Chapter 21

21

R eign | Sacramento, CA | Early 2000s

"Lick my boots, you dirty mutt," Reign commanded, picking up her leg and slamming her shiny black stiletto boot in front of the middle-aged human. He complied as she expected, whining like a puppy and wagging his bottom half left to right as if he had a tail.

She used to roll her eyes at this, but now it was normal.

Reign's client opened his mouth and left wet tongue marks up and down her shoes.

Damn it, she thought, not thinking ahead on this one. She was distracted that day, trying to piece together everything that Hailey had told her during their trip to the mall on Halloween and how it pointed back to her best friend.

She missed Allienna so, so much.

"You ruined my shoes, you useless animal," she put her boot to his chest and kicked him back as he whimpered, falling awkwardly on his butt. He was wearing only blue pinstriped boxers and a ribbed white undershirt, his round glasses fogging up every time he stuck his tongue out and panted like the pet that he paid her to pretend that he was.

Had Allienna come here to Sacramento to start her life anew and kept it from her? All the signs pointed to yes, and it hurt. It hurt so much.

Reign's client whimpered and winced again, making her look down at him, her face in a rage as she played her part of strong dominatrix well. She was considering going to her prop box to pull out a leash and collar for the man, but then she realized that a pool of liquid had formed around his bottom.

The client was shaking from head to toe, emulating the annoying yapping but traumatized chihuahua that he chose to be for their last seven weekly sessions, but pissing himself was a new unique challenge that she now apparently had to put up with.

"This is the last time you will come to me for services. You will forget this address and my association with it the moment you step out the front door," she said to him, frustrated, pinching the bridge of her nose as the smell of urine on her bamboo flooring filled the air.

I don't get paid enough for this shit.

"Get up, get dressed, and clean this up," she commanded as he straightened himself up while her magic rippled through him. "The cleaning supplies are under the kitchen sink."

What had she done to push her friend away from her? She couldn't understand. Allienna had asked her to be her child's godparent, for heaven's sake. Also, Kinnari do not get sick, not like Hailey had described her mother's death. Nothing was making any sense.

After twenty minutes that felt like a millennium, Reign's client handed her an envelope with eight one-hundred-dollar bills and bowed.

Maybe I do get paid enough for this shit.

"A tip for taking it too far," he apologized. "Please don't make me find someone else. I trust you," he said to her, his eyes pleading.

She was such a softy .

"I forgive you, but no more pissing on my floor, got it? You can remember this address, remember my name."

The middle-aged man's face lit up in a smile as he bowed again and kissed her hand like a queen.

"I'll see you next week," he said before exiting the front door. Reign rolled her eyes and locked the door behind him. Her townhouse wasn't much, but it was special to her. She built this life out of nothing and felt like she didn't even have to cheat by using her magic to get it.

If only she could have shared this with Allienna. If only she could speak to her one more time.

Reign's heart ached as she passed the tiny galley kitchen and walked up the stairs. Her townhome had four floors but was shaped like a thin rectangle, so each floor had minimal square footage. She passed the second floor, where she often hosted clients. A large chest of props sat against the wall as an extra large yoga mat padded the middle of the room.

At least he didn't piss on that. She chuckled immediately, grateful that she didn't have to deal with replacing it.

Reign made it to the third floor, her primary bedroom adjacent to a guest room she used as extra closet space. She removed the black leather corset and pants that she could barely walk in and decided to wear something more athletic. She would fly tonight to help clear her mind.

After changing into thin, flexible leggings and a baggy sweatshirt that had the back cut out, only connecting at the bottom, she headed up to the fourth floor. This was why she bought this place.

The fourth floor had a glass-paned door that led out to an exterior patio, all for her. The view of the city and the Sacramento Bridge at night always had her beaming with pride. Pride in how far this world had come and pride in herself for finding a place in it.

She stared into the sky, a thin crescent moon visible through cloud coverage, and smiled. Cuts appeared in her shoulder blades that expanded as her wings came through instantly.

