Between The Realms Part 18

"Good," I said, not even looking back. I stepped through the door and waited for Ben to join me, refusing to look over at the tapestry. All I needed tonight was to bring dragons into the mix.

"Have a seat," said Ben, gesturing to the couch near the absinthe.

I sat down and criss-crossed my legs, resting my hands in my lap.

"So spill it, Ben. What's the deal with you? Why all the mystery and emotional roller coaster bulls.h.i.+t?"

Ben gave me a watery smile. "Right to the point, eh?"

I shrugged. "Why not? It's late, I'm tired, you're tired. Tomorrow we get the verdict on the plan for the portals. Who knows, maybe we'll be involved in that somehow. We need our sleep, regardless."

"Fine. As you've mentioned, time is of the essence. I asked you in here because I just felt like we need to have a heart-to-heart. All this fighting and trying to hurt each other is not helping us, and it's not helping our people either."

"Agreed. I'm totally ready to call a truce." It felt like a weight was just about to lift off my shoulders.

Ben got up from his chair and came over to sit next to me on the couch. I tried not to feel uncomfortable with him so close, but it was impossible. Something about him just made me go on edge whenever he was too near. I tried to smother the feeling, forcing a smile. This was only going to work if I doubled down on my efforts, I knew that.

I turned a little to face him, gripping my hands tightly to keep them from shaking or fluttering around. For some reason, I wanted to cover my neck. I think Aidan had planted the idea of neck ripping in my brain and now I was totally paranoid. The fact that Ben had acted like he wanted to strangle me in the meeting not that long ago wasn't helping.

"I want more than a truce. I want us to be a couple, like we were meant to be with the ceremony and like I thought we could be when we kissed. You felt that too, right? I mean, it wasn't just me getting all hot and bothered up there, I hope." He gave me an endearing smile that might have worked on another day to melt the ice inside me, but tonight I was just too much on edge. I tried to take it for the apology that I thought it was supposed to be, though, and smiled back a little.

I didn't know what to say to him, though. A few hours ago he was ready to choke me. Now he wanted to be my boyfriend again? No matter what anyone says, as far as I'm concerned, it's not chicks who were confusing, it was guys. They made absolutely no sense and their emotions changed with the wind currents.

"That would be nice, to be together like I think everyone wants us to be," I said, stalling for time, trying to figure out what his angle was. I might have actually believed him, but this alarm kept ringing in my head. It was going non-stop: Lie! Lie! Lie! Lie!

I almost burst out with it -LIE! But something held me back. I watched his face for signs he wasn't being truthful, but there was nothing to see, other than the smooth, olive-toned skin of one of the most handsome guys I'd ever known. He smiled, giving me a glimpse of his bright white and perfectly straight teeth. They were nothing like Spike's - not interesting at all. Too perfect. I should have been mesmerized, falling for him as this super-special guy who wanted me above all girls to share his life with, someone who'd help me be all I could be. On paper, he was perfect.

Maybe that's what was bothering me. Ben was acting too perfect, as if none of the weird s.h.i.+t that had happened between us was there, like we weren't two elementals caught up in the middle of a fae and Otherworld creature battle for control over the earth and the humans. He was acting like we were two teenagers in a relations.h.i.+p, talking about bringing it to the next level, going to third base. It was too weird, and it totally creeped me out.

But I decided to keep up the charade, half hoping it would make it easier to bear and half doing it to see where it would lead. If Ben had something up his sleeve, I'd never figure out what it was by fighting with him. Maybe I was sleeping next door to the enemy, or maybe I was just neighbors with a hormonal teenager; but the only way I was ever going to find out for sure who he was and what he was up to would be to get him to drop his guard around me and finally be honest for a change.

I steeled myself for the folly that was about to begin in earnest. I'd never been one for the drama club at school, but I was determined to see this through. I owed it to my friends, my new family, and to Ben, even. Because if he were being sincere, then we both deserved to know that and enjoy our lives together, regardless of whether it was as boyfriend and girlfriend or just friendly neighbors. My plan was in place. Operation Like-Ben-No-Matter-What was in full swing.

I smiled as sweetly as I knew how. "So what do we do now?"

He smiled back warmly. "Well, you could start by eating with me in the dining hall."

"Consider it done."

"That was easy." He sounded surprised.

I shrugged. "I've been called that before, probably."

He laughed. "I sincerely doubt that."

"What else?" I asked.

"We could talk about what you were doing after the meeting."

"Nothing, really. I just went for a walk in the forest with Aidan and Scrum."

Ben frowned. "Do you like him? Aidan, I mean."

"Sure. He's a cool guy. Why? Don't you like him?"

