Ashelle attacked my feet.
Both girls’ tiny fingers dug in with the effort to tickle.
I sat up, throwing my arms in the air, roaring like a snarling monster. I even threw in a goofy face for good measure. The evil and horrendous Arizona was on the loose!
They shrieked louder.
I dove, retaliating and tickling them back.
Tiny legs kicked in the air.
Their adorable faces scrunched as they shrieked.
Once their chubby cheeks were nice and pink, I let them up for air. Ashelle rolled and put her feet on the ground. Kate wiggled and followed suit, planning as they went.
“Wake Lucifer now!” Ashelle beelined for my door.
“No!” Kate grabbed Ashelle’s pajama top.
“Yes!” Ashelle crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed defiantly.
Kate stared at the open door, thinking hard.
Ashelle sighed dramatically, and I bit my lip to hold back a laugh, knowing what she was going to say. These two toddlers who ruled the roost. Standing, their heads didn’t even reach my hip, but they had every adult in this house wrapped around their itty bitty fingers. These two dolls were spoiled by love and, sadly, possessions, too. She threw her arms out as if she had conceded some great defeat. “Mrs. Wallas?”
I bit my lip harder.
Kate grinned, her eyes twinkling like she had planned it all along. “Okay.”
They ran out the door in loud pitter-patters of footfalls. I heard a door open and then bang shut. I chuckled. Poor Mrs. Wallas. They always picked on the widowed caretaker because she was a sweet woman, never a harsh word from her lips—and she indulged them.
A moment later, another door opened and quiet footfalls padded against the wood flooring in the hallway. They stopped, and a heavy sigh followed. Then the individual was moving again. I waited, knowing who it was.
Mrs. Lerran poked her head inside my door. “Have you seen the little ones this morning? They’re not in their room. Again.” She shook her head in exasperation. Her cloud-white hair still sported her rollers that she slept in of an evening. Her short hair would stay tight against her head all day long. Her wrinkled face had milk-cream on it as she had been in the process of moisturizing, and her pink thick cotton nightgown peeked out behind her blue bathrobe.
Mrs. Lerran was our in-house au pair and cook.
The woman had her hands full.
I opened my mouth to let her know, but young girlish shrieks and one female shout came from down the hallway. Mrs. Lerran’s gaze darted in that direction, her eyes narrowing. “I should have known Mrs. Wallas was involved. That young woman will be the death of me. How Mr. Lucifer allowed her to take over her husband’s job is beyond me.”
She marched away. “Miss Kate. Miss Ashelle. You get out of Mrs. Wallas’s room right this instant!”
I chuckled and slipped out of bed.
But too late, I noticed the calendar.
I stopped in the middle of my bedchamber and stared. Three years. It had been three years since my father was murdered. In some ways, it felt like it had been just yesterday, but most nights, as I lay alone in bed, it felt like forever ago.
I turned to my closet and got out a pair of plain jeans and a green shirt. All bland with no flavor. My usual attire. My normal disguise. This was me now. I had joined the ‘herd’ to blend in per Lucifer’s instructions. He had taught me so much. Given me so much. Given me a chance.
Three years in another realm can change an individual. Me. Very different with only tiny parts still the same. I was very much dead on the inside except for the people occupying this house. They were my family now.
I put my clothes on in no hurry.
I knew where I was going today.
Where I always went on this anniversary.
No one asked. No one bothered me.
They all understood pain.
I had bet right when I stepped into Lucifer’s carriage. It had turned out better than I could have hoped for. At least, after he began to trust me completely and invited me into their home. It had only taken a month. I stayed in their barn until that time, trying to decide what to do with myself. Lucifer visited me often while I bunked in the sweet smelling hay.
I found out later Mrs. Lerran was also someone who Lucifer had taken in from the streets, giving her a fair wage and a safe harbor. The only one who had ever asked what I was running from was Lucifer. He asked just once, and we hardly talked about it after that.
With my well-honed skills and his expertise with a knife, we trained together every day. He had finally trusted me with guarded information. Who he was in this realm—Lucifer No-Last-Name. He was the twin to the heir of the bordering kingdom, Haswell. Lucifer was only two minutes younger than the crowned prince. But those two minutes were enough to put fear into the hearts of the King and Queen. They had sent Lucifer away with the hope the two brothers wouldn’t try to kill one another over the kingdom. Of course, they had sent him away with a fortune and a safe background cover.
He was filthy rich, as I had guessed.
None of that mattered to me.
I cared for Lucifer because of the man he was.
I trusted him completely.
He was the only humona who knew my past.
It lifted a weight off my heart that helped bring me out of the depression I had fallen into. If I could have picked a new family, it would have been this one to run to. We were partners. Down to the soul.
His past was just as wretched as mine was.
He would never be caught and taken back to his birth kingdom, even when his brother died last year. Not to a family who had cast him out over a mere two minutes. He was that skilled. He’d trained me to be that good, too, while I’d taught him martial arts. He’d taught me how to dress, talk, spit, curse, walk, and stab in this peculiar realm. I could blend in completely or disappear like I had never been there.
Simply put—I was a damn scary bitch.
There was no other way to explain me.
