He closed the door behind them. After they were settled on the couch, he retook his place in a huge, overstuffed chair beside the couch.
Rowan came into the living room and handed Destroy a plate. “Oh, hey! I’m glad you’re here. Are ya’ll hungry?”
“No, thank you, we ate already. How are you, Rowan? I haven’t seen you since the day they left. I meant to come by yesterday, but I just got so busy with Lily and Boon,” Carolena said.
“Don’t worry about it. I was fine, and I knew if I needed you where to find you.”
“Wait! The day we left? How long were we gone? We just left last night!” Destroy asked around an egg sandwich.
“No, today was the third day. You came back this morning, so you came back on the morning of the third day,” Rowan explained.
“Three days? Seriously?” Destroy asked, putting his plate on the end table beside his chair.
“Yes. Why? How long did it seem that you were gone?” Carolena asked.
“Just a few hours. Overnight.” Destroy hung his head, resting his face in his hands. “How long must Murder think it’s been? Time is all mixed up there. Does he think we’ve forgotten him?”
“No. Hims not sad,” Lily piped up.
Destroy lifted his face from his hands. “What?”
“Hims not sad. I telled him that I would see him soon. So him knows. And hims not sad.”
“He…” Destroy started, and his mind began to grasp what Lily was telling him. He knew. He knew he’d be left behind. “Lily, are you sure?”
“Yep. And I gived him some mist. So, hims not sad.”
“You gived.. I mean, you gave him some mist. What does that mean?” Destroy pressed.
“Hims stronger,” she answered.
Destroy grinned. “You told him you’ll see him soon. When soon? When is he coming back?” Destroy asked, getting excited, actually feeling hope for the first time since he’d come home.
“When hers ready.”
“Who?” Destroy asked. “Evangeline? She’s here already!”
“Nope. Not her.” Lily started rummaging through the bag she’d brought with her. She basically dismissed Destroy and his questions, so he left her alone and started trying to figure out what she’d told him.
“Destroy, you thought you were only gone for hours. We know you were gone for three days. So, to Murder, it’s only been a short while,” Rowan offered, hoping that the information would soothe him.
Destroy looked at her. “You’re right! You’re right, and if he knew he would be left behind, then he knows we didn’t desert him.”
“That’s right,” Rowan agreed.
“And he knows he’s coming back, right?” he asked Lily.
“Yep,” Lily answered distractedly, still digging in her bag.
“How? How is he coming back?” Destroy asked.
Lily shrugged. “Don’t know. But hims coming.” She dug around in her bag some more. “Here it is!” she said triumphantly, holding her dolly above her head, the one with Gargoyle horns fashioned from twigs sticking out of its head.
Lily grinned as she slid off the couch and presented it to Destroy. “Here. You can keep him ‘til Unca Murder comes home.”
Destroy looked at the doll. He’d seen it many times. “I don’t want to take your doll, Lily. But thank you.”
“Here!” she insisted, shoving it at him.
Destroy took the doll in one hand and looked at it awkwardly. “Well, okay. If you insist. Thank you. I’ll give him right back as soon as Murder’s home.”
“Okay.”
“Won’t you stay a while?” Rowan asked. She was clearly happy for any distraction for Destroy. He’d been extremely upset about Murder and having them here, along with the information he now had, made a huge difference in him.
“I guess we could. Carnage, do you have anything you need to do today?” Carolena asked.
Carnage nodded. “’Es.” He stood and grabbed Destroy by the head and slipped him into a headlock.
“Let me go!” Destroy poked Carnage in the side, trying to get him to let his head loose.
“No,” Carnage answered. He’d decided it was his job to distract Destroy, and he was determined to be successful.
Rowan took the blanket off the back of the couch and spread it on the floor. “You two take that in the kitchen. We’re putting Boon down on the blanket here, and then we’re going to have a nice visit.”
