The Holly and the Ivy - 3. Flare of Power

The Holly and the Ivy

Chapter Three

I read the letter again, and then again, carefully folding it each time before putting it back in its envelope, only to pull it out and read it once more. This is crazy! Did they really expect me to believe this? I was to be the future mate…husband…consort…equal to a king of an alien race living among us for centuries? Impossible. I must have hit my head harder than I thought. It was my grandmother's handwriting. A bad joke? A hoax? Hallucination? She had always made me talk to Diarmad after Christmas Mass.

And here he was, in bed beside me with his eyes closed. I could feel the warmth radiating off his body next to mine. It was obvious he was suffering from... an illness of sorts. Could it be him missing his mate? Withering away… Because he had been waiting for me? I had felt some kind of connection with him, so maybe…. Definitely not!

Too many thoughts - pros and cons - were racing through my head. I felt torn. They wouldn’t make a joke, would they? Nana died four months ago. Would they be this cruel? I watched him. He was leaning calmly against the headboard. Nothing suggested he was laughing at me. This is unreal.

***

I had been waiting in the street in front of my friend Laurel’s house, with only a small, pink towel slung around my hips. I could still hear the music blaring in the background from the party. Some of my so-called friends had found it funny to throw me in the pool fully clothed and I had called Nana to come by and pick me up. I’d had enough and wanted to go home. I could have asked one of my brothers, but hadn’t been in the mood for their ripping.

I should have called them anyway. It’s all my fault.

Nana standing beside her car winking at me was the last happy image I had of her. Seconds later, a drunken driver swerved to our side of the road and crashed into her car head-on. If she hadn’t pushed me out of the way, I would have died that night with her.

The huge SUV… simply crushed her between the two cars right before my eyes. The picture will be etched into my mind forever - she just vanished behind that big car out of my life - or the eyes of the driver which burnt holes into me, before he scrambled out of the wreck and disappeared into the night.

***

Realization struck me. I turned to Diarmad in shock. “The car crash my grandmother died in wasn’t an accident, was it?”

If he was wondering where my thoughts had gone, he didn't show it. Instead he took the envelope out of my hand – which I was about to shred into pieces - and laced our fingers together. “No it was not. Our sources told us to expect an assassination attempt, so everyone was on maximum alert. We had people with you all the time, plus either your grandmother or…Landyn.”

“Landyn?” Why Landyn?

“Landyn is my head of security. His job is to supervise the men, but this was too serious a threat, so he insisted on protecting you personally.”

Landyn, the funny guy I met at Paolo's, who'd helped me out those first days, prevented me from burning the pizza to coal, showed me everything, didn't do this because he liked me, wanted to be my friend... Because I was his charge?

It might be stupid but at that moment, I felt utterly betrayed. I had practically latched onto Landyn after my grandmother’s death and he was just doing his job. How many more lies would I find?

Diarmad didn't seem to notice the turmoil I was in. "This is one of the reasons why Simon has a grudge against you.”

Simon. At least somebody was being honest. “I’d already asked myself what his problem is with me. There is more to this, though?”

“Yes.” He rubbed his neck.

“Hmm…" And then everything fell into place. "Simon is Landyn’s mate.”

“Yes, and he was very relieved when Landyn finally became head of security and no longer had to place himself in direct danger all the time.”

I suddenly understood. "Landyn was my bodyguard. It could just as well have been him dying instead of Nana." I still didn't get their priorities. "Why didn't he protect you? Why me?”

Diarmad smiled wearily, then waved his hand up and down his body. “Given the state I’m in, I can’t do much anyway, so I remained in hiding with some of Landyn’s best men by my side. Protecting you was much more complex, and time-consuming. You were out in the open. We couldn’t take you out of school, nor could we restrict your movement without telling you the reason for it. You had to go to practice and music lessons, visit your friends…”

“You should have told me! Lives were at stake!” How could he be so reckless, my voice grew even louder. “Why risk your men, my grandmother? All because of some fucking date?” I never understood why something written on paper could overrule common sense.

