Lilly's Torment [Beyond the Veil 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Honor James

  Gavriel appeared at her side with her bag in hand. “There’s a pool out back. It’s got a waterfall feature at one end near the hot tub, probably what you’re hearing. Artaxias bought the place”—he paused with a frown—“ten years ago, I think. I’ve only lived here for the last four. I had a place in the city, but it’s really hard to keep up with my studies in a place with people all around. Out here I have a space of my own that, should it explode—accidently, of course—doesn’t take out the neighbors. Come on.” He led the way to the front door and pushed it open for her.

  “Explode? Huh? Wait a minute,” she said with wide eyes. “I really would rat—Ooooo…” It clicked to her what he was saying and she laughed at herself. “Magic. I get it now.” She said with a smirk. “Whew, for a moment I was like, wait, I’m the only one allowed to play with dynamite.”

  He gave a snort and shook his head. “Woman, what I can conjure up is better than TNT any day of the week.” He set her bag down and turned to take her jacket. “Just kick your shoes off and I’ll give you the tour. We’ll swing by the kitchen first and get you a drink, since it’s a very large house and walking it all is extremely exhausting.”

  That had her laughing. “Oh, I’m sure that I will somehow and someway make the tour,” she teased. “However, I will never turn down a drink, and a snack, too.” She liked her snacks, especially the cheesy cracker things that she had to track down like a bloodhound.

  “We can do snacks,” he said softly with a grin. Touching her back, he pushed her toward a doorway. “You’ve seen the front hall. This is the informal sitting room that we use mainly for sports viewing and so forth. Through here is the dining room that we’ve never actually used. But it sounds good, when you describe a place to someone, that you have a dining room. Then we have the kitchen with the nifty little breakfast nook, where I usually eat all my meals.” He went straight to the double-wide fridge and pulled it open. “Holy shit. He actually went shopping.”

  Lilly laughed and shook her head. “Why do I have a feeling that you give Ax a very, very hard time more often than not? You sound like a kid brother to him instead of partner, it’s cute.” Adorable, and made her want to snuggle up to the large and imposing fanged one as well as the wickedly sexy magic user.

  “Well, he’s been more a brother to me than anything. Especially when he’s reaming my ass out.” He rolled his eyes. “Even when he was my bodyguard, he was always willing to talk to me or listen. Though, I’m feeling the need to hide my ass, given how snarly he was earlier. If my mother kept calling after we talked, I could be a dead man walking.”

  “He would never hold you accountable for something another did. He doesn’t seem to be that kind of man. Have I misjudged him?” She didn’t think that she had, but she wanted to ask all the same. “Because I don’t think that I did, honey. I really and truly believe that he just simply sees you like a brother and that’s truly amazing but as for your mom, I don’t think that he would hold you accountable for her actions. That doesn’t sound like the man that I’ve met.”

  “Depends how many more times she called,” he said softly. Turning, he passed her a bottle of water and pointed to the counter. “Take your pick of snacks. Looks like he got you a fairly large number of things. Just grab whatever you want and we’ll go for the tour. See if we can’t find the fanged wonder on our journeys.”

  “Oh God, I could kiss him,” Lilly said, and grabbed her cheesy crackers and hugged them to her chest. “How did he know? How could he have known that these are my favorites when you guys never knew me before yesterday?”

  “He can read minds,” Gavriel said, snatching up an apple. “Come on, lots and lots and lots of house to see.” He shook his head. “Don’t know why he bought a place this big, but he liked it so.” He gave a shrug. “I’m not one to argue with a very large Vhampire when he’s of the mind to do something he wants. It’s apparently extremely dangerous to one’s health and well-being.”

  “I actually really like it.” She reached out and touched the marble of the counter and sighed. If there was anything she was a sucker for, a beautiful house was her number-one sucker issue. “I love old-world design and architecture,” she admitted. “There is something that’s just peaceful about the old design in our modern world today.”

