The Deception Dance (25 page)

“Then I have a chance of saving her. Andras promised me that he
would give me anything...”

The old Lord sighs and raises a finger to my cheek brushing it with
his feathery touch. “Always so willful you are, you have not
changed over all these centuries.”

I don’t know how I know it, but I say with complete surety,
“Neither have you, you are still unfailingly kind.” I
stand, lean over and kiss his forehead. I let my lips press to his
skin for longer than I usually kiss. I pull away and walk from the
room.

As I drag open the heavy wood door, I hear, “Goodnight, Elena,
I adore you.” But when I turn to the old man, his eyes are
closed and he looks asleep.

As I slide the door closed behind me the weight of his story hits me
like a ton of rocks. My legs slip from under me and I fall back onto
my butt. Do I actually believe it? Can I... can I not? Somehow, some
part of me already knew and accepted the story before it was even
told.

The part I could not have even conceived of, is that (supposedly)
Andras bought one million souls, took one million souls to hell so I
could be reincarnated. My body topples the rest of the way to the
hallway carpet, and I just… lie there.

Worst of all, something about that man made me believe everything he
said about Andras. I believe it, and I don’t
believe
in
anything. It can't be true, though. Can it?

No matter what, I need to get up; but, my body doesn’t seem to
function.

Andras is waiting for me. If he is a demon, if that's even possible,
I can make him free Chauncey’s soul. I need to get up.

Strong hands lift me off the floor. I look up to see Nicholas as he
scoops me into his arms. He walks down the hall toward the stair. We
descend without speaking. I rest my head on his chest as he carries
me across the foyer, out of the house and starts to walk toward the
guest wing. “I’m taking you to your room, you need to
rest, and you need to process...”

“No,” I object, breathlessly. “No, I need to leave.
Please, put me down.”

He halts and gazes at me. “Raven...”

I squirm until he sets me down.

“Please, Raven.” He bends so we’re eye-to-eye.
“Don’t leave me, I can protect you here.”

“Protect me?” I narrow my eyes. His face is half lit from
the outside light and half black from shadow. “Protect me from
Andras?”

“Yes, he can’t reach you here, can’t take you from
me.”

‘
Take you from me,’
that’s what Andras said
about what Nicholas was trying to do. I shake my head. “If what
your grandfather said is true, and I’m not saying that it is,”
I close my eyes, and then continue, “He told me that Andras
took a million souls to bring me back to earth.” I let that
sink in for a second. “If that’s true, I doubt that these
stone walls will keep him away.”

“They will.” Nicholas places his hands on my shoulders.
“This is hallowed ground, every inch of our land. You are free
of him here; you are safe from his influence. Here, I’ll show
you.” He presses his lips to mine.

I’m so startled I just stand there, but no blood gushes out of
my nose, no overwhelming need to throw up overtakes me. I lean away
separating our lips. I repeat, “Safe from him?” Stepping
out of his grasp I rub my shoulders. “But Chauncey wasn’t
safe, and I’m marked to. Her mark was affected, infected by
this place.”

“Your mark isn’t the
mark of the beast
, it is
Andras’s personal mark; it’s different from Chauncey’s
mark.”

I touch the back of my neck. “You saw my neck, my
mark
,”
I remember, “In the club...” Then the whole picture comes
into perfect focus, Nicholas knew who (his grandfather thinks) I am
this entire time; he knew even before I came here, knew since he saw
my neck, maybe even before that. “You were ordered to find me
and bring me here, weren’t you?”

His silence is answer enough. He reaches to me again, but I move
away.

“Hanging out with me, kissing me before, and kissing me a
moment ago, was all just following orders?”

“My kiss…” he says, stepping forward gazing at my
lips, “…was against orders.”

I narrow my eyes again and give a slight shake of my head. “I’m
getting really tired of the lies.”

“My ancestor,” he gestures toward
the house, “My grandfather, he still thinks you’re his
wife. But you’re not, not this lifetime. My kisses, my feelings
for you, they are against his orders.” He cups my cheek with
his hand. “Stay with me, Raven. I’ll protect you... I’ll
make you laugh... I’ll make you happy.”