His lips thinned and his voice got serious. “It was not the time yet. I am not above our laws, Noël. I cannot ignore them just because I am the king and you are my…intended mate. I had to wait for your eighteenth birthday like any other Seraei. In special circumstances, we can approach our intended mates earlier, but not by much. My enemies were only waiting for me to do something to break the law. Sometimes I had the feeling they tried to provoke just that by endangering you. Then they could say I am not a worthy king because I think myself above our law. I was still prepared to do it, face the consequences to protect you, but your grandmother explicitly forbade me to tell you before it was the right time. As your guardian, she had the right. She knew it was getting more and more dangerous for you; she knew the risk for herself, as did my men. Eleanora was an extraordinary woman… and a very good friend of mine. I miss her dearly, Noël, very much so, but I had to respect her wishes. She was a proud member of the Order and obeyed their codex."

I still couldn’t fully understand why they hadn't just told me. They have a codex?

“This Order… what is it, what exactly is their purpose?”

He seemed relieved I changed the topic and answered my question without hesitation. “The members of the Order are humans who have a special aptitude; they sense when joined souls are about to be born and to whom. They can also help locating mates of the Ancients and often act as their protectors until they come of age. Every one of them is a trained fighter, ready to protect his or her charge with their own life.”

Nana was a trained fighter? “How can they do this?”

He shrugged. “We don’t know. This has never happened on any other planet the Seraei lived on. Maybe some of my people were here before without our knowledge, mixed with humans, but most of the genes got lost. These are only vague theories though. To be honest, we don’t know.”

“How many of you live here, on Earth?”

He glanced warily at me. Did he not trust me enough to answer my question? But then he said, “There are about two thousand without our mates.”

“That’s not as many as I expected. And you’re their…” I almost couldn’t say it, “King?”

“Yes.”

“And I am your… intended… your mate?” Saying it loud for the first time made me realize once more the enormity of the whole situation. Was I starting to accept it? No! No, I don't. I just want to know... hear it again.

“Eleanora gave me the letter to read, so I know she told you a Seraei mating doesn’t happen without love,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“But without me you’ll die.” How could he act so cool about his possible death?

“Not necessarily, no. I can always find another mate…”

Ahhh no. “Don’t lie to me! You’ve had to wait too long already. Look at yourself. I figure you’ve been getting weaker for quite a while now, right? There wouldn’t be enough time left for you to wait until I die and the two souls in me can join with another suitable third, if there even is any other, that is.” I looked directly into his eyes, daring him to say otherwise.

He didn’t. Sighing, he admitted, “You’re right. But the joining ritual can only be consummated if we connect, if we love each other. Therefore, if it doesn’t work out between us, you’re not responsible for the consequences. Love can’t be forced after all.”

It was then that my stomach decided it was time to ease the situation and remind me I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch the day before. It growled so loudly I thought they would hear it in the hallway.

Diarmad smiled. “Dinner should be ready any minute now. And because it’s Thanksgiving, which means turkey with all the bells and whistles, we should be able to satisfy even that roaring beast obviously living inside of you.”

As fast as it had appeared, his smile vanished. He asked me quietly, “Could you please call Ronan for me to help me up and into the dining room?”

I could see how much it was bothering him to be dependent on others for the simplest things like getting up from the bed. Without thinking, I blurted out, “I can do that. There is no need to call Ronan, I’ll help you.”

“No Noël, I’d have to lean on you…I cannot walk alone, I am too…weak.”

He hated admitting weakness, spitting out the word angrily because he couldn't hide it. I could feel his pain almost physically. “And…?”

“You are injured. You probably have a concussion and I am not exactly a lightweight, even now.”

Despite his protests, I had the feeling he would prefer me helping him more than Ronan, so I shrugged. “That won’t be a problem. I told you I heal unusually quickly. I’m already feeling as good as new. Come on, let’s try this.”

