Caia felt herself turn green. “Stop, I beg of you.”
The portal to the Centre was just over a five hours drive away. They had left at sunrise and would be there in a few hours time. The thought of actually meeting Marita and Vanne, of actually taking a real part in the war, was causing not only the sickening butterflies in the pit of her stomach, but trembling, cold shakes that ran through the top of her skin, sending the hairs up on her arms, and her teeth into chattering madness.
The drive so far with Lucien had been fraught with tension. The cab in his truck seemed smaller somehow. She could hear and feel every move he made, her eyes wandering to his strong hands and sinewy forearms every time he reached for something. Tingles shot through her each time she caught a glimpse of his strong profile (or when he turned to smile at her, his hard silver eyes softening to smoke the way they only seemed to do around the people he really cared about), and momentarily her nerves over the Centre were obliterated, and replaced with new nerves, sad achy nerves over Lucien; over the stupid mistakes she had made when she learned he had been keeping things from her. In the end it had turned out that there were more important things in life than petty grievances. And as it turned out her grievances had been petty in comparison to what happened to Jaeden and to Sebastian.
Hindsight sucked.
In fact hindsight should be assassinated.
Lucien was frowning over having being stopped in his meat salivation. “You sure you’re OK?”
She nodded mutely.
His eyes narrowed perceptively. “Last time I’m asking. I’m a guy after all.”
Caia laughed. Olympus forbade anyone considered him sensitive or considerate. “Some coffee will be fine. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.”
The waitress returned and Lucien gave her their order. When he was done she gave him a huge come-get-me smile and then turned unexpectedly to Caia.
“He your boyfriend?” She asked loudly.
Her mouth fell open at the woman’s brazenness, and she looked over at Lucien to see him grinning smugly, enjoying the interlude, and waiting in amusement for Caia’s answer. He quirked an eyebrow at her as if to say, ‘See... I’m hot.’
She glared at him and turned back to the expectant waitress. She smiled sweetly at her, checking her nametag. “Oh no. He’s all yours... Melissa, is it?”
Melissa grinned. “You’re not dating?”
“No. Never. Not gonna happen.” She turned that sweet smile back on Lucien, whose smirk had been replaced with a glower. “I would have to be paid-”
“OK, she gets the picture,” he snapped and turned to Melissa. “Can we just get our order please?”
Melissa nodded absentmindedly. “What are you doing later?”
“Going to France.”
She giggled. “Yeah, right. Seriously, you want to like do something?”
“I’ll be in France.”
The waitress lost the grin, straightened up from the table and sent him a dirty look. “If you don’t want to go out with me just say so.”
As the girl flounced off, Caia chuckled. “You’re so getting a loogie in your coffee.”
“I don’t get it, I was telling the truth.” He shrugged, looking confused and irritated, clearly annoyed that she had got the better of him in a situation he thought would annoy the crap out of her. The thing was... Caia was pretty used to people ogling Lucien. She had since learned to turn the whole jealousy thing off.
“Well she’s human. She doesn’t understand that there are portals to Europe in gymnasiums. I didn’t realise there were portals to anywhere, let alone Europe, in gymnasiums until last week and I’m a half-breed half-breed.”
“A half-breed half-breed?”
“Still working on a name for what I am.”
“How about a Mykan?”
“Or a Lykik?”
Lucien screwed up his face. “Stick with half-breed half-breed for now.”
She smiled, and for that moment they were comfortable in each other’s company. She bit her lip, remembering the first time they had taken a walk in the woods behind their house together, and Lucien had told her about Pack Errante’s origins. It had been comfortable then, too. If only it could be like that always. Abruptly, the moment between them changed as Lucien’s eyes fell to her mouth. It was the same look he had given her when he’d kissed her for the first time, and when he had initiated the night they slept together.
Oh boy.
Her cheeks suddenly felt very flushed.
And then Lucien seemed to come back to himself and he coughed shifting in his seat.
