Haven (19 page)

LILIANA WAS RIVETED BY THE image of her sister. Kita looked so
carefree, so beautiful, all the while not knowing she would disappear and leave
her family in turmoil. But then Kita never worried about anyone or anything but
herself. Life was always a party for her. Liliana shook her head, banishing the
nasty thought, guilt making her contrite.

She watched as Kita flirted with Fallon and strode into the
club. The image faded out and shimmered back to life, this time with her sister
in the middle of the dance floor. Liliana reeled in shock. There were people
wearing dog collars, in varying color leather outfits, and that was if they
bothered to wear clothes. Manacles hung from the ceiling of the dance floor,
and devices she had no names for lined the walls.

“What is this?”

“There is a night at Haven to cater to all. Some beings feed off
the energy of sadism.” Xavier moved through the Oras keeping track of her
sister as she writhed along with the bodies on the dance floor.

She watched, stunned as people were whipped, and some chained
down for others to feed on them. Kita showed no shock at the events happening
around her. If anything, the smile on her face indicated she was enjoying it.

Leo cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable with her reaction.
“It’s not for dabblers. Anyone who shows up on Tuesdays is heavily into BDSM.”

“Did you know?” Fallon spared her a small glance.

She shook her head. “Kita never let me hang out with her. I
never knew.” She turned to Leo, her face displaying her shock. Up until now,
she’d never realized how sheltered she’d been. Yeah, she’d spent time by
herself on Adro, but she’d never imagined a world like this existed.

Her gaze flickered back to the Oras. “Who are all the people
with the matching tattoos?”

Leo frowned. “For lack of a better term, vampires.”

She sucked in a breath. “Vampires?” Her voice was barely a
whisper.

“Haven is just that, a haven for all supernatural creatures. So
long as the rules are followed and the Ajo keep to the treaty, they’re allowed
to be here.” Xavier explained.

She put her hands to her cheeks, their heat warming her ice cold
hands. Gods, what had Kita been into? Embarrassment took over shock as she
watched her sister grab a vampire by his collar and lead him up a private
stairwell towards the back of the club. They were likely heading to one of the
observation rooms. Liliana’s heart thumped in her chest at break neck speed.
She was surprised they couldn’t hear it. Kita had been betrothed to the prince
her whole life. Did he know she cheated on him? The room was silent as they
were all engrossed in the hologram. Kita and the Ajo reached the door to the
room and the Oras dimmed before completely going out.

Xavier’s loud curse made her to flinch.

“Has to be some powerful magic to disrupt the Oras.” Fallon’s
grim statement mimicked Leo’s earlier words to her.

“We have someone working to reverse the spells on the others,
but I didn’t even know these existed. I should’ve suspected something was wrong
when I couldn’t find her.” Xavier squinted his eyes as he tried once again to
get past the point where the Oras went out.

She nodded absently, numb from the behavior she’d witnessed. Not
only had her sister been into scary dominance games, but she’d also cheated on
Kedric. Had she and the prince both participated in the BDSM scene? What she
knew of Kedric, sure he would be into that kind of stuff, but her sister? What
had the prince gotten her into?

“I need to go lay down.” She whispered.

Leo pulled her into his arms. “I don’t like your color, babe.
I’m going to send a healer to meet you at our apartment.”

She ran a hand through her hair, releasing the magic holding her
in her human skin. “That won’t be necessary.”

He guided her from his brother’s office. “I insist.”

Arguing with him seemed too much work, so she dutifully trailed
him to their room. Footage from the Oras played in her mind as she tried to
reconcile the images with the memories of her sister.

“There is nothing wrong with BDSM,
ina.
” It was like he
read her mind sometimes.

“That’s not…I’m not upset about that.” She bit her lip. “She was
my big sister, it’s hard to realize I knew next to nothing about her.”

He nodded. “That makes sense.”

“Of course it does.” She snapped.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry. I thought you were being condescending.” She pursed her
lips in chagrin.

“Thank the gods.” He muttered at the sight of the Kira healer
standing at their door. “I will leave you in the capable hands of the healer,
and I will go find out what else X is doing about the corrupted Oras.”

He scrambled down the hallway, making his escape. Liliana sighed
in impatience. His habit of running away for work was becoming annoying.

“Please, come in.” She motioned to the Kira.

“Thank you Lady Tegan. My name is Rosalia.” The female Kira was
beautiful in a simple strapless shift dress. Her brown skin gleamed, the dark
rings on her shoulders displayed in her dress. Her hair was pulled into a high
ponytail, the branches in her hair trialing her back as with all the Kira.
Their forested realm held the most peaceful magic, making Edin highly sought
out by weary Demi. Their race was healers of both the mind and body and the
Amanda employed only the best.

