The Fantasy Trove

What’s a girl to do after finding out that the other half of her heart is possibly her sister? In Shelly’s case, it’s pick up the pieces and try to save two worlds. Hopefully she stays alive long enough to try.

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Chapter 14

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Honest Senators?

Jessica cursed as she ducked behind another building. The sun broke the crest of the eastern horizon and it’d taken her all night to reach this city in the normal world. She was tired, filthy, and cranky. Why had she told them who she was? It wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair! Her plans weren’t ruined. Not yet, anyway. She was sure she could salvage them, but it was going to take a lot more effort now that she wasn’t in close to her half-siblings. They were her surest bet in getting close to the Pillars.

No one had treated her as fair as Shelly and Sheldon had, and now because of that four-armed tramp, they hated her. They had to! She could see no way that they wouldn’t hate her. It didn’t matter to her that they were half-related. She was certain that they shared the same father. The Pillar of Fire never told her who her father was, but everyone knew that she and the hero of the Chaos War, Lyden Snow, were lovers. While her mother may have been a vile succubus once, Jessica held no doubts that the current Pillar of Fire would never cheat on Lyden.

A car drove past where she hid in the early morning shadows, its headlights still on. She took care to remain in the early morning shadows. She appeared fully human to outsiders, having reverted back to her natural state after changing in the Paladonic Knight’s stronghold. She still wasn’t certain why she’d retained control over her body as midnight struck, but her hair had turned silver. Always before in this world, as the night reached its zenith, she’d changed into that silver-haired persona, and the voice within her took over.

But last night was different. Magic was dampened, and that may have played a part in it. If she could figure out what had kept her from losing control, maybe she could do it again. She might be able to lead a somewhat normal life.

Why do you care? The voice in her head demanded. She hated that voice. It’d been with her since childhood. Always demanding, and never caring. The first time she went to Earth had been a nightmare. Her mother couldn’t leave the Shadow World, but had one of her kobolds take her in the dark of night. Midnight had struck, and suddenly she was the voice in another person’s head. It’d been horrible to watch as the thing that had taken over her forced the kobold to rape and pillage the small Egyptian town. As the sun came up, Jessica was able to regain control, but by then the damage was done.

Enough townspeople were able to band together and kill the kobold. It hadn’t been his fault. His death still tore at her in her darkest nightmares. They hadn’t recognized the little black-haired girl, and took care of her until she could slip away and make it back to her mother’s volcano. She was locked away after that.

To make it worse, her mother had agreed with the kobold’s death, claiming he needed to die so that other magical creatures wouldn’t be feared. She hated her mother for that, and for locking her away like she was the monster. She hated both worlds that Angela helped support. She wanted to break it down.

She waited for another car to go by, before slipping out and heading north. She needed to get to a portal, and back to the Shadow World before the other woman tried to take over again. She could sense one a few miles away. She didn’t know how she could sense them, but it felt like a tear in the fabric of reality to her.

Would it really be so bad to stay here? the other voice asked. We could have so much fun. Wouldn’t it be better to live the way we want, instead of always hiding? I know how tired you are of hiding who you really are. Who we really are. With my power, you could have whatever you wanted. Whoever you wanted. You could have had the twins. Even at the same time, if you wanted. Why must you keep me locked away? You have no problem using my power to trap creatures of this world in my home reality. You use my power to control them afterwards. Why not let me show you what else we can do together? You could have everything. No more hiding.

Jessica shoved the voice down and shook her head. No matter how tempting the words were, that thing was evil. It didn’t care about anything but itself. She had to find a way to get rid of that voice forever. The other woman made her a promise once, and it was the only one that Jessica believed. Bring the two worlds together. Get rid of the separation between Earth and the Shadow World, and the voice would go away. It was the duality in the two worlds that allowed the voice to stay inside her. She didn’t understand it herself, but deep down she believed it.

Jessica had already killed one Pillar. If she could kill two more of the original Pillars, the remaining three wouldn’t be able to support the Shadow World.  The two worlds would become one again. She refused to kill her own mother no matter how much she hated the Pillar of Fire, and the Pillar of Air was out of the question as well. She wouldn’t kill family, no matter what the reward. That left the Pillars of Earth, Light, and Dark.

Perhaps with the darkness in her soul, it was time to make her next move.

“You left quite a trail of emotional damage behind you,” Gloria’s voice said nearby, making Jessica jump and spin. She landed in a defensive crouch, ready for an attack. “I guess I did the same though. Would have liked to stick around for the orgy, but I had to catch up to you. I hate what I had to do, but hopefully one day he’ll forgive me. What’s your next move?”

*    *    *    *

Shelly tumbled in a world of turmoil. Chaos surrounded her mind as she both fought to run away from Jessica’s last words, and tried to cope with them.

Angela, the Pillar of Fire, was Jessica’s mom. Everyone knew that Lyden Snow and Angela were together, and had been since before the Chaos War. Jessica was too young to be before that time, unless she’d lied about her age.

Shelly’s mind locked onto that thought. Jessica had to be older than she pretended. It was the only thing that made sense. She had to be a child from before Angela met her father. Jessica couldn’t be her half-sister! She just couldn’t be!

“So what if she is?” Shemhazau’s voice penetrated the chaos surrounding her. It was one more thing for her mind to anchor on.

The swirling chaos slowed. Her surroundings coalesced into vague shapes, but no more.

“Where are you, Grandpa? I—I can’t see.”

“Grandpa?” Shemhazau’s voice carried through to her, solidifying her surroundings even more. She almost thought she could hear the surf sliding against the sand. “I can’t believe I’m a grandpa. Do I look old enough to be a grandpa?”

His outline remained fuzzy, but she could at least tell where he was. She moved to him and threw her arms around him. Everything became solid as she felt him in her arms. Tears sprang from her eyes as she hugged the old man. She buried her face against his chest as her body shook with sobs. She didn’t know how long he held her, and neither one spoke.

