CHP28

They approached a busy parking lot, their steps in cautious tow as locals milled about. Seneya saw flashes of silver and gold eyes from strangers that glanced their way with reverence, respect, and curiosity. Seneya sank under their gazes, but Kael gave her a scathing look before tugging her arm and gesturing for her to stand up straight and proud. She lifted her chin and tried to assume an image of careful arrogance. Cars of all shapes and sizes, motorbikes, and more littered the gravel lot, all surrounding a prefabricated metal building that bustled with noise and music.

“Kael! Are you getting in the ring today?” A beast of a man shouted from the bed of a lifted truck. He had gold fire in his eyes and wore ragged clothing. He stood shorter than Kael by about four inches, tall for a human, but not inhumanly so as Kael was.

“Why? Do you think you have a chance?” Kael shouted in plain English, grinning toothily. Bits and pieces of English met her ears, and despite some of it lacking life, some had magic in it, making things a bit more tolerable.

“Pft, no! So, what’s with the pet?” The gold eyes raked over Seneya’s form as he propped a leg up on the edge of the truck. Worn black jeans frayed at the ends split over holy knees. A leather vest spread over a bare tattooed chest.

“Pet?” Kael said with a sharp bite to his tone.

“Wouldn’t dare suggest our Lord had gotten himself a bed friend.” The leer ended when she met his eyes. “Nevermind, she ain’t one of your kind.” His lip curled.

Kael glanced back at her with an impassive stare, and Seneya had acid in her green eyes. The implications filled them both with disgust.

“She’s a Lady, Briggs, and a child,” Kael said, his voice going cold and warning, one that he’d never taken with her even in his most stern moments. Then, his leg slipped, and he stumbled to catch his balance.

“Green eyes?” He choked.

“Rare, right?” Kael grinned.

“I’d say. Welcome to The Pit, my Lady. I apologize for my crass words. I couldn’t sense your mana next to his.” He, Briggs, gave a sweeping bow. Seneya turned her head as something caught her attention. A mockingbird danced along the truck’s bedrail and came close to the edge, within hand’s reach of Seneya and Kael. It chirped and peered at them introspectively.

Seneya glanced from the bird to Kael. He reached for it, and the bird fluttered out of touch. Briggs stiffened noticeably. There had been the strange bird at the gas station and the bird that followed Troi. She wondered if the birds meant something like in Kael’s story as she extended a hand and crooked a finger. Seneya sensed that the bird was curious about her. It cropped up like an instinct within herself as much as the other birds had been. The bird flew from its spot and straight to her finger. She lifted her brows and drew her eyes to Kael and a stunned Briggs.

The shirtless man fell to his knees

“I’m so sorry for what I said, my lady, please, please don’t,” Briggs whispered, the gold in his eyes shining bright and gleaming, watering with unshed tears.

“Please don’t what?” Seneya canted her head but did not move her hand or shoo the bird away.

Kael gave her ‘that look’ again, and she finally offered to let the bird sit back on the edge of the truck.

“Don’t hurt her!” Briggs breathed.

Seneya shook her head and tilted her hand to force the bird to lose its footing. It flitted to her shoulder for a moment and then flew back to the side of the truck where Briggs grappled for it. He held it to himself like a lifeline. The bird seemed equally content to nestle into his hand. Such a rough-looking man didn’t seem the type to coddle such a small songbird.

“They get nervous when you touch their birds.” Kael’s grin didn’t meet his eyes, but Seneya knew he was proud of her, and she’d have to ask what for later. Briggs heaved a wavering sigh, and Kael waved him off. Seneya followed Kael towards the bustling building to a silver-eyed man at the door. He seemed to be checking IDs.

“She 21?” He asked.

“She’s a lady,” Kael emphasized the last word, and the bouncer waved them in with a nod of respect.

Kael spoke in a low voice as they passed the man and wove through bodies. “English or nothing here, and don’t do what you just did with a bird again. No cartoon princess? Got it?”

Seneya nodded shortly as they wound their way around humans and the strange silver and gold-eyed people. Straw littered over the floor, crunching with empty peanut shells. Beneath that, a creaking subflooring gave to her weight. Every step they took had an insubstantial hollow feel. A good jump to take flight may shatter it, she noticed.

The sickening smell of overcooked and deep-fried food teased at her senses. She could recall those scents being pleasing to her. But maybe she missed the taste? Beyond the taste or texture, it bore nothing but pain for her.