“’Kay,” Carnage answered, heading out of the room with Destroy still in a headlock.
“Overgrown children,” Rowan grumbled about their mates, as she watched Carolena lay Boon on his belly on the blanket. He struggled for a moment, then, raised his head and grinned at Lily, who lay down on the floor to play with him.
“I cannot believe he’s only a month old. He is so big and so strong!” Rowan commented.
“Believe it. They grow so much faster than human babies. Lily did, too. Yours will, too, when you finally have one. Speaking of, Destroy clearly is ready, how about you?” Carolena asked.
“I’m thinking about it. It’s hard not to want one when I see how he is with Lily and Boon.”
Laughter caught their attention, and they looked out of the front window to see Lore sitting on the grass. He was watching a beautiful woman frolicking in the sunlight; her laughter was what they’d heard.
“Is that Lore’s mate?” Rowan asked.
“Yes! She’s an Angel!” Carolena replied.
“Really sweet, huh? He made me promise to be nice to her if he didn’t make it back. He was afraid he’d not come back.”
“Well, yes, but she’s really an Angel. She seems really sweet, but she’s very confused. I’m not sure her mind is all there. It’s like there are holes in it. She’ll be speaking to you; then she just drifts off in the middle of a sentence.”
“Did you talk to her at length?” Rowan asked.
“A little. Felicity was helping her get cleaned up, so I went in to help since Felicity is so big now.”
The laughter carried in from outside again, and they watched her run over to Lore and grab him by the hand to come play with her. It was obvious that his heart wasn’t in it. He was mourning Murder. But at the same time, he tried to make her smile. He really did. He started picking wild flowers and wove them into a crown for her to wear. She was delighted and insisted that he show her how to make one of her own.
“Lore seems almost as lost as he was before he brought her back here,” Rowan commented.
“He is. He’s missing Murder. And he’s dealing with the fact that he is almost as human as I am,” Carolena answered.
“You’d think fate would give him a break. He deserves to be happy, too,” Rowan said softly, watching Lore force a smile for his female.
The afternoon passed easily enough, and finally it was time to go. As Carnage and his family headed toward the footpath through the trees, there was no one to wave to. Lore and Evangeline had long since left.
Lily was tired from her day and raised her hands to her Papa. He grinned down at her. His little girl always made him smile. She was precocious in so many ways, then the very next minute she was just like the baby he remembered, wanting him to snuggle her. He handed Boon to Carolena and lifted Lily to his shoulders to ride the rest of the way home.
Much later that night, after bath time and dinner, Lily was tucked safely in her bed, and everyone was asleep. She was awoken by a soft whisper and a flash of light outside her window. She watched for it again, blinking her eyes to try to wake up. Then she saw it. A bright blue streak of light across the sky framing a darker, deeper blue bolt. Lily pushed back her covers and quietly made her way to the front door. She opened the door and padded out onto the deck. She smiled when she saw the lady was waiting for her again.
“Hello, dear,” the beautiful woman greeted warmly, sending tendrils of her deep blue hues to caress Lily’s face.
“Hi! I did it!” Lily said, giggling at the slight tingle the blue wisps caused on her s
kin.
“Very good, Danae. You’re a good girl.”
“I’m Lily. I already sayed that,” Lily insisted with an irritated expression on her face.
“Of course, Lily. How silly of me. Did you tell Uncle Lore not to be afraid as well?”
“I did. But him just looked at me funny.”
“It’s okay. He’ll remember when he needs to.”
“My crystals gonna fix him?” Lily asked.
“They make him a little stronger. His mind will need to be strong. The crystals will help remind him.”
“Okay. I’m gonna tell Unca Lore stuff again?”
“No, you’ve already told him all he needs to know, and you’ve given him the crystals. Just be you, dear. You are one of a kind.”
Lily watched the pretty lady, her mind grasping more than anyone could have guessed. “Okay.”
“Sleep well, little one,” the lady said, her mists urging Lily gently back toward the house.