“Thank you,” she said when she finally pulled away and wiped at her cheeks. “I haven’t cried like that since…” she trailed off. She couldn’t remember ever feeling that bad. Not even when Sheldon and Mandy had caused all those deaths had she cried that hard, and that was the saddest thing she could remember happening to her.

“It was truly my pleasure,” Shemhazau said with a soft grin. “It’s been a very long time since such a beautiful woman has held me. I nearly forgot what it was like.”

She grimaced at him, not in the mood for his flirting. “I’m distraught over finding out that my girlfriend, the woman I thought I loved, might be my half-sister, and you’re going to flirt with me?” she accused him.

“I wasn’t flirting,” he held up his hands in self-defense. “I was just stating the absolute truth. Not sure why I did, though….”

“Mandy must be around my body,” Shelly said as she turned her back on the old man and walked up the now clearly defined beach. “I’m surprised it’s affecting you, though.”

“So, this Mandy… She forces everyone around her to tell the truth?” Shemhazau asked with curiosity. Shelly explained about her brother’s ex-girlfriend, and some of the problems she’d caused.

“Interesting…” he mused when she’d finished. “So I can state that I’m a very lonely old man who misses his wife terribly, but I can’t say the sun is black without qualifying the statement.”

Shelly stared at him, as it appeared he’d just told a lie. The sun wasn’t black!

“I can’t read your thoughts, but technically, what I said wasn’t a lie. The sun isn’t black. I had to state that I can’t say it, in order to say it, because then it would be true. Interesting effect. Especially since I was able to state what I said I couldn’t state.”

Shelly was getting a headache trying to follow that logic, and shook her head to dismiss it. “I need to wake up. They need me. This is going to kill Sheldon, and when my dad finds out…”

“No, you need to stay here a bit longer.” Shemhazau placed his hand on her shoulder, mentally and physically stopping her from leaving. “I understand you’re going through a lot of pain. I can help.”

“I’m not letting you into my pants!” she snapped at him, certain she knew what kind of help he offered.

“That’s not what I was referring to, young lady.” He sounded sincere. She would have doubted him, if she hadn’t known he had to be honest right then.

“I’ve been alive longer than almost any other living being in either world. Hell, even dying couldn’t kill me. How many people can say that?” He chuckled at his own joke, but Shelly glared at him. “Anyway. I think I know a thing or two about forbidden love. I used to rule the succubae until I grew bored of that, and passed it off to TanaVesta. That was a mistake…. I loved your grandmother more than anything else in this world, until your father came along.”

“Yeah, but grandma wasn’t your sister,” Shelly snapped. “There’s a difference between loving someone of a different race, and having sex with a family member.”

“You’re right, and you’re wrong,” he told her. “I’ve seen a lot of sex, and I’ve seen it for the wrong reasons. I’ve also seen it for the right reasons. I like to get kinky, I won’t deny that, but I have never, never, forced it on someone who wasn’t willing. We can’t always control who we love, but we can control how we love them. You love your brother, right?”

“Yeah, but I’d never have—” she started to say but he cut her off.

“You chose how to love him. Nothing more.” The way he said it made it seem as though it were common sense, but he was still wrong.

“It’s a different kind of love,” she tried to explain. “I’ve seen him naked plenty of times, and… and… you know.” For some reason, she couldn’t complete that statement. She didn’t think she’d ever been tempted. He was her brother!

“Is it? Different, I mean?” he demanded, and Shelly nodded her head, unwilling to speak. “I don’t think it is. Only the way you choose to express it is. Stop glaring at me. I told you, I know what I’m talking about. What have you done every time your brother was in trouble? What has he done for you?”

“We protect each other,” she told him with a bit of defiance.

“Exactly. And for Jessica?” he arched one eyebrow at her.

“That’s—” she started to say, but her throat closed off before she could say different. She chose a different tact. “I would go out of my way to protect anyone in danger. It’s what we’ve done for the last few years, protecting humans visiting the Shadow World. I don’t love them.”

“No, I doubt you do, but that is different. I’m guessing that your brother put himself into mortal danger to save you. He went well out of his way to save you. I’m even willing to go so far as to say that he would give up his life to save yours, and I’ve never even met him. I’ll go a step further, and state that you are willing to do the same.”

“But…” she trailed off, already seeing where he was going.

“Would you do any less for Jessica? I doubt it.”

“But I don’t want to—”

“The only thing that’s different is how you choose to show that love.” He gave her a solemn look, daring her to argue more. While she was tired of being interrupted, it was hard to argue with his logic. “I’m not saying you need to go back to having sex with her, though let’s face it… There’s no putting the yolk back in the shell once it’s broken. What’s done, is done. You love her. If it really bothers you that much, don’t stop loving her. Just stop lusting after her.”

“But how do I deal with the fact that I’ve… That we’ve… Damn it, I had sex with my sister!” The swear word slipped out as her frustration grew to a boiling point.

“Maybe you did, and maybe you didn’t,” Shemhazau shrugged his shoulders.

“There are a lot of things you can argue, but I know for a fact that I had sex with her,” Shelly spat.

“Did she say she was your sister?” he asked as though she were missing something important.

Shelly opened her mouth to say yes, but, “No,” came out instead. She paused as that single word sank in, then rejected it. “Her mother is the Pillar of Fire. I think she has to be my sister.”

He examined her for a long moment before replying. “Angela was a good girl. I did my best to help her grow into a good succubus. When I found out she fell in love with my son, I was happy for them. You know, I raised them both, though in different ways. They could almost be siblings…. Anyway, I know how much she wanted to be a mother. I have no doubt she wouldn’t willingly cheat on your father, even though she is a succubus.”

