Myopia (Young Adult Zombie Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria Series) (7 page)

He drew her back to him. “I promise, Smythe will never starve.” Resting his hand on her waist, he gently planted kisses to the top of her head as he caressed her neck.

“I’m confused.” Shrugging him off, she stepped away, but she was starting to feel very warm and her hands were sweating. “You said---?”

He appeared behind her, and whispered in her ear, “Sing for me.”

“Why? No, let go of me. I want to go home.”

“You know I cannot make music. And after hearing your music, I realize no one else alive can do it like you.”

“I don’t feel like it.” Returning to the rug, she grabbed her backpack and headed to the door.

“Have I upset you?” He blocked the way.

“No.” She grinned as wide as she could make herself. “I’m just tired.” Talking about what he’d said just made her sound needy and pathetic.

“Rest here.”

She glanced back over at the carpet.

“Please, stay. I have to return to Jarthan tonight and I do not want to go.” He sighed heavily. “I like it when you are here. Just stay a bit longer and sing a little… if you want to. Please?” His large green eyes darkened as they did when he was seriously annoyed or sad.

He is manipulating me
. Wisteria released a weary sigh.

“I am sorry, if I did say something that hurt you. You are my—I do not know how to explain it, Wisteria Kuti.”

She squinted at him. “You’re trying to control me.” Her fake smile gave way to a genuine grin.

“It is only fair. You control me.”

“Bach—”

Moving into her personal space, he kissed her. He took her hand and led her back to the rug.

She did finally sing for him, and he drifted asleep in her arms.

CHAPTER FOUR

Bach stepped through the threshold, which served as a portal between Earth and Jarthan. Once on the other side, he was immediately entranced by how magnificent the raging Astolat River roared below the stone bridge he was standing on. Moving away from the black glass of the threshold, he headed across the bridge. Halfway across, he paused and took in the wondrous sight of Jarthan Castle. The massive white stone palace had been built into Jarthan Mountain over a thousand years ago.

“Bach.” Alba, the daughter of the Lord of Jarthan, waved to him from the white steps carved into the side of the mountain. She was his old friend and Enric’s little sister.

“You look well,” he remarked.

Alba was a sight in a white gown with blue sleeves. Blushing, she brushed her short blonde hair out of her eyes. Placing her rose-colored lips sweetly on his cheek, she said, “You were supposed to be back here seven hours ago. You said you needed to secure the piron nets on Terra, but when you did not come back, Sen Aleix sent people looking for you. They did not find you in your den.”

“I see,” Bach responded.

They walked up the mountain steps to the Palace within Jarthan Castle. They headed to the section dedicated the Third Pillar.

“Your father was convinced Felip had returned for you and slaughtered you.”

“Hmm.”

“Where were you?” Alba asked as they reached the open stone doors.

“Yes, where were you?” Lluc, his nineteen-year-old brother, appeared in front of them. He

Lluc was the only Famila who knew the truth of Bach’s relationship with Wisteria. He detested the relationship and was constantly trying to get him to leave her, something Bach was powerless to do. The brothers hadn’t really talked since their fight months ago. Lluc had been prepared to physically beat him up to stop him from rescuing her.

“Sen-Son Lluc.” Alba greeted him with a curtsy.

“Brother, technically, I still have 169 days of my Great Walk left, so I am supposed to spend it away from the Family.”

“I will allow you two to speak privately.” Alba squeezed Bach’s hand before leaving.

The two brothers moved to the rooftop of the Third Pillar courtyard. Lluc signaled to the Thayn and other Famila to leave. “Please, do not tell me you returned to Wisteria?” he asked when they were alone.

“Fine.”

“Is that all you are going to say?”

“You have made it perfectly clear where you stand when you attacked me for trying to save her. If I had not gone back, we would not have discovered Felip was plotting against the Family.”

“You did not go back to Smythe to stop Felip. You returned for the free Terran; you just stumbled upon Felip's treachery, and I am certain the Family would have eventually.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Huh, what have you told Enric since you tricked him into saving a free Terran or the Sen? What do you think the Sen will do when he learns you are in Mosroc with a Terran?”

The Family was divided into Pillars and the leader of each Pillar was the Sen. In the Third Pillar the Sen was Aleix who also happened to be Bach’s father.

“How will he find out unless
you
tell him?”

Lluc pulled on the collar of Bach’s shirt. “Your shana is vanishing. It is a sign you are in Mosroc with someone.”

Bach knew the birthmarks, a trail of black spots that ran from his neck to his elbows, had a habit of appearing and disappearing depending on his health and in times of stress.

“Father does not have shana and does not understand how it works. We inherited that from our mother. Also, what if half are gone? It could also be caused from the pressure of living on Terra alone for three months. And if he were to believe I was in Mosroc, he would have to find the Terran and there is no guarantee my shana will appear on her. It did not happen that way for our parents.”

“If you have bonded with her, your shana will eventually pass on to her.”

“That is not true. Our mother’s shana never transferred to the Father.”

“That was because our mother was not in love with our father. She married our father because she felt it was best for the Family. I expect you to do the same, with Alba or some other
appropriate
girl.”

“What? I am not ready for a wife. You are older than me and you do not have one.” Granted, he loved Wisteria, but
marriage
? He was not even close considering that.

“True, but that is because the woman they agreed I should marry died. I will be pledged again soon, do not worry about me.” Lluc had never seemed overly concerned about the death of his intended. “But do not change the subject. What will you do when our father sends fifty empirics to that island? They might endeavor to renew your Terran and will quickly learn she has a Mosroc with a Famila, when one of them tries to renew her and goes insane.”

