by Tenaya Jayne
"I mean him no harm," Rahaxeris said easily, dangling the necklace again.
Christiana hesitated a moment. "The ogre, Merhl, is the only one who can open the portal to Syrus. Shall I summon him?"
"No. That won’t be necessary. Allow me to fasten this around your neck, my lady. Then our contract will be struck."
Christiana pulled her dark hair up off her shoulders and bowed her head a little. As soon as Rahaxeris brought the two ends of the chain together, the reaction began. He took a step back, enjoying the frozen look of shock and fear in her eyes. The red jewel glowed bright and encased her in a glassy cocoon of energy. She began to blur around the edges. The power held her immobile, staring.
"No doubt you are wondering what you could have done to deserve this kind of double crossing. Your son’s mate, Forest, is my daughter. I am allowing you to live out your life, confined in another world, with the knowledge that Forest shall sit on your throne."
Rahaxeris took a few more steps back and watched as Christiana faded into nothing. He waited a few silent moments before beginning the task of taking control of the castle and everyone within. He pulled his power inside and held it there like inhaling. It gathered, compacted, vibrated. Eyes closed, exhaling slowly, his power radiated out from him like a shockwave, filling the walls and the hearts of every inhabitant.
He strolled out from the throne room; everyone he passed bowed in submission.
"I seek the ogre, Merhl," he said loudly.
Merhl walked demurely and bowed before Rahaxeris. He was younger and smaller than most of the ogres lining the walls, but power emanated from him. Rahaxeris’ power recognized and analyzed Merhl’s. He was the most gifted ogre Rahaxeris had ever met. His skin was a mottled bronze and grey. His dark hair was shortly cropped and matched the color of his eyes. Merhl’s gifts resided predominantly in his hands, and had the same effects of genius; it caused him as much pain as it did pleasure. His massive hands were elongated and twisted, and anyone could see they ached fiercely. Rahaxeris liked Merhl instantly.
"Give me your hands."
Merhl flinched in fear but obeyed.
Rahaxeris gripped both of Merhl’s disfigured hands. The power throbbed just under the ogre’s skin. Rahaxeris syphoned off the excess magic. Merhl’s eyes snapped wide and a smile flashed across his face.
"There. That’s better isn’t it?"
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
"It helps the pain when you are allowed to use your gifts frequently?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I have many jobs for you, Merhl. Now take me to Prince Syrus."
Impressed, Rahaxeris ran his hand over the exterior of the portal that held Syrus. Merhl stood next to him with his eyes on the ground, clenching and unclenching his hands.
"Well done, Merhl. It’s a beautiful prison. I’d like to keep it. Can you fix it after I break it open?"
"I can, of course, sir, but…"
"But what?"
Merhl wrung his hands together. "But I’d rather just make you a new one."
Rahaxeris almost smiled. "Very well. When we are done with the prince, I want you to create a vacuum that will suck all the vampires roaming illegally on Earth back to Regia. Can you do that?"
Merhl's eyes lit with excitement. "It would be my pleasure."
****
After three months of complete silence, the breaking of the cell was excruciatingly loud. A hand reached inside, grabbed Syrus by the forearm, and pulled him back into the world from the abyss. He came out fighting, adrenaline pushing strength back into his muscles.
"Where is she?! Where is she?!"
Syrus had a death grip on Rahaxeris’ shoulders. Rahaxeris deftly removed Syrus’ hands and held them in his own. He sent a calming wave of energy into Syrus.
"Forest is on Earth. You will be able to see her again very shortly."
Syrus checked himself, recognizing that he confronted a stranger. "Who are you?"
"I am Rahaxeris, High Priest of the Rune-dy, but more importantly, I am Forest’s father."
Syrus pulled his hands free and took a step back. "You’re exactly what she feared."
"I doubt that."
"What is your purpose here?" Syrus demanded. "Why are you the one who released me?"
"Your father is in battle, and your mother has made many attempts to kill Forest since she imprisoned you. I had to step in."
Syrus gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. "What did you do with my mother?"
"I banished Christiana to the lovely little world of Brigadoon. She won’t be able to return."
Mixed emotions moved over Syrus’ features for a moment before settling on a mix of relief and resignation.
"Thank you. I want to talk to you at length, but right now I need to get Forest and bring her home to Regia."
Rahaxeris smiled. "Of course. I’ll have Merhl open a portal to Forest’s abode for you."
****
The portal transporting Syrus to Forest's condo only took a few seconds but was too slow for his taste. He landed on his feet in her living room.
"Forest! Forest!"
There was no answer.
"Forest!"
She wasn't there. The place was empty. Syrus had never before been crushed with such disappointment. He took a deep breath, Forest's scent filling his lungs. Oh, to smell her was such torture. After the months of isolation, being so close to his desire and still not grasping it, crippled him with an even greater longing.