Now, she salivated over the mere thought of something raw.

A raised wrestling ring, makeshift, not official, sat towards the back center of the building. Harshly wound ropes ran from each post along its perimeter, swaying gently as two people within danced around one another with sharp jabs and raw-fisted punches.

Seneya stared up at it curiously for a moment before Kael gently tapped her shoulder to follow him. “Neither you nor I are getting into that ring unless we have another lord or lady here.”

“Now, here’s the real magic!” They headed into a room cordoned off in the back, through a flimsy hollow-wood door.

Surly-looking men and women glanced up from sparsely spaced tables. Kael eyed a particular one in his path and sat on the uncomfortably low chair. His knees lifted higher than his hips, and he spread his legs when he sat. Seneya bit back a snicker.

A few eyes glanced about towards them as Kael shifted his large frame with an ominous creak.

“The usual, K?” A woman called out from an open doorway on the other side of the room. The smells wafted from that direction.

“Two of the usual, Dee,” He called out, and the woman stuck her head back in for a doubletake. Dee glanced Seneya up and down before squinting at Kael dubiously. He gave Dee a sharp nod, and she retreated.

“They know what I like here.” Kael propped his forebody over the table and rested his chin on his hands. He dwarfed it for a moment before menacing eyes glanced his way. Each eye squinted back, bearing true colors, not the gold or silvers she’d learned to recognize. Likely, not enai. Also, they didn’t have a smell to them that she associated with herself or Kael.

They seemed to notice Seneya’s stare, and one of them stood, walking over. Kael glanced at him and let his expression go flat as he slapped fifty dollars down on the table.

“Wanna go?” He stared down at Kael angrily.

Kael curled his lip. “Seneya, have you ever arm wrestled before?”

Seneya thought about it, and at one point, she had done it with some kids at school. She recalled that she hadn’t been bad at it but wasn’t sure if the same rules applied here. She shook her head.

“Alright then,” Kael fished around in his pockets and laid down two crisp hundred-dollar bills.

“Tell you what. Beat her, and it’s yours. I’m feeling generous.” Kael waved the man off.

The human’s cheeks colored; brows furrowed. “You being serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“Fine then. Might want to save your girl’s arm and just give me the money if you’re playing that game.”

Kael stood and gestured Seneya over to a small table in the corner of the room. Two stools sat on either side of a reinforced block. The man had strong arms and a ham fist, but the rest of his body hadn’t seen a gym in years, most of it spilling out of his clothes. Seneya fidgeted nervously as she glanced from her rail-thin arm to his.

“Just take the opposite hand, like that, yes?” Kael said as she sat down, and he adjusted her grip. “Now, mind you don’t hurt him. On the count of three, you know how it works?” Kael grinned wide and wickedly. Seneya nodded. “Ready?”

“To take your money? Hell yeah!” Pale and empty blue eyes bored into Seneya.

She waited for a trick or something as Kael counted down to three. The man’s hand squeezed hers, invading her with a clammy and wrong sensation. She couldn’t sense life in him, and nothing sparked beneath his skin. A gentle pressure pushed back at her at the mark of three and felt the cordlike muscles of his arm tighten.

“What the hell?” He pushed at her arm again and didn’t budge. She blinked, as surprised as him. Then, she pressed her arm against his and found him straining against her. A quick flick of her wrist had his arm pinned to the table with little effort.

“What sort of trick is this?” He stared from Seneya to Kael with disbelief.

“No trick. She just learned from the best,” Kael took the money and ruffled over Seneya’s head before taking her back to the table.

“No fucking way. I want a rematch!”

Kael held an arm up and extended his middle finger.

“No, I want a damn rematch, or I’m gonna kick your punk rock lookin’ ass.”

Seneya didn’t like him threatening Kael. It got on her nerves in a way she didn’t quite understand, but when the human’s hand slammed down on the table, she grabbed his wrist with what she considered gentle pressure. “Got another fifty dollars?” She forced herself to say in a low mutter.

Kael’s eyebrows shot up, once again impressed. Her voice deepened considerably as she bore her sharp teeth.

He jerked his hand back when she loosened her grip. Kael placed a hand over hers.

“Close your eyes, little one.” Kael’s kept his voice soft and low as he tossed the fifty dollars back on the table. Seneya obediently closed her eyes.

“Take your money and go,” Kael said, patting Seneya’s hand to open her eyes once more.