His words sank into her heart and made it even heavier. She didn’t know the Pillar of Fire very well, but hearing him state that she wouldn’t cheat on her father, drove the knife in her heart deeper.

“There is a difference between love and lust,” Shemhazau continued on as though ignorant of her emotions. “People confuse the two all the time. You can love someone and not lust after them. By the same token, you can lust after someone, but not love them.”

“I get it,” she yelled and looked up to meet his eyes. Gray eyes, just like her father. Just like Sheldon and her had. Just like Bridgette had. But Jessica’s were blue…. Of course, Brock’s eyes were brown. Jessica had black hair, just like Sheldon, but his hair color came from their mother. She wracked her brain to think if there were any other genetic similarities between Jessica and her family, but couldn’t come up with any. “I can love her, without having to have sex with her. Is there anything else you want to tell me, or can I go now?”

“Apparently my son hasn’t raised you to respect your elders properly,” Shemhazau muttered. “I’d bend you over my knee and show you the proper way to behave, but I can’t think of any reason to keep you here. Unless, you’re into getting spanked? Does that glare really work on anyone? Because I think it looks cute on you. Oh, fine. Be that way. Tell your father hi. It seems like the sex out there has finally stopped. It must have been one helluva orgy for me to sense it in here.”

Shelly’s face slipped from glaring at her perverted grandfather, to shock at his words. She opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about, but the sandy beach and rolling waves were already starting to fade away.

“What do you mean, your fiancée?” Sheldon’s voice penetrated the fog surrounding her before she woke up.

*    *    *    *

When waking from a deep sleep, after having a traumatizing experience, finding a woman with a needle literally sticking out of her finger and poking into your arm is a little more than terrifying. Shelly wasn’t in the least bit embarrassed to yank her arm away as she screamed.

“Shelly?” Sheldon’s voice reached her, full of concern. “Shelly! You’re all right!”

She had just enough time to note that he was completely naked before he tackled her to the bed in a massive hug. There was no way she could mistake his massive erection poking into her side. Before she could stop it, the thought that something that big and twisted poking into her in a different spot would feel great. Damn her grandfather and his subversive words! Why did he have to ask her those pointed questions?

She shuddered and shoved hard against him. “Get off me! Why are you naked?” She glanced around and realized that only Sonia and she were clothed. Everyone else was fully nude, including some strange man she didn’t recognize with large butterfly wings, resting in the fountain next to Bridgette. Even Mei was nude, lying next to an equally nude Mihale Maztaim. Brooke, Becky, and her father were close to the fountain, staring at her with wide eyes. Shlee and Mandy were near the door, with a gap just big enough to fit her brother between them. Where was Gloria? Had Mandy and Sheldon gotten back together? What was going on? She remembered Shemhazau’s words about an orgy. She could see the evidence of that running from between a few legs, and in the nakedness of those around her.

“How long have I been out?” she asked as she held the back of her hand to her head. She didn’t feel like she was having a fever, but hallucinations could happen without one.

“Exactly three hours, seven minutes, and forty-two seconds,” Sonia informed her. “You didn’t miss anything, other than a bunch of drama.”

Only a bit over three hours? It felt like a great deal more than that, but time sleeping, or in the Mens Mundi could be deceiving.

“Where’s Gloria, and who is that next to Bridgette?” From the way Sheldon flinched at Gloria’s name, she knew that news wouldn’t be good. She didn’t want to talk to the naked winged man until he’d had a chance to put his manhood away.

“Hey toots!” the man by her half-sister grinned at her. “I’ve been watching you for quite a while!” The way he leered at her made Shemhazau’s advances seem tame.

“Be respectful, Oberon, or else,” Bridgette commanded. When had she become forceful? Oberon’s cheeks colored, telling Shelly that Bridgette had some kind of over him. When he shrunk down to four inches in height, Shelly knew what he was.

“You’re a fairy!” she gasped and pointed at the little man with his butterfly wings. It shouldn’t have taken her so long to figure out, but she was used to dealing with Areth in her small form A fairy, especially a male using their full size, was rare. Add to that the trauma of the last few days, and she could be forgiven for her lack of quick thinking.

“I’m not just any fairy, hot cakes!” he said, full of indignation. “I’ll have you fucking know, I’m Oberon, King of the Fairies, Keeper—”

“Keeper of the Cup, Lover of Ladies, yada, yada, yada,” almost everyone else in the car sing-songed at almost the same time.

“Nobody ever lets me finish!” he stamped his foot in the air and folded his arms in a pout.

“I told you to be respectful,” Bridgette chided him. “And watch the language! Dad doesn’t like foul mouths, and neither do I!”

“I’m sorry, my love. Shade of my heart. Butter to my biscuit. But I was going to change it to Lover of One Lady. You!”

“Oh really?” Bridgette asked, then shimmered and changed into Brock. “Not sure I know how to take that.”

“Forgive me, my heart. I am Oberon, King of the Fairies, Keeper of the Cup, Lover of You, and Soulkeeper of the Fay.”

“Feel better for getting that all out?” Brock raised one eyebrow.

“Only if you’ll forgive me, oh wondrous one!” Oberon bent in half as he pleaded, while remaining in the air.

“I think I’m still dreaming,” Shelly muttered and placed her hand back against her head. “Or I was out longer than a few hours.”

“What Sonia calls drama, was actually pretty important,” Lyden said as he pulled on his pants. “Sorry you had to see us all like that, Shelly. What Gloria felt was a parting gift was fun at the time, but I wish she hadn’t done it now.”

“Parting gift?” Shelly asked, not liking the sound of that. “What—?”

“I don’t regret it,” Mandy said as she helped Sheldon get dressed.

“Neither do I!” Shlee added as she took a moment to slip her hand into his pants and adjust his erection. Why was her brother still glowing? There was too much Shelly still didn’t understand.

