Chapter Five
A Journey Home
Seki and I hadn’t spoken in the car on the way to the jet. I just gripped the wheel of the car and looked straight at the road. By the time we arrived at the little airport I had had enough of the silence. I pulled the car into the garage, turned off the car and turned to Seki.
“Tell me that I’m doing the right thing.” I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice and off of my face but I was overcome with it. “Please tell me I made the right choice.” Seki looked at me with wide eyes as if he didn’t know what to say. He frowned then jumped out of the car. I watched him with wide eyes as he came around the front of the car to my side and open my door. He took my hand and coerced me out of the car.
“Ori, why are you so worried?” He took both of my hands in his and looked me straight in the eyes with worry.
“Please just tell me that this is right.” I looked away not wanting to cry. Seki was the only one that I would allow to see me this way. He was the only one I would show my weaknesses to because I trusted him. Everyone else saw a tough woman who could hold her own and would never cry and I was, really I was but sometimes you just need to break down. Sometimes you need someone to know that you’re not really that composed.
“Ori you are doing the right thing.” He moved my face to look at him and smiled. “You’re coming home.” I took a shaky breath and began to compose myself again. It was time to be my strong self again. I squeezed his hands then pulled away. His hands tightened on mine keeping me there. I looked up at him only to see a look on his face that worried me.
He wasn’t sure. He was not sure if my choice was right. There was as much uncertainty in his eyes that I held in my heart. I breath caught in my throat and I started to shake. When he saw my reaction to his uncertainty his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly showing his concern. He hadn’t meant to scare me but he had. He pulled me up against his chest and held me tightly. He was shaking too. Goddess help us but we were both terrified.
I knew then that Seki had believed me when I was telling him my dream. He was worried that someone was going to die too. If I go back I’m going to cause a death. I had this feeling that the person that was going to die was going to be me.
I pulled back all of my strength and pulled away. I smiled up at him but his face showed amazement. I frowned up at him confused, wondering what he was thinking.
“You never even shed a tear. You never cry.” His voice betrayed his face, it was more certain than amazed. “You are the bravest woman I have ever known.” He looked down changing the mood. “Someone’s going to die aren’t they?” I immediately put on a blank face trying to avoid the question but I knew it was a mistake the moment he saw it. “It’s true…Goddess, Ori. Who?” I looked at the jet over his shoulder then back to him.
“Most likely me.” He looked at me with disbelief.
“How can you saw that so calmly?” He had been shocked at how easily I said it. I looked him straight in the eyes and replied.
“Because I would die to save the people I love.” He nodded.
“And I would die to protect you.” The uncertainty was completely gone when he said it. I knew then, as if I hadn’t before, that he would die to protect me. The only problem was that I would not allow him to die for me. I wouldn’t let anyone die for me.
We took my luggage up the jet and handed it to the guy standing outside. I would have just carried it with me but he kept saying ‘Gimme your bags, gimme your bags.’ Normally I would have loved to argue with the half-wit but I lost all of my momentum. I finally stopped fighting with him and gave him my bags. Seki, who had been snickering the entire time, started up the stairs to the jet leaving me standing at the foot of them. I looked up at the jet with apprehension.
Goddess I hate technology. Nothing scared me more than a big piece of metal that flies. Metal is only supposed to fly when it’s been chucked around. I shook my head at my childish fears and started up the stairs. The fact that I had been staring at the stairs and not what was ahead of me I hadn’t noticed that Seki was standing still on the steps. I smacked into his chest with my head and nearly fell down the stairs. Seki grabbed my arm and laughed like there was no tomorrow.
“What the hell are you doing?” He managed to squeeze words through his intense laughter. I frowned up at him and pressed my free hand to my forehead. I would have come up with some kind of snappy comeback but I started to laugh with him. I felt like such a moron for smacking into him.
“Ok, Ok it wasn’t that funny.” I smiled up at him, holding back laughs. He pressed his lips together trying not to laugh again then took a deep breath.
“I was going to see if you wanted me to carry you up the stairs.”
“Why?” I looked at him confused as his smile widened.
“Because you were taking forever to get up here.” He touched a fingertip to my forehead and chuckled. “Looks like I was right.” I smacked his chest then pushed him up the stairs. I stepped into the jet and looked around.
“Do you want the window seat?” Seki teased only causing me to smack him again.
“Maybe I do.” I snapped back.
“Do you really?” He still smiled not believing me.
“No, not really.” He grinned flashing all of his perfect white teeth and sat down. I took the seat facing him, which had a small sliver of the next window. I pulled down the window cover and leaned back against the seat. I knew that Seki was laughing at me inside but I couldn’t see it so I ignored it.
The same guy who took my bags got on the jet and sat down. In a few minutes we were airborne and I felt strangely relaxed. Normally I was tense in airplanes but this time I felt normal.
“How long is this flight?” Seki turned away from the window to me. He seemed to think for a heartbeat then answered.
“Thirty minutes.” I sighed, relieved. Thank the Goddess. “You know Beacan can’t wait to see you. He’s positive that you’ll ask him to ‘mate’ with you.” I rolled my eyes at him.
“Beacan doesn’t have a chance.” He raised his eyebrows at me.
“Oh really? You have someone else in mind?” I smiled sadly.
“I did but I don’t think we’ll work out.” Seki frowned but actually looked interested.
“Why?”
“He’s my boss.” His eyes widened then went back to normal.
“Oh, well that explains it.” It was my turn to frown at him.