I do not step away from his touch, it is so comforting. I am utterly
confused. But then I remember, “And Chauncey?”

He cocks his head and light spreads across to his chin. “Chauncey
drugged you. She left you, not caring if you were raped or murdered
at that club. Chauncey deserves...”

“Don’t say that.” I say, stepping back, "she
doesn’t deserve
that
.” I walk backward toward my
scooter parked by the door. “No. Her soul is going to be taken
to Hell… to
Hell
. What kind of person would I be if I
just accept that without even… trying? Especially since
there’s something I can do about it.”

“Raven,” he says, hurrying toward me. “Raven,
Please.”

I grab my helmet off the seat and climb on.

As I slide the helmet over my head I hear Nicholas plead, “Tell
Andras that you don’t love him. Tell him that you choose me,
and he will lose.” Buckling my helmet for me he reiterates,
“That’s how we will beat him...” A smile touches
his lips. “You choose me.”

“It’s not a game, Nicholas.”

The scooter hums to life and Nicholas steps back. As I drive away I
hear him call something to me but the wind muddles the words and I
don’t know what he says.

Day Twenty-Nine
(and again)

The cold, wet night air whistles over my cheeks. I push the scooter
to its speed-limit as I follow the road I had not intended to drive
tonight. I told Andras not to wait on our rock in Kullenberg but long
before I reach it, I know he is there.

Moonlight silhouettes his figure as the ocean twinkles behind him and
up to the horizon. He does not turn as I approach but when I start to
scurry up the stone outcropping, Andras’s hand reaches down to
help me. I accept his hand and he helps me to the top of the boulder.

When I stand securely on the rock, I turn to Andras.

His emerald eyes glitter from the moonlight and the reflections from
the water. His voice is deep and husky when he asks, “Why are
you upset, Raven?”

“Nicholas told me that you are a...” traitorous tremors
shake my words, "You're a demon.”

He continues to stare as if waiting for me to make my point.

“So is it true? Are you a demon? A soul stealing demon?”

“I buy or trade for souls, never
steal
them,”
there is not a glimmer of remorse in his expression or tone.

“What’s the difference? They’re souls.” My
breathing comes quick and furious. I need to remember why I’m
here, what I came to do. If there is even the slightest possibility
that this demons stuff is true, I need to try. “You promised me
that you would do anything for me.” I step toward him. “Don’t
take Chauncey’s soul.”

“I promised anything in my power, Raven. Chauncey’s soul
does not belong to me.”

“You bought it...”

“Not for myself. I am the intermediary; Chauncey sold her soul
to Satan. I have no claim or power over her soul, now.”

It’s so true to him, he believes it, that he's a demon. I let
out a whimper. “They told me that you took one million…
you bought one million souls, for me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“In all the ages of my existence, the moments I spent with you
were the only that have been anything near contentment. You are my
eternal spirit, without you I only know war.” He's so close.

“I don’t love you,” I whisper.

A darkness clouds over his perfect features. His mouth turns up in a
snarl. “Tobias Leijonskjöld told you to say that, didn’t
he?” As quickly as his anger emerged it pacifies. He wraps his
arms around my waist and touches his nose to mine.

I whisper, “Let me go.” But, my body won't move away.

“My arms are not locked around you. If you want to leave, pull
away from me.”

His warm sweet breath heats my lips. His green eyes are three, maybe
two inches away from mine. “I don’t love you,” I
beg.

“You are a terrible liar." He presses his lips to mine. I
don’t pull away; I can’t pull away. No part of me wants
to leave, not even my better sense. His kiss is deep. He pulls my
body to him, lifting me to my tip-toes. One of his hands holds my
back while the other slides over my bottom and wraps around my thigh.

I lift up one leg and wrap it around him.

His kiss moves from my lips to my ear and travels down my neck.

I stretch my head back at the same time I squeeze my leg around him.

Without stopping the kissing which makes my legs shake with
anticipation he lays me down on the rock.

I slip my arms out of his coat, which I am still wearing; it
separates my back and butt from the cold damp rock.

