Obsidian Souls (Soul Series) (29 page)

I stumbled into a bed that I might never sleep in again the moment I could break free of everyone. I had no desire to discuss the dark feelings I had. They would tell me everything was going to be fine again. I didn’t believe it. 

Sometime in the night, I thought I felt Caden sliding into my bed with me. As I lay on my side, I felt his body spoon me and his hand come to rest on my hip. I felt his facial hair graze my neck. He whispered something into my ear, and I fell back to sleep.

When I awoke the next morning, I was alone. I thought I might have dreamed him there with me last night but I could smell his scent all around me. I lay there, breathing him in, hugging the pillow he had laid on close to me.

When I finally crawled out of bed, I found Mike sitting on the couch in the living room.

“Hey.” I smiled at him, thinking I might never see him here like this again, so casual like we were lifelong friends. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you about tonight.” He was so serious and unlike his natural laughing self. “Caden has forbidden us from going to the meeting. He says he can handle it.”

“I know, he told me we were going alone.” I plopped down onto the couch next to him.

“We are going to be there anyway.”

“Mike, are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“We aren’t letting you guys go it alone. Just know that even though you might not see us, we’re there. We’re going to be outside the building since I can’t get in without starting a fight. I don’t know if it will make a difference but just in case. Don’t tell Caden. ”

“Okay, but you need to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“If it gets ugly and it’s not a winnable scenario, I want you leave.” I raised my hand to stop him when he was going to argue with me. “No negotiating. You don’t agree, I’ll go running out of here the second you leave and spill all.”

“Okay.” He smiled in spite of my threat.

I looked in his eyes and didn’t believe him for a second. He was the type that was loyal to the bone. He’d sacrifice his own life to try to save the people he loved, and he loved Caden, possibly me as well. At least I hoped he did, because I had come to love him like my second brother.

It reminded me of the stack of letters I had sitting on the counter. One to my brother sat right on top. I took them and handed them to Mike.

“Will someone else be able to handle these if things go bad?” I handed him the stack of letters, all explanations and goodbyes.

“Yes, I’ve got things arranged.” He took the stack from my hand. “We aren’t going to need to send them though.”

Emotions overwhelmed me and I gave him a hug. I stood and told him I had to go finish things up. Another few minutes and I would be a sobbing mess, begging him to stop Caden from going. I didn’t want to do that. If I knew Caden at all by now, I knew he was his own man. He would do what he felt was the right thing. Just as I would go, even though I didn’t want to.

I picked out my outfit with a lot of care. It might be my last one, so I wanted to go down looking my best. I decided on a deep red fitted dress that fell right above my knees, and I slipped on tall leather black boots with spiked heels. I’d never where a wedge heel again. I let my hair flow down around my shoulders and back. I applied my makeup slowly and meticulously.

I was just applying a last layer of lip gloss to make my full lips glisten, when there was a knock at my door. I grabbed my purse and opened the door where Caden stood waiting for me. I knew I had outdone myself because the heat in his eyes made me think I might have found a way to make him blow off this meeting. He held out his hand to me, but instead of pulling me into his room as I had hoped, we made our way to the car du jour, a sleek black Porsche Carrere.

Butterflies that had been there for days were now fluttering in earnest. He’d reassured me countless times in the last day it would be okay, but it was hard to believe. We drove in silence. I didn’t know the place where we were going, but it wasn’t the mansion so I felt better about that. The council had their own space.

Caden said it would take us about fifteen minutes to get there. I was surprised when we drove up to a large office building just over the river. It was in Newark, NJ’s business district. At eleven at night there wasn’t much going on. We pulled into an underground garage, and Caden typed a code into a panel, and I watched as the gates opened.

We parked and I followed him over to the garage elevator. He pressed the button for the top floor. When we climbed the twenty stories, the doors opened onto a breathtaking view. A wall of windows framed a glorious city ablaze in lights, reflecting light glittering from the Hudson river below. The moon hung full in the corner to complete a perfect composition.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” He stood next to me enjoying the same view.

“Yes, it is.”

“No matter how many years I’ve lived, there are still some things that don’t lose their luster.”

“And how many years has that been? You know, you never did tell me.”

“Too many to count,” h
e said. “Are you still sure you want to come in with me? You don’t have to.”

“I’m sure.”

“See that building over there?” He pointed to a three story building across the street. “The guys are all sitting over there. You can just walk across the street.”

I looked up at his face trying to decide if he was bluffing or if he really knew. He knew.

“I’ve been with them a long time. I know how they think, I taught them all their moves.”

“Are you mad?”

“Of course I’m not mad. I would rather they hadn’t, but I would’ve done the same.” He looked down to the right. “If we’re going, let’s go see what they want. They are waiting in the room down the hall there.”

I looked over to my right and saw the long hallway that led to a set of wooden double doors with two men standing guard. They looked like they were secret service. Caden put his hand at the small of my back, and I took it as a silent gesture of support. I wasn’t sure I needed it anymore though. My butterflies had suddenly disappeared and I felt a calmness come over me. Whatever was to come, I realized I could handle it. I’d make it. I’d fight tooth and nail and when we were finished, Caden would walk out by my side.

We took the final last steps toward the doors and the guards opened them for us. It was a massive room with a semicircle boardroom table dominating the space. There were ten people seated at it and about thirty others lingering elsewhere in the room. Rufus stood to the far right. His minions were among the lingerers. All eyes turned towards us.

