Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
W hen I did finally fall asleep, it was deeply. Dominic wasn’t in the bed when I awoke. I wasn’t sure if he’d gotten up early or hadn’t returned.
“I’m here.” Anand’s voice rang through the door. I peeked out to find him seated near the bookshelf, flipping through a book. He lifted his eyes, scanned my clothing, and returned to his book. “Breakfast will be ready soon.”
Was there caution in his eyes? Apprehension? Maybe I was reading too much into things because I couldn’t let go of what we’d discovered last night and whether that was the reason Dominic hadn’t returned. Forcing away all thoughts, I ducked back into the room and quickly showered and dressed. Returning to the sitting area, I found Anand now leaning against the door, legs crossed and waiting for me. I was sure his hearing gave him the advantage of knowing my progress as I got ready. The suite was large, but I was doubtful the size would impede his movements.
“Security?” I asked, sidling in next to him as he led me through the house to the kitchen.
“Just company.”
And obviously a lie that he put no effort into making sound convincing. But I didn’t call him out on it because I enjoyed having him around. Seeing him was better than the unsettling camouflaging he did that made it creepy as hell when he allowed himself to be seen.
Prepared to grab something quick, like bread and fruit, I was pleasantly surprised by the vast selection of food in the kitchen. An array of berries, breakfast quiche, sausage, bacon, waffles, and scones was set on the island.
“Will this do, or would you like something else prepared?” a woman asked. I knew of the humans that worked in the underworld, but this was my first time encountering one or talking to any of the people who resided in and cared for the underworld’s mansion. I’d been threatened by Dominic’s security detail, who were human, but had had no other interaction with them.
“No, this is wonderful. Thank you,” I said, curious if she was under some form of compelling spell. Did she not know she was working in the underworld? I studied her eyes more closely, looking for the glossiness that I’d seen in my ex when he was compelled by vampires. The royals possessed a magical equivalent. Instead, I was met with intelligent, knowing eyes. She was aware she was in the underworld, just blasé about it.
How does that transaction go? “Hey, want to work for me in the underworld?” “The underworld? Sure.”
Some variation of that did in fact take place, along with them agreeing to have their minds altered once they left. What predicament would I need to be in to agree to such a thing? Perhaps it wasn’t seen that way but rather as a new adventure.
The chef’s eyes quickly matched the disconcerted expression she gave me. It had her hauling to what I guessed was another pantry, or maybe an area where they prepared the food. The kitchen was so tidy, it didn’t appear as if a great deal of preparation took place there.
Despite the home’s exquisite beauty, exorbitant décor, expensive art, luxurious natural stones, and beautiful library with its first-edition books casually displayed, the place never seemed pretentious. Even when guards greeted Dominic upon my initial arrival, it hadn’t seemed ostentatious. A person dressed in a modern chef’s coat, black pants, and hat seemed to take it to that level, putting the grandness of the home in perspective.
Once we had our plates, we sat at the kitchen table, where I had a view of the garden and the strange midnight-color flowers that managed to be both disturbing and intriguing.
Anand picked at his food, slowly looking over the room, his frenetic energy a distraction as I attempted to eat.
“Where’s Dominic?”
“With his father.” His curt tone was laced with finality of the topic, but my heightened curiosity had me ignoring it. There were too many questions that needed answers.
“Have you spoken with Dominic today?”
“Briefly.”
It was becoming increasingly frustrating that I couldn’t gather anything from Anand’s expression or body language. An indecipherable slate. Did he know about what Dominic discovered? If he didn’t, I didn’t want to bring it up because I wasn’t sure what it meant for me. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking of all the warnings Helena, out of spite, had revealed about Dominic. He was ruthless when he needed to be. He’d screw you and then kill you without a second thought. I remembered the look on her face when she revealed that. And that he hadn’t denied it. I wanted to invalidate it because of the source, but Helena probably knew her brother better than anyone.
Fear crept over me.
“Will I meet…”
I let my words drift off, waiting for Anand to provide a title for Dominic’s father. I’d given him the designation of Lord of the Underworld in my mind but wanted confirmation. How would I address him? Dominic was the Prince of the Underworld, so it would be fitting that his father would be the king. Anand continued eating, ignoring the pointed opening for an answer.
