Leaving Eden

by Kelly A Walker et al.

  She raises an eyebrow in question

  “Skinny bitches in the bridal party, the two blondes on the end,” I whisper. She looks at them and nods. “They’re the ones from yesterday.”

  She gets a glint in her eye and starts to head towards them. I grab hold of her hand and yank her back.

  “Don’t blow our cover.” I hiss. “I need to eat, damn it. I’ll just avoid them.” This time, she gasps out loud.

  Now it’s my turn to look at her with concern. “What?”

  “Mr Big Cock and He Knows How to Use It is here.”

  “Huh?” I'm confused.

  “My demon client from yesterday is one of the groomsmen.”

  I angle my head around the body of the man I’m using for cover, but before I can see who she’s referring to, my stomach clenches as I recognize yet another person. My head drops in utter disbelief.

  “Abort, abort!” I hiss, grabbing Serena and dragging her towards an exit.

  She pulls me to a stop. “Damn it, Glory! What are you doing?”

  “The beautiful man from yesterday is here, too. In the bridal party! It’s a cluster fuck.” I shake free of her and keep walking. “Let’s just go and crash a Bar Mitzvah or…hey, I hear church potlucks are a thing.”

  I stay hidden behind people, my head down, focusing on the exit. I’m ducking and weaving through the crowd like a dancer on crack, when screeching feedback from a speaker rings out across the area. Everyone stops what they’re doing and pauses to listen to the MC. I stop too. If I continue the way I’m going, it will be too noticeable. Slowly, I sit down at a free table. Serena catches up and collapses in a chair next to me. Shooting me an evil look, she waits while the MC gives out information. The buffet is being served. It looks like an army of ants scurrying out of the manor towards the long table, placing their offerings and scurrying back.

  The bride stands up and takes the microphone, her sweet voice ringing out over the reception, gesturing to the buffet table. “Join us for our first meal as a married couple!”

  Shouts of joy ring out from the crowd, followed by a thunder of applause. I stand up to continue my escape, but Serena tugs me back down.

  “What. Are. You. Doing?” I hiss, punctuating each word.

  “We’re here now, at a table, even. Let’s just eat, socialize a bit. We know to avoid the bridal table, but we do that at most weddings we crash,” she says a little too loudly. The other occupants at the table shoot her suspicious looks but people getting up to go to the buffet distract them and they soon join the line.

  Serena and I know the deal. We avoid the first rush, which will include the bridal party, and wait calmly for the next round of food to be brought out. That round will be fresh off the stove, too, not sitting in warmers for who knows how long. I reluctantly agree to stay. We both snag another glass of champagne off the tray and wait our turn.

  And anyway, what are the odds that I’ll run into the bitches in this crowd of three hundred?

  4

  “God,” I groan, rubbing my belly. “I feel so much better. I really needed that.” I’ve been to the buffet twice, and Serena has been for me, too. Thankfully, it isn’t too close to the bridal table, so we’ve been able to avoid the skinny bitches.

  She stops talking to the couple on her other side and looks at me closely. “You look heaps better, too. You’ve got some color back in your skin and a sparkle in your eye.”

  I give her a smile. “Okay, Serena. It’s scoping time, we need to find you someone to bang.” I sit up in my seat and survey the room. The guests have mostly finished eating. There are a few stragglers heading back and forth, but it looks like the staff is breaking down the buffet to set up the desserts. People have started moving around, mingling, which makes scoping the talent easier.

  JUST AS I’M about to point out someone to Serena, I spot something that makes my heart skip a beat. Headed in our direction is the manager from Tasty Treats. She hasn’t noticed me yet, so I quickly dive under the table. The grass tickles my knees as I curl into a ball. Luckily, there's only us and one other couple sitting, so there's plenty of room for me underneath.

  “What are you doing, Glory, for fuck’s sake? Have you lost the plot?” Serena rants. “Your behavior is ridiculous, I’m ringing Mom.” My sister peers at me under the table.

  I wave her away. “Skinny bitch heading our way. Stop looking at me.”

  Serena puts a small smile on her face and sits up.

  “Charles, Diana, how are you?” I hear that nasally voice ask the other couple at our table.