Or Lucifer.
I walked to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror as I picked up my comb, not really caring if I was a mess. I absently used the large toothed comb and untangled my long red curls. My green eyes didn’t even look the same. They were harder. More intelligent. More fierce.
I strode to the kitchen were Mrs. Lerran was cooking scrambled eggs. Everyone was at the massive wooden table by now. Lucifer glanced in my direction, slowly taking in my person. He didn’t say anything, like usual on this horrid anniversary day, and went back to biting into his homemade bread.
Kingsley, on the other hand, hopped off Lucifer’s shoulder to the table. “Arizona, dear, you look like Hell poured lava into your undergarments.” His black, beady eyes kept staring. “Did you have a nightmare?”
I instantly rolled my shoulders, ignoring his question and probing eyes. “I’m off. Lucifer, you have the address of where I’ll be. Stop by if there are any problems.”
“You know I will,” he said around a mouthful of food, his blue eyes trapping mine. “If we don’t see you by tomorrow morning, we’ll send a search party.” He grinned, but even as he leaned back in his chair, his gaze told me that he wasn’t kidding—and what that search party would entail.
I smiled softly at him. He was wonderful.
I kissed his forehead and then patted Kingsley on the head—a little too hard. I bent over Ashelle and Kate, scrunching them up in a big hug, kissing their strawberry jam lips. “I love you two. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Then I added for good measure, “And don’t pester Mrs. Lerran too badly.”
Their tiny chins started trembling.
I said softly, “I’ll be gone one day. I’m sure Mrs. Wallas will love playing with you while I’m gone.”
Mrs. Wallas rolled her eyes but grinned. “I plan to take them to the park today. There’s a kite flying competition. It should be fun to watch.”
Kate just eyed her, but Ashelle clapped her hands and squealed. Ka
te turned and hugged me tight again. Ashelle started picking at her bread while Mrs. Wallas talked about the vivid colors they would see in the sky today, getting smiles from both eventually. Kate handed me a slice of bread that had tiny fingerprints all over the top of the jam.
I ate it and kissed both again.
I had left before they remembered to be upset.
The driver helped me into the family carriage.
It wasn’t flashy. It was very ordinary.
The driver hopped up onto his seat in the front and tapped the reigns. The wheels turned, and the cushioned seat beneath me vibrated from the gravel road. We drove down the driveway, past cacti and desert lily’s and Joshua trees that Lucifer and I had planted along the drive. The vegetation in this section of Terlant was much different from the lush wooded forest I had arrived at, that was certain. It was already reaching eighty degrees, and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet.
We lived an hour and a half away from the city in a small town called Kett Basin. Our home was isolated enough that if we needed to speak with a ‘neighbor,’ we had to drive to their house instead of walking. The town was homey, if just a little boring. The rocky ridges surrounding our town made up for the lack of entertainment within twenty minutes, though. It was picturesque to the extreme. Perfect for everyone’s needs in our home. No one would ever think to come looking for us here.
I didn’t go all the way to the city.
I stopped a half hour away at the same keep I always used for this day. It was small, but a clean establishment structured of white stucco that had only twenty rooms. I paid with cash for a bedroom at the end of the long one-story building for the night. I walked into the room and locked the door.
I didn’t bother lighting a candle.
The only thing I did was close the thick dark curtain to help keep the deadly sun and heat out.
I lay down on the bed in the darkness.
And I let my mind go insane. I let myself feel.
And remember.
Feel and remember the father who I still loved so desperately. I let myself go back to those precious years and recall our time together. And feel. And remember.
This was my one day of imagining him.
Us. Together.
As we had been once long ago.
Every other day, my heart was black to my past.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t make it.
And I had more to think of than myself now.
But today…
Today, on this anniversary, I let it all out.
I physically felt myself splinter. Felt the ripping tear inside my chest. Felt the burning sensation that made my breath catch as memories slowly invaded and began racing until it exploded with all the recollections of our time together. Our time of Earth.
My chest compressed like it was being crushed.
I gasped from shame and misery.
I cracked open completely.
It was deaths one moment of breaking loose and running wild and free. My heart wasn’t lying dead in this bed as it did every other night. No. Instead, it beat a frantic rhythm of agony and loss.
I would never have that again. Father’s love. That comfort. That happiness. It was gone. Forever.
I rolled over and screamed into my pillow.
Punched the bed.
Sobbed. Shrieked.
Cried my fury and self-pity.
I died a little every anniversary.
Every time, the piece of my heart which held my father so dear—it burned, charred, and blackened. One day, that secret place where I kept him would be nothing but ash.
I looked like hell, and I knew it.
Though, if I really wanted to be honest with myself, I would say that I looked like dog shit and cat shit mixed together—sprinkled with gunpowder.
That was how I would really put it.
I had taken a bath at the keep and scrubbed the memories away again. Nevertheless, the physical remnants were still there. My eyes were puffy and red, my lips were swollen, and my face drooped.
However, if anyone stared too deeply into my eyes, they would see another sight.
Death. I was dead once more to anyone outside of my house. Inside with my family, I had enough heart left to love fully. Moreover, to be loved in return.
