by Jaye Shields
“I’m not there yet. Can you ask one of the aunts how I should try to access the portal?”
“Geez, I’m Wiccan, too. Can’t you at least try to act like you value my opinion? I do know what I’m doing.” Her voice was both hurt and teasing.
“Okay, Sparrow, what would you have me do?”
“Free your mind, and concentrate on a bright, white light that can take you wherever you desire.”
Tera did so as Sparrow’s voice came through the phone, and the next thing she knew, she was swarmed by a thick fog and sucked through the portal. She nearly stumbled as she arrived at her destination.
Almost instantly, she was reminded of a subway or metro corridor, with an equally massive amount of travelers, but completely shrouded in fog. The next thing that swarmed her senses was the variety of smells. Vile, disgusting scents akin to vomit and mold drifted in and out of her nostrils. But so, too, did fragrant streams of roses, bergamot, and smoky frankincense.
Her eyes were completely overwhelmed. Through the thick fog, various creatures of all shapes and sizes, of all colors and textures maneuvered around. Just as a hairy beast of some sort moved past her with its hulking twelve feet, a tiny glowing faerie rushed up to her. Sitting on her shoulder for only a moment, Tera felt her whole body glow with happiness. But then the faerie flitted away once more, barely a glow in the fog.
Tera forced herself to move forward and try not to look too conspicuous lest she be confronted by a demon of some mythological sort. She spied one of the Knights that had accosted them in Golden Gate Park and she immediately darted under the cover of the fog.
Satisfied that she had eluded his gaze, she huddled forward to put more distance between them. Finally deciding it was safe to continue on in a less foolish fashion, Tera stood. But as soon as she did, a strong arm grasped her, pulling her arms painfully behind her back.
“Come for a bit of sight-seeing, Dryad?” The voice that whispered in her ear held a sinister, yet playful tone. “I could have the perfect revenge on Sabin by putting you in the prison.”
He yanked her around to face him. “You know, you landed some serious blows that night you and me danced. The Goddess of the Hunt taught you well. But you cannot hide from the eyes of a Knight in the Fog. We see everything.”
Tera grumbled and tried to yank herself from his grip. “Good to know.”
The Knight peered behind her deep through the fog. “But I have a better plan for revenge, and then your Knight and I will be equal.”
“You shot him. He put you in prison. Seems like it’s already equal to me,” she challenged.
He heaved an impatient sigh. “Just come with me.” Releasing her, he moved easily through the fog, the hordes of travelers parting for his path. “I’m Zeth. I’ll take you to Sabin.”
After several enlightening minutes walking through the Portal Realm, they came to a stop. “I don’t see him.” She furrowed her forehead, unable to see much through the thick fog except for the nearest creatures.
Zeth held out his hands, which glowed as he motioned for the fog to part. Then Tera’s heart dropped into her stomach. Before them, she saw Sabin in the distance. His arms were clutching the naked body of a female, a creature of the very voluptuous kind.
A forbidden tear sprang from her lid just as Sabin recognized her presence. Tera cursed with pain and humiliation. “Damn!” Raking her eyes away from Sabin and his woman, she quickly asked Zeth, who seemed to be quite entertained, “Where is the nearest door outta here?”
With a playful shove, Tera felt herself falling through a portal.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sabin couldn’t believe his eyes. Just as he had grabbed the succubus to slap some handcuffs on the sex demon, he saw Tera through the fog. Standing next to Zeth, she looked completely devastated. He knew that his grip on the naked succubus looked bad, and now he felt like vomiting. He had wanted to give her some time before he returned to win her heart, not drive her away.
As if Tera couldn’t stand to look at him another moment, she turned to Zeth. The Knight communicated with him internally. We’re even now.
He gritted his teeth and watched Zeth shove Tera through a portal. Growling at the Knight, Sabin glared dangerously. “Thanks.” With that, he stepped through the portal to pursue his love, a seriously scorned one at that.
