Stolen Fire

by S. Dalambakis

  “Does he look as old as he is?” Finley asks, giving Bael her attention again.

  “No, he doesn’t. Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to see him before you go. I believe you’ll be surprised.”

  Bael keeps Finley entertained by answering all of her questions. Some deal with hell and others about Stolas, which he’s pretending to be mad about. I know he’s not because of the steady smirk I see on his face every time be looks back at Finely to add something to the story. Bael has her bursting with laughter by the time we make it over the bridge. I can see Finley visible relax the second she steps off. I look over to Verkor who has been quiet for quite some time now. Verkor briefly turns his head in my direction, meeting my eyes before facing forward again. I don’t have to say anything, because he knows what I’m silently asking him.

  “I’m fine. We can talk about everything once we get to Bael’s house,” Verkor says.

  I don’t reply because I think what happened is getting to him more than he wants to admit. I do have to say, the timing of the guy in the hooded white robe is curious. Why now? Can we believe anything he said? I don’t want to take my chances on it.

  Chapter 16

  Finley

  The journey to Bael’s house isn’t as long as I expected, considering I thought he lived at the base of the mountain, closer to the castle. Turns out, he lives in a red house on one of the flat areas of land off the main path that leads to Lucifer’s castle. There are only a few other houses in the section. It must be nice not having neighbors so close that you can hear everything.

  This area is more of what I thought it would look like having a house in hell. Bael’s home doesn’t have a grassy yard. Instead, it’s dirt and rocks. There’s a wrought-iron picket fence enclosing the ranch style house and property. The gate squeaks as Bael pushes it open, gesturing for me to enter. I follow him up the stone pathway to the black front door.

  “So, why does Stolas have grass and you don’t?” I ask as Bael fiddles with his keys, unlocking the door.

  “There’s too much lava and the acidity of the dirt doesn’t make this habitable, even for the specialized crabgrass we grow down here.” He walks into his home, flicking on the light in the process. The rest of us follow him.

  There’s a small foyer with a simple cherry wood stand against the left side of the wall, and a small white bowl on top. Bael tosses his keys into it before taking a seat on a bench along the right side of the wall. I watch as he unlaces his boots, takes them off, and shoves them into one of the empty cubicles under the bench. I take my cue from him and do the same. I sigh the second my boots are off. I also take my socks off in the process. I was about to shove my socks into my boots since Verkor has my bag, but Obsidian walks over and takes them from me.

  “I’ll put them in your bag.” I smile at him.

  “Thanks.” He nods.

  “Would you like to see the rest of the house?” Bael asks. I turn my gaze to him, smiling.

  “Of course.” He holds out his elbow to me and I loop my arm around his.

  “Stolas, you know what rooms to use,” Bael states. We leave my guys behind to get settled.

  The foyer opens up, there is a hallway to the left and straight ahead is the living room. My mouth drops open. I thought Stolas’ home was beautiful, but this...this is amazing. The walls are a soft gray color with white trimming. A dark gray couch, loveseat, and white chair take up the majority of the living. I run my hand along the back of the couch and the material is so soft against my fingertips. A simple black coffee table sits in front of the couch with a gray serving tray on top, holding a few remotes.

  Bael doesn’t say anything, he just lets me take in the room. As we stand behind the couch, I curl my toes in the soft beige carpet. I understand why he takes his shoes off before coming in here. Can you imagine the mess from dragging in dirt and ash? Too much work.

  “Did you decorate in here?” I ask while running my fingers over a few of the gray and black throw pillows on the couch.

  “Hell no,” he laughs. “My mother and sister decorated my house. This place would have the bare necessities if it were left up to me.”

  “I think I need to hire your family to decorate my house once I decide on where to live.”

  “What do you mean where you want to live?”

  I sigh, plucking at the corner of one of the pillows. “Well, we haven’t decided on a place. Actually, we really haven’t talked much about it. I’ve been spending most of my time with the guys at Obsidian’s place in the Magic Realm. I have a home there too, it’s...it’s just…” I sigh. “Look, I don’t live in a nice area of the Magic Realm. We’re all currently in the middle of a mission and haven’t had much time to talk about where we all want to live.”

