by Leyton, Bisi
“I’m sure it will be.”
“You need to stop lying.” He laughed. “First, you’re bad at it, and second, you’re really bad at it.”
“Okay.” She tried not to fidget too much or he might suspect why she’d come. “Why didn’t you answer when I knocked?”
“You do look surprised to see me,” he noted.
“Well...”
“I gave you the spare keys to this place because you said you needed a place to go to get away. Remember?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t expect that you would have to knock to get in.” He frowned. “Just go crash and lock the doors when you’re done.”
“Thanks, Jason,” she replied and hurried past him, toward the stairwell. She jogged up the stairs and was almost out of breath by the time she reached the clock room. Unlocking the door, she rushed over to the large room behind the clock. This room was normally dusty and moldy, but today it was surprisingly clean and airy.
Her gaze kept searching the room for the person she knew had to be here.
Eighteen-year-old Bach was six feet tall. Dressed in a 1920s or 1910s shirt and trousers, the only thing he wore from this century were his blue trainers. Large black spots synonymous for his race ran down the sides of his neck and they seemed to darken as she neared. He gazed at her, his intense green eyes blazing at her through his black hair that hung across his face.
The intense look he gave her sent chills through her whole body.
He stood watching her, as if he was uncertain what to do.
*****
Bach needed a few minutes to adjust his mind mentally to being in Wisteria’s presence again. Every time he saw her, it felt like he’d known her his entire life, though it’d been only a few months. This had to be partly due to the fact that they had met before. It had been years ago, but both of them had the memories of that encounter erased.
Something special happened between them during that earlier time and they both entered the Mosroc. The Mosroc was a deep emotional and psychological bonding that was difficult, if not impossible, to break. Breaking or tampering with the bond had serious physical implications even he didn’t fully understand, and then there were the political ones he knew about all too well.
Most Family members never went through a Mosroc, and when they did, it happened later in their relationships. He and Wisteria had bonded five years ago, although neither of them remembered the circumstances. It had been wiped from her memory by her father and from his by his older brother Lluc. Lluc had done it to protect him from the wrath of his father. Though, no one knew why her father had wiped her memories.
The last time he’d seen her was over a month ago, when he left to visit his brothers in Jarthan. Jarthan was the half-realm that connected all the other realms his race journeyed to. Wisteria had been unhappy that he was going to be gone for so long, but had tried to hide it. He, however, could read her emotions clearly on her face and knew she was hurting.
Bach thought appearing unannounced three weeks early would be a good surprise for her. She had sensed him soon after he’d arrived and came to find him, but now she seemed uncertain.
She simply stared at him, biting her bottom lip, while fidgeting with the hem of her dress.
He closed the gap between them while she bounced into his arms and their lips met. He felt her stroking his neck as he kissed her, her lips tasting like the roses that grew on the island.
“Bach,” was all she said in between her soft and tasty kisses.
He didn’t know how long they held each other, but he knew he had to let her go or their relationship would turn into something that he wouldn’t be able to end, should the time come. Reluctantly, he pulled her away from him, lingering for a moment to taste her lips once more before finally separating. “You seem quite pleased to see me,” he remarked.
“You’re back early,” she said shyly. “I didn’t have time to prepare.” She moved away from him.
When he felt her hands leaving his body, he reached out and grabbed them. “I have missed you,” he said and let go.
She smiled nervously and he couldn’t understand why. Surely, by now, she should be comfortable in his presence. Granted, his people, the Family, were high above humans and that was enough to make any human cower in fear and admiration.
His brothers had hundreds of humans, or Terrans, serving and honoring them. All these humans had been turned into Thayn, a devoted servant who put their master’s life above their own. So he was used to seeing humans unashamedly adoring the Famila.
The difference for him was that he didn’t want her to be a Thayn. He just wanted her to be his. Generally, he found being around humans uncomfortable at best and revolting on a normal day, so he’d never had a Thayn. This made him slightly less tolerant of humans than the majority of his people. However, he didn’t feel this way about Wisteria Kuti. He didn’t understand why, but he knew she was different.
Maybe her nervousness was because she knew how unworthy she was to be in his presence. Yes, I am adding a lot to her life.
“This place looks great,” she remarked, while gazing around. “The last time we were here, there were cobwebs everywhere.”
Bach had tidied the space a bit, so he felt less like he was living in a dungeon. This was a task he normally had a steward for, but he felt she needed a place that was more fitting than the darkened corners of Smythe where they’d been meeting.
It was not much, but until he convinced her to visit his den in Forrester, this was the best he could do within the Isle of Smythe. He liked the tower because no one disturbed them there.
Taking off her thick coat, her gaze fell onto a thick rug and basket of food nestled under the clock face.
“In case you were hungry,” he replied innocently. “I got a small biel core to keep you warm.” The tiny ball spun in the corner of the room.
“And the rug?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.
“In case you were tired.”
