[The Watchers 20.0] Dominion - Enduring

by SJ West

  “If you stay around Jess and Mason for any length of time,” she replies, “you inevitably learn more than you ever wanted to know about matches and marshmallows. They were teasing each other about going to Nacreous for some reason. There was some talk about finally getting matches on every continent.”

  I can’t help but giggle at what Vala overheard my ancestors discussing. Malcolm informed me all about matches and marshmallows a long time ago. Envisioning Vala listening in on a conversation between Jess and Mason discussing the subject is just too good of a visual not to have a hearty laugh over.

  “Unfortunately,” I tell her as I turn around to face my husband and rest my hands on the back of his neck, “I don’t believe Malcolm and I have time to get matches. I still want to see the rest of the city before we’re supposed to meet with the others in the palace. You did make sure to send word to everyone that they should be here early, right?”

  “Yes. I sent out a message to everyone.”

  “How do you think they’re going to react when I tell them Helena will be attending the party?” I ask worriedly, anticipating a very bad reaction from some of them, most notably Lucifer.

  Malcolm shrugs his shoulders. “It doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s a fact they’re going to have to deal with whether they want to or not.”

  “Lucifer isn’t going to like it,” I sigh. “I don’t see him staying long enough to see her arrive.”

  “That might be for the best, actually,” Malcolm replies, sounding relieved if that is indeed the outcome. “If we have any chance of making things work with Helena, today needs to be as stress-free as possible. We need to make her feel welcome in our home, and I’m not sure we can do that with Lucifer present.”

  “You may be right,” I concede, “but I also don’t want him to feel unwelcome.”

  “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about asking him to leave. As you just said, he probably won’t even stick around once he hears she’s coming. I say we focus on Helena and forging a relationship with her for Liana’s sake. Our children take top priority, Anna. We can’t worry about hurting other people’s feelings, especially when your own are in such turmoil. If we just handle one thing at a time, we’ll make it through this. I promise.”

  I lift myself onto my toes and wrap my arms around Malcolm’s neck, resting my head on his shoulder.

  “I’m not sure what I would do without you in my life,” I whisper, taking comfort in the fact that I have a man like him to stand beside me no matter what happens.

  “That’s the one thing you don’t have to worry about, my love,” he murmurs. “I will always be in your life.”

  I allow myself the indulgence of just holding my husband and relishing the love we have for one another. Our love has already seen me through some of the darkest days of my life. I wish I could say that I’ll never have to face times like that again, but I fear the previous ones were just a prelude to even darker times to come.

  I pull back from Malcolm and kiss him full on the lips. The idea of getting matches is tempting, especially in moments like this, but I am still the Empress of Cirrus. That title comes with certain obligations, and I know my subjects will want an update on the state of their home soon.

  Even though I don’t want to, I break the kiss.

  “Show me the rest of the city,” I tell him, trying my best to ignore his smoldering look of carnal need. His stare is practically begging me to give into my own desires and throw caution to the wind just this once.

  Reluctantly I pull away from him and say, “I need to see the remainder of the damage before we meet with the others.”

  Malcolm nods his understanding. I know I don’t have to worry about his feelings being hurt because he understands how much I want him too. Unfortunately, we have more important matters to attend to right now.

  We continue to survey the destruction right up until it’s time for us to meet with the others in the ballroom of the palace. When we phase there, we find everyone present except for Jess and Mason. We asked them to stay in Malcolm’s New Orleans home to take care of the babies while the party was taking place. I didn’t want the children anywhere near Helena. She’s already turned one of my kids against me. I can’t risk her poisoning Liam toward me too. Plus, I’m not confident she’s through interfering with Liana’s life. The more distance I keep between them, the better.

  As I look out at the faces of my friends, family, and War Angels, I take a deep breath and say, “Thank you all for coming here today. I know Lucas appreciates each of you taking time out of your busy schedules to celebrate his seventh birthday with us.” I take another deep breath before continuing. “I feel as though I should warn you all that Helena will be joining us later.”

  “What?” I hear Lucifer say sharply from his spot in the front of the crowd. He looks confused and angry, which is just what I expected from him. “Why is that thing coming to your son’s birthday party?”

  “I invited her,” I tell him, holding my head up despite his obvious anger.

  “Why?” he in turn asks, looking even more perplexed.

  “Malcolm and I decided that befriending Helena may help Liana in the long run. If we end the hatred between us, maybe Liana’s reaction toward me will soften. Please understand that I need to try this, Dad. I need to find a way to help my child deal with what’s been done to her. I can’t undo what Helena did, but maybe I can find a way to give Liana a portion of her life back.”

  “This isn’t going to work,” Lucifer says flat-out. “You can’t make friends with a creature that never should have existed in the first place. She may look human, Anna, but she isn’t. If you insist on going through with this, you need to remember that fact. She doesn’t make friends. She can’t love. That isn’t what I created her to do.”

  “She’s a sentient being,” I remind him. “She has the capability to think for herself now. You may not have created her to feel anything except hate, but she’s grown beyond what she was initially made to be. You need to stop hating her so much, Dad. Whether you like it or not, she’s a part of you just like I am.”

