Forever (Descendants of Ra: Book 4.5)

by Tmonique Stephens

  Several glances darted to Alexis. Still as stone, she kept her mouth shut and her gaze on her mentor. Is this why you brought me here? Well, you climbed up the wrong damn tree if you think I’ll betray my family.

  Wait! What? My family?

  The thought rocked her, yet settled quickly in her bones. The Nicolises were as much her family as her three brothers and her father. The same loyalty ran through her bones to them.

  “And what of the anu’Ra she wears banded around her arm?” Clarice said. The well-preserved fifty-something-year-old seemed to be the youngest board member judging from the excessive wrinkles on the fellow members. “The Serpent Bracelet should be in our custody, along with the Harvester.”

  Tirrika hissed, feeding off Alexis’s come-and-take-it-bitch, thoughts. The ruby-eyed head uncoiled from her arm and tracked the women with lethal intent. A gasp circled the group. A few of the women scrambled to their feet, prepared to flee. Clarice was among them.

  Mrs. Kelly pounded her gavel until the room quieted and derrières flopped back into their seats. “First, Clarice, the Harvester only responds to one person now, Elroy Nicolis. Now that it has been claimed, it is useless in anyone else’s hands. With the continuing discovery of quimaera nests, he is the only one who can free the unfortunate souls and return them to normalcy.”

  Mrs. Kelly took a breath and continued. “Second, Clarice, the Serpent Bracelet was gifted to Alexis by the matriarch of the Egyptian pantheon. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I don’t want that deity pissed off at the Order. However, if Alexis chooses to gift us one of the most powerful anu’Ras, then we would gladly accept and protect it.” She gave Alexis a pointed stare. The ball’s in your court, it said.

  If Alexis’s gaze could’ve replied, the answer would’ve been ‘Fuck you.’ Instead, she inhaled slowly and remembered she liked Mrs. Kelly. All the women were waiting for her answer. She studied them, especially Clarice. Did she think Tirrika would bend to her will? Alexis had no delusions. The anu’Ra was a loaner. As soon as the Goddess Nu returned, Tirrika would be repo’d. Until that day, Alexis would guard it like the prize it was. “It’s mine. Get over it.”

  By the cold glare and narrowed eyes, Clarice didn’t like the answer. Alexis wondered what the woman would do about it.

  The meeting adjourned a bit later. Mrs. Kelly passed on the dinner invitation from Francine. Alexis bit her tongue and waited until they were back at the Beach House where someone had prepared a lovely dinner for two of lamb, roasted asparagus and carrots, and new potatoes.

  Mrs. Kelly didn’t give Alexis an option. She sat at the table and took a sip of wine while Alexis found her seat at the opposite end. She didn’t pick up her fork or taste the vino. She did wait until Mrs. Kelly had chewed, moaned over the taste of the meal, and swallowed to say, “Whatever you are planning, old woman, you’ve fucked up.”

  Alexis didn’t get the reprimand she expected from dropping the F-bomb. Though Mrs. Kelly did raise an eyebrow. Seemed the old woman expected Alexis to curse. That pissed her off even more.

  “You’re nuts if you think I’m going to betray the Nicolis family.”

  Mrs. Kelly waved her hand. “Of course you’re not going to betray them, and I’m counting on it.”

  Now Alexis was more than confused. “And why is that?”

  Mrs. Kelly took a sip of wine. “Roman rubs me the wrong way every time I look at him. Avery...” A muscle flexed in her jaw. “The new God of Chaos is barely tenable. He’s a figurehead, nothing more.”

  “And Reign? You tolerate him.”

  A smile cracked her craggy face. “For some unknown reason, he is not so bad.” Her preference for Reign wasn’t a secret.

  “Is that why you brought me along to that meeting as a prize to shore up your sagging leadership? They were going to vote you out until you walked in with your own personal anu’Ra.” She stood. “Well, I don’t like being used, and I’m not going to be your assistant.”

  Mrs. Kelly toasted Alexis. “No. You’re not. You’re my apprentice.”

  Alexis’s ass crashed back into her chair. “Old woman, what are you planning?”