  “Wow that’s one hell of a voice. How does anyone listen to that?” I hear Serena ask her.

  Fuck, she’s going to blow our cover.

  “Who are you?” Nicole demands. “I don’t know you and I know everyone.” I can just picture her snooty nose in the air, looking down at Serena with disdain. “Never mind, I don’t care; you can’t be important or I would know you. Anyway, I was just looking for the children from the bridal party. They want a photo around the cake. Have you seen them?”

  I can hear Diana and Charles reply in the negative. Then I hear a deep voice chime in.

  “Have you checked under the tables?” Oh, that voice, that beautiful, gently French, accent.

  Wait, what did he say? Fuck! I throw myself onto my hands knees and start rapidly crawling away. In the opposite direction to where they are located.

  With stealth, ninja-like skill, I furiously crawl to the next table. But I don’t stop. I want to put some space between me and the table I just left. Let’s face it, if they look under one, there’s a good chance they’ll look under them all.

  So, I keep going.

  Pausing briefly to catch my breath, I look down at my knees and see they have a slight green tinge to them now. I peer out to survey the situation. The staff has brought out a small table which is holding a magnificent wedding cake, placed near the bridal table.

  There seems to be no sign of the children yet. Crap, I need to keep moving. I can still hear that nasally voice, but I think she’s still a couple of tables behind me. I scurry to the next table quickly and come to an abrupt stop.

  “Shit.”

  The table is already occupied. A sea of gray taffeta and tulle is ensconced under the table, encapsulating a trio of giggling girls. Two girls look to be about five-years-old. One is blonde and blue-eyed, and the other is black-haired with piercing green eyes. The last little girl is about three-years-old, also with black hair and green eyes. Sisters? Each have chocolate smeared across their faces and look to be very pleased with themselves.

  “You said shit,” accuses the blonde, pointing at me.

  “Yep.” I drag myself further under the table. It’s crowded, and I’m now pushed up against someone's legs. Hopefully they think I’m a child. I shift awkwardly so I’m sitting crossed legged.

  “But you know what?” I ask the girls. “There is a woman looking for you three, and I was trying to keep in front of her. I was not expecting to find you.” Worried looks cross their faces.

  “Does she have blonde hair, and a voice that sounds like she has a blocked nose?” the older, dark-haired girl asks, pointing at her own.

  I nod my head, and a look of fear crosses their faces. They scramble into motion but stop abruptly when that nasal voice calls just above our heads. This is my cue to scramble into action, but I forget that I’m trapped by a pair of legs. I end up launching myself face-first into somebody's crotch.

  Oh my god, could things get any worse? I’m about to be discovered by that witch, and now I am motorboating a strange man’s penis. Yes, I know it’s a penis as it just jumped under my face. The person whose lap my face is in moves his chair back slightly and peers under the table.

  “Nolan, have you seen your girls?” nasal bitch asks. “We need you all for a photo by the wedding cake,” she pauses. “What are you looking at under the table? Is it them?”

  I look back, and the girls are all staring at the man, shaking their h
eads. I join in. The man’s piercing green eyes, eerily similar to the girls’, has a stunned look on his face. I guess that’s not surprising, considering I introduced my face to his penis.

  The girls are imploring him, their little hands clasped in prayer, so I do the same and beg with my eyes. His gaze goes from them to me. Seeing me at his feet, begging, must be appealing to him, because heat fills his eyes before he drops the tablecloth back down.

  My head drops to my chest in relief. Oh. Well, might be my tits that appealed to him, too. With all the crawling, my dress is pulled down to just above my nipples, and I have cleavage you could park a bike in.

  Straightening myself out, the girls and I wait with bated breath to see what he does.

  “No, Nicole, I haven’t seen them.” His voice sends a shiver straight down my spine. Growly and deep, it does all sorts of things to my body. “I thought I dropped my napkin under the table.”

  All four of us let out a quiet sigh of relief.

  “Why don’t you check at the front of the manor? The girls like to watch the koi fish in the pond,” he continues, “I think they saved a bread roll to feed the fish.”

  The smallest girl lifts a bread roll to show me, and we exchange a grin, listening.