  “Well, be grateful he was of a mind to at least have modern lighting and plumbing. Given how he was raised, we could have been in for hell on Earth,” he grumbled loud enough for her to hear. “Come on, let’s get this tour started in the backyard. You can see the hordes of land we have, the sweet pool, and I’ll even point out my little explosion zone.”

  “Oh crap. Yeah, I completely forgot about that. I forget that you boys are so long-lived. It’s a very good thing indeed. He likely lived through this building period that I love so much. Goodness, the things that you boys have seen and done, it has to be hard at times.”

  “Not so much me. I’m a baby in comparison to him. He’s got me by centuries,” Gavriel said, leading her out into the yard. He bent down near a wall and a moment later, the yard was lit up, the pool and waterfall glowing and little lights softly presenting various paths. “Pool’s heated so you can swim in it year-round. Though, why in the dead of winter”—he gave a shudder—“I’ll never understand.”

  “Wonderful.” Grinning, she winked and said, “Naked, me, swimming. Think that you could handle it? If we were all naked and swimming? I’m sure that you could cast a spell that could encompass the pool area so that it was warm and fun for us.”

  “Probably, but really, why bother? We’d get you nice and warm if you were having any trouble with a chill.” He grinned at her. “I know a few ways to keep you nice and toasty. And really, with the toothy old fart, I’m sure he knows a few hundred ways.”

  “Of that you can be sure, runt.” Artaxias’s voice came from right behind them. The look on Gavriel’s face was completely and totally “fuck me.”

  Lilly grinned and looked back at Artaxias. “Hey you.” She looked back to Gavriel and asked, “Are you okay, Gav? You look a little green around the gills. Could it be that foot you shoved into your mouth? Do you need some help prying it out of said mouth?” she teased.

  “He’ll be fine,” Artaxias said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “He should be used to the taste of it, he has it stuffed in there often enough.” He pulled her in close for a hug and then looked down at her. “How do you like the place so far?”

  “I love it.” She wrapped her arm around his middle and gave him a small hug. “I have always, always loved this style home. This building period has always intrigued me,” she admitted softly. “I think that this is truly an amazing home, and thank you for opening it to me as well.”

  “You are our mate, it’s your home, too, Lil,” he said quietly. “Come, I’ll show you around the inside while Gavriel tries to get that foot out. If he’s lucky, I might let him back into the house. But he definitely has much explaining to do about that last comment I overheard.”

  That had her grinning. “Sounds good. Well, thank you for giving me your home as well. It was your home and now it is ours, right?” That sounded nice. Very nice. “And add to it that it’s one of my favorite home styles, then you totally are the right guy for me,” she teased him.

  “I bought what felt right,” he said quietly. Leading her inside, he showed her through the lower level before going upstairs. Then he showed her the five bedrooms, four baths, den, and library. After, he took her down to the basement and showed her the gym, sauna, the room where he stored his blood, the wine cellar, and then, the largest room, his weapons room. It was climate controlled and everything was organized perfectly.

  “Then you must have bought it for me,” Lilly said with a smirk. “Wow, this place is huge,” she murmured with wide eyes. “Oh God.” She moved from his side and to the weapons cases. “Oh my freaking god,” she whispered in pure reverence as she took in the weapons hidden and protected behind the glass. “These are truly, truly spectacular,”
she whispered. “Amazing. This floors me that you have these. Can I see?” she asked, and turned to face Artaxias.

  Nodding, he moved to the side and dug out a key from a hidden compartment. “Here.” He handed it to her. “It works for all the cases. Except that one there.” He pointed. “Because those are the most dangerous to handle, they’re on a keypad lock system.”

  She opened the first case and lifted a blade. It felt so light that it was surreal. “The balance on this is perfect.” She could likely balance it upright by the tip, if the tip wasn’t so sharp it would cut her. “You can tell that you spend hours upon hours cleaning and caring for these blades. They are like your children, aren’t they?” She knew she felt that way about weapons that she created, at least.

