Redeemed by Rubies (A Dance with Destiny Book 6) (26 page)

Uriel pointed toward Jenevier. “That is no simple nosebleed. She looks as if she has been to war—held a dying man as he bled-out upon her lap.”

“I stopped when she asked me to stop,” Michael said. “I didn’t even know there was a problem, until then.”

“How could you not know?” Uriel said through a growl. “Just
look
at her!”

“It’s not his fault,” Jenevier said softly. “I had my head turned. He didn’t know I was bleeding… that he was literally
crushing
me with his aura alone.”

“Why did you have your head turned, Mama? Why weren’t you looking at him?”

“Why?” Jenevier snorted. “You tell me, Tenshi. How in the world am I expected to gaze upon a creature such as him and remain coherent?”

Tenshi looked up at the Arch in question, then back down to his trembling mother. “I don’t understand.” He furrowed his brow. “He looks like a perfect blend of Gabriel and Uriel to me. What is there about him that would render you incoherent?”

“What?”

Jenevier spun back to face Michael. When their eyes met, her knees buckled. Tenshi caught her before she hit the ground. She gagged and coughed up blood.

“What is it, Mama? What’s wrong?”

“She can see his true form,” Raphael whispered. “It is as she says, boy. Your mama’s eyes do not behold what yours now do.”

“Then… what is it she can see that I cannot?”

“Something… incomprehensible,” Gabriel said softly. “Apologies, Naga. I had no idea. Those lovely pink eyes of yours had no trouble deciding on a permanent form for
us
. I was unaware that such would not prove true for our brother, there.”

“No worries,” Jenevier said, blinking and shaking her head as she tried to regain her balance. “And if he is a cross between you and Uriel…” She winked at Uriel. “…then I am glad I cannot see him. Such beauty would render me speechless, anyway.”

Jophiel laughed and bumped Uriel with his shoulder. The other Arch only blushed.

Jenevier looked toward Yui. “My balance may have returned, but this lingering headache is blinding.”

“Say no more, Mistress.” When Yui snapped his fingers, a maid entered the room. “Your tea is ready, Milady,” he said, smiling.

Michael cleared his throat. “Kagi Naga, is there not something you wished to say to your beloved husband? To your entire family, mayhap?”

Jenevier growled under her breath. “…No.”

“Kagi Naga.”

“Michael,” she mimicked.

“I will not repeat myself.”

She rolled her eyes then. “Michael, why can I not say it when
I
am ready to say it? Why must it be at
your
command?”

“Because
you
will constantly talk yourself out of
ever
saying it. Speaking the words aloud while they are fresh on your heart—
that
is the proper thing to do.”

Jenevier sighed. “Yes, it is as you say, Brother.” She reached for Yui. “My love, will you forgive my cruel, calloused words?” She glanced around at her gathered family. “You tended me night and day—never ceasing, ever vigilant. And as payment… I vowed to kill you if you did not flee my presence.” She gently squeezed Yui’s strong hands. “You are cursed to be married to a vile, wicked woman. Although I do not deserve it, I humbly beg your forgiveness.”

Yui smiled and pulled her close. “You never even had to ask, Naga. You know that. You are my world, my mistress, my beloved Empress. If you wish to slay me, I only ask that you kiss me as you do so. Then… I will die happy and content.”

She chuckled into his shirt. “So dramatic, Emperor.”

He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

“I don’t deserve you,” she whispered.

“I know.” He squeezed her tighter. “But you are stuck with me, all the same.” He nuzzled his nose against her ear before softly whispering, “I will see to your proper punishment when we are minus company.”

Jenevier bit her lip to keep from giggling. She sniffed before wiping her eyes and turning to Raphael and Gabriel. When she saw the sorrowful look her dark-haired brother now wore, she could not contain her tears. She simply opened her arms and stumbled toward him.

