Author's Note: Greetings, lovelies! I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. As I've said before, I follow my muse. I am going to try to get back into writing on this more. As well as catching up on reading the books. With that said, I have other chapters to work on, so I'll just cut to the point here. I do not own Lords of the Underworld. That is the lovely creation of our beloved Gena Showalter.
Chapter 36 Be Careful What You Ask For
"They don't seem to care that they're dying."
Paris looked over at Aeron as he said this. The night found the two sitting on top of the Bübájos Apartments in central Budapest. Below them, humans went about their usual business, completely unaware that they were being watched by two immortals.
"They aren't dying. They're living while they have the chance." Paris replied.
His reply was a snort from Aeron.
"They're frail. Easily destroyed. As you well know." Aeron said curtly, knowing that it would hurt Paris who had only recently lost the human woman who had captivated his attention.
In order to free Aeron from his blood-lust, Paris had given up the chance to bring his female back from the dead. A choice that Aeron still felt guilty about. Isolde had warned them, a long while back, that, in order to break the blood lust, it would require a sacrifice, but not one of Aeron's choosing.
Now they knew that the sacrifice came from Paris.
And now Paris suffered, all because of him.
Aeron's guilt over the whole thing was great and not just because of what Paris had given up for him, but because he had almost killed Danika and had stabbed Isolde as well. Of course, Aeron loved his friends and he didn't want to see any of them suffer.
And that was why they were currently on the roof.
"You are aware that Baby Girl was once human, right? She's far from frail or easily destroyed." Paris remarked.
"Isolde is also no longer human and is as vicious as they come." Aeron retorted.
Paris merely ignored this comment, still staring down at the humans below. It had grown harder and harder, as of late, to take care of Paris. The warrior simply didn't want to be taken care of and would pick a bed mate later and later every time Aeron took him to pick one.
"Paris, your mourning must end. It's weakening you." Aeron told him, getting straight to the point.
"As if you're one to talk about weakness. How many times have you been Wrath's bitch? Countless. And in how many of those countless instances can you blame the gods? Only one. When that demon overtakes you, you lose all control of your actions. So don't add hypocrisy to your list of sins, okay?" Paris retorted.
Okay, so Aeron deserved that one.
He took no offense, what-so-ever to it. When Wrath seized control of him, Aeron could do nothing to stop the demon from flying him through town, striking at everyone within range. He was always aware of what was going on, but was left unable to stop it until the demon was good and satisfied. Not that he always wanted to stop it. Some people got was coming to them and that was all there was to it.
That aside, he hated losing control of himself. It had grown easy to keep control, the time when Wrath took over, further apart, with Isolde now dwelling in the fortress, but it still happened. Aeron hated the feeling of being a puppet on strings, forced to dance whatever dance Wrath wanted him to. While Aeron hated the demon and himself for losing control, he also felt pride in the power Wrath displayed when he was able to take control.
After all, power was to be prized.
At least, that's what Aeron felt.
It was a tug-of-war between two extreme and opposite emotions and it was unsettling to say the least.
Add in Isolde, who always knew when this was going on, and Aeron found his feelings towards the whole thing to be confusing at best.
"You might not have meant to, but you've just proven my point. Weakness births destruction. No exceptions." Aeron told Paris, picking up the conversation once more.
"What does that have to do with me? What does that have to do with the humans down there?" Paris demanded.
"Those people. They age and deteriorate in a heartbeat of time." Aeron pointed out.
"And?"
"And let me finish. If you fall in love with one of them, you might have her for the better part of a century. Maybe, if disease or an accident do not befall her. But it will be a century spent watching her wither and die. And during it all, you'll know an eternity without her awaits you." Aeron explained.
"Such pessimism. You see it as a century spent losing that which you are unable to protect. I see it as a century spent enjoying a great blessing. A blessing that will aid you the rest of eternity." Paris replied.
Aid?
Aeron found the thought to be absolutely absurd. Once a person lost that which was most precious to them, the memories became a tormenting reminder of what could never be regained. And something like that became a distraction that could end up being fatal.
For example, when Baden died, it had hurt and it had hurt deeply. Now, whenever Aeron was alone, he pictured Baden and wondered about what could have been. He didn't want that for Paris. If getting that across took being a little merciless to Paris, then that was what Aeron would do.
