by G. Bailey
"You asked to see me?" I question him with a kind smile.
"Evelina, you seem upset. Maybe a cup of tea would help settle your nerves before we talked?" he suggests.
"I won't say no to a cup of tea," I reply, letting him lead me into his new home. I shut the door behind me, pausing in my steps to see the lounge we have come into. There is nothing but books everywhere, piled in every corner and littered around the sofas. I quickly catch up to Keeper Grey as he opens the door to a kitchen and waves a hand at one of the three stools in front of a counter. I sit down, resting my arms on the counter as I aimlessly watch Keeper Grey make us both a cup of tea. Keeper Grey slides my cup to me, and I rest my hands around it as I watch the steam rise for a moment.
"Did you ask me here to tell me you found something?" I question.
"We did find information about black magic and what it can do. We have found nothing on how to contain it or save you, to my uttermost frustration," he says, shaking his head after he speaks. "I heard your father is going to take the power from you and save you in the end."
"No, he will not. I chose to take this power, not him, and I very much doubt his plan will work. It is more likely to kill us both," I explain to him. "I am glad you asked me here, though. I wanted to speak alone with you."
"I am sad to hear this about your father. I truly believe his death would be a good way for him to free his soul," Keeper Grey says and glances at my necklace. "We do not have much time, do we?"
"No. I am going to take the necklace off in two days. It is my birthday, oddly enough, and a good day to finish this," I tell him. I haven’t told anyone else what day it is, and I never told Hali. She always tried to guess though.
"I did not know it is your day of birth in two days," he says. "Perhaps a different day would be better. Have you spoken to your men about this?"
"They do not know it will be my birthday, and I'd rather you didn't tell them, please," I tell him.
"Of course, your secret is safe with me, Evelina," he says, and I knew it anyway. "Though I doubt that was the real reason you came here to speak with me."
"You asked me here, remember?" I reply.
"I did. I wanted to give you back your weapons. I have made some changes to your sword and bow. Ones suitable for a queen," he tells me and walks to the side of the kitchen. I sip my tea while I wait for him to come back, and when he does, he places my sword on the counter in front of me. The purple sword now has white runes all the way down the side that look familiar, even if I can't read them. He rests my mother's white bow next to the sword, and I see the same runes on them.
"It is your name. They say the weapons named by the queen are special. I wanted to do something for you," he explains to me.
"Thank you. I really mean that," I say, placing my hand on the sword. "Now I need to ask you to do something. A queen’s demand, in a way."
"Anything," he replies.
"I want you to tell five keepers this so that my wishes are kept alive even if some of you die in the war," I explain to him.
"That is a smart move," he responds.
"I want Hali to be made queen of the Protectors and demons in my place if I die. I do not want her crowned until she is eighteen, and only Hali can choose a new Protector to be regent on her behalf. She must be protected because she is so special, and I do not know any other way to make sure she is," I tell him. “My guys will do their best, but really she needs more than they can give her. More than I could before I was queen.”
"The keeper in me that believes the queen of the Protectors should have Protector blood wants to tell you that this is a bad idea. The man I am knows Hali would be a queen her guardian would be proud of. I will keep your order and make it so if it is needed," he replies. I knew I liked him.
"If I die, there will be no royal blood left. In some ways, that could be a good thing, but in others, I hope we never have to find out," I say.
"You are smart to make plans for her future," he says, "though I hope to see you have many children and for one of them to win a test for the throne in the future."
"Maybe one day," I say. I hope.
"I have something else for you before you go," Keeper Grey says, reaching into his pocket and handing me a letter. My name is written across the top of it, but I don’t recognise the handwriting.
"Who is it from?" I ask.
"Erica. I don't know why she gave me it for you, but she did just before the final test. She told me to give you it, and tell you to only open it when Cex is dead," he says, and I frown. What kind of crazy was she on? I thought she loved Cex, so why would she write a letter that can only be opened when he is dead. It doesn’t make a tiny bit of sense, then again none of Erica’s actions or thoughts ever did.
