Daemons in the Mist (The Marked Ones Trilogy: Book One) (16 page)

“
Fabulous
,” Nualla said sounding less than thrilled. She turned to me with a half-smile. “Want to grab some food?”

This time we had the elevator to ourselves, so I leaned against the elevator wall and asked, “Hey, Nualla?”

“Yeah,” she answered without looking over at me; she was playing with her necklace again, looking a little flustered.

“What does
arius
mean?”

“What?” she said as she turned to look in my direction.

“The man at the elevator earlier, he called you ‘Arius Nualla.’ So what does it mean?”

“
Oh
! Um…basically like princess.”

“Figures.” I looked over at her with a self-deprecating smile. “As if you needed
another
reason to be completely out of my league.”

“Patrick, seriously—lighten up on yourself. I don’t know where you got the idea you weren’t cute but—” She looked into my eyes and stopped talking.

“But what?”

She looked away shyly before saying the rest. “I’m not the only one with distracting eyes.”

“You think I have distracting eyes?” I asked in disbelief.

She moved a little closer and looked up at me through her lashes. “I think
all
of you is distracting, actually.”

My heart was racing so fast it all but jumped out of my chest. Being with Nualla was like walking through a minefield of sexual tension; one of these days I just wasn’t going to make it through.

I swallowed hard and the elevator door dinged and opened. We entered a crowded upscale cafeteria and headed for the food line. Why were there so many people here on a Sunday? I mean seriously, you would think they would be off doing something like going to a movie, or the park, or hell, even a mall. But no, they were milling around The Embassy like it was a normal weekday or something. Then something occurred to me: maybe for them this
was
a normal Sunday activity.

As we moved through the line I really didn’t pay too much attention to what I was grabbing; I was way too distracted to really care. So when she made it to the end of the line I just followed her to one of the empty tables.

After we had taken a few bites of lunch, Nualla looked up at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my dad on Friday. I guess I thought telling you everything at once might—”

“Fry my brain a little?”

“Yeah,” Nualla admitted, slightly chagrined.

“It’s okay, I understand why you did it.”

“
Really
?” she asked skeptically, and I nodded. Nualla ran her teeth over her bottom lip and seemed to decide something. “Well, in the interest of not giving you an anxiety attack again, I’m giving you permission to ask me anything.”

“You know that doesn’t really help if I don’t know what I should be asking,” I said wryly. Nualla looked at me innocently, and I sighed. “Fine, what happens if a human figures out what you are? Aren’t you afraid someone will expose you?”

“We’re like muses, remember? We can influence people to believe what they saw wasn’t real, that it was all in their head. Or that they’re crazy,” she replied with a slight smile.

“Oh.” I guess that ability would solve a lot of problems for them.

“Also, we have people in every profession, political offices, everything.”

“What if your charms of persuasion don’t work on someone?”

“Um…they usually end up dead,” Nualla said casually.

“Wait,
what
?” I said, dropping my fork.

“They don’t tend to live very long after it is determined that they can’t be reasoned with.”

“Oh…” I took an uneasy breath “What about me?”

“You’re safe for now. My dad vouched for your character,” Nualla answered as if it really wasn’t that big of a deal.

“
Really
?” I asked probably looking more than a little shocked.

“Yeah, he doesn’t do that often, so don’t start running amuck and expose us, okay?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said smiling. “I already have everything I could ever want. Why would I ruin it?”

She looked up at me with big eyes. “
Really
?”

“Why do you find it so hard to believe that you’re a catch?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Nualla countered, poking me playfully.

“Touché,” I replied with a crooked smile. I took a few more bites of my lunch as I looked around. “So why are people dressed so weird here?”

“
Oh
. Um…to enter certain parts of The Embassy you have to be in ceremonial dress.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, for example, the place we’re going,” Nualla stated, not meeting my eyes.

“Wait,
what
?” I asked, my fork hallway to my mouth.

“The Grand Council Chamber is one of the places where you have to wear ceremonial dress.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry; your outfit is upstairs. I’m sure you’ll look awesome in it,” Nualla said with a teasing smile.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked warily.

“For a fish out of water, you’re awfully cute,” she answered, grinning at me broadly. I leaned in to kiss her and she put up her hand. “Not here.”

“Why, are you embarrassed to be seen kissing a human?” I asked, hurt creeping into my voice.

“
What
? No, of course not!” she said indignantly before she leaned closer and said in a much quieter voice, “It’s just that everytime you kiss me I find myself in
really
compromising positions.”

I thought back to Friday when she had all but ripped off my clothes at the club. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

A deep blush spread across her extremely pale cheeks, and she looked up at me through her lashes. “You really don’t know the power you have over me, do you?”

“
Me
?
You’re
the one who’s driving my hormones insane!” I blurted out and then I wanted to kick myself for saying it.

“Oh, you mean when I do things like this?” Nualla let her illusion slip to reveal her true eyes.

I lost all intelligent thought and dropped my fork. It clattered loudly on the table. I could feel heat surging through my body, telling it to do things I knew would be a
very
bad idea.

“Patrick?” Nualla said, waving her hand in front of my face.

