Queen of the Immortals

by T. R. Hamby

  But she stopped, suddenly. There had been a nagging thought in her head, and now that things were heated she couldn't ignore it any longer.

  Nora couldn’t bring herself to sleep with Andreas, knowing that they would soon be tricking him into performing surgery on Mel. It was the only way to save Mel’s arm, but sleeping with Andreas just seemed….low. Unnecessary….even wrong.

  He pulled away, frowning, and she flushed, embarrassed.

  But he nodded knowingly. “First time without him?”

  Nora nodded quickly. “Yeah.”

  Andreas smiled and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ll make you happy on Friday.”

  When she arrived home there was only Mel in the living room. Serene was still gone, and Michael and Gilla had gone to shop for paint for their bedroom. Everyone was eager to do something, and patrolling Croydon wasn’t getting them anywhere.

  Nora was in a mood. She had stopped things from going further with Andreas, but that didn’t mean she had wanted to.

  Mel looked up from his laptop, where he, presumably, had been doing some jewelry-related things. “He said yes?”

  “Yes,” Nora said, dropping her coat and bag on the hatstand.

  She let out a breath, and Mel frowned, concerned. “What’s wrong, love?”

  She flushed.

  “Did you sleep with him?” he asked, and his lips were twitching.

  Nora huffed. “No. My conscience got in the way. I didn’t want to sleep with him knowing we’re about to trick him. So I ended it when things were getting good.”

  Mel looked intrigued. “What kind of good?”

  “Mel.”

  “Here, help me with this stupid thing.”

  Nora sighed, but sat on the couch with him and helped him slip the sling off. Mel winced, rubbing a hand from his wrist to his shoulder. His fingers twitched, but that was all they seemed to be able to do now.

  But he ignored his arm, took her hand, and tugged on her until she was in his lap.

  He looked over her dress, his blue eyes gleaming, a smirk playing on his face. “Bellissima,” he said, and Nora blushed, smiling.

  She bent her head and kissed him. He sighed, tangling his fingers into her hair, moving so softly against her skin. Then he pulled down her dress, slipping his hand beneath the fabric and cupping her breast. Nora moaned, electricity going through her.

  This was what she craved. She craved Mel, everything about Mel--but right now, she craved his body.

  Nora stood and slipped out of her dress, and Mel took her in, grinning. She returned to his lap, and he brushed his fingers all over her body, teasing and infuriating her.

  He chuckled when she huffed impatiently. He brushed his hand down her waist, her hip, trailed his fingers over her thigh, down between her legs. She moaned, tilting her head back, biting her lip and tensing at his touch. She shifted, giving him better access, and he stroked her, light and teasing, making her gasp.

  Nora was buzzed, nearly writhing, her heart racing and her whole body alive. But she wasn’t ready yet, and she fumbled with Mel’s zipper. Mel helped her, chuckling, and he caught her face and kissed her. She allowed it, frantic, and then drew closer to him, easing onto him and making both of them moan.

  Mel was breathless, but he managed a smirk. “You can pretend I’m Andreas if you want.”

  Nora smacked his good arm, which was firmly wrapped around her waist. “Shut up, ass.”

  He grinned, but then closed his eyes and leaned his head against the couch, grasping Nora’s hip as she moved.

  Her phone rang, but she ignored it. Mel did too, grabbing her hair and kissing her hard--just the way she liked it. Then her phone rang again, and they groaned.

  “Could be Michael,” Mel said as Nora carefully leaned back, snatching the phone from the coffee table.

  She looked at the screen and swore. “It’s Barrett.”

  “What, now?” Mel exclaimed.

  “I don’t think he knows what we’re doing,” Nora suggested dryly. “I have to take this.”

  “What?”

  But she was already getting up, pressing the phone to her ear and ignoring the look of betrayal on Mel’s face. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “Um, hi….so listen, I have info….can we meet somewhere?”

  Nora frowned. “You can’t just tell me over the phone?”

  “Um….no.”

  “Don’t get up to any horseshit, Barrett,” Nora said warningly.

