by Liz Schulte
It was a relief in many ways; this problem existed with or without me in the picture. Cheney stared off into space for several minutes. Neither Sebastian nor I said anything further.
“Selene’s right. I don’t want to forcibly take my father’s crown. I don’t even know if I want it.” I nodded. How could he want to fight with his dad like that?
“However, Sebastian’s correct about the current state of the Abyss. I also don’t want to abandon my people—elves or fae.” Cheney ran his fingers through his hair, messing it further. “I’ll take Selene to my father’s court, and she can have a chance to speak with him. We’ll announce our marriage and let the pieces fall. If father tries to take my title, I’ll challenge for the crown. If he doesn’t, we’ll discuss the needs of our people.”
“You need to build support. If we go in just the three of us, you won’t be taken as seriously.”
“How many are you thinking?” Cheney asked.
“As many as we can get.”
“It will raise suspicion.”
“If we don’t, we’ll appear weak.”
Cheney strode around the small room. “Fewer but powerful supporters will be more inspiring than hundreds of weak.”
“I’ll make lists.”
“I bet Sy would help,” I offered.
Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “He would be an excellent addition. But what makes you think he will get involved?”
“Well, he’s my cousin, right?”
“Selene, Sy has managed to carve out an important position for himself in the Abyss. He might be the most influential half-elf around, but he has never gotten involved in politics.”
I shrugged. Maybe Sy didn’t get involved because no one ever asked him to. “It couldn’t hurt to ask.”
Both guys shrugged. “And we’ll want the human coven as well,” Sebastian added, scrawling on his list.
“No, I’m not involving them,” I said immediately, shaking my head.
“It will not only demonstrate our open mind, it will also show we wield human magic as well. It’s a necessary component.” Sebastian didn’t even look up at me.
“I won’t risk their lives.” I stood up from the table. This was a line I wouldn’t cross.
Sebastian’s silver eyes were cool, his jaw hard. “Not even if it will save the lives of many elves?”
“No. I’ll do whatever you guys want me to do, but not them. They’re my friends.”
“That’s the wrong answer, Selene,” Sebastian yelled, standing up.
I’d never seen him so animated.
“Sebastian—” Cheney started.
“No. She has to understand.” He pushed past Cheney. “You know who and what Cheney is. He’s the future king of my people. Do you know what that makes you?”
He couldn’t possibly—that couldn’t possibly mean—no, I couldn’t be queen. Princess was bad enough. I looked to Cheney. “Cheney?”
“The decision is yours, Selene. They’re your friends. I’ll support whatever choice you make. But Sebastian is right. If I’m king, you’ll be queen,” Cheney said diplomatically.
“But I don’t know if I can do that.”
“You need to decide. I’m not going to do this without you.” Cheney looked back at Sebastian. “Start making a list of people who will be strong allies. We’ll meet back up tomorrow and discuss prospects.”
“What about Selene’s training?”
“There isn’t time.”
“But we don’t know what she can do.”
“A couple days more at most,” Cheney relented.
Sebastian nodded and disappeared. Cheney leaned back in his chair, staring off into nothing, a thousand miles away from me. I couldn’t imagine what was going on in his mind. Lord knows my own was chaotic with conflicting emotions, lost memories, new loves, untapped talents, and now the endangering of my best friends. But no matter how bad it was for me, the path in front of him was so much worse. I walked over and stood behind him, wrapping my arms around his neck, resting my head against his.
“I’m sorry you have to make this choice,” I whispered.
“There are many difficult decisions ahead of me.” He kissed my arm.
“Is this what you want?”
“Irrelevant. It’s the path before me.”
I ran my fingers through his hair, loving the soft texture and odd angles. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll make a wonderful king.”
“From the girl who barely remembers me.” Cheney laughed. “Just last night I was prepared to walk away from it all. Now I’m planning a hostile takeover.”
“That’s because you’re too good of a person to walk away from people who need you.”
“Thank you.” He sounded a little sad. “Do you want to go out?”
“I don’t think now’s really the time for a date. Shouldn’t I be hiding?”
He smiled recklessly and pulled me into his lap. “Why? I’m sick of hiding. I don’t want to hide what you are to me.”
“Cheney—”
“Don’t you dare say this is going too fast. Nothing about our relationship has been fast. Besides, this isn’t a date. I’d like to speak with someone before I dive into all of this, and it’ll be easier to get to her if you’re with me.”
“Who?”
“Olivia Martin.”
Why did that name sound familiar? Suddenly it dawned on me. “I have her phone number.”
Cheney raised his eyebrows. “Do you?”
“Yeah, that bounty hunter, Femi, gave it to me. She said she’d help me because I’m part human.”
A bright smile lit his face. “Well, this might be easier than I thought. Do you mind calling her?”
“I guess not. Where do you want to meet her?”
Cheney put a hand on either side of my face and kissed me. “Let her choose.” We stood up.
“I don’t have my phone or anything to wear,” I said, looking down at my blood-spotted workout clothes.
Cheney handed me my phone and smiled. “I’ll get your stuff.”
