by Trina Bates
“No, not going to happen.” Merrick stands and places a hand on my shoulder.
What they don’t understand is that, it’s not that bad of a deal. One year, and who knows, maybe they can come with. Before I can ask, Rhett, Ebbin, and Rhydian all stand and come behind me, touching some part of me.
“Are we permitted to join her?” Rhydian, my baby daddy and amazing lover asks. He knows me too well.
“No, her, and her alone.” Polly shrugs looking away.
“Can you guarantee her safety while she’s there, and can we contact her in some way whenever we want to?” Ebbin asks, seemingly going over everything.
“And their safety has to be guaranteed as well. All of us,” I state, wanting to make sure while I’m gone they’re protected.
“I can guarantee that, and yes, communication is fine.”
“What about Alyria? Will she be with us, or her?” Rhett whispers, worried about our little girl, if I’m taken before we get to raise her right.
“She will be in Hell.”
Polly’s words soothe a bit of the fear and worry that’s drowning me and with that, before we can agree, I stand and thrust my hand out. “You kill my father, Alastor, and I agree to one year in Hell on the terms that we are all safe and if the time comes when Alyria still needs me, she will be in Hell,” I rush out, and wince lowering my head in shame when shouts surround me from my mates.
Polly takes my hand, and looks me in the eyes as I feel his other hand move to my stomach. “A deal is made. One year in hell for Alastor’s life, when I call upon you.”
Alyria starts to kick and thrash inside of me, I hope trying to get away from his touch, and when I shake his hand, she calms and he lets go. I turn to my mates and a single tear falls from my eye.
“One year, we can deal with one year when and if the time comes. We have to. It’s the easiest way to get Alastor out of our lives and start to live normally again. And now, we don’t have to go to Lyanna’s realm. We can go straight to Yggdrasil and enjoy these last few days together before Alyria gets here. Please don’t be mad. Please. I can’t take this… all of this fighting anymore. Not with her being so close to making her way into this world. I need us all safe and to be able to enjoy what’s to come. Not dread it, and alway be afraid of what might be lurking in the shadows.” Saying the words that I didn’t even know I felt pull on my heart strings. I had no idea how truly scared I really am.
“A unit, a fucking unit and family, Mira. You took that away, again when you did that. Your choice, your deal, affects us all, but instead of talking it over with us, hell anything these last few days really, you go head first into action and leave us to clean up the mess you make. But this time, there’s no mess only the pain from your actions. Alyria is our daughter too, not just yours. And you took her choice away as well,” Ebbin stomps away and slams the doors behind him as he leaves. With my mouth hanging open, tears free falling and not knowing what to do, I sit back down and cry into my hands.
“He’s right, and I do agree with him, but I also agree with your choice. One year. Our safety is guaranteed and we can talk. How many years have the realms been under attack by Alastor, and how long would we be at war with him if this hadn’t have worked?” Merrick says, sitting down beside me and pulling me into his lap.
“How many lives would have been lost? I hate knowing that it can happen at any time, but the freedom of being able to think about the future and not have to worry about him being in it? That’s something I was honestly worried we would never have. You should have waited, but I agree with you too.” Rhydian sits next to Merrick and I and kisses the top of my head while he rubs my stomach.
“I’m torn. I think I’m with Ebbin on this one. I get what you all are saying, but I don’t like knowing my wants and needs weren’t even considered,” Rhett whispers and walks out. I cry harder into Merrick’s shoulder a fall fast asleep, not knowing whether Polly left or not.
Rhydian:
Soft water droplets hitting the window wake me up. I’m laying on the couch, wrapped in a fur blanket and holding my gorgeous woman comfortably against my side. I smile and yawn, wondering where everyone else is. Putting my hand on the floor, trying not to wake Mira up, I sit up a little and kiss the tip of her nose as I peer over the side of the couch.
“Don’t get up! It’s so warm with you by my side,” she whines which in turn makes me laugh.
“I wasn’t trying to wake you, babe, go back to sleep, I’ve got you,” I tell her gently as I lay back down with her.
“I can’t, now I have to pee. Move it.” She laughs out as she starts to crawl over me. Standing, she places a hand on her lower back that I know must be hurting her and starts to waddle away. Alyria has dropped and I can feel it within her that any day now, she’s going to come. I don’t think we have a week, maybe two days at the most.
We need to get the bassinet and whatever Mira and my daughter will need for after ready for when Mira wants to go. I hate that things have gotten so fucked up, but with the weight of Alastor gone, off our shoulders, I know things will be better. But we have to deal with the Conclave. They cannot find out about Mira, not yet. To do that, I need all hands on deck.
Ebbin and Rhett are still pissed at her actions. Merrick and I aren’t by any means happy about it, but I can see the good that is going to come from it. It really was the only way, and for fuck’s sake… The Devil, I mean, if she hadn’t have made that deal, what other one would he have gone to next? I have to believe she made the right choice, I only hope the other two can see that soon, before her heart can’t take anymore.
