Chapter 14
Will
“I assume you’re all here because of the epiphany we had at Chameleon?” Will said as he walked closer to the seating area where everyone had gathered.
“What epiphany?” Lori asked.
“Yes, nobody has told us anything,” Vixen added.
With a frown, Lori looked at Will expectantly. “Also, where did Lyla and Tobias go?”
“We’ll talk about that later.”
“Now would be wiser,” Uriel said. “Every minute counts.”
At five-feet-ten with flawless good looks, walnut curls, and bejeweled gold eyes, the angel inspired trust and security.
His outward appearance gave little hint to his usual cryptic statements and frustrating sly smiles.
As a double agent between the higher and Outer Realms, Uriel often had to be meticulous about what he revealed and when. It was most infuriating.
Will knew that every moment counted, and why, but what knowledge did Uriel have? None of the other angels present seemed bothered by the lack of information.
Or maybe they’ve already been briefed? I’m not going into another quest without all the information. Last time, the things they didn’t say could have gotten me killed.
“What do you know, Uriel?” Will asked bluntly.
“You know something, too.” Lori’s expression darkened. “You went to get Kitty and Christo and came back empty handed. The angels are here, which always means some shit is about to go down. Tobias and Lyla have disappeared, so what is going on? Somebody had better start talking.”
Will’s gaze pulled to the right, where Rion and Kyriel were speaking in hushed tones, oblivious to the tension in the room.
“Kitty and Christo are gone; Marquez has them. We know Christo is unharmed because of his connection with Tobias. We don’t know if Kitty is okay.”
“She is not,” Kyriel interjected unexpectedly.
That’s why she’s here. She must have felt something… Shit.
“What?” Rion shouted. “Tell me everything you know.”
Kyriel hung her head, twin curtains of glossy black hair concealing her face. “I know very little. She lives, but she has been hurt. I fear it is a grave injury.”
“Damn it…” Will whispered.
“Where are Tobias and Lyla?” Rion asked, appearing genuinely confused.
Gah Rion…
“Tell us about this epiphany,” implored Ramiel, another of the angels in the room.
Will’s attention shifted to the tall dark-skinned male. Ramiel, ruler of one of the levels in the Outer Realms, never left his post. He had made a point in the past, of stating he did not visit the In-Between.
Suddenly, Will had figured it out. “You gathered them,” he said to Uriel. “You knew.”
“I might have…” A slight smirk lifted his lips on one side.
“So, you’re all here for Tobias?” Will panned his gaze across the room, analyzing which angels had volunteered. Collectively, the angels nodded, or offered words of affirmation.
“We have not chosen a subject, this seems somewhat premature,” Rion said.
“He’s taking more servants!” Vixen exclaimed.
“What?” Lori blinked several times. “That’s a terrible idea. Every time he takes on another servant, it’s harder than the last. This is reckless.”
“That is what I said,” Rion mused.
Uriel made a sweeping gesture with an arm, to imply all the angels in the room. “We are here to ensure Mr. Martelli is capable of success.”
“And, the subject?” Will asked.
“Mr. Martelli has it under control,” Uriel answered.
Will glanced at Rion and Kyriel. No, he doesn’t! He’s on a fucking side quest!
“I suppose you intend for us to sit idle and wait until Martelli decides to grace us with his presence?” Rion asked. “We are supposed to be a trinity. He could have said something verbally or telepathically, but no. He chooses to play hero alone.”
“He went after Lyla,” Will said at last.
“Lyla? Well, where did she go?” Lori asked in bewilderment.
Instead of responding, Will chose to mind-link with Rion. Though he’d never instigated it before, the process was easier than anticipated. “You didn’t realize what you projected, did you?”
Rion managed to keep a poker-face, but his anxiety was somehow present in their silent conversation. “I projected?”
“Yes. A colossal wave of unconditional love… for Kyriel. Everyone in the room felt it. You’ve just been reunited with your mother, your real flesh-and-blood mother. Lyla panicked. She thinks she’s surplus now.”
Rion squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck.”
“Yeah, so that’s why Tobias went after her. Kyriel being here is the worst timing, but she could be essential to finding Kitty. It depends on how much of a dick Marquez decides to be.”
“You two are having a telepathic conversation, aren’t you?” Lori heaved a great sigh.
“I didn’t know you could do that too!” Vixen said to Will.
“Does this telepathy include Tobias?” Uriel asked.
“No, but we can link him in if you need us to,” Will replied. “I was just trying to give him a little time to – uh – reconcile the situation he went to deal with.”