He paced, running his hands over every surface.
Chapter Five
Forest’s vision tunneled around Pandora’s apartment door. For the third time, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the piece of paper with the address written on it. This was the place. The noise of people splashing in the pool around the corner added to the rushing in Forest’s ears. Adrenaline spiked her blood pressure. This was going to be it. She could feel it. This was the last time. She would kill Leith and finally be free. Sweat ran down her body under her clothes and moistened the metal against her skin. She had burned Leith with silver before, but today she would do it thoroughly.
Forest barely stopped herself from kicking in the door. He was probably sleeping. If she could slip in quietly, she could have the pleasure of waking him from his dreams into a bloody nightmare of her own making. The thought gave her a sexual thrill.
The door was unlocked. She entered the darkened apartment and slipped the deadbolt behind her. She didn’t move or breathe while her eyes adjusted to the dimness. Leith was asleep on the couch.
Forest made a full assessment of her surroundings. The small one-bedroom apartment gave him no escape unless he wanted to go out into the sun. The fool had trapped himself in a little box, caged inside by the daylight. She moved silently into the one-butt kitchen. There wasn’t much there except empty pizza boxes and a pile of dirty dishes in the sink that were becoming sentient. Clothes littered the chip-crumb covered carpet.
She watched his chest rise and fall a few times. She could just slit his throat while he slept, but that felt too impersonal. She wanted to draw it out. Her first idea had been to find a rolling pin, but after looking through every inch of the tiny kitchen, discovered there was none. She settled with the sole frying pan and was grateful it was clean. She strode over to him and straddled him. He sighed in his sleep and his eyes fluttered. Forest leaned down and kissed his mouth roughly. He awoke faster than she had anticipated and wrapped his arms around her back. She watched his eyes open as he filled her mouth with his tongue. Forest pulled back as far as he would let her. She had no idea what she looked like but she saw recognition in his eyes.
"It’s been a while, Forest. I’ve been missing you."
Forest smiled broadly. "Hello, lover."
The pan raping smartly on the top of his head made a wonderfully comical sound. Forest envisioned little birds flying around his unconscious head. The months of built up stress came pouring out of her in loud maniacal cackling. For the very fir
st time, she had the upper hand with Leith.
Forest hefted Leith into a green, third-hand recliner and secured him to it with an entire roll of duct tape. She sat on the floor and toyed with the last piece of tape she’d saved to cover his mouth and regarded him thoughtfully. Her tormentor, her master, her lover. She could feel the difference inside her since she had last seen him. Forest had no doubt Syrus was the cause. Leith’s hold on her had never been weaker. Even so, the wisest thing for her to do was to gag him before she woke him, but she didn’t want to.
His head lolled on his shoulder. It was hard to feel violent toward him when he was helpless. She cursed herself and him that she was conflicted at all.
She balled the tape and dropped it then gazed at him intently. He was so beautiful on the outside. That’s about to change. She ran her fingers down her scars then pulled a silver chain from her pocket.
Forest approached him and slapped him in the face as hard as she could. The burning sting through her hand was well worth it.
Leith's eyes sprang open and locked on her. He strained against the tape. "Forest, you will let me out of this binding right now!" he ordered.
Forest exhaled the breath she'd been holding. The pull to obey was there, but she defied it. Her scars burned and pulled in response to her disobedience.
She smiled. "No. I don't think so."
He blinked at her stupidly for a moment. "I said, let me out!" he pronounced each word harshly.
Her smile stretched a little wider. "I said no."
"What has happened, Forest? What have you done?" He narrowed his eyes. His face mirrored his thoughts as he sifted through them. Red colored his cheeks, and his eyes bugged as he stared. "Someone else has had their hands on you! Haven't they?" he roared.
Forest clapped for him. "Bravo! I'm impressed, Leith. You really aren’t as stupid as you look."
Leith ground his teeth together, straining against the tape, blood vessels breaking in his eyes.
She twirled the silver chain in her hand where he could see it. "Pipe down."
"You faithless Halfling, half-breed, mixed blood, hybrid! How dare you? You're mine. You've always been mine! You'll always be mine! I own you!"
The instinct to cower, to beg, and apologize pulled at her.
"Who is he?" Leith demanded.
She ignored the question.
Leith laughed humorlessly. "A filthy werewolf, I'll bet. No! No, a human. You ensnared a human with your witchy eyes."
Forest refused to be baited. "Are you ready to die?" she asked calmly.
Leith changed tact. "Forest, I love you! Don't you know that? No one else loves you. No one else could love a Halfling like you. I marked you to put you under my protection. I knew how unkind the world would be to you. I had to shield you. Whomever this person is that you've tricked into being your lover will hate you once they learn the truth about you. He'll leave you. Forget him. Let me loose and we'll reaffirm our love. We'll go back to Regia together. We can go public. I'll let everyone know, I promise. I know you've wanted that."
