by Nely Cab
We stepped out of the car, and Samuel met us on the porch. Galilea took the key out of her pocket and opened the door.
“Isis, Galilea, is that you?” Nyx’s voice came from upstairs.
“Yes,” Galilea said. “And we have company.”
Alezzander walked into the foyer with a drink in his hand. He stared at Samuel. I couldn’t decide if the look on Alezzander’s face was surprise or irritation. And for some reason, I suddenly felt very protective of Samuel, which made me take a step forward and position myself by his side.
“Alezzander.” Samuel tipped his head. “It’s been a long time.”
“Amadeus,” Alezzander said, his voice low. “How—?”
I stepped in front of Samuel.
“He goes by Samuel,” I said. “He’s my biological father, and if you touch one hair on his head, you’ll regret it.”
CHAPTER 23
Nyx walked into the foyer just as the threat rolled off my tongue. Stunned silence filled the room. I didn’t know if the muteness was due to Samuel’s presence or because I’d challenged all six feet and four inches of Alezzander.
“It’s been so many years,” Nyx said. “We thought you were dead, Amadeus.”
“As did I. Yet, here I am. Alive and well.” Samuel stared at Alezzander. “Reunited with my best mate.”
“You’re friends?” I asked.
“Best friends,” Samuel clarified.
“I can’t believe you’re standing here. I searched for you,” Alezzander said. “Everywhere. It was like you’d ceased to exist.”
“I apologize.” Samuel looked at his feet, then up at Nyx and Alezzander. “I had to do what was in my best interest. Holding a chair on the Council wasn’t for me. I’m no lawmaker. The only reason they needed me on the board was to represent my mother’s lineage—to make the Council seem diverse, sensitive. The son of Aphrodite was perfect as their puppet, which is what I was for a long time. I grew sick of it and asked to be pardoned from my role, but they refused to let me step down. So… I took matters into my own hands; I left. But I knew if they found me, I’d be quarantined to Caelum. I don’t belong there, Alezzander. I belong here, with the mortals we vowed to protect and aid.”
“Why didn’t you come to me?” Alezzander frowned. “I could’ve helped you.”
“Friend,” Samuel shook his head, “you too were seated on the Council. How could I? Besides, we were at war. It was the perfect time to disappear.”
“I understand,” Alezzander said, studying Samuel more closely now. “You’ve aged—aged well,” Alezzander said.
“Thank you. It’s only happened in the last eighteen years.” Samuel glanced at me. “Once she was born.”
“Oh, sure. Blame the Creatura,” I muttered in a quiet voice.
Alezzander set his drink on a small table. He stepped closer. “It’s good to have you back, my friend.” He shook Samuel’s hand and gave him a one-armed hug. “You’ve been missed greatly.”
“As I’ve missed you, old friend. As I’ve missed you.”
***
While Nyx and Alezzander filled in Samuel about the reason Turpis wanted to rip my child from my womb, I went upstairs to check on David.
Dr. Gunn and Eileen concentrated on the clipboard in Eileen’s hand.
“Hi,” I said. They looked at me and smiled. “Are those the test results from this morning?”
“Yes,” Eileen said. “He’s stable.”
“Which means he’s not getting better,” I said.
“No. It means he’s stable,” Dr. Gunn said. “As long as it’s not worse, it’s still good.”
I glanced briefly at the wires and tubes attached to David’s body. “But not better.”
“We’re never on the same page with you, are we?” Eileen pursed her lips. “Maybe this is something you’ll like. We ran blood tests on David and compared them to the samples we took from you yesterday.”
“And?”
“We have reason to believe the metamorphosis has come to a halt,” Gunn said. “
“You’re telling me it’s done?” I asked in disbelief. “The transformation is over?”
“For now, yes.” Eileen turned some dials on the monitor next to David’s bed. “However, we’d like to run a few more tests to confirm.”
“Then it’s not good news.” I said. “You’d told me it was slowly retroceding. I thought I was going to be human at some point in my life.”
