“Good. I am holding you to that, woman.” Arron warned her teasingly, though it was apparent to both of them that they might not have a future if things went badly in the next two days. But it was not like Arron to stew on the negative, and it was not like Layla to ever tell him goodbye. She knew now that if they made it through this, her and Arron’s friendship would persist.
A wonderfully bright lodestone in Layla’s life.
“Ok, you.” Arron spoke at last, “go kick some ass. And we are buying a seriouslyopulenthouse once all this is done, maybe even up on Sunset Hill in Ballard with some nice ocean views. I love you, and I’ll pass along your love to Charlie and Celia. They say hi, by the way.”
“Tell them hi for me back.” Layla smiled sweetly. “You stay safe. And tell me all about those Intercessoria prats when I get done here.”
“You bet. Love you, honey.”
“Love you, too.” With that, Layla handed the phone back to Luke, and Luke and Arron spoke a bit more before they hung up.
Shoving the phone in the pocket of his borrowed grey trousers, Luke nodded to Layla and Heathren. “I’m good now. Though it would be nice to get a change of clothes that fit me sometime soon, now that we’re out of battle-mode.”
“I’ll call Dusk,” Layla spoke, taking her phone out from her dress pocket. “He’s about your size and still has a wardrobe at the Hotel—”
But before Layla could say anything more, a brisk rap came at her door; and as if summoned, Dusk himself came striding in, followed by Luke’s girlfriend Rikyava. Flowing quickly to Luke in her Guard-attire, Rikyava embraced him hard, the both of them winding into each other as they kissed with decadent relief that Luke had survived the fight in Seattle. As they embraced, Dusk moved to Layla, taking up her hands with relief in his sapphire eyes as a wave of diamond light refracted through his perfectly sculpted hair and serrated midnight Dragon-scales. Kissing her sweetly, Dusk moved Layla away from the still-devouring-each-other Rikyava and Luke, as Heathren moved with them also towards the closed apartment doors.
“Thank the gods you two are back!” Dusk spoke as he kissed Layla sweetly on the lips. “I had to tell Rikyava about Seattle – she was going insane waiting for you and Luke, pacing for the last hour right outside your doors, Layla. How is he?”
“He’s okay,” Layla spoke as she and Dusk both glanced to Luke and Rikyava, now done with their relieved kissing and holding each other as they spoke near the cold fireplace. “Shit was bad in Seattle, but Luke’s got a fighting spirit. I know losing his grandfather’s house has devastated him, and losing people at the hospital – but in classic Luke style, he’s currently turning all that anguish into a deep, dark rage. I’ve never felt hisnullaxso powerful, Dusk. Or so fucking frightening.”
“Better than having him out of the game.” Dusk answered directly as he glanced back to Luke. “Luke and the Bind may never get along, Layla, but his magic is supremely powerful like Fury’s. He’s an anomaly of magic and it’s good to have him on our side. What were you all doing just now, in the ether? I felt a fuck-ton of magic a few minutes ago, but it was hard to tell exactly what was going on – it was just like this massive whirlpool inside my entire body. Crazy.”
“Did everyone in the Bind feel our little magical experiment?” Layla blinked.
“It was hard not to miss, Layla.” Dusk spoke as he shook his head incredulously. “You and Luke may be oil and water, but you make fucking sparks when you’re together and no doubt about it. What the hell were you doing?”
“Trying to re-Bind him.” Layla spoke back, giving it to Dusk straight.
“What?!” Dusk blinked as he glanced to Luke, then Heathren. “I mean – what the fuck?!”
“I’ll tell you more in a moment.” Layla spoke quickly as she took his arm. Finished with their talk, Luke and Rikyava had returned to where Layla, Dusk, and Heathren stood by the doors, holding hands as they took comfort in each other. As she watched them, Layla could see suddenly how Luke and Rikyava made a good pair. Both were fierce fighters and deeply protective of people they cared about. Like Dusk, Rikyava had the humor to evaporate steam from Luke’s rage, and like Layla, Luke had the blistering anger to make shit happen when it needed to. As they stood before her now, Layla felt how harmonized Luke was with Rikyava, and she could feel Dusk thinking the same thing as he smiled at his former lover with sweetness, loving how she was with Luke.