“Where is that coffee?” He grumbled, his eyes not meeting hers.
Caia tried to hide her smile. Maybe Lucien wasn’t quite as unaffected by her as she’d thought he was. She felt like laughing. Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe-
What is that?
An icy tingling shot through her, and she stiffened in response. She was fully in control of her trace magik now. She tapped into it whenever she wanted to; but if a Midnight magik was close by, the trace alerted her to it. Glancing around, Caia tried not to show her panic. It didn’t mean the Midnight was here in the diner. The magik could be a few miles away. Allowing herself to relax, she let the magik’s essence pour through her. A man. A young man. He was happy about something. It felt like love. He felt like he was in love. She stiffened again.
“Caia, what’s wrong?” Lucien reached across for her hand.
“Nothing,” she whispered.
And that was the problem. The young Midnight’s essence was untainted. There was no malice or hate in his soul. No bloodlust for war. And he wasn’t the first Midnight’s trace that she had felt this from. Why were there Midnights who didn’t seem to care about the war? There was no evidence of that black syrupy pool of hate Ethan had revelled in; that Pierre du Bois and his followers swam in. She wasn’t stupid. Caia knew that there was no black and white in war, or in most situations for that matter, but the centuries of beliefs and warfare had taken on its own soul, its own being. Daylights were supposed to want equality and peace. Midnights the extinction of ‘lesser’ supernatural beings they considered a threat to mankind. So why the Hades were there Midnights who cared more about the kind of puppy their fiancée might like, than whether their Head of Coven had gone missing?
“Caia?” Lucien reiterated.
She shook the trace out of her at the sound of Lucien’s panic.
“I’m OK,” she reassured him, “I’m OK.”
Should she tell Lucien what she suspected?
“You look upset.”
Her eyes drank in his concern, her whole body warming over his distress for her. Lucien was a big believer in ‘Midnights bad, Daylights good’. He would think she was crazy, or reading the trace incorrectly. No. For now she’d keep quiet, and Lucien would keep smiling at her.
“Just nerves again.”
He snorted and shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re nervous for. You’re like a god to these people. I, on the other hand, am the Alpha whose pack you chose over the Centre.”
Caia laughed. “Yeah, I forgot about that. Hey, maybe you should be nervous.”
“Nice. Thanks.”
“Ooh look, you’re loogie coffee is coming.”
“You’re cute you know that. I think if you continue to be this cute I’m going to leave you here to go out on a date with Melissa, the waitress, yourself tonight. I’ll send a postcard from the Centre.”
“You can’t go through the portal without me.” She smiled sweetly.
His answering look would have frozen water. “How much do muzzles cost these days?”
***
He couldn’t have been more relieved than when they finally pulled into the parking lot of Magic Fitness. The day, in close quarters with Caia, had been harder than he had imagined. Lucien glanced at her as he put the car into neutral and pulled up the break, switching the engine off. She was smiling nervously back at him, her long pale hair pulled back o
ff her face making her cat green eyes seem larger and more vulnerable.
She should have been his.
Sighing, he shook off the aggravating thought that created this heavy rock on top of his heart. He was acting like a chick.
“Ready?” He managed.
“Sure.” Caia nodded at him and climbed out of his truck.
They walked in silence into the gym, and he had to stop himself from taking a hold of her hand. Her anxiety was oozing out of her pores, and he had a feeling there was more to it than just the Centre. Sometimes, he thought it might be because of him, but she had gotten good at hiding her feelings, and as far as he was aware she didn’t see him as anything more than a friend and her Pack Leader. So what in Hades was up with her? He was the one that should be nervous, he thought, as Caia led them through the gym to studio number three. No one approached them, despite how inconspicuous a huge dark haired guy and his tiny gorgeous blonde companion were.
This was it. This was where he might lose whatever hold he had on Caia.