"I don't mean in that way. I mean, do you like him as a boyfriend?"

"Are you jealous?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't need to be. Neither of us is interested in that. He's just watching my back while, uh, Tony's busy. You know, working with the gray elves and all. Tony's vibe-power is kind of in the off position while he's so involved in this portal stuff." I was totally pulling stuff out of my b.u.t.t right now, hoping it was coming off as the truth. I didn't want to tell him that Scrum and Aidan were protecting me from him. And I sure didn't want to tell him we were at Maggie's, undoing a spell I had strong suspicions were put on my friend Spike by his girl, Samantha, for reasons I had not yet figured out.

Ben nodded. "I see. Well, I guess that's good. Now I don't have to worry about any demons getting to you when I'm not around."

"Yep." I moved fast to change the subject, not sure how long I could keep lying convincingly and not wanting him to ask me about Spike. "So ... what have you been doing since the meeting?" It was an innocent enough question, and I really didn't care what his answer was until he started responding. Then I got really curious.

His face darkened, his answer coming out in a clipped tone. "I was busy."

I tried to act casual, like I wasn't aware he'd just gone all a.s.shole on me again. "Busy doing what? Planning for dragon taming?"

"Something like that."

"Do you know how to do that? Work with dragons and stuff? Because I don't have a clue. I hope they don't ask me to go on this mission or whatever."

Ben shrugged, changing the subject. "You said you took a walk in the woods. Where did you go?"

I was beginning to feel like this was going to be a one-sided interrogation, so I tried using a distractor. I jerked my head towards the tapestry.

"Oh, s.h.i.+t! Did you just see that? Something moved on the wall hanging!" I jumped up off the couch and went over to look at the dragons, turning my back to Ben so I could stare at the black one. I probably should have chosen a different beast, since I'd recently farted in this one's face, but hopefully he wasn't holding that against me right now. I stared at him as the colors within his scales winked out at me, the tapestry once again almost seeming alive. I got no indication that the dragon trapped within was aware of my presence, though. It calmed me to know that maybe this was a one way viewing portal or something.

Ben got up, coming over to stand at my back. I could feel the heat of his nearness through my tunic. It gave me s.h.i.+vers, but not the good kind this time.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said.

"Yeah. And a little creepy too." Just like you, Ben.

"There's nothing creepy about dragons," he said, almost wistfully.

"Maybe not. But there's definitely something creepy about keeping them trapped in a bunch of cloth." I turned around and stepped to the side a little so we wouldn't be so close. "Why is this thing here, Ben? Why do you have dragons trapped in your bedroom?"

His jaw worked, its muscle twitching over and over. He stared at my face, looking from my left eye to my right, as if taking my measure.

"I'd like to tell you," he said, mysteriously.

I gave him a half smile. "I'd like you to tell me, too. That's why I asked the question."

"The real question is, though, can I trust you with the answer?"

I frowned, trying to put on my innocent face. "Of course you can. I'm your partner in this whole deal, aren't I?" No matter what he said, I knew he could trust me to do the right thing with the information. Whether he would agree what the right thing actually was, well, that was a different story; but my mind was suffering zero guilt over this whole charade. This wasn't about Ben or me or our relations.h.i.+p; this was about the fae and the humans and our worlds continuing to exist in harmony. I was going to do whatever I had to for the safety of our people and the place we lived. If his goals were aligned with mine, he had nothing to worry about.

He seemed to make up his mind about something. He sighed heavily and said, "It's a long story."

"I've got time," I said, dead serious. "My whole life, I hear. Might as well start it now, don't you think?"

He smiled, taking my hand. "You're right. Let's talk about the dragons." He pulled me towards the couch as I tried to calm my racing heart. I felt like a spy in my own life, watching myself be this other person liking Ben, not sure if I were visiting with a friend or an enemy right now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

WE SAT ON THE COUCH, much nearer to one another than we had been before. I prayed Ben wouldn't see my racing pulse, but it was no use; the G.o.ds or the angels weren't listening to me.

He frowned at me. "You're nervous."

"Yeah. You're ... you know ... pretty cute and all." That's it, Jayne. Play on his arrogance. Feed him a line of bulls.h.i.+t that strokes the old ego.

He smiled. "Don't let my looks intimidate you. I'm a regular guy underneath it all."

"Yeah, I know." Lie! Lie! Lie! I worked hard at not gagging over his self-love. Pretending to be enthralled with him was going to be harder than I thought.

He smoothed some hair away from my face with the back side of his hand, his fingertips stroking my cheek very lightly. "I'd like to see you with your hair down."