“You know we haven’t really talked about—you know? We probably should be clear on that.” She looked uncomfortable at first, but her face lit up. “You got me another guitar?”
“Yes.”
Dashing past him, she took the black instrument. As if he was no longer in the room, she strummed her fingers along the strings.
“That is nice. What are you playing?” he asked.
“Very funny, I’m just tuning it.” Dropping on the rug, she continued plucking the instrument.
To him, it had sounded like she was playing it, but soon a powerful melody sailed through the air and he could hear the difference. He watched her as she sat with her eyes closed, playing the guitar and humming.
Moving onto the carpet next to her, he rested one hand on her thigh. He loved the way her heart beat and her pulse raced as she played. He wanted to kiss her again, but from past experience, he knew she couldn’t kiss him and continue playing. Right now, her music did more for him than anything else in the world. “Can you sing a little?” he asked. “Please.”
She opened one eye and shook her head.
“Please, you know if I could, I would sing.” The Family could not naturally make any music.
“How was your journey home?” She continued playing while avoiding his singing request.
“I did not go home. I journeyed to Jarthan, the realm that sits between my home and Terra—Earth,” he quickly corrected himself, knowing she didn’t like him referring to Earth as Terra or humans as Terrans. “Sorry.”
“How was Jarthan, then? Are they still going to send those people to look for the obsidian coral?”
“It is unresolved.”
“Do you know when it will be resolved?” she asked. “If these people are going to come into the island and start spying, we’ve got to at least let Coles know.”
“I promise when I know for certain what is going on, I will tell you and we will help Coles understand, but right now my father has gotten involved and that makes everything
more complicated.”
“Why?”
“For one, if he finds out I am communing with a free human.” He shuddered. “I do not know what he would do.”
“Probably not any worse than my mum, if she finds out you’re here right now,” she joked, and stopped playing. “She’ll kill you and your dad will murder me.”
Pulling the guitar out of her arms, he put his arms around her.
They’d spoken about the gravity of their relationship a few times, but they’ d never been able to figure a way out that would result with one of them walking away unharmed. The threat wasn’t her mother. Although she didn’t like Bach, since Major Coles had welcomed him into the island, the worst Lara could do was lock her daughter away.
His father was a different story. He was the Sen of the Third Pillar within the Family. He was a powerful leader who on more than one occasion had killed free humans for communing with members of the Family. There was no vice considered more heinous, disgusting, and malicious as willingly loving a human. The price of that was blood—human blood.
Both factors resulted in them meeting in secret for the last four months. They settled on the church clock tower, weeks before he’d left for Jarthan.
“Do you want me to tell Coles you’re back?” She stretched herself across the lush rug. “Did you get him a present, too?”
“There is a lorry full of ammunition parked at the end of the bridge, leading to town. I am sure Major Coles knows I have returned. I also brought him some medicine he said the hospital needed.” He pointed at several white boxes which sat in the corner.
“Bullets and pills,” she murmured. “Nice. Anything for my mum?”
He looked at her as if she were insane. “She would shoot me in the face if she ever saw me. The only reason she would not torture me is because I saved her life.”
“So basically, you’re saying my mother isn’t good enough for a present?” She glared at him.
Rubbing his temple with his right hand, he tried to explain. “Listen—”
Laughing, she hugged him from behind and laid her head against his back. “I’m joking.”
“That is not funny.”
She kissed the back of his neck, and then lay back down.
“Your mother is…” He turned to talk to her and saw her adjusting her skirt over her legs.
He was taken aback by how beautiful she was. Many people, human or Family, couldn’t see it for some reason, but she was the most beautiful woman he knew.
She finally noticed his stare and bit her plump bottom lip. “What’s wrong?” Frowning, she sat up.
He shook his head. The thoughts he was having were not something he could share with her.
“Are you all right? You’re completely red, and you never turn red.” She touched his face tenderly.
It seemed to burn him and he backed away. “I am fine.” The images in his mind changed to what he’d like to do with her. He wondered how many escorts she’d had and what it would be like for him to really love her.
More pictures flashed through his mind and some didn’t make any sense. The last one was of him and the Seven Elders standing over the cliffs overlooking the Astolat River, as his brothers tried to drown a tanned half-human half Famila baby—Their baby. Did this actually occur and he was just now remembering it, or was it a fear he had harbored, should they ever conceive a child? “I have no intention or interest in a physical relationship with you,” he abruptly blurted out. Nothing good could come of anything like that happening between them.
She gave him a blank stare. “Okay.”
“You mentioned earlier that we had not talked about something. I am guessing that is what you meant.”
“Um, yes,” she said quietly.
“It cannot happen between us,” he replied. “Never, ever. At the end of the day, you are still only human.”
*****
“Just so we’re clear.” Wisteria smiled and lay back down.
He made it sound like she was begging him for sex.
She’d only wanted to talk to him about it, so he understood that she didn’t feel ready. She didn’t realize he was so strongly opposed to the notion. Trying to appear cool, she played the guitar.
