Death Waltz

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Liasare, I want to marry you more than breathe the air in this room. You are more important to me than my own life. But sweetheart, if we do it the way the Triumvirate wants us to, I’ll be sharing an intimate part of you with all the people of Praestan that I’d rather not do. Can you not see it from my point?”

  “Yes, I suppose I can, but that isn’t the real intimacy we share, Alaric. We wouldn’t be sharing our bodies. Only our power.”

  Jurek clamped his jaws together. The muscles in his cheeks twitched. “I am aware. However, we both know that we’ll orgasm and for the love of all gods, I don’t want anyone to see that, dammit!” Jurek’s voice had rose to a great crescendo while he spoke.

  More pictures flew off the wall, along with some vases that were sitting on one of the shelves. No doubt they were priceless, Liasare thought.

  She finally went to him and took his face into her hands. “Listen to me. I love you. I don’t care about anything else. I want my world and yours to know it. I want us to be married. It seems trite that we aren’t with the way our souls are so attached to each other’s. So I don’t give a fuck if they ask us to prance around naked, because I’ll do whatever I have to in order to be your wife. Got it?” Then she kissed him, hard. And with no mercy. She backed him up against a wall and her hands were all over him, touching and feeling every inch of his skin. The room lit up once again and when it was at its brightest, she said, “This is what I want your world to see, Alaric. Look around us. How can you deny your people this?”

  Jurek looked to his right and left and saw the amazing display of hues dancing together.

  How could he deny it? She was right. They had to show their people.

  A while later, they were on the couch, Jurek on the bottom and Liasare stretched out on top of him, he said, “You’re very persuasive, you know. You’ll get your wish. I’ll go to them in the morning. And you’ll officially be my bride, Praestani style.”

  She looked at him and purred. “Thank you. I promise I’ll make you proud.”

  “You already make me proud, Liasare.”

  “So, about that dinner?”

  Jurek laughed. “Yes, I suppose we should get dressed, shouldn’t we?”

  “Can’t we eat naked?”

  “No. That won’t work. I have another surprise for you.”

  She bolted up. “Another one?”

  “Umm hmm. Get dressed.”

  They both put their slightly wrinkled clothes back on and Jurek held out his hand. He led Liasare out onto the terrace, which was adorned with hundreds of tiny lights and lit candles, and a table was set for dinner. There was a three-piece orchestra seated and they began playing music as soon as the couple arrived.

  “Oh, this is so lovely, Jurek. Thank you.”

  “Dance with me.”

  She moved within his arms and he led her across the terrace to the rhythm of the music. She floated in his arms and never once thought about not knowing how to dance.

  “You look stunning tonight, Liasare.”

  “As do you. This is perfect.”

  “I love to watch your cheeks flush when you dance. Just like pink flowers blooming in the sun.”

  “You sure have become quite the romantic.”

  “Because I want to please you. In every way.”

  She leaned in to press her lips on his cheek. “Thank you. You spoil me.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet. I have plans. Big plans.” He laughed. “So, what kind of post wedding party would you like?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Liasare, since this is our wedding, we have to decide what the celebration afterwards will include. It will be a grand one, you know?”

  Liasare thought about the simple fact that the only party she had ever attended was the soiree where her brother had shot her. She didn’t know the first thing about these events.

  Jurek felt her stiffen. “What is it?”

  “I’ve never been to a wedding. I don’t have the tiniest idea of where to begin.”

  Jurek pulled back a fraction and caught her by the chin. “Never been to a wedding?”

  “No. We weren’t invited to January’s. And I never had any friends to speak of. My parents never had any friends either.”

  “Hmm. I see. What would your dream wedding be then?”

  “I don’t have one. I knew better than to dream of such things.”

  Jurek felt his heart crack a bit for her. But then something grew from those pieces and began to knit together. He smiled, a slow one at first, but then it stretched wide across his face.

  “Liasare, I want you to dream now. And dream big, love. Because I’m going to give you the wedding of a lifetime. Complete with a huge multi-tiered cake of your favorite flavors. And after our sharing of powers, we’ll be married in the traditional manner, or maybe we’ll do that first, and then share our power before everyone. But you are going to have the most fantastic wedding you could ever have imagined. And afterward, there will be food, drink and dancing. It will be a celebration like no other.”

  By the time he finished, Liasare was laughing at him, for he was acting more like the bride than the groom.

  Chapter Eight

  Jurek woke early to meet with the Triumvirate. They agreed with his decision and a date was set for his marriage to Liasare. A group of men and women immediately were dispensed to begin the planning.

  Liasare’s head swam with all the details. She couldn’t have cared less about most of the stuff they kept pestering her about. The only thing she wanted to have total control over was her dress and the flowers. Everything else she turned over to the wedding planners. Even still, they were like gnats that buzzed around her head. She had the urge to constantly swat at them. She didn’t care if they served fruit on oval or square trays. And why the hell should she care if the napkins were white or ecru? Who worried about that kind of crap?