  “They are all tools of the trade. My trade, or—” He gave a snort. “My former trade, anyway. I treated them with the respect they deserved after all the years of service I’ve put them through. Nothing more than that, little mate. But I’ve never constructed a blade, that is not my gift. Mine is knowing the way to use the blade once it’s been crafted to perfection.”

  “They are stunning,” she whispered and put the blade she had picked up back into its holder inside of the case. Closing the glass, she turned to look back at her mate. “I would like to know more about you, Ax.” She felt a deep connection to him, like her soul cried out for him to touch her and she didn’t understand it, but wouldn’t deny it.

  “Ask, and if I can, I’ll answer,” he told her quietly. “I don’t know if I’ll have all the answers, but whatever ones I have, I’ll give you.” Artaxias lifted a hand and touched her cheek lightly. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, Lilly.”

  “What made you chose the jobs you chose?” She didn’t want to know about what he did, she wanted to know what drove him to choose as he had. “I just want to try to get to know you better, understand you, and if I knew how you decided which jobs you would take, it would make it easier to understand.” She realized he had been an assassin, but that was then and this was now. The job changed. His way of thinking wouldn’t, though.

  “I had to feel it, here.” He pressed his hand to his chest, over his heart. “I had to understand, to know and want to do the job. Unlike others, I couldn’t just take any job. I had to know it made a difference, work out the consequences and the benefits. I had to think through the ripple effect of my actions. If I felt strongly enough about it, that it felt right to me, then I took the job. Otherwise I passed. Which, in our word, was easy. Everything was in the system, documented, I could read through the options, investigate those that pulled me, and make my choice. Everything was anonymous, just codes upon codes upon codes.”

  “Which is actually very good. That it was all completely and fully anonymous so that they wouldn’t give you trouble in your real life. Sometimes going with your gut or what’s in your heart is the only way to make difficult decisions, and I would imagine that weighing the life of a person would be one of the most difficult decisions that any one person could make,” Lilly told him quietly, her voice almost whisper soft as she spoke.

  “I’ve never pretended to be one of the Gods. And I’m no saint, either. But there are some people, in the realms and in this world, who shouldn’t be allowed to keep breathing. People who do terrible things because they think they have the right. People with power, influential friends, money, or whatever excuse they give. Those are the ones I used to choose,” he said quietly.

  “Sounds as if you had your own way of choosing, and it worked for you. I am happy that you would pick the ones that you did, because you are right. Some people feel as if they can get away with anything and everything when they shouldn’t be able to. I’m happy that you were able to see them for what they were truly and not what they portrayed to the world. That makes me humble and happy.”

  “Not a saint, Lilly,” he said again, moving to lock a cabinet. Then he went to another and unlocked it. Reaching in, he pulled something out before closing and locking it once more. Only when he turned did she spot something in his hands. “Since I know you’ll appreciate it for what it is and for its craftsmanship, this is for you. A gift, so no refusing it,” he said. He then handed her the small blade, a dagger of sorts, complete with leather sheath with an intricate and foreign pattern on it.

  “Ax.” She whispered his name in pure reverence as she took the blade from him. “Are you sure?” She looked up at him, studying his face as she did so. “This is.” She pulled the blade from its sheath and gasped, “God, this is beautiful.” The scrollwork writing on the blade was amazing. She wished she knew what it said, but the blade itself was made of pure black metal. What kind, she didn’t know, but it was spectacular.

  He put a finger to the blade. “The material is specific to a mountain range in the realm of the Ahnjels. To be gifted with the material is an honor, to be given a blade made from it is beyond measure. The writing is a blessing, and a curse of sorts. This says ‘may you never have to draw a blade from its sheath.’ The other side says ‘may you always strike true, should you have no choice.’”

  “Are you certain that you want to give this to me?” She put the blade back into the leather even as she pulled it closer to her body. “It’s such a treasure. You are very sure that you want to give it to me? Because I want it, I really do, but only if you are very, very sure that this is what you want to do with it.”

