A Lady of the Realm (7 page)

“I’ve a good guess what you want,” he said.

A cruel kiss fell on my lips. I returned it with the same intensity, the same wasting need that I could feel emanating from him. I gasped for air when he pulled his head back.

“Right now all I want is you,” I said.

In one of the skylights above, a shadow emerged. Sasha stopped immediately, his eyes going completely black in the blink of an eye. His eyes had never shifted that quickly before. He turned around, a bestial growl growing from deep within his chest. He glared up at the ceiling as he jostled me behind him. The shadow didn’t move.

“Thirty seconds,
cher
. Away,” he said. The shadow moved slowly, from skylight to skylight. I finally got a good look at the peeping Tom. It was a she. Blonde hair flowed around an angelic face. She was staring down on us.

“Who is it?” I asked.

The woman stopped, looked down directly on Sasha, who was blocking me with his body, and gave a small salute in acknowledgement. Then, she was gone.

Sasha was pulling me up into his arms. Amazingly, he was fully clothed.

“Get dressed, we have to leave.”

He tossed my sneakers towards me, keeping a vigil on the ceiling, as I fumbled around for jeans and a shirt.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he turned. His eyes were black, a muscle ticked on his jaw, and he crossed his arms.

“Away.”

“I figured out that much on my own, where?” I said as I slipped into the jeans and shirt, not bothering with the whole shoe mess.

He sighed. “I’ll explain when we get there.”

He took me into his arms and bent forward to kiss my forehead. The room started to spin, colors blending one into another into another. A dark cloud covered us, my breath whooshing out as something pressed into my chest.

When the darkness cleared, I promptly fell over and began retching violently. A cool hand stroked my forehead gently after several minutes. I could hear someone in the background. No, that wasn’t right. I heard several voices but none registered through the nauseating sickness.

Sasha owed me some answers. His embrace was the last thing I could recall. I wasn’t dead. The bile, searing my throat with each spasm of my stomach, was real. Whatever had happened, it went well, or at least not horribly wrong.

The spinning room began to slow down, the ringing in my ears receding with each second. I slowly became aware of the floor I was facing between the strands of sweaty hair. It was solid wood, light cherry and very familiar. So were the lime green baseboards I spied when I was able to lift my head a fraction of an inch. Anything beyond that action was tempting another round with my fragile stomach. With a shock, I realized where I was.

My old room at Max and Betty’s place in Mandeville hadn’t changed in the two years since I’d been gone. The voices in the background took shape, accents and tones becoming recognizable. They were having an argument. Fierce whispers hissed through the air.

“What have you done?”

“I had to shift.” Sasha was okay and from the tone of his voice not too pleased either.

“It could’ve killed her.” Max didn’t sound like the tired old man from the afternoon. His voice was bursting with indignation.

“She’s a DeDe.”

I tried to stir, but any big movement was beyond my ability. I could feel Sasha. His mental barriers were completely down. He must have forgotten to erect them after we got here.

“Regardless, she’s had no tutors. Back to your tricks, Alek?” Max asked. His anger gave volume to his voice. Betty’s chimed in, pleading for reason.

“Will you boys stop arguing? I think she’s coming around.” They didn’t stop. If anything, they grew louder.

“You have to leave this house immediately,” Max said.

“Not without her,” Sasha responded. His voice rose, matching Max’s combative tone.

“Over my dead body.”

A dull thump and the clattering of objects hitting the floor followed this announcement. I winced in pain as the noise echoed in my head.

“Listen to me carefully, you filthy sap. I can manage it easily with no one the wiser. Shall I call Sigmund over for a meeting?”

The soft whimpers of fear gave me the strength to open my eyes. Sasha had Max pinned against the wall. They were inches apart, Sasha’s milky white hand against Max’s sunbrowned throat. Max clung to the hand around his windpipe.

“You dare to threaten me after you seek my help?” Max’s eyes bulged, his fingers scrambling over the hand that slowly tightened. He kicked a foot out, hitting Sasha on his right knee. Sasha lifted him up the wall, the muscles on his arm flexing with the exertion.