Once inside, Rosalia declined refreshments and had Liliana sit
down at their kitchen table.

“Relax,” she told her. “From what I’ve heard, your body has been
through a lot of punishment recently.”

“Don’t I know it.” Liliana closed her eyes and fought to relax
as the Kira’s hands roamed her body.

Rosalia started at her head, humming softly as she massaged
Liliana’s temples. She moved to the pressure points of her neck, her touch soft
and hypnotizing. Liliana was in a deep trance by the time the Kira reached her
stomach. The humming stopped being musical, and turned introspective.

“What is it?” She asked, popping her eyes opened.

Rosalia smiled and pushed Liliana’s lids back closed. “Relax.”

She cracked one eye opened. “Just tell me.”

The Kira chuckled. “It's not good for the babe for the mother to
be all over the place. You need to relax.”

Liliana sucked in a sharp breath. “Babe?”

The Kira nodded. “You didn't notice the change in your body?”

“So much has happened that I didn’t…are you sure?”

Rosalia’s smile was soothing. “I'm very sure, maybe two weeks
old at the most. He is already a strong soul, you should be able to start your
bonding exercises soon.”

"Bonding exercises?" Liliana touched her stomach in
shock.

"Yes, meditations with you and your mate that allow you to
bond with your child's soul. It will help reassure the babe, and certainly make
labor easier. The more peaceful and secure the babe feels, the less he will
fight you."

"Fight me?" She felt as if she'd lost her wits, repeating
after Rosalia.

"Yes, babies never want to leave the warm safety of their
mother’s womb, so they fight the birth. As strong as your son is, I'll wager
he'll give you hours of a fight. You should start bonding exercises as soon as
you're able. It’s new to you now, but you should start no later than three
weeks into your pregnancy."

Liliana was going to be sick. Sharine’s words circled her mind.
Damn the woman. She was right. Lily was going to be locked in Haven raising a
bunch of babies and no freedom. Between this and Rugaba saying she was a Kokoro
soul, she’d be lucky if Leo allowed her on the roof to take in energy from the
sun. She did the mental math and cursed. It had to have happened the first time
they slept together on Legba. Once again, had she adhered to customs, she
wouldn’t be in the mess she was in. Why hadn’t she felt the changes to her own
body?

She rubbed a hand over her face. In her defense she’d been
attacked twice in the time since she’d stepped foot on Legba. Surely she could
be excused from missing a few signs. Gods, it was too soon! They were barely
getting to know each other and now a baby. The dull edges of panic crept into
her body, tensing it up. A soft hand on her arm brought her back to Rosalia’s
presence.

“There’s nothing to be done about it, Lady Tegan. Panic won’t
help you.”

Lily laid her head on the kitchen table. How did she feel about
it? She had no clue, and now the walls of their apartment were closing in on
her. She needed to get out of Haven. That would prove Sharine wrong, right? She
thanked the Kira for her help and escorted her to the front door of their
apartment. Guards she didn’t remember asking for, stopped her at the door.

“Am I a prisoner now?” Her scathing tone carried down the
hallway.

They shuffled uncomfortably. “We’re only looking out for you.”
One guard answered.

“I’m going to find something to eat. Do you have a problem with
that?”

They looked at each other in askance. One of them spoke softly
into what she assumed was the communicator in their ear. Frustration burned her
chest. She had hoped there would be no guards when they got back to Haven. No
way would she walk around with a freaking entourage. She didn’t allow her
father to give her bodyguards, she for damn sure wouldn’t allow Leo the
pleasure. She changed into her human skin and pushed passed them.

They rushed after her and she took spiteful satisfaction at the
frazzled look on their faces. She turned her head to taunt them and ran into
someone. She looked up and groaned as Fallon steadied her.

"Where you going, Trouble?"

“None of your business. You’re just going to tell my jailor.”
She crossed her arms in front of her.

Fallon smiled. “Let’s go get some fresh air.” He nodded behind
her, dismissing her guards.

She sighed, and acquiesced, a reluctant bob of her head. He led
her out of Haven and into the warm day. Neither spoke as they walked. Energy
from the sun seeped into her skin, exposed from her sundress. It energized her
and slowly tension dissipated from her body. They’d gone three blocks when they
came to a small outdoor shopping mall. She was pleasantly surprised. She’d
assumed the Haven was off by itself in the middle of nowhere. To know just a
few blocks down the road was an entire shopping center was jarring and a little
reassuring. She saw many walks to the mall in her future. 