“No, I don’t want my fuckin’ money. I want a damn rematch.”

“After my dinner, if I have time, I will allow her to rematch.”

As if sensing a disturbance in her otherwise peaceful den of thieves, Dee stuck her head through the door and gave a warning glare. Kael responded with a winning grin.

She was in her early forties, pleasantly shapely on the bigger end of things, and had shrewd dark grey eyes. Her hair matched the color of the straw on the floor, and she kept it pulled back into a tight bun that tugged on her temples. Her stern gaze didn’t relent.

“Fine!” Kael made a gesture to Seneya to get up and move. She obliged.

“Don’t break my damn table!” Dee shouted before sinking back into the recesses of the clamoring kitchen.

Kael squinted at the offending man dubiously to ask if he was sure this was the route he wanted to choose.

“You want to go after the girl again, or me?” Kael squared up to him, looming nearly a foot taller than him.

“Nah, I don’t know what kind of trick she used, but I ain’t fallin’ for it twice. I’ll take you!” His lip curled, revealing a slew of missing teeth.

Kael had an ‘it’s your funeral’ look on his face and beckoned the man to sit. Kael loosely poised his elbow, and Seneya moved a set of plastic salt and pepper shakers out of the way. The man cracked his knuckles, braced his arm, and grasped Kael’s hand.

“On your count, then,” Kael said graciously as the man shouted a quick countdown. Seneya noticed it again, Kael setting himself like a steel rod, an immovable force as the man strained and moved his body. Kael quirked a brow before moving his arm a little, shaking it so the man thought he could gain purchase. Seneya could almost believe Kael was trying until he turned the tide and slammed the man’s arm to the table a little more forceful than strictly necessary.

“Now, do I get to keep the fifty, or are you going to demand another rematch?” Kael’s sharp teeth bared. The man spat a slur at him before stomping off angrily.

“I have no idea what that word means,” Kael said, and Seneya couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, but sad to hear it said aloud.

“I do.” The sound cracked from her lips quietly but pleased Kael nonetheless to hear it.

“Really? Everyone gets uncomfortable when I ask about that word. It’s nothing dirty, I assume because they love telling me about dirty things. Of course, I can tell you what they get up to is simultaneously more horrific and tamer than our kind, but I will not be the one giving you that talk. Eventually, we have to get you a lady friend...”

Seneya nodded but didn’t volunteer any information.

“Well, come on. You can teach me something at least!”

“Uh... It’s just a bad word for your appearance… It means you look Asian.” Her cheeks colored a bit.

“Mongolia, to be specific.” Kael hadn’t spoken of his homelands before.

“Do you speak Mongolian?” Seneya’s voice rose above a whisper this time, and she seemed genuinely interested. He said something in an offhand dialect, and she winced as he spoke it. Again, meaning pricked at her mind.

“I said I don’t speak much. I dealt more with Chinese and Russians. English is more common with them. I can muddle by, but I’ve been Americanized here in the Easterlies, I guess.”

“Easterlies?”

“Enai territory name.” Kael waved his hand dismissively before grabbing the money off the table and stowing it away in his wallet.

Dee returned once more and glanced down at the table. She set two bowls down and reached out in front of Kael to rub her thumb over a spot on the table.

“Not even a dent,” Kael assured her. Dee didn’t seem convinced but sat down a separated bottle of some liquid by them all the same. Seneya glanced down in front of her to see a well-prepared leafy green salad covered in all manner of chopped vegetables, pecans, sunflower seeds, and if she wasn’t mistaken, dried cranberries. Her mouth filled with saliva as she stared at it and swallowed hard. Finally, she sat two cold glasses of water next to them and leaned in low.

“She looks really young, Kael,” Dee said with a warning tone.

“Sixteen. Barely has her fires.” Kael grinned back at her. Dee chewed on her lip a little. “Seneya, Dee… Dee, meet Seneya, my little starling.”

Dee scrutinized Kael for a moment. “So this is why you’ve been getting extra food….”

“I take it that they kept their word on bringing her in. The rumor mill didn’t get rolling. She’s lost.” He used an Acerrai word for ‘lost,’ and the woman shushed him hard.

“Don’t you go spouting that shit off in here, Kael. We’ll have a bar fight in no time.” Dee cut her eyes to Seneya. “He’s not been doing anything weird with you, has he?”