He pulls away from me and I run my fingers under his shirt and up the
muscles of his chest. He grabs the material and rips off his shirt
sending buttons flying and presses his bare chest against me.

I sigh under his weight.

He licks my collar-bone and follows it to one of my spaghetti straps.
Grazing my shoulder with his teeth he bites it off. Kisses travel up
my shoulder and neck until he whispers into my ear, “You are
mine, Raven.”

A shiver ripples through me.

Andras pulls back; his eyes blaze with ferocity. I feel his hand at
my side unzipping my dress. It seems as if he watches me forever
while the zipper caresses down my skin…

"Wait." I blink, surprised, because it was my voice that
said: ‘wait,’ but I had not even thought it. Suddenly,
it's hard to meet Andras's blazing gaze so I squeeze closed my
eyelids.

"Wait?" He whispers, surprise in his voice.

Wait
? What's wrong with me? I want this. But, do I? Seriously.
I should win the award for world’s biggest idiot. "I…
I just ...” I stammer.

I just, what? Idiot, idiot, idiot.

I say, "Tonight is crazy. Awful and wonderful and confusing. I
don't know what to believe, and...” I trail off, not even sure
of how to finish that. But, it’s true. It's so true; I don't
know what to believe. I mean, so far I've just gone along with all
this lunacy; but it’s just that: lunacy. Am I supposed to
believe in all this biblical craziness? What am I thinking? I
completely believe their craziness.

Maybe
.

Jeez
. I'm as insane as the rest of them. And now I'm lying
here, under Andras, a supposed ‘demon,’ about to give him
my virginity. "I really need to slow down and think," I
tell him.

I feel his lips on mine, but it's only a soft touch before his weight
rolls off me. I open my eyes as Andras settles beside me on the rock.

"We will wait," he whispers. As he stretches out beside me,
his lips turn up into a small reassuring smile.

A tidal wave of humiliation crashes over me and I cover my face with
my hands.

But Andras's hands push mine away to trace both thumbs over my cheeks
and he kisses my forehead.

I exhale but still can't meet his gaze. The moonlight dances over
Andras's bare arms and side. We lie for some time. Waves steadily
slosh, slosh, slosh around us, but otherwise, I hear only Andras's
breathing. Andras is so peaceful; I could almost believe he's asleep.

I finally manage to look at his face, Andras's eyes are closed but I
don't think he's sleeping. He really believes himself to be a demon?
It is so insane that this man, this man I'm (fated to be…?
destined to be…?) with, thinks he buys souls.

Andras opens his eyes. I scoot toward him, for the first time feeling
the bite of the misty night. His body is warm. He rolls over, slings
an arm around my waist and kisses my nose.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

"Embarrassed,” I admit with a small smile, "And
confused. But, also happy. It's almost as if being with you has
always been the plan, but I'm just now realizing it." I sigh. “I
don't know." I lick my lips, open my mouth then close it. I
breathe in and try again, “I want you to promise me something.”

He continues to stare into my eyes.

I squeeze my eyes shut. “No more souls. Promise me to not take,
buy or trade for any more souls. Please, it’s just so wrong.”

He does not respond or shift for a long minute. Unable to take the
lack of response I open my eyes and gaze at him. He has not moved or
changed his expression in the slightest. His voice is questioning, “I
do not understand ‘
wrong’
the way you do, Raven.
When I made that promise to your sister, I had not planned on you
learning about this side of my existence. I promised, so I will not
take a soul while you live.”

“And the people or, um, demons, who work for you- your, um,
minions, could you order them to stop buying souls?”

He furrows his perfect brow. “It is their function; that is
what they do.”

“Please, order them to not take any more.”

His gaze shifts to the sky and he sighs. “I do not think this
will turn out the way you hope, Raven. Taking souls is their
function,” he repeats. “Ordering this will be turning my
back on Satan.”

I inhale deeply then say, “Please.”

He returns his gaze to my pleading eyes.

I think he is going to refuse me as we continue to gaze at each other
but he closes his eyelids and gives a slight nod. “I promised.
Once they hear my order, they will not buy another soul while you are
alive.” In one move he jumps up, but looks down. “You
should dress.”