I got up and walked around the bed. After a slight hesitation he scooted carefully forward, slowly swinging his legs around, so that he could sit on the edge of the bed, feet planted on the floor. I leaned down, he got his arms around my neck, and together we managed to get him into a standing position. With his right arm still around my shoulders and my left arm around his hips, we slowly made our way to the door.

Ronan had obviously been close the whole time, because as soon as we left the room, he stood in front of us, ready to take over from me. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want him touching Diarmad and somehow I must have communicated this clearly, because an awkward moment later he simply bowed and went away.

Pleased with myself, I stood and watched him retreating, before I remembered we had been on our way to the dining room.

Landyn looked up from dicing fruits when we walked by the kitchen and his face lit up. “Dinner will be ready in about half an hour, Sire. Noël.”

Simon was stirring in a pan. He scowled as soon as he noticed my arm around Diarmad’s waist. Diarmad of course didn’t overlook this. “Is there a problem Simon?”

He at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “No problem, Sire.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive, Sire.”

"Good."

We walked over to the two large dark blue couches facing each other in the living room. I carefully lowered Diarmad down on the one opposite the fireplace. “Can I bring you something?”

“Yes, a glass of orange juice would be nice.” He smiled thankfully at me.

In the kitchen, I opened cupboard after cupboard in search of a glass, when Landyn said something strange. “So Luis has already awoken?”

I stopped with a glass in my hand, trying to remember where I had heard the name before, but couldn’t place it. “Huh? Who’s Luis?”

It became clear he’d made a mistake when Landyn began to stammer, “Um… Luis was the King's first mate. He was the Servant.”

“The Servant?” I remembered I had read about the Servant in Nana's letter.

“Shit! Nobody explained… I mean… I… Shit! I’m sorry, I… Shit.” Landyn raked his fingers through his hair until the blue-black strands came off the leather band holding his short ponytail.

I knew it wasn’t right, but I couldn't let it go, it was just too good an opportunity. “That's a lot of shit. What exactly should they have explained to me?”

“Me and my big mouth… Okay… you’re probably not going to ignore what I just said, no?” His steel blue eyes were pleading with me, a look I was sure I would not see very often with him.

Too good an opportunity... I grinned. “No.” Leaning against the kitchen counter, I crossed my arms against my chest and waited.

“I thought not.” His hand pulled repeatedly at his ponytail. “Sire’s final mate has to bear three souls… the Servant's, the Brother's, and his own. You’ll have to ask the King for more; it’s not my place to tell you any of this. Shit!”

I knew this already and it wasn't what had annoyed me. “So, what you’re saying is, when I want to help and support others, getting them something to drink, opening doors and such, it’s not really me but… Luis? It’s the Servant’s soul in me… us… that makes me do it?”

“And the supporting and being loyal would be the soul of the Brother…Tristan’s part… his second mate, yes.”

“I always helped and supported people with their stuff, even before...” I waved my hand in the direction of the living room. But then it hit me. There never had been a 'before'. Since I was born, Luis and Tristan had been a part of me. If I believe in this shit, that is.

“Do you mean he…they… it was always them, who made me do this - stuff… never me?” I found this very disturbing. “So where is the line? Who’s me and who’s them?”

“I don’t know Noël…I…as far as I understand it; it doesn’t work this way. If you weren’t helpful and supportive before… you couldn’t become it… even with their help. So of course, it’s you. But this is far more complicated. You have to talk to the King about it. I shouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place.”

Still mulling over what I had just heard, I didn’t notice the dark haired woman sitting beside Diarmad on the couch, when I got back. He took the glass out of my hand and said, “Noël, this is Moira. She is my doctor and the one who looked you over after the… incident with Ronan.”