  “Why does it matter where you all want to live? Stolas has a place here in hell. You could stay there. I don’t know if he’s talked about it, but I’m sure he’ll want his pup born here.” I look up at Bael.

  “No, he didn’t say anything about wanting our baby born here. It also looks like he didn’t tell anyone that he’s not my only mate. Obsidian and Verkor are my mates as well. So, when we decide on a house it has to be something, we all agree on.” Bael looks at me with shock on his face. I don’t know why he’s so surprised. It’s not like having multiple mates in an uncommon thing. “What’s with the look?” I ask, gesturing to his shocked expression.

  “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to hear you say that you were mated to all of them. I knew for sure Stolas, but in a way it makes since. They’ve been friends for a while now, and they even work together.” He shrugs. “I’d hate to see what would have happened if they each ended up with a different woman.” He shudders. I laugh, because I understand. Bitches be petty.

  “Did he tell you how we met?” Bael shakes his head. “Oh, just you wait until we tell you everything. You’re going to think we’re crazy, I promise we’re not, and everything we tell you will be a hundred percent true.” Bael doesn’t get a chance to respond because my guys come bounding into the living room.

  “You guys didn’t make it very far,” Stolas says, wrapping and arm around my shoulder and placing a kiss on my forehead.

  “We got too busy talking about you,” I reply. Stolas groans.

  “Didn’t you guys do enough of that on the way here?” he whines. I chuckle.

  “Nope,” I say popping the ‘p’.

  “Ugh. Fine. I’m going to make something to eat. Do you mind?” Stolas directs his question to his brother.

  “Not at all.” Stolas pulls away walking to the doorway on the right side of the room, pausing.

  “Bael, can you do me a favor?”

  “What is it?”

  “Can you have a doctor come here and check out Finley?”

  “Why?” Bael asks.

  Stolas sighs. “I just want to make sure Finley and our pup are okay,” he answers. Stolas looks at me. “I saw the slide you did between Abaddon’s legs. Plus, I’ve been worried since you almost got jumped in limbo.”

  Bael looks down at me. “You had a run in with Abaddon?” I nod my head.

  Shrugging my shoulders, I reply, “Turns out he remembered I stole some hell forged blades from him.”

  Bael’s eyes widen. “You stole from Abaddon? How the hell are you still alive?” He rounds his gaze to Stolas, who is still hovering between the living room and what I assume is the kitchen, before voicing his next question. “What the hell man? How could you let her…” Stolas cuts Bael off with a wave of his hand. Stolas’ eyes narrow at his brother, briefly flashing red before returning to their normal silver color.

  “First of all, I didn’t let her do anything. She had the hell forged blades before I met her and found out she was my mate. Second, we were in the violence level of hell and I was being attacked by demons and humans. We all were. I told her to run and she got stopped by Abaddon. Third, as much as I hate that I was preoccupied making sure I lived so I could protect her, I’m glad she knows how to fight. She ke
pt herself alive long enough so that I… so that we could help her.” His voice is rough, and his eyes flash back to red and stay that way. His hellhound is close to the surface. “So, don’t you come at me when you don’t know the story yet. Call the damn doctor and get him here, now!” Stolas bellows.

  I’ve never seen Stolas this angry. He’s Obsidian level angry right now, and I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty hot.

  Bael holds up his free hand, palm out toward Stolas. “You’re right bro. I’ll call right now.”

  Stolas nods taking a couple of deep breaths. As he calms down, his eyes slowly change back to silver. He locks eyes with me. I tilt my head to the side, silently asking if he’s okay. He nods. I give him a wink and smile. A smirk pulls at his lips. He’s back. My sweet, fun loving mate is back.

