I let it go as Caius said, “Focus your thoughts only on the clothing you want.”
Closing my eyes, I tried again. When I felt cloth in my hand, my eyes flew open in excitement. It quickly died. A pile of denim that looked nothing like jeans filled my hand. “What am I supposed to do with these?”
“You can deconstruct things like this as easily as you construct them. It’s the same as sending your staff away. Simply concentrate on them being gone.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. Somehow, this part came easier. When I felt the fabric leave my hand, I looked and it was empty. Well, at least I got that right. Once more, I tried to create the jeans and once more failed.
“Again,” Caius said as I made the pile of unrecognizable fabric disappear.
I worked to really see the jeans I wanted. Again I felt them in my hand. Yes, I had a pair of skinny jeans that mirrored my favorite worn pair. It would have been nice if there had been stitching down the legs to hold them together though.
Caius just motioned for me to try again. “It takes a bit to get the hang of it. You need to see them in your mind exactly how you want them to be. See every detail.”
Thankful he hadn’t laughed at my attempts, I closed my eyes again, determined to get it right. In my mind, I saw the jeans. I mentally lifted them and shook them out, inspecting every seam and stitch before letting my power roll down my arm. Again, the feel of soft, worn denim filled my hand.
They were perfect, until I looked closer. Gah! At least all of the seams were like they were supposed to be. Too bad I’d been so focused on those I’d forgotten to ‘see’ the zipper and button. I deconstructed them in disgust and looked at Caius. “Can’t you just fashion some for me so I can change?”
“Nope.” He shook his head and crossed his arms, making the material of his shirt stretch across the muscles of his broad shoulders. “You can do this or wear what you have on.”
Grumbling under my breath about stupid, perfect demonborn who could do everything, I again began creating the jeans in my mind. After inspecting all of the seams, I focused on the zipper and button then looked them over again. In my imagination, they looked like they were supposed to. Cautiously, I let the power flow down my arm into my hand then cracked open one eye to peek at them.
They seemed right. Opening my other eye, I inspected them fully, feeling elation rise. I had done it! I looked at Caius with a full smile spreading across my face, giddy with success.
Something flared in his molten eyes before they seemed to shutter. He nodded and said curtly, “Good.”
He turned his back, stripped off his old shirt and began pulling on the new one. Grateful for the privacy, however small it might be, I scrambled to pull off the knit pants and get the jeans on. It would have been easier if I hadn’t kept getting distracted by the play of the muscles in his back as he changed shirts. Did he have to be an Adonis while I was all, well, me? I mean yeah, I’m pretty. But was pretty good enough to stand next to that? Victoria’s beauty would look right. Shaking my head, I banished the thoughts. I’d never worried about my looks before, I wasn’t going to start now. Caius wasn’t even interested in me that way, so it didn’t matter anyway. And if by some strange miracle he ever was and my looks weren’t good enough, then he could kiss off.
The jeans fit perfectly, curving around my hips and butt while still fitting my narrow waist. They were just as I had imagined and I couldn’t help smiling stupidly down at them. Maybe it was no big deal for a demonborn however old Caius was, but it was huge for me. I could feel the grime in my hair from sleeping on the ground when I ran my fingers through it. “How do I make my hair clean?”
“You make all of you clean in much the same way you make clothing. You envision it clearly in your mind and let your power move through you. Though you might as well wait until we’re done hiking for the day.” He started to turn then stopped. “Have you finished dressing?”
“Yep.” I gave a half turn when he faced me. “They even fit.”
His gaze raked over me, giving nothing away of what he thought. “Once you get used to using your power that way, the clothes will come easier.”
Though his mood seemed to have soured for some reason, mine was still lifted. Who cares what a grumpy demonborn thought of how I looked in my jeans? I had made clothes with my mind! Well, and my power, but it was still a heady feeling. One that stayed with me for the rest of the day and carried me through the arduous workout he gave me that evening when he continued the training from the evening before.