“What do you mean?”
“You had a hard time telling him about leaving. You obviously lied to him.” I sighed again.
“It does make it harder that we’ve slept together but he understood that I couldn’t tell him the truth.” His eyes widened again and I’d swear that his jaw was about to fall to the floor but he managed to prevent that.
“You slept with him? Well I guess that would make it hard.” He looked out the window. “I would think that would make it hard for a working relationship too.”
“We’re not lovers.”
“But you sleep with him. So what would that make you?” He looked at me finally with his blank face that said ‘I’m feeling something that I don’t want you to see.’
“Friends.” He scoffed and looked out the window again. All of his humor had completely bled away.
“I don’t sleep with you and you’re my most important friend.” He turned back to me with an apologetic smile. “Can we change the subject?” I was totally lost but I agreed.
“Has Ceara met anyone?” His eyes finally brightened up.
“You’ll never guess who she’s fallen for. Do you remember Adair?”
“The Vampire that worked as a representative for The Council?” The Council was the Vampiric version of a committee. They made all the important Vampire choices, like who to kill.
He nodded smiling. I couldn’t believe him.
“No way.” I just looked at him in disbelief as he smiled. “She’s seeing a vampire?” He nodded again. “Great Goddess the girl has gone mad.” Seki smiled and took my hand in his.
“You will have a great man someday, Ori. I see it in your stars.” I smiled and shook my head.
I thought to myself ‘If only I could find someone like you, Seki, then that would be true.’ Men like Seki were few and far spread. I patted his hand as the captain announced our arrival. Within a few minutes we had landed and were ready to get off of the plane.
I stood up and straightened my skirt. I had just decided to wear the outfit I wore to dinner before we left. I hadn’t felt like changing so I looked pretty snazzy. The bag guy opened the door to the jet then signaled us to leave the plane. I hesitated at the door. I was still scared. I was really going to do this and somehow I felt pretty damn strong. I grabbed Seki’s hand and headed out the door. I was immediately greeted by flashing lights from cameras. Standing there momentarily blind and confused as hell, I pulled Seki’s arm closer to me. What was the media doing here? I wasn’t that important, why were they making a big deal?
Seki squeezed my hand trying to get me to budge but I couldn’t. I looked out over the crowd and spotted a familiar face standing at the end of the path that had been cleared for me. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of a tall young woman with creamy almond skin and long white hair. My heart jumped in excitement as I pulled Seki down the stairs then let go running to the woman.
Ceara smiled at me as I ran to her arms. She caught me in a big hug that almost knocked us both over. Seki finally caught up with me and just stood to the side looking around for threats. I finally let go of Ceara then took her arm and Seki’s hand in my free one and started walking. We all put on our blank faces and walked up to a black car. We had totally ignored the press only catching odd questions directed toward me.
We all piled into the Black Coach but I was the only one that seemed to be uncomfortable. The Black Coach was a car that had it’s own life force. It was one of the few objects that would seem to be inanimate but it wasn’t. It could almost think for itself. It’s as old as the oldest fey and changed with the times. It had started as a chariot then a coach then into the black car that it was now. This car had always given me the heebie-jeebies.
The feeling didn’t subside with the many times that I ended up in this car. I just grabbed onto Seki’s arm and held on for dear life.
Ceara glared at me from across the car. I blinked at her.
“Why are you looking at me like I just ran over your dog?” He sighed angrily.
“You are in trouble.” My eyes widened at her. I looked at Seki but he followed her frown.
“What did I do?” Ceara scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What did you do? For Goddess’ sake Ori you ran away and didn’t tell me. You at least owe me an explanation.”
“Oh.” I looked at Seki. He just looked back at me. I knew he was just as angry as Ceara was but he was trying to be a little more subtle.
“Oh?!” She smacked her hands down onto the seat. “Damnit Orianna I thought someone had killed you! You just disappeared one day and no one, not even your lover over there, knew.” My eyes widened.
“Seki’s not my lover.”
“He might as well be but that’s not what I’m angry about right now. What the hell were you thinking?” I was afraid to give her the same answer that I gave Seki so I just stayed silent. She sighed.
“Fine just as long as you’re home now. I’m ecstatic that you’re home now,” She leaned toward Seki and me looking quite evil. The blacks of her pupils had almost taken over the gray of her eyes. “but believe me. I will never forget this.” She smiled then and returned to leaning against her seat. She wasn’t angry anymore but I knew she would never let me live this down. She had gotten over it but somehow I wasn’t entirely convinced that Seki was.
We filled the time on the way to the Unseelie court with silence. I had hoped Ceara had something to say but she was lost in her thoughts. Seki seemed too lost in his own and maybe he was still too angry to talk to me. I had thought he would accept what I had told him before but I was sure he knew now that there was a very specific reason for my leaving and it was killing him to not know what it was. I hated holding it back from him but he wouldn’t think my reason was a good enough one to leave. He wouldn’t accept it and that worried me. I had fought so hard to make him believe that I wasn’t a child and now if he knew that I was scared away by a dream…he would treat me like little Ori again. I didn’t want to be treated as a child. I had been through too much to be treated with such disrespect. I wanted to be treated as if I knew what I was doing. I wasn’t sure I deserved it though.
Chapter Six is being written
Copyrights: This is a fan fiction. All original characters from Laurell K. Hamilton's Fae series are hers and hers alone (too many to count sorry) this includes the Anita Blake series. All characters that weren't in her original series are MINE and I will kick any one's ass that steals them.