"If you're so capable of accepting loss, why do you still mourn Sienna?"
Aeron glanced at Paris. In the moonlight, he could tell that Paris' eyes were glazed over. He had obviously been drinking again. Now a days about the only time he didn't drink was when Isolde would spend time with him. Given her recent recovery after Galen's kidnapping of her, that quality time had been limited and Paris wasn't fairing well because of it.
"I didn't have my century with her. I had but a few days." Paris replied.
"And if you had been given a hundred years with her before she died, you would now be at peace with her death?" Aeron asked.
There was a long pause then. Aeron knew it. Whatever Paris said, he would have never been happy parting with Sienna, no matter the length of time he got to spend with her.
"Enough!" Paris snapped, slamming a fist into the roof hard enough to make the build shake. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Loss is loss. Weakness is weakness. If we don't allow ourselves to grow attached to the humans, we won't care when they leave us. If we harden our hearts, we won't desire that which we cannot have. Our demons taught us that very well." Aeron told him, not letting up.
Aeron thought their demons was a very good example of the lesson. Desiring their freedom from hell, they had fought together to break free, only to be shoved within Pandora's box. A prison which had been far worse than the last. Had they never desired that which was forbidden, then they would not have suffered in the box for all those centuries.
The same could be said about them. Had they not desired the position that had been given to Pandora, they would not have opened the box, would not have set the demons free, and would not have been punished to house the demons they released and live in a world where nothing stayed the same. They would not have lost Baden and would not now live being hunted by Hunters.
"Have you ever yearned for a mortal? Sexually?" Paris asked.
"Welcome a female into my life one day, only to lose her the next? No." Aeron replied with a low laugh.
He was smarter than that.
"Who says you have to lose her?" Paris asked, pulling a flask out of his jacket to take a long drink from it. "Maddox has Ashlyn, Lucien has Anya, Reyes has Danika and now Sabin has Gwen. Even Gwen's sister, Bianka the Terrible, has a lover. An angel I had to oil-wrestle with Baby Girl taking pictures, but whatever. We won't talk about that part. Even Kane has Baby Girl." Paris said.
"Those couples have each other, but each of those women has an ability that sets her apart from the others of her kind. They're more than human. Especially Isolde." Aeron argued.
"Well, hello, solution. Find a female with an ability that sets her apart." Paris told him dryly.
That was easier said than done. Besides...Aeron had other things, besides women, to concern himself with as of late.
"I have Legion, and she's all I can handle at the moment."
And a hand full she was. The little demon, so much like a daughter to him, loved tiaras, something he enjoyed giving to her, and couldn't go a day without playing with Isolde, who was always more than happy to indulge the little demon. Lately, though, with an angel stalking Aeron's every step, Legion had been driven back to hell, a place she hated more than anywhere else.
Aeron constantly felt the intense gaze of the invisible angel, always watching. Though, for the moment, it wasn't there. That being said, after learning recently that angels were demon assassins, Aeron had no way of knowing if this angel was after him to take his life, or what. Another reason why he wanted Paris to pull it together.
As soon as this angel had the guts to show itself, it would no longer have guts. Aeron was not very pleasant to those who drove Legion away.
"Much as you love Legion, she can't meet all your needs." Paris said, drawing Aeron from his thoughts.
"I have no such needs. I have everything I desire. Now, did we come here to share our feelings or find you a lover?" Aeron retorted.
His answer was a growl from Paris as the warrior threw his now empty flask at the building across from them, the strength behind the throw enough to send plumes of dust and stone blowing outward from the spot of impact.
"One day, someone's going to fascinate you, draw and ensnare you, and you'll crave her with every cell in your body. I hope she drives you insane. I hope, for a little while at least, she denies you, leading you on a merry chase. Perhaps then you'll understand a glimmer of my pain."
"If that's what's necessary to repay the favor you did me, then I'll gladly endure such a fate. I'll even beseech the gods for it." Aeron said this, but he highly doubted that he could ever want a female like that. He truly was at his happiest when it was just him and Legion. Besides, he had too much pride to chase a woman who would deny him. "Did you hear that, Cronus? Send me a female. one who will torment me. One who will deny me."