Everyone else could go to Hell.
And stay there and burn while I watched.
With a smile on my face.
Therefore, I wasn’t really in the mood to find a General in the Guard waiting at my home…
“Arizona, I’d like you to meet General Finley.” Lucifer gestured to the behemoth of a man at our table. Sipping from a mug of our coffee. His complex was extremely dark, and his eyes were dark brown. The hair on top of his head was gray, even though he had no wrinkles on his smooth face. Lucifer pulled out a chair for me, his blue gaze holding mine. “His carriage broke a wheel only a mile from here.”
I smiled and sat on the chair. “General Finley, I was just on the road, and there were no stranded carriages.” I cocked my head, my tone as sweet as could be. “Unless you were racing it down a ravine, I believe you’re fibbing.”
The general took another sip of his coffee—in ninety-degree heat. His dark eyes ran over Lucifer standing behind me, his hands delicately placed on my shoulders. Then, his gaze returned to mine. “You’ve caught me. I lied.”
No further explanation exited his mouth.
Lucifer tapped his fingers on my shoulders. “Why are you here then, General?” His tone was so innocent even I would have been fooled if I didn’t know him.
The General sat down his mug of steaming brew. “Have you two ever heard of the Game?”
I kept quiet, scanning his face. I hadn’t heard of it, but that wasn’t a surprise. But I wouldn’t let on I hadn’t if it was well known.
Lucifer snorted and massaged my shoulders. “Are you referencing the Game the Guard used to select their newest recruits for the Terlant Royal Guard?”
General Finley’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled, his teeth nice and straight. “That would be the one.” He toyed with his mug on the table. “I would like to sponsor you two in the Game.”
My brows furrowed, real curiosity peaking. “Why would you want to do that?”
He rested back on his chair and spread his legs, his civilian clothing not hiding the fact he was built like a soldier. “A man named Kingsley contacted me a few months ago. He stated there were two individuals who I just had to check out for the Game.”
I stared. “Do you check out every solicitation you receive?” That motherfucking traitor.
Frog legs for dinner were tempting.
He shook his head and shrugged. “This one was special.”
Lucifer continued to knead his fingers into my muscles. “How so?”
“Well…” The General peered directly over my head at Lucifer. “I was informed you are the missing heir to the Haswell kingdom.” My eyes narrowed, and he looked down, straight into my gaze. “And you are not of this realm. You are an illegal unknown.”
No wonder the frog was nowhere to be seen.
Definite frog legs. Add a little sauce.
Bon appetit.
Lucifer removed his hands from my neck and casually walked to rest his right hip against the table next to me. “That is ludicrous.”
The General smiled again. “Perhaps it would be if I hadn’t spied on you for the past month. The conversations people have when they think no one is listening can be enlightening.” His gray brows rose. “But I believe you two chameleons already know that. It is extremely remarkable you’ve been able to keep yourselves hidden. That takes a certain intellect the Guard is in need of.”
His brows now furrowed, deep in thought. “Not to mention, your sparring sessions are beautiful to behold. The way you two move together…” He blinked and glanced back and forth between us, his voice rising in pitch. “Are you a couple? Or married? Because that is the one part of your lives I couldn’t decipher.”
; “We love each other, but we’re not together romantically.” The man deserved to know his much-wanted answer since he had managed to slip by us. I scowled as I stood from my chair. “Why would you come here alone and spout what you have? You would have known we wouldn’t let you leave here. So what have you done? Who have you told?”
With us towering over him, he was still relaxed on his chair. “Oh, the usual. If I don’t return by a certain day and time, a file will be sent to all the Generals of the Guard—with all the information I have obtained in the last month.”
Lucifer’s lips pinched, his first real sign of emotion. “You’re blackmailing us.”
“That’s such a harsh word.” The General waved his right hand in the air. “Why don’t you tell me this, instead? Is there a reason why you would not want to be in the Guard? No one in the Guard is highbred enough to know what the former prince looked like, and as far as Ms. Creed is concerned, no one could tell by looking at her that she’s not from this realm. The Guard is serving the kingdom you live in. The kingdom that has protected you. By all accounts, you both enjoy assisting the helpless. This would be a perfect fit for you.”
He cleared his throat, and added, “And the schools the Guards’ children attend are the best in Terlant. Your money cannot buy your adopted children into this school. It is dedicated solely to the Guard families.”
Brown eyes captured mine. “Don’t you want a purpose in this realm? A reason to feel good about yourself? A reason to…,” his gaze flicked over my puffy features,“…let go of whatever haunts you? To move on and accept life here could be just as wonderful?”
Lucifer and I stayed mute.
Neither of us moved.
This person was fucking good.
His gray brows lifted once more. “Do you have any questions?”
Lucifer ground his teeth together. “Would you be able to obtain citizenship papers for Arizona?”
My eyes snapped on him. “Do not do this for me. We could run.” I flapped my left arm at the General. “He would never find us again.”
The man in question stayed quiet, observing silently.
“He’s right. That school is amazing. The girls would benefit from attending.” Lucifer’s blue eyes held mine, his tone softening. “And I would do anything for you. You know that.”
(Skeleton Key) Game Master Page 3