Indignation

by Celinda Santillan

  Julian is in the dungeon, the only place he can feel at tranquility. He doesn’t like the outcome of his blood oath. He knew better than to think that Dias’s arrival would have something to do with him trying to kill his daughter twice. Dias always has more motives up his sleeve. How could he let that happen to Alyssa? He couldn’t stop it even if he tried. Dias is her father by blood; she would have had to face the reality of what that would mean to her. She will one day gain her godship through her blood. Her immortality will make her invincible once she has the title.

  He glares at the bricks that have chipped into pieces by his cause. His anger is rising more and more at the thought that Dias has named Alyssa as his heir. That may be an honor in its making, but that is not an honor that is convenient to her. She will be on the bridge of death every time she steps foot out of the Heavens’ gates. She will never be seen as anything but a symbol of power. She will always be far from his reach. She will not need him as her Elim. She will have Gabriel as her Authority Elim and Miranda as her Adviser Elim.

  One thought runs through his head like a broken film repeating the same scene over and over again. He is the enemy of the God of all gods. If she becomes the goddess of all gods, she will become his enemy. He will be under her realm. He will be her servant. That sends his anger to rise even further. Dias has named her the one thing that can now separate them. How will he know where her loyalty stands when her will, will soon belong to the Heavens whether she likes it or not? How will he be with the enemy and still try to regain his throne?

  “Julian?” Caledonia lays her hand gently on his shoulder in comfort.

  “What is it you want Caledonia?”

  “I want you to open up to me. I have always been here for you. I have stood by you since your awakening as a child. You my secrets, I know yours. I was yours in body and mind. I deserve it.”

  “I need to be alone with my thoughts.”

  Caledonia turns him around to face her. Her gold eyes sparkle from the ray of sun that comes from a shattered brick he’s caused. “You asked me to be the head of this mansion with you. I have given you my loyalty as a payment for my liberation from Hades. I owe you much more than you are willing to accept. You may trust me with your fears, and thoughts.”

  “I fear no one. You know better than anyone.”

  “No, you do not fear, but you think of fear. I am here as your consort if I need be.”

  “I thank you for your offer Caledonia, but it’s not needed.”

  She nods in reluctance. “I understand, Julian.”

  “I will be arranging dinner. I will be in the kitchen, if not there, I will be in my chamber.” Her gold blouse hugs her curves right as she walks away. Her black jeans expose the figure that men would die for. Her heels clip up the dungeon’s stairwell.

  Immortals don’t need to eat, or drink to be alive, but to them it’s a way of enjoying what the mortals have to offer. He finds it too human for them to share dinner, but he will do what the destroyer goddess wants since she is now his co-head of the mansion. Caledonia’s alliance will benefit him in many ways now that her loyalty stands with him and him alone.

  He takes a deep breath to calm himself down before he goes up the stairwell. Everything is changing around him. How will he act on his plans now knowing that Alyssa is to not be fully trusted? He hates to think of her as an enemy, but he has no choice but to think of her as a danger. She will forever be the one that can tear him down again. He has to protect himself at all cost no matter what it cost him at the end.

  <><><>

  Miranda walks beside the future goddess. The two women have agreed to enjoy a shopping spree to distract themselves from the current events that have unfolded around them. Miranda wears plain blue shorts with a loose blue blouse. Her wedges make no sound as she struts down the wide pass way of the mall. Alyssa has a pair of glasses hiding her eyes that show the amount of sleepless nights since she has seen her father. Her wavy light brown hair falls down her shoulders neatly, even if she hasn’t brushed her hair for days now. The heels of her favorite purple boots click with each step she takes. Her black skinny jeans fit her well with the corset black and white striped top. She looks fashionable, but she feels like it’s only to keep up appearances. She knows too many people that particularly live at the mall to let them see what she truly feels like.

  “Victoria’s Secret?” Miranda suggests to the very tired immortal.

