we’re not having sex, I don’t want to hear you say
the f-word, understood?”

  Everyone but Carl laughed. Carl put his hands on his hips and hung his head.

  “If you can’t stand the heat, boy, better get out of the kitchen,” Drucilla needled him further. Audray began to feel sorry for the young professor.

  “Look, you old bag,” Carl began, drawing strength as he continued, “I think your manners are horrible. I was raised to have more respect for others.” Carl’s breathing was ragged, his face red. He looked like he was could punch Drucilla if she said something else he didn’t like.

  “Ah, there’s hope!” Drucilla sauntered up to Carl, extricating the tea cup from his hands, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. “It’s been a whole twenty-four hours since I’ve been called that.” She rushed to the kitchen and brought back a jar containing another mouse. The top was covered with netting, secured by a blue ribbon tied in a bow. The little mouse inside stood on his hind legs, paws pressed against the glass, sniffing and looking at Carl. “Molly,” she began, but she remained focused on Carl’s face, “Your cousin Tremaine called me the very same thing yesterday, so I’ve given him a time out.”

  Carl’s eyes got big as saucers.

  “Now, son,” the old witch said as she thrust the jar into Carl’s quivering hands, “call me that name again.” Audray noticed through her sickly smile that all of her teeth had returned to her head. But this time, instead of sparkling white, they were pearlescent yellow.

  Carl looked at Tremaine through the glass jar and began, “Holy sh…Holy succotash.” He stopped and took a deep breath. Composing himself carefully, he spat back, “Not only are you an old bag, but you are a heartless old bag.” He held the jar up in the air. Tremaine shit a green liquid that started to pool at the bottom of the jar. “You vile woman, hurting members of your own family. You should be ashamed of yourself.” As an afterthought, Carl held out the jar. “You should apologize to this little fellow here, and set him free. Or should I?”

  Drucilla smiled from ear to ear. “Ah, I do love a man in uniform.”

  Silence descended on the room. Audray didn’t know what was going to happen next.

  “Go ahead, release him. If the cat doesn’t get him, he’s free.” Drucilla had folded her arms in front of her.

  Everyone watched as Carl loosened the top and poured Tremaine out onto the rug. The little figure made a beeline for the mouse hole Tabitha had disappeared into.

  “When are you going to release him?” Carl asked.

  “You just did, my boy. He’s gone home to Tabby. They have a nest of little squeakers that keep me up all night long.” She smiled again and patted his shoulder. “Good job, son. You don’t think I would really turn a member of my family into a mouse, do you? Although, I must say, I don’t mind that you think so.”

  With a loud cackle she retreated to the kitchen in search of another cup of tea for Carl.

  Carl exhaled and sat back down next to Molly, who pulled her chair up and snuggled next to him. His half smile told Audray she had said something about how brave he was, and Audray agreed.

  Jonas looked at his watch. It was getting past noon. Audray could tell he was impatient.

  “Okay, fun’s over,” Drucilla started as she brought in Carl’s replacement cup. “Let’s get down to business so we can begin our battle plans.”

  “One thing I’m going to need to know right away is whether or not it is safe for Audray to go between the worlds, between the Underworld and the human world,” Jonas said.

  “It will be more difficult the further along she is. I think her body has accepted its fate, and as long as you don’t go back and forth too many times it will be okay. But I wouldn’t push it.”

  “So, you think if I have to go back down there a couple, maybe three times, it will not hurt the baby?” Audray asked.

  “I think the baby will be fine. What is changing is your body, Audray. You were brought back to life as a dark angel. I think it’s possible your body is having to convert partially to a living human woman to accept this child and grow it inside you. You will not be able to tolerate the trip back and forth the more your body changes. And if you can’t tolerate it any longer, it will affect the baby.”

  Audray was somewhat relieved with this information. Perhaps there was a way afterall. Her primary goal was for the safety of the child. But her ability to help clean up the Underworld affected her future, which included Jonas and the baby. She was glad to know she might still be able to do so.

  “So what happens after the baby is born? Will Audray stay changed, as in part human? Or…” Jonas couldn’t finish his sentence.

  “She probably will die, sorry to say. I have only seen it work this way. The child will live at the sacrifice of the mother.”

  It was what she expected. The bitter words pricked her to the heart. She was hoping she’d either heard wrong or misunderstood. “Are you positive?” Audray asked.