“So? That will be their fault,” Bach retorted.

“And when they kill her, what will you do?”

“I suppose I will find another.” He planned to remove Wisteria from Smythe before the empirics arrived. Over the last few months, he’d been searching for another den. Dens were the houses Famila lived in while on Terra. He’d found an abandoned one, destroyed the threshold and set up a piron net. This way, there would be little chance they’d run into uninvited Famila.

Most likely, she wouldn’t like the idea at first, but she’d eventually understand and she’d be safe there until the empirics left.
Then what
? They couldn’t live in that den forever and he’d want to take her back to Smythe or bring her to Jarthan. And the notion of living in another human safe haven disgusted him more than living in Smythe.

“Really, you will not be concerned when she is dragged out in the middle of the night, screaming?”

“Lluc—”

“Or when her blood is smeared across the streets like a slaughtered pig?”

“Lluc—”

“Or she—”

“You think I do not know that?” Bach seethed. “Do not lecture me. I need you to be my brother right now. Help me make this work.”

“There is no way. You must let her go. Tell our father you will not be going back to the Terran’s island. He will be furious, but it will pass.”

“I have to keep my word to the Sen. I must go. I cannot leave her. She has a hold over me I do not understand.” Part of him didn’t want to care for her as much as he did. He wanted to be free of the pressure he was under and the risk he was causing to her, but he couldn’t.

Nular, one of Lluc’s Thayns, entered the room, moving with a severe limp. She was about Lluc’s age, with dark eyes and very long dark hair she wore wrapped behind her head. Unlike Lluc’s sixty other Thayn, Nular was one of his three Favorites, so as well as serving him, she entertained him on a personal level.

“Yes?” Lluc snapped at her. “I said I wanted to be left alone.”

“I am sorry, Eminent.” She dropped to her knees. “Please forgive me.”

“Nular, leave now.” Lluc pointed to the door. “Now!”

Hesitantly, Nular remained. “Please, sir, the Sen sent me to call you and Eminent Bach into the Triad Hall.” Her head hung low as she spoke.

Lluc was at a loss for words, almost as if he wanted to apologize to her. No one apologized to Thayns. He muttered something to her.

She rose and limped out.

“Why is your Favorite limping?” Bach asked.

“She was cleaning the columns of my chamber and fell. She almost broke her neck,” Lluc responded.

“Luckily, you have two others.”

“Right…” His older brother paused, as though he didn’t like Bach’s suggestion, and then he scowled. “I do not want to keep fighting about this with you, brother, but I cannot watch you get hurt. It will get bad for you when they slaughter your Terran in front of you.”

“Lluc, Bach.” Yordi, their brother, burst into the courtyard. At twenty-two, Yordi was
 
the oldest of the brothers. “Why are you still keeping Father waiting? Do you think because the Sen of the Third Pillar happens to be our father that you can disrespect him?”

*****

“You may enter.” The sentinel guarding the great Triad Hall dragged the stone door open.

Bach and his two brothers walked into the dimly lit hall. The only source of light came in through stained glass windows displaying pictures of some of the past Sens of the Third Pillar.

“Prime Yordi, bring the other Sen-Sons closer.” Seated on a black stone throne at the end of the hall was their father, Sen Aleix of the Third Pillar. “Hurry; you kept me waiting long enough.”

“Come on,” Yordi said to his brothers, though his gaze was fixed on Bach, who had not changed into a proper suit. Shaking his head, he smirked. “I am keen to see this Thayn of yours who makes you break out of Jarthan and dare to get here dressed like you have been on a farm or worse. She has got to be delicious, and I hope she is musical.”

“You should explain to the Sen that Bach needs to change,” Lluc suggested as they walked into the hall.

Bach had planned make himself
suitable
before meeting his father, but his conversation with Lluc had made that impossible.

Yordi laughed. “Even our father was young once. He will understand about our brother’s little toy.” As far as Yordi knew, Bach had renewed a nameless Thayn, and enjoyed spending time with her.

“It is enough,” Lluc said abruptly as he strode across the stone floor.

Anger flashed across Yordi’s face.

Bach wasn’t surprised to see that. He knew very well that as the oldest son, Yordi hated his younger brothers telling him what to do.

“Hurry, Prime!” By their father’s expression, he was irritated they were taking so long.

Picking up has pace, Bach scanned the Triad Hall. The gray marble room was practically empty, with only a handful of the nobles from the Third Pillar standing at the bottom of the steps that led to the Sen’s seat.

Sitting with the Sen were Bach’s stepmother Belem and the Lord Rafel who was the Lord of Jarthan Castle. Lord Rafel was also Alba’s father.

“Sen-Son Bach,” his father called out to him. “Welcome back to civilization.”

Laughter echoed through the hall.

“Thank you, Sen.” Bach dropped to a knee.

“We thought we had lost you once again to the world of the animals,” Lord Rafel joked.

Bach was about to say something, but his father waved for him to remain silent.

His father, Sen Aleix, continued his conversation with Lord Rafel. The three brothers waited for what Bach thought had to be hours. Why his father had sent for them when he was not ready to actually attend to them, he did not know, but his father was the head of the pillar and could do whatever he liked.

Exactly three hours passed while the seeming never ending conversation went on. Like all Famila, Bach was naturally and acutely aware of the passage of time, often down to last second.

Finally, their father glanced across at them. “Prime Yordi, I must commend Sen-Son Bach on his selfless sacrifice in agreeing to return and live among the beasts.”

Lluc coughed at their father’s comment.

“We are all amazed and grateful Bach would do such an incredible thing to protect the Pillar and the Family.” Rafel echoed the Sen’s sentiments.