by Garnet Hart
She stared at her old protector and then smiled. Garr truly cared for her. She felt it. “I will help you.”
He was startled. He probably did not expect he could convince her that easily. “Are you very sure, Miss?”
She nodded. “Better with you than Odin or the Demons. After all, you have saved my life many times.”
“If Asgard will get you, you’ll have to get in there without your physical form. It means they’ll have to kill you so you can ascend to the gods’ world. While if you sing for us, you can come with us to Vanar as you are, alive.”
Now, indeed, that sounded like a far better option for her. “I see. Do you really think I’m a songstress? That I can invigorate men just with my voice?”
“The seers of Asgard are never wrong. You are a songstress. That is why everyone wants you for their own interest. But we will not force you if you don’t want to sing for us. I want you to sing for us willingly. That way, the power of your chant will be stronger.”
“They say I can only learn the chant in Alfheim. How can I become a songstress if I don’t go there?”
“There are two kinds of elves. The dwellers of Alfheim are called the Light Elves. But In Svartalfar, there are also the Dark Elves.”
“I’ve been there.”
“Yes, that’s where Lior kept you hidden for two hundred years. The Elves there can teach you the chant as well, but instead of becoming a songstress of the light, you will be a songstress of the dark.”
“Are Lycans considered dark creatures?”
“Yes, same with the Demons and Vampires.”
“The light forces are the good ones, aren’t they?”
“We are called dark because our powers are stronger at night, while light creatures are stronger at day. That’s all the difference there is.”
“But that’s what the myth says. That the gods are the ones protecting us, and that Odin had created this world and the humans.”
“The nine worlds have been in existence since the beginning of time. The humans were once as powerful as the gods of Asgard and any other world. There was a total balance, until Odin longed for greater power so he could rule the world, and he’d stolen the dragon orb from the humans to get the dragons to fight by his side as he conquered other worlds. And now he tells that bullshit that he has created mankind? The hell with him. Perhaps there’s a God who had created all these worlds, but it’s definitely not Odin.”
Asra rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I agree with you, but…”
“Take your time. As I said, we won’t force you. If you don’t want to leave Europe, I won’t force you either.”
“No, I’ll come along with you. If Lior finds me, he’ll take me to Alfheim, and then they will kill me there. I don’t want to die yet.”
“To help you see the other side of the coin… When you die and are sent to Asgard, you’ll be like a goddess. You might prefer that.”
“A goddess of what? A goddess of death? I’ll be singing for the warriors of Asgard so they can have the strength to slaughter other men? What if they conquered Midgar as well?”
Garr smiled. “Had you not eloped with Lior, you could have made a great Chief.”
“Save your praises. I don’t need them now.”
He laughed. “All the portals are guarded by every creature interested of you. So I don’t think there’s an easy way for Lior to bring you to Alfheim.”
She shook her head. “He has asked the help of the Ancient Forces, and also the temple guards all around Europe. He’s purchased two private jets to fly his army to a random portal in South America so the Demons will have no time to prepare. I think he can get me through that portal.”
Garr clenched his fists. “If that’s the case, then you have no option but to come with me, unless you want to go to Alfheim and be killed for the service of your gods.”
She nodded, her resolve stronger this time. “Alright. I will go with you to Vanar and help you win it back. Then you will let me come back here?”
“Yes. I will make sure that you are always safe here, too.”
“I also want my castle back.”
Garr was speechless for a long moment as he stared at her in disbelief. “You’ll need a hefty amount of money to purchase that from Randall MacLeod.”
“I will find the money. So, when do we leave?”
“We’ll leave as soon as I have your papers fixed in a day or two. But there’s one thing that you have to do.”
“What?”
“You have to shed away your stubborn pride as the Miss of MacLeod from this moment on. Don’t even mention it again. Whatever happened in the past, keep them all behind you and start moving forward, this time, as an ordinary person born from ordinary parents. You have no title, no properties and no legacy. That will be how you’re going to start a new life in America.”
The thought of it scared her, to be stripped of everything that she once possessed with pride, but perhaps, that was the best way to start anew… from nothing.
Book II
WARRIOR
of the
MOON
(The Quest of a Lycan)
GARNET HART
Chapter 15
Three months later
Lior clenched his knuckles and tossed the phone on his hotel bed. The month-long search all around Europe was a failure, and so he had deployed his men to Asia and Africa, but still there was no news of Asra. He had just spoken with his men in Vietnam. They had practically turned the country upside down but Asra was nowhere to be found. Even Lysander’s search had not helped.
“Bloody cunt!” he grunted under this throat as he paced around his suite. He couldn’t believe Asra could get that far away, unless she received help from someone else
Both Olivia and Ginny had been pointing at each other. He couldn’t tell who was lying, but it looked more likely that Ginny had sent Asra away. She had the motive, and one of his workers had told him that he had overheard Ginny telling Asra to leave.
However, even Olivia was suspicious. That goddess was hell-bent on taking him as her lover and would kick anyone who’d dare come in between them.