  Nodding, he cupped her face. “Yes. I want you to have this blade. It’s very special to me, just as you are, and you would honor me and those that gifted it to me by accepting it.” Artaxias leaned in to kiss her gently. “Besides, I doubt I could pry it from your clutch even if I wanted.” He smiled and chuckled.

  She grinned and nodded. “You are likely right.” Tilting her head up, she brushed her lips to his. “I think that I might have very, very strong feelings for you already, Ax. Not only because of this, but because of everything.” He was in her heart. She had no idea how that had happened, but he was. He was there in her heart and, god help her, she wanted him to stay. Forever.

  Smiling, he pressed another kiss to her lips before drawing back. “I want to show you one more thing before we go upstairs. You can show off your gift to Gavriel and make him completely jealous. He’s always coveted the blade you now hold and will likely attempt to bribe you intensely.”

  “Sucks to be him, then, because this is mine. Given to me by one of the men that I love, so tough poop on his side.”

  He led her to the opposite side of the room and tapped his fingers to the keypad. A moment later, he opened the doors and reached inside. “I will warn you, this case, when active, has lasers that run through it just behind the glass. Not the sort that set off an alarm either,” he warned. Turning, he held up a blade, easily two feet in length. “This is the very first blade I ever was gifted with. It was the blade I earned when I completed my training.” He drew it free of the sheath and held it flat along his arm so she could see it clearly.

  “Oh. My. Gawd,” she whispered and put her new blade in her back pocket so that she could step forward with both hands and touch the blade lovingly. “This looks ancient,” she whispered as she touched the silvery shine to the blade, the words again ones she couldn’t read, but she traced them with her fingers. “It looks deadly sharp. Do you still bring it out and clean it, practice with it? Does it sing as it slices through the air?” she asked excitedly.

  “It’s the only blade I ever practice with, and yes, it sings when I’m moving just right. But one has to be in the groove, as you would say. Mind, body, and spirit aligned perfectly with the blade. Depending on my mood, it takes a bit of time to get synchronized just right.” He flipped the blade and offered it to her. “Try it. It’s heavy, so be careful. It will take off your leg before you even realize you’ve moved.”

  “Are you sure?” Even as the question fell from her lips, she reached for the hilt of the blade with both hands. “Okay, let’s see if I can lift this bad boy.” She wasn’t weak, by any means
, but holy hell was this sword heavy! “Christ, how in the hell were you ever able to handle this thing? I’m no weakling, but son of a bitch, this is heavy.”

  Chuckling, he shrugged. “It’s not all that hard when you have Vhampire strength.” He took the blade from her one-handed, the show off, and swung it around his side furthest from her. With a deft move, he slipped it back into its sheath. “I only feel the weight after a long and rigorous workout. But as a youth, when I earned it, the weight was a reminder of the heavy burden that was placed on my shoulders and mine alone. I would be responsible for choosing who would die and have to carry that with me through the ages.”

  She nodded. “I like that,” she whispered softly. “A great deal. I like the fact that you had such an honest upbringing. It is true. Anyone who has to wield a sword or weapon is one that carries a great burden because of the possibilities between life and death involved with it.”

  Shrugging, he put the blade away in the case and locked it. He tapped a couple buttons on the pad and then turned toward her. “My life was what it was. I don’t see it as an honest upbringing as you said, but it was the way I was raised. It’s how all Vhampires are raised in our realm.”

  “You didn’t have softness or someone to care for you then, but you do now. You have me in your life, Ax, and here is where I stay. I care for you. Far too fast, I know, but I do. I feel it in my heart of hearts that you are someone to me and I fully intend on making your life one filled with happiness. Dammit.”

  He cocked a brow at that and smiled slightly. “Tsk tsk, Lilly. Such language,” he was teasing her. Taking her hand, he laced his fingers through hers. Pulling her toward the door, he led her back up the stairs. “I am glad you’re here, little mate. But I am not a project to be worked on.”