One Hundred and Forty-One…

One Hundred and Forty-One: Falling Down

Why is he being so cold to me? Lauren wondered. We just got finished screwing and he doesn’t have one word to say? He’s just sitting there, staring as if we’d committed some crime!

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

Silence.

“Reznik?”

“What?”

“What’s your problem?”

“Nothing. What’s yours?”

“Why are you being so quiet?”

“I don’t have anything to say. Do you, Lauren?” He got up from the chair and turned to the window.

Choking back a sob of anguish, she fought to speak. “I’d think… you’d have plenty to say since you just finished sticking your dick in me.”

“You got what you wanted. I got what I wanted. What’s there to talk about?”

“Don’t you feel anything for me at all?” Her throat closed off.

“What did you expect? For me to tell you we’re getting back together or some shit? You’re married to my father.”

“That didn’t stop you from banging me.” And yeah. Maybe I did think we’d get back together, asshole.

“Lauren, we’ve been split up for the last 16 years or so. You’ve been married to my dad almost as long.” He hesitated. “It’s over. We’re never getting back together.”

‘It’s over. It’s over. It’s over.’

It’s over to you. Not to me. I’ve lost the last 17 years of my memory. You haven’t. To me it’s like our relationship is new. I’m still in love with you.

‘We’re never getting back together,’ his painful words rang out in her brain, twisting her heart and breaking it.

Cruelly, he laughed.

“I can’t believe you thought I’d take you back,” he said. “After all that’s happened? You seduced me, knowing exactly what you were doing. Obviously you didn’t bother drinking that elixir shit. You brought all this on yourself.”

She nodded. “Yeah. I brought this on myself.”

Lauren stalked off.

“Fuck you, Reznik.”

Meanwhile, Azura blankly stared at all the gifts Nicholas had given her. There were gifts for her baby as well.

Yeah. He’d been trying very hard to butter her up… for sex.

She got to her feet, struggling at first due to her bigger stomach.

Between her dad, Nicholas and Millificent, she wasn’t sure who was worse or who she hated more.

I wish they’d all fuck off.

I can’t believe I’m bringing a baby into this mess. What was I thinking getting pregnant again?

Slowly Azura shook her head. Disappointed in herself, and in her family.

But what else was new?

Step by step, heart to heart. Left, right, left… we all fall down like toy soldiers.

Back in Shadowvale again, Reznik knew Lauren had bullshit him. He realized shortly after fucking that she hadn’t used the mixture.

He couldn’t believe it. Reznik had spent days on that elixir.

Different emotions churned within. Once they finished having sex, Reznik was left feeling empty, guilty. Pissed that Lauren wasted the elixir.

He’d tried to help Lauren. He’d done his best. As the saying went, ‘you can’t help those who don’t want to be helped.‘

Rez betrayed his dad. He also betrayed his lover Elijah. Such guilt urged Reznik to call Elijah.

He asked his lover to meet him at the Haas Estate. Screwing Lauren only made him remember how much he loved Elijah, and he could never go back to a romantic relationship with Lauren.

Reznik knew how deeply he’d hurt her, but on the same note she was the one who seduced him and lied by omission. She knew exactly what to say, how to dress and act to get him into bed.

He drew up to Elijah and kissed him.

I’ve missed this. Reznik devoured his lover’s mouth as they moaned, stroked and fondled one another.

They made out for several minutes, though time slowed down more and more with each kiss.

He was definitely in love with Elijah. Never, ever would he tell him about what happened with Lauren.

Afterward, the pained look on his father’s face stopped Reznik as he shuffled through the doors.

“Dad?”

“Where is she? Why didn’t you bring her?” Vaclav questioned.

Lauren. Of course. Derp.

“I tried to get her to come back. She just wouldn’t do it.”

“Why not? Didn’t you try the elixir?”

“Yes I did. She wouldn’t take it. I tried everything.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you telling me she’s never coming home?”

“No, that’s not what I said. I don’t know.” Frustrated, he slapped his hand to his forehead. “I don’t know what she’s going to do.”

Vaclav was quiet for a long time. His troubled eyes glared at nothing, except maybe the far wall.

“Very well. So be it. There’s other Shadowvale pussy.”

Vaclav rushed from the room.

Sadly, it was all for the best. Lauren no longer loved Reznik’s father so it was pointless for him to pine over her.

Dad’s covering up his feelings with anger. I know Lauren’s the only Shadowvale pussy he’ll ever love…

However, there was another woman Vaclav would always love. She slumbered peacefully in that aging mausoleum several yards away.

Aubrey.

His father didn’t know it yet, but Lucifer planned to offer an unusual deal for allowing him to see Mila.

It was a bargain his father couldn’t pass up. Hopefully.

“Dad?”

Vaclav grunted in response.

He had no idea why his father was in a shitty mood; not that Lucifer really cared.

“Will you let me see Mila if—”

“If what?” Vaclav’s cold eyes raised to his son’s.

“If I invoke my real mother’s spirit again?” Lucifer’s heart drummed as he waited; waited for his father’s answer.

Waiting… and then waiting some more.

What the fuck?

“Dad, did you hear what I said?”

Vaclav shook his head.

“You didn’t hear what I said?”

“I heard you perfectly. And the answer is no. I don’t want you to conjure Aubrey again.”

“Why the hell not?”

“As tempting as the idea is, I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want Aubrey to go through that again. Let’s leave the dead to their eternal rest.”

“Yeah, we’ll leave the dead to their eternal rests while I go on not seeing Mila.”

Vaclav nodded, infuriating Lucifer. He rolled his sapphire-blue eyes toward the ceiling.

After tonight you won’t keep me away from her, Lucifer vowed. I swear.

I already have a backup plan in place, old man.

You’ll find out what it is. Tonight.

And many slow, torturous hours later, that night arrived.

The full moon cast a strange, greenish-blue tinge to everything inside the house.

“Since you refuse to let me see Mila, we’re leaving,” Lucifer announced.

“You’re not going to stop me. You’re not going to run my life any longer. I should’ve done this a long time ago, but I guess I had to grow a pair first.”

“So now I’m the proud owner of a new, bigger pair of balls.”

“Fine. Then go. I wish you good luck.”

“Thank you. Now I want you to grow a pair and admit the real reason why you wouldn’t let me see Mila.”

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you mean.”

“Bullshit. You kept me away from Mila because you were jealous. Jealous that I had Mila, and you didn’t have Lauren.” Lucifer paused. “See? Not only have I grown balls, I’ve also wised up.”

“Get… out.”