  I watch Bael walk over to a cherry wood entertainment center along the right side of the living room wall across from the couch and loveseat. He opens one of the doors and pulls out a metal triangle. He has a Holographic Optic Virtual Assistant or H.O.V.A. for short. He places it on the coffee table, kneeling down in front of it. He taps a few buttons and seconds later an image of a middle-aged man with graying hair appears. Shit, Bael has the fancy updated version. I look down at my bracelet. It holds a chip to detect credits from my account and the basic function of giving and receiving messages from my contacts. I’ve always wanted the one that Bael has, but I can’t afford it.

  “Bael,” the man says. “What can I do for you?”

  “Is there any way you can stop by my place? My brother’s mate is here and she’s pregnant. They had a couple of run-ins and they want to make sure that her and the pup are fine.”

  “I can be there in thirty minutes,” the doctor replies.

  “Great. Thank you.” The doctor nods before his image disappears. Bael looks over his shoulder to his brother.

  “Thanks,” Stolas says.

  “Anytime,” Bael responds.

  Stolas turns and walks into the kitchen, Verkor follows close behind. Obsidian pauses at the doorway.

  “Everyone might as well come. The sooner we explain what is going on, the faster we can make a plan,” he says. Obsidian holds out his hand to me. I walk around the couch placing my hand in his when I’m close enough. We leave Bael to put his H.O.V.A. away as we walk into the kitchen.

  I pause just over the threshold. Bael’s kitchen is gorgeous. I never thought I’d think of a kitchen that way, but there’s no other word to describe it. It has a very rustic feel, from the dark oak flooring, the brick backsplash walls, to the dark brown cabinets. What I’m really drawn to is the sink. Instead of it being along the wall with the rest of appliances, it’s on an island a few feet away. There’s a massive granite countertop around it. Obsidian guides me over to the glass kitchen table that has eight chairs surrounding it. He pulls one out for me before taking a seat next to it. Bael chooses to sit across from me.

  “So, who wants to start?” Bael questions. I see the guys glance at me. I sigh. Guess I’ve been nominated.

  Stolas

  I busy myself with cutting up the meat and vegetables for dinner. Verkor helps by setting up all the pots and pans that I need and grabbing ingredients. I internally sigh because I’m disappointed in myself. I yelled at my brother, which is not something that I normally do, but my control snapped when he was questioning me over the protection of my mate. I know that I could have nicely explained it, but myself and my hellhound didn’t like what he was insinuating. I’ll need to apologize later. My hellhound perks up at the scent of Finley walking into the room.

  Mate. He’s urging me to go over and check on her, to make sure her and our pup are okay.

  We’ll check on her in a moment. She needs to eat, I tell him.

  Yes, we must feed our mate. She’ll have strong pup.

  Can you tell? I ask him. Although we are one, my hellhound still has independent thoughts of his own. He can sense things on a better scale than I can.

  Yes. Our pup will be very strong.

  I relax a little bit with his words, but I still need the reassurance by the doctor. A small part of me is worried that Finley wouldn’t be able to handle having a hellhound pup. She’s part human after all, but from what my hellhound says, it sounds like she’s going to be fine. I’m also worried about if the pup will be able to shift. I’m going to love my child regardless. I should ask the doctor when he gets here.

  “So, who wants to start?” Bael says, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  “I guess I will,” Finley says. “So, this all started when my witch best friend had a vision and recited a part of a poem to me.” She explains her journey and retrieval of the first piece of the map.

  “Wait,” Bael stops her explanation. “Are you telling me that the map is real, that it isn’t some myth or tale?”

  “Oh, it’s real, brother,” I say, adding the ingredients I cut to heated pan.

  “We were skeptical at first too, but everything that was mentioned in the first part of the poem eventually came true,” Verkor says, leaning against the counter a few feet down from me. Finley continues the story by telling him how we met and the journey into the Winter Court of Faerie.

  “That’s why you’re here,” Bael states.

  “Yes,” I reply. There’s a knock on the door, halting our conversation. Bael leaves to answer the door, returning a few minutes later with a middle-aged man, carrying a leather bag.

  “Finley, this is Doctor Azag.” Bael introduces the two.

  I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Go,” Verkor says. “I’ll finish up dinner. Make sure our mate and child are okay.” I nod and walk over to Finley and the doctor. Bael looks over at me.

