Queen of the Immortals

by T. R. Hamby

  Michael went pale, and pulled away to look at her. “What?”

  Serene sobbed again, and he stared at her for a moment, clearly stunned.

  “What? What is it?” Mel asked worriedly.

  Michael shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

  “Here,” he said, and he scooped Serene into his arms.

  She clung to him like a child, and he carried her upstairs.

  Everyone looked at each other, bewildered.

  “What was that?” Barry asked cautiously.

  Gabriel gave him a rundown of everything that had happened, and Barry was entranced--and a little miffed that he hadn’t gotten to see it.

  “We think Grayson has a Talent--something that confuses or lures his subject,” Gabriel continued, sighing wearily. “We think that’s why she’s acting so ridiculous.”

  That made sense. Grayson--or Lucius--must have used his Talent to lure Abby out of the club.

  “He must be using it on everyone,” Barry said, and Gabriel nodded darkly.

  Barry looked around at them all. “But everyone’s all right?” he asked cautiously.

  There were some appreciative smiles. Barry caught Mel’s eye; he was studying him curiously, as if he hadn’t expected him to ask that question.

  “We’re okay,” Nora replied soothingly.

  He looked at Gabriel, who was smirking. “Never better,” he said, his dark eyes glittering.

  It was about an hour before Michael came back downstairs. They had all moved to the living room, and were talking quietly. They looked up when he came in.

  Barry studied him, confused. Michael was still pale, and he looked very troubled.

  He shifted on his feet and folded his arms. “She’s pregnant.”

  A pause. Then,

  “What?” Gabriel breathed, completely bewildered. “How long?”

  Michael took a deep breath. “Maybe sixteen weeks. She found that new mate when she first found out about Persephone, four months ago….and….yeah.”

  “And she knew this whole time?”

  Michael nodded.

  “What’s she doing now?” Mel asked calmly, though he too looked pale.

  “She fell asleep.”

  “Christ,” Gabriel hissed, holding his head in his hands.

  Barry was completely out of his element. He didn’t have siblings, and he certainly didn’t know anything about Angel pregnancies. He settled on squeezing Gabriel’s knee, which received a neutral response.

  There was another silence. Michael was studying the floor, his jaw working.

  “What should we do?” Nora asked quietly.

  “She needs to go Home,” Michael sighed. “She’s not safe here. I’ll go with her tomorrow--she can stay with Judith. Or with her mate, whatever. It’s up to her.”

  “I’ll go too,” Gabriel said firmly. “Make sure she’s all right.”

  Gilla got up, took Michael’s hand. He managed a small smile, though it was clear he was very troubled. The family went to bed, leaving Barry and Gabriel behind on the couch.

  Barry looked at Gabriel, who was frowning at the rug. “You all right?”

  He shrugged, brooding. “I wish I had known.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up.”

  His lips twitched, and he turned, leaning back against Barry’s chest. Barry slipped his arms around him, and they sat like that, thinking.

  “How does it--um--work?” Barry asked slowly.

  Gabriel chuckled. “The Angels have to be the same age. That’s it.”

  “Really?” Barry said, surprised. “No dancing under the full moon naked or something?”

  “No,” he replied, tracing his fingers along the diamond in the crook of Barry’s arm. “There are so many Angels that it’s easy to avoid others with the same age. Serene must have….”

  He paused, then said, “She must have made a mistake.”

  Barry nodded. It certainly didn’t seem like Serene was happy about it, even if she was under some evil Angel’s spell.

  They were quiet again.

  Gabriel spoke. “What do the diamonds mean?”

  It took Barry a moment to understand what he meant. He was talking about the large black diamonds that covered the inside of his arms.

  He felt his face fall, and for a moment he considered not replying.

  But then he said, “Tattoos hide the marks. You know, from….needles.”

  Gabriel was quiet. Barry looked down at him, and found that he looked disturbed--and almost sad.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

  Barry shrugged.

  “I think you’ve been through worse things than I have.”

  “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  “All right, love.”

  Barry frowned at the endearment, wondering what it meant. But he liked it all the same.

  Then he remembered earlier.

  “Something odd happened earlier,” he said.

  “Yeah?”

  “A woman showed up to the door,” Barry said. “Little thing. Said her name was Alice. She was looking for your sister.”

  Gabriel looked up at him, and his eyes narrowed. “What?”

  “Yeah. She wasn’t Australian either. She was trying to put on this posh accent.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “No Serene, and I was the dog-sitter.”

  Gabriel was frowning, smoothing his hand along Barry’s arm, almost absentmindedly.

  “That can’t be good,” he said quietly. “God, if it’s another Angel, we're screwed.”

  Barry didn’t know what to say.

  “How long will you be Up There?” he asked.

  He couldn’t keep the anxiety out of his voice, and Gabriel seemed to pick up on it. “Don’t worry--just for the morning. Make sure she’s settled or whatever.”

  He let out a sigh. “I just….I don’t know. She’s my sister, you know?”

  Barry nodded. He gave Gabriel a squeeze. “Let’s go to bed.”

  They got up, and Gabriel took his hand. Barry hid his surprise, though he smiled as they walked up the stairs together.

