Page 18 of Midnight in the Garden of Okay and Meh
Aisling
Hi Charity! Did you have any luck talking to the FD about him popping into this Thirteenth Hour place?
Charity
I did speak to him. He just hummed to himself for a few seconds, then said he had a vague memory of the three who started Abaddon, and that he did not feel it was of importance to the dragonkin to interfere. Knowing that you guys want to help Allie and her vampire, I pointed out that it might not directly benefit dragons, but that it could help the mortal world. He said it could also harm it in ways no one could conceive, and that his children and the children of the thanes had it within their power to do what was needed. And then he went off to help his Egyptian god brother with something to do with a prisoner in the Duat.
Bee
What? Is Bael at risk of escaping? Oh man. I’m going to have to tell Constantine, and he’s twitchy with weather being nice enough that I take the baby out for walks. If he thinks Bael is about to break out of the Duat, he’ll go berserk with worry.
Sophea
How is little Winter doing?
Bee
Peachy keen now that she’s past a nasty ear infection. But you know how Constantine is—he’s convinced that anything outside our home means imminent death for her, so we seldom go anywhere other than walks in the park across the street. But don’t let me sidetrack the discussion.
Aisling
OK, that was the fourth and most pointed look from Drake yet, so I’d better hop off. I’ll be in contact once I get hold of the Broker. Later, everyone!
FIVE
Parisi
“Your prisoner?” I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation, turning my hands so that my fingers slid around Desi’s. “I can’t imagine anyone who is less a captor than you. I have heard of Abaddon; it is said to be filled with evil, a haven for dark powers and those who would wield them. You are not like them.”
A deep, slightly rusty chuckle emerged from him. “Do not mistake my succumbing to a fierce storm for weakness. I am Desislav, leader of the demon princes, and bearer of the blood moon.”
Chill swept down my spine, a chill that had nothing to do with the missing wattle in the wooden planks behind me. As Sovereign, I kept my ears open to happenings in both the mortal and immortal worlds, and I had heard some centuries before of this Abaddon, but other than rumors that three princes ruled strange beings called demons, commanding them to perform heinous acts, I had never come across someone who had actually seen it.
Let alone created it.
“What is this blood moon you speak of?” I asked, smiling to myself when his fingers curled around mine. It was strangely intimate standing with him in that manner, blanketed in darkness, but rather than instill fear in me, Desi was a puzzle that I wanted to explore.
“It is my relic, given to me at birth, the use of which allows me to control Abaddon and the beings in it.” His breath touched my face as he stepped forward, releasing my hands to put his hands on my hips.
“Then you are indeed very powerful,” I said, giving in to the urging of his hands, and swaying against him, my lips brushing his as I spoke.
“You lead the opposite version of Abaddon,” he murmured against my mouth, his lips caressing mine in a manner that stirred my hidden parts. “You must have power of your own. Do you have a relic, too?”
“Sovereigns are made, not born,” I told him, sliding my hands up his chest, the rough wool of his outer garments making my fingers feel itchy. I nipped at his bottom lip, giving a little laugh when his fingers tightened on my hips as he jerked backward. “Regardless, yes, I have the strength of my sword arm to keep the Court safe from the mortals, and the powers bestowed upon me to do likewise with those in the Otherworld who would challenge me.”
“Including me?” he asked, pressing light kisses along my lips.
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I’d have no problem dealing with him, his relic notwithstanding, but in the back of my mind, a little voice warned that if he could lure me into his arms with just a few words, then I might well be in over my head. “That remains to be seen. Do you wish to bed me?”
He gave another short bark of laughter, and I shushed him, peering through the darkness to where the others lay on their pallets. “You say what you think. I like that. Of course I wish to bed you. From what I have seen, you are lovely. Your hair is as black as squid ink, and flows like the costliest silk. Your skin is warm and enticing, and your body is filled with delightful curves. I am a man. My rod rises for many women.”
I stopped kissing the corner of his mouth. “Is that so?”
“It is. But I am very particular in my bedsport partners. I will happily take you.”
I slipped backward, eluding his grasp. “Tempting as that offer is, I believe I will pass.”
“But ...” He moved forward to take my hands again. I allowed him to do so, my sword lying just behind me tucked between my pallet and the wall. “You want me. I can see it in your eyes.”