  Nicole, nasal bitch, makes a sound. “EEEW really.” The nasally tones cause us all to wince. “Fine.” She sighs in exasperation.

  Smiles of joy and relief cover the girls’ faces.

  After a moment, the man says, “Alright, you lot, she’s gone. Out you come.”

  The girls scramble out from under the table, but I stay put, hoping he'd forgotten about me.

  “You, too, princess.”

  Damn it. My heart starts to beat a little faster as I, too, crawl out, stand up, and smooth out my dress. I look up into the eye of the man in front of us and feel like I'm being scolded as well.

  “Why were you hiding from Nicole?” he asks the girls. “She’s looking all over for you for. It’s for Aunty Bella.”

  “Not another photo, Daddy,” pleads the youngest one, tugging on his pant leg. The other two are shaking their heads.

  “She’s so mean,” chimes in the blonde-haired girl. “She pinches us if we don’t move fast enough.”

  He looks at her in surprise, and they all nod their heads.

  “Why did Aunty Bella ask her to be in the wedding, Daddy?” asks the oldest.

  “Because of Louis. Damn fool,” he mutters under his breath. “And what’s your excuse?” he asks, looking at me.

  “She’s mean and she pinches,” I reply solemnly, sending the girls into fits of giggles.

  He raises his eyebrows at me. “Really?”

  I nod my head.

  He sighs, exasperated. “Ok, you rugrats, get out of here. I'll tell Aunty Bella that you’ve had enough. She’ll be cranky, but she’ll get over it, I hope. God help me.” He sends up a prayer for help. The girls wave to me and run off. I turn and try to make my escape.

  “Not you!” That voice hits me in just the right spot. My latent lust demon pokes her head up.

  “Now, I don’t recognize you, and I thought I knew everyone my sister invited,” the gruff voice says.

  I turn slowly, my heartbeat increasing, then look around for Serena in the hopes that she’ll swoop in and save me. I can see the bitch watching from the table, an amused look on her face. That bitch will pay! I plaster on a smile and face him fully.

  “Hi! I’m Great-Aunt Leigh’s granddaughter, Glory.” I can see he doesn't believe me.

  “Great-Aunt Leigh is a raging dyke and never had any children,” he deadpans.

  My heart drops. Fucking Serena.

  He points out a gorgeous older woman on the other side of the reception. She has gray-streaked auburn hair, pulled back in a tight updo and is wearing a pant suit that fits beautifully on her tall, slender frame. A long string of pearls hang around her neck, and she has a pair of tortoise shell glasses perched on her nose. I watch as she drags deeply on a cigarette. As she blows out the smoke, I can hear her husky bellow of laughter.

  Okay! Time to make a getaway.

  I spin quickly, taking a couple of steps, but before I can get far, I feel a hand on my arm. Suddenly, I’m spun around. The guy looks furious. Before I can say anything, I feel a sharp pain in my hand, like I’ve been stung by a wasp. I look down and my demon mark has changed color. It’s now bright orange. A feeling of joy flows through my body, and when I look up, the man looks just as stunned as I am. He’s also looking at his hand in shock. In fact, he looks like you could blow him over with a feather.

  “Mate?” he rasps.

  I nod hopefully. He looks faint and sits down on his chair again.

  What’s with the reaction? I look down at myself. I’m not that horrific, am I? I mean, I know I have a few more curves than a lot of the women here, but I’m not huge. Discreetly, I drop my nose down to my armpits and sniff. Nope, I smell fine. Now I’m starting to get annoyed. I put my hands on my hips, ready to demand what his problem is, when two little angels run back to us.

  “Daddy.” They wrap their arms around him, and my heart drops.

  I sink down onto a seat, my joy at finding my mate shattering when I realize he must already have one. I’m going to be a sister-wife. The man who’s supposed to be my soulmate already has children with another. Two beautiful little girls who look just like their daddy, unless Mom has the same coloring.

  My womb weeps. They should be my children. I know I am being ridiculous. I know many demons have multiple mates; I mean, I have three dads. I just didn’t expect to be the one having to share. That someone else had already given him that gift. A tear escapes the corner of my eye before I can control it.