  Barry woke early in the morning, hungry. Gabriel was still asleep, and he sneaked out of bed and downstairs to the kitchen.

  To his surprise, Mel--or Mr. King--was there, sitting at the counter. His arm was much better now, and he was using it to text on his phone.

  He looked up when Barry came in. “Morning.”

  “Morning.”

  He went to the pantry to make a bowl of cereal, feeling rather awkward. He was curious about Mel’s activities on his phone. Who did Angels text anyway?

  “I’m talking to clients,” Mel suddenly said, as if reading Barry’s mind. “I run a jewelry company.”

  Barry nodded slowly. “Right.”

  There was an awkward silence. Mel dropped his phone on the counter, rubbed at his arm. Barry dug into his cereal.

  After some time he asked, “Any word on Serene?”

  “Still sleeping,” Mel sighed, frowning worriedly.

  He looked at Barry. “You’re really enrolled for the summer?”

  He flushed and nodded. “Yeah. Books’ll be here soon.”

  “How much were they?”

  Barry hesitated, then replied, “Seven hundred.”

  Mel frowned again.

  Barry took a deep breath. It was now or never.

  “If you let me live with you--”

  “Indefinitely,” Mel interrupted, and Barry faltered.

  Then he rallied. “I’ll do everything. I’ll clean, I’ll wash, I’ll do the shopping, I’ll do the driving. I promise I’ll stay out of the Angel business--”

  “It’s a little hard to stay out of the Angel business when you’re involved with my nephew,” Mel said, raising an eyebrow.

  Barry deflated. But then he said, “He won’t want to be with me for long anyway.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  He frowned. “He’s an Angel. And I�
�m….me.”

  Mel took this in, frowning. He was quiet for a long time, before saying, “I put you in danger, paying for your help. I honestly didn’t think about it, but it happened. Now you know everything….and you know there are evil creatures out there that could easily kill you. Who want to kill you.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “I can’t let you leave. You’re not safe anywhere else. So yes, you can stay.”

  Barry felt a thrill, and he grinned. “For sure?”

  “Yes.”

  He hesitated. “Until….?”

  Mel smiled. “Until you’re done with school. Okay? But don’t tell Serene I said that,” he joked.

  Barry ignored this, feeling a rush. Until school was over. Until he graduated. He was set. He truly was set. He didn’t have to worry about money; he could study, he could live in this house….

  He swore under his breath. “Thank you. Jesus--thank you.”

  Mel nodded and got up. He hesitated, then said, “I probably shouldn’t be saying this--I really don’t know what will happen. But….my family seems to have a tendency to fall in love with humans. It’s happened to me and my brother….and Gabriel is his son. So,” he said, shrugging, “just….remember that.”

  Barry didn’t nod, just watched him go.

  He hadn’t considered that before. There had been so much to learn that the fact that Mel and Michael were partnered with human women had been just an afterthought. But what if it was true? He didn’t know. He really didn’t know shit about this stuff.

  He went back to his bedroom, opening the door and shutting it softly behind him. Gabriel stirred, opening his eyes and looking at him.

  “Where were you? With your girlfriend?”

  Barry rolled his eyes.

  “Serene awake?”

  “Don’t worry. Still sleeping.”

  Barry got into bed, and Gabriel wrapped his arms around him. They lay like that for a moment, content.

  Then Barry said, “Mel’s letting me stay.”

  Gabriel chuckled, his eyes closed. “I figured. You’re in too deep.”

  “S’pose we’ll be roommates now.”

  Gabriel opened his eyes, raised a brow. “Is this what roommates do?”

  Barry grinned. “Depends on your definition of the term.”

  “Define it for me.”

  Barry felt himself flush, and he looked away, playing with Gabriel’s fingers. He had had lovers before, relationships. But this was different. Very different.

  But it had only been a week. Almost two. What was he thinking?

  Gabriel was watching him, his dark eyes keen.

  “You’re overthinking it,” he finally said.

  Barry frowned, and he shrugged, continuing, “Why complicate it? Just say it.”

  “Say what?”

  He shrugged again. “Whatever it is. It’s on your face.”

  Barry sighed, looked away. He thought of all the shit that had led him here--skipping out on bad friends, losing his flat, going hungry. And then meeting the Kings--trying to steal from the Kings, more like--and meeting Gabriel. It was all upside down again.

  He kept his eyes on their hands. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you,” he said sheepishly.

  There was a silence.

  Barry finally managed to look at Gabriel. He was frowning, intrigued.

  “I didn’t think it happened that fast,” he said quietly.

  Barry shrugged, bewildered. “Nor did I.”

  Gabriel seemed to be struggling, his jaw working. “What does it feel like?”

  Barry stared at him. This was not at all what he had expected.

  He couldn’t help but shrug. “I don’t know….like this, I guess.”

  He gestured to the two of them, lying in the bed together. Gabriel seemed to consider it, and while he did Barry took his hand and kissed it.

  Gabriel looked at their hands. Then he looked at Barry. He smiled, and Barry grinned.