“Caden, Alexandria, we appreciate you both coming. It shows much of your good will.” The man in the center of the table spoke as if he belonged to the English nobility. He looked like he was ninety so who knew how old that made you in Drauth years. He had to be way up there.

“It’s nice to see you again Murdoc,” Caden replied.

“It’s been brought to us that we have some issues that need to be resolved. Carl, one of Rufus’s men, was killed. Also, one of his human servants. He believes you are to blame. How do you respond to this?”

“I killed him.” A whisper shot across the room.

Oh god, and just like that, the butterflies were back. I hadn’t been expecting denials, but he was egging on a fight. I stared at him, asking silently why did you just say that?

He looked back at me with a look that said fuck them. I’m not scared of these assholes.

Murdoc cleared his throat. “Why did you do this? You know that no killing is one of our few laws that must be maintained at all costs. Our numbers are few. If we start killing each other off, what would happen when other threats outside our species come at us? There will be no one left to defend us.”

“Carl has repeatedly tried to abduct Alexandria, who is under my protection. He has jeopardized her life in the process. He’s also tried to impregnate her.”

Murdoc turned to Rufus. “Is this true Rufus?”

“Carl had a thing for this female.” He waved his hand toward me. “He might have been vigorous in his attempts at pursuing her, but he in no way jeopardized her well being. Besides, this isn’t against our laws. He was perfectly within his rights to do so. Caden owes me one of his and I want her in replacement.” He pointed at me, as if there was a doubt of whom he was speaking. I was the only female in the room.

Murdoc looked a bit conflicted, and a lot uncomfortable, by the request. I could see that there was a genuine dislike of what he asked for, possibly Rufus as well.  Would that matter? I didn’t know them enough, or their laws, to know if that would make a difference.

“Caden, do you have any response?”

“Carl had it coming,” he looked directly to Rufus for his next words. “You’ll be next if you think you are leaving with her.”

“You’re not giving us much to work with,” Murdoc interjected, clearly displeased at Caden threatening Rufus in their court.

“We all know what he’s been up to. I shouldn’t have to explain something that every person on this board is fully aware of. He’s stepped over the line countless times. I’m fed up. Carl had it coming.”

I raised my hand as if I was in a classroom. I was trying to be respectful to whatever traditions they had.

“Alexandria? Did you need to add something?” Murdoc asked.

“Carl abducted me, and then tried to force himself on me. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“I understand how our laws might be confusing to you, as you are so new to our ways, but it’s a complicated matter. What he did to you was wrong, but I’m not sure it outweighs his death. Our laws are in place to secure our survival. That is the most important purpose we have on this council,” he spoke to me like I was an idiot. Any hopes of things being resolved today were slipping quickly.

“What about my personal rights?”

“I understand your complaints. The board is going to discuss this. We will return in a moment,” and as quick as that, I was dismissed.

My hands were sweating as I looked at the crowd around us. Panic was starting to take hold. I was on the verge of hyperventilating at what I was afraid was about to happen. I watched Caden watching everyone else as if we were in a shark tank. He didn’t look panicked. He looked fierce. I took Caden’s hand in a death grip, and he looked down at me. He looked a bit shocked. I’d never seen a shocked look on Caden’s face ever, so it alarmed me even more.

“What?”

“You need to calm down. NOW.”

“I can’t. I’m too nervous.”

He raised my hand up to my face and I saw what was upsetting him. I was glowing again.

“Why are you doing that?”

“I’m not trying to! How do I make it stop?”

“How should I know? I don’t glow.”

That stumped me completely. “You mean this isn’t a Drauth Demon thing?”

“No. No self respecting Drauth or demon would walk around lit up like a lightning bug.”

“You wish you could light up!”

“No, I don’t. You look ridiculous. And everybody is noticing. You need to turn it off because you’re now broadcasting I’m special to every freak here.”

I looked up and saw that he was right; the room was staring at me, or more precisely, my glow.

The idea that I did have some sort of defense that was starting to kick in gave me enough reassurance that I was able to get my breathing under control and I watched the glow slowly subside. I’d just gotten it back to normal when the board came back in. They took their seats. They wouldn’t look at me, and I knew it wasn’t going to be good.

“The board has decided, that although provoking, Rufus had not broken any laws. You Caden, have. We therefore have decided that you must forfeit one of your own. Rufus is inclined toward taking her, and because of the severity of the act, we have decided to grant him this.”

“No,” he said with a calm strength. I decided to handle it another way, in a total rant.

“You can’t just give me to him. I’m a person. Who do you people think you are?” I was glowing again, and so brightly, that I could see it without even looking down at my hands.

“What are you?” Murdoc asked from the bench, leaning forward to get a better view of me. “We’ve never had a female Drauth,” he said as he shook his head. “Why are you glowing? Do you do this ofte
n?” h
e asked, but I had no answer.

“Yes, I’m glowing, but I’m still a person. You have no right to ‘give me away.’ You have nothing to give.”

Caden stood silently by my side, not saying much and not having to. He was my silent strength. I knew no one wanted to approach me, partly because I was glowing like nothing anyone had ever seen, and partly because Caden looked like he would rip them apart if they tried.

“Someone needs to collect her for me! You said she was mine!” Rufus started yelling from the side, pointing at me.

The board was looking at each other and no one seemed to know what to do. Apparently they weren’t used to anyone disregarding there decrees.

“She’s leaving with me. It can be with your cooperation or not. I’ve got no problem stepping over your dead bodies on the way out.”

“Caden, why did you come here tonight if you weren’t going to honor our decision?” Murdoc asked.