A Kiss of Ashen Twilight (Ashen Twilight Series #1) (27 page)

Ariya sent word to her chamber maiden to find Cidra for her. The guard would understand once she explained the situation. Things would be well here in the meantime and once she pinpointed the problem and nipped it, she could return as promised. Perhaps not alone, if all went really well.

Moments later, she met Cidra in the long hallway leading out to the front door.

“M’lady Ariya you called?”

“Yes, Cidra. I wanted to let you know I’m leaving for a while.”

Her dark chocolate eyes widened in surprise. “May I ask for what reason?”

Ariya placed a gentle hand on her friend’s arm and smiled. “Cidra, when we were children playing outside do you remember when I couldn’t control that tiger? I thought it was resisting my powers and I was afraid to move much less try to contain it.”

Cidra’s worried expression disappeared as she smiled with nostalgia. She nodded. “I do remember. I couldn’t stop screaming and I thought I was going to die, but you said not to worry. It was as if you received a sudden reassurance of life and power that overtook your senses—”

“And extended it to the beast,” Ariya chuckled. “Although I was frightened, I knew deep down that I could contain it if I tried hard enough.”

“What are you saying, Ariya?”

“I’m saying I have a feeling some friends of mine may be in danger and I need to warn them. I want to leave our home and our realm in your care. I trust you to watch over it in my family’s honor. I trust you with my life, Cidra.”

Ariya pulled her friend in for a hug and held her tightly.

“When will you return?” Cidra asked once they parted.

Ariya stopped near the front gates and turned back. She now felt as if she belonged between two realms. One of her past; her world and her culture; the other of a possible future with a man she couldn’t stop thinking about.

Ariya walked back to Cidra and pulled her in for another hug. She would take their friendship and strength with her as she crossed over and keep it locked safely in her heart. Cidra’s thin yet sturdy frame slightly taller than Ariya settled in the hug. The question lingered in her mind as thoughts of Jace returned to her. “I can’t say an exact time but I will try soon.”

With that, Ariya turned away and exited to the forest hoping to get to the bottom of this mystery with the help of the houses.

Chapter 10

T
he sun was high in the sky when Ariya made it back to
Phoenix
. Before she crossed into the mortal realm, she made sure to change into a soft dress that hid her wings well. Jace had told her they were living under the mortal’s eyes and she didn’t want to take any chances of them seeing anything strange. Since she wasn’t too far away from Jace’s apartment, she decided to take a walk near the Ashen Twilight House to kill some time before nightfall. The shadows of the trees danced across her face, causing her to squint as she looked around the streets. The downtown residential area was busy near the long stretch of road, but not on the street she walked along, thank goodness.

She spotted the large Victorian house down the street among the smaller houses. She figured the House of Blood must still be in slumber. She looked up toward the sun and surmised the time was most likely late afternoon. The mortal children must be out of school by now which would mean Vex and Rich would be off their coaching jobs. She wondered what the House of Shifter Elves would be up to this time.

As she crossed the street to the Ashen Twilight house, she looked up and saw a dark figure standing at the terrace shielding his eyes as he looked out at the city below. Ariya squinted a little. A chill shot through her spine once she realized who it was.
Julian!
She shook her head slightly to make sure she was seeing straight. It
was
Julian, dressed in a dark robe. A look of pride and satisfaction crossed his strong, handsome face as he looked at the sky. A barrage of questions cornered her mind starting with how and why. Was he always wandering about during the day like this? For how long, longer then the time she’d been absent? If so, did he tell anyone? Did Jace know?

Just then, as if feeling her presence, he looked down right into her eyes. The smile upon his face disappeared only to be replaced by a look of wonder, concern and possibly fear if she could decipher it correctly from where she stood. Ariya’s body suddenly bolted to life and she turned to run away from the preternatural house. She would ask Jace later when she saw him. For now, she would wait until nightfall before using her wings for flight.

* * * *

A lifetime seemed to pass before night finally replaced the day. Ariya was surprised she remembered where Jace’s apartment was, and Ashen Twilight House for that matter. After all it was rare she left the interior for fear of the elemental sensing her. Nevertheless the aura she sensed off Jace would reach across the globe if she willed it enough. Her body warmed at the thought and she couldn’t help smiling.

Ariya rounded the corner of Jace’s apartment complex and headed right for his door.

“No one’s home.”

She turned at the sound of the small voice out of the corner of the hall. An older pale woman with white hair looked back at her with curious coral blue eyes.

“Oh you just missed him. The young man who lives there left not too long ago. Probably to teach and then go out partying as young people usually do.”

“Oh,” Ariya tried to hide her disappointment. Might as well use the lady’s knowledge for good. “Do you by any chance know when he will be back?”

The older woman raised her thin shoulders in a shrug. “Not a clue. Although I must say.” She stepped out of the doorway, gently closing her door to behind her. Taking slow steps toward Ariya, she crept closer as if she held the secrets of the Sphinx. “There have been some strange noises coming from that apartment late at night.”