"Right...well, she was a crazy psychopath," I mutter, sliding the letter into the back of my trousers.
"She was crying as she gave me this, full body sobs that even I struggled to hear. I have never seen emotions much in Erica's eyes, but there was something I couldn't quite place with the moment she handed me that," he explains to me. “In the end, she was still your sister, so please don’t throw that away.”
"I will tell you what it says. As much as I have no love for my dead sister, I will not open it until Cex is dead. Respect for the wishes of the dead, and all that," I say, knowing I won’t throw it away. I hate Erica and everything she has ever done, but a deeper part of me is curious what the letter could possibly say.
"And all that," he replies, bowing his head as I pick my weapons up and head for the door. I look back at him once, pausing.
"Thank you for everything, Keeper Grey. I wanted to tell you that," I say, and he very slowly bows, and when I meet his eyes, I see they are cloudy with tears.
"I must thank you for the time I've had with you. You are a true queen who reminds me so much of your mother," he says. "I am proud to know you." I shakily nod, before leaving his house, because there isn't anything else we can say to each other. It feels like I'm saying goodbye to a long lost uncle or something with Keeper Grey. I look down at the gemstone, seeing the glow is down to about a quarter now, and the rest of the gem looks like a diamond. Time is running out.
One Hundred
Staring at the mirror, I finish drying my hair off with the dryer, just as Connor comes into the bedroom, and I turn the hairdryer off. Connor looks comfy in his low rise trousers and blue shirt.
"They are here. It's time you told her," he gently suggests. "I can come with you if you want, Blue?"
"No, it is alright. We will be down soon," I tell him.
"I packed her a bag of food, including her favourite hot chocolate. It might help," Connor says, tucking the bag into the rucksack by the door.
"She will love you for that," I reply.
"I just hope she understands," Connor sadly says before walking out and leaving the door open. I look back at myself in the mirror, just about recognising the stressed version of myself. Life has never been easy for me, and I've always fully accepted it. I just did what I had to do to survive and carry on. Now I know there is every chance tomorrow could be it for me, the end of the life I've fought for. I keep telling myself it's all going to be okay, like the fool I am, because denial is much nicer than the truth. The truth is depressing and makes me want to run away. In some ways, I only have one more day left of denial.
I tuck a wave of my blue hair behind my ear and lift my head. I'm Evie Ravenwood, and there is no way I'm going down without one hell of a fight. I will take Cex with me if I fall, and send him straight back to Hell, to the deepest parts where he can never exist again. I stand up, walking out of our bedroom after picking up the rucksack, and walk up the stairs to Hali's door.
"Hali? Can I come in?" I ask, knocking a few times on her door. I rest the bag I packed her over my shoulder as she opens the door, seeing the bag first and crossing her arms as her eyes narrow on me.
"I'm not leaving you to fight this alone. Seriously?" she asks, shaking her head. "I'm not a kid y
ou need to hide away."
"Cheri is waiting downstairs with a few dozen children. All of you are going away because it isn't safe. You are the leaders, the protectors of these children until tomorrow is over. There are five other groups, and you all can meet up if things go badly," I tell her. "This has been planned for a while."
"‘Things go badly’ means you die, right?" she asks, sitting on the bed and wrapping her arms around her small frame.
"Hali," I carefully say, stepping closer, knowing there isn't anything I could tell her to make this better.
"Don't baby me now. I know tomorrow isn't going to be easy for you, and I'm scared to leave. I don't want to lose you again," she says, and I hear her sniffle as she looks down at the floor. I go and sit on the bed next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders as she leans her head on me.
"But if you are here, I will lose for certain because I will only be able to focus on looking after you. It's the same reason Seth is sending Cheri away, and all the parents of the children here. We need to focus," I explain to her. "Tomorrow is dangerous enough. Honestly, those children and Cheri need you to help them. What if a yellow demon bumps into your group? We have heard they are everywhere. This last week, I've been training with you, and I know you are an excellent fighter who can hold her own with that scary ass whip of yours. I am trusting you to keep them safe and make it to the safe house. That is your mission."
