by Ford, Lizzy
She couldn’t see what was going on from this angle and darted down the hall to the nearest stairwell, not slowing until she was standing on the back lawn. The Immortal nobility living in the fortress, along with quite a few guards, were gathered, pointing and whispering. She joined them, trailed by the demon.
“Hey.” She tapped the arm of one of the Immortal guards. “What’s going on?”
He started to brush her off but looked back at her, recognition in his face. “Someone attacked the north tower. You should be inside, my lady, where it’s safe.”
Safe my ass. She hadn’t been safe since landing in this nightmare. Unable to see what tower he referred to, she returned to the interior of the fortress and went to the second floor, open only to members of her family, where a flurry of guards were moving in and out of Wynn’s study.
Unable to decipher what she felt for the man destroying her world, she hesitated to approach him and instead, went down the hallway around a corner, to a quiet area.
“Chaos.” She summoned her mother, partially hoping it wouldn’t work, and the part about her mom lying to her for the entirety of her life was wrong.
“Hi, sweetie,” her mother’s voice was warm and friendly, as always.
Stephanie’s heart fell. “Hey, Mom.” She faced the direction her mother came from and watched the portal close behind her. “Sammy okay?”
“Someone grabbed her before the tower collapsed.”
Kris hadn’t been joking about Rhyn destroying things.
Kiki crossed the hallway and paused, retreating his steps and waving to catch her eye. Stephanie glanced towards him. He gave her a thumbs up, which she assumed was a sign her sister was safe, and then tapped his watch.
Stephanie recalled it was Saturday with some dismay.
“I think we should talk,” her mother said, pulling her thoughts from the meeting she was supposed to attend.
“Yeah, probably,” Stephanie replied. “Would be nice to know why no one told me my mom was a goddess and my dad a psychopathic Immortal.”
“To be fair, I did tell you he was a psychopath.”
“Calling an ex-lover a psychopath and talking about a real live psychopath are two different things!”
“After I check on your sister, we’ll all sit down and talk,” Chaos promised and began walking away.
“Wait, mom. Is her father a psychopathic Immortal?”
“No. He was pure human. A good man.”
Stephanie bit back the anger flaring at the sight of her mother walking away, as if today were normal and not the day she crushed the hearts of both her children with the truth.
She turned away and breathed deeply, calmed by the scent of Fate on her skin. How fucked up was her world that the man who could comfort her was him? She called a portal and started through, stuck in her thoughts, when someone snatched her neck.
“Escaping?” Trayern growled.
“I’m not escaping!” she strained to be away from him and then stopped when his long nails bit into her skin. “You’re just slow.”
“I’m not slow,” he said, offended. “Where do we go?”
“To a Sanctuary.”
He pushed her into the portal. “Lead on.”
“Where’s Mithra?” she asked, facing him.
“Dead-dead. Or not. I don’t give a fuck.”
Stephanie shook her head and strode forward to the yellow door beckoning to her. She slid through, followed closely by the demon, and emerged into the morning brightness and heavy air of the Caribbean Sanctuary.
Four of her five brothers were waiting outside the Sanctuary’s walls. She slowed and glanced back at the demon guardian trailing her.
“I’m not going to escape, but they’ll probably kill you if you follow me,” she told him.
He was quiet, taking in the four. “Fine.”
Surprised he agreed, she strode away anyway. Whether it was the beefy size of Rhyn and Tamer, or something else, she didn’t know.
The sight of Andre caused her muscles to relax of their own accord. Stephanie smiled at him and approached, hugging him with a sigh.
“Good to see you,” he said and squeezed her. “We’re waiting on Kiki before we start.”
She released him and stood back, observing her brothers. Rhyn was pacing, Tamer frowning, and Kris staring at the demon.
“Hey, you get in trouble?” she asked Tamer.
“Eh. Fired,” he replied with a shrug. “Better than the alternative. Gabe usually kills those who fuck up.”
“Fired doesn’t sound so bad,” she agreed.