“And my iPod,” I called after him as he vanished. I scrolled through the address book where I’d saved her number and pressed send. A soft female voice answered on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi, um, you don’t know me, but Femi gave me your number.”
“Selene? Sy’s cousin? Femi said you might be calling.”
“Yeah.” I didn’t know what to say. “You know I’m half-elf right?”
Her laugh made me smile, but I didn’t know why. Suddenly I felt lighter, less overwhelmed. “What can I help you with, Selene?”
“Um, I’m really not sure. Cheney said—well, you see there are things going on. Complicated things. And Cheney said he wanted to meet with you before we carry on with our plan.”
“Okay. And who is Cheney?”
I expected her to know who he was. I frowned. “He’s an elf.”
“Ah. Well, I’m happy to talk to you guys. Holden and I are a package deal, just so you’re aware. Where do you want meet?”
“Anywhere you want.”
She laughed again. “I would say the Office, but Sy would probably murder me. How about The Horse’s Head in Chicago? Will tonight work for you?”
I wasn’t sure where we were, but it was probably a long way from Chicago. “Sounds great. Thank you so much.”
“So why do we need to talk to Olivia Martin?” I asked Cheney as I changed into jeans and a white cowl neck short-sleeved sweater.
“Have you heard of guardians?”
“Like what I call to when I cast a spell?”
“No, these are people who work with angels to help humans. To guide them.” I nodded. It certainly wasn’t the strangest thing he asked me to believe. “Well, they’ve recently undergone a rather big change and Olivia instigated it all, if rumors are true.”
I pulled my hair back into a ponytail. “So you want to talk with someone who has done what you’re thinking about doing?”
“That—and she would be an incredibly strong ally.”
“Do you think she’ll help?”
“I won’t know until I ask. Hurry up.”
Olivia sounded nice on the phone. Maybe this was promising. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Cheney took us to the outside of a crowded bar, buzzing with people who I had never seen the likes of anywhere. A huge steel horse head hung over the bar’s entrance, but there was no other sign.
“Are you ready for your first paranormal bar?” Cheney asked with a grin.
“What makes it paranormal?”
“This bar is completely in the Abyss. No humans can see it.” He took my hand and led me to the door. “Just keep your head down, in case someone recognizes you.”
We walked into the rabbit hole. Everything inside was askew. The floor seemed to lean and dip at impossible angles, a gigantic chandelier overhead swayed with the music, and the walls were no more than a series of funhouse mirrors. But the strangest part was the people—tiny winged faeries buzzing around, a section of patrons who looked like children only with cigarettes in their mouths and drinks in hand, a deformed monster group, an attractive, brooding, emo section, and so many more I got disoriented trying to see them all. Cheney pulled me through the room without pausing.
“Not this room; it’s for the tourists.” He winked as he pulled me through a mirror into a stairwell. We followed the stairs down and walked into what could have been a neighborhood bar. None of the noise from upstairs filtered down. The bouncer at the door gave Cheney a once over and nodded, letting us through. The room was dark and music played in the background loud enough to prevent conversations from carrying but not so loud you couldn’t have them. Cheney and I made our way to the bar. He ordered our drinks as I looked around the room with curiosity.
It was pretty empty. In one booth sat four pale, eerily pretty people who moved with an unnatural grace. In another booth, two elves with bronze colored skin watched Cheney with interest. A pretty woman with white hair and eyes and blue skin sat reading a book, and tucked away in a back corner booth was the most attractive man I had ever seen. My heart belonged to Cheney, but my eyes had a mind of their own. He had a face that could have made Michelangelo weep, rippling muscles that couldn’t be hidden under clothes, and an expression that was both bored and predatory—and he looked human. He met my eyes for a moment, then looked away in utter indifference.
Cheney handed me my drink, nodding toward the first booth. “Vampires,” he said. I could’ve guessed that. “Desert elves,” he said, giving them a nod. “And a deva—they’re rare.”
“Who’s that?” I asked and nodded toward the man in the back.
“He’s the other half to the person we came to see and coincidentally why I wanted you to come with me.”
“Holden?” I forgot to tell him what Olivia said about Holden being there too. “I don’t think I’m his type,” I said dryly.
Cheney smiled. “You’re not. If the rumors are true, he only has eyes for one. You’re here so he knows I’m not interested in her,” Cheney said, nodding toward the woman who just walked into the room.
She was medium height with reddish brown hair that softly waved around her shoulders. Her face was pretty enough, but her truly striking features were her clear blue-green eyes. As she walked toward the stony man with a vibrant smile, something about him changed. All the bored indifference melted away, and he returned her smile, making him even more handsome than he had been moments earlier. She took his hand and kissed his cheek, and the most amazing thing happened. Her skin literally glowed. It was as if she had swallowed the moon and couldn’t keep the light from pouring out of her.
“Shall we?” Cheney asked, taking my hand. The closer we came to their booth, the more nervous I became. They already appeared to be in deep conversation though neither of them spoke, and the last thing I thought we should do was disturb them. However, Cheney had no such qualms.