  She sighed and sat back in her chair. “I have never felt old until the last few days. I’ve lived a long time...I won’t live forever.”

  Death comes in threes, was the saying. Emeline’s grandfather. Then Hector. Was another one in the wings? “W-What does that mean?”

  “It means my end approaches. My fellow board members will take the Order back to the dark ages. I won’t let that happen. You won’t let that happen, because you will take my place on the board.”

  “I’m not even a member.”

  “Your blood makes you a member as much as mine.”

  Too much was happening too fast to process. “I—I don’t want this.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Yes. No.

  “I’ve glimpsed the future, Alexis, and it’s you and your children.”

  Children? “I am not pregnant, Mrs. Kelly. I had my period last week.”

  Mrs. Kelly laughed. “I never said you were, dear.”

  Children. Alexis’s heart rate kicked up. She tried to keep the question inside, but she had to know. “Who’s the father?”

  Now, Mrs. Kelly’s gray eyebrows rose, mocking Alexis. Warmth flooded her at the unspoken name and the vague imagery of their children laughing, playing, living...but what if—

  Mrs. Kelly’s arms were around her. Alexis hadn’t realized the elder had left her seat until she was surrounded by her strength. “You are not Gloria. But if you walk away from him...you will be.”

  “If I marry him, I’ll make him miserable,” she cried.

  “Good Lord, girl. Can you be any more dramatic?”

  “Can you have a heart?” she snapped. Her nerves were near their breaking point.

  “I do have a heart, and that’s why I’m here. Your mother was a trophy wife who lost her shine decades ago and never accepted it. She sat on the mantle ruling her imaginary kingdom, planning to be the puppet master pulling your father’s strings all the way to the White House. The minute she had you, she knew you would achieve more than she ever could, be what she could never be.”

  Why tell me this now? She tried to free herself from the elder’s steel grip.

  “In all this time, your mother never broke you. You took her bitterness, and it made you stronger, forged you into the weapon, the woman you are today. A woman who went toe-to-toe with a goddess. I refuse to believe you will let Gloria break you now.” Mrs. Kelly shook her. “I know you have the courage to grab your future, but do you know it?”

  “I can’t make this decision right now. I have to think about it.”

  Mrs. Kelly snorted. “Do you realize your wedding is scheduled to start in two hours?”

  Two hours? Five days couldn’t have flown by that quickly without me noticing. Could they? Oh God. I’ve stood him up. I’ve left the man I love stranded at the altar.

  She started to hyperventilate. Lightning cracked the sky followed by rolling thunder. The lights flickered and went dark. A sliver of moonlight illuminated the living room in a bluish glow.

  “Are you truly going to let the love of your life slip through your fingers, or grab hold of him and never let go?” Mrs. Kelly said as rain pelted the roof and splattered against the porch window.

  Another flash of lightning illuminated the sky, mimicking the storm roiling through her heart followed by thunder rolling through the air. The house shuddered in response.

  “It’s not that simple!” she shouted, and lightning flashed.

  “Good God, girl, you are stubborn!” Mrs. Kelly reached into her pocket and withdrew her phone. “I wanted this to be a surprise, alas.”

  Puzzled, Alexis stared at the elder as she dialed and said, “Send him over.”

  “Send who over?” The last thing Alexis wanted was another person telling her what to do. What to think. How to feel.

  A spatial distortion warped the
air by the kitchen. The light pulsed, momentarily blinding her. Heat crested and washed over her, and then receded. Alexis blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision. The vortex opened, and a male figure appeared in the swirling light. She leaped to her feet and rushed forward, ready to throw herself into Reign’s arms, and hold him forever.

  Alexis halted. She still couldn’t see the man’s face, but she knew it wasn’t Reign. The height and breadth were wrong, and the walk. While Reign had an easy prowl, this man’s gait was slower, heavier. He plodded, uncertain, as if weighted and weary, yet the stride was so familiar.

  Suddenly, the identity clicked in her brain. She wobbled from the shock and the surreal clashing in her brain.

