War of Shadows

Heat Waves

*TW: Threat of SA. The rest of this story will contain scenes of gore, violence, assault, abuse, and trauma. If you are sensitive to these topics, those scenes can be skipped without ruining the overall plot.*

Chapter 4

Twenty minutes later, we pull up to a massive white brick mansion with a wide porch, white pillars reaching high to support the peaked ceiling with an outdoor crystal chandelier hanging from the top. Grand double doors stand proudly at the entrance, the face of the building littered with various balconies with glass doors, and more windows than I can count. The finely trimmed grass was sprinkled with Weeping Willow billowing in the soft breeze, large floral bushes lining the pale stairs that stretched nearly 30 feet wide. We ease the SUV around the fountain placed in the center of the roundabout gravel driveway, and Eli stiffly releases the steering wheel from his iron grip.

He had insisted on driving us to his home, and I wonder if it was to provide some sort of distraction or sense of control on the situation. I was aware that the ball is in my court now, and a smug part of me found a little amusement in the fact. As we ease to a stop in front of this small castle, I’m suddenly reminded of why I’m here and the weight of the decisions we’re making today.

I’m hit with a wave of heat and my skin breaks out in a cold sweat that lasts merely second and Eli flashes me a confused look, but seems to decide against saying anything and instead shakes his head and climbs out of the car.

Of course I would get sick, to top everything off.

I reign in my irritation, at what I’m not sure. Eli leads me up the pale stairs and I resist the urge to brush my fingers over the vibrant flowers poking out of the bushes. Before we approach the massive doors, they swing open gently revealing the man and the woman dressed in slacks and a white blouse to greet us.

Beautiful.

I’m left in awe at the shiny cream tiled floors, the sweeping mahogany staircase across from the entrance, and ceilings two stories high. A large chandelier hangs in each room, the largest placed in the foyer to reflect the natural light let in by the floor-to-ceiling windows. A large, thin rug with worn designs of green and blue flowers covers the open space between the door and the stairs and foliage has been hung scattered along the walls.

Realizing I’ve been gaping too long, I glance around to find Eli who had already been watching me.

“This is beautiful.” My voice gently echos the open space.

Eli nods his head up the staircase. “We’ll talk in my office.”

I follow Eli up the staircase and can’t help but to feel small next to his bulking size and the wide staircase. As we near the top, the floor opens to a large opened office in front of us, but Eli leads me to the right, where the floor shapes into a balcony overlooking the foyer downstairs. I follow him down a hallway on the side and he halts before the double doors at the end to push them open. His office is not nearly as big as the first, but more than comfortable. The room is a simple, clean space with a seating area consisting of a glass coffee table, an orange leather couch, matching single seats, and a wall of neatly filled bookshelves. A large mahogany desk sits in front of a wall made of glass, and to the left side is a long mahogany table with black and steel padded office chairs along both sides and one at each end.

Eli gently guides me to the sofa and sits across from me on the glass table, hands clasped between his opened knees. Another wave of heat washes over my body, and my head feels cloudy. Eli c***s his head and watches me intently, a wave of his raven hair dropping into his brow. His eyes flash to black and settle back into their warm gold.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Silence. “Are you sick?”

“I guess so,” I shrug dismissively. “I just wanna get this over with and go home.”

Eli leans to the side, grabs his phone from his pocket, and types for a moment before dropping it behind him and settling his hard gaze back on me. “Alright then, let’s ‘get this over with’.” I don’t miss the slight tone of hurt when he flicks his eyes to the ceiling and leans back on his hands. The warmth his body provided vanished with the movement and I find myself a little disappointed. “I can’t end the engagement, not yet anyway. But we can work around it.”

“I'm not gonna be a side piece for my mate,” I bite back.

“I didn’t say you would be. Diane is a lot less excited about this arrangement than I am, for reasons that she’ll disclose on her own. She doesn’t know that I’ve found my mate yet, but i'm confident that we can use this as a way to get out of this for the both of us AND maintain the alliance. Aldo, as much as a hard ass as he is, is also conservative- meaning he won’t want to insult the goddess by ignoring the bond.” As the words left his mouth, I knew he didn’t believe them as much as he was trying to convince himself that he did. Eli pauses to lean forward and stands, walks to the door and grabs something from someone on the other side. He saunters back, placing a wide tray with two bowls of soup, a mug of steaming tea, and a glass of fizzy, clear liquid. Grabbing the two bowls, he hands me one and slowly sits next to me with his own. The couch is too small for the both of us and our thighs touch, sending those familiar tingles down my leg. Eli gestures to the tea. “My mom used to make that for me when I was sick, that stuff can pick you up off of your deathbed.”

I notice the flash of sadness behind his eyes before he starts digging into the soup but I decide not to push. Four years ago, news had swept through the country that Eli’s mother had passed from an on-going illness. I focus on redirecting the conversation.