The kitten showed up just as I was dozing off. After gulping down the food I had saved for her from the meal Caius rustled up, she curled up right next to my head and I fell asleep to the sound of her purr.
***
“Distance was going to be impossible.” ~Caius
Chapter 5
The path widened enough the next day that we could walk next to each other. Although neither of us said anything, the moodiness seemed to have left Caius and it was a comfortable kind of silence.
It was late afternoon when Caius stopped abruptly, his entire being almost humming with tension. I froze; all of my senses on high alert as I scanned our surroundings for whatever it was that had tattoos starting to glow on the half-demon at my side.
A man leaned against a tree not far ahead. The contrast between the sunlight and the deep shade made it difficult to make out his features. Something about him dried my throat as fear knotted my stomach.
Caius took a step forward and in doing so placed himself partially in front of me. Now, I could say that I’m a strong female and don’t need a man to defend me, but nope. Not even going there. I hadn’t even gotten a clear look at the guy and it was enough to make me happy to let Caius take the lead on this.
One day, when I got a handle on things, I would supposedly be formidable. This was not that day and I wasn’t too proud to admit it nor stupid enough to choose this moment to get all woman-hear-me-roar.
The man stepped from the shadows and walked toward us. Or maybe he glided, it was so graceful. Black hair hung to his waist in a straight, shiny fall. Though Caius had always seemed perfection of the human form to me, this man could almost make Caius seem average. Almost.
When he came to a stop in front of us, his height held my attention. He had to be head and shoulders taller than Caius, which made me feel absolutely shrimpy. Caius inclined his head slightly. “Hades.”
I nearly choked and my heart rate jumped into a gallop. Hades? As in the Greek god, Hades? I couldn’t help the tremble that started in my knees and worked its way up my body. Sentinels and demons wanting me dead weren’t enough? Now I had a god after me too? If he wanted me dead, I was screwed. Not even Caius could defeat a god. Without realizing it, I had reached out and snagged a handful of the back of Caius’s shirt. I didn’t know why, only that I needed some connection to keep the sudden terror at bay.
In my fear, I had missed part of the conversation.
“…relax, Caius. I’m not here to kill you.”
“Maybe not, but there are very few I trust these days.” Caius shifted, putting me behind his back a little more.
“Now, Caius, is that any way to behave with an old friend?” Hades said smoothly and moved to where he could see me better. My trembling increased under the weight of his black eyes. “I merely wanted to get a look at the one who has everything in chaos. Shame on you for hiding her heritage.”
I glanced up at Caius’s face. I could only see the side, but if the tension in his jaw was any indication, he wasn’t pleased to see Hades. I couldn’t blame him. I did envy his calm as he faced someone who could obliterate him. Or maybe he wasn’t completely calm, but he seemed more pissed than scared. I would take that, too. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any anger in myself to latch on to. Only quivering fear. Then again, I was facing a kind of devil.
Hades’s expression became one of affront. “I am not a devil.”
I stared at him in shock. Could he read my mind?
“Yes, I can.” He glanced at Caius. “Does she really believe all of that forked tail and pitchfork stuff?”
“She was raised in the mortal world, with all of their stories.” Caius’s voice was still guarded as he moved his arm back to block me a little more. I placed my other hand on the rock-hard muscle of his forearm.
“Oh yes,” irritation flashed across Hades’s face, “those.”
He took in Caius’s stance and me tucked behind him and raised a perfect eyebrow. “Protective aren’t we?”
“We share a partial bond, what happens to her happens to me.”
“Except death.” Hades held up a finger. “That you would survive.”
A growl rumbled low in Caius’s chest and I could feel the vibration in his arm.
“Just a correction of your statement, nothing more.” Hades smirked and turned his attention back to me. “Such a little thing to cause so much trouble.”