“Your sister’s safe,” Rhyn told her. “Freaked out and crying but safe.”
She started to smile. She would’ve liked to see Sammy – a kickboxing champion, perfect student and the only one in the family who remembered to send birthday cards – freaking out. It made her feel a little better knowing her tough sister was having a hard time coping, too.
“What is he doing here?” Kris asked, indicating the demon with a lift of his chin.
“Wynn agreed to let Darkyn’s minion stalk me so I don’t break into Hell again,” she replied. “He saved my life the other day, after Wynn tried to kill me.”
This brought the attention of all her brothers on her. Stephanie explained what happened.
“I knew your mother was special!” Kris exclaimed when she finished.
“Doesn’t really help us to understand Wynn any better,” Andre commented.
“Who cares? He has to be stopped,” Tamer said.
“Hey, guys,” Kiki emerged from a portal. “Had to make up an excuse to leave.” He shook everyone’s hands, and the six of them stood in silence for a long moment.
“How long’s it been since most of us have been together?” Andre asked, a warm smile on his face.
“I’d like to say too long, but that’d be a lie,” Rhyn replied, eyeing his brothers.
Stephanie watched them make small talk curiously. A tense edge, softened by the presence of Peace, was present, and their distrust of one another was clear. Their guards were up, with the exception of Andre. She dwelt on what she knew of Wynn, of what Fate and others had shared. He’d selected their mothers purposely over more years than she could fathom and today, they were plotting to overthrow him.
Just how smart was Wynn? Smart enough to know this day would come? Smart enough to already have the next move planned so whatever they did, it wouldn’t matter?
“Down to business,” Kris said. “I think we all know why we’re here.”
“To get rid of Wynn for good,” Rhyn said.
“Out of curiosity, why can’t one of you just walk up to him and ... I don’t know. Shoot him in the head?” Stephanie asked.
“Wynn’s healing gift makes him hard to kill. He has enough allies in place that such a move would start a war,” Andre replied. “We can’t afford a war.”
“I think it’s the only way to get rid of Wynn and those who support him for good,” Kris said.
“We can’t leave our people, or the humans, exposed to the demons.”
“Then we make it a fast war,” Tamer chimed in. “We walk in, take out everyone in a position to fuck us up, and it’s done.”
“And Wynn either opens the gates to Hell on his way down or doesn’t try to stop the breaches from reopening. Anyone recall how Darkyn split the plane between the two worlds when his mate was taken to the Underworld last year?” Kiki countered. “And how Wynn’s healing power has always been the source that kept the demons at bay?”
Silence.
“If Wynn leaves for too long, that breach opens back up. We have to go back to the old way.”
“We get the point, Kiki,” Tamer snapped.
“What’s the old way?” Stephanie asked.
“When we kept his body in the basement so his magic formed a barrier the demons couldn’t cross,” Rhyn explained. “Our brother, Sasha, stole his body two years ago.”
“His first body. Not the current one,” Kiki added.
She frowned. They’d all imparted some part of their history to her since she entered the bizarre world. The details they spoke of, and how Wynn was alive twenty-three years ago to impregnate her mother, emerged slowly from the depths of her mind. His soul had been taken and incarnated into his second body by Past-Death as part of a deal they had made. Meanwhile, his first body had been kept at the fortress to repel the demons while Wynn 2.0 secretly roamed the human world.
“The castle sits on the site where Darkyn originally breached the mortal world, soon after the beginning of time,” Andre told her. “The second breach was made mere months ago, but in the same area. Our castle is there to prevent them from coming through.”
“Here I thought it was the beautiful surroundings,” she murmured. “So we’re sitting on two doorways to Hell.”
“The fortress contains its own magic. Wynn’s power amplifies it. We don’t need Wynn, so long as the fortress can prevent the breaches from opening,” Kris stated.
“We don’t know how much of the seal on the second breach is linked to Wynn,” Andre pointed out.
