> “Seraph is the best. We all know that. Uriel is also the best. So is Sariel. We all agree on that, too. But there is someone who is the best of the best. That’s what we can’t agree on.”

>

> —Magda, #1 Fan, Kraej City Fan Coalition Fanzine

Asteria

Seraphiel must be freaking out, I just knew it.

All in all, I was forced to stay in the Kraej family guest suite for three days. I guess that was how long it took them to complete a background check to confirm that I wasn’t connected to Magnus’ kidnapping or any radical groups.

The rooms I stayed in were luxuriously appointed for a young girl child with lots of pink, chiffon, and lace. The mountain of toys I had been promised filled no less than ten huge closets.

Lifers kept watch on me at all times, except when I was showering or on the toilet.

I spent the time reading books and practicing the violin and piano. One of the powers the goddess had given me was divine musical talent, a skill that was traditionally the purview of angels. When I started playing with the instruments in the music room, a helpful Lifer brought in Ms. Lily, a music teacher, a few hours later. She was enraptured by my raw talent and begged me to let her teach me. We planned a weekly schedule of classes for me which I insisted I was going to pay for myself when I got home.

Despite my protests, Ivan opened a bank account in my name and deposited Magnus’ check for one hundred million credits in it.

I met Magnus’ parents who were a pair of pale, portly middle-aged people. Mama Kraej thanked me for saving her little boy, and Papa Kraej ordered his son to reward me handsomely for my services before dismissing us. I was just glad I was able to escape the meeting with a whole skin.

Magnus was a busy person, and I only met him once more after that. I managed to extract a promise from him that he would never send his goons to grab me again. If he wanted to see me again, one of his staff would call my apartment or place of work.

The accommodations were good; the food was excellent, and the staff was attentive. I’d have had no complaints except for the fact that I was worried about Seraphiel. Although I had warned him that I wouldn’t always be able to phone in every day, I was sure that he wouldn’t be pleased that I hadn’t called him three days in a row.

There were phones here, but I was sure that the staff would listen in to all my calls. It’s not that there was any point in hiding my connection to Seraphiel. The Lifers would know all about it soon enough. What worried me was that Seraphiel would try to rescue me from my captivity even though I was in no danger.

I heaved a sigh of relief when I was given the go-ahead to go home.

“I won’t be needing that,” I said to one of the maids who was packing the clothes they had provided me with during my stay. The staff had all refused to tell me their names which was standard procedure among Lifers.

“The young master ordered us to pack two dozen sets of clothing for you,” said the maid, and that was that. They would do whatever I asked, except when it contradicted the Kraej’s orders. I gave up and let them do whatever they wanted.

Two Lifers escorted me to my apartment which, to my relief, was empty. The Commanders had obeyed my instructions forbidding them to go to my apartment.

After the Lifers left, I changed into my regular clothes and got on the next bus to Seraphiel’s apartment. A chime sounded in Seraphiel’s apartment whenever someone used a keycard on his private elevator, so he knew that someone was coming. He pounced on me the moment the elevator doors opened. Uriel and Sariel were right behind him.

"Did you go somewhere with your hero?" asked Seraphiel the moment the elevator doors opened.

If Seraphiel knew that I had been kidnapped, nothing would have kept him from looking for me. But I'd told him beforehand not to worry if I didn't call since it meant that I was on a quest, probably with the hero.

I stepped out and said, "No."

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Seraphiel ran his hands over my body from the top of my head to my ankles. Direct physical contact with a carrier of the Iah virus made me feel nauseous, but I did my best to ignore it.

“Bring her inside,” said Sariel.

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt,” I said.

All three of them looked tired and grumpy, but Seraphiel looked like he’d been on an epic bender or something. His face was so pale that his lips looked colorless, but there were dark rings around his eyes, making his golden eyes even more arresting by comparison.

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Seraphiel and the others smelled strongly of alcohol and some sort of herbal smoke I wasn’t familiar with.

“What have you guys been doing?! You stink!” I complained. Spotting some bottles of liquor, I pointed at them and said, “I need a drink, too.”

Sariel sniffed himself surreptitiously while Uriel poured a clear liquid into a glass and handed it to me. I downed it in one gulp and it burned all the way down.

Seraphiel was inspecting every inch of my body he could see. He leaned close to me and turned my head this way and that, scanning me for injuries. Then he lifted my arms and pushed my sleeves to my shoulders. He was lifting my skirt to check my legs when I kicked him off, or tried to. Kicking his side was like kicking an iron board. Uriel and Sariel dragged him away from me.

“I told you I’m fine,” I said.

“What happened?” said Uriel.

Seraphiel was staring at me unblinkingly, still as a statue.

“Um, can you please tell Ely not to use the scary face? It scares me!” I said to the others. Sariel folded his arms over his chest. Uriel shook his head.

“Asteria, what happened?” said Seraphiel.

I decided to throw caution to the wind and tell them the truth. Stepping forward, I gripped Seraphiel’s sleeve and rested my head on his shoulder. Seraphiel’s arms went around me. I said, “Five guys grabbed me and shoved me into a van. I’m fine, but I was a little shocked at first.”