  Lucifer’s face is a mask of control. Even though I can feel his anger, his expression remains placid.

  “I can’t stay here if she’s coming,” he tells me. “I won’t pretend that I accept her, and I fear my presence would simply hinder what you’re trying to attempt. All I ask is that you not trust her, Anna. You’re right. Liana is being affected by the way Helena feels about you, and that should tell you something. She hates you. She despises the fact that you even exist. You shouldn’t trust anyone who abhors you that much, least of all her.”

  “I know,” I tell him. “I’m not going into this blind, but I have to try everything I can think of to help my baby, no matter how objectionable it might be to others.”

  “I understand that, and I wish you the best of luck in what you’re attempting to do for your child. I’ll return to Malcolm’s home in New Orleans and wait there for you with Jess and Mason.”

  Right after Lucifer phases out of the room, Jered pipes up and says, “I’m afraid I need to leave too, Anna.”

  “Why?” I immediately ask him, finding his departure an unexpected one.

  “Basically for the same reason as Lucifer,” he tells me regrettably. “If I stay, I’ll only get in the way of your purpose for inviting her here. I would probably end up confronting her about her plans for Silas, and that would only lead to a heated argument. I understand your need to find a way to help Liana because I have the same desire to help my son. He may be too far gone now to be saved, but if I don’t at least try to find a way to help him, I’ll feel like I’ve failed him all over again. I truly want you to succeed here today, Anna, but I’m certain my presence wouldn’t help your cause.”

  “Jered,” Lucas says from his spot beside our friend as he tugs on his shirtsleeve, “do you really have to leave? You did so much work putting the party together.”

  Jered kneels down on one knee in fron
t of Lucas and brings my son into his arms for a hug.

  “I wish I could stay,” Jered says apologetically, “but I think it would be better if I go. After she leaves, I promise to come back. Okay?”

  Lucas nods his head but doesn’t make a reply.

  Jered lets Lucas go and stands back up.

  “I’ll come and get you when she leaves,” Desmond promises him.

  “Thank you,” Jered says before phasing.

  I look out at the rest of my family and friends. I begin to wonder if I’ve made a terrible mistake by asking Helena to the party. It is supposed to be a happy time for Lucas. What if I’ve ruined it by trying to rush things with her?

  “Does anyone else feel like they need to leave before she arrives?” I ask them.

  No one says a word. I breathe a sigh of relief that I haven’t completely ruined Lucas’ birthday celebration.

  “I’m not leaving you unprotected while that thing is here,” Xander proclaims, looking at his brother War Angels. “We were sent to Earth to protect you from all harm, and we can’t do that if we leave. You don’t have to worry about us, Anna. We’re here for you no matter what.”

  “Thank you, Xander,” I say, smiling with pride that, out of all my War Angels, he was the one who made the declaration.

  I know going to Hell was hard for him, but it seems as if revealing his long kept secret to the others has finally helped him accept what happened in Heaven. He seems changed for the better, and I hope this means I don’t ever have to venture into the Ladies in Waiting again to fetch him.

  Suddenly, Barlow and Travis Stokes transport into the room. I can’t help but smile at our genius friend, Travis, because he’s decked himself out for the party. However, his idea of party-wear seems a bit strange. He’s wearing his signature roller skates, which isn’t unexpected, but he’s also wearing an odd yellow plastic helmet on his head with a golden horn attached to the top of it. In his hands, he holds a large plastic box that is almost overflowing with what looks like parts to build some sort of mechanical contraption.

  “Are we late?” Barlow asks, seeing that most everyone else who was invited to attend is already present. “I could have sworn we were on time.”

  “You’re not late,” I reassure the brothers. “We just needed to have a small meeting to discuss something.”

  Travis looks at the crowd and states, “It must have been something important. You all look so serious.”

  “Don’t worry, Travis,” Lucas says, walking over to his friend. “Hell’s coming to my party, and my mom wanted to warn everyone about it first.”

  “Hell?” Travis asks, looking as perplexed as he sounds.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Lucas says with a wave of his hand. “My mom’s War Angels won’t let anything happen to you while you’re here. What’s in the box?”

  Travis still looks confused, but he leans over and holds the box of parts down so Lucas can look inside.

  “I thought I would help you and your friends make matchbox robots. Kind of like a party favor they can take home afterwards.”

  “That’s awesome!” Lucas says excitedly. If there is one thing my son loves doing, it is making things that actually serve a function. Travis couldn’t have given him a better birthday gift.

  Lucas turns his head to look at me and asks, “When are Bai and her brothers coming over?”

  “I’ll go get them,” Desmond offers. “Brutus has had his hands full lately dealing with the Cirruan refugees. I told him I would bring Kyna and the kids up here for the party so he didn’t have to worry about it.”

  “Make sure Kyna knows Helena is coming,” I tell Desmond. “I don’t want her to be surprised, and tell her if she can’t make it, we understand.”

  “Oh, don’t worry about her, lass. Even Hell itself won’t keep her away. She’s been dying to talk to you since the babies were born.”

  Desmond phases to Brutus’ house in the down-world to bring up the rest of our friends.