Lily padded softly toward the door. “Are you gonna bisit me again?”
“I will. If you need me, you need only think of me. I’ll be right here.”
“Okay.” Lily hurried toward the door, but stopped and turned around to the lady one last time. “You go to sleep, too!”
The lady laughed, her laughter soft, but soothing, like the rustling of the wind through the trees. “I shall. Soon, I shall. Go on now.”
The lady watched Lily go back inside the house. She waited to hear the click of the lock as Lily slid it back into place. “One day, you’ll be the strongest of us all, Danae. You will save us all,” the woman whispered aloud to the night.
Chapter 10
Lore held Evangeline’s hand firmly, but gently in his. While he missed his mists, he was thankful for the ability to once again feel the firm, warm flesh of another. It had been too, too long.
Evangeline walked along beside Lore, a constant look of wonder on her face. It had been countless centuries since she’d been anything other than a prisoner. She was losing herself in the wonder that surrounded her. The creatures, the trees, flowers and grasses, the scents and sounds. And each time her attention would wander back toward Lore where he led her through the swamps, and his eyes would look back and meet hers, she’d grin even wider and hug his arm, squealing a little. She was gloriously happy.
The creatures of the swamp, big and small were drawn to her. It was her nature — they sensed her inherent goodness and love. She was, after all, an Angel. They’d make their presence known from their hiding places, peeking out to watch her go by. Even the birds flitted about, singing their songs particularly for her.
Lore completely understood their exuberance. He felt the same unexplained peace, calm and love just being near her. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.
Evangeline smiled, and ducked her head, blushing profusely.
“Just a little bit further and we’ll be there,” Lore said.
“Okay. Are you sure he won’t mind?”
“Not at all. He would be the first to offer us shelter. And will say so himself when he returns.”
Evangeline grew solemn, watching her own feet as she followed Lore on the path. “I’m sorry he’s not here.”
“I am, too. But it’s not your fault. You shouldn’t feel as though it is. He knew before we left here that he’d not be returning with us. He insisted on coming along. There is something greater at work here; we just can’t see it yet.”
“But you miss him, still,” Evangeline said, quietly.
“More than anyone I’ve ever missed, save you and Danae.”
“You missed me?” she asked, surprised.
“Every moment of every day since I last saw you happy and free.”
Evangeline stopped walking. “Did you know me then?”
Lore turned, stepping closer to Evangeline where she stood watching him with a confused look. He lifted a very corporeal hand, and she felt the warmth from it as he stroked a long blonde curl and tucked it behind her ear. “I did. I am yours, my Angel. Just as you’ve always been mine.”
Evangeline watched him for a few moments longer, many emotions flitting across her delicate features. “I only remember flashes.” Her eyes drifted away from him, but rather than become lost to him, a deep blush crept across her cheeks, and when she looked back at him, her eyes were cast down, and she peeked at him through her lashes. “Some of them are very…” she didn’t finish.
“Loving?” Lore supplied, knowing that she must be remembering them making love to have blushed so.
“I was going to say naughty,” she whispered.
Lore laughed. The first joyous laugh since, well, he didn’t even remember the last time he truly laughed and had it provoked by joy, not madness.
“Naughty is allowed, when there is love involved,” he offered to soothe her.
“Are you sure?” she asked, a small glint in her eye.
“More than sure,” Lore answered. He didn’t think he should tell her that naughty was something he practically invented, and love didn’t have a damn thing to do with any of it unless it concerned her.
Lore started walking again, and eventually they left the woods and stood facing the most adorable stone cottage.
“Oh, my! This is wonderful!” She let go of Lore’s hand and hurried toward the little cottage. “Can we just walk in?”
“We can,” Lore said, approaching the door and opening it before swinging it wide and standing back to allow Evangeline to precede him into the house.