“No. No, baby sis,” Raphael whispered as he pressed her close to him. “Do not shed such tears for me. I hold no fault against you. You know better than that. I love you too much to ever be sore at you. Dry your eyes and let me see that beautiful smile.”

“I am so sorry, Brother,” she cried into his tunic. “I am so horribly, wretchedly sorry.”

Gabriel gently stroked her hair as Raphael held her and shushed away her tears. Even after she had regained most of her composure, Jenevier let him hold her… let her beloved brothers comfort her.

Jenevier tensed when she felt the gentle tug around her neck. She squeezed Raphael one last time, kissed Gabriel on the cheek, then sighed and stepped away from them both, closing her eyes before turning back to Michael.

“Well met, Kagi Naga.” Michael took her reaching hand, pulling her to him and turning her back to face her family. “You are a credit to your glory, little one.”

Apollyon growled an instant before Jenevier opened her eyes and found him standing so close she could only see his heaving chest.

“You,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “
You
did this to her?”

“Yes,” Michael answered calmly.

“How could you?” Apollyon grabbed Jenevier’s shoulders. “Do you understand what he is doing to you, Anicee? He is slowly draining your freewill.” The dark Prince of Hell touched her lacey golden collar. “He has you bound and shackled. It matters not how lovely those shackles are, they are shackles, all the same. Can you not see, my love? You are his pet, his obedient little plaything. He pats your head like a kitten, and you wear
his
name about your lovely neck. You are letting him steal your fire, Kagi Naga. Do not do this. Do not let this fiend douse your flame.”

Michael bent down and whispered into her curls. “Remember what I told you never to forget.”

Jenevier suddenly jerked her shoulders free from the dark Angel’s grip. “I am no one’s pet! Not Michael’s. And not yours, either, Apollyon.”

At the sound of
that
name coming from
her
lips, the sapphire-eyed fallen Angel stumbled back in surprise.

“Wha… What did you just call me?”

“I called you by your name. The one you earned through your own dark deeds. If you are ashamed of it, you have only yourself to blame.”

Apollyon’s flawless face twisted with the pain her harsh words had gifted him. The silence that then fell over the room was very nearly palpable. Not even a breath could be heard.

“You are in my home because of a truce, because of our family,” she hissed. “We share blood. Nothing more. For
you
to presume to defend
me
in front of my brothers… I am offended.”

“Wha… But we agreed to—”

“An unwritten agreement, yes. A sworn pact meant to soothe the heart of my only son.
That
is what we now share. That is
all
we now share. For the love of my precious child, I allowed the devil back into my home. Into my home, yes.
Not
into my heart.”

“Mama, stop,” Tenshi pleaded.

“I will not stop! I have seen how
his
influence has affected you, my son. And… I am the one to blame for that. I can never be sorry enough, Tenshi. But acting as if this dark Angel himself has not utterly destroyed our family… is a lie.”

“But, I love Grandpapa,” Lala cried.

“Yes, my child. And I will ever after beg forgiveness for that as well. I allowed a snake to curl up within your crib because I was too soft, too weak to deny him.” She turned back to Apollyon. “I loved you once, loved you with all that I was. But no more. Not since the day you brought my whole world crashing down around me in the very center of that beautiful lavender field out there. I am
not
your Anicee. I am Varick’s.” Tears filled her ethereal eyes. “Varick—the precious man you mercilessly slew before my very eyes. He sacrificed
his
life for
our
son!” She pointed toward Tenshi. “
That
beautiful blue Angel, there, the one you were hell-bent on killing with your own accursed sword.
He
saw that—Tenshi, your only son—
he
looked into your eyes as you raised your blade above his head.” Jenevier shook her head, pressing hard against her temples. “How did I ever forget that?” she mumbled to herself. “How in the holy hell did I ever allow myself to stop feeling that pain… that wretched, debilitating loss?”

