Echoes in Eternity (The Pella Series Book 1) (41 page)

The
Psyche
knows that I specifically need protection from any malicious intent towards Elissa. That’s Hedone’s draw: she now knows that there is a woman who filled the gaping hole in me. Hedone’s time with me was in another life time, when I existed unaware of Elissa. My wife has turned the light out for all other women, conquest or possession. Heaven knows I’ve done things that would make the Devil proud. At times, I just fucked, and fucked
hard
for days and drank excessively. In battles if I was met with any resistance, I responded with merciless repercussions. Yet, the damning void in me had always been insatiable, never satisfied even with the success of each conquest. I was never fulfilled, never sated; always looking for that reckoning that never came until I was on my deathbed.

Then Marcus took our ability to fall in love. The draw, pull and electricity we felt for each other remained a dull ache within us. Until that ward broke in that cold River Seine in Paris. Since giving a week to Hedone in payment is no
t an option in addition to the large sums of money I will be paying, there’s got to be another price that the
Psyche
will demand. It will be something that is impossible to part with: their prices are always unconventional, sometimes impossible to pay. But what is Elissa’s life worth? What wouldn’t I do to protect her, keep her safe? Anthony’s voice distracts me from my reveries.

“Please Mr. Pella, listen to me. You know that her charm is ever present, she oozes sexual attraction. It’s compulsory just like the Siren’s call; it is said that she even made Aphrodite jealous because Hedone is simply irresistible to any man. Her mother is the personification of
a human soul. That’s why Hedone can read us so well and adjusts her charms to fit every man.”

“I’m sure Aphrodite’s jealousy is just a myth,” I say but Anthony fervently shakes his head.

“No, sir, it’s not!”

“Fine! I will take your suggestion into consideration. But it’s too late to change plans. I need to
make some adjustments and we have to get through tonight at least.”

“Mr. Pella, every myth contains some truth in it. You taught me that, sir! Please! What if she demands something that is dangerous to part with?”

“Oh, I’m quite sure she will. But, I will have a backup plan, a counter offer. The Meet and Greet starts in an hour and our own kind will also show up tonight. We don’t know where their allegiances lie. Therefore a change of plans at this point in time is non-negotiable.”

“Yes, sir. The Nephilim who will be coming tonight aren’t just here to participate in the auction. Some of them want to unite. And, they want you in their leadership. They know what’s coming and that could be a second apocalypse for our kind.”

“I’ll deal with them later. First things first,” I say and stride to the elevators. Most of the powerful Nephilim are aware of the impending fight between the
Fallen
and Watchers. That’s a time when we will be forced to take sides. Our kind is worried that another eradication is on the way like the first fifteen generations had suffered. They want me to unite them and rule. But my duty is not towards them. It’s towards Elissa. And the shit is about to hit the fan tonight more than once.

CHAPTER XI
I

OLD STORMS

Alexander Aurelius Pella

“Mr. Pella, James and I have been overseeing the mobile Centurion’s set-up here. It
was completed this morning. Both Anthony and Mr. Henry have inspected the gate,” Melissa says.

“Let’s see it,” I say with a placid face. “Where’s James?”

“Anthony ordered Mr. Vespa to guard the gate until you got here, sir.” I look at her quizzically. The only time Melissa and James refer to each other by their respective Roman houses is when they have an argument about whose family was more influential. I need them firing on all their pistons.

“Miss Tiber, you and James will set your fucking differences aside this week…” I say and she cuts me off.

“But sir…” I hold my index finger up, and she immediately shuts up after she sees my grim face.

“Let me be absolutely clear to you both: I don’t give a shit about whether the House of Tiberius or the House of Vespasian did the greatest service to Rome now or ever. Neither of which matters since
none of them ended up fixing the shit and the destruction of their inadequate predecessors who I shall remind you that are also your ancestors! In the end, Rome is gone! Instead of waving the banners of your former homes in showing your pride in one of your great- great- great- granddads, overlooking all of the inadequate, incompetent, inefficient, and downright useless ancestors, do something in equal measure of your greatest ancestors so that they get to be proud of
you
for a change!

Otherwise, neither of them will save you from the fuck up you will cause tonight, because this place will soon be filled with friends and foes. If either of you slack on your duties tonight or anytime this week, I promise you that you will join your ancestors, because none of us will have anything left to be proud of! We will not win what’s coming if we are only stuck in
former glories. Do you get me Miss Tiber?” I hiss. Melissa first pales, then goes crimson like the Roman legion flag bathed in battle blood.

