by Martha Woods
“Anna, do you mind if I ask you something personal?” she asks as I look back at her. With the sun now set, her eyes have returned to normal.
“Of course,” I say as I walk back into the bathroom to brush my hair and tie it back.
“Well, something happened earlier today and I don’t feel comfortable talking to Darien about it,” she starts as I motion for her to sit on the small sofa in the room. “Well…you see…I started my period and I don’t know what to do.” She is fidgeting with her fingers, unwilling to look at me. I sigh, happy to hear that it isn’t a serious issue I was fearing. A part of me wondered if she had accidently burned something. But it makes sense since I also started my period when my hell fire first appeared behind my eyes.
“I understand why you wouldn’t want to talk to Darien about it. Let’s get you the stuff you’ll need and we can talk more about it,” I offer. She looks up at me and smiles as I take her hand in mine and lead her from the room.
Chapter 8
“She has my blue flame, Morgan,” I speak once we are back in my room and I’m confident everyone else has fallen asleep. After a long evening of watching movies and eating a ridiculous amount of junk food, I was ready to sleep. But my bothered thoughts kept me awake. Thankfully I had a night creature to keep me company.
“What do you mean? Who?” he asks as kicks off his shoes and stretches out on the bed. After being unconscious for the better part of three days, I wasn’t ready to get back into bed. Instead, I start pacing the room as I try to understand how Elizabeth acquired my hell fire.
“Elizabeth. I looked into her eyes in the setting sun and I saw my blue flames in her eyes,” I explain as I continue moving.
“How is that even possible, Anastasi? And is that why the little girl smells of dead blood?” Morgan asks as he props himself up on his elbow and throws aside his glasses, finally revealing his pitch-black eyes.
“Yes, Elizabeth has come of age. But I have no idea how she has my powers. Her parents are not of my people and she has obviously shown no signs of possessing these powers till now. When I was a child, I often scorched my surroundings and the people around me every time I had an emotional fit. That’s why I was sent to work with my uncle. But I never learned to control it until I finally used my powers for the first time. But already she shows signs of full control and yet she has no clue what is inside her,” I ramble out loud, trying to sort out my own thoughts.
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Morgan asks dryly, obviously not as concerned as me. I don’t blame him though. This is a matter that doesn’t affect him in the least.
“She can’t stay here. She needs to be trained before she hurts someone or herself. But I’ll need to contact my mother in order to obtain permission to bring three humans home with me. She is going to have a heart attack as it is once she learns what’s been happening here and how I already told Darien everything.” I finally stop walking as I sit on the edge of the bed and try to control my breathing. What was supposed to be a simple mission has turned into a complete chaotic situation.
“One step at a time, Princess. I suggest first securing the trade route before talking with the Queen. At least then you’ll have some good news to report. Also, I suggest finishing your dealings with Mr. Yung. I’m sure he’ll want to know why his life has suddenly gone to hell.” Morgan chuckles as the irony of his words. I can’t help but smirk as well as I turn towards him.
“But what if Darien refuses to let Elizabeth go?” I ask him, more concerned about Darien’s opinion than dealing with my mother.
“Don’t ask him to let Elizabeth go. Ask him to go with you. The whole lot. Introduce lover boy into our world,” Morgan suggests as he motions for me to lay down beside him. I roll my eyes at him as I obey, laying on my side so I can look at him.
“Is it that obvious?” I ask softly, afraid that someone might hear me and Darien would then know my true feelings about him.
“If your powers weren’t contingent on your virginity, I would encourage you to go jump his bones now,” Morgan teased as he presses lightly on my shoulder as though to shove me from the bed.
I can’t help but smirk as I realize how good of a friend Morgan is to me. “Do you think that is really true, or something parents tell their children to keep them focused on the war?”
“Well, there is only one way to find out, I guess,” he says as he rolls away from me and slides off the bed. “But if you’ll excuse me, I need to eat and ravish a young woman or two.”
“Geez, Morgan. Spare me the details,” I say as I watch him leave. I hear him chuckle even as he walks down the hallway. I sit up in bed, listening to the silence of the house as I debate whether I should remain alone in bed or risk my friendship with Darien and attempt to share his bed tonight. After my near-death experience, I know that I should take the chance now, knowing in the morning when I explain everything to Darien about his sister that I could possibly lose him forever.
I creep slowly from my room, careful not to wake anyone as I walk slowly to Darien’s room. I’m surprised when I see his door is cracked and the light is still on. I knock on the door and he calls ‘come on’ without even bothering to see who it is.
“You’re up late,” I say as I peek inside and see him sitting on his bed, with his sketch pad beside him. Momentarily I am distracted by the fact that he is shirtless and only wearing pajama shorts. I guess I never realized how handsome he is with a toned chest and well-built arms.
“I guess I have a lot on my mind,” he responds as he closes his sketch pad and sets it on the table beside him.
