The Arbiter

by K. B. Ladnier

  He places his hands over mine and presses them harder into Monroe’s chest. Monroe groans and coughs. Small amounts of blood spurt up from his mouth as he does.

  “You have to do it fast, Nocturna! The silver and blessed water is poisoning him from the inside!” Larkan shouts at me.

  Tears fall down my face as I stare at Monroe. I can’t let him die. I have to do this!

  I close my eyes and envision the bullets pushing themselves out of his body, and the wounds closing up. I visualize my hands burning that same brilliant, white light Larkan’s had that first day I met him. I will my energy into Monroe, forcing every ounce of hope and love I have into it.

  “That’s it! Keep going!” Larkan prods excitedly and pulls his hands away from mine, allowing me to finish.

  After a few more seconds, I feel Monroe’s chest jolt upwards and a large gasp of air comes from him. My eyes snap open in time to see his gazing up wide-eyed and in shock at me. He coughs heavily; his hand clasping over mine to hold it there.

  I grin broadly at him when he sits up and immediately grab onto him for dear life.

  “I thought I lost you!” I shout; my eyes burning with more tears. Only this time, they’re of joy and relief.

  He wraps his arms around me and squeezes me tight. “I thought you did too,” he replies, his voice raspy.

  Larkan rubs circles on my lower back before clasping a hand on Monroe’s shoulder.

  “If she had, she would’ve torn this building down to nothing but a pile of burning rubble out of vengeance. I’ve never felt such power before.”

  Monroe looks at me and grabs my hands. He brings them to his lips and kisses them gently. “As much as I’d appreciate you laying some bad juju down on these men, Cher, I’m glad Larkan was here to stop you.”

  I wrinkle my nose. “Some what?”

  Monroe chuckles. “Bad juju is basically bad magic. I really need to teach you more Cajun, Mon Cher.” He kisses me quickly then stands, pulling me up with him.

  We watch as the large group of Rites lead the human guards out of the room and chain the Lupin ones together along the wall. I look at the chains and notice they aren’t burning the Lupin.

  “Those aren’t silver chains. How do you expect those to hold them?” I ask Larkan.

  He looks at them then back to me. “They are engraved with Divine runes that make them unbreakable. They’re a lot like the ones that keep Cain trapped in Damnation.”

  “Really? How do they do that?” I ask, never having heard exactly how Cain is held in his hellatious prison.

  “They’re carved into the fortress that resides at the center of the realm. He can’t leave the walls of it. Only a Divine person or object can lift the runes from the obsidian stone.”

  A flash of a dream I’d had whisked through my mind in quick succession. Specifically, the beautiful, yet eerily terrifying man that had taken me down that dark corridor. Somehow, I felt like I already knew this information. Like I’d seen it there in my dream. But the images were gone as quickly as they came.

  We stay for a little while longer as the Rites escort everyone from the building. When every last Damned is freed and guards are taken into custody, the Rites set a series of explosives off inside the building. We watch it fall and burn from a few hundred yards away, erasing all evidence that it had been a structure of nightmarish happenings.

  They had found a control room with different monitors that surveilled the premises, but everything had been wiped clean. A secret door was found that lead to a hidden basement of the building, but that too lead to nothing. Whoever had been running the place, had fled long before the Rites could reach it.

  However, the biggest turn of events was the Rites finding Saul within one of the rooms much like the one Monroe and I had been in. He claimed he’d been a prisoner as well, but none of the Lupin guards would back his story. It’s hard to believe he’s telling the truth when he is the Infernal Ruler of the Lupin. It’s almost impossible for them to go against his reign. Yet somehow, he claimed he lost control of them to someone else and that his Lupin are lying. It doesn’t make sense.

  I honestly just didn’t know what to believe anymore.

  Larkan carries an exhausted Jamie to his SUV and lays a blanket over her as Monroe and I slide in.

  “What will happen to the humans?” I ask Larkan when he gets into the driver’s seat.