Seneya shook her head but found herself mesmerized by the magic in the woman’s voice, despite being a little chaotic to be near. Otherwise, she was comfortable. The corners of her lips turned up in a nervous smile. Dee squinted at Seneya before reaching out to grab her shoulder. “When Kael’s running his business, why don’t you come on back with some of the girls, huh? They open up the old salon round the side at night while the menfolk play their tadger measuring games.”

Kael’s eyes watched Dee, then Seneya cautiously, and Seneya surprised herself when she didn’t flinch at the woman’s touch.

Seneya cut her eyes to Kael. Her cheeks turned pink, and something about a few silver and gold nervous glances that Dee earned made Seneya wonder if being touched like this was alright. He nodded his head side to side. “No cartoon princess antics? Only English. Be gentle,” he said with quiet calm words.

“Now, why are you wanting to take her out back, exactly?” Kael turned his head up at Dee

“You’ve been having her roll in the damn creek to clean off. She’s not you. We can’t just hose her down like we do you once you get too whiffy—like a damn dog,” Dee scathed.

Kael’s grin turned into a leer. “But then you birds wouldn’t get to see me in a wet shirt, no?”

Seneya dipped her head self-consciously as the woman gripped her shoulder with reassurance.

“We’ll get you properly cleaned up a bit. Your hair needs some attention.” At that, Dee rounded on Kael with a scowl. She raised her hand and slapped him against the back of his head with an echoing crack that startled Seneya and had him jerking. Utter silence accompanied a chorus of sharp gasps. He winced and stared at her incredulously before her finger found itself leveled at his face. “I’m going to thoroughly interrogate her; I hope you know.”

“Fine! Just so you know, every single thing about her is the creator’s oath silence. You and your girls better heed that, or we’re going to have major problems, got it?” Kael rubbed the back of his head. “She’s under my protection, and until she is of age, her safety is a promise written in my ink.” Kael’s eyes went dark at those words.

“My lord,” Dee said with a polite nod and shifted herself back to the kitchen.

Kael rounded on Seneya, shifting into his casual confidence. “Now then, food.”

Seneya stared up at Kael, a little shaken, and had that curious look in her eyes like she wanted answers to questions.

“Ask.” He demanded as he grabbed the bottle, shook it to mix the liquids within, and started to pour it over the salad.

“The guy I arm-wrestled… He seemed really weak.”

“You’re a lot stronger than him, even though you’re still scrawny.” He nodded.

“But that lady hurt you when she hit you.”

Kael glanced back to the kitchen and rolled his eyes. “Enai are a bit different, stronger. She couldn’t do much more than that if she tried, though.”

She continued to stare at the food.

“Just ask,” Kael grumbled. Lettuce smattering his teeth.

“Why did you tell me to close my eyes?”

“Your fires. They show in your eyes when you’re angry.” He gestured a bit at his face before spearing a bite of salad. “I used to do that a lot up into my thirties. When I was happy too.”

“How old are you?”

“Eighty-four.” Kael swallowed. Seneya choked.

“…How long do we….”

“About three hundred or so if everything goes perfect. Most of us—” He made a gesture across his throat with a finger, “Before we turn two hundred.”

“What?”

“To go back into the cycle. If you lose your bondmate or something, it’s just… Why live alone in a failing body if you don’t want to?”

Seneya’s eyes went wide. The prospect of that long of a life ahead of her made things seem full of potential, making her feel so young in the grand scheme of things.

Seneya picked up her fork and stabbed a whole stack of lettuce and toppings. She had to swallow twice before she brought the fork to her mouth and closed it around the full array of flavors and textures. She thought she was going to cry for a moment as she chewed. Instead, the emotion welled up in her heart like a surge. She closed her eyes, leaning her head down to rest her head over her hand. In the darkness between her arms, she saw a dancing green light, the reflection on the shafts of her lashes.

“Good?”

“Mhm.” Seneya managed to choke out. Kael chuckled.

“I think you’re healing up a bit better, appetite is working out, and we can change things up a bit, some variety and the like.”

“The whole eating once a day thing?” She managed to choke out before going for another bite blindly.

“Eh. I’ll keep some stuff around if you’re hungry often. I’m just not. Want some dressing on it?” Kael shook the bottle, the contents sloshing about.

She shook her head and held her hand up, clearing her throat.

“Eyes, can’t,” She coughed.