  Persephone

  She was standing in only her underwear, covered from head to toe in blood. Lucius’ body had disappeared long ago, leaving a large puddle of blood behind. The couch was smattered with it, the rug stained with it. Persephone’s pale skin was dyed ruby red.

  She had been changing when he had told her. He had come across a band of Angels--one of them most likely Serene, two of them certainly Melkira and Michael the Murderer. Persephone had heard of their grisly dealings with evil humans all her life. And now, it seemed, the two had come for her.

  She was scared. She was not often scared. She had gone into a frenzy, locking up Lucius’ joints, grabbing her Blade and plunging it into his body until he finally died. Blood had sprayed on her, and it fueled her rage, the buzz in her mind.

  Now Persephone stood, thinking. Lucius had mentioned seeing at least four Angels. That was very many. If they found where she was, they wouldn’t have any trouble killing her, even with her Talent. Melkira’s anger and Michael’s strength were both legendary.

  The elevator opened, and in walked Eris. She was clearly stunned by Persephone’s appearance, but composed herself.

  “I found something,” she said.

  Persephone turned to face her, her head cocked to the side. “I just killed Lucius,” she breathed, anger making her hands shake. “I gutted him until his intestines spilled out.”

  Eris stared at her, clearly unsure of what to say.

  Persephone said, “So help me, if your information doesn’t satisfy me, then I will do the same fucking thing to you.”

  There was a silence, as Eris studied her shoes. She was pale, and Persephone was pleased. She didn’t need Eris to think that she was vulnerable now that Lucius was dead.

  Eris took a deep breath. “I think I found Serene’s house.”

  Persephone found a silk robe and slipped it on. Her ears were perking up, and her fury was fading.

  “She wasn’t home….a human answered the door,” Eris continued. “He said she didn’t live there, but he was lying. I could tell.”

  Persephone thought, grinding her teeth together. “How many cars?”

  “Two. They had gone out for the night.”

  “So there are more of them. We need to be sure of how many,” she said, turning to face her. “Let’s see if you’re up for the challenge. It involves Melkira and Michael.”

  Eris went pale. She thought for a moment, breathing heavily.

  “If we kill them,” she breathed, “then nothing can stop us.”

  Persephone nodded. Yes, that was true. But it would be difficult. Too difficult for just two of them….

  “I have an idea,” Eris said. “About finding out who’s in that house.”

  Persephone waited.

  “That human,” she said, “he’s a junkie.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

  “His tattoos. They’re covering his veins. And his accent. Clearly from the wrong side of the tracks.”

  Persephone shrugged, unimpressed. There were plenty of humans on the “right” side of the tracks who liked their drugs, too.

  “If we offer him what he wants; he’ll tell us everything,” Eris explained. “Corner him, give him some dope for information. You know how those types are….he’ll take it.”

  Persephone considered this. It wasn’t the best plan. But they were running low on time; at least four Angels knew about the penthouse, and two of them were the most formidable Angels in all of history.

  “Be discreet when you kill him,” she said, looking in the mirror and brushing at her matted hair. “It’s not him I want to suffer.”

  Barry

  Everyone was tense when Serene woke. She refused any help--or any sympathy--and packed her things neatly in the bedroom closet for when she returned to Earth--whenever that would be. Everyone gave her space, and Michael and Gabriel waited for her in the living room.

  Barry was getting some laundry done when he ran right into her. She looked tired, with circle
s under her eyes. Barry’s eyes automatically went to her stomach, as if a bump might have magically appeared over the night. There hadn’t, and she didn’t look pleased with his curiosity.

  “Can we talk?” she asked.

  Barry frowned. She wanted to talk to him? She’d barely said two words to him since they first met.

  He shrugged and nodded, and she followed him to his bedroom.

  She closed the door, and Barry set the laundry basket on the bed.

  She took a deep breath. “You need to stop what you’re doing with my brother,” she said immediately.

  Barry stared at her. Then he cleared his throat. “It’s not your business.”

  “He’s an Angel. He can’t love you.”

  “Michael and Mel--”

  “Forget Michael and Mel,” she said impatiently.

  She sighed. “Regardless of his feelings for you….you’re….”

  Barry waited. He knew what was coming, and it filled his insides with horrible dread. With anger.

  “You’re troubled,” she said lamely. “And I don’t judge you--”

  “But you do,” Barry hissed.

  “You’re human, and you have your problems,” Serene said firmly. “You’re young, you’re vulnerable. He’s not prepared for that. And your past--”

  “I was sick.”

  “You could get sick again.”

  “Thanks for the reminder,” he hissed.

  There was a hint of remorse in her eyes as she watched him sit on the bed.

  “I just….don’t want him to have a broken heart,” she said lamely.

  “And forget my feelings, eh?” Barry said, giving her a hard look.

  But she was right, wasn’t she? He couldn’t run from his past. The things he had done would always stay with him.

  Serene looked weary. She didn’t say any more, but left, closing the door gently behind her.

  Barry stared ahead for a long time, trying not to think or feel. He had an awful craving, and he squeezed his eyes shut, taking deep breaths.

  It’ll go, he reminded himself firmly. Give it a moment; it’ll go. It’s all right.

  Gabriel came in. “Why aren’t you downstairs? We’re going.”