Balance Of The Worlds (4 page)

Nelciana knew the girl was taking her measure, same as she was doing to her. Phaenna and Aureliana had left her alone in her chamber the instant
this
girl had knocked on her door.

Time stopped the moment the girl known as Loren had entered the room. At least it had for Nelciana.

The dark haired girl seethed with power. It easily overshadowed Nelciana’s own. The eyes that stared back at her were her sister’s. But the rest of the face and body were far different. Her sister had been a goddess and a very beautiful one at that. This girl was half human. Or so she had thought.

She was beautiful, but she did not resemble Nelanora at all. More like Rajna or Cadra than Nelanora. But it was true. This girl—

“You are Loren now.”

“I am. I am Nelanora, too. Long time no see, huh?”

The attitude was definitely the same. One of Nelciana’s greatest regrets was that she hadn’t made the effort five thousand years ago to
know
her younger siblings. The child that Nelanora had been was a stranger to her. And had been always.

But…she wasn’t certain she accepted that the soul that had been her sister’s had never truly died. To do so meant she had wasted yet another five millennia when she could have searched and found her sister. And she would not have ever stopped looking. “Have you always been reborn Witch?”

“Most of the lifetimes. There was a short-lived Dardaptoan life. I lasted about sixty years in that one.” Nelanora—
Loren
—kept to one side of the room. Nelciana wanted to touch her. To see if the girl was Nelanora. Eaudne had seemed convinced Loren was. And Eaudne
would
know. She had delivered Nelanora all those years ago.

And she and Nelanora had been close before her sister’s death. “I see. And the last name?”

“Most of the time the last name has been Nellana or a variant of it. I once wondered why, but now I know it was because my soul
is
Nellana.”

This woman was very sure of herself, confident, and beautiful. A woman whereas her sister had been only a girl when she died. Nelciana took a risk and stepped forward. “Tell me, why did you not find me earlier? You are Witch, and we both know I am the creator of all Nellana Witches in the Gaian world.”

“Because the Fates did not wish it.” She stared back at Nelciana for the longest while. Rarely did anyone other than one of the other deities do that.

“You always follow the Fates?” Nelciana certainly didn’t—well, in most things she hadn’t. Lothonos was the only exception.

She refused to think of him; it inevitably brought back thoughts of his children. Where were they? Were they safe?

Time worked differently in each of the eighteen worlds, Levia especially. She glanced at the window. Dark. Was it day where her children were? And how long had she slept? “What day is this?”

“I’m not really sure. I may have missed a few in Evalanedea.” Loren sank into a chair. Her body was bruised, wasn’t it? If she was Laquazzeana, why didn’t she just heal herself? “I’ve been a bit too busy for checking the calendar.”

“A glib tongue is definitely Nelanora. She was always a bit rude.”

There was no bite in her words; but how could there be?
If
this was the sister she had lost so long ago, today was a day of rejoicing.

Not of conflict, not of anger. Not of pain.

He found her in a room with another woman. Lothonos didn’t bother with knocking—he was far too angry for courtesy. Nelciana would explain
why
she had left the babes unguarded. The longer he had searched for her in this demon world, the angrier he had grown.

She started when he appeared before her. Lothonos glared. She stared back.

“Why were the children unguarded?” His words were harsher than he’d intended, but she did not flinch.

He did not miss how pale and weak she looked, though. Would she ever regain her strength from the delivery? He refused to allow concern to push out the anger.

“They weren’t. They were with two women I trust to care for them
no matter what happened.
What are you doing here, Lothonos?”

She surely jested with him? “I find our infants in the care of two girls, and their mother in another world. Of course I would be here.” He crowded closer. She didn’t back down. The female next to her tensed. Lothonos didn’t spare her a glance. His attention was on his goddess instead.

Nelciana had lost pounds since he had last looked at her closely, hadn’t she? When had that been?

When the babes were eight weeks or so in age. He could not recall exactly. He had been in the midst of helping Eiophon plan a new city.

But now he could see that she had lost precious flesh around her curves. Except for her breasts, which were beautiful and plumper than he recalled. From nursing his babes?

Her eyes showed how tired she was. He refused to let his sudden worry crowd out the anger that had brought him here.

“And I didn’t abandon my babes. I sent them to
their father
because I was needed elsewhere. Why
are
you here, if you are suddenly concerned for Nella and Dres?”

“To fetch and return you to Levia. Where it is you that you belong.”

***

He was the most infuriating creature. Lothonoswas almost enough to make her forget why she had left the children. And the calm logic he wore had always left her feeling so cold
.
“My path leads me to Relaklonos. And my sister.”

“The Fates tell you so?” His tone held the derision he’d always proclaimed toward the Fates. Nelciana had never met them.

But Lothonos and his cousins had. He had spoken to her of them before.

Apparently he’d found them lacking.

Interesting that the god with no emotion had such derision toward others. “Something like that. This was where I was supposed to be this evening.”

“The place you are supposed to be is at
home
, taking care of my babes.”

“Our babes.”

“Whoa, did floaty god dude really just tell you that your place was at home in the nursery? How old is this guy, anyway?”

Nelciana had almost forgotten her sister. Lothonos had a way of making her forget what was going on around her, and she wasn’t proud of that fact.