Liliana was drawn to a small café. They opted to sit outside
along the sidewalk. She didn’t know his reason for agreeing to the table, but
she liked to people watch. Watching humans go about their daily lives was
fascinating to her. They ordered tea from the waitress and she perused the
milling traffic, not bothering to break the silence between them. He barged in
on her alone time, so she didn’t owe him any conversation. But she was thankful
the guards weren’t following her.

Their teas were brought to the table before she gave up her
silent treatment.

"Just say it, Fallon."

"I don't have anything to say, Lily. You need air, we'll
get air. I'm straight with just sitting here quietly." He shook a packet
of sugar into his tea cup.

"Yeah, right."

"I know better than to aggravate a pregnant woman." He
dropped that bombshell and sipped his tea.

"How do you know that? I just found out myself mere minutes
ago."

He shrugged. "Why haven't you told Leo?"

Liliana scrubbed at her tired eyes. No wonder she’d been so
tired lately. She wondered why the other healer hadn’t said anything to her.
"Did you not just hear me say that I’ve only just found out myself?"

"When are you going to tell him?"

She growled. "I don't know, Fallon. What happened to just
sitting here quietly?"

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Damn it." She sighed. "I don't want to end up
like your mother."

He choked on his tea, spilling it on his shirt.
"What?"

She handed him a couple of napkins. "I don't want to be
locked in a room with only children for company, slowly losing my mind. I hate
being cooped up, ask my family. I don't want a mate who'll smother me."

"Liliana, I don't know what my mother told you, but I'm
pretty sure it's lies. She tends to fabricate things to engender sympathy.
Between her and my father, they’re fantastic story tellers. Besides, it's
apples and oranges. Leo is not like our father, and you’re nothing like our
mother."

"But I'll end up locked in that room, all the same."

He sighed. "Trouble, Leo doesn't know what to do with you.
Rather than fight with him, work with him."

She eyed him and thought about it. It wouldn’t hurt for her to
have a guard following her. She could concede with everything that had been
happening to her lately, it was probably a good idea. With the bombshell Rugaba
had just dropped on her, she was sure talking Leo out of guards would be
impossible anyway. She shrugged. Childish, but she wanted to hold onto her mad
a little longer.

Fallon smirked but said nothing.

The silence stretched between them a few minutes more.

“I’ll talk to Leo about allowing you to see the shaman. The ones
X has working on the Oras are getting nowhere.”

She waved him off. “No, I’ll talk to him myself. I can’t start
my mating with others fighting my battles.

“Good for you.”

She gave him a droll look.

He laughed. “Gods, but you are going to be fun to have around.”

THE DOOR CLICKED QUIETLY, and he paused his work. He’d been
going through their archives researching the Kokoro souls for the past forty
minutes or so. What he’d read scared him shitless. The first three Kokoro died
completing their spell. According to everything he’d read, the reborn souls
would in essence go through the same thing. The amount of power needed to
complete the dark spell would drain the persons performing it. The way the
archivist wrote it, one person would be needed to open a portal into the realm
where he’d been hidden away. It was a realm completely separate than Adro and
the seven realms of the Demi. Only blood unlocked the portal, and only one
person with the unique set of genes would be able to even access the magic
needed.

The next person would know the location of Ofeeree’s corporeal
body within that realm. The texts were foggy about Ofeeree’s body, some said it
had been cut into pieces and scattered, some made no mention of the state of
his body. It was hard to decipher between legend and fact. No facts even
existed for how the realm looked, how Ofeerree was bound, or what type of
vessel or temple housed the body. The only thing said regarding what type of
prison held Ofeerree was that the third soul was the only one able to unlock
his prison. Using both the book of Divinity and a spell, only that soul would
know, were the only notations about it. What he couldn’t understand was how
someone could use this sparse information in order to free the evil being. It
was nearly impossible to piece together enough of the texts to make completed
instructions.

 The refrigerator opened and closed, the sound jarring him from
his thoughts.

“I’m in here,
ina
.”

He listened to her light footsteps as she walked from the
kitchen to his office. She looked weary, but the fresh air seemed to have put
color back into her. He waved her over, patting his lap. After what he’d read,
he wanted her in his arms. He thought back on their ceremony. Just yesterday
he’d wondered if there would be love for them, and today he realized he was
already in love with Liliana.

