The Surien Series Blood Guardian (19 page)

“We've been at this for hours and we're no closer to solving this riddle now than we were when we started,” Daire bitched, as he paced nervously around the living room.

Daire and Jareth had started working on the riddle as soon as the girls had left that afternoon. The day walkers were taking them to Kassie's new shop to check out the finished product. Kassie had gotten a call early that morning, telling her that it was finished and after a few tense moments and some strong words from Kassie, it had been agreed upon that Duncan would stay with her at the shop during the day, and Daire would take his place as soon as the sun went down, since Symarah was still training with Jareth in the evenings. Kassie refused to let Vaiden interfere with her life and livelihood any more than he already had, but even she agreed that it would be best for her to spend her nights at Symarah's house after the shop was closed; she might be stubborn, but she wasn't stupid.

“We can figure this out, we just have to stay calm. Maybe we should just concentrate on each section, instead of trying to decipher the whole thing at once,” Jareth suggested.

“Okay, let's try that,” Daire agreed.

“Beyond the sea of demons am I,” Jareth read the first line. “This could mean a number of things. Is he referring to inner demons or real demons, and if he is talking about real demons, does he mean human demons or actual demons?”

“Well, self-reflection isn't exactly Vaiden's style, so I think we can rule out inner demons.

“If he is talking about real demons, then the “sea of demons” would be hell or the underworld, unless he is referring to an actual sea,” Jareth said.

“There are no demons in the sea, unless he is talking about Atlantis.”

“The gods who chose to stay in Atlantis are all peaceful, I think Vaiden considers them more weak than anything,” Jareth pointed out.

 “So that brings us back to hell,” Daire said.

“Okay, what is beyond hell?” Jareth wondered.

“I don't know, but at least that narrows it down a bit. On the other hand, if he's talking about human demons, it could be anywhere.”

“So for now let's just say he's talking about hell.”

“Okay, next line?”

“Below the earth and above the sky,” Jareth read the second line.

“He could be referring to himself, he is evil and evil beings belong in hell, which is below the earth, but he is also a god, and gods are usually thought to be in heaven which is above the sky,” Daire suggested. “Unfortunately that doesn't help us find him though.”

“Heed these words if you so wish to seek me out if you dare try,” Jareth read the next line.

“That line is self-explanatory, next line.”

“Once you see clearly what cannot be, then you will know what you once did not see.”

“When we see something that is seemingly impossible, then we will know where he is. That could be hundreds of things.”

“Next line,” Jareth said, as he read the last part of the riddle. “Be one with yourself, only then are you able to save truest love from thine dread enemy.”

“So to save Symarah, I have to be one with myself; what the hell does that mean?” Daire growled in frustration.

“This is getting us nowhere, maybe we should call for Athena,” Jareth suggested.

Daire didn't want to involve Athena any more than they absolutely had to; after all, even the most just of gods has a fairly short temper when things aren't going their way. Before he could voice his objections, though, Athena appeared right in front of them.

“Am I to assume from this request for my presence, that Vaiden's cryptic riddle has not yet been deciphered?”

“You know about the riddle,” Jareth said, not at all surprised. She seemed to know just about everything, except for Vaiden's whereabouts.

“I went to the fates to try and locate Vaiden, but they are either unable or unwilling to reveal his location,” Athena said, ignoring Jareth's statement, as she reached for the paper in his hand. “He has created another pocket realm,” she stated matter-of-factly after quickly reading the riddle.

“He already has one, why would he create another one?” Daire questioned.

“This one is different, it is a hell realm,” Athena said, handing the paper back to Jareth.

“What makes you think it's a hell realm?” Daire asked.

“Below the earth, and above the sky,” Athena recited one of the lines from the riddle.

“Creating a hell realm, requires blood magic,” Athena explained. “The spell has but three ingredients; the blood of a demon, the blood of an angel, and the blood of the individual who is creating the hell realm, in this case Vaiden's blood.  You begin by making an altar in front of what will become the doorway to the hell realm. As you sit at the altar, mixing the blood of the demon and the blood of the angel, you envision your realm, and what it will be used for; you picture it in your mind, with as much detail as possible. When the blood has been mixed thoroughly, you use it to write the words porta inferni on the object you intend to use to enter the portal. Once the blood incantation vanishes, the spell is complete. All that is left is to cut your finger, and outline the doorway in your blood.”