“Perfectly
, sir! I will equally inform Mr. Vesp... I mean, James.” She bristles with efficiency. “I’ll take you to the Command Center now, sir,” she adds quickly walking in the direction of an inconspicuous door. Standing before it, she holds her hand up, and is immediately surrounded by a misty haze. Her hand reaches to the door knob, but the second her fingertips touches the handle, I’m surrounded by a thick curtain of colorless, odorless mist made up of raining rays of light appearing to be illuminated raindrops but they’re smaller and thick as the hurricane precipitation. I feel them penetrate my body; wash through me like weightless, waterless raindrops. Soon enough, the drops push me forward as Melissa opens the door into a room set-up as a very high tech office at first glance. The door closes behind me.

“All the buyers, the approved funding, and the assets being auctioned, as well as the arrival list of all
the dual natured and the single natured are contained here, sir.”

“Nephilim and humans?”

“Yes, sir. But some of the Nephilim are known to have other dual natured in their company either as consorts or as employees. There are at least two that Anthony discovered that might be bringing dual natured in their company. Of course Miss Collingsworth and Miss Montesquieu are also coming on behalf of their fathers’ companies for purchases. They have utilized the proper channels to deposit…”

“I should have been asked before they were approved!”

“My apologies, we didn’t know, sir. Mr. Henry approved them because according to his notes, ‘
they hold neutral grounds for the war between the Watchers and the Fallen. The strength of their homes might tip the balance scale. We need to know where they stand.
’ He put down here,” she says reading in a neutral voice, “
keep your friends close, and enemies closer. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
”

“What the hell? He’s quoting Sun Tzu to me?” I ask my voice rising in anger.

“Yes, sir. He’s also noted here…” she says trying to push through a hard swallow, and stopping. She blinks. Then clears her throat.

“What?” I bark.

“Mr. Henry noted, here… uhm… I apologize sir; it appears to be in a dialect of ancient Greek,” she says and tries to scroll down, her eyes go wild. “I’m not proficient in it but the contents seem to be moving about the screen and around the sentences,” she says twisting her tablet to show it to me. The writing on the tablet moves around as if the words have a mind of their own. Even letters within the words switch places as in an anagram.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Pella. My tablet maybe faulty, sir,” Melissa apologizes chagrined with the inadequacy, her eyes bewildered.

I extend my hand wordlessly, and she places the tablet in my hand, her color turning puce. I focus on the screen. As soon as my eyes lock on the moving words and scrambling letters, my mind manages to make sense of the message. The words begin to shape, and make sense registering in the eyes of my mind in a reflection; the written words turn into images and sounds in my conscious as if there is a key in my mind to unlock the code of this mystery.

“
Mr. Pella; with my apologies I shall explain why I wrote what’s above, and most likely earned your wrath after your assistant Melissa read the content to you, sir. The events of today combined with everything that had transpired this week might have gotten you distracted. I was counting on you getting irritated about my impertinence in the presence of your assistant, because disrespect always earns your ire. If you are reading this, I have managed to do just that. However, before you dispense your wrath on me, I ask you as your friend, advisor, and sometime shrink to please carefully listen to me as I have done this to achieve one purpose: I must have your full attention to hear me out and I believe I have it now. Please remember that Sun Tzu’s much older than you and even turned concubines into fierce warriors just to prove a point to the emperor. As your friend, I have watched your back in battles. My friendship, loyalty, honesty and existence in body and soul, pledged to your service. As your advisor, I requested of you to give me the freedom to express my most scrutinized opinion which you have granted.

It is my duty to remind you that anyone can become a deadly solider
in the wrong but capable hands. Having scrutinized the buyers all week, knowing what’s pending in terms of war, and who and what we are protecting, no one can be trusted, sir. There maybe one or more wrong hands showing up at our door this week. Those of us who have already pledged loyalty, life and soul can be trusted to one extent. You have given all of us a ‘get out’ clause; gifted us our Rudis; what we give you in return is our loyalty. The reason we entrust you with our bodies and souls is that no one else would be able to tempt us; should that happen, you would know that.

But, after you left my room, I realized that the Fallen might use another vessel to penetrate our bond and defense. I don’t know what that is yet; but I sense it approaching and I am uneasy, sir. This is why you are getting this cryptic message. A very ancient method Marcus taught me to deliver messages, and having a direct bond with him, you shall be able to read it. The medium in which it is delivered doesn’t matter. Even the deliverer doesn’t know or understand the content. This feeling of unease is why I highly suggest that we keep our enemies closer especially, now. When you talked about your
Hieron Osteon today, I remember one ability Marcus had gifted me with of which I’ve never used before this time. I began to sense malicious souls; at first I didn’t know what it was. But the feeling has gotten clearer. I can’t see them, but I can unmistakably feel them nearing. It’s not a particular person; but it’s attached to a human, a Nephilim, or a consort of a Nephilim, and I know the distance is closing between us because the energy is shifting like a change in air pressure with the approaching storm. They can be the size of a memory seed, but shaped like a tiny snake.