14
Mother stammered some as she looked me over, not being able to find the words to truly speak.
"What?" she asked and I nodded.
"Yes." I replied and she released my hands and took a step back in surprise.
"That's not possible." she said lifting her hand toward the back door. "Raphael!" She called to a human servant.
"His music called to me." I pressed and she shook her head.
"That is NOT possible." she stated and a young man wearing a white shirt tucked into khaki pants stepped out.
"Yes Mrs. Odell?" he asked hands tightly pressed together.
"Fetch my husband." she replied looking from him back to me with such shock.
"It is the truth." I said and she shook her head.
"A phase. You're just hormonal you're young, you must be just having humanistic feelings towards elves. I mean they are charming appearance wise. MATHIAS!" she screamed her patience gone. I sighed and wait.
"Woman why are you yelling?" I hear my father from inside and finally he exits the house. He's a tall man standing at six-four wearing a business suit and tie. "I'm on the phone with partners." Mother straightened up and looked at me.
"Tell him what you told me." she said voice shaking and I felt utterly shaken now. My father was always intimidating even for a siren who had beauty like all of us. His dark skin shined beneath the sun, rays glistening off the one diamond earring he had in his right ear. He looked at me.
"Dette?" he asked curiously and I just looked up at him and shrugged.
"I have found my mate, I have heard a sound that has brought me back to life since Kyle." I announced and my father tilted his head some and smiled big.
"Well baby girl that's wonderful news!" he said not seeing the big deal.
"Who are you mated to?" Mother asked more carefully now and Dad looked at her and then back at me waiting. I looked away feeling my entire world falling down on me again.
"He's an elf." I replied and my dad squinted his eyes in confusion.
"What are you talking about?" he asked and I nodded.
"I heard the music of love in one of the songs he has played and it called to me just like how you described Mom's love song to you, I heard it in him." I said and Mother shook her head looking at Dad.
"Is this possible?" she asked and now Dad raised his hands to us.
"Come inside. We will talk in my study." he said and Mom and I both followed him inside. We walked through the kitchen and into the hallway. Dad slid open the two white doors that lead into his study filled with books and files and papers. We moved over to the unlit fire place and my parents sat down in two of the long white prehistoric chairs as I called them and I just stood before them.
Father took out one of smoking pipes and lit it. Mother just looked down at her knees confused and silent. The silence in the room was sickening to me and I felt my stomach churn.
"What did you feel?" Dad finally asked. I looked at him and then down in thought some.
"I felt as though my heart was soaring through the air. I felt as if my legs were drifting into space and looking at him kept me leveled- anchored to the world. My body shakes at the thought of him dying one day." I said and Dad stared calmly nodding slowly.
"What instrument did he play?" he asked and I smiled at the thought.
"A grand piano." I replied and Dad nodded.
"What's his line of work?" he questioned.
"He is the head of one of Homeland Security's Magic Task Force." I replied.
"A cop?" Mom asked leaning forward some in shock. I nodded.
"Yes… Dad, even when Kyle was alive, I have never felt this way toward another person. And I didn't even have my voice then. Who is to say I wasn't feeling just human emotions." I explained and he blew out a puff of smoke in thought.
"It is very very rare, this type of interspecies relationship, but it is also a dangerous one as well. Elves and sirens have been fighting a very long battle, we still are to this very day." he said and I nodded slowly.
"What do you want me to do?" I asked feeling as if he had already made some decision. Dad grunted some looked at my mom and she looked back. They had a silent conversation with their eyes before slowly they nodded and smiled. They both stood up, and Mom wrapped her arms around his and the two began to move toward the door. I turned and watched them leave until they stopped in the door way, Dad's head turning to face me.
"Invite him to the cookout. Then we will see if he's worthy." he merely replied. Mother smiled before the two left the room. I was beyond stunned at their decision and I just exhaled and thought now how that would even go. I left my parent's house and began to move to my car. Marco is waiting by the driver's side.
"You aren't staying." he stated and I shook my head.
"I will be back for the cookout. I get to bring my mate." I said as he opened the door for me.
"That should be fun. An elf surrounded by his enemies." he said. Marco hears everything, I wasn't surprised that he knew. But I stopped in front of my door and placed my hand on his which was still on the door as well.
"Do you approve?" I asked and he scoffed mildly.
"Approval should be the last thing you want when it involves your mate." he said and I just looked down at his words before getting in my car and starting it. He leaned in though into the window so I rolled it down. "I do look forward to meeting him though… we all do." His words were dark and cold as usual and I just nodded.
"Be nice." I replied and he gave a low hmm in reply before I drove off and left our siren district. I made it home within thirty minutes to see Kandomere's expensive car on the curb. Once I parked my car, I got out just as he was getting out. I smirked.
"For an elf, you sure seem to travel further out of our district." I said and he smirked approaching me.
"I am an agent of the law. Crime happens everywhere." he said leaning over me and kissing me lightly. "How was the family visit?" I leaned back and shrugged.
"You are invited to our family's cook out this weekend." I replied and he arched a brow.