“Hello, I’m Cheney, prince of the hunt. I’ve been meaning to introduce myself to the two of you for some time,” he said, extending his hand to each of them. “And I believe you have spoken with Selene.”
Olivia smiled and shook his hand. “Yes. I’m Olivia. It’s nice to meet you.” The man shook Cheney’s hand but made no comment or introduction. “This is Holden. It’s nice to see you in person, Selene. Please have a seat.”
“I’m sorry,” I said immediately, holding my hand out to her. “It’s very nice to meet you, too.”
Her eyes glazed over as our skin connected. “So many emotions,” she said before she blinked away the faraway look. Releasing my hand, she smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that. Drawback of the job.” Holden took her other hand, giving us both a look that made me want to turn around and walk in the other direction.
Olivia rolled her eyes good-naturedly and elbowed Holden. “Try to be nice.” He curled his lip slightly but stopped looking at Cheney like he might do bodily harm. “You know what? This might go faster if I talk to Selene alone.”
Cheney began to protest, but Holden interrupted him with a dismissive wave of his hand and stood up. “It’s no use. Her mind’s made up. Prince or not, no one changes her mind.”
Cheney sighed. “Her too.”
Holden’s mouth ticked to the side. The two men took seats at the bar, keeping a stool between them. I sat across from Olivia.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you nervous.” The light that made her skin glow retracted until it disappeared, and she looked just like a normal human.
“Don’t worry. This is all new to me. Everything makes me nervous,” I said with a laugh. “I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but your light was lovely.” I felt my cheeks coloring. Sometimes I wished I could think then speak.
Olivia folded her hands on top of the table. “Thank you. It puts some people on edge. So what brings you here today?”
I looked over at Cheney, wishing he was beside me. “We need your help. I don’t know that I’ve fully grasped the situation—Cheney would be better at explaining it than me.”
“Yes, I’ll speak with him soon. I owe Sy and Femi more than I can probably ever repay them. Femi doesn’t just hand out my number to anyone. She obviously thinks I can help you. So why are you here?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Well, Cheney wanted to see you, and I happened to have your number so I called. But I think he only brought me because Holden’s very protective.”
Again she laughed. “That’s true.” Her eyes twinkled when she glanced back in his direction. “I guess I should just come right out and ask my question rather than hinting around the subject. Did you come here for my guidance?”
“No,” I said honestly, “but I’ll take all the help I can get at this point.”
“You have very contradictory feeling surrounding you,” Olivia said, looking through me, which should have been unsettling except she did it with such a natural grace it seemed perfectly normal. “Honestly, I don’t know that I understand them. You’ll have to explain the situation.”
“I’ll try.” I took a deep breath and dived into the story of the last month of my life. There was something very open and comforting about Olivia. She was easy to talk to. She seemed to draw the words from me with her kind, wise eyes. I had the impression that we could become very good friends someday, when the world was less crazy. When I finished my story, she nodded.
“Fate can be such a bitch sometimes.”
That was the wise and knowing advice she was going to give me?
Her shoulders started shaking, her eyes crinkled, and her lips twitched. A bark of laughter escaped her, and she covered her mouth with a hand, losing all control. I should’ve been offended. My story wasn’t funny, but instead I laughed too. It was ridiculous. Tears flowed down my face and I gasped for breath. It felt wonderful. Olivia pulled herself together faster than I could.
“I’m so sorry. I just never thought I’d meet someone who could give my own story a run for its m
oney. I offered you guidance, so here it goes.” She rolled her shoulders back. “The path you should take is not clear to me. So far you have managed to keep the two distinct pieces of yourself separate, and so long as they’re separate you cannot make a wrong decision. One path would honor your commitment to your human self and the other would honor the elf. No matter what anyone tells you, you can fight who you are for as long as you like, so whichever half you choose will ultimately win the battle.”
“Which half should I choose?”
“What do you want to accomplish?”
“I want to be with Cheney and to have my human friends and life. I want people to stop trying to kill me.”
“Ah, the simple things,” she said with an amused glint in her eyes. “If you could accept both halves and become whole, you’d perhaps become powerful enough to accomplish most of those goals.”
“Is that what you would do?”
Olivia sighed, glancing back towards Holden. “Honestly, I would’ve chosen the elf half if I were in your shoes. Love is something I could never resist. But do not judge by that. I see the right decisions for others far more clearly than I have ever seen them for myself.”
“What’s your story? How did you end up with Holden? And what is he, by the way? He looks human, but I know that can’t be correct.”
A small smile lit up her face and light seeped through again. “Holden is a free jinni. We were never supposed to be together, but we are stronger than natural order.” Holden looked back at her from the counter with his own small private smile. “That, however, is a story for another time. I promise someday I’ll share our tale with you. Should we bring the men back?” Holden was already on his way, with Cheney closely behind him.
Cheney raised an eyebrow as he sat and I smiled. “I trust the two of you had a nice conversation?”
“Very pleasant. Now how may we be of assistance to you?” Olivia asked.
“You know of the movement against my father’s rule?”