  “Their memories of everything having to do with the Divine and Damned will be erased, and they’ll be returned to their lives before all of this.”

  I huff out a sound of aggravation. “Just like that. They get away unpunished.”

  Monroe rests a hand on my shoulder from the back seat. “No, Cher. The Creator will see that they are punished when their time comes for them to die. They will reap the karma they deserve, I promise you.”

  I hate that their comeuppance will be delayed, but I take comfort in Monroe’s belief that they won’t get away with the misery they’ve caused.

  “Will I be punished for what I’ve done to the humans?” I ask Larkan. I wouldn’t blame the Rites for wanting me to answer for their deaths at my hands. Though in my heart, I still feel they deserved to die.

  “If it had been any other Damned, the sentence would be death,” he replies solemnly. “But because you are more vital now than ever, I don’t think any action will be taken against you.”

  I simply nod to his answer, not really having anything else to add. “And the Lupin?” I ask instead.

  “You’ll have your chance to decide their fate. They are to be punished however you see fit. Unfortunately, because Saul is an Infernal leader, he must be judged as a whole by the Infernal. Unless of course, you have solid proof of his guilt such as catching him in the act of hurt another Damned, or trying to kill or hurt you, then there’s nothing you can do until the trial takes place.”

  I nod. I don’t like that this is the one time I don’t truly have a say, but I understand why it’s done this way. Infernal Leaders are rarely replaced. When they are, a series of tests are given to specific Damned before one can ascend to an Infernal position. With a Lupin Infernal there’s always the possibility that the Lupin under their command could lose control without a leader, so they’re given much more leeway in the laws we follow. They aren’t replaced unless absolutely necessary.”

  “I, for one, do not look forward to this. Being cooped up in a room with all the Infernal is not the way I like to spend my days.” Monroe says with a huff.

  Then I remember a little detail about the Infernal. “What about Enoch? He was there. Will he stand trial?” I ask them both. Would he even show his face around me anymore after what happened?

  “Good luck getting him to go to a trial, whether it’s for him or not,” Monroe replies. “I doubt the other Infernal will force his hand. He’s far more powerful than all of us. I’m honestly not sure if even you are more powerful than him.”

  “That Baellock will get what’s coming to him. When you first left, he fed me a load of what probably amount to lies to get me to take him with me to rescue you. Even though, it makes no sense really for the lies. He was all I had when we first got here, because it was going to take the other Rites longer to arrive. I turned my back to him for one second, and he knocks me out. When I woke up, he was gone, and the other Rites were already here. He will definitely get what’s coming to him,” Larkan states as he starts the engine. “He’ll come snooping back around, and we’ll be here for it. For now, we can find out all the details for Saul’s trial tomorrow.”

  For once, I don’t argue. I am more than ready to be back home at The Apothecary, pretending life didn’t use to be this damn complicated.

  Pretending that someone I used to love didn’t just break my heart all over again.

  Will his betrayals ever come to an end?

  Nocturna

  The ride home is silent.

  I'm not entirely sure if it's because I'm finally processing everything that’s happened in such a short amount of
time, or if just no one is willing to talk about it yet.

  Enoch's betrayal cut me much harder and deeper than I thought it could. I had no real time to process his treachery until now, and now I couldn't face it. It hurt too much. I'd cried so many tears for him that I swore I'd never again shed another. I swore that I wouldn't ever let him break me again.

  Yet, the moment I see a sliver of goodness come from him, I'm right back to where I started. The pain I feel for his involvement in such cruelty is etched so deep into my bones, I doubt I can ever come back from it. Him leaving me was a blade in my back. But him doing this? It was a nail through my heart.

  "Nocturna? Are you alright?" Larkan asks me as he drives.

  I'm curled up in the passenger seat, staring aimlessly out the window as the rain falls. I can see my reflection in the glares of the passing street lights. My eyes drooping and look to be sunken in by my running makeup. My face covered in blood and ash. The luminosity I normally see in my green eyes is gone. You can see the heartache plain as day on my face.