“You dare make ultimatums after I let you
live
?” Sasha barely whispered the words, but I heard them clearly. The carefully leashed wrath unraveled in the room. His other side, the inhuman one that he kept carefully hidden, broke through his disguise of civility. A lilac haze of soft color illuminated Max’s frightened face.

“Enough,” I said.

Sasha was at my side instantly, lifting the damp curls away from my face so that he could look into my eyes. I tried to smile, but it was a wasted effort. Everything hurt. Even my hair hurt when Sasha stroked it away.

“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d get so ill,” he whispered. I flinched involuntarily when he caressed my cheek. He stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

“S’okay,” I said.

I closed my eyes and leaned into his open arms. He gathered me up, lifting me from the floor despite the hiss of pain that escaped my gritted teeth. He took two steps and placed me on the twin bed that had been in the room since I could remember. Betty came on my other side, a glass of murky liquid in her hand.

“Here, honey, drink some of this; it’ll help settle your stomach soon.”

Smelling the murky orange liquid first, I wondered what it could be, and how it could possibly make me feel better. Feeling like a five year old with a tummy ache, I obediently sipped the proffered drink, gauging the reaction of my churning stomach. It flipped a couple of times and rumbled noisily, but basically stayed put. I went ahead and gulped the rest of whatever was in the glass down hoping it didn’t come back up.

I reclined in bed with a wet washcloth over my eyes. Max and Sasha resumed their banter, but it was a lot more civil. At least I didn’t get the impression that Sasha was about to cheerfully beat Max’s brains in with his bare hands.

“Tell me what’s going on. All of it or I can’t help,” Max said.

“I don’t know where to start.” That was a lie. Sasha didn’t want to give any details, but I wasn’t about to point it out.

“The beginning is usually the best,” Max replied.

Sasha had conjured a couple of bottles of liquor. He uncorked the vodka and handed me a glass. The smell lifted my spirits. I gulped down the entire glass and held it out for more. Vodka was the best medicine for anything that ailed me. He refilled my glass with an indulgent smile and drank straight from his bottle of green poison.

“It’s Lilith …,” he finally said to Max.

“I thought you would’ve taken care of her years ago,” Max said.

Sasha shook his head. “I’ve been procrastinating,” he said.

“Who’s Lilith?” I asked.

Sasha drank from the bottle, and Max sat back with a smile. A smile that told me I wasn’t going to be happy with the answer. Sasha glanced down to me and quickly averted his eyes.

“Maxwell, may we stay the night?” Sasha asked.

“Are you joking?” Max asked.

“Have I ever struck you as having a large sense of humor?” Sasha crossed his legs and leaned against the wall.

“Of course not, my Lord, pardon the question. Betty, roll down the shutters and put the cameras and alarms on. I don’t want any more surprises for the night. My heart won’t stand for it. And Lord Alek ...”

“Yes?” Sasha was actually laughing.

“You’ve asked for many favors tonight. It’ll cost you considerably. We can discuss the details later.” Max stood, his eyes shining with greed, in the doorway.

Sasha’s scar was twitching. “I’ve missed you at court, Maxwell.”

Max left us alone, and I sat up on the bed. I wanted to know what was being kept from me.

“Who’s Lilith?” I asked again, sipping from the bottle of vodka Sasha had handed me. If he gave me the bottle, it meant I needed to fuel.

“Do you remember I told you Trystyn and I had business to conclude before the convention?” Sasha asked.

He loved answering questions with questions. If I let it continue, I’d forget my original question.

“Right, I want to know who Lilith is,” I said.

“Bethany, I came home for,” he paused and walked to the window facing the back yard. He turned away from me, his foot tapping on the floor. He took a deep, calm breath before finishing the sentence. “My wife.”

I threw the bottle at him. It hit him on the back of the head, breaking into large chunks of glass. The liquid ran down his head in pink streams. He didn’t flinch. I was on my feet, my hands pummeling his back.

“You’ve got a freaking wife?” I screamed.

I was appalled. Sleeping with a married member of a powerful House was a crime. Like any good caste system, it was never the powerful Lord’s fault when his pants dropped. The enterprising, social climbing whore paid the price. That would be me.

