“In other words, if he’s connected to these events but he’s on our side, then he’s powerful enough to help us fight our enemy,” suggested Avery.
Jesse nodded.
“So now all you boys have to do is find Ramses,” said Lalura around a mouth full of crumbling cookie. It looked like one of the chocolate dipped ones. She looked up, capturing Jason in her blue beams. “And your queens,” she added. “Before the bad guy does.”
She pushed away from the table then, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. “Thank you for the tea, Roman.”
With that, the ancient witch popped out of existence in a tremendous flash and puff of pink smoke and sparkles. The smell of lavender filled the air.
Chapter Five
There were two reasons Chloe had chosen Maui as her escape. The energy on the island was different; it was ancient. This was a land of old magic and older gods, and in her world, older meant more powerful. There was a force that ran through life on Maui like water, rippling around everything on the island.
This energy provided a kind of camouflage for Chloe. More importantly, it provided sustenance. It wasn’t warlock magic, but it helped. Chloe felt she could breathe just a little easier here, which was why Mili felt that Chloe fit in.
The other reason she’d chosen it was for its remoteness.
Its inhabitants were few, and they were relatively peaceful. Maui headlines talked about weather and surfing, never murder or rape. And this was important to Chloe – very important.
Chloe was composed of the same stuff as space, and because there was no dark magic inhabiting her spirit, her body and mind tended to act as a vacuum for the sensations around them.
She’d heard of people who were highly sensitive. They couldn’t stand to watch the news or read the newspaper or subject themselves to sad movies because they absorbed the emotions of other people, took too much into themselves, and became absolutely miserable. Chloe was like that.
She didn’t read headlines, she didn’t troll Facebook for news posts, and she didn’t own a television. A newscast for her was an agonizing dichotomy between the tragedy being reported and the tainted hint of jaded boredom and arrogant glee from the reporter telling the story. It was one more miserable reminder of the nonsensical way the world worked. Chloe wanted nothing to do with any of it.
Because she was forced to hide from supernaturals who would use her empty weakness against her anyway, Chloe protected herself from the harsh sensations of the world by hiding away in tiny towns around the globe.
There, she worked jobs that tended to the physical and emotional needs of others, trying her best to minimize negative emotions around her. Like the magic on Maui – every little bit helped.
But several months ago, Chloe caught wind that the notorious Jason Alberich was searching for his queen, as all 13 Kings suddenly were. For some reason… this struck Chloe in a profound way.
As if she’d subconsciously known she would be the one he searched for, suddenly, she felt like running again. She took Miliani up on her offer in Maui and booked her flights. The soonest trip she could get would take her from Boston to New York to Hawaii.
What she hadn’t counted on was that technical difficulties would wind up canceling her flight from New York, forcing her to stay overnight – and that she would run into Jason Alberich himself as she traveled from the airport to her hotel.
What were the chances of that? They were infinitesimally small. The fates had been at work.
She’d been crossing the street and hailing a cab when it occurred. She felt the sudden weight of him. She sensed his eyes on her and knew that it was him. One hand on the taxi door handle, she turned – and found herself gazing into a tall, dark spire of desire that hit her like a freight train.
The shock Jason experienced at seeing her, and the need that followed it, rolled across the distance between them and bowled her over, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her own responding desire redoubled the effect, kick-starting a rapid succession of painful beats of her heart.
It was all she’d been able to do to scramble into the back seat of her taxi, close her eyes tight, and give the driver his instructions.
She hadn’t seen him since then…. And now he was on the island.
I can’t feel him right now, she thought. At least there’s that.
Lahaina, Maui was a lit up harbor at night, with tourists milling through the streets, shops and restaurants, and locals still out surfing in-between anchored sailboats. A few other locals would linger and lounge on the grass, high on weed or love or both and would smile bright white smiles and greet passersby with friendly “alohas.”
Chloe sat on the cement and rock wall over the shoreline of the harbor below and listened and watched. The wall abutted a small park with a few smaller trees and lush green grass. The local children loved climbing the trees and adults enjoyed resting at their bases. A bearded longhaired man in shorts and flip-flops a few yards away from Chloe was on his older model cell phone. “… I’m telling you, it’s all the blacktop and asphalt in the world,” he insisted to whoever was on the other end. “That’s why we have global warming. It’s heating everything up.”
Chloe turned her attention to the dots of white and brown sitting patiently on the swells in the distance. The die-hard surfers and body boarders remained where they were well beyond sundown to catch the last waves in. There were two reasons for this. Every surfer or body boarder was under the same spell: there was an eternal lure in the next wave, and it grabbed and paralyzed man and woman alike, seducing them to stay on the water just a little while longer.
But this late in the day, when the nocturnal creatures of the ocean awakened to hunt, it was also safer to sit still on your board and wait for a wave strong enough to take you all the way back into shore than it was to paddle back yourself. You drew less attention to the animals below if you let the water move you than if you splashed along on your board. Movement and sound drew the eye of the “mano.”
Chloe sighed. The fingers of an ocean breeze brushed through her long blonde hair. The temperature was perfect.
But she was not at peace.