“We’re here,” she said quietly, her small hand reaching out to grab a hold of the gold door handle under the sign that said Out of Order.
“Yeah.” He took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair, readying himself. Her green eyes looked up into his. Should I? She seemed to ask. His answer was a brief, stoic nod.
This was about more than them. That had been their problem from the start.
The door swung open and he followed as Caia tentatively entered the barren space. The mirrors were attached to the back wall just as Marion had said they would be. Lucien shut the door behind them and walked as quietly as he could to where Caia now stood facing the first pane of mirror.
She blew air out between her lips. “This is it.”
“Yeah.”
“Take my hand.”
He reached for her and they clasped hands, and slowly, almost as if she had gone into slow motion, she reached a slender arm out towards the pane. He saw her hand tremble, and he squeezed the one enfolded in his own. At that she seemed to shrug herself into action, and she laid her wide-open palm against the mirror. The atmosphere in the room charged and the air pressure changed; it was almost as if they had climbed up too high. The floorboards beneath their feet creaked and shifted, and Lucien grabbed tighter on to Caia. And then his eyes widened in amazement as the mirror turned to liquid under Caia’s touch, her entire hand sinking through the mercury mass. She looked back up at him, smiling in astonishment and excitement, all her nerves seeming to have disappeared.
“Are you ready?” She grinned, the dimple in her cheek flashing invitingly.
How could he say no?
He smiled back at her. “After you.”
It felt like cold gel sliding and clinging to his skin as he walked through the pane. He could no longer see Caia, there was only darkness, but he could feel her hand still clasped warmly in his. The gel-like feeling disappeared, and as he kept walking the darkness began to dissipate to white light. He stopped, blinking as the light glared brighter, bringing his arm up to shield his eyes from the intrusion.
“Lucien,” he heard Caia whisper.
Cautiously he brought his arm back down and blinked open his eyes.
Whoa.
They stood in an enormous space. In front of them were a couple of security gates and three guards. It wasn’t hard to guess that they were all warlocks trained in defensive magik. Beyond the gates was a huge reception area, there was even a cute receptionist behind the circular desk. And behind the desk to the right of the foyer were floor to ceiling windows that curved along the right side of the building instead of steel and brick.
“Oh my...” Caia breathed and he echoed the sentiment as he realised they were looking out on to water, and beyond that a beautiful cityscape. And towering behind the bridges and stunning architecture was the top of the Eiffel tower.
“You made it.”
They both turned sharply to see Marion, grinning like a child as she sidestepped the security gates, gliding towards them.
“Paris?” Caia shook her head in amazement.
Lucien watched as her mentor smiled smugly. “The River Seine to be exact.”
“Wait.” His stunned gaze flew to the windows. “We’re on the River Seine?”
Marion chuckled. “Compliments of two of our finest magiks. An earth and air magik worked together to create the Centre in another plane that exists within Paris. We can see them.” She pointed to the outside world. “But they can’t see us.”
“Wow.”
Lucien nodded. “You said it.”
“Well, I’m so glad you made it.” Marion was grinning again as she grabbed a hold of Caia’s elbow and started dragging her through the reception. “First things first, introduce you to Marita and Vanne, and then to your rooms. And then in the morning I’m going to introduce you to another water magik I picked out for you, Mordecai. He shows amazing promise. Mordecai will show you around the classes I want you to take part in while you’re here. Communication spells, martial arts, water element lectures, glamour class, natural materialisation... Oh, and we have altars to all the individual gods here. I’m sure you would like to see Artemis and Gaia’s. Oooh maybe...”
Lucien trailed at the back of them, his eyes drinking in their modern yet rich surroundings, his ears taking in all the excitement Marion had planned for Caia. He smiled gently as Caia glanced back at him, her eyes wide with the exhilaration of being somewhere she could really try out her magik. With that quick glance she turned back to listen to Marion, leaving Lucien behind.
And that was exactly what he was afraid of.
