Blood of the Infinity War (Afterlife saga Book 8)

by Stephanie Hudson

  At the very end of the garden was a pretty stone seating area in a half-moon shape, that was shaded by a domed roof, painted gold.

  “You know that the word ‘Paradise’ comes from the Persian word for garden as they were known for the greatest gardens of the world,” Pip leaned in and told me, sounding very informative and surprising me.

  “What? I like The History of Gardens and read it whilst on the toilet, that is when I am not playing Bubble Witch,” she added with a wink making me chuckle.

  “There aren’t many people around?” I questioned leaning closer to Pip and one of the guards next to me spoke up,

  “My King thought it best to have the area cleared, ensuring you a peaceful walk.” At this I laughed and said,

  “You mean a royal ‘peace of mind’ walk.” I looked side on at him to find him trying to fight back a grin and he cleared his throat to reply,

  “A safe walk for you is no doubt a peaceful one for my King.” At this I burst out laughing and agreed,

  “I can imagine so.” Then I continued to walk the grounds basking in the hot sun and fresh air. Of course, I had only been allowed to do this after Draven had instructed Pip that I was to be covered from head to toe, for fear of burning my skin. At first, I thought this a little overkill and probably more down to Draven not wanting anyone to see any of my skin but now that seemed like a bit of a joke, as there was no one around to see me. Draven had made sure of that.

  “If it pleases you, my King thought you might need some refreshments,” the guard said holding out an arm towards the seating at the end. I nodded my thanks and continued down the gravel path that ran alongside the pool. The amazing smell of roses filled the warm air and with the sound of birds singing in the trees, it made for an idyllic moment in time.

  We reached the end and the guards all turned their backs on us, positioning themselves at four points, no doubt facing any potential threats that could reach us.

  “Wow, talk about paranoia,” I said to Pip who giggled as we sat down.

  “I know, I am even surprised he used men to guard us. Mind you, I can’t imagine a man known for his temper wouldn’t paint a gruesome enough sight if any of them dared to touch you,” Pip said, sounding surprisingly normal as she deflated onto the stone bench.

  “Are you okay?” I asked taking a seat opposite her.

  “Just missing my honey pot,” she said and I reached across and gave her hand a squeeze.

  “I am sorry, it must be horrible for you and Sophia.”

  “Not gonna lie, it sucks the big one and not in a way I like…but we are a team, we are the Tittanian and the three Boobeteers!” she stated enthusiastically and I had to smile.

  “You know I couldn’t have done this without you guys. I mean hell, half the shit I do, I would be lost if I didn’t have you girls with me and I want you to know that I am looking forward to the day that life’s drama for us all doesn’t always revolve around me.” At this she burst out laughing and said,

  “Oh, Tootie Pie, I wouldn’t hold your breath or plan a fasting anytime soon, because that is like asking for a snowman in Hell and trust me when I say, that singing Olaf shit ain’t happening down, down, hotter than Aussie land, under.” At this I burst out laughing and couldn’t help but hear my sister’s groan about stabbing forks in her eyes every time Ella asked for the movie Frozen to be played.

  “Okay well speaking of drama, how exactly are we planning on getting into a kitchen and cooking for Mr Royally Overprotective?” I asked leaning towards her so that the others wouldn’t hear, which ended up being pointless as she just called over the guard that we had been speaking to.

  “Is there anywhere else we have been permitted to go, for the King’s head concubine wishes to surprise him with some culinary delights from her home land.” At this his dark eyes looked thoughtful a moment as he dragged a hand down his black beard. He was dressed differently from the rest and his thick sash tied around his waist looked to have metal rings attached in gold. I wondered if this meant he was higher up the ranks than the rest.

  “You wish to go into the kitchens?” he confirmed, seemingly shocked by this.

  “I do,” I stated.

  “I cannot see a problem as I will need to clear it first and then inform the King.” At this I was about to argue when Pip intervened.

  “Oh, but she so wanted to surprise him.” I gave him a pleading look and after a moment’s thought he agreed,

  “I can see no harm.” Then he turned back to his men and issued an order for one of them to go ahead and clear the space.

  “Well, that was relatively easy.”

  “Yeah but after that comes the hard part,” Pip informed me and I frowned,

  “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, just wait and see.” And this was all she gave me.

  After this ambiguous comment made by Pip, I soon learned why the hard part came once we were in the palace kitchens.

  “I have no idea what most of this stuff is!” I shouted as Pip was lifting up a hooked metal tool that looked better suited in a torture chamber.

  “Well, this here looks like one of those things the Egyptians used to pull the brains out of people before they made mummies…and this here could be used to scramble them first,” she said moving on to the next poker looking device making me give her a ‘eww’ face.

  “I would ask if Sophia would know but…” Pip burst out laughing at this and said,

  “I doubt she even knows where this room is, let alone what’s in it!” I had to agree with her on that.

  “So, what were you thinking of making him?” she asked and I sighed and said,

  “Well, one thing’s for certain and that is my layer chocolate and strawberry cream cake is off the menu!”

