by Tanya Simon
The sight of this image made Seth cry. Cry because this nightmare might never end. Cry, because he had given up Mystery and his son for nothing. Cry, because his life was meaningless without her. When his sobs quieted, he found he felt better. With a new burst of energy he went into the filthy restroom and took off his vermin-ridden clothes. Then he turned on the hot water and added the rubbing alcohol he had bought when the bartender had cut him off. Then he lowered himself in and stifled a scream.
He scrubbed his body and hair with the rough motel towel, and slowly but surely the dirt and bugs came off. He winced as the alcohol began to cleanse the nicks and bites along his skeletal body. His skin stung from the contact and he slowly toweled himself dry, so, as not to aggravate it further. He pulled on another pair of jeans and a slightly cleaner t-shirt. He gingerly combed back his hair checking for bugs as he went. Finding none, he pulled it into a ponytail. Seth checked himself in the mirror, satisfied he summoned what little courage he had left, grabbed his credit card and money and went to beg Mystery’s forgiveness. He opened the door and paused; Ryan was standing there, just about to knock. Seth stepped back to let his brother in. He motioned him over to the only chair in the room, thinking about the bugs; he grabbed him before he could sit down.
“Why don’t we talk outside?” He opened the door and followed Ryan out.
“Going somewhere?” Ryan sat on the edge of Seth’s car.
“Home, if she’ll have me.” Seth looked at his brother for some sign Mystery didn’t hate him.
“She’ll have you. She’s had me looking for you for the last six months.” Ryan told himself he wasn’t going to get angry. “I on the other hand have never been this mad at you before. What were you thinking? Mystery didn’t have enough over her head without having to worry about your sorry ass? Not to mention me and all the different things I’ve imagined happened to you!” Ryan gave in to the urge to hit his brother. Seth grunted and went down, he hesitated when Ryan offered him a hand to get up, but he took it.
“I guess I had that coming but I just couldn’t take it anymore!” He rubbed his stomach and glared at his brother. “You weren’t the one who thought one of those damn, little flying things had bitten his dick off! You weren’t personally warned by Cain to get out, while the getting was good! You aren’t the one who hasn’t stopped being scared for the last year and a half! So, you can be as mad at me as you want, it won’t come close to how mad I am at me!” Seth plopped down on top of the car hood.
“So, that’s what had you screaming the last night?”
“Yes! There was blood pooling on the ground and everything. It was a full featured hallucination.”
“You should have told me you were close to the end of your rope.”
“And what? You would have made Cain leave me alone?”
“No. But I would have tried to help you.”
“You would have tried to help me stay and I wanted to leave.”
“So, you go home and beg for forgiveness. And maybe we can get on with finding your son.”
“Are you coming?’
“No. I think a little alone time is in order. I’ll show up tomorrow evening.” Ryan went over to Seth. “I still love you, little brother. I don’t know how I would handle this if I were in your shoes.” He hugged him, he closed his eyes and said a silent prayer when he felt how slender Seth had become, how close he had come to losing him.
“You wouldn’t have left, no matter what.” Seth hugged Ryan back.
Ryan smiled and waved as Seth got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot.
Seth sighed when he pulled into the driveway behind Mystery’s new sedan. He took a moment to gather himself and looked at the big, rambling house. The shutters still needed a paint job, vines were trying to take over part of the house and the front gate wouldn’t stay closed. Home. Seth smiled as he got out of the car, he was home and he would fight Mystery and everyone, everything else if they disagreed. He would never leave her again. He pushed back his skinny shoulders and rang the doorbell, he remembered his keys and let himself in. The house was in utter chaos.
“Mystery?” He stepped over an overturned bookcase.
“Seth?” a small shaky voice said.
Seth gasped as an anorexic looking woman with ebony black hair stepped into the room. She looked tired and scared. Her haunted green eyes filled with tears and she raised a hand to touch his face.
“Seth.” She collapsed into his arms.
He carried her to her chair, the only furniture left upright in the living room and placed her in it. He tapped her face softly and her eyes fluttered open. She threw her arms around him and Seth breathed in her smell. He smiled. Home. He was never leaving.
“What happened to the house?” He held her close.
She pushed out of his arms. “Cain and I had another battle.” She stood, “You come for the rest of your things?” She asked icily.
Seth grabbed her arm and she cried out in pain. He pushed up her sleeve and gaped at the network of bruises. Mystery pulled away and pulled her sleeve down. “He didn’t want me dead yet, so I’m still here.” She turned to face him. “Why are you here?”
“I came home to stay.”
“I don’t know if I believe you. After all you said you would never leave.”
“I got scared, more scared than I could handle and I panicked. As time went by, it got easier to stay away than to face you.”