He was still watching her with a bitter expression.
Part of her hoped he’d sounded so harsh because he just didn’t understand the gravity of his words. Bach, after all, wasn’t human, but from another place or realm that had no name. All he told her was it was near the Jade Ocean.
His people had a problem with humans. She’d only met two of his people aside from him—Enric, who was his friend, and Felip, who had been Bach’s steward and also his cousin. Enric had treated her with disdain and had tried to renew her. The renewal was when a member of the Family brainwashed humans into serving and wanting to please the Family above all else. A renewed human, or a Thayn, had no will of their own.
Felip, on the other hand, tried to kidnap her and almost caused her mother’s death.
Maybe the trip to Jarthan had caused this mood swing of his. She suspected there was more to his trip than what he’d told her, but she was not going to push him for answers, as it would probably be something about the ways his people would torture her for corrupting him. Tired of pretending his words hadn’t hurt her, she wanted to leave. “It’s getting late.” Forcing a smile, she put down the guitar.
“No, do not go. It is not you. I love you.”
“I know.” She brushed him off. “I’m pretty in my own way.”
Whatever his problems were, he sounded remarkably like Steven Hindle when he mocked her about her shape, her hair, and how only vodka would ever make any guy even notice she was alive. And until Bach, that was nicest thing any of the boys in Smythe had ever said to her. Now he was starting to sound a bit like Steven and the rest and she didn’t want to hear anymore.
“You are beautiful, more than anyone I have ever seen, but my Family would come after you like you would not believe. I do not know how I can live without you.” He reached for her.
Getting to her feet, she heard shouting from outside.
Bach walked over to the side window and she followed. A few houses away, they saw a man and a woman arguing with two soldiers over what looked like a sheep.
“You’re a bloody thief,” the man yelled at the soldier. “You’ve no right.”
“You expect us to keep on eating rats?” the woman screamed.
“Shut up, both of you,” one of the soldiers replied. “You keep this up and I’ll make sure your rations get cut next week.”
“Go to hell, Janice.” The woman spat in the soldier’s face.
The female soldier laughed and slapped the woman across the face, causing her to stumble back. “If you want to eat mutton, you get it from the ration center and not the black market.” Taking out a knife, the Janice cut the rope the man was using to hold the sheep.
“We haven’t had fresh meat in three weeks,” the man protested.
“Mr. Saunders, either you get some rats from Clarkson, cross your fingers, hope there’ll be meat in next week’s rations, or become a vegetarian,” the second soldier derided.
The man lunged at the female soldier, but she tripped him, knocking him to the ground. “Don’t be stupid,” Janice said to Mr. Saunders. She muttered something else to the couple.
Wisteria couldn’t hear what it was. All she saw was Mr. Saunders and the woman stomping off without the sheep. She could tell from the hand gestures they made to the soldiers that the couple was still furious, but there was nothing they could do. “Everyone hates them,” she muttered to Bach as they watched the other soldiers with the sheep head in the opposite direction. She could feel the couples’ pain that there wasn’t meat in last month’s rations.
The town had long run out of tinned food, although occasionally the trackers or Bach were able to find something that had not gone completely bad. When they got some meat, it was normally dried or shredded, so it lasted longer.
Ba
ch had suggested many times about him bringing food from his home just for her, as he was worried she wasn’t getting enough to eat. He couldn’t move large enough quantities for the whole town through the thresholds without his people asking a lot of questions, he’d explained. “The rate things are going here, I would not be surprised if they tried to kill Coles.”
“How can you say that?”
“I am saying he should do something before things get out of hand. Because when humans get frustrated, things become dangerous. They will not stand for it, if they feel they are being treated badly. Even if he is right.”
She felt a pain in her heart because he was right. Since her mother and Coles married, Wisteria had received a lot more abuse than ever before from the residents. At the same time, things had gotten a little easier for them, since Coles was the head of the island’s security. Soldiers always brought their rations to the farm, so she never had to queue anymore. She no longer got stuck with rotten food, by accident. But, like before, she still had to earn her keep and go to school.
Seeming to sense her angst, he ran his fingers down along her braids. “Perhaps things will not get that bad.” He studied the tips of her hair and seemed to take the scent in. Weaving the strands of hair around his hand, the very tips of his fingers glowed and she could feel her hair growing. She didn’t know why he did it or if he knew he was doing it.
Reaching the middle of her back, her hair was now longer and fuller than it had ever been. It had never before grown longer than eight or nine inches.
Pulling her braids out of his hand, she remembered he was leaving. “Well, if Coles doesn’t do something, we might starve this winter, anyway.” She just then decided that he couldn’t insult her one moment and then act like everything about her infatuated him the next.
He drew her back to him. “I promise, Smythe will never starve.” Resting his hand on her waist, he gently planted kisses to the top of her head as he caressed her neck.