Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

L io sat at a table with Jessa in her office, sipping coffee and going over a manual so expansive that he might never understand even half of the blasted material. He missed the comfort Bel offered, and he missed Bel preparing his coffee because it was always better. But Morrisey and Farren took Bel with them to ask more questions about his last years in Domus. Farren had left ten years before the fall, and Morrisey had been raised in Terra as a human and only visited the citadel right before the elders closed the portals.

Besides, as a Princeps council member, Bel might have information Morrisey and Farren didn't. Lio understood on one level, but he also wanted Bel with him. He was also honest enough with himself to admit to jealousy that Bel remembered Domus while Lio couldn't. What memories was he missing out on? Family? Friends?

The foreboding fortress came to mind, causing a shiver up Lio's spine.

"Are you cold?" Jessa asked. "I can turn the heat up or get you a blanket."

"No, thanks," he said. "Just got a bit of a chill. It's gone now."

If only it would stay gone.

Jessa's office differed greatly from Farren's. Instead of dull gray colors and generic furniture, she had decorated it with purple-cushioned chairs, lavender carpet, and pillows with purple floral patterns. The decor felt comfortable despite not being Lio's style.

"So, the world is called Domus?" he asked. He might as well start with the basics.

"It's not exactly a world," Jessa replied. "It's more of an alternate dimension or realm. That's why you might see or hear the wording ‘in Domus' or ‘in Terra.' Humans consider Terra a planet, so they would say, ‘I live on Terra,' whereas someone who viewed it as the Terran realm would say, ‘in Terra.'" She winked. "Another example of travelers giving themselves away."

"And everyone had a tier in society, and some tiers could mix, but others couldn't?" Something else Lio had heard humans say, Clear as mud. How could anyone remember all this?

"Yes, the highest was Princeps, the ruling class. Both Morrisey and Bel are Princeps, but Morrisey was raised in Terra, so he doesn't know much about what being Princeps meant in Domus. Bel could probably tell you more. Then you have government officials, who may or may not be Princeps. Then there are Magestra, who enforced our laws."

"Like Farren."

"Yes, like Farren and a few other members of FBI's Alternate Entities Task Force."

FAET, like the logo on Farren's shirt. Okay, Princeps, Magestras, and Domus. "What's next?"

"The Operares, who make up the working class, and Succuba, which included everyone from actual sex workers to masseurs to private entertainers, though sex worked a bit differently there. People valued us for providing a necessary service."

"You're a Succuba." Lio tried not to sound accusing, but Emilio's residual memories caused an inward wince anyway. Emilio might have fallen into that category, as he'd been a kept man.

"Yes. But we've found an additional use for Succuba in Terra. We can absorb certain amounts of negative energy and can diffuse tense situations without harming ourselves.

"There, citizens absorbed energy from the atmosphere for survival. Here, we need to eat human food for our bodies. The atmosphere here can't sustain us, though some of the less law-abiding of our kind steal energy from humans, which usually kills the human."

"What about you?"

Jessa smiled. "My kind can feed on sexual energy. We sense attraction in those around us and absorb the power it creates without harming the human. Some travelers, no matter what their tier, can feed off any powerful emotion, but negative energy can turn us dark."

Lio didn't want to stop now and study all the ramifications. It looked like he and Bel would be here for a while, so he might as well take matters slowly, not try to learn everything at once.

Jessa pointed to another line in the book. "Healers of all kinds are Nutrixes, though they're by no means considered inferior to Succuba. Some of the tier structures are… complicated. Then, there are those with an affinity for navigation. In Terra, that might include taxi and bus drivers, hiking guides, or even airline pilots."

They had their own tier in society? "Why did you need navigators if the people flew everywhere?"

"Just because they flew didn't mean they instinctively knew how to reach their destination. They needed guides. Although the tier system doesn't exist in Terra, our people still gravitate toward jobs within their previous class. It's not a rule. It's just how things are. What they're most comfortable with, like Farren being in law enforcement in either realm."

"But they can do something else if they want to?" While Lio hadn't experienced much of this world, either as Emilio or Lio, he didn't want someone else to decide what he could or couldn't do.

"Yes. Though it is rare. Why would someone want to be a nurse if they excelled at teaching?

"There are lower ranks, particularly occisors, who aren't so much a social class as an animal. Like animals in the Terran realm, some are benign, though laws mean nothing to them. Some more powerful people try to use them, but it seldom goes well, turning what could have been a house pet into a remorseless killer." Jessa paused for a moment, a pained expression wrinkling her brow. "Also, regardless of your rank, if you're evil long enough and feed on enough dark energy, you could very well devolve into the lowest form of occisor. Those who kill innocents are the ones our task force has to hunt down. I've lost friends to those monsters."

Bennie and his ilk came to mind, and Lio shuddered, phantom pains wracking his body from the injuries. Had those really just happened a few days ago? Or was it five years ago? Time travel was so confusing.

"Servus are those who help others, such as a social worker or even a restaurant server. Hospitality workers, I think they're called here."

It seemed Lio was putting a lot of effort into learning things that wouldn't benefit him in the here and now. "Why do I have to learn this if we don't have a class system here?"

"To understand where you are and where you're going, you need to understand where you came from." Jessa might as well have been channeling Madam Persephone. The cryptic answer sounded much like the fortune teller.

Lio looked up from the book. "In Domus, you could only pick a mate from your own class, right?"

"Usually. There were always exceptions, such as Lux and Tenebris, before Tenebris were all killed. Of course, Lux and Tenebris could come from any social class, just like any class could become an occisor with enough negative energy."