“Please,” Apollyon whispered. “Please… just stop. Every word you say is true, the whole of it. But please… spare me. I beg you. If my eternal absence is what you now need, then I will do as you wish. Anything for my beloved Anic— for my beloved Kagi Naga.”

Jenevier sighed heavily. “If only such were the case…” She slowly turned back toward her grieving family. “Forgive me. I have openly spoken heavy words… words filled with torment and pain. Forgive me for burdening you so. I have erred. I let my emotions rule me, yet again. Let us leave this for another day. This day… ahh,
this
day, my beloved friends, has taxed me to my limit.” She picked up one of the baskets she had brought with her. “And now… now for the
real
reason I asked you all here.”

Chapter 17

Jenevier

(ZHEN-ah-veer)

Jenevier gazed lovingly at her beautiful raven-haired granddaughter. Lala was a grown woman, yes. Yet she was still considered a child by her people’s standards. The same was true on
both
sides of her family.

“When did you get so tall?” Jenevier whispered, mostly to herself.

Lala looked up from the shiny pink treasure she was holding. The happy sparkle in her magical blue eyes made Jenevier’s breath catch.

“Obaasan.” She giggled. “I have been this tall for ages. I’ve stood head and shoulders over you for years now.”

“I know,” Jenevier whispered, smiling. “Yet, it seems like only yesterday, I was singing you to sleep.”

Lala reached back into the basket then, transfixed on the glory and wonder it held.

“Do you understand what you are looking at, child?” Jenevier tucked some of Lala’s curls back behind her ear. “Do you understand the true value of such a gift—the great sacrifice that had to be made? Was
willingly
made.”

When Lala turned to face her, Jenevier picked up a golden Dragon scale and gently ran her finger across the smooth surface.

“Dragons do not shed their scales,” she whispered. “When one is lost… it never grows back. Each one is priceless, Lala… a gift far too great to ever be
earned
. A treasure such as this can only come from the heart. No matter my deeds, I could never come close to being worthy of even
one
of these precious scales.”

Lala carefully laid the one she had been playing with, back into the basket.

Jenevier smiled softly. “I couldn’t even ask them. My lips simply would not form the words needed for such an enormous request.” She half laughed. “I chickened out before Nilakanta had even landed in the Great Valley. And no matter how much he coaxed me… I could not bring myself to fly down and face them.” She glanced back up at Lala. “Alas, they are Dragons. They knew the words in my heart without me having to give them voice. And then…” She sniffed and smiled again. “…with one accord, they freely came—offering me their most prized possession… an irreplaceable piece of their own perfect bodies.” Jenevier took Lala’s hand, squeezing it as she gazed deep into the girl’s eyes. “What creature has greater love than this, my child?
This
.” She looked back to the basket. “A treasure that cannot be bought or stolen or won—even by the strongest among us—just… freely given.”

Lala reached up and gently wiped the tears from her Obaasan’s fair face. “That is because… they treasure
you
more than even themselves,” she whispered. “We should all be so blessed.”

“Ahh… but with every blessing, there is an accompanying curse. My Senpai taught me that.”

Jenevier glanced toward Munenori. He bowed slightly in response. She returned the respect in-kind.

“Curse?” Lala chuckled. “What curse could come from Dragons worshipping the ground you walk on?”

“The curse in this blessing is all too clear.” She looked back to Lala. “Because of their unconditional love and unquestioning loyalty… there now—for here ever after—stand thirty-two Dragons with a mortally vulnerable spot… one they did not have
before
me.”

“Mortally… vulnerable?”

Jenevier nodded. “Yes, my child. A Dragon’s scales are not for beauty alone. They stand as their shield—impenetrable protection from
all
that would harm them. Because of their gift to me—a gift meant to replace the magic stolen by another—these thirty-two majestic creatures will now know pain, will now be subject to blade and claw. And whether they may see war or nay… such an exquisite sacrifice can
never
be repaid.”

“And…” Tears filled Lala’s eyes. “…they will never grow back. No matter how many eons they may yet live.”