  Alyssa shrugs her should without a care. “How did you convince me to come here?”

  “Because Julian left me in charge of you until he returns from what he’s doing.”

  She rolls her eyes at that, but her black sunglasses hide the gesture. “He’s probably with that goddess Caillech.”

  “You sound jealous.” Miranda comments as they enter the pink store.

  A preppy blonde hostess greets them with a forced smile that shows she’s been working for many hours. “Welcome to Victoria’s Secret! We have a sale today. Every push up bra is fifty percent off if you purchase any item with the same price. What can I help you with?” Her black outfit just makes it hard to look at. It’s too professional. Victoria’s Secret is an undergarment store. Why not let their employees show more of their sensual side? It just doesn’t make sense like Hollister calling their employees models when they are not. Alyssa thinks to herself.

  “We are just looking.” She ends up saying instead of her complicated questioning of their marketing, and presentation.

  The hostess smiles politely. You can notice how relieved she is of not being able to help. “Well, let me know if you need anything.” She says in a rush before leaving.

  Alyssa scans through the Pure Seduction collection she always loves to buy. “I’m not jealous of Caillech.” She states back from Miranda’s comment.

  “You sound like it.” Miranda sprays one of the fragrances on the back of her wrist. “This red plum and freesia fragrance mist smells really good.” She holds up her wrist to her nose.

  “No, I don’t. Oh, I have that one, but try the cherry blossom and peach one from the Love Spell collection. It’s my favorite, but I have every single one now. I’m moving on to the Pure Seduction collection.” The Elim nods. She tries the cherry blossom and peach. “Do you know that I haven’t seen Julian since the day Dias came?”

  “Didn’t you tell him to leave?” Miranda raises her eyebrow at her. Surely Alyssa would remember that she told Julian that she wanted to be left alone.

  “I did, but I didn’t think he was going to take some kind of vacation. Everything was so overwhelming that I wanted to deal with it on my own. I called him to talk to him, but every time I did he was either busy or it would go to voicemail.” She explains.

  “Then wait for him to come back. Just be patient. Don’t jump to conclusions.” The Elim stops one of the hostesses to grab a small shopping carrier. She places several bottles into the pink and black bag.

  Alyssa moves to the rack that has the lotions from the different collections. “That’s hard when I know that Dias gave Julian Caillech. Does she live with him? Are they together? I can’t help but repeat those questions in my head. It’s annoying.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. It’s not like they’re together now. He’s with you, and it will always be you.” The Elim assures the future goddess.

  Alyssa places the lotion bottle back and turns to her with her eyebrows pushed together. “Together now? Was he with Caillech before?”

  “She did tell you that you took him away from her at The Jag. I thought you put the pieces together. Caillech is the longest mistress he’s had.”

  “Longest? So they’ve been together longer than him and I have ever?”

  “Yes. Their relationship was based on power and revenge while yours was on pure love.”

  “That doesn’t change anything. He negotiated my protection for her release. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me.”

  They both walk to pay for their items. “You need to talk
to him.” Miranda doesn’t really know what else to tell her. It’s strange for Julian to leave Alyssa in her charge. He’s doing something that not might please either of the women, but hopefully he knows what he’s doing. Having Caillech in his care is different than using the goddess for his own purpose. What is he planning? As much as she would love to investigate, she has bigger mysteries’ to solve that involves Selene and Alyssa.

  “Whenever he actually decides to show up I will.” Alyssa’s mood has changed from exhaustion to anger. What if he is with Caillech? She’s not jealous, she mad that he won’t even talk to her so they can talk about everything that’s going on. They need to clear a lot of stuff, but that won’t happen if he doesn’t come back to face her. All she asks is for an explanation. That’s all she wants.

  <><><>

  Caillech slips into a nice fitted evening gown. She has ordered for the mansion to appear like the old times where Julian held his throne. Julian agreed almost instantly, but he refuses to dress in his robes of king. He does like the idea of walking around and seeing his past. His castle and that’s exactly how she’s slowly converting it too.