So much information! Lio tapped his fingertips on the book, sifting through the information for relevant bits. There was no class system in Terra to condemn a relationship between Bel and Lio if they were from different classes. Still, people tended to hold to the beliefs they learned while growing up. And what was he thinking? Bel for a mate. He could only wish. "How about you? Do you have a mate?"

Jessa shook her head. "No, and I don't want one. But I could have one. There are even travelers who take human partners."

Talk about differences. "How does that work?"

"Fine, so far. No children of such unions manifest powers, though. Still, it's imperative that we keep average people from finding out. Some humans are prejudiced against anyone who isn't them, and they will use the flimsiest of excuses to cause conflict."

"Is anyone here in the compound mated with a human?" While asking questions steered Lio away from learning more about outdated societal tiers, he found himself genuinely interested in how travelers lived in Terra.

"Arianna, our receptionist, married Devon last year in a human ceremony. He's a member of the task force. They have a baby girl now."

Traveler, human, and baby. So, integration was possible. "And Farren runs this place?"

"Morrisey and Farren together. Their boss is in Washington, DC. You'll see him from time to time. Special Agent Carter."

Speaking with Jessa definitely beat Lio trying to pound facts into his head from that dry report.

"You look like you need a break. Why don't we call it a day? I'll show you where you'll be staying. Housekeeping should be finished setting up your room by now." Jessa stood and strode toward the door, pausing to glance over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"

Lio rose and followed Jessa down the hall. He balled his hands into fists when they stepped onto the elevator, holding his breath until they arrived on their floor and the door opened.

Wait. Where you'll be staying.

"What about Bel?" It took a moment for Lio to figure out the emotion he felt: disappointment.

Jessa gave a knowing smile. Exactly how well could she pick up on Lio's emotions? "Don't worry. He'll be just down the hall."

Lio had hoped they'd be sharing space again, like they'd done at the Carnival. Bel made him feel safe and less lonely. He squashed his letdown, plastered on a smile, and followed Jessa down the hall.

"Morrisey and Farren have an apartment on this floor," she commented. "It's two doors down from you."

"They live here?" Lio would've thought the bosses lived in the city somewhere.

"They have a house on the outskirts of Atlanta, but they often stay here during the week if we have something going on. It's easier to go out at a moment's notice and monitor the rookies. I hope you're not allergic because they have two cats. If you are, I can arrange another room farther away."

"I don't know."

Jessa scanned a key card at the door. "Sorry. Temporary rooms are old school, but apartments like Morrisey and Farren's use biometrics."

"Bio, what now?"

Jessa's sunny mood never faded, regardless of how many questions Lio asked. Maybe she'd grown used to instructing newbies. "Biometrics. Retinal scans, hand scanners, and the like."

She threw the door open with a flourish and gestured for Lio to precede her inside. The room was small but clean, and Lio thought the RV might look like this room if it didn't have internal walls. The only separate room was the bathroom, which was visible through an open door.

In the main room were a small chocolate brown couch, a plaid-patterned chair in shades of brown and cream, a coffee table, and a television. To the right sat a bed, dresser, and nightstand, the bed covering a soft shade of green that reminded him of Bel's eyes. A small kitchen occupied the space to the left.

"You can cook meals here or eat in the cafeteria. Mealtimes are posted on the door along with the facility rules. We're setting you up in the conference room until further notice, and we start work at eight a.m. There's a break room nearby for coffee and snacks, and someone usually brings doughnuts for everybody." She stage-whispered, "Don't accept cookies from Arianna unless you've seen someone else have one first. She likes to experiment."

Lio furrowed his brows. "What do you mean by experiment?" Cookies were supposed to taste good.

Jessa exaggerated a put-upon sigh. "If it exists and is food, she'll try to make a cookie out of it. Don't get me wrong, the oatmeal and banana cookies were delicious, if a bit overdone. However…" Jessa winced. "The peanut butter and turkey ones? Blech." She lowered her voice and gave a sly side-to-side glance as though there might be someone lurking who might hear her. "Don't tell her I said so. She's a dear and tries hard to please, so we humor her."

Lio strode around the room, opening cabinet doors and peering inside. Most shelves sat empty.

"Once you decide what you'd like, we'll make an order and get groceries."

No matter how hard he tried, Lio couldn't look at the bed without imagining Bel stretched out on the covers. "Is Bel's room like this?"

"Similar, but in shades of blue."

Albert the Purple Dog would clash with the décor, but at least Bel had company.

Jessa clicked on the television. "I don't know what you like to watch, but there are some good crime shows on tonight. Or you can go to Netflix and find a movie. There should be plenty to eat in the refrigerator, so make yourself at home. I have an appointment in a few minutes, but I'll stop by later to see how you're settling in."

"Maybe I'll go see Bel."

Jessa winced. "I think he's going to be late, talking to Morrisey and Farren, but if I see him, I'll suggest he drop by."

She swept out the door, leaving Lio alone. He searched through the closets and drawers and found the secondhand clothes he'd brought from the Carnival. True to Jessa's word, he found plenty to eat and drink: bottles of water and soda, fresh fruit, and a couple of wrapped sandwiches labeled "turkey and cheese" and "ham and Swiss on rye." Bags of chips and popcorn sat on the counter. Should he wait for Bel? Would Bel even want to see him tonight?

Lio sat on the couch with a soda and a bag of popcorn and watched whatever show came on, prepared for a lonely night.

Jessa returned an hour later with pizza and brownies. "I decided what we both need is a movie night. I'm going to introduce you to one of my favorites. It's called Basic Instinct ."

Had she read Lio's emotions earlier and knew he didn't want to be alone? And did this mean Bel wouldn't be by?

While Lio appreciated the company, he'd still rather have Bel.