Of course, most of that was because she wanted to clobber him whenever he got too close. She chose to ignore him. It seemed the most—she sneered—
logical
solution to the problem of him. “Lothonos is the father of my babes. Yet he has not visited with them in weeks.”

“I see. Sorry. Then again, maybe you and the kids are better off. I could probably make him disappear for you.”

Yes. Right
there.
That was the spark that had been her sister Nelanora.

Nelciana smiled, then hiccupped.

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

Her sister
lived
. Nelciana pulled her into her arms and just held her while they both wept.

Lothonos did not want to deal with crying females at the moment. He had far more pressing, more important, matters that needed his attention. Like keeping the worlds from crashing in upon themselves. Like keeping billions of creatures from being lost in the war he knew was coming quickly.

And all he’d expected of the goddess was that she protect their children from that war. That wasn’t too much for him to ask of her, was it?

When the war was over, when Levia and every other place was safe for all,
then
he could see to his family.

What kind of a father or mate could he be if he did not do his duty and keep them all safe first?

He reached for the goddess of family and pulled her to her feet.

Always so emotional, wasn’t she? One of the traits that had always drawn him to her—and also maddened him so completely. He turned her head toward his neck and ran one hand down her spine. “Calm yourself, Nelciana. Lest you work yourself into a state that renders you inconsolable for too long.”

When she ignored him, he wrapped his hands around her waist. He lifted.

She had lost flesh—too much.

For the first time in months, actual worry hit him. She was one of the only two women who had ever caused him to worry about anything. This didn’t compare to the days she’d struggled to birth his babes, but he still felt it.

He didn’t like it. And that made his tone probably harsher than it needed to be. “Enough, Nelciana. This solves nothing.”

“Wow. And I thought Jushua was a poor choice all those years ago. Sad to say your taste in men has gotten way worse, big sis.” The other woman had an easier time getting herself together. Lothonos finally turned to her.

She wasn’t anything remarkable. Just pretty, not spectacular like Nelciana. Her eyes were not the odd blue of the goddess’s, her hair was brown, not the rich black that was Nelciana’s. Yet she claimed a relationship with the Goddess of Family, who everyone knew was alone except for her babes?

She would not push his children aside for others. He had counted on that. Yet wasn’t that exactly what she had done? For
this
girl? “Who are you?”

“I am Loren, used to be of Colorado and Evalanedea. Plus a few other places? I’m also her sister Nelanora, but that’s a long story. I’m not going to get into it now. I’m tired. I’m hurting. And I’m confused. And Jushua is waiting. About that…Nelci? No hard feelings?”

“None. Our betrothal was so long ago. I wish you both happy. Though is he still as obnoxious at times as he used to be?”

He heard the obvious tenderness for this other male in her voice and it angered him. Eiophon had told him much about this Jushua.
Did
she still care for him?

“I think he’s only grown worse.”

“I think they all do, don’t they?” Nelciana wiped at her tears. She was still in his arms; did she realize that? Lothonos tightened his hold on her. It would be simplest, wouldn’t it, to just take her back to his home in Levia? He could leave her there with the babes while he did what must be done.

He considered it; he truly did. Something stayed the action for the moment. “Explain yourself, Nelciana.”

“I owe you no explanations for my behaviors, Lothonos. I was needed here.”

“You were needed by our babes. I trusted you to keep them safe.”

“And they were, were they not? I sent them to you because they were not safe with
me
.”

How could they not be?              

Nelciana stepped away from Lothonos’ strong chest, pulled out of the hard arms that surrounded her.

She was not ready for this. How was she supposed to tell the father of her children that she was almost certainly fated to die in the war that was coming? And that she had come to Relaklonos to talk with Eaudne and the others about that very fact? That finding her sister had only hastened her journey to the demon world by about half a day?

He would be responsible for their children until they were adults; he’d only seen them three times in their lives. Would he rise to that responsibility or would he pass Nella and Dres off to maids and servants?

Grief for her children ate at her gut. He would not love them, would he? Not with his serious lack of emotion
.
Her children needed someone to love them. That was her greatest wish for them.

She had two options, didn’t she? Convince him to love and care for their children, or find someone else to do just that.

***

She was hiding something from him. Lothonos knew it when she looked at him with those eyes of hers. What was it? What was she involved in?

He wanted to command her to tell him, but he knew that wouldn’t be something she would react to very well. She did not take direction easily. He had long known that about her.

No, Nelciana did not take orders well—except in one place. His body heated when he thought of the last time she had followed his orders. When her hands had stroked his body just right…when she had let
him
touch her however he had wanted.

It should have been an awkward and clinical event. Fumbling and even frustrating, considering how virginal she had been. Untouched before him.

He had enjoyed her so much that night. Pity that she would most likely never allow him that again. “Nelciana? Tell me, so that I can help you in this task you have set for yourself.”

The surprise on her face irked him. Did she not realize that there was probably nothing she could ask of him that he would not do? Did she not realize how important she was to him?

She was the mother of his children; surely she understood how much her well-being mattered?

“Wow. Getting heavy in here, isn’t it? Nelciana, if you will excuse me…there are some people waiting for me. We need to figure out exactly what has happened, and what we are to do next. There have been so many changes. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next.”

“No. I don’t suppose any of us can know that, can we? We will speak again, Loren. I still have so many questions.”

So did Lothonos. Starting with what the three hells was going on. “Nelciana?”