  She places gold band around her forehead. It symbolizes her godship. She would always wear it when around mortals, but Dias has forbidden her long ago. Now that her loyalty remains with Julian, she can do as she pleases. It satisfies her to know that she is the head of the mansion. Julian has trusted her with his home. She will make sure that he feels pride in her unlike the Heavens and Underworld.

  The goddess walks down on the right side of the V-designed set of stairs. The golden inscriptions bring out the beauty of the home. She is a woman who loves gold. She has made sure that every inch of her new home is designed with a gold imprint. Her heels click as she reaches the bottom of the stairs. Her mind is filled with so much illusions of the future she will have next to Julian.

  Caillech strides to the large dining room. Thirty Loyals, men and women, sit around the redwood long table. It fits over two hundred, but only the Loyals that Julian trusts with errands are allowed to sit with him for dinner, and welcome to take the bottom floor for housing. She makes the five minute walk to the head of the table. Evans, an aged follower who has become the mansion’s butler, pulls out her seat in front of Hans, Julian’s Confidant, and next to the seat the king will take.

  Each chair is perfectly carved with the engravings of Julian’s kingdom stamp. The stamp has the ‘J’ from his name and a Longsword entwined with it. The gold chandeliers that stretch above the table has crystal setting that make the small light even brighter from the reflection. She adores the ivory walls that trap them. Overall, she’s very satisfied with the interior design she has put together. It’s her first home since her godship. In the Heavens there are buildings, never homes so the feel of being in charge of the mansion make her feel wanted. The only times she’s ever felt wanted was with her husband in her mortality and Julian in her godship. She wishes things could be as simple as mortals seems to see it, but with a godship anything is but simple.

  She nods at Hans in front of her. His dirt brown eyes show nothing, but authority. As Julian’s Confidant, Hans is ultimately respected and showed the same obedience as the king. The Confidant is the heir to the throne if the king has no offspring, which Julian doesn’t. Hans has his long hair fanned out on his sides. The dark brown color of his hair fits perfectly with the small waves that show and the tan color to his skin. His broad shoulders make him look deadlier than Gabriel, the Authority Elim, does. That is only because Lycanthropes are much stronger, and they tend to build more muscles every time they shift to their wolf forms. Hans is a very handsome man, but he is not one to be involved with. Hans has mysteries that are beyond everyone’s imaginations. Only Dias would know about the Confidant’s past, but she hardly thinks that he does. Dias is only allowed to see what he wants to see in that Moment. A small grin works its way up to her lips. Dias will not be allowed to spy on anyone that’s in the mansion. Julian has made sure of it. She doesn’t know how, but she knows that he protected the territory form the eyes of the God.

  “King.” All the Loyals, and Hans, greet Julian in unison as he enters the dining room. His black hair is wet. His eyes seem very observative to his surrounding, but his walk shows that of a cat, graceful but deadly. Julian doesn’t trust easily so his Loyals will always be tested to measure their loyalty to him.

  Evans pulls out the king’s head chair with his head bowed at all times. “My king.” He excuses himself.

  Evans is a man that shows the appearance of an eighty year old man, but as a follower he has the energy and strength as a five year old. His white covers up most of his bald spot. Evans is the oldest follower they have ever seen, but giving him immortality at his age would kill him and then they would have no butler. Caillech prefers to have a butler to wait on her since she is not able to count on Hermes anymore. Then again, Hermes was never as good as Evan. If Hermes was called by Dias then he disappeared not caring if the other gods or goddesses needed him.

  She prefers being in the care of Julian instead of the Heavens or the Underworld. At least she has some sort of freedom and ownership with Julian unlike the two realms she’s known all too well.

  Caillech smiles seductively at Julian. Her seductiveness never fades. As a goddess, it comes with the godship to be seductive even if she doesn’t mean to. “Julian.” She greets him personally unlike the others.