  “No. I have a couple of my sisters I need to consult. They won’t be reachable for another couple of days. I’ll school you on what I know this morning, and then day after tomorrow perhaps I’ll have more answers for you.”

  “Thank you,” Jonas said.

  “Don’t thank me yet. And don’t get your hopes up. We’re gonna need a miracle. Maybe a little divine intervention too.” Drucilla’s cackle left Audray’s hairs on edge.

  Chapter 25

  Jonas urged Audray to stay a few more nights in the human world, where they could discuss things in relative freedom, hoping Drucilla and her friends would have more information for them. But Audray didn’t want to put the trip to the Underworld off any longer. So they compromised and stayed at a local inn near the college, checking in early and delaying their trip back to the Underworld by a day.

  “I have a bad feeling about this trip, but the longer I stay away, the harder it’s going to get.”

  “I think you’re right, love.” Jonas had turned on some music and lit a fire.

  She allowed in a little bit of sadness, wondering what their life would have been like if they’d met, both as humans. It was an impossible fantasy, but she wondered how it would feel to be human again, away from all the trappings of power and privilege. After dealing with Burt, her anger and lust for revenge had tempered. It was more pleasurable to want things for Jonas and for the child she was carrying, than for herself. For the first time in her life she knew she cared more about Jonas and the baby than she cared about her own life. It made her smile.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” He stood behind her, rubbing up and down the length of her arms. His strong manly scent was always there. She wondered what he would smell like, what he would feel like as a human man.

  I was just pretending we were human. We were just ordinary beings.” She turned around to face him, reaching to his face, searching his eyes. “I have never loved so deeply nor felt so loved, Jonas. Thank you.”

  “Nor I, Audray. I’ve had centuries to think about it, too. You are the only one I have truly loved.”

  “Let’s just pretend, for tonight, that everything is the way it should be. I never wanted to do this before because I was always so disappointed—with everyone who should have cared. But let’s just pretend you and I don’t have pasts, don’t have families from Hell or enemies after us. That we’re just two humans who love each other, who want a simple life away from all this death and destruction. Okay? Can we do that?” She saw in his dark eyes the moisture building. She’d touched a nerve.

  He nodded and swallowed hard. She was moved by the emotions, the thoughts and images he was sending her telepathically. Their breathing slowed and became tandem.

  She lay her palms down over his heart. “I love this part about you. Not your smile or that ridiculous crescent crease at the left of your mouth that drives me insane. Not your strong arms,” she continued as one palm smoothed up from his inner elbow and up over his bicep. “It’s this,” she said as she patted his chest with her other hand, over his heart. “It’s what’s in there, the way you are, the
trueness of your spirit, how you’re all in for me, unconditionally. That’s what I love the most, Jonas.”

  “Nothing very special there. Just the way I’m wired up.”

  “But it’s rare. You’ve taught me this. You’ve taught me to trust. I think all my experiences growing up made it hard to trust people, especially men.”

  “No wonder there. I’m just glad I was there. I’ll always be here for you, Audray.”

  She knew this to be true, but she loved hearing it anyway. She still felt she didn’t feel worthy of the love that he was giving her so freely.

  He kissed her chest between her breasts and bit at the clasp of her bra under her cotton shirt. The bra split open and Jonas placed his palms over the mounds of flesh that ached to be touched, and squeezed.

  He quickly slipped his hands underneath the top, then he lifted it and slipped everything over her head, leaving her bare to him. She instinctively covered herself up.

  “Take your hands away.”

  “You are commanding your queen to submit to you?”

  His hearty chuckle warmed her. She loved teasing him.

  “Yes. Remove them at once or I will destroy your new pants, and then you’ll have nothing to wear.”

  Audray looked up into the heavens, feigning the choice to take. “Who needs pants?” she said as she leaned back in his arms. Her breasts remained covered.

  “Very well, then. You will be punished for this indiscretion. But first, your hands. Remove your hands so I can examine you.”

  Audray tilted her head and let her lips quirk up on one side. With genteel compliance she slowly removed her arms from her chest.

  Jonas stared at her like he’d never seen her breasts before. Her nipples had hardened, but their color had changed as well, growing dark pink. “God almighty, love. You’re huge.” He felt the heaviness of her flesh, a handful in his large paw. He stood her up, knelt before her and slowly slipped off her pants, but left her panties on. “Listen little one,” he said to her tummy. “You’ve got to lay low for awhile so your mum and me can have some fun. Don’t be giving her a rough time of it.”