Jenevier only nodded in response. The room remained silent. Each man, each Angel, each Guardian—now mulling over the weight of the Empress’s heavy words.

Lala bit her lip an instant before she ran from the room, tears flooding down her cheeks. She almost ran over Apollyon when he opened the door.

“Lala! Child! What is wrong? Where are you going?”

“Let her be, for now,” Duhrias said. “She needs time to process her Obaasan’s wise words.” He sighed. “In truth… we
all
do.”

Apollyon half ignored the speaking River Spirit as he made his way to Jenevier.

“Empress Naga,” Apollyon said, bowing with his fist over his heart.

Jenevier almost rolled her eyes, then thought better of it.

“I have brought one whom I trust to aid in this quest.”

Jenevier stood, narrowing her gaze. “But can
I
trust them?”

“He will not fail you, Anic— Naga. When he heard me speak your name, he volunteered to be included.”

Jenevier furrowed her brow. “Apollyon, tell me it is
not
Decimus.”

“It is not.” Apollyon smiled a cold, wicked smile. “Because of my own personal
attentions
, that particular demon now curses the day you were ever born.”

Jenevier smiled. “As it should be.”

When Daichi laughed, everyone turned his way—shocked by such an outburst from
that
particular Angel. Jenevier then had to muffle her own chuckle.

“That little weasel Decimus made himself a burden unto you, Kagi Naga?” Michael asked.

“He tried to, yes. Alas, Daichi handled that vile serpent—personally escorted him back to hell, if I am not mistaken.”

“Well met, Angel,” Michael said, inclining his head toward Daichi who regally returned the gesture.

“So…” Jenevier waited until Apollyon stopped glaring at Michael and looked back to her. “Tell me. Who among the fallen, save you, would possibly volunteer to help
me
?”

“In truth,” Apollyon said. “There were
two
that made offer. Alas, I already had Viatrix seeing to another matter.”

“Viatrix?” Jenevier smiled brightly. “How in the world is she? Oh… I miss looking upon her. That amazing Angel is as glorious and radiant as is the very sun.”

Michael growled then, but Apollyon only chuckled.

“She is well. She misses you and sends her love.”

“Please tell her the same for me.”

“As you wish, Empress.” Apollyon smiled. “And as for your newest recruit…” He motioned toward the door.

“Please don’t be Vahan. Please don’t be Vahan,” she mumbled to herself.

When the sky blue Warrior of Hell stepped into the room, Jenevier couldn’t contain her surprise.

“Viggo?” She gasped. “By all that is holy…”

“Merry meet, Vashti,” he said, smiling.

“Merry meet, Brother.”

Michael gave her collar a sharp tug. She ignored him.

“I am shocked you remembered my name.”

“Of course I remember. Viggo—beautiful blue Angel who perfectly matches the skies he was appointed Guardian over.”

Viggo laughed. “And Vashti, Jenevier Embarr—gorgeous little bundle of curiosity who deemed God had
painted
us for His pleasure alone.”

Jenevier blushed. “And it’s true, is it not?”

“As true as the fact you are as fierce as you are lovely.” He winked at her. “That epic battle between you and our Prince… truly a sight to behold. I still laugh out loud at the memory.”

“What say you, Viggo?” She smiled. “Tell him true.” Jenevier nodded toward Apollyon. “I won, did I not? Tell him I beat him.”

Viggo smiled softly. “Yes, Milady. The Prince of Hell never stood a chance.”

They shared a chuckle before Tenshi placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Mama, don’t you think it would be wise to fill the rest of your family in on our new guest?”

“Oh, apologies.” She blushed again before making the necessary introductions.

When she got to Jophiel, the Arch only snorted out a sardonic laugh and draped his arm across her shoulders.

“Save your breath, Naga. We are Archs. Who do you think cast beautiful Viggo, there, into darkness?”

“Jophiel, stop,” she hissed.

