18. Livy

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

LIVY

A waitress set down a plate of lamb chops with pineapple sauce on the only empty inch of the table. I barely paid attention, my eyes were set on the demon sitting at an adjacent table.

He spoke with the woman beside him. They laughed about something, but by the tilt of his head I was almost certain he was staring right at me and Malek.

"Penny for your thoughts? Your food is getting cold." Malek placed two pieces of lamb onto his plate and smoothed some sauce on them.

"I think someone's been following us through the dimensions, but I can't figure out why. Is he an employee of yours or something?"

"Everyone in Sandalia right now has been thoroughly vetted with extensive background checks." Malek turned around, following my eyes to the demon in shades.

"Hmm." Lines perked up between his brows as he fidgeted with his fork.

Melak turned to two men who waited past the tables, near the cooking station and beckoned them with an inward curl of his fingers .

"Yes, my King?" The two demons rushed to Malek, each brandishing a gun shaped bulge on their thighs.

"Go and check the ID and ticket on the demon behind me. The one in the shades and blue T-shirt. Make sure everything is on the up and up." Malek instructed them and they rushed over to the man's table doing as they'd been told.

"I didn't know you brought security with us here," I said.

"I never leave the palace without someone nearby that I can call in case of an emergency." Malek sipped his wine with a cool, unreadable expression on his face. "Don't worry. If there is a problem, my men will get to the bottom of it."

My head tilted to the side as I observed the security interrogate the demon.

Watching him scramble to find his wallet and give them his ID with shaky hands made me deeply regret causing trouble for him. The women at his table wanted to know what was going on and he seemed so incredibly embarrassed.

"Relax, Sunny." He dabbed a napkin over his lip. "It's good to be aware of your surroundings. This is a sign that you're well equipped to protect yourself in this dangerous world. I'm proud of you for speaking up when you noticed something suspicious."

Having checked his ID and ticket to their satisfaction, the guards strolled past our table and gave Malek a thumbs up.

"Well, it seems like a false alarm. But now they'll be keeping an eye on him just to make sure."

"You got all of that from a thumbs up?" I asked.

"My men are well trained; they can communicate volumes of information to me just with their eyes." He cut off a piece of lamb and ate it.

My nerves ebbed a bit and I sank back into my chair. I accepted that Mellow was probably mistaken and I continued eating with Malek .

We'd been having fun dimension hopping for well over twenty-four hours, though it was hard to tell in all these changing dimensions exactly how long we'd been there. After dinner, my body felt as heavy as a bag of bricks.

After dessert, Malek and I walked along the river to the cabin he'd reserved for us. We went inside to see all our luggage was already there. Overfilled with dinner and exhausted, the moment I found the couch, I passed out on it.

I awoke to bright sunshine streaming in through the window. I was on the couch with a warm wool blanket pulled over me. I didn't remember putting it there nor did I remember placing a pillow under my head. Malek had to have done it.

The scent of cinnamon and sugar spiraled into my nose and I practically floated into the kitchen. Malek stood over the stove frying up some bacon, a tall stack of French toast towering on the counter. God this demon was good at vacationing.

We ate breakfast together and chatted. Doing the dishes together was the best part. Watching this ancient Demon King, fighting to scrub the burned bits from a frying pan was pure, hilarious bliss.

We washed up and got dressed and went to a new dimension Malek had reserved just for us.

We jumped through the portal and stumbled into a seemingly untouched world of virgin forest and lush, green landscape.

It was like a forest, but the tree leaves had a blue hue to them, and the grass was a chocolate brown. A stream of bubblegum pink water split the forest right down the center, cooling the air.

He took my hand and led me away from the water as the trees enveloped us. "This land exists in the same dimension as ‘Euphopia'. The believed birthplace of all magics. From the moment you arrive, this dimension reaches inside of you and touches your soul. Here you can watch your sweetest memories play out right in front of you. "

"Look over there." He flicked a finger to his left, a smile warming his face.

A tall and beautiful woman with long black hair strolled through the forest gracefully, her long white dress flowing behind her making her look almost spirit-like.

Her skin was gray and she bore a striking resemblance to both Malek and Ferina though she appeared more willowy and frail than they did.