“What is the significance of sealing it with your blood?” Jareth questioned.

“Once the portal is sealed, it opens only for the one who shares the same blood,” Athena replied.

“If the portal will only open for Vaiden, then how does he expect me to get in?” Daire bitched.

“Has he not taken your blood already, as well as Symarah's?” Athena pointed out, her patience obviously wearing a bit thin. “He has most likely used it to seal the portal as well.”

“So Vaiden, Symarah, and Daire are the only ones who can get in, how are we supposed to help protect them if we can't get to them?” Jareth groused.

“You will just have to find him before he makes his move for the girl,” Athena advised.

“That gives us just under two weeks,” Jareth grimaced.

“How do you figure that?” Daire asked.

“The best time to attack is always in a crowd, the more distractions there are the easier it will be to take Symarah. The premiere party is the perfect opportunity for Vaiden to strike,” Jareth explained.

“Great, no pressure,” Daire said, sarcastically.

“Your sarcasm is not helpful, I think your time would be better spent in deciphering the remainder of the riddle and finding Vaiden,” Athena admonished. “I know you are frustrated, but negativity is never the answer. We know now that Vaiden is hiding in a hell realm, all that is needed is to figure out its location.”

“Do you have any ideas?” Daire asked.

“There are many possibilities, only someone who knows how Vaiden thinks would be able to determine the meaning behind his cryptic words. I have complete faith that you will figure out its meaning, you know him better than almost anyone,” Athena assured him.

“Thank you goddess.”

“Daire, there is one more thing before I leave you; I spoke to the fates about the dagger. As you know, the dagger will kill you, but according to the fates, if he uses it on Symarah, she will never be reincarnated again. If her soul dies, yours dies with it.”

“Where the hell is my unden, he never reported back to me after the incident at the zoo; was he injured?” Vaiden questioned Farkas.

“No, he ran off after the surien healed him,” Farkas answered.

“I've been calling to him, but he doesn't come, and I can't locate him with my powers.”

“Maybe he's hiding from you because he failed his mission,” Farkas offered.

“He is tied to me by blood, he should not be able to hide from me!” Vaiden roared.

“Why do you even care about some stupid slave anyway?”

“Because I still need him as my eyes and ears, unless you would like to follow the humans in the daytime,” Vaiden said with an evil smirk. “I need to know how close they are to solving my riddle, I can't have them finding me before I'm ready to complete my plan.”

“And when will that be, because it's taking an awful long time,” Farkas complained. “You've had plenty of chances to kill them both. The unden could have killed the bitch in her back yard, but you told him just to wound her. You had the dagger last night, you even cut Daire with it, but instead of killing him, you chose to put him to sleep.”

“IDIOT! Vaiden shouted, as he flung Farkas against the wall with a wave of his hand. “Do you really think they would have let me kill him and get away, they had two suriens and a very powerful witch on their side, not to mention two highly trained day walkers; and the bitch, as you call her, kicked your ass, but I guess you wouldn't remember that seeing as you were unconscious.”

“Then why bother attacking them at all?”

“I needed their blood to seal the portal. Once they are inside my hell realm, they will be on their own,” Vaiden explained. “Daire won't have Jareth or Dacian to save him, or any of the other suriens. Not even Athena herself could enter the portal.”

“But the other suriens will be waiting for you when you exit the hell realm, they'll kill you the second you leave,” Farkas pointed out.

“Do you take me for a fool,” Vaiden scoffed. “I have created a second portal for my exit. They'll all be gathered around the first portal, leaving a clear path for my escape, and now that I have the scalphen dehiette there is nothing stopping me from killing every last surien in Athena's pathetic little army.”

“Symarah, we need to talk,” Daire said, as he entered her bedroom, closing the door behind him. He had intended to try, one last time, to talk her out of attending the premiere party, but the bedroom appeared to be empty. Jareth said that she had gone up to her room after they returned from their latest training session. She probably decided to take a shower, Daire thought to himself as he headed for her private bathroom. He could hear the water running as he opened the door.  He stood just inside the doorway watching her bathe, mesmerized by her every move. Daire licked his lips, he could almost taste the water on her skin.