I recognized her as the woman who hadn’t been able to hold onto Diarmad when he slipped. Rising from the sofa, she examined me with cold blue eyes, before she held out her hand. “Hello Noël. I’m so glad to finally have a chance to speak with you. I want to thank you. Diarmad has already improved so much in only a few hours. It’s truly amazing. You must be much stronger than you look.” She laughed at her own joke. She was the only one. Nice. Not.

When I took her hand, something hot and burning ran through me. I found the same heat reflected in her eyes, like tiny flames, before she blinked and it was gone.

I flinched when I heard Diarmad’s hard voice. “Moira.”

“What? You’re already feeling better Diarmad, you yourself told me so.” And to me, “His soul is already acknowledging you.”

“Moira, enough! I told you I don’t want to pressure him.” He tried to stand up, but he couldn’t find the strength, and for a short moment, I thought Moira was sneering at him, but the expression faded before I could be sure.

She shrugged. “He’s here for what – twenty hours – and you’re feeling better already. You can’t keep pussyfooting around him, his feelings are irrelevant. I recommend you spend as much time as possible with him. You must be together all the time from now on, even by night, if you want to live.”

Everyone I’d met so far had treated Diarmad with utmost respect. Not her, though. I thought I could feel his body vibrating in anger, when she was looming over him, rudely invading his personal space. So without a second thought, I bent down, grabbed his arm, and hoisted him up. His voice was cold and commanding when he looked down at her. “I will not discuss these things at the moment, Moira. It would be best if you leave us now. I will call you.”

“No Diarmad, this is important. You…”

Landyn must have heard the arguing, because he suddenly stood behind Moira, grabbed her arm, and shoved her in the direction of the stairs. “I’ll show her the door, Sire. Should Simon find you another doctor?”

She ripped her arm from his hold and got right back into Diarmad's face. “You can’t do this! It was part of the agreement that we─”

A strong urge to protect him came over me and I stepped in front of Diarmad. “You better get out now. I see Ronan is getting very nervous over there. He won't tolerate your disrespectful behavior any longer, nor will Landyn or I.”

But she only sneered. “Oh look, the little mate-to-be thinks he can threaten a McGill. You don’t know what you’re up against, little one.”

I don’t recall what happened next other than I raised my hand and without even touching her, she flew back directly into Landyn, who quickly restricted her arms behind her back.

Stunned I looked at my hand. “Could somebody please tell me what just happened?”

“Tristan woke.” Ronan grinned broadly. “He was always very protective of the King. Right, Lan?”

Landyn escorted Moira out and downs the stairs, swearing all the way that I would regret what I had done.

When he came back, a petite redhead was bouncing along behind him. “Hey Ronan, look who I found all alone outside in the cold.” He winked at me and I watched in awe, as the large, lethal bodyguard became a big fluffy wuss of a bear the minute he laid eyes on his girl. If I hadn’t seen it happening, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Enveloping her in his long arms, with only her fiery red hair being visible, he sighed contently. “Hey baby. Glad you could make it.”

Dinner was a bit awkward at first, but thanks to Becca’s cheerful nature, the playful banter eventually returned. They all teased Ronan, seeing he was trying to read every wish from his mate's eyes.

When I finally leaned back in my chair, savoring the last bit of chocolaty dessert, Diarmad smiled at me. “So the ravenous beast inside of you is finally satisfied.

I patted my stomach. "For the moment, yes."

Later, when we'd returned to the living room, Landyn came in and announced, “I brought your bag to the master bedroom, Noël.”

I only nodded, but Diarmad objected immediately, “No Noël, you really don’t need to do this. Moira–”

I shook my head. I really didn't mind. “No, no, it’s okay. Everyone can see you’re doing better already. If it is because of me being near you, it’s the least I can do."

Had I thought about it some more, I might have wondered why I didn't have a problem sleeping in the same bed as Diarmad, a man I barely knew. But I had something else on my mind. Something that forced me to consider at least a part of what I had read in the letter could be true. I looked around the table. "And now could you please explain to me what I did to Moira?”

Thank you, Lisa, Zombie and Val. Discussion thread.