“Knock that off, Shlee,” Sheldon gripped the woman’s hand and pulled it away. “I’m pretty sure your fiancée wouldn’t appreciate that.”

“Wait!” Shelly almost screamed. Her head was starting to spin as she tried to understand everything she’d missed while talking to Shemhazau. Had Sheldon said that in the third person, saying that he didn’t want Shlee playing with him while Shelly watched? Nothing made any sense. “You’re getting married? What about Gloria? What did Dad mean by her parting gift? Where did Oberon come from? Why is Sheldon glowing? Why was everyone naked when I woke up? On second thought, don’t answer that last one. Grandpa already clued me in. Why are you all staring at me like that?”

“You’ve been through a rough moment,” Sonia said as she laid her hand on Shelly’s shoulder. She was surprised at how much care the robot seemed to have in her voice and on her face. Whoever did her coding had done a phenomenal job. “Do you want to talk about that first? I’ve been programmed to help with any situation you’d like to discuss.”

“Not right now,” Shelly said. She felt odd with how genuine Sonia sounded. Shelly knew she was a mechanical being, but she didn’t act like one.

“It’s not good to bottle things up,” Sonia offered, but didn’t seem to press the issue. “Feel free to talk to me if you need to. I promise complete confidentiality.”

“Except for the government?” Sheldon asked.

Sonia directed a dirty look his way, before shaking her head. “No. Laws protect patient confidentiality. That information is only shared if the patient requests it, or if it is to prevent a larger crime.”

“Thanks…. I think,” Shelly said, still unsure of the woman. Considering the woman was a spy, did her confidentiality excuse really work? If she were a fully licensed psychologist, maybe… but she was getting side-tracked. “But my grandfather helped me with that, and I know he can’t tell anyone.” She became aware of her father giving her a strange look, and couldn’t hide her grimace. This wasn’t going to go over very well.

“Shemhazau Encantado says hi, Dad. Apparently you really didn’t kill him.” She had to swallow a lump in her throat as she saw tears form in his eyes. “He happens to be living in my Mens Mundi.”

“Dad?” Lyden choked with emotion. “Can it really be? I… I thought… In your—But how?”

“You never told me he was such a pervert,” Shelly chuckled with unease.

She didn’t expect his reaction as he launched himself for the bed and swept her up in a massive hug. That made for two unexpected hugs since waking up. At least her father was clothed! “That sounds like him all right. He was always fascinated with Jennifer’s boobs, and he had some other… odd, ideas. Can I talk to him? Can he hear me?”

“I don’t know,” she gasped, trying to fill her compressed lungs with air. Her dad was a lot stronger than he looked. “So far I’ve only been able to talk to him when I was near death. I haven’t been able to access my Mens Mundi on my own. I was going to ask Gloria about it, but…” She trailed off as she caught the look in Sheldon’s eyes. Lyden let her go and stepped back. Everyone was either red cheeked, or looking away from her. Well, everyone other than Sonia.

Sheldon was the first to speak up. “Gloria… left.” Shelly could tell that it took a lot for her brother to get those two words out, but like a dam bursting, once opened up the rest soon followed. “She claimed I glowed brighter than the sun to her. By the way, the reason I glow in your eyes is because you care for me. The more I glow to someone, the more they care about me. Or vice versa. Anyway, since she had refused to say it before, I was so happy! She loved me! But she claimed it was dangerous for her to love. To prove it, she made these two fall in love with me, and made everyone else so horny, they couldn’t resist having a little orgy in here.”

“She didn’t make me love you,” Mandy interrupted. “I don’t think I ever stopped.”

“Even if she made me feel this way,” Shlee piped in, “I don’t regret it. Gloria was right about one thing. You’re worth loving.”

By the sick look that crossed her brother’s face, Shelly suspected that that didn’t make him feel any better.

“What about your fiancée?” Sheldon turned on the werewolf. He wasn’t angry with her. If anything, Shelly would say that he looked and sounded defeated.

“I still love him too,” Shlee stated, then covered her mouth and glared at Mandy. “I don’t want to talk about him, though. I can’t because it’s supposed to be a secret. People wouldn’t understand if they—mnfmfm.” The last part was muffled as she covered her mouth again.

“How can you love two men?” Sheldon asked. He didn’t demand. He didn’t yell, or scream, or even act like he truly cared about the answer. Right then, he looked deader than he had lying comatose in the hospital.

Shelly’s heart ached to see her brother in that condition, but there was little she could do for him. She couldn’t fill his heart, and if Mandy and Shlee couldn’t repair the tears in his emotions, nothing likely could. That didn’t stop her from opening her mouth, though. “Dad loves more than one woman. What’s the difference?”

“I—” Sheldon stopped and grimaced. “It shouldn’t. Except that in any healthy relationship, there are no secrets. Dad’s wives all know about each other. Now I know a little about whoever this other man is, but he doesn’t know about me. I won’t put up with any more secrets.” He turned and faced Shlee, waiting for an answer.

Shlee mumbled something behind her hand and shook her head, pain and worry evident in her eyes.

“None of us will judge you,” Lyden interrupted. “As you know, I have the love of my wives, and I love all of them. At first I felt like a dirty lecher for it, but as long as you’re honest with the ones you care about, and they are okay with it, there’s no reason to hide.”

Shelly noticed the woman’s blue eyes start to turn golden as the hand covering her mouth grew claws. She knew she needed to intercede before something bad happened. It took more effort than she realized to get off the bed, but she moved to the strawberry-blonde haired woman.