“Darkyn almost destroyed the fortress recently. We survived,” Tamer added. “We don’t need to overthink this. We just need to act.”
“Well, let’s vote,” Kiki said. “All in favor of outright attacking Wynn and his allies, raise your hands.”
Rhyn, Tamer and Kris raised theirs.
“Opposed?”
Stephanie reluctantly lifted hers. Andre and Kiki did as well.
“This is when it sucks to have an even number of siblings!” Tamer complained. “What the fuck are you thinking, Stephanie? Didn’t he try to kill you and kidnap your mom and sister?”
“Yeah, and I hate him for it,” she retorted. “Maybe it’s different in your world, but no civil war is quick, and the scars it’ll leave to wipe out Wynn’s allies aren’t going to heal quickly. I deal with those fucking petitioners every day. If you think there isn’t a great deal of resentment toward any of us, you’re stupid. The vast majority of the Immortals I’ve spoken to hate our family. Who’s to say there won’t be a second civil war once we get rid of Wynn?”
“Brava, little sister,” Kris said. “I won’t vote with you, but at least you’re thinking like one of us. Our family is in power because we have a tendency to crush any opposition. It’s what the enforcer role has been. I did it for years, and Rhyn took over.”
“You know Kiki will never speak out against whoever’s in charge,” Tamer baited.
“Fuck you, Tamer. You’ve never had to deal with picking up the pieces!” Kiki shot back.
The two of them began arguing.
Kris said something Stephanie didn’t hear, and Rhyn turned on him with a sharp response. Within seconds, all four were arguing.
“Is it always like this?” she asked, dismayed.
“Always,” Andre said. “Wynn turned us against each other before we were even born.”
“I don’t understand. How have you all lived for so long like this?”
“We were born in a different time, a much harsher one. Combined with our father’s selective breeding, we’re incredible survivors. But very poor at working with anyone else.”
His explanation managed to soothe the part of her that began to doubt they’d ever walk away from this without starting some sort of war.
“Your sister’s inside.” Andre pointed. “Go see her. I’ll straighten our brothers out.”
“You want help?”
He smiled. “I’ve played this role long before becoming Peace.”
Good luck. Stephanie left and went into the fortress, towards the doorway he’d indicated. She knocked before entering and walked into a rustic cafeteria filled with well-worn, wooden tables, a stone hearth, and wrought iron chandeliers.
Two figures sat in front of a television propped above the hearth, and she recognized the shape of her blonde sister. A third person, Hannah, the woman who had helped her break out of Wynn’s at one point, was helping nuns in brown robes chop vegetables on a table nearby.
“Sammy!” Stephanie cried with more excitement than she wanted to show and raced to her sister.
Sammy rose and turned a split second before Stephanie tackled her in a hug.
“Please tell me this is a nightmare,” Sammy whispered, bear hugging her in return.
“I wish.”
“You get used to it,” said the amused woman beside them.
Stephanie held her sister until certain she was real then released her. Sammy was ten shades of pale lighter than her with blonde hair and dark eyes. They were both tall like their mother, though Sammy was athletic where Stephanie was slender.
“You’re really Rhyn’s sister?”
Stephanie turned to face the woman seated by the fire with an infant in her arms. She was young, around twenty, with dark hair and large, blue eyes. The mating tattoo, Rhyn, scrolled around her neck.
“Yeah,” Stephanie said.
“I’m Katie.” She stood and held out her hand. “This is your niece, Hazel.”
“Don’t wake her up,” Sammy advised.
“Awww, does she get cranky?” Stephanie shook Katie’s hand then leaned closer too peer at the chubby face of the cherubic Hazel.
“Uh, not quite.” Sammy pointed to a nearby table, where it looked as though a vase of flowers had exploded. “That’s what happened when I tried to hold her.”
“She has her father’s temper and power,” Katie supplied. “She tends to blow things up when she’s throwing a fit, unless Rhyn or I am holding her.”