I swallowed hard and reached up to pull the rubber band out of the back of it. My hair tumbled down around my shoulders. I knew there'd be a big b.u.mp in it from where the band had been squeezing it all day, so it had to look ridiculous, but Ben didn't seem to notice.

He ran his fingers through it, taking clumps of it in his hands, stroking them a little. "Beautiful," he said softly. "It reminds me of the tapestry, actually. Lights twinkling out of it."

"You see those too?" I asked. When he laughed, I added, "In the tapestry, I mean. The lights."

"Yes. I see them too."

"What are they?"

"Magic. The thing that keeps them there."

"Why are they in there?"

"To keep them safe until they are needed again."

"But why would they be in danger? They're dragons."

"There are those who would wish to control them. And if they are not the right fae for the job, they could cause more harm than good."

"Who decides?" I asked, almost breathless with the antic.i.p.ation of getting answers to my questions. I seem to have pressed a b.u.t.ton in Ben that was allowing him to spill his guts. Maybe it was my magical mystical b.u.mpy rubber band hair.

"I decide," he answered, his chin going up just slightly.

I frowned. I couldn't help it.

He noticed and corrected himself. "We decide, I mean. The two of us. We are the Mother and the Father."

"But what about the council?"

He scowled. "They are nothing to us. It is us and the Fates who determine our destiny and the destinies of those in our world. The council is not a part of our circle, Jayne. I need you to understand that."

Circle? What circle? "Oh, sure. No problem. I don't like them anyway."

Ben pulled his hand away from me, eyeing me suspiciously. "I don't believe you." He was getting that angry look on his face again.

I saw the look and then a strangling in my near future, so I started blabbing, my brain switching on the auto-rescue-pilot. "Are you serious? That Red guy? What an a.s.shole. He's always giving me c.r.a.p, talking to me like I'm a friggin dips.h.i.+t. And don't get me started on Niles; he's got the worst case of Napoleon complex I've ever seen. Celeste is ready to kick the bucket any second - I can't believe they let a totally senile witch make decisions for all of the fae ... totally beyond ridiculous, if you ask me. And Dardennes and Celine? Talk about stuck-up. They have sticks so far up their b.u.t.ts they can't even see what's right in front of them."

Ben looked somewhat mollified. "You've been paying attention."

"Oh, yeah, I see everything." I waved my hand around casually, smiling, keeping the bitterness as deep inside as I possibly could. If only you knew, you arrogant a.s.s, now much I do see. You'd be strangling me right now and then burying the body. "Those people treat me like I'm an idiot, but I'm not. I have hidden talents, I think."

Ben smiled patiently. "I agree completely. And I'm here to help you uncover them. I really want to do that, Jayne." He moved closer to me on the couch, taking both my hands in his.

And that's where my real dilemma started.

I still wasn't sure if he was on my side or the other side, or even what that other side was, really, and who else might be on it with him. And clearly one of my hidden talents was going to be something s.e.xy, if the look in Ben's eyes right now was any indicator. The question was, how far was I willing to go to get to the bottom of Ben's plans ... to climb into his devious little brain and find out what he knew? Would I be willing to go to third base, or even lose my virginity to save the world?

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, visions of demon wieners danced in my head. All I could think about was Torrie at my mom's house, telling me my child was going to somehow make it possible for him to take over the human world. In my panic, I inhaled a glob of drool that was supposed to go down my esophagus, sending it into my lungs instead. My windpipe spasmed, and I started choking. Whatever romantic make-out session Ben had planned for us, disappeared in the wake of my gagging.

He patted me firmly on the back as I gasped for air and gripped my throat, trying to help it eject the saliva.

"Sorry," I croaked out, "wrong pipe."

Aidan pushed the door in and came striding into the room. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Ben stood. "Nothing. She choked on ... air."

"Drool," I said, standing part way up, using Aidan's offered arm to steady myself. "I think I just need to lay down for a while."

Ben reached out to touch me as I walked by but his hand slid off my rapidly withdrawing arm. "Go to sleep," he said, sighing. "I'll talk to you some more tomorrow. At breakfast."

I nodded and waved at him as I walked out of the room. "Perfect. I'll see you at our table."

I noticed his satisfied smile as I turned back to the door. Jerk. You're not out in the clear yet. Ben was still on the suspicious list, but he hadn't yet revealed anything except extreme arrogance - and that was nothing new for him. I needed more information to be able to tell if he was with me or against me. Hopefully, our breakfast conversation would reveal more.

As I stepped into my sitting room, I steeled myself for the barrage of questions Tim was going to launch at me. And he didn't disappoint, either. I wasn't two steps into the s.p.a.ce before he started in on me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.