Sabin recognized the portal Zeth had shoved her through. He didn’t know whether to be glad it led to the Human Realm or pissed because she could easily evade him. He entered through the mystical doorway, his feet meeting cement only a moment later. Night blanketed this area of the Human Realm, but his vision was honed enough to see Tera tearing over the dessert landscape toward the city lit up in the distance.
“Tera!” He ran after her, closing the distance. “I was arresting her!”
She didn’t turn around. Instead, her pace quickened, along with Sabin’s stuttering heartbeat. Never before did his courage falter in battle. But now fear shook him to his core. Tera was raised by a goddess who’d been scorned by many men. Tera defied the odds and trusted him anyway. Now he feared he’d broken the thin thread that he’d begun sewing between them.
He reached her, his speed and desperation a force to be reckoned with. “Tera, I — ”
She whipped around before his fingers could wrap around her arm. “Get away from me!” The ice in her tone became a dagger at his throat, slowly tracing its way across, leaving him agonized and speechless. “I can’t believe I actually thought you loved me.”
“I do, Tera.”
“No.” Her voice shook. “No. My mother was right. Men do not know love beyond glory and consumption.” She pointed a shaky finger into his face as if spelling him to flee from her sight. He fought the urge to take her hand softly within his, hold it to his heart, and beg for forgiveness. Her watery gaze spilled over her lids, tears glinting in the moonlight. “You consumed me. You took pleasure from me, but like the greatest tormentor, you tried to win me with ecstasy, get me addicted to you so I could never have another.”
“No, Tera. There will never be another. If you forgive me, I’ll never take pleasure from you again if only I could glimpse rapture on your face, prove to you that love does exist. I never believed it myself. It’s you that have taken me captive. For as long as I live I’ll never be complete if you would forsake me.”
“Shut up!” Tera shoved him. Sadness weakened his knees and he stumbled back. She shoved him again. “I was stupid for trusting you. I won’t make that mistake again. Not with you, and not with any other man.” She laughed, but not the beautiful way he’d heard her many times. Instead, angst bubbled up from her throat and stabbed him in the gut with guilt. “No, from now on men will be only one thing to me. Pleasure. I’ll take my release and be done.”
“You don’t mean that. I know you better than you think, Dryad. You’re better than such things. And although you won’t claim it. I know your love for me runs as deep as mine.”
“I hate you.” The low-spoken words closed the short distance between them. Her eyes no longer washed with sadness, but anger.
“Tera, how can I prove to you that what you saw was not — ”
“You can’t.” Tera turned and walked away. “Go back the way you came, Knight.”
“Tera, I would die for you. I love you.”
“Ha! You can’t die for me. You’re immortal.” Her bitter words yelled through the darkness. Sabin ran to her once more, grabbing her arm gently to halt her.
“I’m truly sorry that I am immortal. Although I may not be able to die for you, I am at least glad for the length of time I will have to be able to make things up to you. I meant what I said. There is no other for me. If it takes all of my immortality to make you see that you can trust me, then so be it.” He released her when she wouldn’t so much as meet his gaze. “Let me take you back through the Fog Rea
lm to your portal.”
“I don’t need you.”
His heart slowly tore in two, sinking deep into his stomach, a destroyed mess of agony. “I’ll leave you in peace then. For now. I will be back. I do love you, Tera, and I will not be able to stay away long.”
In the most painful moment of his life, he turned from her and walked away.
Chapter Twenty-Two
He’d left.
Tera didn’t know whether to be satisfied or to sink to her knees and sob like a baby.
Instead, she walked forward across the dirt terrain like a zombie. Tera recognized the city in the distance, she been there a time or two with Sparrow before. She smiled painfully, recalling the many times Sparrow tried to convince her to let loose and give into the many guys chasing her. Her best friend once claimed that Las Vegas was the place to leave everything else behind and just let loose. Tera imagined that if there were one city to drown out her sorrows in, Vegas would be it.