  “I’m not, I’m not, I….” He sighed. “Look, don’t tell the tall guy, but I’m hungry. I’ve been living on ramen for a week. I need a burger, curry, anything.”

  She felt a pang. Poor Barrett did not seem to be living on the good side of life.

  “Okay, fine,” she sighed. “Where?”

  “There’s a bistro on fifth avenue.”

  “We’ll be there in an hour.”

  “Are you done?” Mel asked as she ended the call.

  He had stood, and somehow managed to get his clothes off one-handed.

  Nora laughed at the impatient look on his face. She kissed him, pushing him back onto the couch and grinding her hips against him.

  “You can pretend I’m Andreas, if you like,” she teased, and he laughed.

  An hour later they arrived at the bistro, which looked less like a bistro and more like a wannabe McDonald’s. Barrett was standing outside, shivering in a light jacket.

  “Jesus,” Nora exclaimed, looking him over. “You don’t have a coat?”

  “I gave it to the homeless man under the bridge,” he said sarcastically. “Let’s go; I’m starving.”

  Only Barrett ordered; Nora wasn’t hungry. They sat in silence for a while, allowing Barrett to scarf down his burger and chips.

  Finally Mel said, “What do you have, Barrett?”

  Barrett looked to be in a bad mood. “Look, you can call me Barry,” he said grumpily. “I hate Tom too, but Barrett’s my dad’s name.”

  “Okay, Barry,” Nora said soothingly, elbowing Mel in the ribs. “How’s that burger treating you?”

  He chewed, swallowed, and took a gulp of his milkshake. Mel looked mildly disgusted, but Nora couldn’t help but feel worried.

  Barry shrugged. “‘S good. I needed it, been eating ramen all week.”

  Nora nodded. She noticed that his hair was unkempt, and there was stubble on his face. His clothes were wrinkled, as if they hadn’t been washed. He was handsome, truly--blue eyes like Mel’s, a youthful face. But it looked like life was beating him down right now. She wondered how much ramen he had been able to buy.

  He cleared his throat, shifted in his seat. “A girl,” he said, “here in Hackney. Gone missing.”

  “Who?” Mel asked.

  “Abigail Bell Maverley,” he replied. “She’s a dancer at the lounge down the street. She was putting herself through business school.”

  “You know all of this?” Nora couldn’t help but ask.

  He rolled his eyes. “You told me to listen, right? I’m a bouncer there. Used to talk to her from time to time. Nice girl.”

  “You’re a bouncer.”

  He snorted and shrugged. “It’s a shitty place. I’m a shitty bouncer. But I’m not a shrimp, you know. I can hold my own.”

  Mel steered the conversation back to the matter at hand. “Do you know when she went missing?”

  Barry shook his head, and a shadow fell across his face. “She didn’t show up for work the other night. Or last night. Everyone wrote her off, but I know she’s missing. She needs the money; she can’t miss work.”

  Nora heard his stomach grumble again, and she waved for the waiter and ordered some ice creams.

  Mel looked at her. “Two girls,” he said quietly. “Two different neighborhoods.”

  “Both last seen at a club,” Nora replied. “What could that mean?”

  “Someone’s picking them up,” Mel said.

  He looked at Barry. “Did you notice anyone strange? Out of place?”

  “
It’s a seedy club. Everyone there is strange and out of place,” Barry said moodily.

  He thought for a moment, then said, “There was one bloke. Tall guy--about your height. Long dark hair. Dressed like a biker. All the ladies were on him, even some of the men too. It was odd, but I figured he just had a lot of quid.”

  Nora and Mel absorbed this, looking at each other. If this man was the killer, what did he have to do with Persephone?

  “We’ll have to go there, ask around,” Mel said vaguely, clearly thinking.

  “No one’ll talk,” Barry said firmly. “Not the sort of people who talk.”

  “There has to be someone with loose lips.”

  He shrugged, stabbing his ice cream with his spoon. “Not this lot. They don’t like strangers.”

  Nora sighed, and Mel swore under his breath. It wasn’t much to go on, and asking around anyway might spook the killer.

  “That’s all?”

  Barry nodded.

  Mel nodded too, studying him with a frown. He took out a couple bills and handed them to him. “Four hundred pounds. Consider it extra. Buy you a coat.”