"I can do that," she says, finally looking up at me. "I will keep them safe."
"Good girl," I reply, leaning closer and pressing a brief kiss to her forehead. "My girl."
"Evie, you got all loving and stuff recently," she laughs.
"Don't expect it to last long, I'm feeling all sorts of new emotions recently. It's those damn Protectors and Azi," I say, standing up off the bed. I pick up the bag as Hali stands up, and I help her strap it onto her back.
"I like the effect they have on you," Hali admits and grins at me before walking out the door. I think I like it, too. I follow Hali down the stairs, where a gathering of children and adults are waiting, all of them looking up to us. I spot Keira with her daughter in the crowd of parents who are both demons and Protectors. Star runs to my side, knocking people out the way, and the children eye the big tiger with interest.
"It's time," I say, walking through them with Hali. The parents say goodbye as Seth whispers something to Cheri before stepping back. Hali says goodbye to Trex, Nix, Connor and Azi before going to stand at Cheri's side. I nod once at her, proud for how brave she is being.
"All children need to jump through quickly. I can't hold it open for long," Cheri says loudly, and there are murmurs of agreements. A demon walks over to Hali with a baby, and Hali happily takes the baby and the bag she gives her.
"I will keep her safe. I promise," Hali says.
"Thank you so much. I will fight here and make sure it is safe for you to return," the demon says, bowing her head in a respectful way before stepping back.
“Star, I need you to go with Hali and the others. Keep them safe for me,” I say to her, and she whines but doesn’t disagree as she goes to Cheri’s side. I can feel if something is wrong with Star, and that means I could get to Hali and her quickly if needed.
"You got this," I tell Hali as the portal burns up. Cheri jumps in first with Star, not looking back, and the children all go through next until just Hali is left.
"I love you, Evie," she says, making my heart hurt and every protective part of me want to grab her before disappearing into the portal, and then it disappears. There is a deathly silence in the room as blue ash falls onto the floor from the remains of the portal, and the fact sinks in that our children are now gone. At least they are safe, and that is more than we can say for ourselves.
"I'm going to spend my last night between the legs of my favourite succubus demon. I suggest everyone enjoy their night, too," Seth says, and I throw him a disgusted look as he walks out. I spend the next ten minutes saying goodbye to everyone until just Keira is left. She briefly hugs me at the door, her eyes drifting back to the place where the portal was.
"Do you think they will be okay?" she asks.
"Hali and Cheri are smart—and deadly when they need to be. I'm sure they will be safe. The house we sent them all to is heavily warded against intruders that mean harm, and they only have a twenty-minute car journey to the house. We planned it all with my keepers, and they have promised me everything is perfect," I explain to her. “My connection with Star is strong, and I will know instantly if there is an issue.”
"It's hard to see her go," she says and bows her head. "I'm sure I will not see you on the battlefield tomorrow, but I wish you all the luck I can give. Kill the demon and end this. We need peace."
"I will end this one way or another," I say, leaning closer. "Demons will rise. I've always believed those words, and so should you. This is the demons’ chance to rise, and we will not let it pass."
"No, we won't," she says and turns to walk away into the night. I close the door and rest my back against it as I look over at my guys. Each of them is watching me, their looks are so intense that I can only awkwardly bring up the next greatest love of my life.
"So, who is cooking bacon then?"
One Hundred One
"Whoever taught you to cook, Azi, is amazing," I murmur as I eat my bacon-covered chicken and cut up another piece to have. It's been almost awkward as Azi cooked, and we all helped out in the kitchen before we sat down to eat. None of us really knows what to say to each other as we are all too worried about tomorrow.
"Agreed," Trex says from the other side of the table.
"How do we prepare for tomorrow?" Connor asks, pushing his food around and not looking the slightest bit interested in eating it.