“I want to believe you, Seth but I can’t handle it if I let you back in and you cut out on me again.”
“I am here to stay.” He held out a hand, holding his breath until she took it. “Let’s clean up.” He looked into the kitchen. It was spotless, for once. “At least this time we don’t have to buy a new refrigerator.”
Mystery laughed and pulled him close burying her head in his chest. “I missed you so much.”
“Me too.” He pushed her face up and kissed her. “Am I home?”
“Yes you’re home.” She kissed him back.
“I think the house will have to wait until later.” Seth swung her up into his arms and climbed the stairs.
Mystery whispered something naughty in his ear and he laughed. Once he was in the bedroom, he put her down on the bed. He pulled the shades down, making it twilight in the room. Mystery slowly opened her blouse. Seth stopped her and gently pushed her back on the bed.
“Let me.” He finished opening her blouse and removed her bra. Seth stood back and looked at her.
“Don’t, I haven’t been eating or sleeping. Don’t look at me.” She brought her hands up to cover herself.
“I don’t see anything, except the body I have been dreaming about for months. You are beautiful. And you are mine.” He caught her hands and pinned them above her head, so he could use his mouth on her.
“I love you, Seth.” Mystery whispered as her head spun with pleasure.
“I love you, Mystery.” He showed her just how much.
Mystery stared at Seth’s sleeping form. Was he the only reason she didn’t say yes? When she thought about saying yes, and she had thought about it many times over the last six months, he was the only reason that came readily to mind. Her faith had long since faded when God allowed Cain to steal Jeremiah. So, Seth must be the only reason she didn’t give in. Their child couldn’t be rescued and he needed his mother. So the only reason must be her love for Seth. “What else could it be?” she reasoned with herself.
If Cain figured that out would he come for Seth? Not just torture him like he had when Seth had left. But come to kill him. Definitely. Could she protect him? Probably not. Should she send him away? He hadn’t been safe when he left on his own. If she gave in and went to Cain, would he leave Seth alone? Maybe. Mystery brushed the hair out of Seth’s face and cuddled closer.
And somewhere in the night Minion smiled.
Mystery was in the kitchen making coffee the next morning when the doorbell rang. She knew Seth was in the shower so she dried her hands and went to get th
e door. She was surprised to see Ryan standing on the other side.
“Come in.” Ryan came in and she shut the door. “So, you found him and that’s why he came home?”
“No. He was on his way out the door to come home when I found him.” He put his suitcase down and took off his coat. “We talked and he told me why he freaked out and ran. After that, he got in his car and came back here, where he belongs.”
“Sorry. I just feel a little insecure.” She took his coat and hung it up. “I’ve got coffee in the kitchen. As you can see the rest of the house needs some cleaning.”
Ryan followed her to the kitchen. He laughed when he saw it was in perfect order.
“After breakfast, we are going to go pick out some new furniture for the living room and dining room. You can come with us.” She poured him a cup of coffee and turned to start scrambled eggs.
“Nah. I think I’ll take the opportunity to sleep in a prone position for the first time in days. Seth didn’t stay anywhere, where I could handle sleeping in the room. So, I’ve been sleeping in my car and then showering very quickly in the rooms.”
“I could smell liquor on his clothes yesterday.”
“He spent most of the last six months drunk. Our flying, smelly friends tortured him. He didn’t talk about it much. But he told me what happened that last night.”
Mystery pushed a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast at him. “Yeah he told me about it too. I think I would have freaked out too.”
“So you guys are going to be okay?” Ryan stuffed his mouth as full as he could get it with food. He hadn’t had anything, which qualified as food in days.
“Yes.” Mystery stood up to get Seth a plate as she heard him on the stairs.
“Good.” Ryan smiled at Mystery.
Seth came into the room and went to kiss Mystery, he took the plate she had just filled and sat down at the table to devour it.
“What? Didn’t either of you eat, while you were gone?”
“Nothing, which could be considered food.” Ryan said with a mouth full of food.
“Me neither.” Seth stuffed the food in as fast as he could.
Mystery just laughed at both of them and sat down with her coffee. Both Ryan and Seth stopped eating.
“You are having breakfast.” Seth commanded.
“I am not hungry.”
“So. You are still eating something. You have gotten entirely too skinny. You want to have the strength to fight Cain, don’t you?” Ryan got up and filled a plate and he sat it in front of her. They both stared at her until she picked up the fork and took a bite. Ryan sat down and finished his food. When he was finished he washed his plate and put it in the dish rack and went and gathered his suitcase and duffel from the living room.
“I am going to go sleep for the next four or five days. Wake me if you need me.” He disappeared upstairs.