  Naroo was hard at work creating a design for her dress. She told Liasare that she had something in mind that would please her, but she wanted it to be a surprise. Three days later she showed up with her drawings. When she laid them out on the table for her to see, Liasare gasped in surprise. It was the most beautiful and perfect thing Naroo could’ve come up with.

  What surprised Liasare the most was, it wasn’t dress at all. It was a pants outfit that would be covered with beaded lace, leaving the sides unadorned and sheer, allowing everyone to see her markings. However, on the rest of her body, the beaded lace would cover up her most intimate parts, making the outfit modest, yet provocative. The top would be sleeveless, so the markings on her arms would be visible, and it would end right where her pants would begin. The pants would be tight and form-fitting, going all the way to her ankles. Naroo had already picked out a beautiful pair of jeweled sandals that would match the outfit as well.

  “This is amazing, Naroo, and it’s so sexy.”

  “I thought you would like this. And I have a little secret, too.”

  “What’s that?” Liasare asked.

  “I’m going to have two made.”

  “Why two?”

  Naroo giggled and snuck a glance a Liasare. “Well, I thought that perhaps when my lord saw you in this, he might, well, in his haste to remove it, there is the possibility of him damaging it.”

  Liasare followed the direction of Naroo’s thoughts and indeed, Jurek would not take any time in removing this outfit. He would shred the damn thing off of her. A laugh burst out of her.

  “You are a genius, Naroo! And I love it! Thank you so much. So when will it be done?”

  “The seamstresses have already started on them so I think in a couple of days we’ll be ready for a fitting. Are you going to show him?”

  “No! This is going to be our surprise.”

  “Oh, no. That might be a bad idea. The dais will explode.”

  Liasare looked at Naroo, confused. “What?”

  “My lady, you know how he is. The dais will explode. You’ll be on the dais, and he won’t
see you because you’ll be shrouded in darkness. When he steps onto the dais, his back will be toward you and then they’ll turn the spotlights on you. He’ll turn to face you. When he does, the dais will explode. You can’t spring this upon him. You must warn him.”

  “Good lord, you’re right. We can’t have the dais exploding!” Then both of them laughed. “Can you imagine? What would all the Praestani think?” She thought for a second. “But wait. We’re going to be married first. According to my customs. So he will have already seen me.”

  “Oh, well that is good then. Do the wedding planners know that?”

  Liasare couldn’t answer. “I don’t know. This is all too much for me. I don’t care about all those particulars, you know. That’s what the wedding planners are for.”

  Now it was Naroo’s turn to laugh. “But my lady, you need to tell them of your plans.”

  “I think maybe Jurek has. But I better check with him to be sure.”

  ***

  Jurek arrived home later that afternoon in a fit. When he headed straight to the bar to pour himself a drink, Liasare knew there was something wrong. He was so easy to read, she thought. He either headed for the bar or exploded things when something upset him.

  “Well?” she asked.

  He gave no indication he heard her. Instead of going to him, she decided her best course of action was to wait him out. She eyed him as he downed his drink and poured himself another, His fingers thrummed on the surface of the bar, and the glasses on the shelves vibrated, but luckily none of them broke.

  When she couldn’t stand it any longer, she reached into his mind.

  “Are you going to ignore me or will you let me help you with this problem you’re wrestling with?”

  His body whipped around so fast, he knocked his drink over. “Christ, love, I didn’t even see you sitting there.” Then he was next to her in an instant.

  “What has you so troubled?”

  “Tak.”

  His curt answer told her much more than that one word could.

  “Hmm. Doesn’t sound good. I have an idea. Why don’t you sit right here.” She pointed to the space on the floor in front of her. His brows rose but he didn’t say anything. “Come on.”

  He dropped down in front of her and she put her legs on either side of him. Then she sunk her hands into his shoulders and began to massage them. She heard Jurek take a deep breath and felt his body begin to relax.

  “Okay, Alaric, what’s going on with you and Tak?”

  “He’s asked to speak with me. He says he wants to explain what happened.”

  Now it was Liasare’s turn to bristle. But then her mind churned with a million thoughts.

  “You have to see him.”

  Jurek was facing her before she could get another word out. His eyes were black, letting her know his emotions were not at all pleased with her statement.

  “God, you’re sexy as all fuck when you’re angry.”

  He smiled wryly, and said, “Only you would say that.”

  “Well, I should hope so.”

  “You know what I mean. But quit evading the issue.”

  “Right. Hear me out.” She placed her hand on his cheek and let her thumb slide across the slightly darkened flesh beneath his eye. She’d only now noticed it and asked, “Haven’t you been sleeping well?”

  “Liasare. Stop. Now go on.”

  “So, Tak has been your friend for how long?”

  “Long enough.”

  “Quantify.”

  He raised his eyebrow and cocked his head.

  “Well?” she prodded.

  Jurek rubbed his neck and wondered how in the brief time he’d known her, considering he was five hundred years old, that he allowed her to speak to him like that and only wanted to laugh when she did. If anyone else tried that, he’d cut him down without mercy. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. At one time, Tak had spoken like that to him. A lot. And Jurek thought nothing of it.

  “Since we were kids.”