“Trust me,” Gunn said. “It’s good news. Compared to a pregnant human mother, your health is impeccable. With the trauma from the demon attacks, you would’ve lost the baby. Without the durability your body has achieved in this transformation, Isis, I don’t want to think of how many pieces you would’ve ended up in.”
I shuddered at his words. “So I’m still all three—human, deity, Creatura?” Gunn and Eileen nodded. “Do you know how much of each?”
“Dear.” Gunn held out his hand for the chart Eileen was holding. “Thank you.” He flipped through the pages. “As of the last results, both you and David show Superhuman—deity, as you call it—genetic makeup of thirty-two percent, Creatura makeup is twenty-one percent, and human genome comes in the highest at forty-seven percent.”
“The numbers changed. How is it possible that I’m only twenty-one percent Creatura?” I asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“The only explanation we have is that this unprecedented variable,” Gunn waved his hand at my stomach, “offset the transformation. A woman’s body is a highly intricate mechanism, able to create suitable living conditions for a healthy fetus. Not only does your belly grow, but also, there are subtle changes that occur in a pregnant woman’s body, all to accommodate the arrival of the newborn. Do you know what this is called?” I shook my head. “The miracle of childbirth.”
“What about the baby?” I asked. “Is it going to be like this—like David and me?”
“Theoretically and from a genetic point of view, yes. However, your blood has been changing throughout the entire first and part of the second trimester. I can’t determine what makeup your child has, unless…”
“There’s a very long needle involved,” Eileen said. “And there’s a risk of miscarriage.”
“No,” I said immediately.
“It’s low risk—one in four hundred,” Gunn explained further. “The advantages of this test are that it would enable us to determine if birth defects are present, as well as define the gender of the baby with one-hundred percent accuracy.”
“But there’s a risk of miscarriage,” I repeated Eileen’s words.
“Yes,” Eileen said. “But if we find an abnormality, we may be able to correct it, or, at the very least, be prepared for when the baby arrives.”
“So what you’re saying,” I stepped next to David’s bed, “is you want me to agree to this test.”
“We feel it would be advantageous to know what we’re dealing with,” Gunn said.
“But we understand your concern, as well,” Eileen said. “It’s your choice, Isis. We won’t force you.”
“I don’t think I can make this kind of decision on my own,” I told the doctors.
“Take your time,” Gunn said.
Eileen took the clipboard from her husband’s hand and set it on the nightstand. “We’ll be back to check on him later.”
There was a knock at the door, and Nyx peeked in.
“You can come in,” I said.
Nyx entered the room, Alezzander and Samuel behind her.
“Ah, we have a visitor,” Dr. Gunn said.
“Dr. Tobias Gunn and Dr. Eileen Gunn, I presume?” Samuel extended his hand to Eileen first, then to Dr. Gunn. “Delighted. I’ve heard good things about both of you and your work. I’m Dr. Samuel Leumas.”
“We’re being fired?” Gunn’s blinking tick set in.
“No,” I said. “Dr. Gunn, Samuel is my biological father.”
A squeal caught in Gunn’s throat. “Your—father? Oh, what a good day, good
day this has turned into.” He clapped. “You and I, Dr. Leumas, must speak.”
“But later,” Eileen added. “At a more convenient time. We’ll be downstairs if you need us.” Eileen pulled on Dr. Gunn’s lab coat. “Come now, Tobias. And close your mouth. Where are your manners?”
“Eileen, do you realize what this means? I may have another test subject,” Dr. Gunn said as he and Eileen left the room. Eileen hushed him.
I closed the door and walked to the hospital bed.
“This is our son,” Nyx said to Samuel, combing David’s hair with her fingers. “David.” She cupped her son’s cheek. “My baby boy.”
“He’s young.” Samuel approached the bed. “They both are—so young for marriage.”
“That’s been our concern, as well,” Alezzander said. “But no one could come between these two.” He glanced at me. “As we told you downstairs, dear friend, they were destined for one another.”
“Truly,” Samuel agreed. “Has he shown signs of improvement?”
“The doctors say he’s stable,” Nyx said. “We’ve tried to heal him, my boys and me, but…” Nyx’s voice was broken. Alezzander drew his arm around her shoulders.
