Scarlet Lore

If thy brother wrongs thee-Chapter 11

The car Erek had looked exactly like one you would get from a luxury rental but I knew that it was highly unlikely he had gotten it in such a human and legal way. I never paid much mind to cars, more than whether or not I deemed them pretty and while people either felt that way or quiet intensely about cars it had been too long for me too know which Erek was.

He opened the door for me-ever the gentleman, and walked, not at full speed but fairly fast by human standards around to the other side once I was sat. The interior of the car was all white leather and though the smell was pleasant I still screwed up my nose-the concept of having dried skin lying about whenever you had the option not to, never appealed to me.

"It's been a long while." Erek fished around behind his seat as he spoke, producing a hardcover book tied shut with a silky black ribbon. The book was promptly placed in my lap as turned his attention to the task of driving. The book looked to be some sort of psychological horror, nothing extraordinary but still expensive for the cover. Erek had always felt a need to give people gifts whenever he saw them-even when such a thing with entirely unnecessary.

"Thank you." I traced my fingers over the thick hard covering, followed the embossed title as the letters ran into one another.

"I'd have gotten you Dracula or Carmilla for irony's sake but I figured you'd have read both cover to cover a million times over already." Now that we were away from Mia a certain sadness had filled his voice. It was not overwhelmingly obvious but it was still there, clipping at each of his words. I was sure, and could be sure knowing Erek as well as I did, that it was for my benefit that he locked back his emotions. "And I did try to look for more modern novels, for the irony, but I had a plane to catch."

"I'd have appreciated that irony. I appreciate, more however, that you went out of your way to get something at all."

"What have you learnt about Amarante? Loke and Brandr know some things which they would we would find easier to explain than I do. So what about you, what do you know?" Erek glanced at me for only a second, his goldish eyes twinged with curiosity.

He knew Kare had been to see me, I was sure about that but what about Oskar? And did he know he know Kare would be in Paris? Did he even know that Kare knew Leif was dead? I swallowed hard before speaking. "One of her coven owns a shop in southern Paris. A little new-agey type place. Dame du Lac. We should go there."

"Interesting. And how do you know all that?" I almost stiffened at the question though there was truly no need to. There was no way Erek would have an issue with me talking to Oskar just once. At least I thought he wouldn't have an issue with it, I hoped. "Sine? Sine...Valeria? There was no accusation there. Why are you so on edge?"

It was clear there was accusation in the second question. "Do you know what it's like? The kind of love we had? A million witches we met said it was more than just human love. Whatever otherworldly evil turned you all like this, it was the kind of love they felt-at least that's what the witches said."

It was true, or true at least that we had been told that a million times over by witches and warlocks. Leif and I had a habit of playing about with witches or warlocks for a few weeks at a time and every time we found someone to both our liking they told us the same thing, the exact same story.

They never had an idea what the creatures were and what they called them always reflected their times-demons, fair folk...whatever otherworldly evil they may have believed in. They said they felt the evil...insert whatever name they used...trying to tell them about it. Whenever the evil, the spirits found love, it would need to be tested and so they would pass a part of their soul through on another and it would either bind them together or leave them unable to find such true love ever in their immortal binds.