“Anand.” Tumultuous dark eyes, a stark contrast to his serene beauty, snapped up from his food to peer at me.
“Yes?”
“Will I meet the…”
“Lord.” He sighed. “He is the Lord of the Underworld and I don’t know if you’ll meet him. If you do, it’s doubtful it will be the pleasure you seem to think it will be.”
His response made me fall into silence. I ate, my thoughts plunging into a darker place. Seated across from the enigmatic supernatural who was a miser with any information wasn’t helping. I picked at some fruit, trying to calm myself so that I could think clearly. A spell got me here, so a spell would have to get me out. Not a binding or warding spell. I didn’t know enough about the various spells to know which ones might help. Dominic said that Peter had enough body conduits to do various spells, and it wasn’t sitting well with me that he’d hidden my birthmark. It was such an odd thing to do.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Anand suggested, breaking into my thoughts.
I jumped at the chance. I wanted to explore more of the underworld, but I also hoped it would help me focus, spark more ideas. Following him out the door, I had to double my steps to keep up. Noticing my struggle, he slowed. He usually moved with a fluid grace, long strides and quick movements. The challenge of having to change his rhythm was apparent, his gait becoming mechanical and lumbering. We walked past the garden, through a pathway of heavily populated poplars that nearly obscured everything behind it.
“Is it just the palace here?”
“Palace?”
Oh, are we pretending this isn’t a mini palace? Okay, I’ll play your game. “House. Is this the only home here? Are there others who reside in the underworld other than the humans and the guests downstairs?”
The question quirked his lips into a smile. “Guests. You mean unrepentant ruthless prisoners housed in the Perils,” he corrected, amusement brightening his face.
The light sound of his laughter relaxed me. “The ruthless scallywags?”
“You are a peculiar human, aren’t you?”
His head tilted toward me as if he expected an answer. How does one answer an inquiry about their weirdness?
“I’m just curious.” I was also trying to be considerate of any feelings he may have, as he was the child of a person imprisoned in the Perils.
“This is the last stop for them. No hope for parole or reconsideration of their sentences.”
“Consideration can’t be given when the offenses are so terrible.”
A knowing look crossed his face and I wondered how much he knew—especially about me.
“Have you spoken to Dominic today?” I asked again. I wasn’t hopeful I’d get anything out of him, but it was worth a try.
“Yes.”
“Did I come up in the conversation?”
“Yes.”
Be more terse .
“That’s not the question you really wanted to ask, is it?”
I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, and would revealing Dominic’s findings put me at risk with Anand? I’d seen his expression when he realized we were imprisoned. It was an easy link to make: If I died, the spell would be broken.
“I believe Dominic tells me everything. I’m a trusted confidante,” he said.
“Dominic discovered my birthmark had been hidden. I have no idea what that means and he left before I could ask him. It haunts me that Peter using me isn’t a coincidence and that he used me to release the prisoners and imprison you all here. I’m afraid that the only solution will be to kill me, and I don’t want to die. Not like this, without at least knowing why I was the one chosen. I know so little about magic and this world and it’s not fair. I know life isn’t fair. It’s like that for everyone, but it seems I’m beyond the typical luck of the draw.”
My words spilled out without a filter, like a dam breaking, and I only stopped when Anand’s eyes widened and he took an unsubtle step away from me. He was Dominic’s confidante, not mine. But the words had demanded to be said. To give me clarity, to express my concerns, to acknowledge my fear. If I looked like I was handling things well, it was all a fraud.
His mouth opened, then closed.
Silence stretched as he looked at me with wary apprehension.
Great, I broke Anand.
“I shouldn’t have unloaded on you like that,” I finally said.
“It’s fine.” He looked over the surroundings, his lips beveled into a frown. When his attention returned to me, his expression was placid. “I guess it would be difficult being thrust into this world and trying to navigate it with limited knowledge. It is an unfortunate situation to be in.”
Okay. A neutral response. No words of empathy or assurance that I was safe. The burden was heavy and made it difficult to follow him when he started to walk again. Noticing I wasn’t with him, he turned and jerked his head, motioning for me to follow. It wasn’t just his beauty that drew me, rather his many facets. It was the way the hardness of his eyes sometimes melted away when he looked at me, the effort he took at trying to accommodate me despite his conditioned ways, and his attentive commanding touches.