“I can think of better things you could do with that tongue,” Symarah teased.

He hadn't realized she had seen him there, watching her. He instantly hardened at her playful invitation. His clothes disappeared in an instant as he stepped inside the shower. He cupped her breasts as he claimed her lips. Her kisses were deep and passionate. Symarah loved the feel of his hands on her body. She kissed her way down his chest to his chiseled abs. As she sat down on the glass bench behind her, she placed her hands on Daire’s hips and pulled him to her. Daire moaned as she took him into her mouth, just the tip at first, but gradually going deeper. He could tell that this was her first time. She was timid, and a bit unsure at first, but it still felt amazing, and she got the hang of it pretty quickly. She had him ready to explode within minutes. Daire stepped back, and picked Symarah up.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No caria, you were amazing. I just didn’t want to finish yet,” Daire said, with a mischievous smile, as he sat down on the bench, with Symarah now straddling him.

She raised up a little, and guided him inside her. Daire claimed her lips, as he slowly began to move his hips against hers. She could feel his hip bones digging into her inner thighs with every thrust. The mixture of pleasure and pain was exquisite.

“I can’t hold back any longer,” she whispered, as she ran her tongue across his bottom lip.

Daire grabbed her hips, and pulled her down hard, as he thrust himself deeper inside her. She dug her nails into his shoulders, as her body gave in to him; causing him to join her in her climax.

CHAPTER 14

“Look at all these celebrities!” Kassie asked, barely able to contain her excitement. “Will
Kyle Burke
be here!?”

“Who is
Kyle Burke
?” Daire questioned, as they walked the red carpet that led into the premiere party.

“Who is Kyle Bur...are you serious right now?” Kassie said, astonished by his lack of knowledge on the subject. “I'll have you know, that
Kyle Burke
is the most talented actor to ever play the role of
Spiderman
.”

“Should I be worried?” Duncan asked, only half joking.

“He's married to that actress who looks just like
Sophia Giavanna
, so I think you're safe,” Symarah laughed.

“The supermodel? Lucky him,” Conner smirked.

“Oh, her you know; typical guy,” Symarah rolled her eyes, as they stepped off the elevator onto the 17
th
floor, and entered the party.

“I just hope he makes an appearance,” Kassie said, scanning the room to see if he was already there.

“I just hope Vaiden doesn't make an appearance. I wish we could have found him before tonight,” Symarah said. “A lot of innocent lives are in danger if he does show up.”

“Not to worry, my lady, Vaiden would never strike here, too many witnesses,” Conner assured her.

Symarah knew that wasn't true, but she appreciated his attempt to calm her frazzled nerves.

“And if he does strike, we have reinforcements,” Daire assured her, “half of Atlantis is in this room.”

“Really, like who?” Kassie scanned the room, to see if she could spot any of the Atlanteans.

“Well, Dacian is here, of course,” Jareth said, “and there is his brother...”

“Oh my God, Jaysien is here!” Kassie interrupted. “He has been on the
Top Ten Sexiest Men Alive
list, for the past eight years. Oh my God, he's headed right for us; be cool.”

“Daire, Jareth, good to see you again. I brought company, in case Vaiden rears his ugly head,” Jaysien said, with a smirk on his handsome face and a sparkle in his gorgeous brown eyes. He looked as if he were hoping for a fight.

“You're an Atlantean god?” Kassie was shocked.

“At your service, my lovely lady. And who might you be?” Jaysien said, with his usual charm, as he placed a kiss on Kassie's hand.

“Back off, surien, she's taken,” Duncan warned.

“My apologies, day walker,” the Atlantean said, taking a step back and putting his hands up in surrender.

“Who'd you piss off this time?” Dacian said, as he joined the group.

“See, now why do you always have to be such a dick, Dacian?” Jaysien asked.

“I don't know, why are you always such a little bitch?” Dacian replied, with a smart ass smirk.

“Good to see you, little brother,” Jaysien laughed, as he playfully punched Dacian's shoulder.

“Wait, you two are brothers, you never told us your brother was a famous actor,” Kassie scolded.

“You never asked,” Dacian calmly replied. He had traded his arctic camo, for a classic black tux, with a bit of an edge to it. “It's nice to see you again ladies; you both look absolutely stunning.”