  He knows I'm not alright. So, I say nothing.

  Monroe reaches a hand beside my head rest and runs his fingers gingerly through my matted hair. His touch is gentle and comforting. When his knuckles reach my temple, I snuggle my face into them, reveling in his touch. I still can't believe I almost lost him tonight. Losing Enoch twice was one thing but losing Monroe would unravel me. He'd become a rock in my life. A stable warmth I've needed for so long through the dark, cold nights. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love him.

  I feel Larkan's fingers entwine with mine before resting our hands in my lap. I squeeze it. He too has crawled his way under my skin just as much as Monroe. He is the guiding light that keeps me from slipping into the darkness like all the Arbiters before me. I would've been completely lost to vengeance tonight had he not been there to soothe my aching soul.

  Thinking about how close I was to losing everything, has me turning in my seat to look at Jamie in the back seat. Her legs are curled to her chest beneath a blanket as she sleeps. It breaks my heart to see not only the physical pain she carries etched so blatantly on her face.

  The home she's going back to will no longer be the same. Cedric's death will weigh on her for many centuries to come. I just want to hold her and scream at what my dearest friend is about to go through. I don't even care if she forgives me for not being able to save Cedric, as long as one day she can heal from this traumatic experience, I'll be okay.

  An hour later, we finally pull up to The Apothecary. I sigh in relief at seeing my beautiful home. I have a feeling I won't want to leave home for at least a few weeks after this.

  Monroe wakes Jamie and helps her into the club. I had called ahead to let Felix know that it was to be closed tonight so we could be left alone. Jamie needed some peace, and I needed to just relax with my two men. And shower. Definitely needed to shower. Possibly a drink too.

  "I'll help her to her room then meet you both upstairs in a bit," Monroe says before leading Jamie towards the stairwell.

  I, however, head straight for the bar. I'd decided the second I looked at it that I needed a drink before a shower. A big drink. Larkan pauses following them and treks after me instead.

  "I was just wondering which you'd do first. Drink, shower, or sleep," he says, a playful smirk lighting his face.

  I know he's trying to cheer me up as I look into those piercing, ice blue eyes. So, I give him the best smile I can muster and reply, "Yeah, I figured one drink wouldn't hurt. The order you guessed is accurate, though. That's the exact order shits going to go down tonight."

  Instead of walking around the bar, I simply hop over it. Larkan chuckles at the slightly stumbled landing I make.

  "Do you think Jamie will be okay?" He asks me as I begin pouring myself a double Nightlock Whiskey.

  I sigh sadly and lean a hip against the bar. "Honestly, I don't know. Her and Cedric have been together for so long, I don't know how they survived even days without each other sometimes. Him being gone will be like half of her soul is missing. I feel helpless to do anything for her."

  I tip my glass back and swallow the shot in one go. When I set the glass down, Larkan's hand folds over top mine, and he rubs my knuckle with his thumb.

  "She has you. She may not forgive you now, but she will in time. She needs you more than she's letting on. Just give her space, but make your presence known so she can see you're here when she lets herself realize just how badly your comfort will be needed."

  I let his words sink in as we fall quiet. I look around at my club. At the emptiness. The silence in here is deafening. I look up to the ceiling, willing myself not to cry as I feel tears forming in my eyes. The weight of everything I'd been carrying the last few days is surfacing hard now that I'm home. Cedric had been Jamie's husband, but he was also my friend. I loved him as much as I love Jamie. The loss of him and Enoch burns at my chest.

  I suck in deep breaths of air as I start to hyperventilate. I can't hold it in anymore. All this pain is suffocating. I feel myself begin to crumble as wracking sobs escape my quivering lips. As I go to fall to my knees, I'm enveloped in Larkan's arms. He lets me hold onto him for dear life as I let all the hurt go. I will myself to release the pain of the Damned I felt tonight. Of the pain I feel for Jamie. Everything.