I couldn’t move. My feet were planted to the ground by indecision and fear of the unknown. Anand was the unknown, along with everything surrounding me. My adventurous spirit had been silenced.
“Dominic is not impulsive. I don’t know why, but he values your life. That will work in your favor.”
That wasn’t a ringing endorsement of my safety. It just meant that Dominic would try other options first.
“He’s talented, resourceful, and arrogant. That arrogance won’t allow him to choose the easy route just for the sake of ending a situation. He will need to find the reason and ensure it will never happen again. I don’t always agree with his methods, but he has had far more successes than he’s had failures. I respect that.”
It was all I was going to get. No confirmation that I was entirely safe but that Dominic’s arrogance worked in my favor.
I had no option but to accept that. Walking quickly to catch up, I fell in step as Anand slowed to accommodate me.
We made another turn that led us through a thicket of trees. Despite the dark coloring of the leaves, dark grays and deep currant, they gave off the same scent as normal trees. An earthy scent. The air was freshened by them. Woodlands and trees offered a comfort I was in desperate need of.
Anand led me to a section of the property that showed evidence of more life than suggested by the main house. There was a ranch-style building that I assumed was for storage. Several feet from it was a greenhouse. I wondered how successful it was without the sun but decided there must be magic involved.
Anand guided me farther away from the main house, bringing into sight two homes and a low-rise apartment building, which I assumed was where the humans who helped on the grounds resided. I wondered if the other homes were for guests and those who actually visited the underworld.
“That’s where the caretakers of the underworld live.” He pointed to the low-rise apartment, confirming my assumption. “Guest homes. Although very few visit, some request to stay in the guest home rather than in the main house. Nailah prefers to stay there.” Turning away from the houses, he rushed out, as if it was inconsequential, “And the other home is where their mother stays when she visits.”
His reveal had me rooted in place, blinking.
“What?”
Their mother’s whereabouts had crossed my mind on more than one occasion, but I refrained from asking because her absence might have been rooted in a tragedy that they didn’t want to share. That might still be the case, although the question spilled out before I could stop it.
“Mother?” I asked. “Why doesn’t she live with the lord?”
“There is more than just one world like this,” he told me after several moments of consideration. “Their mother lives in another. Their union is best described as—” He stopped abruptly as he searched for the right word. “Transactional.”
Transactional? Was that the right word? Did anyone ever want that to be the case? Though, when power and influence was predicated on magical abilities, it made sense.
“Relationships like that aren’t unusual. Dominic and Helena’s father wanted heirs whose magic would match or be superior to his, so they could keep possession of this underworld. Lesser magical beings wouldn’t be able to ward off the periodic attacks from those who want to dethrone him. This underworld is considered the most desirable because of its proximity to the human world and the supernaturals that exist in it. Those who wish to have this world because of its affiliations with the supernaturals of your world don’t fully understand that it exists in a delicate—and strained—balance. It was cultivated over many years and with a great deal of effort. The ones who want to take this from Areleus—Lord of the Underworld,” he clarified, responding to my look of confusion, “don’t truly understand how precarious it is. Those who wish to overthrow us have numbers. Dominic, Helena, and their father have power. The power isn’t omniscient, something that neither Helena nor her father have come to understand, but it has the potential to cause great damage to those who challenge them for this world, and even the supernaturals of your world.”
Supernaturals of our world. He made it seem as if we had a harmonious and mutually respectful relationship. The supernaturals of my world lived in secret, using their magic to take advantage of humans and do whatever they pleased to us in order to remain concealed. The ones who wanted us to know of their existence wanted to subjugate us. I’d been able to negotiate some changes, when they needed me to return the most dangerous supernaturals to their prison. The underworld was now responsible for policing the supernaturals, making sure they stayed concealed and not at the expense of humans. If they violated the agreement, the Conventicle was no longer responsible for disciplining them—something they had proven to be feckless about, showing favoritism and leniency, especially when it came to supernaturals using humans or their magic against us. Although humans were in a better situation now, with regard to being the recipients of magic used against them, I couldn’t discount how perilously close becoming casualties was the alternative option. A war was brewing between those who wanted to overthrow the Conventicle and the current Conventicle. The ones who wanted to replace the current Conventicle were more ruthless. I wasn’t convinced they weren’t the better option. They’d rule with an iron fist. The only reason I hadn’t sided with them was because they wanted me dead. I was the problem, and they believed in ruthlessly eliminating all problems to maintain their anonymity.