The girls had gone all out for this party, and they did look amazing. Kassie was wearing a flirty, pale pink, sleeveless dress, while Symarah opted for a more sophisticated, graceful appearance, with a floor length, satin dress, in a gorgeous champagne hue.

“Leave it to you to cozy up to the two prettiest girls in the place, Jaysien.”

“Lucien, it's about time you showed up, what took you so long?” Jaysien asked, as he greeted his old friend with a hearty handshake.

Kassie turned to greet this new Atlantean, but instead she was greeted by none other than,
Kyle Burke
.

“You're a god too? How many famous people are actually Atlantean gods?” Kassie demanded to know.

“Well, there's
Ka…
,”

“You know, it would be quicker to point out the ones who are human,” Dacian chimed in, interrupting Lucien's list of celebrity gods. “Most of the celebrities here are Gods.”

“I can't believe how many celebrities are actually gods and goddesses,” Kassie said, astonished by this new information.

“I can't believe that Lucien is this
Kyle Burke
you've been raving about, all night,” Daire teased.

“You hush it mister,” Kassie said, as she lightly punched his arm.

“Any sign of Vaiden?” Dacian asked.

“No,” Lucien answered, “but don't worry, we've got eyes everywhere; If he steps one foot in this place, we'll know.”

“I thought you guys could sense one another, won't you feel him if he's here?” Symarah asked.

“Unfortunately, no. There are too many of us here; if he shows up, we won't know if it's him or one of us,” Jareth explained.

“But don't worry,” Dacian said, sensing her fear, “we have enough backup to take down an entire army.”

“What if he brings an entire army?” Symarah grimaced.

“There are too many people here, the risk of exposure is too great,” Lucien explained. “Even Vaiden isn't arrogant enough to take on Zeus and the others. No, if he shows it will only be to take you, forcing us to come after him, and luring Daire into a trap.”

“Your people skills could use a little work, Lucien,” Daire chided.

“What, I'm just being realistic,” Lucien defended himself.

“It's called tact, Lucien, you should look it up,” Jaysien scolded.

“I think what my brother is trying to say is that your realism, admirable as it may be, can be a bit terrifying to a mortal being,” Dacian reminded him.

“I'm sorry, Symarah, I didn't mean to scare you,” Lucien apologized.

“It's okay, I'm used to it by now.”

“Since we have all this protection, how about we pretend that Vaiden doesn't exist, and we attempt to have a good time?” Duncan said, as he extended a hand to Kassie.

“Vaiden who?” Kassie replied, as she took his hand, and led him to the dance floor.

The party was amazing, and eventually, even Daire and Symarah managed to loosen up enough to enjoy themselves. Jaysien, and several other celebrity/Atlantean gods, mingled with the crowd, all the while keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble. Kassie and Duncan danced the night away, in between checking on Symarah every half hour. Lucien sat with his wife, at a table near the back where he had a perfect view of the entire room. There were Atlantean gods stationed everywhere. Every inch of the place was covered, from the roof to the basement and everything in between. There were suriens at every door, no one got in without being checked. No one knew where Dacian had gone, but they knew he had their backs, it was like he was everywhere and nowhere, all at once. Symarah and Daire sat alone at a small table near the dance floor, talking.

“It's been a crazy couple of months, hasn't it?” Symarah smiled.

“Yes it has, even for me,” Daire chuckled. “I'm sorry you've had to go through all of this Symarah, I truly am.”

“Are you ever sorry you met me?” She asked.

Daire looked deep into her beautiful blue eyes. “I'm sorry for a lot of things caria, but not that, never that.”

He was so sincere, so sweet, and loving. He really was the perfect guy, strong and masculine, yet gentle and kind. He was a good, honorable man, and a bad boy, all rolled into one. He took her breath away, she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. It was then that she realized she was in love with this man, a man that she was going to have to let go of. She couldn't think about that right now, because if she did, she would break into a million pieces.

“What does that mean, caria?” she asked, trying to distract herself from thoughts, too painful to bear.

“It means, my love,” Daire told her, as he placed a soft kiss on her delicate hand. “I have something for you.”

Daire placed a small blue box on the table in front of her.