Stephanie looked from the baby, who wasn’t yet a year old, to the exploded vase. “Wasn’t expecting a laser baby,” she said after a pause. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Katie laughed.
“She’s so cute, though,” Stephanie shook her head.
“The cuter, the more lethal,” Katie said wisely. “You figure that out after you meet your mate for the first time. So sexy. So about to destroy your world.” She sighed dreamily.
“Mate? What’re you talking about?” Sammy asked, frowning.
It was Stephanie’s turn to sigh. “Later, Sam. You guys are safe here, right?” she asked Katie.
“We are. And we have an angel, so he obscures whatever it is that trips off people looking for us.”
“So that’s what they do,” Stephanie murmured. Maybe I should make an effort to keep Mithra around after all. She’d envisioned him fighting off demons with his cane and dying, then felt bad thinking she’d be responsible if that happened. But if him being with her meant no one could find her, he was more useful than she thought.
“They have access to libraries of information, too. Millions of years worth of memories from other angels,” Katie said.
“Is that helpful?”
“Not usually.”
Stephanie grinned. Of everyone she’d met, Katie was the first real person she could relate to stuck in the Immortal world.
The door opened, and Andre entered. He smiled at Katie as he joined them.
“How’s my little niece?” he asked, eyes on the infant. He reached for Hazel, and Katie cringed as she handed her daughter over.
“Careful,” Sammy warned and took a step back.
“She’s sleeping. Maybe … well, never mind.” Katie said ruefully.
Hazel’s eyes opened, and she peered up at Andre with the same liquid silver gaze as her father. Power sparked between her chubby fingers.
“You weren’t joking.” Stephanie moved away.
“You won’t hurt your uncle, would you, sweetheart?” Andre asked with a smile and took one of the fists sparking with power.
Stephanie shrank back, uncertain how powerful the child was. But the baby smiled, and her power dissipated at Andre’s touch.
The three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“See?” Andre asked.
Stephanie wasn’t surprised. She’d hugged him the first time they met, seconds after experiencing his
gentle, calming power.
“You want to babysit?” Katie asked.
“My pleasure,” he said with a chuckle.
“Steph, Andre! Your turn to vote!” Kiki called from the entrance to the cafeteria.
“Stay here, Sammy,” she told her sister. “Mom’s with me. She’s okay, too. Just don’t leave somewhere where you’re safe.”
Sammy appeared ready to rebuke her. The competitive older sister was even less interested in being told what to do than Stephanie.
Andre handed Hazel back to her mother.
“Laser baby and I will take care of her,” Katie assured her before Sammy could speak. “Rhyn won’t let anything near any of us.”
Stephanie nodded, somewhat relieved to know the powerful half-demon was going to safeguard her sister. She and Andre went to the door, joining Kiki, who walked outside the walls, where the others were stewing in silence.
“Three for war, one no,” Kiki reported.
“So no progress?” she asked.
“Rhyn and I traded sides.”
She shook her head. “No to war.”
“No to war,” Andre seconded.
“Dammit!” Tamer snarled.
“As I said. Let’s try this from another angle first,” Andre said calmly. “Kris is working with allies inside the Immortal communities. I’m attempting to find deities who won’t fuck us over too badly in the process of helping. We have some breathing room, at least for now.”
“Wynn is too unpredictable, and he always, always, knows when something’s going on,” Kiki said. “Andre, we don’t have much time. Why can’t we go to plan B and assassinate him? Take the risk his allies won’t act?”
“Because he probably has a fail safe for this situation. As usual.”
Kiki sighed in exasperation and checked his watch. “Steph and I have to get back. He’s constantly on alert around us. We can’t make him more suspicious.”
“Bet you’re kicking yourselves now for voting me out,” Rhyn said, arms crossed and glare on Tamer.
“Wynn would’ve killed you,” Andre said. “It’s the only reason you were voted out. To protect you.”
“So I’m supposed to be happy with the status quo?” Kiki asked and raked a hand through his hair.
“No. But we need to be patient,” Andre urged.