She stretched her arms out wide, relieving the pressure on her petite frame, and beat her wings up and down until her feet danced in the air. Not letting herself linger too long, she shot up above the clouds, covered and protected from wandering eyes, not wanting to start another human cult that believed one of their deities had come down to Earth.

Reign flew with no destination, no goal other than clearing her mind. Her heart was heavy, and she let herself start to grieve, tears welling in her eyes at the thought of her friend genuinely gone from the world.

She changed her direction, cutting sharply and rising higher in the sky. She would reach space and touch stars if she could, do the impossible as her brave friend had done. Allienna had a biological child. After so many failed attempts, she had to discover how she had accomplished that.

The air was growing thinner, and Reign's throat clenched until it seemed easier to hold her breath. She could do so forever, not breathing but sitting with the ache.

She pushed her wings harder now, looking to break the stratosphere, something she had never done before. She reached her hands out as if she could pull herself through, beating down with the powerful muscles in her back.

Reign had so much speed that she would join the gods, the Life Gifter and Ayurveda. They existed out here, watching humans build their satellites and explore places where they were not welcomed.

Suddenly, she jumped.

The time hop had been accidental, as it always was when she flew with too much intensity. This time, she was so focused that it scared her as she let herself fall, tumbling out of the sky while her stomach dropped over and over again.

She flexed her wings after several hundred feet, hitting hard turbulence before she found herself in a glide, shaking and thrashing in the air until she got through it, peace and ease welcoming her on the other side.

The clouds were under her now, and she was hesitant to drop below. Reign didn't know where she was. She didn't know what direction she had fallen in or where her wings had taken her once they caught the air.

She also didn't know what period she had hopped into. What world waited for her underneath those clouds? She hoped that her townhome still belonged to her so she could go to bed and figure out how to return in the morning.

The Kinnari let her body slowly dangle and fall. Reign didn't stop until her feet touched the ground, in this case, pavement. She was standing in the middle of a residential street that she recognized. She was still in Sacramento.

The cars parked in the driveways and on the street looked current to the year she lived in.

Had she jumped at all?

She walked down the street, the mini-mansions of East Sacramento lining both sides until she stopped to peer into a window of one of the homes. A woman was removing ornaments from a large, lavish Christmas tree facing the street.

She had only traveled a couple of weeks into the future.

The faint sound of a high-pitched scream, a woman's scream, made the hairs on the back of Reign's neck stand. She turned towards the sound of that scream, a large home with an even larger driveway, and walked toward it, curious about what she was being shown.

Reign passed a fountain as she walked up to the house and heard the scream again, louder this time. She had no doubt it was coming from inside.

Not being able to see much from the front door, she jumped up, unbothered in the moment about her wings being seen. Glancing through the glass on the second story, she gasped. A Vrae had its mouth around Hailey's neck, blue blood pooling at her feet while her arms were tied above her. She hung from a chain touching the ceiling with her toes grazing the ground.

Hailey was unconscious.

Reign gasped, and the Vrae noticed, looking up at her through the window. Its entire body was black and shiny as oil, its eyes a terrifying blood-red. Its fangs were long and the purest white, as Kinnari blood dribbled down its chin.

It froze, as did she, until it took a step in her direction. Then another. Then another.

Was it going to jump out of the window at her?

Reign didn't wait to find out.

She flew up in a panic. She flew so hard and so fast, terror pulsing as she saw Hailey covered in blood, saw flashes of Tristan ravaged, and wished that time was something she could master. She wished it wasn't accidental or dumb luck as she flew with all intentions of returning to the timeline she belonged in.

The warmth of the morning sun crept across her closed eyes, and for a moment, everything was quiet bliss. Then, the realization hit her, and Reign opened her eyes in a panic. She was in bed, the silly embroidered quilt she had found at a secondhand shop curled intricately around her limbs.