“What is it?” Symarah asked, pleasantly surprised by his gift.

“Open it and see,” Daire chuckled.

She opened the box, and couldn’t believe her eyes, inside was a bracelet, with three rows of the most perfect diamonds she had ever seen.

“Daire, it’s beautiful. It must have cost a fortune, you didn’t have to do this.”

Daire reached across the table and placed the bracelet around her wrist. “Do you like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love it.”

“Then it was worth it. “Daire smiled as he kissed her hand. “Shall we dance?”

“I'd rather go someplace where we can be alone,” she replied, as she led him out onto the empty balcony.

“I don't think this is the best place for us to be right now.”

“Nonsense, it's the perfect place to be,” Symarah smiled at him lovingly, “in our own little world, the sound of soft music, floating in on the night breeze, surrounded by the twinkling lights of the slumbering city, a blanket of stars above us, and I have you all to myself.”

He put his arms around her waist, and they began to dance. He loved the way she looked at him, loved seeing himself through her eyes. She was more precious to him than anything he had ever known. He kissed her gently, as they swayed to the music.

“Mind if I cut in?” a sinister voice said from the doorway. Daire and Symarah turned to see Farkas standing there, a twisted grin spread across his hideous face … and then all hell broke loose.

Several demmic appeared, simultaneously, out of thin air. Screams erupted from the crowd, as the battle began. Gods and demmic fought fiercely as the innocent bystanders scrambled to get out of their way. The doors were blocked by an unseen force, no one was getting out alive. Only one door remained unblocked, except by Farkas, who was now taunting Daire.

“You didn't really think you would win, did you?” Farkas sneered in disgust. “He's been toying with you all along. Everything that's happened so far, has gone exactly according to his plan. You never had a chance.”

“Save it Farkas, there are more than enough gods here to take you all on,” Daire warned, as he slowly backed Farkas off of the balcony and back into the ballroom, closing the double doors behind him.

“The only thing standing between me and your little girlfriend is a flimsy set of frosted glass doors,” Farkas laughed.

“Wrong, the only thing standing between you and my love is a highly pissed off, deadly Atlantean god,” Daire growled, as he lunged at Farkas.

Symarah could hear them talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She understood why Daire had locked her out on the balcony, but she wished he had trusted her enough to let her fight alongside of him. She felt useless, standing out there all alone.

“Ah, but you're not alone, Symarah.”

She turned to see Vaiden standing behind her. She grabbed the handles on the doors and pulled as hard as she could, but they wouldn't budge.

“They're blocked by magic,” Vaiden explained, “and it's no use screaming, because no one will hear your cries, until I want them to.”

“What do you want with me Vaiden?”

“I want you to die; it's as simple as that.”

“I know that, what I don't understand is why,” Symarah said.

“Revenge,” Vaiden replied. “I wish I had a more noble reason, but I'm afraid it's just revenge.”

I understand that you want revenge, Daire told me everything, but why me; out of all the girls in the world, why did you choose me?”

“He didn't tell you, did he?” Vaiden was clearly amused by this new revelation. “I chose you, because you are his soul mate, his lost love.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You are his dead fiancée, Meissen,” Vaiden coldly told her. “You've been reincarnated.”

Symarah couldn't believe her ears. It was true that she had always believed in reincarnation, but it never even occurred to her that she was anything to Daire in any of her past lives. She didn't want to believe it, but why else would Vaiden choose her? It wasn't like Vaiden to do anything halfway, he was brutal and vindictive, it only made sense that he would want to use Daire's soul mate for his ultimate revenge. Symarah could barely breathe, she didn't know what to think. It certainly did explain why she was so immediately drawn to him, and why he was so willing to risk his life to protect her.

“I hate to interrupt while you are so deep in thought, but it won't be much longer before Daire figures out my plan and has your annoying little witch friend say a spell to break through the door, so I don't have much time,” Vaiden said, as he grabbed her by the wrist and dangled her over the railing. “Don't worry, it's only a 17-story drop; your heart will probably give out before you hit the ground.” 

Symarah's heart was racing, she could feel the wind whipping around her as she dangled helplessly almost three hundred feet above the hard pavement. She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could. Don't look down, Daire will figure it out any second and he will save me, so until then just stay calm, and don't look down, she told herself.