  “Okie donk, let’s see what we have to work with at least,” Pip said skipping towards what we knew to be the larder. It was down a few steps and kept underground to keep food cool naturally. The guards were situated outside the doors and I was almost tempted to go and ask one of them what most of this stuff was used for, but I decided other than the blades, then they would have been as lost as we were.

  “I would say lamb meat balls, but I don’t think we have much chance at finding a mincer around here, do you?” I said nodding to the cut pieces of lamb’s meat.

  “Okay, I have an idea,” Pip said after running back up into the kitchen and lifting up what looked like a rolling pin.

  “Tada!” she shouted and I put a hand on my hip and said,

  “I am not seeing it, Pip.”

  “Okay, so I saw this one recipe on Pinterest where you flatten a chicken breast, like this…” she said making karate chops with the wooden pole, before carrying on,

  “…Then you make a stuffing, roll it up and then dip it in egg then flour a few times and then fry it…it looked amazeballs!”

  “Wow, that does sound pretty good.”

  “Yeah and we have everything down here to make it, plus you could make some saffron rice to go with it, as there is a bucket load over there,” Pip added, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.

  “Great, okay so we have a plan, now you get the chicken and attack its poor breasts, whilst I make the stuffing…oh but wait.”

  “What is it?” she asked backing up the steps of the food store.

  “How do we know when Draven eats his dinner?” I asked making her giggle,

  “Leave it to me.” Then with a wink she disappeared singing ‘Here, chicky, chicky’.

  A short time after this and added to it a load of giggling, we had pretty much finished making our meal. In the end, I had stuffed the rolled out chicken with some of the goat’s cheese stuff I had eaten the previous night with onions, garlic, more herbs and finely chopped tomatoes. Then I had rolled them up but after failing at it twice, we wrapped some kind of twine we found around each breast so that we could fry them in olive oil. Then we covered them in egg and salted, peppered flour to create a nice crust after first removing the twine.

/>   Needless to say, we forgot the first time and we both ended up pulling cooked string from our teeth. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but one we both howled with laughter over. So much so, one of the guards came rushing in thinking I had burnt myself or something. The smell had me near salivating, as all I had eaten had been fruit.

  I think Pip’s favourite part in all this was battering the chicken breasts like Bruce Lee as she pretended they were planks of wood she was hitting and all to the sounds of a fake audience. I only knew this when she started to bow and thank imaginary people for coming.

  So now it was time for the big reveal and after shedding about twenty meters of fancy blue material from around my body, I was left with a small waistcoat style jacket. To this was added a pair of loose trousers that were tight round the ankle with a thick gold band of patterned fabric and low to my hips, showing off a lot more skin this time.

  Pip had gone to get the King as I was laying out our second feast, this time one I had made from scratch. I just hoped she could convince him to come back before it went cold as otherwise it would all be a bit pointless. There wasn’t much in the dessert department I could actually make, so in the end I went with honey roasted peaches with chopped almonds and some sort of cream that I added honey to and a sprinkling of sugar, so that we could spoon it on top later. Alright, so it wasn’t my famous chocolate cake, but it was as close to a dessert as I was ever going to get.

  I heard the knocking at the door and had to smile when I heard Draven speaking behind it.

  “What is the meaning of this?!”

  “Only a surprise for you, my King.” Pip answered and I raced to the door to stand in the way for when he entered. Then, as soon as the door opened, I issued my demands,

  “Don’t look! Close your eyes!” He looked taken aback for a moment and thankfully was too focused on me to look ahead towards my surprise.

  “Nāzanin, explain this to…” I suddenly cut him off by getting close to him and pulling his face down to mine.

  “Please…don’t ruin your surprise,” I said tenderly making his features soften.

  “Now close your eyes for me,” I asked him and after a sigh, he did as I asked. Then I closed the door behind him, first winking at Pip and mouthing the words, ‘thank you’ at her. Then I took his hand and started leading him round to the living space.

  “What are you up to this time, little lamb?” he asked making me giggle,

  “You will see, now no peeking!” I told him, thankful that he was playing along. Then I shouted,

  “Surprise!” To which he opened his eyes and took in the plates of food before him. Bless him, he looked really confused.

  “I don’t understand, you wish to eat with me again?” he asked making me laugh.

  “Well yes, but the surprise is that I made it for you,” I told him grinning and the shock on his face was priceless.

  “You made this?” he asked, as if this was impossible.

  “Yes, and well, I thought after you liked those wraps I made you that you might like my cooking as well…see we have chicken and… Arsaces? Is everything alright?” I asked because he just seemed stunned and rooted to the spot.

  “You cooked for me?” he asked and I nodded, suddenly going shy and wondering if this was a big no, no in his time.

  “You were down in the kitchens today making me this?” Again, he asked and I just hoped he wasn’t angry about that so I quickly said,

  “Yes, but no one else was there and I was under guard the whole time. Please don’t be angry as I just wanted it to be a surprise and to thank you for trusting me today,” I told him quickly and he looked to me and said,

  “I am not angry, for how could I be?” I gave him a small smile and then took his large hand in mine and led him to the little cushioned seats I had set up.