“Okay, but what about the war? I’ve been thinking a lot the past couple of days, and something doesn’t connect to me.” Maybe I’m being bold, but with Eli I feel like I’m allowed to be bold and take up space. I feel a natural comfort around him.

“Like what,” he says while chewing.

“So despite all this luxury, you were really raised in a barn.” A chuckle rumbles through his chest and he flicks me the bird. “Anyway, everything we know about the Fae indicates that they aren’t exactly warmongering monsters. They’re known for their unity with nature and respect for life. Unless…” I fade off as the wheels in my head turn- unless they were egged on, like I was suspecting earlier. The only issue being that nothing had been on the news, no rumors of anything happening. I struggle to remember anything that would have connected.

“I don’t want to talk about the war right now, that’s not my priority at this particular moment.” Eli sets the empty bowl on the table and leans his head on the back of the couch, dragging his hands down his face. I notice little flecks of scars scattered up his arms, a couple larger ones, and follow the lines of the veins on his hands and up his tanned forearm. The heat wave flushed me again, this time a little hotter. Eli glances at me through his fingers with eyes black as night again.

“Stella, are both of your parents human?”

I’m not opening this door right now. “Where’s your bathroom?”

Eli pointed out the door, not breaking eye contact with me. “Last door on your left.” I felt his eyes on my back as I made my way to the door and closed them behind me.

I don’t feel sick. This feels entirely different, I feel on edge- I just need a minute.

But when I think about those rough hands gently exploring my skin-

I stop to lean on the wall and reign in my thoughts when a pain punches through my lower stomach, similar to menstrual cramps but much, much worse. I gasp and double over, hot and cold flashes assaulting me. I look up as a man pauses his casual walk down the hallway and then rushes over to me.

“Ma’am are you-“ he stops short and I meet eyes black as night. A shifter then. He leans down and gently coaxes my arm away from my abdomen and nods his head toward the bathroom, sneaking a glance up and down the hallway. I follow the slim man into the bathroom against my instincts telling me to run, and the lights reflect off of his bronze hair, creating a halo effect on the crown of his head. He locks the door behind me, and I grimace as the pain ripples again. Before I can’t protest, he pushes me against the wall and muffles my protests with his mouth.

“I’ll make you feel better.” His voice drags nails down my back and I struggle to find my voice.

No.

The stranger wastes no time popping open the bottom of my jeans and ignores the feeble push that I can muster as the hot and cold flashes fog my head.

“Stop it.” I breathe and grit my teeth against the pain. Tears cloud my vision and bile rises in my throat as he unzips me and pushes his hand inside. I grab his wrist with every ounce of strength I have. “No, stop.” I bark out, finally able to find my voice.

Wrong. This is wrong, I don’t want this.

The door frame next to us shatters with a deafening boom, making us both flinch as I whip my head and watch the door bust open. Eli charges in and immediately lunges to wrap his hand around the stranger’s throat, seething in his face and he slams him on the floor as the stranger claws at Eli’s steel grip. The ground shakes and I hear the crack of the tiled floor and the stranger’s desperate hold on Eli slips. I would have been relieved, if it wasn’t for the suffocating energy of his rage, rolling off of Eli so thick that I could almost taste it. One swing from Eli, and I hear the sickening crunch of bone as he makes contact with the monster’s face. He goes still against the cold floor.

The only noise in the room was the sound of Eli’s heavy breathing, his jaw locked and muscles pulled taut. I can’t hold back the hiccup as my tears break free and roll down my face. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of Eli right now, especially as he turns and sets a cold, black stare on me. He takes in the distraught on my face, the frantic uneven breaths I gasp in, and his eyes drop to my open jeans.

He’s angry at me.

I shake my head subtly, sniffing my runny nose. “I didn’t want it.” Eli slowly crouches before me, his eyes cold and calculating. “I told him to stop.”

Please believe me.

I’m not sure why, but I do care if he believes me. The flashes and the pain return and I let a sob escape my lips from frustration. I feel Eli slowly and gently pull my chin up to face him and I feel my body relax at his touch. The tingles spread on my chin. He says nothing as he pulls me to his chest and slides his arm behind my legs to hoist me up.

Eli carries me up another flight of stairs, not once looking at me or calming his erratic breathing. With my arms around his neck, I rest my head on his chest as a wave of exhaustion takes hold just to be interrupted by another hot flash. Eli notices the change and tightens his grip on me but doesn’t say a word. We reach a black door with golden curved handles and he shifts his arm under my leg to open the door. We enter a bedroom and Eli sets me on the soft black comforter of the bed as if I were made of glass and drapes a fluffy gray blanket over my shoulders. He still hasn’t spoken to me, and my heart tightens at the thought of him being upset with me.

Eli walks to one of the side rooms, and as he opens the door I catch a glimpse of the sparkling bathroom beyond. He shuts the door behind him with a gentle click.