Heat flared on Caius’s skin when Hades walked around him, reached toward me and hooked one of his long, perfectly manicured, nails under my chin, forcing me to look into his black eyes. I fell into them, drowning in their dark depths as they filled the world around me. My hand tightened on Caius’s arm until my nails dug into his skin.
“Enough.” Caius’s command was sharp.
Hades chuckled and suddenly the world was normal again. He gazed down at me with interest. “She’s fantastic. I can’t wait to see her grow into her powers.” He placed his finger against his lips as he regarded me. “I won’t even have to wait that long. Your blood is maturing her faster.”
Okay, terrified I may have been, but the way he continued to talk about me like I was a show dog was starting to irritate me. I welcomed the spark of anger that welled inside. It helped to balance the fear.
Hades smiled down at me. “And she has some spunk. If you two finish the bond, you will be unstoppable. And it would have to be you, Caius. Though I suppose Malik, or even Lilly, could do it.”
If I had thought Caius was tense before it was nothing to now. Heat rolled off him as the tattoos glowed bright and I knew he was close to becoming his demon half. I dug my nails in harder, feeling the crescent marks form on my own skin as blood welled in them. I couldn’t worry about that now. I needed to remind him he was facing a god.
“Do calm down, Caius. I wasn’t seriously suggesting Malik take your place in this. And I would never dream of revealing your secret to the world.” Hades took a step back, putting space between us. “I’m having far too much fun watching everyone scurry around like a bunch of frantic ants. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when it comes out, and eventually, it will. With the kind of enemies you have now, you will have to play that card at some point.”
He glanced at me before turning his attention back to Caius. “I always liked the Morrigan. We had many nice chats. I won’t stand in the way of the Child or tip your hand.”
If he liked the Morrigan, then why was he okay with my existence? Shouldn’t he hate me because I was going to destroy her?
Hades’s black eyes came back to me. “My dear little one, you haven’t a chance in the universe of destroying the Morrigan. End her yes, but never destroy.”
I finally found my voice. “If you aren’t the devil, what are you?”
“I’m a god, young one. I thought that was clear.” He flicked his eyes at Caius. “She isn’t lacking in intelligence, is she? That would be unfortunate.”
Another growl rumbled through Caius and Hades waved a hand at him like one would a dog. “I didn’t mean anything derogatory by it. Merely a question. I wasn’t aware the mortal world had fallen so far in their knowledge. I really should pay more attention to it.
“To answer your question, little Morrigan, I am not the devil. Even in the mortal world, I believe that title belongs only to Lucifer who isn’t a pointy-tailed, pitchfork-wielding kind of guy.” Hades sighed as if disappointed I didn’t know this. “He isn’t even the evil thing the mortals believe him to be. Merely a high-ranking angel that fell because he disagreed with some of the politics in the Heavens.”
Yeah right, because non-evil people regularly keep pits of eternal fire to torture souls in. If I were braver I would have rolled my eyes. Or at the very least scoffed.
Hades gave me an indulgent look. “Every soul needs a place to go, even the sadistic and evil ones. I mean really, would you suggest that a child molester go to the Heavens? No, you wouldn’t. No soul reaches the pits without cause. And only the most despicable ever see the pits anyway. You forget, there are many levels to the Hells in the underworld.”
He shook his head and sighed. “It really is a shame they have forgotten so much in the mortal world.” He fixed me with a firm look. “Politics, my dear, are the only thing that separates the Heavens and the Hells, nothing more. There are plenty of good people who belong to the Hells, like Caius here. And just as many who aren’t good who belong to the Heavens. Remember that, little one.”
Looking back at Caius he said. “It was good to see you, my friend. Perhaps when we meet next, it will be under circumstances that don’t generate so much distrust.”
“Perhaps it will.” Caius still hadn’t moved and heat still bled through his shirt along with the glow of the tattoos.
Hades gave me one more appraising look before disappearing into the shadows under the trees.