Shlee shied away from her, but Shelly placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder and looked into her bright eyes. “It’s okay. We’re friends here. None of us will judge you. Look around.” Her arm swept to point out people as she mentioned them. “My father has multiple wives, each one a different race. My half sibling, Bridgette, can be either gender he or she wishes, and by the looks of it has a fairy hanging on her every word. Mei is a half-dragon who apparently had sex with the enemy, if I’m judging his scratches correctly. Mihale might judge you, but his opinion is worth less than crap. My brother is the last person to ever be judgmental of another person. And me? Hell, apparently I was in love with my own sister.” That came out a lot bitterer than she wanted, but dammit, it still hurt to say. “Whatever you have to say can’t be any worse than that.”

As she spoke, Shelly noticed that Shlee calmed down and returned to normal. Tears filled her eyes as she gazed between the twins. She saw the love in the werewolf’s eyes as she stared at Sheldon, but also saw fear behind it. After another moment, she nodded and lowered her hand.

“His name is Dimitri Volglov,” Shlee’s voice came out weak but clear. “You have to know, Elden, I don’t ever want to hurt you. I—”

“I’m getting tired of hearing that,” Sheldon cut her off, still showing little emotion. She would have expected him to be angry or furious, but instead, he sounded tired and resigned.

“I… I understand, my love. I’m sorry. I’m just… I mean… I won’t do what Gloria did to you.” Her chest rose as she visibly gained courage. Whatever it was, it had to be powerful to keep her from spilling everything out in Mandy’s presence. “Dimitri is a… a… vampire.”

Everyone was silent for a long while, as they tried to absorb that information. Bridgette was the first to break the silence, summing up almost everyone else’s thoughts in one word.

“So?” She must have changed back as everyone’s attention was on Shlee. Oberon sat on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek, his hands twined in her red hair.

“Dear…” Brooke placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Werewolves and vampires have been mortal adversaries for centuries. They hate each other with a passion that is almost instinctual. The thought of two of them getting together and… It doesn’t make sense.”

“Like a mermaid getting along with the Pillar of Fire?” Lyden asked with a small smile.

“That’s different,” Brooke stated. “Whenever I go into Angela’s demesne, I have to have Becky cast certain spells on me so that I don’t dry out. Vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies. Usually when one is in the presence of the other, they go into a rage and try to destroy each other. If not for the strict rulership of the Pillars, one or both races would have been wiped out centuries ago.”

“Aren’t vampires supposed to be evil?” Mei asked. She’d remained quiet for most of the conversation. Enough so, that Shelly kept forgetting she was there, unless she looked right at the half-dragon woman with her scaly legs and curled horns protruding from her temples.

“Dimitri is different,” Shlee stated and all eyes returned to her. “He doesn’t act like the other vampires. He’s better than them.”

“But your family wouldn’t approve if they knew, right?” Becky asked in a sympathetic tone.

“Approve?” Shlee asked in shock but didn’t look away from Sheldon’s eyes. “They’d tear me to bits and burn and bury the remains. Not necessarily in that order.” Her shoulders shook as she tried in vain to make that joke.

Shelly’s heart went out to her brother as she saw new pain blossom in his face. It looked like the twins were destined for heartache, no matter what happened. Jessica had hurt them both, and now Gloria had doubly pained Sheldon, both by leaving him, and saddling his heart with a woman who was already taken. Shelly believed that Shlee now loved both men, but she understood her brother’s morals. He would never willingly steal another man’s woman.

She wanted to be angry with Shlee, but understood her position as well. She had to keep her fiancée a secret, or face something worse than death. She hadn’t asked to love Sheldon, but had it forced on her. Shelly didn’t doubt that love was real, even if it hadn’t come by genuine means.

She was torn. She could see the hurt and anger on Sheldon’s face, but she also sympathized with the fear in Shlee’s eyes.

“Sheldon, maybe we should—” she started to say maybe they should wait until they had some time to cool off before making any decisions, but the Orange Bubble stopped and Sonia stared outside.

“This car is a security risk.” Sonia didn’t look happy. “Somehow we’re stopped on the front lawn of the White House. How the hell did we make it past all the security?”

“This wonderful car doesn’t get noticed unless it wants to,” Lyden said as he ran a loving hand along one wall.

“I can worry about the logistics and dangers of that later,” Sonia didn’t seem to like that idea at all. “Right now I need to get to the president, make sure she’s safe, find out where Mihale’s son is and eliminate him as a threat. If we’re lucky, we’ll create peace between two worlds.”

Mihale struggled against his bonds, but almost no one paid him any mind.

“I’m not sitting this one out,” Lyden stated and pulled out a revolver. He knocked out the cylinder, verifying there were rounds inside before looking around to meet everyone’s gaze. No one argued. There wasn’t time to argue.

“Let me take the lead,” Sonia stated as they piled out of the ancient Volkswagen Beetle. They weren’t worried about leaving Mihale alone in the car. The Orange Bubble would make sure no one could save him. “If we run into the Secret Service, let me do the talking. Most of them know me.”

“Sheldon, grab my neck,” Shelly ordered her brother. “Try not to kill with me too much if you can avoid it. It has… odd effects on me.” She’d rather not use the form or Murasame, but that was her most powerful form, and it was always better to be safe than sorry.

“Like?” he asked even as he gripped her neck and she changed into the form of the dull gray katana.

“Just don’t!” she snapped at him, vibrating to make the noise. It wasn't the same as her normal voice, but it was intelligible.

“That looks just like Murasame, except the blade’s a bit different,” Lyden commented. Shelly thought she heard a slight hitch in his voice. “You really do have my father in your head. He’d better keep his hands to himself.” His voice dropped to that of a concerned parent with such abruptness, that it startled her. Lyden Snow had always been the type of father to mentor his kids, but let them make their own mistakes. All things considered and learned over the last few hours, it struck her as odd.

“Halt!” Someone cried out as they approached the front entryway. The White House was huge, with tall white columns supporting a high white roof. It was too much of one color for Shelly’s tastes, but she didn’t have to live there.