An unexpected pain sliced through Forest at his words. Had she ever wanted that? She knew clearly there was nothing she wanted now more than to be with Syrus. But what about before she met Syrus? Leith had used the word love many times, usually after inflicting pain. But if he had ever used it and meant it, what would she have done? After everything that happened and everything he had done to her, could she have forgiven him?
She mentally slapped herself. All blinders fell from her eyes and locked on Leith's. There was nothing there to salvage. Her heart had expired long ago where Leith was concerned. It was time to move on. Leith compared to Syrus was like choosing a busted old lemon over a brand new Mercedes AMG.
"There's nothing I want from you, except your death."
The fear of God came into his eyes. "No please, don't kill me, Forest! You're better than me. After everything we've shared—"
"Don't go there!"
"I'm sorry. My methods of love were wrong. I didn't know another way. I had a bad childhood. My father was harsh on me. Forgive me. Please, Forest, I'm sorry."
"It's too late for those words, Leith. They mean nothing to me."
She moved in. Leith began to sob loudly. She wished now she had kept the tape.
She looked around and picked up a tank top from the stuff strewn across the floor and shoved the fabric into Leith's mouth. His eyes bulged, and he let out a muffled scream of pain as Forest jerked his head to the side and laid the silver chain on his neck in exactly the same place her scars began. The stench of his burning flesh filled her nose. She worked slowly, intending to recreate the look of her scars on his skin.
She reached the collar of his shirt, pulled out a pocketknife to cut away the fabric, and then he was gone. Vanished into thin air right under her hands, leaving the chair covered in torn tape. Forest jumped back, her mind tripping. What just happened? No! No! NO!!!
Forest screamed and threw the chair across the room, breaking a lamp. Why? Why was fate so cruel to her?
She focused on her breathing. What was going on in Regia? Something was happening. She picked up the busted chair and put it back where it had been. Tears of fury rolled down her cheeks as she dropped two hundred dollars on the counter to cover the cost of damages and left.
She drove recklessly through Austin with no destination in mind. Zigzagging through traffic, she let the roar of the Demon's engine soothe her. She drove all the way to Huston before turning around and going home.
The lights of the city punched holes in the blue velvet darkness. When Forest pulled into her one-car garage, she was hungry and tired and felt as if she'd been beat up. It hadn't been the very worst day of her life but it definitely made the top five. She had to try to find out what was going on in Regia. Maybe after dinner she'd call Kindel.
She entered her condo, locked the door behind her, hung her bag on the doorknob, and froze. Her nostrils flared. There was a vampire behind her.
Forest spun around, pulling her magnum out of her waistband, her arm snapping straight out, the barrel of the gun one inch from the sucker’s face.
The whole world flipped and the gun slipped from her hand. "OH!" She sobbed. "Syrus!"
Three months of separation, of her heart strained, pulled and twisted caused the first moment of release to exploded in a stronger screaming sting, delivering more pain than she had yet experienced. She forced herself to breathe while the spiritual bond between them sparked and spluttered like a damp candlewick before blazing bright. The invisible cords connecting them vibrated and shimmered in light, heat, and color.
Syrus' black pearl eyes were open, staring at her. Locking gazes with Syrus was like a punch to the brain. A sharp little fist that delivered a snap of pain then extended its fingers out, stroking her mind with soft ecstasy. She reached slowly for his face. Her fingers stopped an inch from his cheek. "Is it really you?" she whispered, afraid. "Am I dreaming?"
His whole body trembled as he reached up and took hold of her hand. "Am I?" he asked. His breath caught as he pressed her palm against his cheek. This first contact seared like a burn then sang like a breeze. The connection roared within them tearing at their insides, demanding more.
Forest jumped, threading herself tightly around him. Breathing became easier than it had been since she’d been banished, even with her mouth fused to his. Frenzied and trying to absorb each other. And still the connection screamed, More!
"I love you, Syrus!" She managed between kisses.
"I love you, Forest!"
"What happened to you? How did you get here? Are you okay? Were you hurt?"
He placed his finger gently over her lips. "Shh. We’ll talk later."
"Why not now?"
"It’s really hot in here, Forest. You might want to do something to lower the temperature."
"Oh?"
"It’s about to get a lot hotter."
She managed to knock her elbow into the thermostat, turning up the AC, as they m
ade their way haphazardly into the bedroom. It was a good thing she did too.
I'm burning, Syrus! You set my soul on fire. And when it burns down to nothing, I'll be yours completely.
With tears, breath, skin, lips, and hearts they shattered each other.
****
Forest awoke hours later, rested, sated, and spiritually peaceful. Her head pillowed on Syrus' arm, she gazed into his sleeping face. She had so many questions, but none of them mattered now. She placed her hand on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart. Nothing matters but this.