She’d gotten under his skin, her naïve but stubborn personality
drawing him in. Fallon had called him while they were out, his words cryptic.
According to his brother, he and his mate needed to talk about his safety
measures for her. He was at a loss with how to balance his need to keep her
safe and her obvious dislike of the guards he’s assigned to her. According to
the guards, she thought of them as jailors. He had a feeling once his mate made
her mind up about something, it would be difficult to sway her. 

“Enjoy your outing?” He pulled her down for a kiss.

She moaned, pulling away reluctantly. “Yes, I needed some air.
It was getting a little stifling in here.”

He sighed, so they were going to get right into it then. “What
would you have me do, my love?”

“We have to compromise in some way, Leo.” Her eyes pleaded with
him.

He was not immune to her charms. Nevertheless he groaned,
imagining how long they would argue. “I don’t want to argue.”

“Compromise requires an argument?” Her dry tone made him smile.

“You heard Rugaba, Lily.”

“I’ve grown used to roaming free on Adro.”

“Right, dodging soldiers and on the run.” He interjected.

“Point to you.” She conceded. “However, I was free all the
same.”

“I can’t allow you the complete freedom you had. It’s too
dangerous.”

“I understand that, and I will promise not to go anywhere
outside of Haven without guards, but surely they don’t need to be here in the
room or walking behind me inside of Haven’s protections.”

He mulled it over. She had a point, the laws of Haven should
prevent anything from happening to her inside its walls. Banishment from the
Havens kept most from the breaking its rules. His brothers’ punishments served
as strong deterrent for those who needed extra incentive to behave. In theory
she would be safe within these walls.

“I can agree to that.”

Her smile took over her face and warmed him. She trailed a
finger down the front of his shirt, her eyes taking on a mischievous glint. 

“What about the shaman, can I go see him tomorrow?” She trailed
kisses down his neck.

“That’s not playing fair,
ina.
” He adjusted her body so
her legs straddled his. He lifted his hips slightly, pushing his growing erection
into her center. She sighed and wiggled as her skin heated.

“Who said anything about fair?”

“I can’t do tomorrow.” Xavier wanted him to find and train his
replacements as soon as possible.

She pouted, trailing her hand down the front of his pants. “I’ll
take as many guards as you deem.”

He closed his eyes and fought through the haze of lust she was
creating. He trusted Roy and Paul, the guards he’d assigned to her. They’d
protected her on Legba, and did a great job of getting her through the rest of
their stay safely. Hopefully she wouldn’t object to them. Surely they could get
her in and out of meeting with a shaman with little to no drama.

She bit his earlobe and the sensation shot down through his
body. Pheremones from his Cagyn form wafted from his skin, covering them both
in his scent. Gods, if Liliana dealt with all their compromises this way, he
was screwed.

“You will do exactly as told.” He lifted her body, tearing her
underwear off of her. “No trying to lose your guards. Swear it.” He brushed a
hand over her sex.

Her sharp inhalation pleased him. Her head fell back, her lips
parting on her sigh of pleasure. Drowsy eyes lifted to meet his gaze as she
surrendered to his Cagyn magic. She was getting caught up in her own game. He
chuckled and pushed one finger into her wet heat.

“I didn’t hear you, Lily. Swear it.”

“I swear.” She hissed.

He added a second finger, amplifying his magic. Cagyns were
often accused of using their magic to seduce innocents and mated women for
their own needs, and perhaps some did. Their magic captivated its victim,
relaxed inhibitions until nothing but assuaging their body’s ache mattered. He
was quickly finding out that nothing compared to sharing his magic with the
woman he currently held in his lap. Watching his mate succumb to his
enchantment was a heady feeling. Her mouth parted as sighs of pleasure escaped.

 “You will be careful, right? If anything happens to you I will
wrap you in cotton battening and lock you in our room.”

“I’ll be careful.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

He lifted her, opened his pants and freed his shaft. He growled
as he slid deep inside of her. “Is this how you plan to conduct negotiations
from now on?”

Her smile was dreamy as she flexed her body. “Yes, definitely.”

He would gladly negotiate with his mate if they all ended this
way. He’d talk to her guards in the morning before they left. His instructions
had better be explicitly followed. He didn’t even want to think about what he
would do if Liliana were hurt again.

***

Body buzzing, Liliana woke up the next day full of anticipation.
Leo was going to let her see Sergio today. The shaman was one of the best she’d
encountered in her years on Adro. Though, he had given her a hard time when she
had him forge a ticket for her to get into Haven. It was understandable.
Someone in his position couldn’t afford for the Amanda to know who he was. She
winced, he would hate her showing up at his door with soldiers as her
bodyguards, but that was not to be helped.