“He’ll wake up,” I said. Samuel and Alezzander traded worried glances. I turned my attention to David. “I have to believe he will.”
***
The calendar marked the first day of November. Five months I’d been pregnant. Three months David had been asleep. I’d decided not to go through with the amniocentesis, as I’d learned the test the Doctors Gunn had asked me to submit to was called. Samuel kept his word and stuck around. He rented an apartment somewhere in town in spite of Alezzander’s insistence to take one of the spare rooms. Strangely, I noted how he kept his distance from Claire, though why, I didn’t know.
A cool breeze bit my skin as I sat outside under the veranda. I loved autumn weather, especially at dusk. Submerged in the beauty of the auburn palette of colors in the sky, I almost felt tranquil. I watched the sun’s last fiery tendrils disappear below the horizon before I made my way back to the house.
Galen and Galilea were watching TV in one of the living rooms downstairs, and Nyx and Alezzander had stepped out to buy groceries. Eryx had left for Caelum two days prior to investigate if more speculation had arisen from the Council concerning their family.
“Did the doctors go home?” I asked Galen. He nodded.
“Samuel’s gone too,” Galilea said. “He said he’d be back later.” She patted the couch cushion next to her. “Sit with us for a bit. I just checked on David not two minutes ago.”
“I don’t like to leave him alone for too long,” I said.
“Isis, you can’t be in that room all day and night,” Galilea said. “You’re going to go crazy.”
“Did you not see me walk in? I’ve been outside for more than half an hour.”
“Only because Samuel made you go.” Galilea frowned.
“Let her go upstairs,” Galen said. “She’s David’s wife. If she wants to be with him, it’s not your business.”
“Fine,” Galilea said. “Go then.”
“I’ll come down in a bit. I promise,” I said.
“I’ve heard that one before,” Galilea mumbled.
It was getting harder to climb stairs. The extra weight made me clumsier and drained me. I found myself dozing off more often as I sat in the rocking chair Samuel bought me to watch over David.
By the time I reached the top of the stairs, I was out of breath. My back was killing me, and I wished Samuel had bought me a sofa instead of a rocking chair. I lumbered through the hallway slower than a legless turtle. At last, I reached David’s room. I opened the door, my head down, my breathing labored. I raised my eyes to check on David. What I saw standing next to his bed terrified me.
CHAPTER 24
A hand landed over my mouth—not my own. An arm wrapped around my shoulders, immobilizing me.
“Don’t scream,” I recognized Eros’ voice in my ear. “Let her finish. The quicker, the better.”
But what Eros didn’t know is I was so shocked by the gray-haired woman’s hollow eye sockets and grisly appearance, I couldn’t even move, much less scream.
“She’s here to help,” Eros whispered. “Be very quiet.”
I nodded, but Eros didn’t release me.
“Who’s there?” The haggard woman’s gray hair bounced as she turned her head.
“Don’t mind the noise, love,” Eros said. “Continue your work.”
“A deal is a deal.” The old woman smiled, a yellow, broken tooth peering out of her bottom gum.
She waved her dirty hands over David’s head, chanting words I couldn’t understand. Her head swayed from side to side, and she snapped her fingers.
“The first payment is due, Son of Starr,” she said. “Bring me the offering now.”
“Trust me,” Eros whispered into my ear. “Don’t leave and don’t scream for help.”
The haggard woman snapped her fingers again. “Hurry your rump, boy.”
Eros set me free. From the back waistline of his pants, he pulled out his golden dagger. He walked to the woman’s side and extended his arm to her. The woman licked her lips. In a sudden swift move, Eros slit his arm. Blood trailed out of the wound, down to Eros’s elbow. The woman sniffed the air and quickly latched on to the gash, suckling like a starved animal, licking his arm clean of every last red smear until the wound closed. I recoiled in horror. It was the most disgusting thing I’d ever seen. Then I remembered I too drank Eros’s blood once. My stomach soured.