"Cocky bastard. What if he actually sends you this unattainable female?" Paris demanded, chuckling for the first time in what seemed like forever.
"Doubtful." Aeron replied.
"But what if?"
"If Cronus answers my plea, I'll enjoy the ride." Aeron lied, a grin on his face. "Now, enough about me. Let's do what we came here to do."
"You won't find anyone. I've already looked." Paris replied.
"What about...her?"
Aeron pointed out a plump but scantily dressed woman with blonde hair.
"No. Too...obvious." Paris denied.
"And her?
"No. Too mannish."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"That I don't want her. Next."
Aeron had a feeling that this was going to be the theme of the night, and, sure enough, after an hour of pointing out perfectly fine women, all he had was a bunch of ridiculous reasons why Paris couldn't sleep with them.
"You're going to have to settle on one eventually. Why not save us both the hassle, close your eyes and point. Whoever you're pointing at will be our winner." Aeron told Paris finally.
"I've played that game once before. Ended up...never mind. It's not good to wander down that particular memory trail. So no. Just no." Paris told him, shuddering at the thought.
"Don't make me have to call Baby Girl. She's already in bed by this time and waking her up always ends up with her being pissed at me." Aeron told Paris.
Isolde, when angry upon being awoken from a good sleep, was the last person anyone wanted to be around. Even Zane had a hard time with cooling her foul mood when someone woke her up in the middle of the night. "What about-"
Aeron cut off. The woman he had just been watching, had just vanished into shadows, much like how Isolde did. She hadn't faded from view, as would be normal of someone merely walking through a shadow filled area, but had simply ceased to exist. It was so similar to what happened when Isolde allowed her shadows to swallow her whole. The sight had Aeron jumping to his feet, his wings instantly jumping forth.
"We have a problem." he told Paris.
"What's wrong?" Paris said, copying Aeron, though he swayed slightly from the amount of ambrosia laced alcohol he had consumed.
"The dark-haired female. Did you see her?" Aeron asked.
"Which one?"
That would be a big, fat no.
If Paris had seen the woman Aeron was referring to, he wouldn't have had the need to ask the question. Aeron could address everything wrong with that later.
"Come on." Aeron said instead, grabbing Paris around the waist before jumping from the building. They landed easily, Aeron releasing his friend. "Be on the look out for a woman with shoulder-length black hair, straight as a pin, roughly five-ten, early twenties, black clothing. Most likely she's more than human."
"Kill?" Paris asked.
"Capture. I have questions for her."
The first on that list of questions being how she disappeared as she had and why she was there. All immortals had their reasons for being anywhere near the Lords.
As soon as Aeron released Paris, they branched off into opposite directions, Aeron heading to his left where he had seen the woman walking. He passed several people along the way. First a couple holding hands, then a homeless man drinking a cheap bottle of whiskey, and then a man walking a dog.
Nothing of the woman he had seen.
When he reached a walk, he turned, scanning the alley he had entered once more. He saw no sign of the woman. Was she like Lucien and Isolde, able to travel from one location to another with only a thought?
Scowling at the idea of having to deal with a possible enemy with that kind of power, Aeron headed back down the alley. He would search the whole area, bit by bit, if he had to, but he would find her. Half way down the alley, though, he noticed the shadows beginning to thicken around him until it completely blocked out the glow of the street lamps. Screams began to sound from the shadows' depths, screeching out their torment and anguish.
Aeron would have hurried out of the shadows if he had not slammed right into someone. He jumped back from the person,, instantly pulling out two blades. Out of the shadows before him, stepped the very woman he had been looking for. Wrath instantly let out a hiss in his mind, and, for a moment, Aeron feared that Cronus had actually heard him and had sent the female, but he felt none of the feelings his friends had spoken of having when they had first seen their females.
To Aeron, she was like every other female he passed in the streets...easily forgettable.
"Well, well, well. Aren't I a lucky girl. You're one of them, a Lord of the Underworld, and you came to me." the woman said, her tone almost mocking. "I didn't even have to ask."
"I am a Lord, yes. And I did come looking for you." Aeron had no qualms with admitting this. It wasn't like it was information that could be used against him. After all, every Hunter and every townsfolk in Budapest, recognized them on sight. "And I did come looking for you."
"A great honor, to be sure. Why were you looking?"