“Let’s go pick out some new furniture.” Seth said when Mystery had finished the last bit of food on her plate.
“Okay. This time I think I want something with rose petals in the pattern.”
Seth blanched.
“Just kidding.” Mystery smiled mischievously and grabbed her purse and coat.
Seth pinched her behind as she went past him through the door.
They were both laughing when they pulled out of the driveway.
Cain bowed his head and searched out his father. He smiled with pride when he found his father punishing two lesser demons. Their shrieks bouncing off the walls served as a lesson to all of the Infernal Kingdom. Eventually, their shrieks stopped as Satan ripped out their spines and devoured them. With a raised hand he acknowledged he was done and growls broke out in the surrounding crowd as they rushed to finish the feast. Satan returned to his throne room, licking blood from his fingers. His face lit with a malevolent smile when he saw his son.
“You were magnificent as always.” Cain said as he bowed down.
“Arise, my son.” Satan lounged upon his throne. “I assume you have come to report on things with Melusine.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Has she decided to come home to her people?”
“Not yet. However, Father she is weakening. It is only a matter of time.” Cain approached the throne. “Please give me more time, Father.” Cain knelt before his father.
“Time is something, which is at a premium, my son.” Satan stood, knelt and put an arm around his son’s shoulders. “I will give you three months, I can give you no more. If she hasn’t come to her senses by then, you must destroy her.”
“Thank you for the extension, Father.” Cain stood.
“I know you love the girl, however she cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the ascension. I love her too, but I have been waiting two thousand years to take my rightful place. I have contrived and manipulated entire civilizations to come to this time. I can’t have anyone, not even my beautiful, young granddaughter stand in my way.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Now, go and tell Raevanne my decision, explain to her why. Tell her if there is anything she can do to sway her child to do it.” He pushed Cain toward the door. “Give her my love.”
“Yes, Father.” Cain sighed as he went to do as he was told.
Ryan smiled to himself as the scent of roses and vanilla filled his senses. Mystery was probably downstairs fixing breakfast. He could hear her humming as he headed down the stairs.
He stood in the kitchen door watching her dance across the floor to music only she could hear. He choked back laughter as she pretended to strip to the beat. The laughter fled when she began to gyrate, Ryan had to adjust his jeans and involuntarily he cleared his throat. Mystery stopped dancing and whirled around, her eyes locking with Ryan’s. She gasped when she saw the intensity in them. She tried to look away but she couldn’t, no one had ever looked at her with such heat. She fought to make her feet move as Ryan stepped toward her.
“Am I late for breakfast?” Seth came bounding through the door. He stepped in between them, breaking the spell.
“No. I’m just making it.” Mystery tilted her head up for his kiss. He kissed her and went to get orange juice; he was oblivious to the tension in the air.
Mystery looked over at Ryan, her eyes misting at the pain in them. He went to sit at the table, careful not to sit next to her place. Sighing, Mystery went back to fixing their breakfast.
After breakfast she went upstairs to shower. She rapped lightly on the door and when no one said anything she open the door and screeched to a halt. Ryan was standing there, toweling off his naked body. He looked up and their eyes met. Mystery allowed her gaze to take in the muscular chest and broad shoulders. Her eyes continued down to a rock hard abdomen and tapered waist. She heard Ryan draw in breath when her gaze slid to his manhood. Her hands ached to touch him as he began to harden from her stare. When he reached for her she turned and fled, slamming the door behind her.
As Ryan dried off, he wondered how much more of this he could take, he had been the one to hold her the six months his brother had been gone. She had cuddled next to him, when she woke up screaming from some horrible nightmare. She felt perfect in his arms; she flooded his mind and his heart. He knew he couldn’t stay here and keep pretending he didn’t want Mystery. He knew he would eventually not care who they hurt and stop her from running away.
He dressed and began to pack his things; a hotel was the safest place for him. He closed the suitcase and walked to the door, glancing back to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. So, he didn’t see Mystery standing in the door and he almost ran her over. He grabbed her before she could fall and they both jerked apart.
“I’m going to a hotel.” He looked at her. She was crying,
“What is it? Is something wrong?” he pushed past her and started down the stairs. She followed him.
“No.” she wiped at her face, I was just coming up to ask you if you didn’t think a hotel would be a good idea.” She touched his face. “I don’t want you to go,
you make me feel safe. But this attraction between us is only going to get us in trouble.”
“I know. I feel the same way. But, if I don’t go, we’re going to end up hurting Seth.” He took her hand and gently squeezed it before lowering it. He picked up his suitcase and without turning around, he walked out the door, fighting not to go back when he heard her sobbing behind him.