“So, good.” The woman licked her bloody gums and lips. Her chin was soiled with crimson smudges. My mouth watered, remembering the flavor, and I scolded myself for yearning a taste, for being jealous of the wrinkled woman. “So tasty, Son of Starr.”
“Continue, love,” Eros said, and the woman smiled proudly again. “We’re in a rush, remember?”
What is she doing? I mouthed to Eros as the sightless woman waved her hands over David once more. Eros raised his finger to his lips and crossed the room, joining me.
“She’s a Graeae Witch,” Eros whispered, as if the name would mean something to me.
“Why did you bring her here?” I whispered back. “And I thought I told you not to come back.”
“Trust me.”
“That’s the problem. I don’t.”
“A deal is a deal,” the blind woman said. “The final offering seals the spell. Are you worthy of my magic, or shall I undo what has been done?”
“I’m a man of my word, Deino. But if you cross me, it’s an eye for an eye. No pun intended.”
“Shut your stupid face hole and come here, or I’ll undo this mess right now,” the witch said.
“You’ve got no sense of humor.” Eros walked to her. “Now?” he asked, and she nodded.
Eros bent over, took her horrendous face between his hands, and shot a quick glance in my direction. Then, without a second thought, he kissed her. The witch’s tongue slithered into Eros’ mouth. I saw him gag, and my stomach spasmed.
“Enough.” Eros pushed her away. “That’s enough.” He wiped his mouth. “Payment is fulfilled. Get on with it.”
Golden sparks exploded around the Graeae Witch. She twirled and flailed about the room. Eros grabbed her before she hit the machines next to David’s bed.
“Did it work?” she asked, her voice at a different pitch than a minute earlier.
Eros removed the gray hair covering her face. The young woman beneath the waterfall of silver strands looked nothing like the old haggard woman I’d first seen upon entering the room. Her skin was smooth and flawless, her eye sockets no longer empty, her mouth lined with pearl-white teeth.
“It worked,” Eros said to her.
“I’m beautiful?” she asked, doubtful. “As I was before?”
“Yes, love,” Eros said. “As you’ve always been.”
“As I want to be,” she said. “And so it is. And so it’s done. And so the fu
ture is sure to come.”
The witch turned, touching her surroundings. She may have had eyes now, but she was still blind. Ironic, she desired to be beautiful, but she would never see herself.
“Where’s the girl?” Deino asked. “Come to me, girl.” Eros jerked his head in Deino’s direction, and I stepped forward. Deino put her hands on my face and ran them down to my stomach. “Ah.” She breathed. “Your womb is filled with life, just as the sleeping prince told me.” She cocked her head. “But if you think the battle ends upon the child’s arrival, you’re wrong. They’re crawling and clawing to get to you. Be warned. Your war is near. Ask me nothing more of this. But I will grant you another question.”
“What did you do to him?” I asked the witch. “To my husband?”
“A deal is a deal,” Deino said. “And my deal is not with you.” She reached for Eros. “Take me home to my sisters, Son of Starr. They’ll be ever so jealous.”
“What did she do to him?” I looked at Eros.
“What you asked for.” He took Deino’s arm. “Be patient. David will come back to you.”
My heart leapt and sank at the same time. Deals amongst the gods didn’t come without high-priced consequences.
“At what cost, Eros?” I asked.
“That’s my business,” he said.
“Why would you…? I never thought you’d—”
“I told you I’d do anything for you, my sweet.” He caressed Deino’s hair. “I’d love to stay and chat, but this ravishing woman needs to return to her envious sisters.”
“Yes. Time is ticking,” Deino said. “A deal is a deal. Take me home at once.”
“Thank you,” is all I managed to say before they disappeared.
What Eros had done for me was much too selfless for me to understand. The act could be fathomed coming from anyone else. But from him? He wanted me for himself—this he’d told me time and again—yet, he’d bartered with a witch to deliver what I’d defined as my happiness. And Eros was well aware my happiness wasn’t vested in him, but in David. The thoughts in my head looped and twirled and left me no palpable answer—at least not one I could accept. He couldn’t have negotiated dark dealings with a witch for the sake of seeing me happy, could he?