"Enjoy tonight?" I suggest and place my fork down. "I know it's hard to relax and enjoy being here, but that is what I think we should do."
"I have another idea," Nix says. "We should go in the hot tub in the garden which I finally got working. It's a nice night, and who knows if this place will be standing after tomorrow."
"Love it," I say, grinning. We all clean up the plates before walking out into the small decked garden, where a big hot tub is in the middle. Trex removes the cover as Nix turns on the dim lights outside. I slowly pull my clothes off, well aware that I will be naked in front of all of them at the same time. It's not something I planned, but they have all seen me with no clothes on anyway. I slide into the hot water, choosing a corner spot and resting my head back as I hear them removing their clothes. I look up at the night sky, seeing the millions of stars in the sky and how peaceful they look.
"Evie, can we see your rune mark?" Trex asks. "And we can show you ours. I've been thinking it would be a smart thing to know if we get separated tomorrow."
"You've all seen it," I reply.
"I don't know about the others, but I've been too distracted to read your rune name," Trex replies. I laugh as Nix mutters the same.
"I know it, I already asked," Connor explains. I roll my eyes at the slight jealousy in Trex’s and Nix's faces, and how Azi is just sipping on the beer he brought out with him. I stand up in the water, turning my back to them so they can see.
"It's called Ashkin, and it means strength, passion and leadership," I tell them, wondering why they are so silent.
"And loyalty, which is what mine means, love," Nix whispers as I turn around, floating into the water and looking at Trex last as he points at his rune name on his shoulder.
"Mine means passion, and you know Connor’s means strength," Trex tells me softly. "So, your rune name means you are like us. And the leadership part is clearly meant for you."
"Come here, Blue," Connor says, waving a hand for me. I swim across the water, well aware of all their eyes on me as I straddle Connor and settle on his lap, feeling him hard and ready underneath me. Connor slides his hands into my hair, and he kisses me like he can tell me how he feels without words. I feel someone move in right behind me, reaching around
and playing with my breasts, rubbing my nipples into hard peaks as I grind against Connor. I look to my side as Connor kisses down my neck, pulling me onto his length, and I let out a long moan as he glides into me.
Trex moves onto the seat next to us as Connor pounds in and out of me, and I reach my hand over, and he happily lets me rub his length as I rest my head on Connor’s shoulder, getting close. Suddenly, Connor lifts me off him and turns me around, sliding back inside me as I face Nix. Nix stands up in the water, and I slide him into my mouth as Connor continues to thrust in and out of me. I moan as an orgasm slams into me, making me groan as I reach my hands out at my sides. Azi's length slides into my left hand, and Trex stands on my other side, making it possible for me to stroke him, too. There is a perfect moment of pleasure between us all, and I can do nothing but ride out the pleasure. Connor holds my hips perfectly as I feel him come deep inside me, and the rest of my men finish not long after. I rest back in the hot tub, breathless and silent as I try to calm my body down. Holy heck, that was amazing.
"That's your early birthday present, Vi," Azi says, making us all laugh.
"How did you know?" I ask.
"Grey talks," Nix says, and I laugh.
"I must remember to thank him sometime," I reply to them, cuddling up to Connor's side. "Though please say this isn't just a birthday only thing?"
"Nah, it's not," Trex says, and I smile as I snuggle into Connor's chest, feeling Trex's hand on my back. Whatever tomorrow may bring, I have a night I know I will never forget.
One Hundred Two
“Queen Evelina, everything is ready for you like you asked,” Keeper Grey says, coming into the clearing just outside the demon underground from a portal, joining the rest of us. I nod at him, tightening my grip on my bow in my one hand, the cold metal soothing me in a way. I've never been nervous about fighting until this moment right here. The tests for the queen, being hunted by Protectors and everything else in between—all of that never scared me as much as this does. The cold wind blows against my leather, tight clothes that cover me, and a few strands of my hair that have escaped my plait blow past my face.