5 - Sizing Up
The witch and warlock that stood before her were not exactly what she had been expecting.
Throughout Marion’s chatter Caia had been completely aware of her and Lucien’s surroundings as they entered a large elevator near the rear of the massive reception area they had passed through. The back wall had three elevators, and Marion led them to the middle elevator that needed a security code to open it. As soon as the doors glided smoothly open, Caia could see why. She was guessing this was the ‘presidential elevator’, clad in mahogany and gold, sparkling clean mirrors reflecting three of each of them. Marion explained to them that this was indeed the only elevator to the Head of the Coven’s suite. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Caia’s eyes had widened. Before them stretched a loooong wide corridor, decorated richly in butter creams and gold. The carpet felt like clouds beneath their feet, and here and there were pieces of Louis XIV furniture, and rich, dark oil paintings favouring Italian Renaissance. More surprising, however, was the lack of doors, except for the large double doors at the very bottom of the seemingly endless corridor. Furthermore, there were ten magiks standing vigilant guard, five aside to either wall, and dotted along the walkway in exact formation.
Those colossal double doors, which would not have looked out of place at the Palace in Versailles, had swung open to reveal a breath taking room with an eclectic taste. But it was neither the room, nor the furniture, nor the decoration that caught Caia’s eyes this time. It was the magiks in front of her.
“Caia Ribeiro.” Marita gave a tight smile, nodded at her before shifting her gaze to Lucien. “Lucien Líder.”
Caia gulped and looked up at her Alpha, whose eyes were narrowed on the couple. Was she supposed to curtsey? Lucien was doing his usual, calculating their characters, deciding on the spot whether they had the potential to be likeable. The brief nod he gave, however, revealed that like or not, Lucien would respect the Head of the Coven and her ‘mate’.
Marita was very like her sister. She was as small and fragile-looking as Marion, as elegant, her hair as fiery red. But where there was gentle warmth in Marion’s features, Marita seemed sculpted in ice. Her eyes were tight and sharp, her jaw tense, her hands clasped rigidly in front of her. Vanne on the other hand was almost as tall as Lucien, except leaner and wiry. Seeming far more relaxed than his wife, Va
nne stood, smiling widely at Caia, his eyes drinking her in. He wasn’t leering at her, she was sure of that - it was more that he seemed to find her extraordinarily fascinating, as if he was waiting for her to do something completely unexpected.
“I’m glad we have this opportunity to meet,” Marita said, walking gracefully towards them. She took Caia’s hand in her own and shook it quickly and soberly. “Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you,” Caia managed and, with a subtle nod from Lucien, she followed Marita and Vanne further into the room. She and Lucien sat on a Louis XIV sofa facing the Head of the Coven, who sat facing them primly in a chair matching the sofa. Vanne lazed back in a leather La-Z-boy that was so out of place with the décor and gazed, entirely relaxed, at the fire blazing brightly in the massive, ornate fireplace to their right. She knew she must look like the biggest dolt, her eyes wide as she took in the rich surroundings. Her gaze fell on Marion, who was now taking a seat away from the small gathering at the fireplace. She smiled at Caia reassuringly.
“Well,” Marita began slowly, her ocean-blue gaze fixed like granite on Caia, “Marion has filled me in on your reports about the Midnights, however I would like you to reiterate for me this Pierre Du Bois’ plans for the MacLachlans.”
She nodded, feeling the butterflies dissipate a little, now that she had some control in the situation. “In three weeks time, Sunday 4th to be exact, Pierre and a few of his agents intend to ambush the MacLachlans during one of their pack runs. He was investigating best possible attack strategies, and then he found out that, like us, the MacLachlans have organised pack runs every month. They drive out to Remnant Forest, the woodlands that border the east of the city. According to Pierre’s agents the MacLachlans have employed a magik to mask their activities on public property?” She quizzed, having never realised such business went on.
River Cast: Part Two in the Tale of Lunarmorte Page 4