The Pentagram Child: Part 1 (Afterlife Saga Book 5) (10 page)

“Keira, its fine, please sit down,” Draven ordered softly using his reasoning voice that was always hard to resist, damn him. I sat back down and wondered for half a second if he wasn’t staying but then that flew right out of my head when he turned to face me. He casually leaned his weight against the table, turning his back to the rest of his council to stare down at me after crossing his arms.

O…k…talk about making a girl feel uncomfortable, jeez, I felt like I was being stripped naked and examined with a magnifying glass! ‘Don’t bite your lip…don’t bite your lip…don’t bite your lip.’ I chanted and kept rolling my lips back in my mouth, probably looking like a fish just from trying to hold back the urge that intensified tenfold whenever Draven was around.

“You’re looking well, Keira.” Draven said after giving me an extensive once over, one that had my heart pounding like a juiced up kid after a Halloween’s worth of sweets. I mean Jesus, did he just purr that sentence!

“Thanks, you…you too,” I murmured turning shy and brushing the shorter side parts of my hair behind my ear just for something to do.

“Hell yeah she does! Just look at all those curves.” Sophia shouted enthusiastically and I was once again begging her with my eyes. Oh this was another set up alright. One look into her gleaming eyes dancing with mirth told me as much.

“I’m looking, Sophia.” Draven said still looking down at me and I quickly started to turn a very unattractive shade of burnt Brit sunbather! Was it just me or was it baking in here?! I turned to Vincent and caught him smirking, with a half-smile hidden behind his hand. What was this, a damn conspiracy?

“So did you all just get in or have you been here a few days?” I asked after wracking my brain to find small talk but really, in this situation there wasn’t much to go with.

“We arrived early this morning.” Vincent said softly and obviously my best Draven choice for aiding with my small talk plan.

“Yeah but Dom here got back from Hell, what about two hours ago?” Sophia said looking up at Draven and gaining a look of disbelief back.

“Sophia!”

“Sophia!” The two brothers scolded their sister at the same time, whilst I was left looking like a fish gasping for air.

“Did…did she just say…
Hell!?”
I couldn’t help it this time when my voice grew in pitch by the end of that sentence.

“What? Why can’t she know that? You only went to visit our father!” Sophia whined like a petulant child.

“Oh…you saw your father?” Draven was still scowling at his sister but at my question he dragged his gaze from her to me. Thankfully he swapped his burning annoyance for something softer before he turned it on me.

“I did.” Draven said, as always a man of many words I thought sarcastically.

“Well that’s cool…how was he?” I couldn’t help but ask thinking back to very fond memories of the King of Lust…well that was minus the reasons I was there in the first place but man, the guy could give a mean foot rub!

“Keira.”
Draven actually groaned at my question before saying my name like he was now dealing with two naughty children that he wanted to send to bed without supper. Ok, Keira, for your sanity you must remember never, NEVER, to think of another analogy where Draven and the word bed are in the same sentence!

“What? He was nice to me.” I argued making Vincent burst out laughing, Sophia grin like a mad woman and Draven roll his eyes and mutter what I presumed was a swear word in another language.

“Well he was.” I muttered reaching for the glass in front of me and forgetting what was in it. I took a gulp and quickly reacted as if I had just swallowed acid. I started coughing and spluttering in a very unladylike fashion and I felt a pair of hands pull me forward and start patting my back.

“Holy mother of Hades! What is that stuff, paint stripper and liquid nitro?! Jesus!” I complained as the large hand at my back stopped patting but instead continued to rub large, soothing circles around my back. I looked up, parting my hair and expected to see Vincent there as the one who had been helping me but couldn’t help but inhale sharply when it wasn’t.

“Hey,” Draven said kneeling down to my level and half leaning over me as his hand was still at my back. The feel of him touching me again was as if a live wire straight to my heart had been switched back on, jump starting it back to life.

“Hey,” I breathed making him smile.