  Barry’s face fell. “Motel, more like,” he said quietly.

  Nora stared at him. “What about your place?”

  “Lost it. Too many late payments,” he said, shrugging. “But I’m getting money as a bouncer. I figure, maybe another year, I can go back to school. I’m good at maths, might do something with that.”

  Nora felt a pang. This kid was barely in his mid-twenties and didn’t have a coat, let alone a place to live. She looked at Mel, who seemed to be having the same thoughts.

  “You can stay with us for the night,” he said.

  Barry frowned, almost suspicious. “This isn’t like a….sex thing, is it?”

  “No,” Mel said patiently. “It’s a good deed thing. Are you done with your ice cream? I’m ready to go.”

  The three walked the several blocks to the Tube. Mel gave Barry his coat, and he and Nora walked hand-in-hand along the street. Barry was quiet, frowning at the pavement.

  Finally he said, “So what’s the deal? Why you doing this? You superheroes?”

  Nora chuckled.

  “You coppers?”

  “Go with the first one,” Nora said soothingly. “We’re definitely not cops.”

  Michael and Gilla were upstairs when they arrived home. Barry looked around, clearly trying to hide his awe at the large foyer, the sweeping staircase.

  Nora showed him one of the guestrooms. Like the rest of the bedrooms it was large, with a queen-sized bed and a walk-in closet.

  “Jesus,” Barry muttered, looking around.

  “There’s towels in the bathroom,” Nora said gently. “Soap and shampoo. You can help yourself in the kitchen. Just….you know….don’t make a mess.”

  He nodded, studying the bureau. Nora thought she saw tears in his eyes, and she felt a horrible pang.

  “Thank you,” he said, so quietly she barely heard.

  She studied him, biting her lip. Mel had said he could stay for the night, but she didn’t see how that would work out. What was Barry going to do when he had spent all his money on motels?

  “Do you….know how to clean?” she asked lamely.

  He frowned at her and shrugged. “S’pose.”

  “I mean, like, really clean.”

  He studied her for a moment, then heaved a sigh. “S’all right. You don’t have to do that. I’ll be all right; I’ll….figure it out. I’ve done it before.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Nora said firmly. “You can stay until you get back on your feet. Go to your job, and keep this place in order for me. I’m busy redesigning, and I could use someone who knows how to use cleaner. Okay? Deal?”

  He hesitated, staring at the floor. Nora could see shame in his eyes, and she had a strong urge to hug him.

  Finally he nodded. “Thank you,” he said hoarsely.

  “Yeah.”

  She closed the door behind her, and found that she was shaking, overwhelmed by the unfairness of life. Of God.

  Well, life wasn’t going to be unfair to Barry anymore. Not if she could help it.

  She went to Mel’s bedroom, very pensive. Mel was lounging on the bed, his arm propped up on a pillow.

  “Is he settled in okay?” he asked, grimacing at the pain in his arm.

  She sat down, brushed at his hair. Gabriel couldn’t come soon enough. “Yeah. He’s pretty down. I told him he can stay. Take care of the house for rent,” she said quietly.

  He nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. It’s not my first choice, with everything going on….but he needs help, and it’s safer to just keep him here. I worry about what he’ll do if we give him any more money.”

  “Speaking of money,” Nora said, “how many charities do we give to?”

  Mel frowned. “I can’t remember. Quite a few. Mostly in Rome, though.”

  “I want to give to some charities here in London. We can start with a couple for the homeless.”

  Mel smiled at her. “You’re a saint.”

  “No I’m not,” she said firmly. “I’m just rich.”

  “I’m proud of you either way, diletta. You’re a far better person than me.”

  “We can debate that later. You need your rest.”

  “Stay with me tonight?”

  She smiled, already getting into bed. “Go to sleep, love.”

  The next three days were both long, and very brief. Judith appeared on Tuesday with a satchel containing all the tools needed for Mel’s procedure--having been forged in the Immortal World. She sat with them for a while, talking, and holding Mel’s hand.