We might not like her choices, but so far, they have been sound, and we have all worked through everything. The things she has gone through, in just a few short months to get to where she is now, is astounding. The losses and gains have whipped her heart and mind around so fiercely sometimes I don’t know how she’s still even standing. I love this woman and always will. All I want is to see her happy and know that our futures are in place, with her by all of our sides.
Rolling my eyes at the inner thoughts that seem to plague me non stop, I roll onto my side and sit up. It’s time these fucks got on board with everything and we all started putting more faith into our mate. No more anger, not when I can feel how close she is to giving birth.
Walking up the stairs and swinging the door open to Rhett’s room, Ebbin and Rhett are both sitting on the edge of his bed, playing some ancient video game.
“Turn that shit off. It’s time we got some things out in the open,” I say already annoyed, to the two men that are acting more like children, than that of concerned men.
Both turn and glare at me but thankfully turn off the games.
“When I’m done you can talk, but if you interrupt before that, I’ll throw you both down in the fucking cell and make Gor change the magic that’s in it so it hold you. Got it?” I say saccharine sweet as I pull out the chair from Rhett’s desk and take a heavy seat.
“Not the time,” Ebbin growls.
My eyes are barely slits as I glare at him and watch as he and his inner beasts take a metaphorical step back and give me the dominance Kigiree and I deserve. Rhett continues to glare and I do the same. If he thinks I’m going to back down from this, he’s got another thing coming.
“You both want to be mad? Be mad, but don’t fucking continue to take it out on Mira. Not right now. She’s days away from giving birth and Alastor is no longer a threat to us. She should be on cloud nine right now, only worrying about giving birth to OUR daughter, not about how you two fucks are up here acting like assholes because she made a decision, that you both know is the best one for all of us. She did what she did for her reasons, yes, she made the deal without all of us agreeing, but no one stood up and said shit while they were hashing it out. We all asked the simple easy questions that probably fed into the reason why she did it. We were there! Right there with her.” I run my hand through my hair and growl, Kigiree coming forth when Rhett suddenly stands a
nd acts like he’s about to cut it. He quickly sits back down when he hears the growl.
I told them, I’m not up for any of their shit and they can speak when I’m done. “How much shit have we been in together? How many times have we hated her decisions but have made it through? How many fucking times has she saved our asses?” I pause, looking pointedly at Rhett once and then to Ebbin. She went literally to Hell for Rhett, saving him from her own father. If she hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t be in any of this mess. And Ebbin, she pulled his soul back from the aethers and made him whole again after his heart was ripped out. “We all knew the risks going into this, and without hesitation, we jumped right in. Where the hell is that attitude now? Why are you going to follow her when things that can literally end us, are happening? But not when things are going right, and we have a chance to all live together, happily? Pull your heads out of your asses or get the fuck out. Mira deserves this time right now to be free of worry and only thinking about that little girl that’s going to be here any day.” With that, I look at them disgusted and walk out before they have the chance to say a word. I don’t want to hear shit they have to say.
Leaving Mira to do her own thing, I know she’ll come find us at some point, I go in search of Merrick. I have some ideas about the Conclave and how to get them off our backs, but it’s a long shot and one I’m not sure will work.
* * *
“Hey, Merrick!” I shout down the hall, scenting he’s behind his door. I don’t mind walking in, but I want him to get his ass out here so he can brainstorm with me.
“Be out in a minute,” he growls from behind the door.
“Always so broody. Why you can’t you be all sunshine and unicorns? Fucking jackass,” I say the last part under my breath knowing full well he can hear it, and I swear, I can feel his hand raise as he flips me off through the door. I smirk and start walking back to the stairs. “Meet me at the pit!”
“Fuck off,” he grumbles as his footsteps get louder and his door starts to open.
Not worrying about the cold as much as I would if Mira was here. I take a deep breath, letting my eyes close and take a deep breath enjoying the brisk feeling of cold wind hitting my face. I know how worried she gets but I love the cold. I throw on my flannel button up and walk out. Being here reminds me that appearances are only on the outside. I love a nice suit, for sure, but these past times that I’ve shared with all of my family, here in the mountains, has brought back a part of me I didn’t really remember. A carefree and relaxed person. It’s hard to believe, thinking I’m relaxed with everything too, but I really am. I don’t feel like I have to be someone I’m not. Out in the city, I had to wear a suit, talk a certain way, act another. I might have had to deal with the Conclave and their Hollow detail as guards for a while, but now that we’re all free of that, I can finally breathe. Shit, I still hid what I was, an Other that no one really understands. Hollows are scared of me when I tell them, and I don’t want to unnecessary attention. I don’t like the idea of going back to where we all met, but we have too much there to let it go. I just have to find a way to make it safe for us all again, and then we can. I know how much Mira misses that part of her life, and Blue isn’t going to leave her until Mira is settled and ready for everything.
I wonder how that hole in the wall bar is doing sometimes. Remembering it brings back so many memories. The way Mira’s long blonde hair, not yet tipped in red, would fall into her eyes as she played pool, the way she nibbled on her bottom lip while she would watch us all, thinking we couldn’t see her, or smell her arousal. The light in her once endlessly dark blue eyes that was so bright from her laughter. I miss that blue sometimes, but not as much as I miss her carefree, fun attitude. She’s lost so much of herself on this journey to finding out what and who she is, it pains me. That’s another reason I want to deal with the Conclave. She needs to find herself again. Learn to be all of the things she once was, along with who she is now.