“You good?” I nodded biting my damn lip again. He gave me a cheeky half smile and shocked me by taking my chin between his thumb and finger before giving it a playful, little shake then saying,

“You’re good.” He then stood up and shouted to Loz to bring me water and a bottle of what used to be my usual. I sat back up and gave his silent council a little embarrassed smile sending up a prayer that a certain someone was no longer at the table. I would have to remember to ask Sophia about that when we were next alone. What had happened to Aurora?

“It sure has been boring without you around, Keira.” Zagan said surprising us all…well everyone but Sophia that was. Draven frowned at him but he just shrugged his shoulders giving us a small glimpse of his pale eyes and tattooed scar underneath his hood. Sophia however beamed at him lovingly as though he was her hero for saying that.

“Then here’s to missed human entertainment.” I said raising my new bottle, forgetting about the water Loz had also placed before me. I then took a long swig letting the cold beer cool my burning throat and noticed over my bottle everyone else had raised their glasses too.

“Missed indeed.”
I could have sworn that was what I heard Draven whisper over his own glass, the very one I had stupidly drank out of. Did he really say that or was I just imagining the words I secretly longed to hear?

“So, was it just a catch up?” I asked Draven.

“Something like that.” He answered after first needing to think about it. Sophia on the other hand snorted like I would have and once again she was having her name said in warning, this time though it was by her own partner Zagan.

“Alright, alright, I won’t mention anything about the fight.”

“What?” I shouted in response.

“Ooops.” Sophia said not looking sorry in the slightest.

“You had a fight with your dad…as in a fight, fight?” I asked and it was only when I put my hand on his folded arm that he looked away from Sophia but not before he said,

“We will be having words later, Sophia.” Then he turned to first look at my hand, making me quickly pull it away and then back down at my expectant face.

“We fought yes but it is not your concern.” Wow that stung, but I guess I now knew how he felt after what Alex had said to him.

“No…of course not.” I couldn’t help but keep the resentment out of my voice.

“Keira I didn’t…”

“Its fine, I mean you’re right…but, well I just hope you sorted it out with your dad.” He smiled at that.

“Let’s say that we came to a compromise.”

“That’s good to know.” I replied quietly, feeling shy again under his watchful gaze. This meeting was definitely going better than it had earlier that was for sure but still it felt weird. Like I was transported back in time, back to the beginning all over again and trying to find safe footing when it came to speaking with him. I was confused, I was intimidated, I was hot and bothered at being this close to him and I was angry that I was feeling any of these things at all. I always said that if I ever came across Draven again I would just act cool and play the emotionless ice queen. Well there went that plan out the window…Ha, me ice queen, what a joke. Yeah I think being caught in his chair, nearly knocking it to the floor and half choking to death was a sure way to burn that ice queen routine to cinders!

“So how’s the new job, Keira?” Sophia asked making Draven’s eyes widen for a moment.

“New job?” Ah so at least I now knew that like me, he hadn’t being keeping tabs on me via information provided by his siblings. Again I would be lying if I said that also didn’t sting but really, what did I expect? The guy had pretended to be dead and made sure every aspect of the life I had allowed to grow around me, thanks to his own seed planted, was dead too. That wasn’t ever going to be the actions of a man who also wanted to know about my wellbeing. Take last year for example, all those things that happened to me and where was he…where was his protection…it was dead by choice, that’s where it was!

“Yeah, life goes on Draven, did you really expect me not to get another job?” I snapped unable to help myself after these painful feelings I had just dug back up. He had the cheek to look taken aback by my snippy reply but then masked his features better than I could with a look of indifference.

“To be honest I gave it little thought considering the decision made to financially see to your future.” Oh no he didn’t! Was this guy nuts? I even heard Sophia and Vincent groan at the obvious mistake he just made by saying that shit. 

I stood up quickly, this time not giving a shit about whether the chair made it or not. I took a threatening step towards him and poked him in the chest as I proceeded to give him a piece of my mind,

“Alright Daddy Warbucks, time to give you a little insight. See I don’t give a flying shit about your money, never have, never will! Although I bet the badgers loved it, oh and that guy I sent on holiday. So with that said I DO NOT appreciate you thinking you can buy me off and send me on my merry way so that what exactly…you can sleep better at night? How dare you! Who the Hell do you think you are you?!” I shouted up at him and continued poking him with every point made.