Anand’s teeth clenched his lip, giving me the impression he’d provided too much information, until out of my periphery, I saw the swirl of images around me. They took solid form then disappeared. I stiffened, responding to Anand who’d assumed an attack posture and was watching attentively.
Fading between solid and swirls of midnight smoke, one finally held its form, just inches from me. Its slitted coal eyes reminded me of a snake. The tall, coltish thing drew back its wings and circled me. Its round face, nub nose, and wide mouth gave it a docile look, which I knew was deceptive. Something was off about it. Clawed fingers reached for me then withdrew. More swirls of colors misted around me that formed winged creatures who crowded me, drawn to me like bees to honey.
Through a space between the crowd of creatures, I watched Anand who kept a careful eye on them, his brow furrowed. The first creature who approached me drew back his lips to reveal jagged double rows of teeth. A long-forked tongue darted in my direction. I shoved him away, my arms wildly moving to put distance between me and the creatures. In retaliation, his clawed hand sliced me.
Simultaneously, they let out high, pained screeches as they dissolved into mist and disappeared. Illuminated black tendrils fanned from Anand like wings, expanding and consuming the space. His eyes eclipsed to a dark abyss as stifling magic coursed through the air. I struggled for each breath.
His wings and magic receded as quickly as they had appeared, leaving him sagging into himself, where he stayed for several beats. He looked fatigued. I couldn’t determine if it was from exertion or disuse. When he stood taller, ominous energy pulsed from him. A darkness clinging to him had me scuttling back to put distance between us. He advanced toward me but something in my face made him stop abruptly.
Holding his hand up, he said, “It’s okay. They’ve gone.”
It wasn’t just them that bothered me, but it was a starting point.
“They being?” I asked in a shaky whisper.
“Shades. Bound here by magic, they’re limited in their abilities. They live here but can’t sustain a solid form.” The “until now” remained unspoken. He blinked. “They typically can’t maintain their solid form long enough to be any danger. They’ve never been a problem before. In your world, they don’t have those limitations. There, they can fully use their magic in whichever unsuspecting human’s body they take.”
“It’s your magic that keeps them here?” I asked.
He shook his head, moving toward. He abruptly stopped, waiting for my approval. Remnants of whatever drove his baleful magic still lingered in the air as the painful wails his magic pulled from those creatures replayed on a loop in my head. My attention was split between thinking of them and of his magic that drove them away.
Appreciative of the time he gave me, seconds became minutes before I gave him the nod to come closer.
I wanted to go home. Tears welling in my eyes, I looked down at the stain of blood forming on my shirt.
“I need to see it, Luna,” he told me as he knelt and slowly rolled up my shirt. “It’s not too bad. Dominic can advance the healing, but it will heal fine on its own. They’re not poisonous.”
Not poisonous, just shapeshifter creatures of the underworld who were impotent only there. Who were attracted to me and able to maintain form and harm me. No biggie. Nothing to see here.
I want to go home.
“What are you?” There was probably desperation in my voice because his steadfast countenance dropped and a flush ran along the bridge of his nose.
“My mother was a shifter-witch hybrid.” I kept my face expressionless to not reveal that Dominic had told me that. “In my mother’s animal form, her bite affected shifters and vampires. It suppressed the abilities of shifters, and vampires responded as if they’d been staked.” Taking note that he used the past tense, I pondered what had happened to her, but his admission seemed to take so much from him that I refrained from asking.
Lifting his eyes to mine, he admitted in a low whisper, “My father’s a Mors.”
Witches with the ability to take a life with a spell and touch. But knowing that didn’t enlighten me as to why the shades responded to him that way.
“My magic affects shades,” he explained, standing up and running a hand through his hair, mussing it. A hollowness appeared in his hazel eyes. He nudged his chin in the direction we’d come from.
“Is that your only magic?” There wasn’t any way his ability to navigate the world remaining virtually unseen was in my head and not part of his magic.