  “So here’s the thing. You have this friend, and he’s been your best friend and has had your back for almost five hundred years, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “To me that’s amazing. I’ve never had a friend. Other than Jaylen and Naroo. And how long have I known them? Less than a year?”

  “What about when you were growing up?” he asked.

  “Back on Earth, my mom was so weird, Tommy and I never really had friends. And poor January, God, she was relegated to the attic. I thought it was cool when I was young, but now … she must’ve been scared half to death up there.” Liasare saw how Jurek’s eyes had turned to solid black, and knew it was time to take cover. She hit the floor just as things began to fly across the room.

  “Stop it, Jurek! That’s long past. If I’m over it, you have to be as well.”

  He pulled her off the floor and managed to look contrite. It was a look he didn’t wear well because he was way too proud to feel ashamed for his anger over how Liasare’s mother had treated her.

  “My apologies. Not for my anger, but for not controlling it.” Then his lips crushed hers. He kissed her with so much passion and force, the room exploded in the colors of his power.

  Her hand went to his face. “Hey, what’s going on with you?”

  Giving his head a fierce shake, he said, “I don’t know. My emotions are all over the board where you’re concerned.”

  Liasare’s eyes dug a path into his soul and they connected with each other. She felt his fear for her and it shocked her.

  “Why haven’t you told me?”

  “What purpose would it have served?”

  “Um, the last time I checked, I thought we were partners in this. You know, as in a team.”

  “True, but there’s no need for you to be worried too. It’s senseless,” he said.

  She huffed. “I don’t want to turn this into an argument. Let’s finish our discussion about Tak.”

  “Agreed. Continue.”

  “Where was I? I seem to have forgotten,” she said in a snarky manner.

  He took her arm and pulled her closer. Then he wove his hands in her hair. “You were telling me about your bitch of a mother and growing up on Earth.”

  “Right. So she never allowed us to have friends over very often. Then when the pandemic hit, we lived in a hole under our house for six months or maybe longer. I can’t really remember anymore. All I remember is when January and Rykerian came and took us to Vesturon. I thought it was so awesome. But my mom kept us cornered there too. And then a few years later, Tommy and I had the crash and no one wanted to be friends with me. I was the class freak, the one everyone pointed to and whispered about. Of course, you can imagine I’m sure. All those Vesturions are so damn beautiful, and there I was, with all those scars. I had to wear all those devices on my legs for so long to keep my body in constant motion, so my skin wouldn’t tighten up and then all the surgeries. I missed a lot of school and was always behind. The girls made fun of me, called me stupid and other things, and they didn’t do all of it behind my back. Sometimes they were wide open about it. Tommy was my only friend back then.”

  Jurek remembered this story from when she told him before, but that was when he wasn’t emotionally attached to her. At least not on the level he was now. Though he wanted to erase the hurt from her, he knew it wasn’t possible.

  “You had a fucking shitty life, Liasare.”

  She looked at him and laughed.

  “I didn’t mean it as a humorous comment.”

  “No, I’m laughing because that was an understatement. My mom was a total bitch. So, getting back to Tak, I think you need to allow him to come and state his reasons for going to the Triumvirate. You two were so close for so many years. I can’t help but think there’s much more behind all of this.”

  “Perhaps. But my question is why didn’t he come to me first?”

  Liasare balled up her fist and punched Jurek in the arm.

  “Ouch. What was that for?”
>
  “Because that was a dumb thing to say. You can ask him that question when you grant him the visit he’s requested.”

  “I’ll do that, but you didn’t have to punch me. Now I’ll have a bruise. You have no idea how strong you’ve become.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You people keep saying that.”

  Jurek angled his head and flashed her a cynical look. “You people?”

  “Well, yeah. Everyone.”

  “Stand up.”

  “But …”

  “Now, Liasare.” He had already risen to his feet, so she joined him.

  “Where to?”

  Not bothering to answer, he flashed them both to a room, much like the training room on Lare-Stell.

  “Where are we?”

  “In our home.”

  Sometimes Liasare wanted to strangle the man for being so obtuse. “Dammit, Jurek, I know that. But where, exactly?”

  “On the lower level. Now pick me up.”

  “Are you crazy? I can’t pick you up.”

  “Pick. Me. Up. Now.”

  “Why are you acting like such an asshole?”

  “Stop asking me questions and do as I ask.”

  “Why yes, your glorious worshipfulness.” Liasare grabbed his arm and his shirt near his waist and picked him up. “What the hell!”

  “Throw me across the room, Liasare.”

  “I’ll do no such thing!”

  “Do it. Now!”

  She tossed him like he weighed no more than a feather and right before he slammed into the wall, he converted to his energy form and flashed back to her side.

  “Now do you believe me?” He caught her as she crumpled to the floor.

  Liasare’s head pounded when she opened her eyes. For a moment she was disoriented, until she realized she was lying down with her head in Jurek’s lap as his hand lay over her forehead.

  “What happened?”

  “Oddly enough, you fainted. Must’ve been from the shock of finding out how strong you are. How’s your head?”

  “Fucking hurts like hell.”

  “Language, Liasare.” His admonishment rang in her ears.