With a jolt, she turned to her nightstand to pick up her phone and check the date.

November twenty-second.

She did it. She made it back. Her head throbbed, as it often did after time-hopping, and she blew out a breath, readying herself for the multi-day hangover she would now have to endure.

But now what?

Her best friend was gone. Maybe she had been completely eaten by the Vrae that had Hailey.

"Oh, no, Hailey." Reign jumped out of bed, realizing she needed to get to the girl. She had to warn her. The cost of revealing the future didn't matter this time either. She was given an assignment. She was made that child's godmother. She willingly would forfeit her life.

Reign picked up her phone and pressed the call button on the only person she could turn to.

"Hey, Reign baby, you got some funds coming my way from the johns I'm sending?" Grant's voice echoed through the phone.

"The last guy peed on my floor, Grant. He peed through his underwear . . . on my beautiful flooring," she said flatly .

"Well, you know, that's always a risk," he chuckled.

"Grant." Reign was pacing back and forth now, hitting her thigh on the edge of the bed frame. "Do you know where I can find Hailey? She left something with me when I took her shopping that I need to get back to her."

Grant was quiet for a few seconds before he let out a dramatic sigh.

"That little girl, Reign, she went on and broke my heart. I thought we were supposed to be a team."

"What do you mean? What happened?" she asked impatiently.

"She went on and went back to a client without me. She cut me out, Reign. She thinks I don't know, but no, no, Grant has his ways of keeping tabs on his ladies. It's my job to keep you all safe. We are a family, after all."

Reign smiled because she knew that he truly cared. He was kind of disgusting, but also very protective.

"I don't think she left you, Grant," Reign said. "I think she was kidnapped."

Grant lost his ability to use words temporarily as Reign listened to a few moments of grunting and angry, senseless mumbling.

"Well fuck, let's go get our girl back," he said, finally pulling himself together.

"It sounds like a party." Reign hung up the phone as she walked out her front door, car keys in hand.

The sky was uncharacteristically gray, even for November. Reign pulled over a block away from the East Sacramento mansion that she knew Hailey to be at. She hit the engine button, turned the car off, and waited.

Five minutes went by before she heard the loud, clunky car that Grant drove. He stuck out like a sore thumb in this neighborhood, which, in retrospect, wasn't great for a rescue operation.

Grant pulled over, parked right behind her, and jumped out of the car, wearing a greasy t-shirt with cowboy boots underneath his jeans.

"Who dresses you?" Reign asked, stepping out of her car.

"I'm a grown goddamn man. I dress myself, angel." He winked at her. "Now, what's our game plan? Should I sneak in through a window? I've got some ninja stars in my trunk that my parents got me for Christmas as a teenager. I've been waiting for a good excuse to use them."

She didn't know whether to roll her eyes or frown at him, but it was probably not best to say she would just force whoever she was talking to to spill the truth.

"I can be very persuasive. Lets just go to the front door and start a conversation," she shrugged.

"If things get wild, we call the cops after," he suggested. "Of course, let's keep our names out of it. I've got a business to protect."

Reign nodded at him, truly grateful to have this human in her life.

The pair walked side by side down the street, approaching the house. Grant's chest was puffed out, and Reign's lips twitched into a smile as she saw him thumb his back pocket, the outline of a metal ninja star pushed against the denim material.

Grant knocked on the door. Well, pounded on it would be more accurate. He ignored the doorbell and continued to connect his fist to the formal slab of wood until the door popped open, and a bronzed nose and dark hair slid into view.

"May I help you?" a familiar voice asked.

"Amis?" Reign asked, startled by the nose's similarities to someone who had fought by her side twenty years ago, someone who had grown up with her.

"There's no one here by that name. Good day." The door shut abruptly, not revealing any more of the person who answered it.

"That's some bullshit," Grant yelled back and began pounding on the door again. "You think you know that asshole?"

"Maybe," she answered. "I didn't get a good look at him."

Grant continued to pound on the door with no answer.