  Everyone else begins to relax and mingle, giving me my first real opportunity to look at the room and all the work Jered and the others did to prepare it for the party.

  Small round tables with white tablecloths have been decorated with floating bouquets of balloons. Each arrangement is composed of a large silver star on top with a mixture of pearly white and blue balloons underneath it. They’re tethered to the center of the tables by trails of silver and blue ribbons. Each of the small tables has four blue chairs. In the center of the room is a larger table that holds the birthday cake and snacks. The cake has four round layers, each one smaller than the one underneath it. The layers are covered with dark blue fondant and have a trail of white glittery stars of various sizes that wind around the cake from top to bottom. Sitting on the top layer of the cake is a white wolf that looks just like Luna, flaming fur and all.

  I see Olivia Ravensdale walk out from amongst the crowd of War Angels with my papa by her side.

  “I didn’t realize you were coming,” I tell Olivia as she draws closer and kisses me on the cheek.

  “I hope you don’t mind me being here,” she replies, glancing at my papa, “but when Andre invited me, I jumped at the opportunity to see you again. How are you, my dear?”

  “Just trying to hold it together,” I tell her truthfully, attempting to smile but not really feeling it.

  “Well, you look lovely. Motherhood suits you well.”

  “Anna!”

  I look over and see Kyna shuffling toward me. For someone so plump with pregnancy, my friend can waddle faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. Kyna has me enveloped in her arms before I can even say, “It’s so good to see you.”

  “As big as I am, it’s kind of hard not to see me coming a mile away,” she playfully complains. “So I’m guessing the babies aren’t here since Helena is supposed to make an appearance.”

  “No, they’re not,” I tell her regrettably.

  “That is a pity,” Olivia sighs in disappointment. “I was hoping to see them too.”

  “Well, why don’t the both of you come home with us when the party is over?” I suggest. “I swear they’re two of the most precious and perfect babies ever, but I know I’m totally biased in that opinion.”

  “Well, of course you are,” Olivia says in complete understanding. “Every mother believes her children are the most picture-perfect creatures on Earth. It’s completely natural.”

  “So,” Kyna says, eyeing the display of food by the cake, “are we waiting for something to happen before we eat or can we just serve ourselves?”

  “Feel free to eat all you want,” I tell my friend, remembering the hunger of pregnancy quite well.

  “Please allow me to escort you,” my papa tells Kyna, holding out a bent arm for her to take. “Brutus would kill me if I didn’t make sure you were fed properly.”

  “Thank you for being such a gallant enabler,” Kyna giggles, readily taking my papa’s offered arm. I’m silently thankful he plans to assist her to the table. In her present condition, I could see her toppling over on her quest for sustenance.

  “I wouldn’t mind eating a small snack either,” Oliva says.

  “Thankfully, I have two arms,” Papa informs her, holding out his other arm for her to take.

  Olivia smiles and slips her arm through his as if they’ve done it hundreds of times before in their lives.

  Malcolm told me that my papa is in love with Olivia, and it’s plain to see that she has feelings for him too. I can’t think of anyone else in the world I would rather see my papa fall in love with than the Empress of Nacreous. Olivia is one of the best women I know, and I would be honored to have her as a stepmother, if their relationship progresses that far.

  While everyone is enjoying themselves, I feel as though I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting for Helena to show up. I realize Lucas’ vision may not come to pass. His visions are possible futures, not ones set in stone, but something deep down inside me is confident she’ll show up.

 
“Stop worrying so much,” Malcolm whispers to me as we watch Lucas, Bai, and her brothers work on the robots Travis is helping them build. The table they’re all sitting around is strewn with various parts and gadgets. To me it all looks a bit chaotic, but Travis and Lucas seem to know where everything they need is located.

  “I can’t help but worry,” I say as I cross my arms in front of me and begin nervously tapping the index finger of my left hand against my right arm. “I’m worried about her coming, and I’m worried that she won’t show up. No matter the actual outcome, I’m worried.”

  “Well, you can stop worrying that she won’t come because there she is with Cade.”

  Chapter 12

  I follow Malcolm’s gaze to the bottom of the grand staircase in the ballroom. As always, Helena looks impeccable as she stands proudly by Cade’s side in a very fashionable red dress. Her right arm is looped through a medium-sized basket crafted out of silver wire. Nestled inside it is a variety of candies anyone with a healthy sweet tooth would salivate over appreciatively. I notice Cade is carrying a rather large box wrapped with gold foil paper and topped with a red ribbon.

  A heavy silence settles over the room as people become aware of their presence. Most everyone turns to give them their full attention. I feel more than see my War Angels become more attuned to their surroundings, as if they expect an attack to take place at any second. I suppose anything is possible where Helena is concerned, but I take comfort in the fact that Cade is with her, looking more relaxed than I’ve seen him in quite a while. I know that if Helena tried to harm anyone present at the party, Cade would never be able to forgive her. She may not have much of a heart, but whatever does exist inside her chest belongs to Cade.

  I know my moment has at long last arrived, and if I want my plan to work, it’s either act on it now or let the opportunity pass me by forever.

  I take a step forward and then another until I’m standing in front of the couple who has brought our gathering to a standstill.