“I can cloak myself, a skill neither of my parents possessed. The magic world dislikes the mingling of species, not only to maintain the purity and strength of the line but because how mercurial the magic is in hybrids. The inability to fully understand and counter the magic of the unknown isn’t handled well. If it’s too complicated and becomes a cause for fear, they believe that for the safety of their existence, the entity must be removed.”
His movements slipped back into a flowing ease but slowed by fatigue.
“I’m an enigma that would unsettle them. I chose to live here because knowledge of my lineage stays here. They speculate but nothing is ever confirmed. They just consider me a product of the underworld. It offers me a level of security and prevents challenges to force me to reveal my abilities, to be studied or judged whether I could be detrimental to them. This family are the only ones who know everything about me.”
It could have been my imagination, but I heard hesitation. Perhaps they didn’t know everything about him but rather what he wanted them to know. He turned to look at me. I knew that whether the family of the underworld knew everything or just a fraction of his ability, the information didn’t need to go any further.
Giving him an understanding smile, I said, “It’s already forgotten.”
He exhaled, which I mistook as relief until his posture changed. His head swiveled to the right where Helena stepped into view. Her glacial eyes swept over Anand and moved to me. A knowing look overtook her expression.
“Helena,” Anand said in a voice softened to a gentle lilt. A lilt that could soothe the most hostile of beasts, and there was no mistake, behind the low-heeled sandals with wounding leg straps, and the expensive-looking patterned t-shirt dress displaying her magic-restricting markings with contempt, and the flawless makeup, there lurked a beautiful beast.
Anand approached her but her eyes remained fixed on me. It wasn’t until he was just a hair’s breadth from her that she dragged her attention to him. Removing the expression from her face, she became a blank landscape.
“I saw it all,” she said. “It needs to be addressed.” The threat of violence was heavy in her voice. She lunged for me and he drew her closer to him, his fingers threading through the ends of her loose curls, his touch familiar but not intimate. There was an obvious connection that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I hoped I wasn’t witnessing a budding relationship. Anand, you can do better than the psycho-princess of the underworld.
“Don’t,” he urged. “Your impulsivity hasn’t worked to your advantage in the past.” Releasing his hold on her hair, he gently gathered her hands in his and looked at the markings on her arms.
She looked at them as well. “Speak to my brother. Show him the errors of this.”
My heart was pounding at the prospect of being confined with a Helena with access to her magic and claws.
He shook his head. “I won’t because I agree with his decision,” he admitted.
Helena’s eyes sharpened to daggers. There wasn’t any doubt that if she had access to her claws, he would have been introduced to them. Her lips drew back in a sneer and she yanked her hands from him, ripping away any tenderness that existed between them.
“I get things done!” she snapped.
“Yes, you get a lot of things done. You managed to get entire covens to turn against you because of your inability to choose any other option than violence when you feel the tiniest insult. You had the uncanny ability to leave a pack in shambles because you couldn’t handle being cheated on. So, your over-the-top response was to kill anyone in that pack you suspected was the culprit. Do you understand the problem you caused with that tantrum? The situation should have been handled differently and left between you and the man you were involved with. I say this not out of cruelty but compassion. You have become your worst enemy because you’ve lived too long with impunity. This is just punishment. And if your magic is never returned to you, it is a punishment long overdue.”
“I reacted to us having a fight. His response was an overreaction,” she challenged.
“No, his response was holding you accountable and letting you suffer the consequences. It only looks like an overreaction when you aren’t used to being held to such things.”
Turning away from her, he started back in my direction. It was a display of bravery I didn’t possess. An angered Helena who hadn’t gotten her wishes was a person I would want to keep an eye on. Jerking her sharp glare from Anand, she placed it on me, sending a shiver of fear up my spine. Straightening, I made a show of bravado that I didn’t actually possess.
Helena shuddered with the effort to not react. She was reduced to seething with her hands clenched at her sides. Probably a first for her and a duplicitous attempt to demonstrate restraint and prove Anand wrong about her magic.
“You saw the way the shades responded to her,” Helena called after him once we were heading toward the house.
He halted briefly but remained silent. He was just as concerned as she was.
“It will be addressed.”
“With the exception of you, Father has no tolerance for magical anomalies,” she threatened.
He’d surely learn about me being an anomaly. I was going to meet the Lord of the Underworld. I reined in the fear, but it became my single focus as I made my way back to the bedroom.