She didn't seem to be surprised that he had so easily admitted to both.
"I want to know who are you." Aeron told her.
"Maybe I'm not as lucky as I thought. If my own brother doesn't recognize me." she retorted sarcastically, pretending to wipe a nonexistent tear from her eye.
"I don't have a sister."
He would leave out his sister-by-circumstance, Cameo, and his sort-of adopted sister, Isolde. Neither were a blood relation, since he had none. The price to pay for being created out of nothing as the grown man he was now.
"You sure about that?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Stubborn. I should've known we'd be just alike. Anyway, it's so nice to finally catch one of you alone. Who'd I get? Fury? Narcissism? I'm right, aren't I? Admit it, you're Narcissism. That's why you plastered your body with tattoos of your own face. Nice. Can I call you Narci?"
It was then that he remembered that there were other demon-possessed immortals out there that they were suppose to find. This woman had to be one of them, which wasn't a good thing since he and the other Lords, had been the ones responsible for locking away a majority of the immortals that had been used as hosts for the other demons.
"Hello, anyone home?"
Aeron cursed himself as he was snapped out of his thoughts. Being distracted at that moment was foolish and dangerous. He had no way of knowing whether or not she was an enemy to him.
"Who I am is none of your concern." he told her.
Admitting that he hosted Wrath could be information used against him. He would be best keeping it to himself. Wrath was such an easy demon to set off. About the only time the creature was calm, was when Legion or Isolde were nearby. Right now, he had neither and Wrath had picked up on every last one of the sins of the woman before him.
"I'll take your sudden black expression as a no. You're not Narci, and no one's home." the woman said.
"Stop...talking..."
Aeron couldn't think with mental bombardment of the woman's sins that Wrath suddenly supplied him with. Chaining a man to a chair and setting him on fire, gutting a woman, tricking others, stealing from them, abducting a child from his home, and even luring a man to her bed just to slice his throat. Those were only a few of the images that flashed by in his mind. There was a chance she had a good reason for all the things she had done, but that mattered not to Wrath.
The demon merely wanted to punish her.
"Why are you here in Budapest, woman?" Aeron asked, trying to redirected his thoughts.
"Wow, that was quite a display of restraint. So let me guess. You're no Narci, so you have to be...Chauvinist. Right again, aren't I? You think a pretty little thing like me can't handle the truth. Mistake. But no matter. Keep your secrets. You'll learn though. Oh, yes, you'll learn." she promised him.
"Area you threatening me, female?"
"Word on the street is Cronus gave you the scrolls and you plan to use them to hunt us down. To use us. Perhaps even slay us." she replied.
So that was a confirmation that she was, in fact, one of the demon-possessed immortals that had been locked up in Tartarus. It also didn't sit well with him that she knew about the scrolls when he and his friends had just learned of them. Then again, Isolde had probably known about them for ages now. That aside, he had a bigger concern.
He didn't recognize this woman, which meant that he and his friends had been the ones to lock her away, which, in turn, meant that she came before his time in the heavens. That would make her a Titan and a great threat with possible godly help.
"Which demon do you carry?" he demanded.
"You didn't share that information with me. Why should I share anything with you?" she replied, grinning wickedly at him.
While annoying, Aeron merely moved on.
"You said us. Where are these others?" he asked, peering over hie shoulder.
"Hell if I know. I'm on my own, just like always, and that's the way I like it."
For all he knew, that could be a lie. After all, what woman in her right mind would knowingly approach a Lord of the Underworld without some kind of back-up?
...
Isolde.
She would.
Just thinking about the sometimes reckless, throw-it-all-to-the-wind approach Isolde had to some situations, made Aeron feel like slapping himself in the face. But that wasn't what he needed to be thinking about at the moment.
"If you're here to war with us, know that-"
"War?" The woman laughed as she cut him off. "When I could kill you all while you sleep? No, I'm just here to deliver a warning. Call of the dogs or I'll wipe your presence from this world. And if anyone can do so, it's me."
After everything Wrath had shown him, he had no doubt of the promise behind her words. Then again, he also knew that if it was an honest threat, Isolde wouldn't currently be at home, sound asleep. She would be standing beside him, geared for a fight. So, he wasn't going to be heeding her demands.