  “Then let’s eat before it gets cold,” I told him and as he sat down I dished up his plate first and handed it to him. Then I did one for myself and poured us both some wine.

  “And you made this?” he asked again lifting the plate and looking at the wrapped fried chicken in nothing short of wonder. I laughed once and said,

  “Yeah, I made it for you, so eat.”

  After this he shook his head as if trying to make sense of what was happening before he cut into his food to take his first bite. I knew when his eyes widened in surprise that he liked it but like him, I wanted his words, so I asked,

  “Do you like it?”

  “It is delicious!” he said with his voice rising as if he were shocked to find it so tasty.

  “Good, you don’t know how happy that makes me,” I said smirking down at my food, unable to wipe the smug look off my face.

  “It is I that finds such happiness in the gift you give me, for it not only comes from your heart but also from your hands,” he said, picking up my hand and kissing the back of it sweetly, making me blush.

  “I feel blessed indeed, Nāzanin,” he added and I bit my lip before telling him,

  “You are most welcome, Arsaces.”

  After these sweet sentiments were exchanged we ate and after a few moments of silence I looked to Draven to find him looking down at his food with a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. He looked deep in thought and I left him to his secret thoughts, until he enquired,

  “How did you make it?”

  I laughed thinking back to Pip smacking the shit out of a chicken breast and told him all we had done to make the meal. He had laughed as I recounted about the chicken unravelling and stuffing falling out. I told him of other foods I liked to make and he was amazed to find that I even cooked at all. We continued to talk the evening away and it was easy to get lost in the time we spent together like this. It was as if we both forgot the heavy burdens on our shoulders, his being King and mine the reason I was here. No, instead we just talked and I got to learn even more of Draven’s personality than ever before.

  He told me of the places he had been and the battles he had fought, both mortal and supernatural. He even spoke to me about his parents and their forbidden love, even admitting to having a deeper understanding of his father’s obsession with their Heavenly mother. It was at this point that he reached out to my face to hold my cheek against his palm as he said,

  “At least I am blessed enough to be granted the right to keep you.” At this I leaned further into his palm and then turned my face to kiss his skin.

  “And an eternal life of your cooking to sample,” he added making me laugh at him. I very nearly blurted out about my chocolate cake and my spicy ‘Devil’s chicken’ I had made him once but thankfully I stopped myself in time.

  “So, this was the real reason for your walk today?” he asked and I nodded and said,

  “I wanted to do something nice for you, to show you…you…” I started to get teary and I didn’t know why as my words felt too thick to speak past my lips.

  “To show me?”

  “How much I love you,” I finished and just as I did I soon found myself in his arms.

  “As the Gods are my witness woman, how I love you too!” he told me back and kissed me before I could say anything more. He lifted me up as he rose to his feet, doing so effortlessly. Then he gathered my legs under his arm and picked me up so that he could carry me into the bedroom.

  “Arsaces?” I whispered his name on a breathy moan hoping this was it, our time had finally come.

  “I need to make you mine…now.” he said forcing the words out as if he was close to breaking his vocal chords with how tense his neck looked. Oh, yes, he was on the edge alright and I knew now nothing would stop us…well that was unless Pip decided at that point to sneak in my head and whisper five little words that would douse the flames of passion for anyone

  “Stop! Don’t do it yet!”

  “Why not!?” I yelled back in my mind as Draven started to follow me down onto the bed. In fact, I didn’t know how I would ever stop as the feeling of his hands spanning my body as he kissed my neck. I threw my head back and mo
aned, forgetting Pip for the moment, that was until she said the dreaded words…

  “Because Ari is missing!”

  Chapter 13

  Spanner in the Sex Works

  The second she said this my whole body froze and Draven knew instantly there was something wrong. He pulled back from my neck, painfully slow and just as he was about to speak, an erratic banging could be heard at the door. Draven looked towards the sound and then back at me, silently asking me how I knew. Thankfully I didn’t have to say anything as Vincent burst in through the door and saved me.

  Draven was suddenly up and after issuing me a stern order,

  “Stay here!” he then left the room.

  “Shit!” I hissed through gritted teeth. It only took a moment for Draven to shout my name and playing the good little concubine, I got up and went to him.

  “Vi… Vardanis?” I said stopping myself just in time.

  “Do you know where she is?!” Vincent shouted as if half crazed. Draven sighed and then came over to me and gently raised my head to look up at him.

  “Your sister is missing, have you seen her?” he asked and I let my mouth drop and I repeated,

  “Ari is missing?” I knew this was enough to convince him, as to be honest, I was still in enough shock to pass it off.

  “Have you seen her?!” Vincent asked again, this time more desperate than before.

  “No, no I haven’t.” I told him almost spilling about us all sitting together the day before but once more stopping myself. Christ, but I was looking forward to when I could get home and just say what the hell name I wanted and speak the truth with ease! Being here was mentally draining.

  “Calm brother, she will be found for the city is still on lockdown…she couldn’t have gone far.” Draven tried to comfort his brother’s fears and when he looked back at me, I realised he tried to do the same for me also.