  “Daddy, Aunty Bella is looking for you, she’s angry.” This seems to shock him out of his stupor. He looks at the girls and then at me. Over his shoulder, I can see the bride storming towards us. She's a woman on a mission, and she looks pissed.

  He shifts his gaze between us. “My sister, she’s a wrath demon. I really need to see what’s wrong or shit could hit the fan.” I look down at his hand. His mark is a circle with a smaller circle inside, with three even smaller circles spread evenly around it. Yellow. A greed demon. I take a step backwards.

  “Please wait,” he begs, holding up his hands.

  Shaking my head, I turn and flee.

  5

  I can hear shouting behind me, but I ignore it. I run awkwardly past Serena, my heels on the grass making it difficult to gain any kind of speed. I can see a worried look on her face, but again, I ignore it and keep going.

  Leaving the reception area and about to round the corner of the manor, I run face-first into a brick wall. A brick wall that screeches as we both tumble to the ground. Arms flailing and legs tangled, I recognize those nasally tones. Abuse flies out of that mouth, but I tune it all out. Rolling onto my back, my head dropping back on the ground, I look up at the sky above me. White clouds drift slowly above me, fluffy and insubstantial. Much like my energy. Once again, it has completely dissipated. Nothing left. Zip. Nada. Zippo. Bupkis. Just like that, I feel like I have hit rock bottom.

  Movement around me jolts me out of my musings. Slowly my ears tune back into the conversation.

  “What are you doing here? Are you crashing the wedding? You weren't on the guest list!”

  I turn my head to the side and see Nicole sending me a stare that could freeze Hell. A certain lethargy has taken over my body and I ignore her. Getting up, I straighten my dress out, again, and continue in the direction I was going. But she will not give up. She grabs me by the arm, and that is the last straw.

  I turn, snarling in her direction, my body once again bursting into flames. “Get your fucking hands off me.”

  She yanks her hand back, squealing in pain. Rubbing it against her dress, she backs away slightly and places her hands on her hips. “I asked you what you’re doing here, fatty.”

  The flames surrounding my body rise higher at the insult. I feel like I cou
ld set the whole world ablaze and watch it burn, not caring one little bit. Serena has caught up to me now, and I see the bride and her brother just behind her. In fact, we have attracted quite a bit of attention. Serena tries to talk me down.

  “Deep breaths, Glory. Think happy thoughts. Cake, chocolate, macarons.” The flames die down a little. The two little girls who have followed their aunt and father join in on the suggestions.

  “Rainbow, unicorns, fluffy bunnies!” chimes the older one.

  “Money!” shouts the little one, causing the surrounding people to laugh. The flames sputter away.

  But then she shouts out “Daddy!” and the flames flare again, this time shooting outwards. Luckily no one is hurt. Except I can see Nicole's hair smoldering. I’m not going to tell her. Hopefully, by the time she smells it, it will be a roaring forest fire in that hair-sprayed-to-death hairdo.

  “It’s not going to work,” I hear the bride, Bella, say to Serena. “That’s mate fire. I had the same problem. Until she fu—" She stops abruptly, looking at the girls. “—seals her bond, she’ll keep bursting into flames and her energy will be practically nonexistent. When I met Felix, every tiny little thing set off my anger. I almost burnt the house down. And even though I own a call center, continuously bombarded by people’s wrath, I was starving.”

  “That’s what that is?” Serena looks incredulously between me and Bella. “I don’t think Mom has ever mentioned it before.”

  Bella shakes her head. “It’s rare, not all demons experience it. Her mate should be able to calm her down with his touch.”

  Serena looks back at me again. Although on fire, a tear drips down my face, impervious to the flames. “Oh, honey what’s wrong?” she asks. “You should be over the moon. Who is it?”

  Bella and I both turn to look at her brother. Serena looks between me and Bella’s brother and then to the children behind him. I see the exact moment when she realizes what's happened. She turns back to me.

  “Baby girl. I’m sorry.” Serena instinctively knows how I’m feeling; it’s a twin thing. The joy replaced with the heartbreak when I realize he must already have a partner and that he has children from another woman.