“Emergency!” Sonia yelled to the black suited guards. They lifted their rifles and pointed right at the running group. “POTUS is in danger! Authorization: SONIA-15-03-80.”

One of the guards placed his finger against an earpiece and listened, but no one slowed down. It only took a second before he waved to the other guards. “Stand down. It’s Sonia.” He had a grin on his face as he looked her over. “Go save her, hot stuff!” He slapped her rear as they ran past.

“Thanks, Randall,” Sonia ground her teeth. “And tell your wife I said hi.”

That dropped the smirk from his face, as the other Secret Service agents chuckled.

“What was that about?” Sheldon asked the android as they barreled through the front doors. “And why aren’t they more worried about Martha?”

“I am a sex-bot,” Sonia growled. “Some people took advantage of that fact. He was one of them. And it’s President Louise to you.”

“You were forced to service them?” Sheldon asked, anger thick in his voice. Shelly felt pride in her brother’s indignation, then he had to go and ruin it. “That’s not right! Even if you are just a machine, you shouldn’t be forced to—”

“Just a machine?” Sonia asked as they raced down a hallway. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Shut up while you still can,” Shelly whispered to her brother.

“I can smell President Louise this way,” Shlee commented. She’d changed into her wolf form, and was a good four feet tall at the shoulders. Her voice had dropped almost an octave, but she still sounded  female. “I can’t smell any fear or panic in her scent, or anywhere around us.”

“Something doesn’t seem right,” Brooke said from her position at the rear of their column. “Everyone here is too calm. Why didn’t the agents act more worried?”

“Their job is to guard the grounds,” Sonia informed them. Despite their run, she wasn’t in the slightest out of breath. The Shelly realized she didn’t have to breathe, not even to form words. “They should have radioed ahead. Everyone is on alert, without appearing to be alerted. We don’t want to give Maztaim Junior warning that he’s been given up.”

But hadn’t Shlee just stated that she didn’t smell any worry?

The werewolf changed back to her human form as they burst through a large set of double doors, and saw Martha Louise sitting calmly at the head of a long oak table. Well-dressed men and women sat around the table, while Secret Service agents lined the walls. Those at the table looked at them with shock, while the agents drew their side-arms and took aim.

“Ambassador Snow,” President Louise was the first to break the silence. “I’m glad to see you got your family back, but I don’t think your weapons are appropriate.” She was calm and collected, which only added to Shelly’s confusion. She was supposed to be in danger. They’d rushed here as fast as the Orange Bubble could take them, but she appeared to be just fine. Hadn’t the Secret Service warned her?

“Your life is in danger, President Louise,” Sonia stated with conviction before turning her gaze on the agents still pointing weapons at them. “The agents at the door should have warned you already. Why haven’t you gotten her to safety?”

“We’ve received no word of danger,” one of the agents standing behind Martha Louise stated. “Stand down, Sonia. She is in no danger here.”

Sheldon slowly lowered Shelly until her tip touched the ground. She couldn’t see very well from this angle, and shifted back to her normal form. There were a few gasps as she appeared, and some of the pistols shifted to cover her.

“What is the meaning of this?” a man in an expensive-looking black suit that did nothing to hide his heavyset frame, demanded. He squared off against Lyden. “Ambassador Snow. I would expect nothing less from a monster like you. How dare you barge into this meeting! Aren’t you civilized enough to know what a closed door means? In case you aren’t—”

“Senator McConley,” Lyden grinned, but Shelly could see it was forced. “I’m quite aware of what a closed door means. I wonder, though. You weren’t part of this conversation. Do you often barge into conversations that don’t concern you?” Becky placed her hand on his arm, but he didn’t look away from the glaring senator.

McConley sputtered for a moment before finding his voice. “How dare you! I should have you arrested. No one speaks to me like that! You are interrupting a serious meeting of National importance. We were just about to vote on naming the creatures from your vile world. I was against it at first, but now I see that giving them a vile name to match their vile nature is perfect.” He turned to face President Louise. “I vote yes for officially naming them Lydonese.”

Everyone remained tense and no one moved for a couple seconds. Shelly saw her father’s jaw tense as he ground his teeth together. A sure sign he was furious. Lyden’s eyes moved to Mandy and a grin split his face a moment later.

“Tell me, Senator. How much money has the Paladonic Knights donated to your campaign?” Lyden’s voice was silky smooth as he asked the question.

“Donated? Ha!” the senator scoffed. “They are my campaign. I’ve belonged to them for a few decades now. I hardly make a decision without checking with them first. They fund almost everything I do.” By the triumphant look on his face, he didn’t realize that he’d just put himself in a lot of trouble.

“Does that include putting the president’s life in danger?” Lyden asked, remaining at ease.

The senator grew confused even as his mouth opened to answer with complete honesty. He had no choice but to tell the truth with Mandy in the room. “The assassination attempt wasn’t my decision. I was told where not to be at the time, to remain safe.” McConley’s eyes grew large as he realized he was giving away his secrets.

“Arrest him,” Sonia ordered a couple agents, and they broke from their shock to comply.

“I didn’t mean to say that! It’s the truth, but I meant to lie! This isn’t right! Unhand me! I can have someone kill your wife and children within the hour if you don’t let me go right this instant.”

“Make sure he can’t contact anyone,” Sonia ordered as the agent got a worried look in his eyes. “Find a deep dark hole to shove him in until we can ask him more questions later.” The worried agent searched for, and removed two cell phones from the senator.

“That was… unexpected,” President Louise stated, still on her feet.

“Everything will be clear in a moment or two, Madame President,” Lyden stated. He then faced one half of the long table. “Are any of you in league with the Paladonic Knights or Daughters of Respite? Have any of you conspired to assassinate President Louise?” He was greeted to that question with a number of indignant denials.