“Badgers…?”

“Yeah badgers, you know, nowty little buggers with stripy heads!” I said motioning with my hands as I got more animated and my Liverpool accent came through thicker. 

“I know what a badger is, Keira now ‘nowty’ on the other hand…”

“It means angry, annoyed, irritated, fuming, livid, foot stomping mad…pretty much all the things I am right now!”  

“Right, if you are quite finished shouting at me I will expla…”

“Oh no, I am not finished, not by a long shot you bast…!” I started shouting at him only to be interrupted just like I had done to him, only his way was far more effective.

“Alright, have it your way!” He said before bending suddenly and jamming his shoulder in my belly before hoisting me up and over his shoulder.

“Hey! What are you doing? Put me down right now!” I shouted bent over with my hair trailing down the back of his legs. I tried to push myself up, shamefully loving the fact I had to use his beautiful behind as leverage. I managed it for only a second or two before slipping on the smooth material of his suit trousers.

“You can’t do this, Draven!”

“I think you will find I am doing it just fine!” He snapped back as he continued to carry me to somewhere I couldn’t see.

“Are you guys just going to sit there or are you going to help me?!” I said looking sideways and upside down at Vincent and Sophia.

“Nope.”

“Nada.” They both said at the same time making me growl.

“Fine! Traitors!” At this I started to shake on Draven’s shoulder as he started to laugh. Bloody laugh! The audacity of this man knew no bounds!

“Come now, you really think either of them could stop me…have you forgotten all of your time with me already?” He asked still clearly amused. I tried to fold my arms in frustration but in the end I had to use my hands to brace myself as I just looked like one of those nodding bobble heads that was all the rage years ago.

“A girl can try,” I said acting bitchy but his continued laughter told me I didn’t quite pull it off. I huffed at the sound and listened to a pair of heavy doors opening. This was when I really started to panic. I started to tug on his shirt in desperation.

“No Draven…wait, just wait a minute!” He immediately stopped laughing on hearing my pleading.

“You’re fine”

“No! Where are you taking me…please…please don’t take me back there.” I said feeling myself losing it quickly.

“Keira, what is it...what’s wrong?” I heard another door being opened and my heart sank as I closed my eyes not wanting to see it again. I couldn’t. It would kill me! I felt him lower me down his front and another shiver shot through me.

“Keira, open your eyes.” He ordered gently and I dug my palms over my eyes and shook my head feeling the tears forming beneath them.

“Tell me what is it…?
Talk to me.”
I felt him reach up and try to pry my hands from my eyes and when I put up a resistance he simply pulled harder. My strength gave in knowing there was little point when up against someone like Draven. Still, I kept my eyes firmly shut.

“I don’t understand why you won’t…wait, what is it you said before we came in here…don’t take you back there…that’s what you said.” He was starting to piece it together and it suddenly felt like my heart was lodged firmly in my throat, ready to fall at his feet.

“Keira, where do you think you are?” He asked me this as though he was talking to an unstable mental person with a gun in her hand.

“Your bed chamber.
” I whispered shamefully trying to pull my arms from his hold but it was useless. For long moments there was an overwhelming silence between us and I knew Draven was using this time to think about why I would feel this way about going back to that room. It was when I heard him exhale a heavy sigh that I knew the truth of the matter had hit him.

I was terrified at what going back in that room would do to me. Afterlife was one thing and seeing Draven in it another, these were all different levels of torture in their own right but that room…that room held all the
good
memories. There were no weighing scales of good and bad in that room. There was nothing to tip the balance enough for me to not be haunted for another ten months of beautiful and perfect moments of what I thought was pure love. And I had so long now been hanging on to a thin thread that was created of nothing but bitterness. It had to be if I was to survive each day.

I couldn’t think back to those days. I couldn’t think back to before those words. The most painful words to ever be spoken from the man you love.