“Over food?” Kael snorted a laugh. Seneya lifted her hand slightly and peeked one eye open. She could see green dancing over the strands of her lashes and closed her eye just as fast.

“Ah. You’ve been starved,” Kael said with a ragged sigh, all amusement leaving his voice. She peeked under her hand and watched as he rested his hand over his face for a moment, took a deep breath, and stood.

He took a few strides to the door of the kitchen and pushed his head through. Wordlessly he beckoned Dee, and she approached, a dishrag in her hands and face marked with slight concern.

He whispered to her for a moment, and she peered around the corner at Seneya, then back to Kael.

She made a beckoning gesture as she came out and grabbed their plates. Kael grabbed the table and moved it into the kitchen to push it into a crowded area with stored canned goods and cutlery.

They ushered Seneya to stand and brought her into the kitchen.

“Alright, we’re safe here,” Kael said finally, and Seneya blinked her eyes a few times before glancing up. The dim glow of them settled, but she wasn’t sure what would happen if she continued eating.

“See, she knows what we like,” Kael laughed.

“I’m sorry. It’s really good.” Seneya sighed in relief as she became more comfortable eating. Kael made the decision for her and poured what appeared to be a vinaigrette over her food. The oil and sour played over the medley on her tongue, and those tears that had threatened earlier came in running streaks.

“Man Dee. I know your cooking’s bad, but you’ve got the Lady crying.” One of the cooks, a golden-eyed boy with a crooked-toothed grin, said celebratorily.

“Shut it, Kavin,” Dee snapped at him as she watched Seneya eat. The thin-set of her form, the new musculature, and the strange features told Dee a lot.

“Is she half Enai?” Dee finally asked. Seneya froze still at the mention, food unchewed in her mouth. But, then, something deep within herself took offense, and the discordant words of her spirit, her Sohken, spiked up. “Absolute not!”

Kael shook his head sharply and held up a hand.

“No. Hybrids aren’t possible. She’s all Cerraien. They gelded her right after she got her Aura.” Kael waved his hand dismissively. Dee’s eyes went dark, and her posture turned protective. Seneya did her best to stifle down her sensations. Her ikris twitched just thinking about it.

“You poor…” Dee said quietly. Seneya cowered down, small and helpless. The comment had her on edge, and she instinctively reached for the scar on her shoulder where they had removed the numbers so many years ago.

Kael gave her a well-meaning look. “We’ll talk later.”

Dee left her alone with a soft smile, and Kael picked at his food. Seneya ached with hunger so badly that she couldn’t focus on anything else but the flavorful bounty before her. Everything she had missed about human food had been returned to her. It tasted so much better than the sparse fare Kael brought, the raw meat, the bland vegetables. Her stomach clenched with delight and welcomed every bite of it until her fork found no more purchase.

“Good, right?” Kael said, and Seneya glanced up to see him gently teething a bite off of a fork. Seneya couldn’t even imagine that Kael knew how to use cutlery.

“Mhm!” Seneya reached for her glass of ice water and let the cool wash of it cover her tongue with its chilled glory. Ice cubes touched her lips, and the glass tinkled with them until no more water remained. Seneya sighed heavily with delight and shivered.

Dee followed up with two plates of something strange, cubes amid a rich dark sauce. It smelled thickly of spices and had a sweet aroma. Her mouth watered for it, but her mind told her that anything that smelled this good would definitely cause her trouble. Kael didn’t seem to think so as he speared one of the cubes, soft and tender, under his fork. A streak of red tainted the dark liquid as he brought it to his lips and savored the bite.

“It’s safe.” His blue eyes went soft as he smiled at her.

“What is it?” Seneya poked at it with her fork. The cubes were meat of some kind, but the sauce was the dangerous mystery.

“Fresh venison and some kind of sauce she makes, fruit juice and spices,” Kael shrugged as he continued. Seneya tried a bite and found it eye-wateringly good. The sauce tasted rich and tinny with notes of fruit, black pepper, and coriander.

“Deer tartare with blood sauce,” Dee called out. Seneya didn’t care an ounce what it contained if it tasted that good and filled the emptiness of her palette. Her fork scraped at sauce before she realized it, and her stomach protested more. Finally, she rested a hand just beneath her ribcage and sighed with pleasure.

“Full?” Kael asked. Seneya nodded, though she had a strange sensation that she could hold a little more.

“Alright, Kael, shoo. Go pester the tourists.” Dee waved Kael off.