"A cook out? Like barbecue?" he asked and I nodded.
"They very one." I said and he nodded looking over my head some in thought and then down at me.
"I will attend." he said and now this day was full of surprises.
"You want to go?" I asked as he took my hand and led me to his car.
"Of course. I meet your parents, I wow them, everyone is happy." he said opening the passenger's side and I looked up at him curiously.
"Where are we going?" I asked. He chuckled lowly.
"Walking around town? Remember, I took a half day." I nodded now remembering before looking him over.
"That's right… but you can't walk around in that." I said and he looked himself over and nodded.
"I know. I brought a change of clothes." he said now leaning into the car motioning me inside and I chuckled and just got in. I could only imagine what these clothes looked like. He drove fast and no one seemed to notice.
"So any leads on that terrorist group you've been hunting?" I asked and he glanced at me some before looking forward.
"Nothing. Things have been quiet. None of my informants have heard anything except the usual." he said and I tilted my head.
"The usual?" I asked and he nodded.
"If you had become an official member, then I could tell you more details." he said and I nodded.
"Okay forget I asked." I replied dropping the subject and looked ahead. It started to grow quiet and he sighed some.
"We have heard word that there are allies fueling the gang. Sirens." he said lowly. My head snapped in his direction.
"Sirens?" I asked in utter shock. He nodded.
"Yes. My informants tell me someone has been funding them to buy weapons." he said. I looked down at my lap in shock.
"Sirens…" I whispered.
"Please don't get upset when I ask this… but have you heard anything from siren friends or even orcs?" he asked and I looked up at him and shook my head.
"Nothing. I don't go home often enough to know the gossip and other sirens have no need to talk to me." I replied.
"And the orcs?" he asked and I shook my head.
"We're not talking right now." I said and he nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry you're not getting along with your friend." he said dryly, and I glanced at him and laughed.
"No you're not!" I said and he nodded and smirked.
"No I'm not." he said. I showed him where to park and he looked around. "Are you sure my car will be okay here?" I nodded.
"Yes now get dressed." I replied and he looked around some and sighed through his nose and nodded removing his shirt and taking off the white buttoned shirt.
"So how did your parents react when you told them about me?" he asked.
"They said it is very rare this could happen between us, but also dangerous." I said resting against the back of his car just looking out to the other buildings.
"I don't see any danger." he commented.
"Yet. I don't know what will happen between my family. I mean what about you? Have you told your family about me?" I asked.
"My family is all the way in Venezuela. I do not talk to them and so I will tell them when the time is right." he said. I just nodded not really upset he hasn't told them. If he wanted to tell them he could if not then I didn't care. I didn't know how quiet I was until I felt his large hand on my shoulder and I looked to see his face inches from mine. He's in a black tight shirt and blue jeans that looked expensive as hell. "Hey, it will be okay you know."
I just looked at him with soft eyes and nodded pressing my body into him for a second and sighing. Once he was ready, we left the parking garage. It had gotten cloudy outside and it provided perfect shade. Immediately, people looked at us whispering and gawking in shock. Kandomere took my hand and just saw through them. I smiled up at him and rested my head on his shoulder for a second before we kept walking through the busy streets. Orcs who passed us did double takes. I saw an ice cream cart and pulled him toward it.
"You like this stuff?" he asked, his nose cringing some. I looked at him wide eyed.
"You don't?" I asked ordering chocolate ice cream. He paid and shrugged.
"Filled with carbs and other things." he said and I licked the chocolate.
"Have you had some before?" I asked and he shook his head.
"No." he said and I held the cone up to him and he winced and leaned back.
"If you try it you might like it." I said and he looked at me and then the cone and gave it quick lick before raising his head some.
"Happy?" he asked and I just smirked and kept walking. We began to hear music playing and we looked down the street noticing people banging on drums and playing other instruments. I smiled looking up at Kandomere.
"Thank you." I replied and he looked down at me.
"For what?" he asked. I scoffed gently.
"I can see the way you look around with judgmental eyes. This city is not like your district. It's dirty and impure and you are right in the middle of it. I know you could be working and taking down bad guys, but you came here with me and enjoyed a piece of my world." I said and he smiled lovingly.
"I would do anything for you." he said and he leaned down and kissed me deeply. Suddenly, a faint pop made Kandomere's ears twitch and we both pulled back and looked around at the crowd to notice the people around us had stopped walking and was looking around as well.
"I know that sound." he said wrapping his arm around me immediately.
"Maybe it was a car." I whispered, my ice cream cone dropping from my hand. Our eyes moved around the ceiling before off in the distance on top of a tall insurance company rooftop there was someone. With our eyes we saw him perfectly, masked in black, some long gun I couldn't describe in his hand. Everyone took off running in all directions.
"Somebody's got a gun!" a man yelled and now there was total panic. More shots hailed down on the street.
"Come on!" Kandomere took my hand and we took off running through the insane crowd. People knocked into each other and fell. More gun shots were hood and body's fell to the ground.