"She's gorgeous. Who is she?" I hastened to catch up with her, but Malek gently tugged me back.

"Some memories are best left seen but untouched." He followed the woman with longing eyes as she drifted away, through the trees. "She is my mother. This is exactly how she looked on the last day I saw her."

His voice trembled.

"Then I take it she's…" I didn't finish my sentence.

"Yes. She was a kind and loving mother. She died of Blue Spot Plague centuries ago. The only disease to ravage demonkind in known history." Joy and sorrow fused in his dark eyes as he watched his mother fade away.

"Is this why you ended up coming to Earth? To escape the sad memories of her?" I asked, not meaning to pry, but more to understand and comfort him better.

He stared off, seeming to contemplate his answer.

Two children raced by, a boy with gray skin and a girl with glossy green hair. Both appearing to be around twelve years old.

"I was hoping the dimension would show us this memory." He chased after the children, pulling me along.

He suddenly stopped running, and I collided with his back.

A look of pure fascination and wonder was imbued in Malek's expression as he watched the children kneel down in a patch of daisies .

The child-like image of Malek made the child version of me a flower necklace as she braided his long, black hair.

"Beautiful." He murmured as if losing himself in the sweet innocence of this memory.

This was the happiest time of my life. I had my loving parents and I had Malley, my adoring best friend. The world had tested me in unimaginable ways since this memory happened. I barely recognized that little girl who was braiding hair. I'd seen too much and struggled for too long to be as innocent as she was.

"Wouldn't it be great to be like them again?" Malek asked.

"It'd certainly be fun to be that carefree." I said. "But that would be impossible. We're adults now and we have to live in the present."

"True. But we can make the present as sweet as the past. That's all I mean." Malek appeared so at ease, losing himself in these old memories.

I didn't think I'd ever seen him look as happy as he did right now. It seemed that part of Malek's obsession with safety and control stemmed from his desire for things to be like they were when we were children in the forest together.

It was okay to look back at the past with longing. But to want so badly to recreate a time that had already passed, that you'd go to any length to get to it? That was to fly in the face of reality and to disregard it all together. That I couldn't do.

The children invited us to play with them, to Malek's delight. We played hide and seek, freeze tag and red light, green light together. It was surreal, bonding with a part of myself that until recently, I'd forgotten even existed. It was fun reliving the past and I was glad Malek brought us here.

It was Malek's turn to be ‘it' at ‘red light, green light' and the children joined me in the clearing. Malek showed us his back and covered his eyes. He was about to start the round when some rustling sounds in the forest puzzled me .

I followed the sound through a patch of pine trees. On the other side Aurora and I sat, chatting. We both wore our old high school uniforms, our voices high with youthful elation.

"I told you you'd ace the midterms. Even Mr. Mack the Quack gave you an A." Aurora popped my collar up.

"It's not like I have a choice. The Advocacy Program won't take me if I'm not in the top 5%." The teenage me grinned haughtily at Aurora.

"Oh, they'll take you regardless." Aurora fanned the teenage me off dismissively. "Nobody in the pack has a bigger ‘savior complex' than you. If they don't let you in, I'll burn the Advocacy School down myself."

"You hold the match and I'll strike it." The teenage me said conspiratorially and they both laughed.

It felt like eons had passed since I even thought about my dream to become an advocate. My sole ambition in life was to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. But now, years on from this conversation, I never made it to Advocacy School.

"That reminds me. How's the book coming? Are you still fleshing out your characters? Do you know what the story will be about yet?" The teenage me asked, zipping in close to Aurora's face like it was an interrogation.

"I finished fleshing out the characters last week and I'm knee deep in the story planning stage!" She chirped excitedly, curling her head back with pride. "You're looking at a bestselling author in the making. Just give me a few years. I'll be signing my first movie deal. Just watch me."

The teenage me encouraged Aurora and gave her a hearty pat on the back. They continued talking about their goals.

Aurora had been working on that one book straight up until the day I was kidnapped by the demi-gods. Her idea of being a best-selling author was still the goal that kept the dream flame burning. This dream of hers was one that Malek's war would render impossible .

Hers and the dreams of countless others would be rendered nothing more than dust in the wind after his war. And what about my dream of defending others? Even though I never became an advocate, that didn't mean I didn't still have a responsibility to fight for the powerless.