-You seem deep in thought, I did not know anyone would be out here. I will leave you to it.-
Cynide’s little voice in my mind sounds off startling me. I see her little lynx form jump from the cushioned stone steps and slink over to me, running her slender little body through my legs.
-You’re fine. I’m sorry for encroaching on your time here. What are you doing out here anyways? Where’s Vieruz, I hardly see you two apart these days.-
-He’s with his master. They need time to acclimate properly to one another. The time I’ve spent with Mira has taught me much about what a partnership, family, and friendship is all about. So many of our kind are treated horrendously. Vie still believes it’s all a rouse and then one day we'll be treated the same. I do not share his views, so that is why I encouraged him to see for himself the people we are lucky enough to have been… bonded to.-
Cynide and I have had some intense conversations before, but none have been on this topic. I know a little from things I’ve overheard or tidbits she’s shared. I didn’t, however, know their kind were treated so unjust that they fear their, masters, as they call them.
-We’re all lucky to have you around. Nothing will ever change. You are apart of this family until the end of time. Hopefully, sometime soon, Vie will see that too. He’s lived a longer life from what you’ve told me, seen more. Maybe that’s where his fears come from. After all, it’s not been too long in the scheme of things before the Veil fell and demons were able to breed the way they do. They gave all Agathions a fighting chance to be paired with amazing Others instead of the evil that laid in wait for them in Hell.- I don’t know how old she is, but from what I’ve gathered from Mira, it’s not that long. She’s very young, inexperienced, but at the same time, wise and she has a vast knowledge of not only her gifts, but those of others too.
-Yes, you are quite correct in that. He needs time, and that is something we have much of. How is Mira? I have been listening in and checking on her, but I don’t want to invade her privacy and ask her questions that might hurt her.- She sounds worried, hesitant. It’s easy to surmise she wants to see her, but with her own feelings so close to the surface, I wonder if she doesn't want to add more to what’s going on. Mira knows when Cynide is, off, and I have a little inkling that’s why Cynide has been gone so often. She’s trying to save Mira from the hardships that plague her.
I take a few steps, knowing how strange it must look for me to be standing out here, with a lynx intertwined in my legs and not saying a word. I bend down and start to take out a few of the items I’m going to need when Merrick finally gets down here and turn to Cynide to answer the rest of her questions.
-She’s scared, nervous, happy. Too many things, I think. She needs time to process and with Alyria almost here, there is none. Maybe you should go see her?- I suggest to her, hoping maybe Cynide will be able to lessen the load of shit Mira has on her chest right now.
-I will, and don’t stay out too long. There’s a strange feeling in the air. The temperatures are dropping fast and every since Apollyon arrived, the skies have not been the same.- Her words sink deep within me. I too noticed the way the light never fully came back even after Polly left. Polly, fuck if it didn’t pain me not to laugh when she first called him that. Anyone else would have been filleted on the spot.
One thing that does still bother me, is her knowing somehow that she’s linked to him. And how far does that link reach? I can only hope it’s because, in some fucked up way, he’s her grandfather, and nothing else. But then again, no one knows how demons are made. I doubt it’s from his own loins. I mean, looking back on the stories, there’s nothing about the Devil having a child in over a millennia and he is no longer. The next child he is to bare will bring about the metaphoric apocalypse apparently, but I doubt that has much meaning either. We desperately need to find out what the fuck is going on with those two and soon.
-Thank you, Cynide. I’ll only be out here for a short while. I want to see what we can do about the Conclave. There’s some items that we hid in plain sight
that I think might help us with that. I will let you all know more when we figure it out.-
-Be safe.-
And with that, she mists away assumingly to Mira.
“Okay, what the hell is so important we’re out in the fucking snow?” Merrick’s booming baritone voice sounds from behind me as his feet make loud slaps in the wet snow beneath his feet.
“I need the Owhengkeui,” I state simply, knowing full well he’s going to love this.
“Fuck, we’re going there huh?” he asks with surprise and a tinge of humor. I look up to him and nod once seriously at him. Shit is going to stop with them, and now.
A mischievous and glee filled smile takes over his face as he comes to my side and helps me look. Together, we find it. The two foot long wooden staff that appears to be nothing more than a piece of driftwood. It’s Fae, and from their world, Merrick’s world. It was used in the war. I pick it up and immediately feel the power coursing through me. It’s not the good kind either. It terrifies me.
When the Veil dropped and we were all outed, Merrick’s own great grandfather used this to steal the soul of those around him, bending their now malleable minds to his will. After he won the battle at the Fae gates, all of the souls he had entrapped were lost forever. The soulless beings that inhabited his realm went mad from losing their souls and being held captive for so long. But what they didn’t anticipate was the lost souls coming back to haunt Merrick’s late grandfather. Their voices lulling him to the cliffs of Gojehiem where the water below strips a Fae of their powers and longevity. He couldn’t take being nothing more than a mere mortal and took his own life soon after.