"Maybe it's time to call the cops," Reign suggested just as the door popped open again. This time, a different male stood before her, his entire body in view. He was beautiful, his skin smooth, and his smile wide and innocent.

That kind of beauty lured you in. That kind of beauty killed .

"You are welcome to use the doorbell next time," the man said by way of greeting. "It would save your fist from bruises."

Reign noticed Grant was nursing his hand, though he did his best not to show it.

"We are here to take Hailey home," Reign said, presenting herself.

"Ah, yes," he mumbled, brushing a hand through his hair. "Who might you be?"

"I'm the man you called when you wanted her at your party. I'm the man who got stiffed when you connected with her afterward." Grant raised his head, doing his best to seem taller.

"The pimp, I see," he replied, his shoulders relaxing. "This is probably about money, then. How much does Hailey owe you? I will pay her debt."

"Is she here?" Reign interrupted. "I need to see her."

The beautiful man stared at her, taking her in. Reign suddenly felt naked. Luckily, she had grown extremely unbothered by her body. If anything, she was empowered.

"My name is Sheng," he said, holding his hand out to her.

Reign crossed her hands in front of her chest and stuck out her hip, her chin held high. She was grateful she wore taller boots that day; the height helped her facade of a strong, angry female. She played that part extremely well.

"You will go and bring Hailey to me," she said, waiting for the subtle but familiar shift in the posture of a person's body as she vocalized a command.

Sheng's eyes widened, but the posture shift never came. He looked . . . amused.

"There is no one here in this house with that name," he said, his dazzling white teeth beaming back at her.

Shit .

What was her name? What was Hailey's real name?

"You can take your Kinnari magic and leave," he continued in a hushed voice.

Reign felt her entire body freeze, and her heart stopped.

"Grant, you will not hear this conversation," she said, not bothering to look away from Sheng's delighted eyes. "What did you just say? How do you know that word?"

That man . . . it had to have been Amis. Now, she was sure.

"You will tell Amis to come out," she tried again as he chuckled casually at her horrified face.

"I don't know who that is," he said.

Lies. He was lying. She saw him. She was sure.

"One day, we might have to work together," Sheng continued. "I'd play nice if I were you."

The man let a red gleam cloud his eyes. It faded away once Reign noticed and realized what she had seen.

Vrae. She was standing right before a Vrae.

She spat at his feet, her anger thriving, her need to immediately find a way to tear his head off of his body consumed her.

"There would never be a reason for us to work together," she said through her teeth. "Bring me the girl, now."

Sheng's face looked disappointed. He shook his head, clicking his tongue.

"Then I guess you shall have to die. We can save that for a different day." He smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes as he closed the door. The sound of a heavy lock clicked behind him.

Reign turned to Grant, who was humming to himself, swaying as if listening to music through headphones.

"You will return to normal, not remembering any part of that conversation past the first time the word Kinnari was said."

Grant looked right at Reign, his eyebrows raised and left hand moving towards his back pocket to grab his ninja star.

"Can I sneak in through the window?" he asked, looking only too eager.

"No," she snapped back.

Boys. Men. They were all children.

She knew she needed to deal with this independently from Grant. This was not sex trafficking or a traditional danger that stemmed from this profession. This had to do with that mark on Hailey's shoulder blades. This was because she was Allienna's daughter .

Her magic didn't work on this Vrae, which was a new problem. Would Djoser be able to rip him apart? Would Arryn be more assertive and able to defend his child if she went to him?

If she sounded the alarm, would the Kinnari clan fly here, then be trapped by ineffective magic, unable to protect themselves? She needed help, but couldn't risk a slaughter. She would have to be careful about this.

"She simply wasn't there," she told Grant as she turned and began to walk away from the front door.

"Well, that was a waste of time," he commented. "Hey, I know you are not exactly taking new clients right now, but if you can squeeze any more into your schedule, please let me know. You've got plenty of demand."