With each word I spoke, Seraphiel’s arms tightened until he was practically squeezing the life out of me. Uriel was growling something I couldn’t hear.

“Let’s calm down,” said Sariel.

“I’m fine though,” I said. “Ely, I need to breathe. Let me go.”

“No,” said Seraphiel. He loosened his arms enough to let me breathe, but wouldn’t budge when I tried to wiggle out of his embrace. I was rapidly approaching the point where prolonged contact with him was going to make me lose my lunch.

“Stop it! Let go. You’re gonna make me vomit!” I said. My struggles became increasingly desperate, and Seraphiel seemed to sense that I was close to my limit because he finally let me go. I ran to the toilet and threw up.

Blargh.

“You are sick,” said Seraphiel from the doorway to the bathroom. “What did those men do to you?”

When I was finished vomiting I gargled with water and mouthwash to get the nasty taste out of my mouth. Seraphiel helpfully handed me two pieces of candy.

“Ugh, I’m not sick,” I said as I plopped down on the sofa and ate the candy.

“You just puked your guts out,” Sariel pointed out helpfully. His normally artfully messy hair was genuinely messy today, and his clothes were a muted dove grey color instead of his usually colorful ensemble. Uriel was the only one who looked normal.

“I was hoping not to have to tell you guys this, but that’s not because I’m sick. I, uh, feel nauseous when any of you guys touch me,” I said.

“What?” said Sariel.

“Why?” said Seraphiel.

“What do you mean?” That was Uriel.

“It’s the Iah virus. Remember the first day outside the north gate when I vomited?” I said. “The virus makes me feel nauseous.”

“You feel like vomiting when I touch you because I’m infected?” Seraphiel’s brows knit together, and his glowing golden eyes narrowed in consternation.

“Tough luck, old man,” said Sariel, clapping Seraphiel on the shoulder.

“No…” I said weakly. “It’s not you, it’s the virus. I can’t help it.”

Uriel and Sariel sent Seraphiel pitying looks.

“It’s temporary. When you’re all fully cured, I won’t feel like vomiting when we touch,” I said. “But I’m telling you, it’s not because I got sick when I was kidnapped.”

“Tell us about the kidnapping,” said Uriel.

Leaning back on the sofa, I held a hand out for more candy. In between sips of water and candy breaks, I told them the whole story of my past rescue of Magnus Kraej and my three-day confinement. Keeping it a secret wouldn’t work because they should know that a new player had entered the game. Magnus Kraej wasn’t someone we could safely ignore.

“Wait, wait,” said Sariel, holding up a hand to stop my narration. “You’re saying that Magnus Kraej, the son of the richest man in the world, had you abducted by his men because he wanted to shower you with money?”

“Yes…”

Sariel shook his head in wonder.

“Lifers generally kidnap people to cut their throats and bury them six feet under or dissolve their bodies in acid. But not you, of course. All they did was offer to give you anything you ask for,” said Sariel. “Did you at least ask them for a solid gold toilet seat?”

This was the cue I had been waiting for. I took the bank book out of my pocket and handed it to Sariel who opened it and whistled when he read the balance on my account.

I continued my story, emphasizing the fact that I had been comfortably housed and properly taken cared of during my captivity. Seraphiel had gone alarmingly still and silent again. His face was eerily void of all expression. It had been a mistake to tell him how Magnus’ goons had grabbed me.

“...And after I got back to my apartment, I headed here right away,” I finished.

I looked at the others to gauge their reactions. Uriel was frowning, but seemed calm. Sariel was leaning back on his chair, arms flung to his sides in a relaxed posture. Seraphiel was sitting up on the sofa beside me, his back ramrod straight.

“Can you tell me what the Lifer who grabbed you looked like?” asked Seraphiel in a calm, cold tone of voice. “Never mind, I’ll find out.”

“...” I looked to the others for help.

Sariel smiled and said, “Order him to not go on a killing spree.”

I covered my face with my hands.

“Don’t scare her like that. Seraph isn’t going to kill them. He just wants to send them a message not to mess with his woman,” said Uriel.

Wow, those two were of no help whatsoever. I sighed. “Let me explain. You all know that one of the Iah spawn is in the sea. Do any of you have a submarine? No? Well, Magnus does.”

“His father does,” said Sariel.

“You’re wrong. We could probably ask the Military Control Center in Aarlborg to use the submarine if there was a monster there,” said Uriel.

“Uriel! I told you that you three need to stay away from the Iah monsters!” I said.

“Don’t get agitated,” said Sariel.

“The point is, the Iah monsters will be causing trouble sooner or later. It’s just common sense for me, no us, to be friendly with the Kraej,” I said.

It took me hours to persuade Seraphiel to agree to let it go this one time.

For his sake, let’s hope that Magnus was serious when he said he would never send his goons for me again since Seraphiel was adamant that he would “teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget” if one of the Lifers laid a finger on me again.

I thought all my troubles were over, but when I went to bed I found a note under my pillow. It said, “Who’s Oren?” and it was signed “Uriel” and “Sariel.”