Tera fished her Blackberry from her back pocket. Her hand trembled from the emotional exhaustion racking her body, but she managed to dial Sparrow.
Her best friend picked up on the last ring, just when Tera’s sanity nearly collapsed. “Hey, buddy. I’m surprised you have reception in the Fog Realm.”
Instead of replying, Tera’s voice broke and she burst into tears. “I’m so stupid, Sparrow.”
“What’s the matter?”
“I caught him with another woman.” The words barely escaped through her sobs.
“Where are you? I’m coming.”
“Las Vegas.”
“Las Vegas?” Sparrow’s high-pitched voice questioned.
Tera just cried in response.
“Tera, I’m coming. Keep your cell phone on. I think one of my tattoos will get me there faster than a plane. I hate airport security these days.”
A laugh escaped Tera through her tears.
“Tera … I don’t know what happened. But I’m sure it’s not what you think. We all saw the way he looked at you. I’ve never had anyone look at me that way. It was … magickal for lack of a better word.”
Tera sucked in a breath, letting her tears dry against the warm Nevada wind. “I wish that was true Sparrow. Right now I just need to forget.”
“I’m on it. You, me and all the free booze we can handle in the casinos tonight. I’ll be there soon.”
“I love you, Sparrow.”
“I love you too. Now, go to that Thunder Down Under show and by the time it’s over, I should be there.”
Tera nodded numbly before hitting the end button. Watching a bunch of half-naked, make that, completely naked, stallions of men was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she lay down on the ground. The cold dirt felt good against her back as she stared up at the stars.
One final tear slid down her cheek. Now she knew how her mom felt thousands of years ago when her heart was broken by a man. Betrayed.
Three days later, Tera arrived back in Alameda with Sparrow. Her best friend had tried her best to distract Tera with night-long dancing binges and alcohol induced-stupors, but nothing worked. Tera even tried to lose herself in the arms of another man. It didn’t work. As a matter of fact, it’d failed miserably and she ending up puking all over. Another man’s touch had made her feel violated, even if she was the one that had sought it.
Memories of the electricity that ignited between her and Sabin had plagued her the entire trip. More and more she doubted what she saw in the Fog Realm. Even the aunts seemed to defend the man they barely knew. But the pain of being caught off-guard with the sight of a naked demoness in his arms left an ache in her heart. She couldn’t trust him. She wouldn’t trust anyone besides her family ever again.
Thanks goodness it was Tuesday. Tera started to walk toward Park Street to give the free self-defense lessons she taught at the local martial arts studio. She needed to beat something up.
The weighted “attacker” hanging from the ceiling became the naked demon in Sabin’s arms. Instructing her students, Tera threw her agony into each blow. Halfway through her lesson, she went into a stupor, pounding on her dummy until the silence behind her made her realize that her pupils had all come to a stop and were gazing at her with dropped-jaws. One of the younger women spoke up. “You stopped telling us what moves to use, Tera.”
“Oh.” She flushed.
Just then, Sparrow rushed through the door of the studio, holding something in one of her hands. She came to a full-stop at the door, smiling sheepishly, taking off her shoes before taking a seat next to the mat. Tera waved back, but didn’t bother with the fake smile she offered her students. The final ten minutes of the lesson passed the same way. Tera sweated the pain from her heart with each kick, each jab that she threw at the dummy. When it was over, she had no choice but to see what had brought her friend to the studio in such a hurry.
“So um, it got kinda messed up on my way here, but I wanted to show you something.”
Tera realized what Sparrow had holding when she arrived. The round, black shape of a Magic Eight ball came into full view as Sparrow released it from a tight grip. Tera leaned down to read the words floating on the screen. All signs point to no. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I asked it if Sabin has been unfaithful.”
“Why can’t you just let me forget and move on, Sparrow?”
“Because I think you’re being crazy. This isn’t like you. You’re acting like a wimp.”