  “Go to one of the bedrooms. You’ll have privacy.”

  “Thanks.”

  I hold out my hand, helping Finley stand. The doctor follows behind us through the living room and the hallway towards the bedroom. I open the door to the bedroom that I’m sharing with Finley. An epic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors happened to see got to share a room with her. How else would you decide? The Earth Realm game is timeless.

  I gesture for Finley and doctor to enter the room, closing the door behind me. The doctor sets his bag on the end of the bed that’s covered in a white geometric patterned comforter.

  “Please, take a seat,” Doctor Azag says. Finley sighs. She walks over to the side of the bed but pauses.

  “Can I just stand? I’m a mess and I would like to not ruin Bael’s comforter.” I forgot about us being covered in blood. Finley’s wearing black. The blood practically blends in.

  “I would prefer if you were seated.”

  I move over to the other side of the bed, taking the lamp off of the nightstand and placing it on the floor. I carry the nightstand to the foot of the bed and set it down in front of the doctor.

  “That will work,” the doctor says.

  Finley walks over and carefully perches on the stand. The doctor digs through his bag pulling out a few items. Finley looks over at me, and I shrug. I don’t know what he’s going to do any more than she does.

  “I’m going to do an overall check-up. Now, have you experienced any cramping or pains in your stomach?”

  I watch as the doctor checks everything from her pulse, breathing, heart, blood pressure. Finley is calm the entire time, answering any and all questions the doctor has asked.

  “Would you like to see the pup?” Finley’s eyes widen and huge smile appears on her face.

  “Yes, yes, yes!” she says excitedly, almost bouncing from her sit on the nightstand. Finley looks over at me, radiating happiness. “Stolas, can you get the others? They should be here for this. I mean you don’t mind, do you?”

  Why would she think I would mind? “No, love. I don’t mind.”

  Finley glances back over to the doctor. “Would you mind waiting a few minutes for the others?”

  The doctor shakes his head. “Not at all dear.”

  Finley sets her gaze back on me. “Tell them to hur
ry.”

  I shake my head at her eagerness, but she’s crazy if she thinks that I’m going to leave her here by herself. I open the bedroom and yell.

  “Obsidian! Verkor!” I know that Obsidian will hear me. If not, I know for sure Bael would have. Hellhound hearing is amazing. I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips as both of them come running down the hall.

  “What? What is it?” Verkor asks.

  “Is Finley okay?” Obsidian questions. I hold my hands up, palms out.

  “She’s fine. The doctor was going to show the pup and she asked that you guys be here to see it.” Both of them blink at me a few times.

  “Are you sure?” Verkor asks.

  I tilt my head to the side, frowning. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”

  “Because this is your pup,” Obsidian answers.

  “Yes, but we’re all going to be there to raise the kid. This is happening to all of us, not just to me and Finley. We’re a family.”

  “Thank you,” Verkor says. Obsidian just nods, clasping a hand on my shoulder, squeezing.

  “Let’s go see our baby.”

  I move to the side, letting them enter the room. When I close the door, I see a teary smile in Finley’s face. I’m at her side in an instant, cupping her face.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” She reaches up grabbing onto my wrist.

  “Nothing’s wrong. What you said was amazing, and I’m glad I got to hear it.” I lean down placing a kiss on her lips, before resting my forehead against hers.

  “It’s true,” I whisper.

  “I know,” she says.

  “I need you to take a step back if you want to see your pup,” the doctor says from behind me.

  I move to Finley’s side, interlacing her fingers with mine. Verkor and Obsidian move to stand behind her.

  “Lean back slightly and lift your shirt to bare your stomach.”

  Obsidian moves closer, letting Finley lean into him. With her free hand she lifts the hem of her shirt revealing smooth pale skin. The doctor waves a wand over her stomach, and a holographic image appears in front of us, and I’m at a loss for words. I stare at the image dumbfounded. I did that. We did that. Me and Finley created that little life moving around. I watch in amazement seeing a tiny little baby with tiny arms and legs. In side profile, I can just make out a little nose and mouth. It’s breathtaking.