"Sunny?" Malek's voice jolted me and I jumped. "Here you are. I've been looking for you."

He came in on my left, and whispered in my ear. "I have something to show you."

He took me back the way we came, close enough to the river that I could smell water.

A grand dining table covered with delicious food was erected in a small opening between some ferns. Beside it, nestled in the grass, sat an open chest, overflowing with glittering gold, precious stones and other treasures. This chest resembled something straight out of a pirate movie.

"This isn't a memory. I had this transported here from the palace." He trailed over to the chest and rummaged through its glittering contents.

"The food I get, but why bring all this treasure here?" I asked.

He removed a gold necklace with a large green emerald clasp and brought it over to me.

Sweeping my hair behind my shoulders, he put the necklace on me, clipping it at the back. "I wanted to show you just how much you mean to me. This was my mother's necklace. One of the few things I have to remember her by, I want you to have it."

He looked down at me warmly, waiting for my response. This was more than a gift, it was a show of love and vulnerability that could not be easy for such a strong man to show.

I clutched the gorgeous emerald, the larger part of me wanting to accept it. But I felt guilty. I'd forgotten all about my dream to defend those who needed me. I was a sellout; a fraction of the woman I knew I should be .

Unbuckling the necklace, I shoved it into the center of his chest.

A picture of sadness, hurt, and confusion was written on his face as I ran off.

I raced through the trees as if I were being pursued. But one glimpse back revealed that Malek hadn't followed.

I stalled, my chest colliding with what felt like concrete.

"Malek?" I rubbed the pain from my forehead.

The demon in shades and a blue shirt peered down at me, cracking his knuckles. "You know, I didn't appreciate having my dinner interrupted. Someone ought to teach ‘Your Highness' some manners." His tone as he said ‘Your Highness' overflowed with spiteful contempt.

"I thought this dimension was reserved for only Malek and me today." I drew back from the man.

"That's the problem with you royals. You think the world is your personal playground and the rest of us are just toys for you to play with." He spoke with a thick Eastern European accent. With a flick of his wrist, a ball of hot white energy formed in his palm.

"You're a mage, just like the assassin who attacked us in the castle," I accused.

"He was only the appetizer. I'm the main course. Now where's that fucking monster you call a king?" He spat on the ground as the energy ball tripled in size.

"Like hell I would tell you."

Rage planted his legs wide, and he aimed the massive energy ball at me.

My shoulders cracked as I summoned the shift. Mellow stirred and I felt the transformation commence when I heard something.

Like a dark shadow, Malek materialized from the forest tackling the mage .

"Damn you! First my home and now here? Will your wretched kind ever give me peace?" Malek howled.

"You started this fight. I'm just here to end it." The mage tossed the energy ball and it missed Malek's head by inches.

A gaping black hole formed beneath the mage and Malek as they wrestled.

"The orb was only a distraction. He's opened a portal, Malek!" I screamed.

Malek's eyes switched to me, and fear simmered beneath them.

The portal sucked them both in like a black hole. The portal's pull grew, pulling me toward it with incredible strength.

I fought the pull, but it was too strong. I plunged into the darkness, a strange otherworldly hum that only could be heard in the vast dark void.

Dark emptiness enveloped me as I reached out in vain to grab a hold of something.

A few flashing lights and male sounding yells echoed through the empty space. The bright lights grew, and I fell closer to Malek and the mage. They were below me, going at it blow for blow. Malek used his claws and fangs while the mage's powerful blasts created a light show of epic proportions.

The three of us continued falling through empty space. That was what the mage wanted, he had us both trapped in this portal, right where he wanted us.

The real question was did this mage really think he could defeat a demon of Malek's caliber? Even he had to know this was unlikely. So exactly what was his end game here?

The possible truth reared its ugly head. The mage had dragged us into his portal for a bigger reason than to trap us. Exactly where was he taking us? Would we end up in mage territory, surrounded by hostile enemies? Would they imprison Malek and I ?

Malek called out to me, telling me this would all soon be over and not to be afraid. He and the mage persisted in their brawl as the air thinned and reality cracked around us. It was a signal that wherever we were going, I needed to brace myself because we were about to make a crash landing.