“Strange noises?” Ariya looked down at the older lady, pretending to be surprised. “What do you mean?”

“Well, he only leaves the apartment at night and then always returns right before dawn. During the day it’s as quiet as a tomb in there. I once tried to knock on his door one afternoon and nothing. It was still as night although I knew he was in there. And the other evening, I could have sworn I heard growling and knocking like a large animal was tossed against the wall.”

Ariya shifted her weight wondering what the lady was getting at exactly. “Interesting,” she said flatly.

“It’s mighty strange, if you ask me. I think he may be one of those vampire wannabe types whose body clock is all topsy-turvy. It isn’t healthy for a young growing man to restrict his lifestyle to the night like that.”

“Well, we’re all unique in our own way. Each having our own peculiarities that seem strange to the person next door.”

The older woman lifted a leery eye. “Perhaps. Perhaps. Just be careful, dearie. You don’t want to fall into some kind of trouble with the wrong crowd. You seem like a sweet enough kid.”

“I will be careful. Thank you for your concern.” Ariya watched the older woman walk back to her apartment. With a smile, she closed the door behind her.

Ariya took a breath as she felt her wings flutter behind her. She stifled a chuckle to herself. If she only knew. She took a seat down in front of Jace’s door and wondered what would happen if the Ashen Twilight House came out from hiding. Would they really be ridiculed and torn apart for their kind like the old lady warned? Or would they be welcome with open arms? From her studies she saw that most of the media revered vampires and other creatures of the supernatural. Contrary to popular belief there was a big leap from fictional ‘what if’s’ to proven fact of their existence. Like Jace said, the mortals didn’t have much of a good track record with beings that are different from themselves. Perhaps it would be best for her to keep a low profile.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her back against the door. She made sure not to crush or tear her delicate wings. Jace should be back soon, she surmised. For now, she would rest.

* * * *

Jace parked his Volga Roadster in the nearby carport and turned off the engine later that night. His nightly routine had turned into just that, a routine. And a boring one at that. Ever since Ariya left, he had been hoping to return to his life as before. Strangely enough nothing would allow him to settle back into his previous mindset after meeting her and the elemental. Perhaps he needed a vacation or something. He could visit the other houses around the world just to get a taste of something different. Anything to get her out of his mind.

He kicked open the car door as his cell phone rang from within his pants pocket. He stepped out as he reached down to retrieve it.

“Y-ello?”

“Ah Jace, it’s Rich.”

“Didn’t I just see you?”

Rich laughed over the line, a mixture of a grunt and a chuckle. “I forgot to ask if you can come to a special event I have planned for the evening after tomorrow.”

Jace reached across the front seat to grab his briefcase and art supplies, balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder. “And this you couldn’t ask me while I was there?”

“No way, man. This is something that’s been kept pretty quiet. Since everything went through I thought I’d tell you personally. I just called Gael and he agreed to spread the word for me.”

“So what are we celebrating?”

“What part of surprise do you not understand?”

Jace snorted as he edged back out the front door with his items under his arm. “Right. Well, yeah. I’ll be there.”

“I just have to get a few things ready beforehand at my house, but meet me at the Torch around seven.”

“Will do.”

“Later, man.”

“Later.”

Jace headed up the short steps to his apartment complex. As he stuffed the cell in his pocket he wondered what could be up with Rich. The Lycan had been acting strange since they fought in front of Ariya. Since she left Rich had been keeping himself scarce with a project he wouldn’t divulge to Jace or Gael, no matter how much they tried to pry it out of him.

Jace froze, finally allowing his senses to replace the thoughts in his mind.

Ariya.

Her soft presence and sweet aura filled every corner of his mind and body.
Was she really here?
Or was his mind playing tricks on him? He continued around the corner toward his apartment and stopped once he saw the figure lying down in front of his door. Every essence of life within her, he felt. The slow breaths she took. The calm beats of her heart and the smell of her sweet blood pumping through her veins. He had to blink a few times to realize she was lying down just a few feet from him. Ariya was actually here.

He gingerly approached her and set his briefcase and supplies down on the ground nearby. He scooped her up into his arms and held her warm body close to his. A mix of emotions raced through him. Fear. Relief. Anger. Content. Reaching in his pocket for the key, he balanced her body with one arm and unlocked the door with his free hand. Right away, he headed to his bedroom and gently set her down on his bed. He was amazed that he didn’t wake her. He went to retrieve his items from the hall when he sensed a presence. From the scent, he knew exactly who was watching. He peered up across the hall as the old woman’s door closed with the click of the lock. Jace closed his door and locked it with a smile on his lips. Who needed the cops when he had his own personal neighborhood watch across the way? Perhaps she would come in handy one day if he ever found himself being watched.