Despite the remoteness of Maui, there was actually little quiet on the island. It wasn’t as you would have expected. All over Maui’s shorelines could be heard the susurrus and whisper of the water moving in and out, and the crash of their vibrato as the waves hit the sand. But even this natural orchestra is drowned out by the human made sounds of progress.
In Lahaina, bands on open restaurant verandas played long into the night. In Kihei, several miles south along the shore, the drunk became boisterous and messy. Not even under the sea was there to be found a respite from the non-stop noise. Crabs clicked and clattered away, chattering like marine cicadas, and the scuba gear’s regulator formed bubbles that burst in the eardrums, deafening and disorienting.
There was no real silence, no real peace. Not even here, on a tiny remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Chloe’s stardust blood yearned for the annals of space. It longed for its homeland. It always had.
If she’d possessed the power she should rightfully have possessed, she could have transported to the astral plane. It was composed of the same magic of space and time that she was. She’d always wanted to visit. She could have spent a day there, maybe two. She imagined that she would have grown stronger, remembered who and what she was, grown more confident. She could be herself again – and figure things out.
But gaining the power it would take to do that would mean giving in and subjecting herself to the servitude of a warlock.
“And you’re not one for giving in, are you Chloe Septeran?”
Chloe’s eyes shot wide open. Her breath hitched in her suddenly constricted throat and she sprang to her feet, spinning with tremendous speed.
Jason Alberich stood several feet away, tall, well built, dark, and powerful. He was draped in the colors of night, his blonde hair a stark shock against his black cloth
ing. His green eyes flashed in the moonlight. But he seemed at ease, confident and relaxed, his hands were clasped behind him as if to show her they were not a threat.
Chloe didn’t bother to ask him how he’d known what she was thinking. He was the sovereign of the warlocks. If he wanted to read someone’s mind, all he had to do was cast a spell.
“You’ve been running for a very long time,” he told her. He tilted his head to the side. “Surely you must be weary.”
Chloe could scarcely believe he was standing there in front of her – that it was really him. She also couldn’t understand why she hadn’t sensed him drawing near. His magic should have overwhelmed her. It should have felt like gorging on a buffet after a starvation diet. It could have even felt like an orgasm.
But she felt nothing other than the enormous amount of trepidation strangling her in that moment. Clearly he was sparing her.
But why?
“Invaluable,” he whispered suddenly. Chloe blinked. He smiled.
Chloe’s stomach knotted and her knees grew weak. He had the most sinful smile.
Jason looked down at the damp grass and condensed earth and slid his hands into his pockets to slowly pace toward the wall beside her. “The things I’ve learned about you, about Akyri in general over the last few days.” He pinned her with those eyes again, stealing her strength like candy from a baby. “The information is invaluable.”
Chloe swallowed, choking past the lump in her throat. She hugged herself though she was not cold. Not at all.
“Some people would sacrifice a great deal to obtain it,” he said. Those sharp emerald eyes slid over her form. “To learn about you.”
Chloe took a step back, her trepidation suddenly overwhelming her good sense. “Are… you threatening me?” she asked, her voice trembling. She had nowhere to go. There was nothing she could do against Alberich.
Jason shook his head. “No,” he said softly – intimately. “I learned the hard way that threats actually gain you very little. However, as you’re already aware, the climate of our world is changing.” He paused and his expression became very serious. “You and I both know that you’re in danger, Chloe.”
From you, she thought. From you!
But she knew that wasn’t strictly true. At least not solely true. There was a greater evil on the rise. Chloe could feel it the way a sunbather would sense a sudden shadow. Darkness was coming.
“Tell me, Stardust,” he said, turning to face her fully. She felt caged in by him suddenly, this black wall of towering muscle and magic. “When it comes for you, would you rather be as you are now?” He stepped forward suddenly, and whatever shield he’d been using to protect her from his magic dropped.
Chloe gasped and reeled backward, but his arm slid around her waist and she was pulled up against the hardness of his body. The night and the stars began to swim. She moaned as every nerve in her system crackled to sharp, erotic life.
“Or like this?” he asked, his words spoken across her lips.
She gazed up into endless green and felt as if she were staring into Oz. The man behind the curtain. The great and powerful….
“Hey Chloe, is this dude bothering you?”
The voice came from far off, and she vaguely recognized it. Matthew? Kimo?
Jason didn’t move. His arm remained locked around her waist. He stared down at her, his magic curling around her, binding her in place as effectively as steel chains.
In her peripheral vision, she saw his other arm slowly raise palm-out toward the intruder.
No, she thought. But she was helpless to speak. She could barely breathe. Energy infused her body, snaking through her veins, her muscles, and soaking into every pore like a godsend. She stood there in the Warlock King’s embrace and felt as though she’d been wasting away and barely alive – and now, for the first time in forever, she tasted mana. She imbibed in ambrosia. She bit into the golden apple that would make her a god.
Pleasure rippled through her, stealing what was left of the strength from her legs. They gave out and Jason supported her easily. His eyes burned, fierce green irises circling cores of sparking red.