“Women,” he uttered in disgust. He had sent Olivia back in the Philippines then and had told her not to come again. As for Ginny, he had forced her to confess, but she had only admitted to warning Asra of possible challenges from the female Lycans.
He sighed and pushed aside the curtains covering the glass wall. It was late in the afternoon here in Carson City. From the twenty-third floor where his suite was located, he could see hundreds of people and cars crowding the sidewalks and streets, but there was no scent of Asra anywhere here.
Holy gods, he was missing her, and this kind of feeling was breaking his heart. He wasn’t sure why, but he was dying to see her again.
He could not accept the possibility that he may never see her again. This was strange. All these different emotions resonating from his heart made him want to scream.
When he had left Asra under the care of the Dark Elves, he was at peace that she’d be safe there. He knew that anytime he wanted, he could go see her and he’d find her there. But now…
Fuck! Anything could have happened to her. The Demons or any other creatures interested of her being a songstress could have taken her by now and he had not a god damn clue of her whereabouts!
A door buzzed.
He walked out of the bedroom to peek through the door. “The blasted prat,” he mumbled when he saw Bran’s face grinning from ear to ear.
While Lysander and the rest of the Ancient Forces struggled to search for the Elf, Bran had not been doing anything else but discussing his movie with the director and trying to convince Clint Eastwood to play the role of his father.
The shooting had started two months ago, but he only came to Carson last week. It’s not that he had given up searching. He was hoping that the Elf may have wandered around this place, or somewhere in America. It would surely be difficult to find her here. But until he did, he wo
n’t stop.
“So how’s the search of your men?” Bran asked right after Lior opened the door.
“Since when did you care?”
Bran stepped inside. “I’ve always cared.”
Lior closed the door. “For the third time, Clint Eastwood turned down the offer. He said he’s too old to play that kind of role.”
“Heh, I think he’s just worried I might outshine his character. When my movie hits the blockbuster, he’d be a sore arse. So how’s the search?”
“Nothing turned up yet. I’ll continue searching for her here while you’re doing the film.”
“You tell all your men they’re all a bunch of pussies without balls, including Lysander’s men.”
“I have no time to listen to your lame opinions.”
Bran grunted and went to the bar to serve himself a drink. “How many men have you sent searching? Hundreds? Thousands?”
Lior sat on the stool in front of the counter. “Why does it matter to you?”
“Because it only takes one wise man to do a job that a thousand fools cannot.”
“And who is that?”
Bran pulled a bottle from the rack and twisted the cap open. “Me.”
“Well, have you done it?”
“Of course.”
Lior scowled. He couldn’t believe this prick managed to do some searching while he was too busy shooting at day and partying at night. “I heard you were in Las Vegas last night.”
“Yes, doing my search,” Bran said, pouring the brandy on two glasses.
Lior rolled his eyes. He knew Bran too well. He went to Las Vegas when he heard it was called the City of Sin where he can find all varieties of women. “And what did you find?”
“A lassie with green eyes and auburn hair in a skimpy dress dining with a pretty lad. She sure was a head turner inside the restaurant.”
The description did not quite match that of Asra, but the mere mention of green eyes was enough to get him interested. “You think it was Asra? Did you get a good look at her?”
“I didn’t go near her. If she saw me, she’d have run away. But I am very sure it was her.”
Lior stared at the vampire. Was he serious for once? “Why should I believe you?”
Bran smiled and pulled out a photograph from his pocket. “Perhaps you’ll recognize her.”
Lior’s eyes widened when he saw a woman in a revealing black dress. Her hair was indeed auburn, no doubt dyed. She was sitting beside a young man.
Indeed, the woman was Asra.
He had to know where Bran found her, but somehow, the sight of the young man she was with weighed a lot more to him than anything else. “Who the hell is this boy?” he asked.
“Why’d you give a shit about that lad?” Bran asked. “I thought the first thing you’d ask is where I saw her. You jealous?”
He lowered the photo and looked at Bran straight in the eye to prove he was mistaken. “Where did you see her?” Suddenly, his heart was racing.
Bran just grinned, and Lior knew the prick wanted something in return.
“It’s somewhere in Vegas, alright,” Lior concluded.
“But where in Las Vegas?” Bran taunted. “You can save yourself the trouble, especially that you don’t have enough men with you here. You might as well admit that I’m better than your thousand fools.”
Lior sighed. “What do you want?”
“Hmmm.” Bran chugged the liquor in his glass. “A male cow, perhaps. I want to breed the cow I bought from you.”
“You stole it. You never paid for that.”
“Take it from my talent fee.”
“Fine. I’ll ask someone to send you the cow in Powys. Now, tell me where you saw her.”
“There’s another one.”
His eyebrows crinkled. “What else?”
“I want you to ship Arion here. He’ll be my horse for the movie.”
He frowned. “Are you nuts?! He’s an Asgard horse!”
“So?”
If he was not in a hurry to find Asra, he’d kick this prick’s butt out of his suite right now. “Fine. He’ll be here in a few days, but I’ll be personally in charge of him. You won’t take him anywhere else without my permission.”