  “Good evening Caledonia.” He simply greets her back with a raise of his eyebrow as he motions at the food that has been placed before him.

  She lays her hand on his. “It is turkey leg with coleslaw salad and a glass of blood wine. It was your favorite meal in your mortality.”

  “A small detail like this is why I helped you escape from Hades realm. Hans told me before Dias arrival at the Pike home. I thought to myself, why let the goddess suffer in the hands of Hades when she could suffer in mine?” He jokes. The table erupts in laughter.

  Caillech kisses the back of his hand like in the old times. “You are too funny Julian.” She pats his hand before she starts on her meal. Julian prefers to have the whole leg of the turkey, but she doesn’t like how everyone would eat it so she had Evans order for the legs to be cut in slices for everyone. She takes a sip of her blood wine. Blood wine is what Julian called wine mixed with vampire’s blood. Drinking vampire’s blood makes an individual stronger. Their senses open up, and their speed beings to grow rapidly. Julian has always used the blood wine method to keep his men on top, but no one knows the secret ingredient other than Caillech, Hans, Julian, and now, Evans.

  “Is everyone enjoying their dinner?” Julian asks the table. They all nod with their mouths full. “You did good Caledonia.” He takes a gulp of his blood wine.

  “My loyalty now stands with you Julian. It’s the least I could do.”

  He nods in agreement. His white shirt clings to his body like skin. She would love for him to look at her the way he used to. With passion showing in his stance like when they were together. Caillech knows he loves Annalisa, but he has named her the head of the mansion. He’s letting her sit in the seat meant for his queen. She doesn’t know if she could hope for their relationship to unfold or take actions into her own hands. She has to be patient though because Julian is like a ticking bomb. He can turn into a striking cobra if he is taken by surprise or doesn’t like the events heading his way. She has to find a way to win his heart.

  A loud vibration is heard throughout the room. She frowns at the phone that Julian answers almost immediately. “What is it?” He looks calm, but his voice sounds worried. Who would he answer to at dinner? What could be so important? “I’ll be right there. Do what you have to do.” Her godship would have let her ears pick up on the conversation, but she heard nothing from the other line. He must have protected his phone from all ears except his. He retrieves the phone back into his pocket without another thought. He stands up, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

  She stares up at
him with a confused frown. “Has something occurred?” She asks him.

  “My business is mine and mine alone Caledonia. I need to leave, but I’ll be back later tonight.” She remains silent with her own thoughts. What is he doing? Hans stands with conviction. The Confidant is always with the king when needed. “I won’t need you Hans. You can stay here and finish your meal. That goes for everyone in the room.” He says before he walks out of the room.

  All the Loyals turn to her and Hans with questions filling their minds. She motions for Hans to follow her. They both stand. “Finish your meals.” She suggests to everyone.

  “That is an order.” Has commands, making them all turn to their meals without hesitation and questioning.

  Hans and Caledonia leave the dining room to go to the library that is on the other side of the mansion. Hans shuts the enormous double doubles before he speaks.

  “You will not follow him Caillech.”

  She crosses her arms. “I have not even thought about that. I want to know who the one who called was. You must know. I was not able to hear.”

  “That is not my business to tell.”

  “I only want to know if Julian is in any danger.”

  “My king will always be in danger.”

  “That is not what I-”

  His dirt brown eyes narrow at her. “Caillech, Julian will be angered at the thought that you had me follow you here for you to question me of his whereabouts.”

  “So you will not tell me?” She asks.

  “No.”

  “Then answer me this.” She takes a threatening step forward. “Did he go because of Annalisa?”

  Hans chuckles loud enough for those in the dining room to hear him. His cold laugh makes her anger appear. “If you believe that you will be queen now that Julian has saved you from Hades, you are mistaken. The crown has never been yours. It never will be.”