Tobias
The plan had seemed smart at first, maybe even essential. Go to Diabolus Loco to find Lyla, convince her to come back to the penthouse. But, as he traversed the rabbit warren of passageways and rooms the palace beneath the club was comprised of, he realized he hadn’t thought it through.
I have no guarantee this is even where she went. Damn it. Just because she’s been living here since we came back to the In-Between, it doesn’t mean this is where she would flee to in a moment of panic.
“I thought you were going to be gone for the night?”
Tobias whirled around to face O’Brien. “I’m looking for Lyla. We got separated and I was hoping she came back here.”
“Oh yeah, she’s here.”
“Thank fuck. Where?”
“She’s with Althea and Keziah.”
Both brows jumped as Tobias digested this information. The rest of Althea’s females were in one of the communal living spaces, which meant they were likely in their private bedchamber. He hadn’t bothered to look there because it had seemed pointless, until now.
With little choice in the matter, he made his way toward the appropriate wing of bedrooms. After counting to ten under a breath, he knocked loudly on the door.
“We’re busy,” Althea called.
“Then get un-busy.”
“Shit, it’s the king,” he heard Keziah say.
“This is urgent. You have three seconds to preserve whatever modesty you have left and then I’m coming in.”
Althea threw open the door, wearing a silk robe. “Christ, Martelli, we’re not fucking.”
She stepped aside to allow him entry. Keziah lay on the bed in a sexy negligee, and Lyla sat fully clothed in a nearby armchair.
“You should not have followed me,” Lyla said.
“Nuh uh,” he said firmly. “You shouldn’t have run off in the middle of a crisis. We need you.”
“You are wrong. My job as mother has become redundant.”
“Damn it, Lyla, are you really this insecure? You’re one of us. Kyriel’s return doesn’t change that. Not even a little bit.”
“Perhaps this is your opinion. I will not encumber a reunion so long in the making, they should never have been separated. I always knew I was temporary.”
“Wait, I’m lost.” Althea wrinkled her nose.
“Lyla is stepmother to Kitty and Rion,” Tobias said a little impatiently. “Their actual mother has returned. Lyla has convinced herself we don’t need her anymore.”
“That’s messed up,” Keziah said from the bed.
Althea looked at Lyla. “You’ve been there for that girl ever since you left her with Marquez.
She sings your praises any damned time she gets.
I can only assume you’ve been there for Rion in a similar capacity.
We’re talking a couple of millennia, right?
It all counts, girl. If he’s half the male you all claim him to be, you’ve got nothing to worry about. ”
“I realize you haven’t got a lot of relationship experience behind you to navigate this situation,” Tobias began carefully, “but it is possible for a person to have more than one mother and love them both. Regardless of that, you are one of us. When you chose to return to the In-Between with us, we claimed you for life. Not some temporary stand in bullshit.”
“So, you’re saying you own me, and I must answer to you?” Lyla’s cool tone made Tobias want to scream in frustration.
“No, just no. You are your own person. Nobody will ever own you again. I’m asking – begging even – for you to come back to the penthouse with me. We need you, we want you, if that is your choice.”
She looked him up and down. “You are certain the others share your view?”
“I know Will does. I haven’t spoken to Rion, but I’m positive he’ll be on the same page.”
“Page?” Her lips pursed together. “Why must you always speak in riddles?”
Tobias massaged a temple. “I know my trinity. I’ve known both those males a fuck of a long time, and I can confidently say that–”
“There you are…” Rion appeared at his side, followed by Will a fraction of a second later.
It was as though their surroundings were invisible. Rion didn’t seem to notice they were in Althea and Keziah’s bedroom, nor that they were present. His eyes were fixed only on Lyla as he rushed forward and stooped down beside her armchair.
“Whatever you believe just happened, you are incorrect,” he said.
She stared at him, eyes clouded with emotion, but said nothing.
“You are everything to me,” Rion said softly. “The love you have shown me, and sacrifices made on my account, are debts I could never repay. While I am happy to finally be reunited with Kyriel and hope friendship will grow between us, it will never overshadow the bond I have with you.”
“Told you.” Althea grinned.
“Smartass,” Tobias muttered, giving her shoulder a shove.
Lyla’s eyes glittered with unshed tears. “You owe me nothing, Khyterrion. Everything I have given you was deserved.”
“Return with us,” Rion pleaded, grasping her hand and giving it a squeeze. “I love you.”
“Holy shit, I just thought of who we could ask to be your next servant,” Will blurted, whirling to face Tobias.
“Goddamnit, they were having a moment and you pissed on it.” Althea made a noise of discontent.
“Yeah,” Keziah added. “What is wrong with you?”
Tobias barely noticed. “Who did you have in mind?”
“Charisma Gutierrez.”