"You might think yourself powerful, but you can't defeat us all. War is what you'll get if you continue to issue such warnings." he told her.
"Whatever, warrior. I said what I wanted to say. You just better pray this is the last time you see me." The shadow swelled up around her, then, hiding her from him. When next she spoke, her voice sounded directly next to his ear. "Oh, and one last thing. This was my courtesy call. Next time, I won't play nice."
And then she, and her shadows, were gone, the world around him returning.
With her gone, Wrath calmed down. Even though the demon was calm, Aeron didn't let his guard down, his eyes searching the area around him. When he was sure that she wasn't nearby, his wings sprang forth, carrying him into the sky. He would find Paris and return to the others.
Whoever the woman was, she was a threat that couldn't be ignored.
-0-0-0-0-
When Aeron finally made it back to the fortress, Paris in tow, he found Isolde, dressed in nothing more than one of Kane's t-shirts, standing on his balcony, covering a yawn. Aeron landed next to her, releasing Paris as he raised an eyebrow at Isolde.
"Baby girl, what are you doing here?" Paris asked.
"You'll see." Isolde replied, covering another yawn.
Paris and Aeron tensed, going on guard as an unfamiliar voice suddenly started to scream Aeron's name. It was a feminine voice, full of terror and desperation, coming from somewhere on the hill below them. Amid the trees that shot up from the ground and towards the sky, Aeron could just make out an approaching figure, dressed in white.
"Shadow Girl?" Paris asked, his question aimed at both Aeron and Isolde. "How the hell did she make it past our gate so quickly? And on foot, no less?"
"That's not her. The gate...I don't know. Isolde?"
Aeron turned to Isolde as he posed the question. Isolde was draped across the balcony railing, looking like she could fall asleep at any moment. She had probably dragged herself out of bed for this. What she said though, puzzled Aeron.
"No need to go over when you come up."
Both Aeron and Paris gave her a befuddled look, but Isolde merely flapped a hand at them dismissively.
"You should go see for yourself. You'll understand once you see her fully." Isolde told Aeron.
"There are trip wires out there. If she's not careful...Even if she is Bait, she doesn't deserve to die like that." Paris remarked.
The tremor in his voice was enough to even draw the attention of the half-asleep Isolde. A look of distress and pain in sympathy of the man's state, passed through Isolde's eyes, before she covered it before Paris could see. Another yell of Aeron's name from the female below, drew Aeron's attention back down.
"Why's she calling for you?" Paris asked.
Not that Aeron knew.
"If she's Bait, Hunters are probably out there right now, lying in wait for me. I'll try and help her and they'll attack." Aeron replied.
"Chicken shit."
Aeron turned a dark look on Isolde as the low mutter left her mouth. It might have been said under her breath, but he still heard it.
"I'll get the others, and we'll take care of her. Of them." Paris said, turning and leaving before Aeron could retort to Isolde.
Aeron merely turned his focus back to the woman below. Isolde knew it would be any second now. Aeron would catch sight of her face and his fate would be sealed. She watched his face, waiting and waiting. And then, as the woman tripped and had to reach up to shove her hair out of her face, Aeron caught sigh of her angelic face, his whole body tensing on the spot.
He watched as she rose unsteadily to her feet, starting forward once more before she fell again. Showing an amount of determination he almost found impressive, she tried again. When she went down for the third time, she stayed there, crying and trembling in pain. Aeron's eyes landed on her back, on the blood that was starting to stain the back of her clothes.
Her voice, no longer a scream, reached him again, pleasing with him to help her. Isolde gave him a nudge then, Aeron too transfixed to look down at her.
"Go." was all Isolde said.
Without any further hesitation, Aeron's wings burst forth, carrying him into the air. He knew he could be attacked by Hunters at any time, knew it could be a trap, but he still went. he zig-zagged through the air and when nothing came at him, he dropped suddenly, scooping up the woman. She instantly stiffened in his grip before she started flailing weakly.
"Be still, or by the gods, I will drop you." Aeron told her.
"Aeron?" The woman twisted, peering at him over her shoulder. When she saw that it was him, she relaxed, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Aeron, I was afraid you wouldn't come."
The pure, undiluted pleasure in her voice completely surprised and confused him. Women never looked at him like that, never sounded that happy to see him. Well...none except Isolde, but that was in a more brother/sister way.