I shook my head clear and looked back in her direction. Her eyes had gone back to their human disguise. I glared at her. “Okay, that was
so
not fair.”

She put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. “I’m sorry, I won’t do that again.”

“Oh you can do it again, but just make sure you do it in a place where I can rip off your clothes.” Nualla stopped laughing and her face turned as bright red as mine. “Um, that didn’t come out right,” I mumbled to the table.

“No, I’m pretty sure you meant that, you just didn’t mean to say it out loud,” she said with a snort before she leaned closer and whispered in my ear. “I know, because that’s exactly what
I
was thinking.”

I swallowed hard and put my forehead on the cold table. I was losing control of my barely contained urges. I took a deep breath but kept my eyes fixed on the table. “Nualla, if you don’t want this lunch to end in scandal could you
please
not say things like that?”

“I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be good.”

I finally looked up slowly. A few people were staring, but not nearly as much as they would have been if I had given in to the urges that were currently firing through my body. “Thanks,” I said in a strained voice.

Nualla looked at her phone then stood. “You done eating? ‘Cause we have to go strip down now.”

I clenched the table making the dishes clank loudly. If I didn’t know better, I might think she was doing this just to see how much I could take. I took another deep breath as I looked up at her. “I was
not
kidding, you know.”

“Sorry,” Nualla said, covering her smile with her hands.

“You’re not sorry in the least.”

“I am—just a little.”

22

Is This More than You Bargained for Yet?

Sunday, January 22nd

PATRICK

N
ormally, I would feel uncomfortable sticking out in a strange place. So I decided to pretend I was cosplaying at a convention and that helped ease my anxiety. But only by a little. As it was, the outfit was pretty damn cool and could only be best described as a men’s formal kimono. The kimono top and
hakama
pants were dark blue and long; the sleeveless haori over vest was white on the outside and light blue on the inside.

“So how does it feel?” Nualla asked, looking at me as we walked down the window lined hall on our way to the Grand Council.

“If by that you mean, ‘How does it feel walking down the hall in something that looks like it belongs in an anime,’ then yeah, I feel fine.”

“
Really
? I would have thought—”

“I go to a lot of conventions; this isn’t the weirdest thing I have ever been caught wearing in public.” I stopped walking and looked at her. Nualla looked far more uncomfortable than I did. “You’ve never been to a convention have you?”

“No.”

“You’re really missing out—they’re awesome. I’ll have to take you to Fanime in a few months.”

“Okay,” Nualla replied in a cautious voice.

Her outfit looked a little less Japanese than mine but not by much. It had a long deep blue floor-length kimono the color of lapis lazuli. A wide sash in periwinkle blue hung down the front from her waist and was held in place by a silver obi corset-like thing. The top half of her hair was pulled back into a loop and the rest was falling freely down her back like it normally did. Most noticeably though, was the crown; a delicate and beautiful silver lotus sitting atop her head with a pair of bars curving outward from her head on either side like silvery stag horns. And hanging from the ends of each of the bars were strands of blue and silver sparkling beads that danced like a shimmery waterfall with each step she took. Now more than ever, she looked like a princess.

I leaned a little closer to Nualla and asked quietly, “So
why
exactly do we have to go before this Council again?”

“Choosing a human isn’t forbidden, just frowned upon. It casts suspicion onto the daemon in question because we don’t need human mates; only Kakodaemons do. Because of
who
my dad is, that suspicion has been removed, but I still had to register you.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like a stray pet?”

Nualla ignored my remark and continued. “It should be an easy process; just answer their questions truthfully.”

“I have no problem answering things truthfully; that’s usually what gets me into trouble in the
first
place,” I admitted with a sigh. With all that had happened in the last two weeks, I wondered if my life would ever return to normal. Something told me it wouldn’t.

I looked up and saw a massive set of doors; ornately carved like something you would see on a temple in a fantasy movie. Inscriptions ran across the door frame in something that I couldn’t read; I really hoped they didn’t say something like, “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.” It was flanked by guards of some kind, dressed similarly to the way Natasha had been. Which meant they were probably also part of the same force—the Kalo something.

Nualla leaned in closer to me and whispered, “Bet you’re wondering just what exactly you have gotten yourself into, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, a bit,” I admitted still looking at the imposing doors.

“Thinking about running?” she asked with a teasing smile.

“Not in the slightest,” I answered quietly.

That was only
mostly
the truth.

The guards pushed open the massive doors, and we stepped past them. Huge ornate columns held up a domed ceiling like something you would find in the Pantheon in France. What on earth was something like
this
doing in some obscure building in the middle San Francisco?

I let my eyes trace the room until they fell on the large council table in front of us. I swallowed hard; there were nine people seated there staring down at us. At the very center sat Nualla’s father, Alex, though he no longer looked like he had in the car. And I supposed he really wasn’t
Alex
at the moment, but the
chancellarius
. He was dressed even more lavishly than the other councilors in a slate-gray silk kimono top with a second deep blue haori top over it and a silver lotus crown resting on his head, though it was without the stag like curving bars that Nualla’s had.