When Jenevier elbowed him in the stomach, Jophiel tried to block it by grabbing her arm… then suddenly quit laughing.

He held up her wrist and gasped. “Kagi Naga! What have you done?”

“Wha… What are you talking abo—”

“Your shackle,” Jophiel demanded. “Where is the bracelet Ahriman bound you with?”

Jenevier’s eyes went wide as she focused on her now bare wrist. “…I don’t—”

Uriel’s growl was so sudden, so terrifying, Jenevier trembled with its reverberations.

“What mischief have you spun, Naga?”

“M-mischief? But I… I—”

“Make confession now!” the enraged Arch yelled.

Jenevier stared at him a moment more, before her temper engaged.

“Just shut it, Uriel! Bloody hell. Give me a minute to think.”

“Think? On what? On how to lie your way out of sneaking that vile little soul-eater back into your life?”

When Jenevier suddenly lunged at the accusing Arch, she was violently jerked backwards.

“Michael! Enough!” Daichi yelled.

Jenevier heard her blue Blessing’s shouts, but her anger had blinded her to reason. She fought against her
collar
.

“Let me go!” she screamed. “He deserves this! Any creature who would accuse me of being in-league with that treacherous silver-eyed viper, deserves his throat torn out!”

“Shhh, Naga,” Daichi whispered, suddenly wrapping her up in his strong arms. “Calm yourself, my love. Come on.
Breathe
with me, Naga. Just… breathe.”

*****

When calm once more ruled the room, Apollyon looked to Michael.

“You have much to learn, Brother,” the Prince of Hell mumbled.

Michael glanced sideways at him, but did not turn to face his fallen comrade fully.

Apollyon snorted. “You honestly think
your
type of guidance will hold sway over her for long?”

Still, the Arch did not respond.

“She is a Dragon, Michael.”

“No, Apollyon.” He turned to face him then. “She is merely a girl… learning to be a Death Angel,
trying
to evolve. I am simply here to see that she keeps heading toward that goal. You and your
colorful
brethren
have proven to be a great hindrance for her upon this journey. I am here to right that wrong—
lead
her the way she should go.”

Apollyon snorted out a laugh. “By trying to
domesticate
her? Are you mad?”

“She needs a firm hand,” Michael said flatly.

“She is a volatile Grim Reaper who is as comfortable bathing in blood and breathing fire, as she is skipping through lavender and drinking tea.”

Michael gave his sapphire brother a sardonic smile. “You fear her.” He chuckled.

“As will you,” Apollyon said. “…In time.”

“
That
day will never come.” Michael crossed his arms. “You have grown weak. Seems
love
has clipped your wings, dark brother.”

A tight-lipped smile spread across Apollyon’s face. “…Perhaps.” He nodded. “Perhaps. But know this… you cage that tiny woman over there—bars or collar, it matters not—and you will see the truth of my words. She
is
Dragon, Michael. Never doubt that. Push her over the precipice, and you will feel the fire you already
know
she has been blessed with.” Apollyon chuckled before walking off. “And
that
day… ahh,
that
day will be a glorious one indeed.”

*****

When Jenevier came back to, she felt lighter… refreshed.

Yui was stroking her curls, gently kissing her forehead. She heard the surrounding murmurings, but she just closed her eyes and smiled—basking in the euphoria of Daichi’s unique type of healing.

“Did she have it on when she was in Ashgard?”

Michael snorted. “And how am I to be knowing that, Uriel? I’ve never even seen it. If she was wearing it on Ashgard, she would be wearing it still. Kagi Naga has not left my sight from the moment we first met until now.”

“She had it on the day Gabriel summoned her to the Iga village,” Duhrias said, shrinking back when everyone suddenly turned to face him. “Empress Naga and I spent the day with Goemon—playing about in the Valley of Dragons. When she pushed up her sleeves, I remember it sparkling purple in the sunlight.”