"Your fear was misplaced. You should have feared I would come." he told her.
Her smile faded. Her smile gone, the only thing that perplexed him then, was just how quiet his demon was. With the close contact with the woman, Aeron knew he should have gotten some kind of view into her sins, but there was nothing. It was like with Isolde. He would have to worry about that later. Pushing it from his mind, he flew the woman into his room, Isolde stepping aside in time to avoid being caught up in his catching his wings on the balcony doors.
Aeron ignored the pain as he skidded to his feet. Straightening up, he locked eyes with Isolde, the girl grimacing in sympathy. With a pair of wings of her own, now, he knew she felt his pain in her own back, as if it had happened to her. He merely waved it off when she gave him a questioning look, and carried the mystery woman to his bed, laying her on her stomach. One touch of her back, and a groan escaped her lips.
He suppose that solved the question of whether the blood was hers or something else's.
Turning to Isolde, who moved to stand on the other side of the bed from him, Aeron gave her a stern look, refusing to take the no he was sure he was about to get from her. Isolde never just told them anything. A fact he most times found annoying.
"Tell me." he demanded.
"Let's just say...you ought to be more careful with what you ask for."
With that, Isolde turned on her heels and left the room, covering another yawn as she went. She closed the door behind her and headed off down the hall. She would leave him to figure out what he needed to about Olivia. He would, at first, deny his attraction to Olivia, like all of the others did, but Isolde also knew that that sweet little angel would work her magic on Aeron and, in the end, would tame him.
It would be a much needed dose of relaxation that the man so desperately needed.
Of course, it wasn't going to come without a little sacrifice.
Okay, so a lot of sacrifice, but things would work out.
Isolde reached up to cover another yawn, this one so large, it had tears pooling in her eyes. She had left a very comfortable bed, and a very warm and snugly warrior, to meet Aeron on his balcony. She would let the man deal with his own business for the night.
For the moment, she was going back to bed.
Reaching her room, Isolde entered it as quietly as she could, tip-toeing over to the bed in an attempt not to wake Kane.
"You call that tip-toeing?"
An annoyed noise left Isolde, the girl deflating as Kane's voice reached her from the bed. Giving up on her attempt at stealth, Isolde approached the bed, peering down at the face of Kane who was currently sprawled out, covering most of the mattress with his big frame. The light from the cracked bathroom door, lit up the half grin on his face.
Isolde, her lips tugging down into a frown, braced her hands on her hips.
"You have a problem with my stealthiness?" she demanded.
"Stealthiness? Is that even a word?"
"Yes, it is! It means "a disposition to be sly and stealthy and to do things surreptitiously"."
Kane's grin only grew, making one of Isolde's eyebrows twitch. She was half-asleep and ready to go back to bed. While, normally, she would appreciate his attempts at humor, now was not the time. Not that that dampened his mood.
"Nothing about that thudding walk was sly or stealthy." he told her, joking.
"Since when are you Mister Jokes-in-the-middle-of-the-night? Move over so I can go back to bed." Isolde told him.
"Make me."
This man was really asking for an elbow to the kidneys.
But if he wanted to play it that way, then fine.
She would have her bed back.
Kane let out a grunt as she suddenly jumped the bed, pile-driving him. She landed right on his back, flopping out to drape herself limply across him.
"Isolde-"
"You wouldn't move, so I'll use you as my bed. You made your choice, now deal with it. I'm too sleepy for this bullshit."
Kane twisted, trying to get a look at Isolde's face. With the way she was flopped limply across him, it was difficult just trying to figure out where her head was. After a little more twisting, he located her head around his left thigh. He opened his mouth to same something, but stopped when he realized...she was already asleep.
Kane didn't know whether to laugh or slap a hand to his face.
He had wanted to know what she had been up to in the middle of the night, but if she was tired enough to fall asleep in the position she was in, then he guessed it would have to wait until the morning. For the moment, he had a more pressing matter.
How to move Isolde off his back without waking her and getting kicked.
He would just have to try it and hope for the best. He moved slowly, shifting just enough to shift her some she he could move a little more. So far, so good. Maybe he would manage it without getting hurt for his efforts.
"...OW! Motherfucker!"
Or maybe not.
END