  I don't even feel it when Larkan picks me up bridal style and carries me upstairs. I just simply cry into his neck. I'm numb to everything as he sets me down in my bathroom and starts up the shower.

  It's not until Monroe comes into the room and cradles my face in his hands that I'm able to focus once again.

  "Please don't cry, Mon Chere. We have you. Everything will be alright," he whispers gently before kissing away the tears on my cheeks.

  I feel Larkan come up behind me and tear the tattered gown from my body. Monroe kneels at my feet and begins removing my shoes. He lays gentle kisses up my leg as he rises, then grabs the edges of my panties and drags them down.

  Larkan kisses the side of my neck and removes the matted and knotted braid my hair is styled in. He then slides his hands down my sides to my hips, then turns me to face him. He kisses me softly then says, "Let us wash you. You deserve to be pampered a bit before resting."

  I give him a soft smile and nod. He quickly strips from his robe and shirt, leaving me with a view of his chiseled torso. Monroe steps up behind me and sweeps my hair over one shoulder to kiss and nip at the other one. I can feel him already completely naked behind me. However, I never stop watching Larkan as he finishes undressing, I've yet to see him naked, since the only time we were truly intimate was when he fed me his sexual energy during that stakeout.

  I'm not disappointed.

  Both of my gloriously bare men lead me into the shower and begin to wash me. They take turns passing the scrubber back and forth, both taking extra care of all my most sensitive areas. Their touches are sensual and slow, allowing me to revel in the feel of it all for as long as I want.

  The water is black and red as we wash away the nightmare of the evening. There are no words passed between us as they caress me, kiss me, and show their love for me every passing minute. Their love is healing and beautiful. It's dark and it's light all at once and everything I need right now.

  Unfortunately, I can't help the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that this is not over yet. That where we go from here is not in a direction of peace, but one far darker than any of us could ever anticipate. And I may not be powerful enough to stop it…

  I am beautiful, yet deadly. I love as fiercely as I hate. I have the ability to be compassionate, but the power to be cruel. I live in the light, but dance in the dark.

  I am the perfect balance the Creator has been looking for, and I never could have foreseen what kind of life this new power has given me.

  My name is Nocturna, and I am The Arbiter.

  Unknown

  I watch the security monitors with eyes seething.

  After all the hard work I put into not only getting Ca
ssia killed, but also collecting as many Damned as we did unnoticed, it all goes down the drain. All because the Creator decided to actually give this Arbiter more power than he’s given the others in the past.

  Who could’ve guessed that she’d actually work with the Rites. Cassia at least only tolerated the bastards. Not Nocturna. She fornicates with the enemy happily. Disgusting.

  I grit my teeth and let out a rumbling growl. I only hope my mistress isn’t too displeased with my misfortune. I slam my hands down on the desk then take a deep breath in and out. What I’ve done has to be enough to give me a reprieve from her ire. I shake off the tension and quickly begin typing in the code to wipe everything from the servers. They may have taken down our establishment, but they won’t take us down with it.

  After everything is wiped clean and the screens have gone blank, I hastily make my way out the emergency exit Marilith had placed in the control room. She was smart to have it put in, in case a quick getaway was needed. It’s one of the many reasons I love her. I’d do anything for my mistress; including betraying all those who trust me by playing both sides of the fence. She’s worth it all, and I’d gladly trade my soul to her a thousand times over.

  My boots echo as they scuff the narrow, spiraled staircase leading down to the basement. When I make it through the door, I close it and bolt it shut to prevent any from following me. I swiftly run to the door leading outside, cautiously opening it to check that the cost is clear. When I see no one, I make a run for it.

  I trek down the hill leading to the road where I know Marilith waits for me. I let out a sigh of relief when I see her black SUV parked on the side of the road, the engine idling.

  When I get to the SUV, one of her Lupin men hops out from the passenger side and opens my door for me. I nod my head at him and slide in. The Lupin closes the door and hops back in before the driver begins taking us back to Marilith.