He turned to the other half, and Shelly could see two people—one woman and one man—sweating profusely.

“President Louise,” stated the woman, “this is ridiculous!” The man sweating next to her nodded with enthusiasm. “We’re all loyal Americans here. It’s not illegal to accept money from certain groups.”

“It is if they are labelled a terrorist group,” another female senator stated. “I have never accepted money, or bribes from either group.”

“But surely Ambassador Snow or his witch wife has cast a spell,” the sweating man said. “Nothing he says, or forces us to say, is admissible—”

“No spell has been cast,” Mandy stated. She received a number of glares for cutting off the politician—or maybe it was that she was obviously not human with her four arms. “No one can tell a lie in my presence. All of you still have free will, and can act as you please. The only thing that my presence affects is your ability to lie. If you try, you will end up speaking more truth than you intend. I have no authority here, but I recommend that if you’re guilty, you come clean of your own choice. It will be less embarrassing for you.”

“But also less entertaining,” Oberon complained. “You should lie, so I can laugh at you.”

If anyone was angry with Mandy’s words, they became infuriated with Oberon’s statement. Voices erupted in livid heat as they denied any accusations. The only ones not speaking were the two sweating senators. Of course, there were no laws that covered what Mandy could do, and chances were that her affect wouldn’t be admissible in court, but anything they said here would ruin their careers, if not their lives.

President Louise banged her fists against the table, trying to regain order as Bridgette grabbed the Fairy King and held him behind her back. She shifted forms, becoming Brock, and glared at anyone who even looked like they might come after his four-inch boyfriend. Standing there in his mechanical legs, he looked truly intimidating. Enough so, that no one was looking at President Louise as she beat on the table.

Sheldon stepped forward before Shelly had a chance to stop him, and slammed his fist down on the table. The large wooden surface looked solid, but it didn’t stand a chance against him. A three foot by four foot chunk smashed against the floor, and everyone went silent. He looked around the room with disgust on his face. A couple of the agents eyed him with their hands on their pistols, but none pointed at him.

“I find it hard to believe that you’re supposed to be leading this nation,” Sheldon stated, his voice dripping with disdain. A woman who’d already professed her innocence tried to speak up, but he silenced her with a hand gesture. Shelly had never seen her brother act like this before. She didn’t know whether to be impressed, or afraid. “Real leaders, leaders like President Louise, know better than to sit here and bicker. You’re acting more like children than elected officials. If you’re innocent, say so when I point at you.”

“We’re politicians,” one man in an expensive suit stated. “None of us are innocent. We lie to our constituents on a daily basis. If the American public knew how their government was really being run, we’d all be executed as mfff—” he slapped his hands over his mouth as he realized what he was saying.

Shelly was getting used to seeing that look on peoples’ faces again. It was almost enough to make her smile. Almost.

“I assume you’re done talking?” Sheldon asked and the man nodded. “Good, except for one thing. Are you conspiring with the P.K.s or the D.O.R.s?” The man shook his head, and Shelly saw her brother’s face darken. “You need to speak it.”

“No,” the senator uncovered his mouth long enough to speak.

“Good. You can sit there quietly now.” Sheldon grinned as though he were talking to a little child and pointed to the next senator. “How about you?”

This time he faced a woman. The same one that Shelly had noticed sweating earlier. The woman’s blonde hair hung limp and moist on her head as her eyes searched the room for some sort of escape. She saw Shlee and her eyes opened wide. “You can’t expect me to speak in front of her! She’s a journalist, and a well-known one at that. I haven’t agreed to any interviews. This is extortion! No matter what I say, she’ll twist it to meet the media’s agenda. She can’t be trusted with the truth!”

“And what is the truth?” Lyden asked before Sheldon could yell at her. He spoke in such a calm voice that after Sheldon’s rant, he seemed completely calm and reasonable.

“That the president needs to be killed, and a way made clear for pure humans to survive. Real people, not like you or those monsters with you, can’t be expected to share this world. You all need to be wiped from existence.” She stood with her hands on her hips as though she hadn’t just perjured herself. Everyone stared at her with shock, and she became visibly nervous as no one else spoke. Shelly suspected that she hadn’t realized what she’d just said.

It was the president who broke the silence with her calm voice. “Arrest her.”

Shelly wondered if some of the Secret Service were magical, they moved with such speed. One moment the senator was standing before them with cracking confidence, and the next she was on the floor, screaming obscenities. Shelly’s father shook his head, muttering about, “Such language…”

“Well, now that that is cleared up, we should get to more important matters,” the other sweating senator intoned as the screaming woman left the large room.

“More important than treason?” Another senator demanded. This one was a woman that’d already professed her innocence.

“Ahem, yes… Well, that’s taken care of, and we have other matters that need to be resolved before we go into recess. Matters like naming the otherworldly creatures.” He mopped his brow with a kerchief as his eyes darted around the room. “Besides… If this goes on much longer, I’ll confess to having an affair with Senator Otton, and authorizing the Secret Service to abandon the president during the first attempted assassination.” He waved his hand at the profane female senator, indicating who Senator Otton was, then stared at his hand in shock as though it were to blame for his honesty.

Before the president could order his arrest, Sheldon stepped forward and struck the man in the face. The senator’s nose exploded as he flew across the room and struck the far wall hard enough to leave an indent in the drywall.

“President Louise has been an outstanding president,” Sheldon snarled with more anger than Shelly thought was justified. What had gotten into her brother? This anger was unlike him.

“While I appreciate you defending my honor, I can’t have you hitting any more of my senators, even if they deserved it.” Martha’s voice still held its calm, but there was a slight edge to it now. “Arrest them both.”