“And you slept with me? You arrogant freak. I can’t believe you did that to me.”

He finally stirred at my words and drew in a deep breath, which shook his entire frame. He turned around with his hands across his chest.

“You didn’t know?” he asked.

I started to slap him, but he grabbed my hand. I struggled against him as he pulled me closer.

“Who is she?”

I could hear the smile when he answered my question.

“Lilith, House of Isner.”

This conversation was improving by the minute.

“A vamp?”

He shrugged his shoulders impatiently. “It was a good plan at the time. Bethany, I’m requesting a divorce.”

I stopped struggling in his hands. He wasn’t lying. The leak in his mind, which had opened when we first slept together, told me he was sincere.

“Why,” I asked.

“I need to be rid of her before I gain control of the Region. I was only waiting for a good, legal reason. That’s where you conveniently come in. I plan on rewarding you handsomely for the service,” he said with a smile.

“Asshole,” I mumbled and headed back to the bed. “Get out.”

“Bethany ….” Sasha’s voice lashed into the air.

“I just wish you would’ve asked me straight up. I would’ve said yes, and we could’ve been doing the nasty for weeks. But noooo … you don’t trust me enough to tell me shit. Just get out before I say something stupid.”

Sasha shook his head. “You’re not going to get any sleep without me.”

“Thanks for the freaking reminder. Since you’re ruining my night, leave your fucking bankcards, then get out,” I yelled.

“Don’t be unreasonable. I didn’t have all the particulars together. Lilith forced my hand early,” he said.

When I didn’t respond he dropped his wallet on the bed and disappeared. I rolled over, tears spilling from my eyes. Damn elf was married. And he was asking for a divorce. Neither of those situations bothered me as much as the fact that I hadn’t known squat.

I had to know what was going on if I was going to survive. It didn’t matter what other people believed. Only the truth mattered. A wife. Ugh. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. Sleep eluded me for hours, my eyes finally closing upon the first rays of light outside the windows.

Chapter Six
:
A Charm for the Lady

Only the smell of fried, sugared dough could tempt me to open my eyes with barely two hours of sleep. Beignets, a treat, and hot sweet coffee from Café Du Monde scented the air. It was the smallest things that could make or break a day. I smiled into the pillow, my arms letting go in favor of regaining motion. If there was any way for me to get up this morning, it was with that delectable smell wafting. I peeked out from under one eye. Sasha smiled.

“Good morning,” he said. He held the cup of coffee just under my nose.

“So say you.”

I was feeling better. I didn’t want to kill him. My stomach grumbled greedily at the sight and smell of food. I moved my extremities and didn’t feel any pain.

“We better get moving; it’s going to be a busy day,” he said, poking me in the ribs as he stood up.

“Your soon to be ex?” I asked, reaching towards the steaming coffee. My mouth watered.

“Among other things.”

He handed the cup carefully over and sat back on his haunches.

The coffee was hot, scalding my tongue on the first sugary taste. I sipped cautiously. After last night, this was a piece of heaven.

“Where are my parents?” I couldn’t believe they weren’t in the room chaperoning. Making sure that Sasha didn’t take liberties with their little girl under their roof.

“In the kitchen.”

He stood up, looked around the room for nothing in particular it seemed and sat beside me on the bed. I placed the coffee down on the table, turning so that I could face him.

“I’m sorry for losing my temper.” It was absurd that I should apologize for shit. However, I did have his wallet. I knew he was a private guy, and he didn’t fully trust me. I had no right to expect explanations. I had agreed and couldn’t be mad with the deal I made.

His hand came up, stroking my head. “Maybe I should’ve told you about the wife.”

“Ya think?” I muttered. Sasha smiled as he placed a wayward tendril of hair back behind my ear. “Where to now?” I asked as my feet flung over the bed and on to the floor. The room stayed in focus and the food stayed put, all good signs.

“Back to the city. I brought the motorcycle for the trip. I should’ve known shifting with you was a bad idea.” He made a face as he spoke, running his hands through his hair.

“No, let’s do it again,” I said, testing my balance. I didn’t teeter or need his offered hand when I took a couple of experimental steps.

His brows furrowed as he kept his arms carefully around me.