“What are you working on?” I ask as I step inside his room and shut the door behind me. I see a grin cross his face as I cross the room and sit on the edge of the bed. It feels like old times when I used to come to his room and watch him paint or draw, but never had I ventured to his room at night. It had always been the other way around when he used to wake me to play hide and seek during the night, when the house was dark and no one would shush us to behave.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Darien says quickly as he takes the sketch pad and tucks it into the drawer. I raise an eyebrow at the action, tempted to fight him to learn what he has been drawing. But I let it go as I lean against the pillows. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. Stronger. But unfortunately not tired. Or I should say, I’m a little afraid to fall asleep. Every time I think of sleeping, I fear that I will never wake up or that’ll I’ll wake up back in that place.” My words stagger at the end as I struggle against the thoughts and memories. It’s hard to believe it all happened. I guess it will become a more permanent reality once I report what has happened to my mother.
“I can tell your stressing out. Is there something else that is bothering you?” he asks as he turns his body towards me. I want to move closer to him and feel his bare skin with my hands, but instead I try to focus on his question.
“I will have to tell my mother everything that has happened since I’ve been gone. She will not be happy with what I have to tell her between being compromised by a token trap, to telling you the truth about our people,” I explain as I try to keep my eyes locked on his, instead of traveling over his body.
“Is there is problem with you telling me about what happened?” he asks. Good, another question to keep me focused, I think as I try to form the most convincing words.
“My people have many alliances with other creatures in order to form a peaceful alliance. And this alliance is contingent on us keeping the secret of their existences from the human population. By telling you about me and my powers, I threaten this alliance,” I explain. The realization of my own words is a sobering moment as I look at Darien.
“For example, I would guess that Morgan is not human,” Darien suggests. I nod my head, unwilling to share Morgan’s true identity without first gaining his permission. When I don’t say anything more, Darien motions for me to move closer. I obey without hesitation as he places an arm around my waist.
I let out a small cry when he pulls away from me, forcing me to open my eyes and look at him. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asks in complete seriousness. It is obvious that we both desire the same thing, but Darien is a true gentleman through and through.
“Just kiss me, Darien. Kiss me and let me fall asleep in your arms. And it doesn’t have to be anything more than that,” I say in return. Despite my desire to allow Darien to kiss every part of my body, I can’t forget the warning so engraved into my mind. I couldn’t risk losing my powers until after the war or until I have entered into the proper rituals with Darien. The thought of being bonded to a human frightens me for a second knowing the uproar it would cause amongst my people. I try to forget that thought as I pull Darien’s lips back to mine as he rolls me on top of him and we enjoy the taste of each other for several minutes.
After the heat between us begins to die down, I rest my head on his chest and allow him to run his fingers through my hair. He pulls a blanket over us as I close my eyes and focus on the sound of his beating heart. Eventually I fall asleep comforted by the rhythm of this breathing.
It’s early morning when I wake, still wrapped in Darien’s arms as I feel his breath on my head. I listen for a few more minutes, enjoying the feeling of his body before I carefully unwrap myself from his arms and quickly leave the room. I walk downstairs to the kitchen and make a small breakfast for the family to enjoy when they all decide to wake up. I’m jotting down a quick note explaining my whereabouts when Morgan comes walking through the front door.
“How was your night?” I ask quietly, catching his attention.
“Productive,” he responds as he walks towards me. “But now I must sleep. Keys are in the car, along with your things.” Without waiting for me to reply, he disappears upstairs to sleep the day away.
I let Darien know that I have to contact my mother in town and that I should be back by lunch to go over the final decision for his parent’s business. With the note pinned to the fridge, I head out of the house and get into the rental car. As I start the engine, I look over and see the wine bottle resting carefully on the floor. I can’t help but stare at it for a few moments as I try to remind myself that it’s a harmless bottle of wine. Thankfully Mr. Yung doesn’t know that, I think as I pull out of the driveway and head towards his restaurant.
Using the paper with all of Mr. Yung’s information on it, I take the paper and wrap it around the neck of the bottle before getting out of the car and walking calmly into the restaurant. The downtown area is busy as always, but now there isn’t a customer in sight as I open the front door and step inside. I hear shouting coming from the back as an older Asian man steps out of the kitchen and comes to the front in hopes of having at least one customer for the day. But when he sees me wearing sunglasses inside his dimly lit restaurant with the wine bottle in my hand, he begins to pale as his mouth drops open.
He raises his hands in defense as I pocket my glasses and walk up to him. He sees the fire in my eyes as I grab his hand and force him to touch the bottle. He struggles at first and starts to yell in fright, but once his fingers touch the bottle and he realizes that nothing is happening, he begins to steady his breathing. The help in the back has all rushed through to see what is happening, but once I let go of Mr. Yung, he calmly dismisses them.