Mandy and Shlee stepped in front of Sheldon as a couple agents approached him. Shlee’s eyes turned yellow and her claws extended in warning. They glared at her, but their duty didn’t allow them to back down. No one commented on the fact that a well-known journalist was turning into a werewolf. Mandy simply cracked the knuckles on her four hands and shrugged her shoulders.

“What am I being arrested for?” Sheldon demanded as his face turned deep red.

Shelly wondered if her brother could be any more stupid.

“You struck a senator,” Martha informed him. Shelly noticed a tint of sadness to her voice, but couldn’t see any of it on her weary face. “While I agree that he had it coming, I’m afraid I can’t show favoritism in this matter. The law is clear. He will be tried for treason, and I doubt he’ll come out of it with his heart still beating. You, on the other hand, will only be slapped with a fine. Please, Sheldon. I don’t want to do this, but I must. I know you can fight your way out of here. None of my agents are a match for you, much less those two women. Let the violence end here. Please.”

Shelly watched as her brother fought with himself, and lost. “I’m sorry,” he dropped his chin to rest on his chest. “I… I shouldn’t have done that. It just pisses me off. I’ll go willingly. I’ll… I’m sorry.”

“Madame President,” Lyden stepped forward. “Is this really necessary? We came here to stop those that meant you and the government harm. I admit his action was rash, but we’re here to help you.”

“I understand, Ambassador Snow,” President Louise said with a sad smile. She stepped up closer to him, and Shelly heard her next words, though her lips barely moved. “Everything that has happened in here has been recorded. I have to show impartiality, or risk another scandal. I’ll make sure it’s not too hard on him, but I have no choice.”

Of course! Shelly thought with derision. She has to protect her precious political career. Who cares about her allies?

“Recorded?” Shlee asked as Sheldon stepped past her with his hands held out in surrender. “Oh, shit!”

“Language!” Lyden snapped, but no one listened to him.

“I’ll classify the recordings so your secret will remain safe,” Martha informed Shlee.

Someone muttered, “Monster lover,” under their breath, but Shelly couldn’t tell who.

“Ma’am, we need to get to your control room immediately. There is still another traitor,” Shlee stated in a panicked tone as Sheldon was marched from the room in handcuffs. “Mihale Maztaim’s son works for the Secret Service. He’s the person who hacked into Sonia’s feed, and has been directing things from the shadows.”

Martha’s brown skin lost its color as that news sunk in. Shelly cursed herself for not having realized the same thing, though she’d been more worried about her brother who was even now being led out in handcuffs by two very nervous agents.

“How could he even get into the Secret Service?” Martha asked, then shook her head and looked out the door the prisoners had left. “Nevermind. With senators backing him, it’s no wonder he made it through the screening process.” She pointed to the three remaining agents in the room. “You three come with us. Looks like there’s one more mole to catch.”

Before anyone could move, the walls shook and the floor shuddered. A sound like a hundred angry ogres screaming erupted as the door Sheldon had just vacated blew open. Debris and shrapnel pelted them even as the building continued to shake from the force of the explosion.

Shelly opened her eyes and coughed as smoke hung heavy in the air. Her eyes stung as she tried to look around, and her hearing was off, as though she were on the bottom of a pool, trying to hear what was said above her. She didn’t remember being knocked to the floor, but at least there was a bit of air down here. She didn’t know if she’d been knocked out, or just dazed. Her head rung and something warm was dribbling down the side of her cheek. She looked around and saw Brock spraying something into the hole that had once been a doorway. Apparently his mechanical legs had a built-in fire extinguisher. Oberon was by his side, helping to douse the flames with his magic. She couldn’t see her father or step-moms, but she was able to make out Shlee dragging an unconscious Mandy away from the fires. She could see senators screaming, but couldn’t hear them over the ringing in her ears.

Sonia was helping an unsteady Martha to her feet. If Shelly had ever wondered if Sonia were alive or not, she no longer doubted. Her fake flesh hung in tatters, revealing what appeared to be a plastic and metal skeleton reflecting the light of the flames. There were no gears, but her wiring was quite visible.

Shelly coughed some more, and her head spun in pain. She couldn’t get enough breath in and her ribs felt like there was a knife in them. Looking down, she realized there might as well be. Six inches of wood protruded from right under her left breast. She reached to remove it, but the pain of just touching it made her scream in agony.

She focused her mind on staying awake as she pushed the pain down. She forced her mind to think. The wood was probably saving her life, plugging the hole and keeping her from bleeding out. If it was in her lungs, it may be allowing her to breathe what little she could. Better not to remove it right away.

“Sheldon!” she croaked when she remembered he’d been much closer to the blast. She looked at the door again as tears crowded her eyes. There was no way he could have survived that blast. She couldn’t even hear her own voice above the ringing in her skull.

Someone gripped her under her arms and started pulling her from the room. She almost passed out again as the motion renewed the agony from her injuries. “Sheldon,” she tried to tell her rescuer, but couldn’t find her voice.

She saw a strawberry blonde mane of hair shake above her, but couldn’t make out any words or sounds. She wondered if she was going to be deaf for the rest of her life.

Sunlight pounded into her eyes a moment later, then someone in white took her from Shlee. The newcomer was an old man with stringy gray hair and gray eyes.

Shelly sat upright with a jolt as she recognized Shemhazau. She was sitting on the beach in her Mens Mundi.

“We really need to stop meeting like this,” the old man said with a grin. “You’re making this too much of a habit. Or did you miss me that much?”

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From the Author

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Stay tuned for part b!

If you're lost reading this because you didn't catch all of the first book, you can buy it in ebook format here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NN6L5SO.

I have also published a short erotic story about a soldier dealing with the loss of his friend. You can purchase it here: http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Soldier-J-Sselxuyt-ebook/dp/B00OLY2DRY/

If you're enjoying this story, or have some ideas, I would love to hear from you in the comments below.