Evangeline entered before him, enthusiastically. She was excited to see everything new she could. She walked around Murder’s home, trailing her fingertips across the overstuffed, comfy furniture and the raw, exposed wooden beams in the corners of the room and framing each doorway. Evangeline wandered into the kitchen and stroked the wooden hewn counter top before turning on the water faucet and allowing cool, clean water to flow out and over her fingers. She turned the water off and walked past Lore, who was leaning against the wall, watching her.
Evangeline stopped when she was two steps past him. She turned to Lore and slowly approached him. Shyly, but determinedly, she lifted her hand and cupped his face. Then she raised her face to his while pulling his head gently toward her. She pressed her lips to his and closed her eyes.
Lore took over, slipping his hands around her waist and taking half a step to close the distance between them. He pulled his lips back from hers ever so slightly. He looked down on her face; her eyes were still closed and a small smile graced her lips. He lowered his head again and kissed her once more. This time, allowing his tongue out to taste her.
Evangeline’s heart rate sped up, her breath caught and she opened her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have taken the liberty,” Lore said, trying to take a step back.
Evangeline held on tightly, so he couldn’t step away from her. Then she smiled. “My love wants to save me, not hurt me,” she whispered.
Lore grinned. “Yes, I do.”
“And you have. I have so many questions,” she said, looking lovingly into his eyes.
“And I shall do my best to answer all of them.”
She wasted no time. “How did you know me?”
Lore was startled with her directness. “Come on. Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you everything.”
He led her to the dark red velvet upholstered sofa, which was the centerpiece of Murder’s living room. He sat down, and she sat down facing him. “Tell me, please.”
“I have been here for a very, very long time. I’ve always been more daring than my siblings, and after many years of doing things I was expected to do, I became bored. I slipped further and further into vices I shouldn’t have. And almost as soon as I’d begun those, I was bored with them. I was never satisfied.”
“You were searching for something to fill your heart,” she answered, smiling with understanding.
Lore looked down at where their fingers were intertwined. “I suppose maybe I was.
But I was not a good male, Evangeline.”
Evangeline looked at him curiously.
Whether she was trying to make sense of his words, or remember something from the past, he wasn’t sure.
“I’d had many lovers, even had a daughter. But when my brother tried to rein in my behavior, I retaliated and seduced his female. I introduced her to all the things I enjoyed and knew he so strongly disapproved of. Then, I cast her aside.”
“Why?” she asked, a stricken look on her face.
“Because I was heartless, cold, and I could. I caused trouble no matter where I found myself, simply out of boredom, to see what would happen.”
Evangeline’s brows furrowed, and she looked down at their hands.
“Then one day I found you. You were so trusting, so beautiful and good. There was no agenda with you. You were love. Pure and simple, you were love. I couldn’t look away from you. I couldn’t stay away from you. I took my time, earned your trust, then, I took you to live with me in my home, high in the mountains. We were very happy for a time. I loved you above all else, I still do,” he said, smiling in answer to her own shy smile.
“But I wasn’t a good male, and I eventually hurt you. I didn’t mean to, but I did. Then my brother found out about my indiscretion with his female. He’d had enough of my carelessness and callousness. He decided to punish me. But since I cared about nothing, he couldn’t think of a way. Then he focused on two simple things. You and my daughter. The only things that ever mattered to me. He took you from me and exacted punishment I’d earned on the two of you. Knowing that I’d be devastated to watch you pay century after century for my crimes.”
“Crimes?” she asked, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“Yes, crimes. Crimes against nature was what he called it. And he was right.”
“Were you…?”
“What? Criminal? Yes. Devastated? Yes, I was devastated, driven nearly insane as I wandered, searching for you. Always only a step behind. He’d allow me to get close to you, then move you away and hide you in a different place.”
“He imprisoned me, kept me captive to punish you?” she asked, her face clearly showing her pain. “That’s beyond cruel!” she exclaimed. “I did nothing to warrant his behavior!”
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