Lilly's Torment(5)

"Only if you stop petting the predator in the room," Gavriel said,  jerking his head toward Ax. "Getting him all revved up may not end well  for anyone in here. Especially since you've not consented to being our  mate. So while I'm digging the petting, you may want to stop egging on  the guy with the big fangs."

"She may touch all she wants, runt." Artaxias hissed through his much  longer teeth. "I knew I should have refused the job of keeping you alive  all these years."

Lilly grinned and shook her head. "I happen to really like petting you,  and what do you mean, mating? Did I mention that I've had less than zero  explanation on what is happening? All that I know is that there are  several races out there, but other than that, I'm totally lost." Instead  of stopping the petting, she continued, because she liked it far too  much.                       
       
           



       

"There are Luhpyne, Vhampire like our large friend here." Gavriel tipped  his head to indicate Artaxias. "There are Ahnjel and Spirytes like  myself. The Luhpyne are what your race would call werewolves. Vhampire,  well, relatively obvious." He grinned at her. "The Ahnjels are sort of  like the biblical mentions of the Angels, but the warrior caste more  than the little cherubs in diapers. And the Spirytes are witches for the  females and warlocks for the males."

"Mating," Artaxias continued the lesson, "is when a pair, trio, or  whatever combination, bind their souls together in a ritual older than  time. It's older than your world or our realms. Some claim it is older  than the universe itself, though, since they also claim that the Gods  themselves started it, I'm unsure how that could be true. It's more than  marriage, more permanent and lasting. Since the very soul is bound,  it's on an intimate level. A level that no one can break unless through  death of one of the mates."

She really loved the way that sounded, a great deal. "But I'm"-she  looked down at herself and pointed out her very obvious curves-"I'm not  exactly rail model thin. You guys are. Wow. You are stunning. You are  amazing but I'm … " She shrugged. "Well, I'm me," she whispered. "I really  love the way that sounds, though. God, I can't tell you how good that  sounds to me, but yeah."

"There is nothing wrong with you in the least," he said with a frown at  her. "How could you think such a thing? The women of your race who are  so thin as to show bone through flesh need to be shown a buffet once in a  while. They obviously have no idea just what those of the races prefer.  Which, if you are not getting my meaning, is a woman such as yourself."

Lilly actually blushed, hard. "Are you just saying that because I'm  really, really good at creating weapons?" she teased him, her thumbnail  lightly raking over both of the insides of their wrists. "By the way, I  really and truly want to know what could come of us, too. After we have  gotten to know each other, that is."

"And we will," Artaxias said as his phone rang. Digging out the phone,  he put it to his ear. "Yeah. Uh-huh"-he frowned-"When? Where? Right,  I'll be there as soon as I can. Yup." He hung up and looked at her. "I  need my arm back."

"What's up?" Gavriel asked. "And you can keep my arm." He smiled at Lilly.

"Dead body close to the line of the Veil. The captain wants me out there  to ensure that no one encroaches without authority. That and the ME  doesn't want to go out there at all and is hopeful my presence will  reassure her enough."

Gavriel snorted, then laughed and waved a hand. "Sorry buddy, but you're not what one would call the reassuring sort."

"Shut up," Ax growled before snapping his teeth at him, making the other  man jump slightly. Snorting out a laugh, he winked at her. "That never  gets old."

"Asshole."

Lilly frowned and shrugged. "Maybe I could come along with you.  Especially if it's a woman. Sometimes having a woman around is the  better solution than just having one large, overly sexy male around.  Sorry, but you really are. Large. And, holy God, sexy." Okay, so Lilly  could use some pointers on how to be less obvious, but seriously, they  were hunks!

"I doubt Briar will appreciate you running around, declaring how sexy we  are. She doesn't much like us," Gavriel said, looking at the clock. "I  have a meeting on the twentieth floor I need to get to. So you two have  fun and keep her from jumping back and forth over the border, would  you?"

"Depending on her reaction to the residual energies, that may not be the  only issue. Which is part of the reason the doctor doesn't like going  out there." Ax looked at her. "Body armor, three blades minimum, and two  guns, one as backup."

"You know, I've never been near the Veil," she told them and quickly  suited up in body armor and weapons. Even though she talked a mile a  minute, she found herself easily doing what was needed in order to get  ready for this excursion. "What do I need to know about the Veil?" she  asked in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

"I'll leave you to explain, Ax. I gotta go." Gavriel grinned at her and snapped his band back on as he rushed out of the room.

"When the Veil fell, it didn't come down entirely. There are still  remnants," Artaxias explained as they headed for the elevator. "It  wasn't a solid sheet. We could come and go across it at all times. We  mainly did that to check on your race and see your progress. Some even  came to try and help in times of war, to ensure that the power hungry  didn't end up holding the reins."

Riding the elevator down, he looked at her. "As I said, it wasn't a  solid sheet, more like four distinct sections, one leading to each of  our realms. We have a similar way to travel between each other's realms.  Those are mere passageways, like doors, from realm to realm, and not a  Veil like what was created to keep you and us separated until you came  of age, in a manner of speaking."                       
       
           



       

Leading her through the hall to the garage, he snagged a set of keys.  "When the Veil that was protecting us from you and vice versa fell, it  didn't fully crumple. There are pieces left, a partial charge of some  sort still trying to reform the entirety. Unfortunately it can't, since  the scientists that created it, or rather, their students, and the  students of their students, are all dead. There are other scientists  from the realms and Earth looking into it. If we can't bring it down  fully, there will always be that weird arcing."

Unlocking a large vehicle, he opened the door for her and then went  around to climb behind the wheel. Artaxias put on his band before he got  them moving and he continued to speak. "Some humans are very sensitive  to the Veil, and others don't even notice it. For those that are  sensitive, it is like a strike of lightening going off within inches.  The air charges and all the hair on your body stands on end. Some say  it's painful, others say it's a tingle. Each reacts differently to it.  Some get giddy and start hopping back and forth from this side to the  other and back again in childish glee."

"How do you think that I will react? I've never been to the Veil. I've  wanted to go, but I've only been in town for a small time and just  haven't had time to get my butt over there so that I could look at it,  you know? I've heard that it's totally beautiful, the shimmer when the  sun hits it just right. I would like to see that."

"You'd have to be there early morning or late evening. The only time the  sun hits it to fully reveal it is when it's low enough at the right  angle. At any time of the year, you need to be there either twenty  minutes after sunrise or before sunset. We're a little early in the day  for you to see it. You'll likely feel it, even those that say there's  not much to it sense it on some level."

"Interesting." Lilly didn't say anything for a very long time and  finally she spoke again. "Do you think that you will ever take me across  the Veil? To see your home? I would like to see what makes the two of  you who you are. I would like to be able to know what makes you happy  and learn more about what makes you you."

"If you'd like," he said. "As our predestined mate, you wouldn't require  clearance. Not sure what you'll make of Gavriel's mother, though I will  be interested to get your take on her. Even after all these years, she  still thinks I'm his bodyguard. Kid hasn't needed one in many years. A  couple of situations notwithstanding, of course."