Heat scorched across Chloe’s middle, pooling intimately between her legs, greedily feeding off of Jason’s magic and then egging her on, almost demanding that she have more.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jason’s hand heat up and begin to glow. The stranger who had come to check on her backed up a step. She recognized his stance now. It was Kimo. He had a short board under his arm. He’d been one of the men surfing.
“Please,” she managed. It took a world of effort and left her dizzy. The core of her womanhood began to throb. He was being ruthless.
But then she would have expected no less from him.
“Very well,” he said, his breath caressing her lips. “Since you asked so nicely.” He turned his attention onto Kimo, and Chloe was finally spared the intensity of his gaze. “Leave,” he commanded coolly. Chloe felt a pulse of his power release from the tremendous store he possessed within himself.
Kimo hesitated perhaps a single second before turning around and walking swiftly away.
Jason returned his attention to her. “Think on it long and hard, Stardust,” he whispered. Very slowly, his arm slid from her waist. He released her with great reluctance, and as he did, she felt his power leave her as well.
Like a receding tide, it unwrapped itself from her spirit, her bones, her skin. It eased away from her, leaving her feeling naked and exposed.
Freezing and utterly, terribly bereft, she felt like a woman who’d been moments away from climax only to have the pleasure ripped away and the covers torn from her body.
But she was in reality no different now than she had been before he’d allowed her a taste of his magic….
Was she?
Jason Alberich smiled a dark, promising smile. He let his hands drop to his sides and stepped back. “Until tomorrow, my queen.”
Another beat, another bated breath – and the Warlock King transported away, vanishing into the night.
Chapter Six
“Omigod, omigod, omigod,” Chloe ran a fierce hand roughly through her hair, where it promptly got tangled and yanked painfully on her scalp. She winced, ripped her hand out and spun in place. Her hair flew out around her like a silken white-blonde fan. “Oh my God!” she cried, and then fell back onto the couch.
She looked up at Miliani where her friend sat at the small bar that separated the living room from the kitchen. The fingers of one of Mili’s hands tapped rather frantically on the bar counter. Her other hand was wrapped around a koozied can of soda. Her white teeth worried her lower lip. She stared at nothing as she obviously tried to think of something to say or do. She looked almost as scared as Chloe.
“What am I going to do?” Chloe whispered, not really asking Mili, but needing to pose the question out loud.
Mili suddenly jumped from the stool at the counter. “I’ve got it! You know that labyrinth place in Up Country? That one that has a sort of vortex?”
Chloe knew what she was referring to. “Up Country” was the land you found once you started traveling inland, away from the shores. The elevation rose and the greenery became thicker. Chloe had always felt that it was far more beautiful in Up Country than it was along the beach, especially when compared to the touristy areas. It was wetter, there were more rainbows, and the breeze was composed of magic.
Just off of the Road to Hana in Up Country, there was a place called The Labyrinth of the Sacred Garden. You entered through a tiny little store that sold novelties and then continued on to find various walking labyrinths of different sizes, a plethora of fountains and plants, a statue of Buddha with padded seats before it for meditation, tables to write on or drink tea, and a wooden swing – just for fun.
The owners made a little money from the small selection of knick-knacks they sold in the gift shop and donations, but it was obvious they didn’t open the place to the public for the profits. It was also o
bvious they’d donated their own funds to its creation and upkeep. It wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
For Chloe, the energy present at the Sacred Gardens was a literal thing. For her and her dark matter spirit, it was tangible. There was a dried up ravine in front of the wooden swing. Through the overhanging branches and across the outcroppings of limestone and centuries-old hardened lava, a breeze blew. It was a wind filled with the voices of the old gods.
They whispered, the old gods. They never yelled or screamed. They neither raged nor bellowed. They only spoke softly, and it was up to you to listen.
If you could make out what they were saying, you received their blessing.
When she was feeling particularly drained or weak from the lack of warlock magic to absorb, that was where Chloe went, and like every other small thing she did to tend to her spirit - it helped.
“Yes,” she said in answer to Mili’s question. She knew of the place. “What about it?”
“Well, couldn’t you go there? I mean, if you stayed for a really long time, couldn’t you get enough magic there that you’d be able to fight Alberich off?”
Chloe blinked. She sort of wanted to laugh. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, she actually might have. “Umm, Mili, I’m honestly not sure any person on Earth can fight off Jason Alberich using magic.” To say nothing of a highly weakened Akyri whose response to the man’s power was like a cat to catnip.
Miliani stared at her a moment, unmoving. Then she blew out a puff of breath that fanned the hair in front of her face. “Yeah, I know. I was just throwing it out there.” She moved the hair out of her face. “Chloe,” she said hesitantly. “Are you sure you want to fight him off? I mean, if he’s right, and great big baddy is headed this way, and what you say is true too and no one is better at this type of magic than he is, then maybe you should just….”
“Just what?” Chloe asked. Her heart was pounding. “Give in? Surrender?” Her tone had an acidic bite to it. “Bind myself to a warlock like a slave to a master? Be trapped forever? Maybe you’re right,” she said, in all honesty sounding as if she didn’t feel Miliani was even the tiniest bit right. “Maybe I should have become an Akyri sheep long ago.” If she had, she would either be dead now or she would be well fed. Either way, she wouldn’t be suffering from weakness. Probably.