“No problem.”
“Now, tell me where you saw her.”
“It’s at the back of that photo,” Bran answered and refilled his glass.
Lior flipped the photo and found the complete address of the restaurant at the back. Extremely annoyed that he did not bother to check it first before agreeing to Bran’s requests, he slapped Bran hard on the stomach.
Bran almost choked on his brandy. “What the fuck was that for?” he complained.
Lior ignored him and went inside the room to get his phone. He’d order his men to stop their search in Nevada, particularly Vegas. He was sure someone was protecting Asra. While he didn’t know the enemy, it was best that he’d take the necessary precaution.
Asra inhaled from the small bottle of perfume. She closed her eyes and tried to identify the different scents that had been mixed together in this particular perfume. She could name three. Peach, orange, and jasmine.
She laid the bottle on the table and inserted back its glass cork. This perfume had a nice fruity smell, and the packaging was lovely. But the price was just as expensive as its look. This was manufactured by a known perfumer who branded his products under his famous signature name.
She looked up and thought of a name for her own brand in the future.
It had been three months since she arrived here in Las Vegas. At first, the lights, the buildings, and the people had shocked her, but Garr managed to convince her that this was the best place for her to hide. Within a much populated City like Las Vegas, Lior would have a rough time finding her.
She got used to her new and strange surroundings in a couple of weeks. Garr made her stay in his condominium unit located at the 40th floor of the Allure Tower. The height had terrified her until this moment.
Knowing how she loved to dance, Garr introduced her to a dance instructor who was conducting a regular dance class at the ground floor. She had enjoyed every part of it, even the pole dancing sessions.
But there came a day when she had had enough being confined in the building. Accompanied by two men that Garr had ordered to watch over her, she strolled along the road and she found a shop of perfumes. It suddenly caught her interest. She had always been a lover of perfume and she wanted to figure out how such fine things were made. She told Garr about her desire to study scents and the Lycan paid for her six-month course in a fragrance laboratory.
It was a pleasant surprise for her to find out that Garr had thrived in the modern world, too. He was now the owner of one of the largest casinos here in Las Vegas, hiding under an American name. She had wanted to work for him, but he opposed the idea. She was not even allowed to go see him without his permission. But he never missed a day to call her to know if she was fine.
She had suspected that the headquarters of the Lycan rebels was within the casino’s premises, but Garr never wanted to talk about it. Instead, he had always reminded her to stay away from Geoff.
Geoffrey was a famous twenty-one year old movie star who lived a few doors from her condo. He had a flock of pretty girls following him everywhere, but he seemed to be more interested in her. More often than not, she had declined his invitation to go out on a date, but he was persistent. It came to a point when Garr, whom Geoff knew as her uncle, threatened to break his nose but Geoff swore that he had only pure intentions towards her. It annoyed Garr even more and warned Geoff that none of the media or paparazzi must know anything about her.
Geoff was a handsome man, and was a lot kinder than anyone she had known. If he was not doing a movie, he preferred to stay in Las Vegas, away from the hassles of the paparazzi. However, Garr was right. Being with a Hollywood star could expose her to the world, and that was the last thing she wanted.
There was a commotion at the entrance.
&n
bsp; When she turned around, she saw a man waving to everyone as he stepped in. From where she was, she could not quite recognize his face, but she supposed he was a celebrity. She could tell it by the way the women were screaming.
Ever since Garr introduced her to movies, she had been addicted to it but she could hardly remember the titles or the names of the actors in them. She liked watching TV, too, and music videos. This century was really fascinating.
A minute later, a woman followed. This time she knew her, even from afar. She was too famous. Jennifer Lopez was here to promote her latest signature perfume.
As the people inside the hall went wild over the celebrities, she went farther to the corner to stay away from the cameras. Garr would be furious to learn that she had come here despite his warning not to, without his bodyguards with her.
Her cellphone rang. She pulled it out of her hand bag. Garr gave this to her and he had patiently taught her how to use it. In three months, she’d learned a lot about this new world. Everything was just amazing that she did not want to stop learning everyday.
“Hi!” she said as she pressed the phone to her ear. It was Geoff. He was in California doing a shoot at this moment, but whenever he was on break, he always called her. This was the third time for this day alone.
Geoff seemed very pleased just to hear her voice. They spoke for several minutes while she looked at the bottles of perfume within her reach.
Then she noticed someone in the crowd. A man was standing there. He smiled at her and she gasped in horror.
Lior!
With his towering height, he couldn’t be missed. Three girls were around him. Two of them were gliding their hands down his arms and shoulders, but he didn’t seem to pay them any attention. His eyes were on her. He was wearing a black suit and the wild waves of hair that he never even bothered to comb while they were in Wolverton Ranch were now neatly pulled back from his handsome face.
Her knees trembled that she almost could not stand on her feet. He could be the most gorgeous man around here, but he was also someone that she had always hoped never to see again. But despite all the precautions she had done, and despite coming all the way here in the United States, this Lycan still managed to find her.