“I understand now,” he says in poor English as I set the bottle on a table next to him. I calmly place my sunglasses back on as I crumble the paper in my hands and toss it to the ground.
“I’m giving you 24 hours to pack up and leave town, Mr. Yung. If you ever try to use the power of a token again instead of turning it over to my people, then I’ll return to slaughter you and everyone you know,” I say coldly. I wait a moment for the shock to pass through him once more before he closes his mouth tightly and gives me a single nod. I turn and quickly exit the restaurant and disappear into the crowd of people who don’t even notice the Thai restaurant is there.
Next on my list of places to visit is the internet café. As I step through the doors, I immediately spot Lucy behind the counter. The moment she spots me, she drops what she is doing and rounds the counter with a finger pointed at my face.
“Anastasia Juravinski, you have some serious explaining to do,” she hollers even though she can’t stop herself from smiling. I pay no attention to her words as I remember that I sent Morgan to collect my package. I embrace the woman despite the fact that everyone in the room is now watching us. “I was so worried about you,” she whispers into my hair as she lets go of me and leads me behind the counter where she returns to attending her customers. Once she has a moment to spare, she takes a seat next to me and grabs firmly to my hand.
“When that vampire walked into my café, I thought for sure I’d have to kill him. After all, a vampire in broad daylight isn’t a normal sight. And then when I saw those two children with him, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. And then when he asked me to hand over the supplies you ordered, I thought I was going to faint right there and then,” Lucy explains as she bursts into a fit of giggles. I couldn’t help but laugh what it must have been for Morgan to walk into a den of werewolves. Obviously, it wasn’t a pain free experience for Lucy either. “I wasn’t sure what kind of trouble you had wrapped yourself up in, child,” Lucy continues, “But I’m sure glad to see you alive and well now.”
“The feeling is mutual, I assure you. But now I need to report to my mother. She isn’t going to be happy when I tell her what I’ve done,” I say as I stand and stretch. A wave of nervousness washes over me as Lucy leads me into the backroom and has me sit at a desk with a single laptop.
“You can tell me all about it later, I suppose,” Lucy says before she leaves me. I take a moment to boot up the computer and send a quick message to the Kingdom requesting a video conference with my mother. A few minutes pass by before the incoming call appears on the computer screen in front of me. I take a deep, long breath before I hit the computer key and allow my mother’s face to come through.
Chapter 9
“Child, do you know what time it is here?” my mother speaks once our connection is stabilized.
“I’m doing well, thank you for asking,” I say as I can’t help but smile at my mother’s tired expression. It doesn’t take long before she cracks a smile and adjusts her position in her chair.
“Anastasia, I assume you have important information to report or you wouldn’t have woken me at such an easily hour,” she continues. I can tell she hopes this conversation won’t last long. I have similar hopes, but I’m the one who knows how unlikely that will be.
“Darien will be accepting an offer today and should have the business papers finalized by the end of the week,” I begin, taking Morgan’s advice and starting with the good news.
“Fantastic. That should stabilize the trading routes before the end of the month. Good work, Anastasia. I didn’t think you’d be able to wrap this matter up this quick.” I want to bask in my mother’s complement, but I know that moment will be short lived.
“And I was also able to stabilize a missing token,” I continue. My mother’s expression hardens and a short pause forms between us.
“Tell me more,” my mother encourages.
I look away as I speak, “I failed you again, mother. I fell for the demon’s trap and found myself back in that
place.” I half expect my mother to start yelling at me for my foolish behavior but all I hear is her taking a deep breath.
“Well, I see you are well and alive. Tell me what happened,” she says calmly as I look back at her. I feel relief when I see how concerned she is. Even though my mother has taken on the responsibility herself to find and send warriors out to neutralize tokens, she never has stopped caring about the safety of her people overall. And since 99% of warriors who fall for token traps never survive, I’ve become that 1% success rate two times in a row.
For the next hour or so, I explain to my mother everything that happened from my investigation process to the time I spent in the token trap. I explain in details everything I witnessed and the steps I took to find an exit. But it’s Eliana’s last words that seem to puzzle us both. We discuss whether the muse’s words could be true and that in fact it’s our spirits that travel to the supernatural realm, and not our bodies.
“You need to return as soon as you can so we can present these findings to the board members, and especially your brother. This new information can really help his research,” my mother concludes as she raises her arms above her head to stretch. “Now, if you have no further reports, I’d like to return to bed before I have to get up and share your news with the generals.”
“Actually Mother, I’ve discovered something else about Darien’s family, and you’re not going to like,” I say. My mother’s eyes focus on me as I take a deep breath and begin explaining how Darien helped rescue me from the townhouse and how I explained everything to him. Though I can see the rage building on my mother’s face, I keep her from screaming at me by explaining what I discovered about Elizabeth. Once I finish my explanation, we both realize Darien would have found out eventually about our people by the coming of age of his sister.