“Come on.” Dusk spoke now as he surveyed them all. “Let’s get upstairs to Reginald’s apartment where everyone else is, so you all can tell us about this new plan.”
“Wiser words were never spoken.” Heathren said as he gave Dusk a nod. “I believe the plan that Mr. Murphy, Layla, and myself tested just now is viable, though to what extent we will find out during the fray on solstice night. It is certainly still worth trying – and hopefully, can get us some breathing room when the time comes.”
“And break some of Hunter’s dominance over his Binds,” Layla added as she glanced at Dusk.
“Breaking Hunter’s dominance? Sounds good to me.” Dusk spoke as a hard wave of refraction passed through his hair and sapphire eyes. Kissing Layla on the lips, he tucked her beneath his arm as he glanced to Luke and Rikyava. “Hey, hot-lips kids. You ready to go?”
“Ready as a machete, twinkle-toes.” Rikyava winked back, elated now that her beloved had been returned. Luke’s glance at Rikyava was deep with love as he smiled at her – and Layla found herself supremely glad that her magic had not been able to re-Bind him. Luke was better this way, living free with the woman he chose; and with a ribald laugh, Rikyava took the lead, exiting through Layla’s gilded suite doors and proceeding down the hall towards a staircase that would take them up to the fourth floor. Shaking their heads, Layla and Dusk followed with Heathren bringing up the rear.
Back to the Bind to make final preparations for the upcoming fight.
CHAPTER 7 – SAFE
Standing in a hall deep beneath the Paris Hotel the next morning with Adrian and Dusk, Layla took a turn, admiring a truly opulent space all around her. Dressed in a casual outfit today of a purple silk shirt and skinny jeans with tall boots, Layla was comfortable in the hall, despite their early morning adventure underground. Last night, their council in Reginald’s suite had run late, after a discussion about Luke and Heathren’s potential advantage over Hunter. As that discussion ended, Dusk had spoken up, insinuating he might have something also for the upcoming battle, though it still needed exploration. Everyone had agreed Dusk, Adrian, and Layla would check out Dusk’s possible advantage early the next morning.
Which was where Layla stood now with her two primary lovers and Quindici DaPonti – whom Dusk had insisted be present for their endeavor.
Awake at six am despite her yawning from too little sleep and not enough coffee, Layla took in the tremendous underground hall all around her now, amazed. Opal-white crystal pillars sprouted up from the crystal floor, carved with fleur-de-lis. Far above, the pillars spread out like the branches of real trees, vaulting across the cavern’s heights. In the hall’s ceiling, crystal glowed blue-white with clusters of sapphire, citrine, and ruby to give the space a daylight feel. Ornate French Baroque staircases led to vaulted overlooks filled with gryphon and dragon-fountains, while sapphire waterways snaked through the cavern’s floor, feeding gardens of fruit trees and vegetables, hanging gardens dripping from every French Baroque balcony. Like a faerie realm underground, the space was astonishing; and giving a low whistle, Layla shook her head as she glanced around, scuffing one boot over the sleek crystal floor.
“Holy hells, Batman.” She spoke, impressed. “King Lorenz DuVir built all this here when he built the Palace of Versailles above? It’s like a whole other palace down here!”
“So the Crystal Plateau’s records say; and it basically is.” Beside her, Dusk stood in a navy suit with a black shirt and matching pocket square, flashy with a modern shine to it. Looking around with them, Adrian was more causal like Layla today in a grey pinstriped vest and trousers, his white shirt open at the collar and sleeves rolled up. Quinn, however, was immaculately put-together in a deep maroon Armani suit with a black shirt, tie, and pocket square with his plethora of gold rings and a Rolex.
“King Lorenz DuVir wasn’t just a notorious lover of decadence and women, Layla,” Dusk continued as they admired the space, “he was also an impressive Crystal Architect and a regular architect – one of the reasons he was able to fashion these halls and the original Palace of Versailles above. Apparently, when he built the Palace here in the Twilight Realm, he had this network of caverns hollowed out beneath it, courtesy of his paranoia that his rival, King Markus Ambrose, would come after him. Plus, he created countless additions to the Thin Ways all across France, as escape routes. King DuVir was the only true rival to Markus’ dominance at the time, and had split the Crystal Dragons of the world. Half of them followed him rather than King Markus – and Markus hated it.”