The
chancellarius
stood and turned to one of the other councilors seated next to him. “Due to the nature of these proceedings, I recuse myself as Speaker of the Council. Councilor Tammore will relieve me until these proceedings are complete.”

A councilor, apparently named Councilor Tammore, stood and bowed to the
chancellarius
. “I accept,” he said to the
chancellarius
before he sat down and turned his focus to us. “Be warned; if you lie before this Council, punishment will be swift and uncompromising.”

Good to know.

Councilor Tammore turned his attention to Nualla. “Arius Nualla, did you choose Mr. Galathea as your mate of your own free will?”

“Yes, councilors,” Nualla answered in a clear voice.

“Mr. Galathea, did you choose Arius Nualla as your mate of your own free will?”

I didn’t have any clue who they were referring to until Nualla nudged me. “They’re speaking to
you
, Patrick,” she whispered under her breath.

“Oh! Um…yes…councilors.” I hoped that was the proper way to address them, since it was what Nualla had said.

Councilor Tammore looked down at a tablet in front of him and read off another question. “Mr. Galathea, were you informed of the existence of our world before you agreed to marry Arius Nualla?”

“No, she didn’t tell me till after, councilors.”

“Good,” he said and read off another question. “Mr. Galathea, do you understand that by marrying Arius Nualla, you have agreed to become a daemon and part of our secret world?”

“Yes I do, councilors.”

He nodded and continued. “Mr. Galathea, do you understand that you must become a daemon within a year’s time?”

“Um… No, actually no one mentioned that there was a time frame, but I really don’t have a problem with it either, councilors.”

Councilor Tammore raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He looked back down at the tablet in front of him and continued. “Mr. Galathea, do you understand that although you have married into the Galathea family you have no claim to rule, nor will you ever be allowed to hold office?”

“Yes councilors.” That had never even crossed my mind. Honestly, I would have had to be crazy to ever want to be in charge of anyone. I did enough damage just managing my
own
life.

“Since Chancellarius Galathea has already vouched to the quality of your character, the Grand Council has no further questions at this time.” He now turned his attention to Nualla again. “Well, Arius Nualla, since you both are legal adults, I see no reason not to approve this marriage. Mr. Galathea must come before this Council within one year’s time—as a daemon. Is that understood?”

“Yes councilors,” Nualla replied with a bow of her head.

“Do either of you have any questions for the Council?” Councilor Tammore asked, looking at us.

“Um…yeah, why do you keep referring to me as Mr. Galathea?” I asked, honestly confused.

They all just gaped at me, and someone even coughed. Was I missing something?

“No questions. Have a nice day councilors. Come on Patrick, we really must be going,” Nualla said quickly as she all but pushed me out of the Grand Council chambers.

After the doors closed behind us, I looked at her. “What?”

She looked at me, covering her smile with her hand. “Patrick, in my world gender plays no role in whose name you take when you get married. You take the name of the person whose rank is higher.”

“Wait, then why is Nikki’s last name Varris? Her dad couldn’t possibly have had higher rank than Skye.”

“Because only the heirs have the right to the name Galathea. When Alex became the
chancellarius
Skye relinquished the name Galathea once she got married. So basically the only way Nikki would ever become a Galathea is if every member of my family died.”

“Oh,” I said quietly. “So what happens if your sister becomes the next
chancellarius
?”

“You and I become Connolly’s.”

“That’s really confusing,” I pointed out as I ran my hand through my hair. “So now I’m a Galathea?”

“At least in my world you are,” Nualla answered as she leaned against one of the windows lining the hall.

“But I can’t hold office because I’m not an heir?”

“Actually that,
and
because you’re human.”

“So how high up on the scandalous scale is marrying a human if you’re an heir?” I asked playfully as I leaned against the window next to her.

Nualla smiled a mischievous smile at me. “Pretty high up there.”

As we walked back down the window-lined hall, I started playing the hearing back in my head and got a sick feeling in my stomach. There was something that hadn’t even occurred to me till now. I wasn’t a legal adult yet, and I had the distinct feeling that was going to fuck things up somehow.

“Patrick what’s wrong?” Nualla asked, looking at me with concerned eyes.

“Huh? Oh um, nothing. Just a lot to take in,” I lied.

“Yeah, I don’t envy you in the least,” she stated with a grimace.

I turned away from her and looked out the windows that lined the walls. The sun was disappearing behind the tall buildings and the night was coming alive with light like a million fireflies set free. But the clouds and fog moving swiftly toward us were threatening to cloak it all in a veil of gray.

“Hey, do we have to wait until your dad is finished here, or can we leave soon?” I asked as I looked back at her.

“Why, what’s up.”

“‘Cause it’s after five on a Sunday, and I still haven’t done the homework that’s due tomorrow.” It wasn’t a lie since I really
did
have a pile of neglected homework collecting dust on my desk at home.

“Oh, yeah let’s go, I have a ton sitting at home too,” Nualla said, frowning. “But seriously, what kind of person gives out homework on a weekend?”

“People who don’t have anything better to do?” I offered with a shrug.

“Or people who think
we
don’t.”