  “D-Dad?” she gasped. “What are you—how are you—who told you—” Every question rushed out of her mouth in a stream of incoherent babble.

  Alexis threw herself into her father’s embrace. Arms that had cradled her, steadied her as she took her first steps, picked her up when she fell off her bike, congratulated her when she graduated from the police academy; those same arms held her now. He smelled of aftershave and the cologne she’d always bought for his birthday. Tears started all over again. He shushed her, but the flood continued.

  Someone pressed a handkerchief into her palm because she was ruining his suit. She pulled away to dab at her eyes and wipe at his chest as she stuttered, “How are you here? And why are you wearing a tuxedo?”

  “I have one daughter and nothing other than death would keep me from my rightful place on her wedding day.” The hand cupping her cheek trembled. He’d become grayer in the intervening months since they were last together and grown a beard sprinkled with reddish-gray hair. Little details she failed to see at the restaurant five days ago.

  “You can thank your soon-to-be-husband and your brother.” He hitched a thumb at Thomas standing behind him. “I can’t say I understand everything they told me or anything I saw, but I always knew your mother wasn’t an ordinary woman, and neither are you.”

  Her heart clenched. “What? I don’t understand?” Her gaze darted between the two men.

  Thomas stepped forward, He, too, was dressed in a tux. “You can blame or thank me. I went to Roman Nicolis knowing, eventually, Reign would show up. He was not happy to see me. Lot of big, dangerous men in that house.”

  Alexis smirked. “And I’m sure you made yourself comfortable.”

  Thomas flashed the grin she’d always adored. “Hell yeah, I did. Had a few drinks and a long chat before your future hubby showed up. PO’d. He and EJ took me on a road trip. Showed me a slice of his world...your world.” His gaze turned pensive, then worried. “I had no idea, Lexi.”

  “Neither did I, but we can talk about that later. Let’s get you back to New York,” her father said.

  She shook her head in complete opposition to the yearning in her heart. “I’m afraid to go back, afraid to marry him.”

  “Why?” Her father and Thomas echoed. “Are you telling me you don’t love the man you’ve given up everything for?” Martin added.

  “Loving Reign isn’t the only reason I gave up my job. There were...are bigger things at stake than regular criminals.”

  “And you are a part of a team that’s keeping everyone safe,” her father insisted.

  Alexis sighed, frustrated by what she didn’t want to say, to ask.

  “Thomas, dear. Come with me. Let your father and sister have some time alone.” Mrs. Kelly led the way to the lanai in the back of the house.

  “All right, sweetheart, tell me what’s going on,” her father said when Thomas and Mrs. Kelly were out of hearing.

  “If I marry him, I’ll make him miserable…like mom made you.”

  Her father’s eyebrows rose and nearly touched his receding hairline. He shuffled over to the breakfast bar and pulled out a stool. “I feel like I need a drink for this conversation,” he mumbled. “But this is a long overdue talk.” He motioned to the stool opposite him and waited until she sat.

  “You are not your mother, Alexis. Oh, you have her determination. I’d like to believe you also get that from me. You’re strong, capable, focused, but sometimes you can’t see the big picture. I think you get that from me.”

  So far, she agreed with everything he said.

  “What you don’t have is her selfish, self-indulgent, manipulative ways.”

  “She was always like that, Dad.” At least with Alexis.

  He shook his head. “Not when I first met her. Not when we fell in love.”

  She slumped against the counter. Her father just proved why she couldn’t marry Reign.

  “When we fell in love, I made promises. I didn’t think I’d love the military so much I would make a career out of it. A lot of women couldn’t handle the long periods alone, as Thomas can attest, but your mother did. However, it changed her. The fact is, we should have divorced decades ago.”

  “So why didn’t you? Why stay if it was over?” God, how she needed this question answered. The deplorable state of her parents’ marriage wasn’t a secret. She’d spent most of her teen years praying they’d at least separate; instead, she endured frigid silence. Her parents spoke to each other, but they never had anything to say. She wished they would yell, fight, break something like normal people on TV did. Anything was better than the vacuum they’d lived in. The little tiff at the restaurant was the most life she’s seen out of her parents in years.