“A wimp?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen you fight vampires to keep this city safe, but now you’re too afraid to even talk to the man that claims to love you, and find out what the hell really happened. You’re too afraid to defend what you’re heart still dares to believe. It’s your head that refuses to be brave enough to take a chance on something great. Quit trying to protect yourself from hurt and take a chance. I got you drunk as hell in Vegas, and I was hoping you’d come around and go running back to that portal for hot makeup sex, but it never happened.”
“How could you, Sparrow?”
“Because I love you. And I know that you’re too hurt to see the truth right now. Go to him.”
“The last time I went to him, my heart got broken.”
“Okay, well if that happens again I’ll put a teeny peeny hex on him,” Sparrow grinned hopefully. Tera’s heart swelled, and she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped.
“Come on. Let’s go home. I’ll think about it.”
• • •
A week later, she’d thought about it. She’d thought about nothing but him. She was scared as hell that she’d be wrong once again and feel stupid as hell for trusting in her heart. But her mind was consumed with Sabin. She realized that in the short time she’d known him, she had indeed fallen in love with him. Whether he deserved her love or not was still under debate. Her heart pled with her to go to him, but her head taunted her, calling her out for daring to make the same mistake twice.
When she’d first met Sparrow, Tera was nervous of leaving her forest only to be betrayed to the cruel world she’d seen evolve. But leaving her redwood had been one of the best things to ever happen to her, for now she had the Reed family. Tera decided that she’d take a chance once more. Which is why now she stood above Alcatraz prison, debating entry into the Fog Realm to seek out Sabin once more.
Just as she was about to follow Sparrow’s old instructions on reaching the portal, it flashed with light within the thick Bay Area fog. Sabin’s large body fell through the air, his combat boots landing with a thud on the ground just before her. His arrival sent her hair blowing back, her knees going weak at his presence. His eyes glittered with surprise … and happiness.
“You’re here?” His low voice rang with disbelief as reached out to cup her cheek. She backed away.
“I’m surprised to see you here.
”
“I told you I’d come back for you.” The fog hung in the air behind him, matching his fluorescent, otherworldly features. But it wasn’t the mesmerizing color of his gaze or the hardness of his body that had plagued her mind in his absence, but the way he looked at her with such tenderness, the way she fit into his embrace.
“It’s been over a week. Long enough for you to enjoy some solace from an overemotional Dryad?”
“No, of course not. In the Fog Realm, I thought I was only gone two days. I wanted to give you time to contemplate your feelings. I apologize. I know this sounds bad, but immortals aren’t the best judges of time. After centuries it just seems to flow together. My fellow knights didn’t mention anything upon my return so I did not realize that time passed so differently between planes.” He reached out for her once more. This time she let his hand meet hers. “My time was not as long as yours, but every second was still agony. It pains me that you would not trust me.”
His words rang with such honesty that it was hard not to just give into her heart and run into his arms. Her throat ached, longing like a traitor to declare her love for him, but it wouldn’t be enough. “You’ve stolen my heart. I can’t deny it. But even if you are right, and I choose to believe you for now, I don’t know if I can ever trust you again. I’ll always question the perfect happiness that you weave around me. Before, I thought it was all too good to be true. And then it shattered before my eyes.”
“Tera, I’ve watched you die. Or nearly so back in Muir Woods. My happiness has also been shattered because the woman I love more than everything believes me to be untrue. That day I swore to myself that I’d never let harm come to you. I never thought my vow would be undone by breaking your heart. I’ll spend every moment outside my duty proving to you that my words in this matter are true. You mean everything to me.”
Tera’s body heated at his words, her heart constricting within her chest. The words from Sparrow’s Magic Eight ball spun through her mind. Her heart agreed with the novelty toy. To give him another chance at earning her trust might be the greatest happiness she’s ever known. Like the days she spent with him when her whole life was lightness.