***
“I’m more powerful than most even know, but against a god, I stood no chance. Thankfully, that god was Hades. A friendship exists there, even if I couldn’t afford to fully trust him in that moment.” ~Caius
Chapter 6
I let out a shaky breath and rested my forehead against Caius’s upper arm. Neither of us moved for a little bit as if we both needed a moment to gather ourselves after the meeting. The heat rolling off Caius slowly dissipated. “You can take your nails out of my skin anytime you’re ready.”
Startled, I jerked my hand away and untangled the other from Caius’s shirt, embarrassed now that the danger was past. Or at least I hoped it was. A search of the shadows under the trees revealed no sign of Hades. “Is he really gone?”
“Yes.” Caius took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the tattoos fading as he did so.
A million questions whirled through my mind as he began walking and I stumbled after him, still feeling shaky. It took a little bit to sort through them, but eventually, I did. Although I desperately wanted to know what secret Caius carried so close to the vest, I didn’t ask. I already knew from the night before he wouldn’t tell me. Unsure of his mood, I settled for what seemed the easiest to answer.
“I thought nobody could cross the veils except those in Midtween?” I had to jog a little to keep pace with his walk.
Caius glanced at me and slowed down a little. “Gods can cross any veil at any time. Most prefer to remain in their respective realms. Angels and upper-level demons aren’t allowed to the cross the veils whenever they want. Lower level demons can be sent across, but it takes a tremendous amount of energy, the demon commanding them has to really want it.”
“If gods can cross the veil, then why are Sentinels after me? And if they are itching for war, then what is stopping them?” I still had to work to keep up with him.
“I don’t believe the gods are interested enough to get involved yet. Whoever ordered the Sentinels, it wasn’t them. And gods don’t fight wars anymore. Once, a very long time ago, they did. Then they created angels and demons to fight for them. All celestial wars since then have been fought across the realms by angels and demons. Until the Morrigan brought the veils down.”
“So there haven’t been any wars since?” Maybe the mortal world needed veils because they were always fighting there.
“Wars have still been fought on smaller scales. Armies can’t be moved through the veils. There have been at least five wars in the Heavens in the last ten thousand years, seven in the Hells.” Caius slowed further, giving my legs some welcome relief.
“Wars in t
he Heavens?” I frowned trying to fit what I had learned in the mortal world into what I had learned in Midtween. I knew the Heavens had as many levels as the Hells, but somehow, I still imagined it as a place full of fluffy clouds or something. “I thought the Heavens were supposed to be a peaceful rest for souls to renew their energy.”
“The souls have their levels. Those levels are kept out of the wars; the souls in the Heavens are never involved in the wars. Like the Hells, that leaves a couple of open levels and at least five different factions. Even the Hells have different factions within it.” Caius sighed. “You would do well to remember Hades’s words. Both the Heavens and Hells are ruled by politics; neither can be trusted over the other.”
Fabulous. Just what I wanted to hear. “How do I know who to trust then?”
He gave me a sharp look. “You don’t.”
“Seems kind of lonely.” I had grown up lonely, but my time in Midtween had given me friends that were basically family. Getting a taste of something good usually made it more difficult to go without it.
“It happens.”
He spoke about it all with such assurance, I wondered aloud. “Have you been involved in any of these wars?”
“Two of the wars in the Hells, one in Midtween itself, and a few of the wars in the mortal world.”
I missed a step and stumbled to catch myself before I fell face first into the dirt. “Which mortal wars?”
“The Hundred Years’ War was my first human war—I was only a hundred years old or so at the time—and the French Revolution, on the side of the commoners who wanted out from under the heel of the monarchy, were a couple of them.”
The blood drained from my face. That made him over eight hundred years old. I felt lightheaded and had to remember to breathe as I stared at him, wide-eyed.
He glanced at me and sighed. “You are still thinking with your mortal upbringing. The number of years is just that, a number. Rowen is at least three hundred years older than me.”
Betrayed (Raven Daughter Book 2) Page 4