  “I loved her. Still do, though I can’t stand the sight of her. Love is funny that way.” He patted her hand.

  Another reason not to get married.

  “I’m not helping, am I?”

  She sighed. “No, Dad. You’re not.”

  “Sweetie, you want a guarantee when nothing about love is certain.”

  “I don’t want to hurt the man I love!”

  “And leaving him at the altar with make him happy?”

  Doubtful. “Eventually, when he sees—”

  “How miserable you are now that you’ve made him equally as miserable. So get married and be miserable together.” He threw up his hands.

  “Really, Dad! That’s your answer?”

  He nodded. “Yes! It is. Do you think you two are going to be happy twenty-four hours a day?”

  “Of course not.”

  “What’s important, Alexis, is what do you want from your marriage, not the failings of mine. You haven’t lived your life peering over your shoulder; why start now?”

  “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

  “Make your own history,” he challenged. “You have so far. Why become a coward now?”

  “I am not a coward,” she hissed, though her father had struck a nerve.

  “Yes you are. You don’t want to be like your mother, then don’t. Just don’t be a girl about it and martyr yourself for the next thirty years,” he sneered.

  Another nerve struck and not only at his sexist remark. “It’s not that simple.”

  He took both her hands in his and squeezed. “It is if you want it to be.”

  She sniffed. “I don’t want to be miserable together.”

  “Then don’t be. Be happy. Choose happiness, Alexis. We all deserve happiness, but you have to be willing to accept happiness when it’s given to you.”

  She sighed and sat back in her chair. Absently, she tapped out a tune while biting her lips, afraid. Happiness wasn’t something that lasted in her family. “I-I-I don’t know. I do know I need to see him.”

  She couldn’t get the image of him waiting at the altar out of her mind. She couldn’t leave him there, not like that. “I need to see him. I need to look into his eyes and tell him my fears. He has to know what he’s getting into before he says I do.”

  Her father snorted. “You think he doesn’t know? I’ve looked into that man’s eyes. I doubt there isn’t much he doesn’t know when it comes to you. And vice versa.” He stood and called for Thomas, and Mrs. Kelly. “We’re ready,” he said to both when they entered the r
oom. Thomas sent a text, and in the next second, another vortex opened. Arm linked with her father, they walked into the light, but before she stepped through, EJ came barreling out.

  Grinning as if he’d won an Olympic event, he dragged her into a bear hug and whispered in her ear, “He’s waiting for you.”

  Breath caught in her throat, she said, “Where?”

  “At the altar.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Alexis stepped out of the vortex and into Stella’s bedroom in the Park Avenue townhouse in New York. She stopped short at the sight of Stella and Ridley dressed in deep blue strapless gowns. While of the same silk and similar cut, Emeline’s spaghetti strap gown flowed in graceful waves over her round belly. Their makeup and hair had been done to perfection.

  Ember ran up in a similar dress to Emeline’s and wrapped herself around Alexis’s waist. “I get to call you Aunt Alexis now like Aunt Eme!”

  Alexis twirled Ember around and ignored the doubt hitchhiking a ride. “If that’s what you want to call me, then you shall.”

  “Ember, you can hug Alexis later. Right now, she has to get ready,” Stella said. The child danced away and picked up her puppy, Gypsy. Stella took Ember’s place. “Get lost and get dressed, EJ.” She threw over Alexis’s shoulder and then waited until the door closed behind him.

  Ridley and Emeline tightened the circle around her. “We don’t want to pry, but are you okay?” Stella whispered.

  Emeline squeezed Alexis’s hand. “We can sneak you out the back door.”

  Ridley chimed in with, “I can zoom you out of here before anyone can blink.”

  “Anything you want, we will do. We’re here for you. No one else.” Stella took her by the shoulders. “Understand?”

  She understood perfectly. Their relationships had moved from casual friendship to Ride or Die Posse. “Yeah. I understand everything.” This was her home, her new family. The doubt rattling in her chest evaporated. She pulled them all to her. The four women clung, silently sharing, connecting on a level deeper than what they had, and committing to be there for each other, no matter what.