  Barry seemed to perk up the first day of his stay, and honored his deal with Nora faithfully. In the last three days he had managed to clean the kitchen, mop the floors, and go grocery shopping, even saving the plastic bags for later use. He was courteous, and didn’t stick his nose in anything--though it was clear he was curious as to what the four were up to.

  Nora was so impressed that she and Gilla took him shopping. He had argued at first, embarrassed about not being able to pay them back. But they were insistent, and he came home with several nice outfits, and a new cell phone.

  “I didn’t realize you were going to spoil him,” Mel joked, as the two of them watched Barry shovel snow off the pathway.

  Nora leaned into him. “I can’t help it. It’s just….fucked, you know? What he’s going through.”

  “Yeah. That’s my Father. He takes with both hands.”

  Suddenly he gasped, gripping his bad arm and wincing. “Shit.”

  Nora touched his hand. “Almost there,” she said soothingly.

  His lips twitched. “We’ll have to make sure Andreas isn’t looking at you when he’s using the scalpel.”

  Nora rolled her eyes, and he laughed. “Whatever.”

  Thursday. The four were antsy--when was Serene finally arriving with Gabriel? Would she finally arrive with Gabriel? Or had something gone wrong?

  They abandoned their usual activities for the day. Normally their days were filled with signing and fighting, and then patrolling Croydon and Hackney in the evenings. But they were too distracted, and they hadn’t found anything in the two neighborhoods anyway. They couldn’t, like Barry had said, convince anyone to talk at the clubs, and they didn’t have Serene there to force them to do so.

  They were stuck.

  The four were sitting in the living room Thursday evening, eating some takeout and yet again watching the news. Barry was in his room reading up on colleges. Mel’s arm was painful, and he was lying on the couch with his head in Nora’s lap. Michael was tense, glancing at the clock every few seconds, and Nora worried for him.

  He had been anxious ever since Serene had gotten the idea to use Gabriel as a sort of Angel painkiller. Nora knew he hadn’t seen his son in a long time, and that things--just like with him and Mel--were tense between the two of them.

  Nora didn’t know much about Gabriel besides that, although the way Ser
ene spoke of him suggested he was a bit of a hothead. She hoped this wouldn’t be a repeat of Michael’s reunion with Agatha. She wasn’t sure he would recover well if he had one more family member pick a fight with him.

  She watched him glance at the clock again, and this time Gilla touched his arm, squeezing soothingly. He looked at her, and managed a small smile.

  I’m right here, she signed.

  Michael nodded, reached out and took her hand. He kissed it, and she beamed, beautiful in her radiance. He whispered in her ear, and her shoulders shook, as if she was giggling.

  Nora felt a pang. She wasn’t sure how well she was holding up her end of her bargain with God. She had been there for Gilla--very much--when she had first lost her voice. And of course, Nora had been teaching everyone sign language for months now.

  But they had all been so busy lately….the only free time Nora had had with Gilla was yesterday, shopping with Barry. They all spent time together, but were distracted, focusing on their lessons or their detective work rather than on each other.

  Nora took a deep breath. They would have to find a way out of that. They needed to.

  She got an idea. She brushed at Mel’s hair, and he raised up, allowing her to stand. Her heart raced a little as she muted the TV. Everyone looked at her. She took out her phone, which was connected to the speakers, and, naturally, put on some Elvis.

  She ignored the men’s chuckles and went to Gilla, taking her hands and tugging her to the middle of the room. Gilla grinned, and they danced, grasping each other’s hands and twirling around. Gilla’s shoulders shook, and Nora laughed as she spun into her arms.

  Mel got up then, amused, and held a hand out to Gilla. Gilla beamed and took it, and then they were dancing. They were both very poised, despite Mel only having use of one arm. Nora turned to Michael, and he laughed, getting to his feet and taking her hand. She laid her head on his chest, and he held her. She felt safe, reassured that they would be okay.

  They were okay.

  Mel busted out a deck of cards, and they sat on the floor and played blackjack. They shouted and laughed, tossing cards at each other. Mel and Michael even seemed to be civil, though they still largely ignored each other. Gilla was the winner of every round, and everyone laughed at the devilish look in her eye.