She sat up as the water in the bathroom adjoining their room
started. Smiling, she slid out of bed and went to join him. A fifteen minute
shower turned into nearly an hour and both of them scrambled to get dressed
before her guards were scheduled to show up. Being in a rush didn’t stop her
from staring at her mate as he got dressed. She sighed as he covered his sexy
body in the all black uniform. He caught her looking.

“What?” His full lips turned up in a small smile.

She shook her head and covered her still nude body in a pair of
ripped jeans and a cropped tee. “Just admiring.”

He pulled her into his arms. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

“Will that be a problem?” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

He kissed her neck. “No, you just look so young. It’s scary.”

She laughed at his scrunched face. She tilted her head to the
side, and whispered a quick spell. Air touched her back as her long hair was
transformed into a shoulder length curly afro.

“Better?” She’d added touches of makeup to her eyes and lips and
from the heat in his eyes he approved.

He growled. “You look hot. I’m doubly thankful for the guards
you’ll have.” He sobered. “You will be careful, right?”

“I swear.” She insisted.

He sighed and pulled from her. He walked over to a wardrobe in
the corner of their room. She was puzzled as he brought back a small box. He
handed it to her and she looked at him in askance.

“Open it.” His mischievous smile intrigued her.

She opened the box and gasped at the beautiful gold watch
nestled in velvet. Delicate filigree made up the band and diamonds surrounded
the watch face. She carefully removed it from the box.

“It’s beautiful.” She handed it to him to put on her.

He fastened it on her wrist, his thumb tracing the pulse point
there. “It was made by a Gu craftsman, so while it may look delicate, it’s near
indestructible. And, full disclosure, I have an ulterior motive.”

She smiled. Of course he did. She waited on his explanation.

“It has a panic button here on the side.” He pointed to a small
gold button on the side of the watch face. “It will send a signal to me with
your whereabouts.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t track you or anything. I only get GPS when that
button is pressed. So if you’re ever in a situation where you’re on the move
press it every few miles.”

“That’s not too bad.”

“I like backup plans. Not that I don’t trust your guards.” He
hastily added.

She nodded.  “I can live with that.” Anything to gain a little
freedom.

“Great.” He kissed her once more. “Let me walk you out.”

Her guards met them at the door, their faces serious. They were
different than the two from yesterday. They were the two who guarded her in
Legba.  Leo guided her through the catacombs up to the ground level with her
guards trailing them. They entered a large garage filled with various cars. He
led them over to a black SUV, the windows tinted darkly. Fallon lounged against
the truck, his arms crossed over his chest.

“What’s up?” Leo handed the keys over to one of her guards.

Fallon straightened and turned behind him. He lifted a small,
square, black box from the hood behind him. He tapped a button on top of the
box and a hologram flickered to life above it. She gasped.

“This will only work for two hours give or take. It’s only
loaded with the moments after your sister arrived at Haven, up to the point
where the Ora becomes corrupted. Though the spell is temporary, your shaman is
not to put his hand on this, are we clear?” Fallon handed her the box. He took
a few minutes to show her how it to make it work, and the spells required to
pull up the Oras.

She nodded stiffly, committing the spells to memory.

“Be careful, Trouble.” Fallon nodded to his brother and left the
garage.

Leo sighed. “Be careful, my love.” He ghosted a kiss across her
forehead.

She bobbed her head in agreement, excitement making her nervous.

She climbed into the front seat and buckled in. Turning to the
driver she smiled. “I apologize for my behavior yesterday.”

He nodded and started the car. “Having guards can be
disconcerting, Lady Tegan.”

“Ugh, just call me Liliana, please. What are your names?” She
turned to the guard in the back.

He reluctantly held out his hand. “Paul.”

He was the Benu she’d snapped on when they were still in Legba.
The snobbish look on his face was fitting. The Benu were an elitist bunch. She
wondered what his family had done to have a son sent to the Amanda, but figured
it was rude to ask. The Benu kept to themselves and only helped their family
and other Benu. The mandatory service to the Amanda was a sore point to the
race, if she was remembering her lessons with Mistress Yoru correctly. She
would definitely not open that can of worms.

“I am Roy. What is the address to where we are traveling?”

She turned her attention back to the driver. His human skin was
seamless, no trace of his original form showed in his features. If she had to
guess, she’d mark him as Cagyn. They were shapeshifters by nature, and thus
better at it than any other race. She shook out of her musings and pulled up
Sergio’s address on her phone. Roy plugged it into the GPS and off they drove
through the streets of Atlanta.