Can't Fight Time Ch. 10

Hey Everyone,

I know, I know, I'm late. It's just I got really caught up with my other series So I'm Not a Vampire? (which is now finished! Yay!) and I just haven't been doing my editing duty. I won't lie, willione (a member on lit) was the one who reminded me. And thank you for calling me out, sometimes I get so caught up in other stories that I lose track. Feel free to remind me, everyone, when I screw up. It's good to keep me humble LOL

So, here's the next chapter. I'll be going a little slower since the chapters get longer, and I still have to add more pages, but I'll post at least one new chapter a week. Okay, I'm not going to talk anymore. Hope you like it! And yes, I did change it ;)

-Rosi

***

"Your Highness?"

Grim silently closed the door to his study, and looked up at the Royal Guard in front of him. The man stood in human flesh with the Bloodspurn coat-of-arms sewn onto the two bands around his biceps. The bands irritated Grim, the symbol—that of a teardrop-shaped vial with two swords crossed behind it—reminded him of everything the Bloodspurn Kings had stood for: murder, mayhem, and war.

Grim turned away from the thoughts and eyed the guard curiously, unable to place a name to the man. His eyes were very light green, his skin paler than the reaper norm, and he had a faded scar below his left ear. The scar interested Grim, because reapers didn't get scars unless they were born from a human woman, and received them before they completely died and became a full reaper.

"Yes?" Grim turned fully to the guard, aware of his disheveled appearance and the smell of sex and sweat heavy on his skin. It was likely the guard knew what he'd been doing, and yet, still chose to come to him before he had a chance to return to his rooms and shower. That worried Grim. "Is there a problem? Have more ashes been found?"

Despite the hours spent with Nina in the quiet of his study, Grim knew the minute he stepped out, the full weight of his duties would once again rest on him. Still, for a brief flash of time he had found peace and solace, something that he was beginning to realize was better than even the best alliances. Perhaps that was the reason he had asked Nina to marry him so suddenly. She was still a stranger to Grim in so many ways, but something about her called to him, stronger than any siren's song, and he was not fool enough to ignore it.

The guard interrupted his thoughts with a gruff reply: "Nothing of the sort, Highness. It is simply that the guards would like to... meet with you and discuss our newest guest."

Grim picked up on the hesitation immediately. He'd seen the looks his guards had thrown Nina, seen the hate and mistrust there. He knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to deal with the fallout from his decision.

Turning sharply on his heel, Grim began to walk in the direction of his rooms. Nina was no doubt a topic of discussion for not just his guards but everyone in the realm.

"What is your name?" Grim asked the guard, keeping pace beside him.

"Tylend Daz, Your Highness."

Grim's lips lifted in a half smile as he looked straight ahead and turned a corner. "I would like you to assemble all the Council of Guardians' members, the High Watchers, the High PeaceKeeper, and three Collectors, Messengers, and Royal Guards of your choosing. They are all to report immediately to my waiting room. Is this understood?"

Grim stopped and turned to fully face the guard, who was only an inch or two shorter than himself. Green eyes so pale they bordered on silver met his, and Tylend gave the barest of nods before placing his left fist behind his back, his right palm over his heart, and bowing deeply. It was an old gesture, one that made Grim respect the guard all the more for it.

"At your Highness's behest." Tylend looked up, pride in his eyes. "I will do so immediately."

Then, with a woosh of air and a flare of restrained power, the guard took off on his mission. Grim took a deep and unnecessary breath, smiling as he caught the gesture. It only occurred to him then, that he'd been taking breaths since Nina had come to the Underworld, and, as he placed a hand over his chest, he was also using his power to match the slow beat of her heart.

Shaking his head, Grim continued his walk until he's reached his rooms, threw the doors wide, and strode past his sitting area and straight into his bedroom. Grim knew he had only an hour at most before his people arrived, and in that time he would need to formulate a course of appropriate action to deal with their inquiries, shower, and think of how he was going to try and woo Nina into marriage.

The water helped. Though Grim knew he could have just used his powers to clean himself, the act was still comforting. That was why he had had a shower installed in his suite; it was one of the only human luxuries he truly enjoyed. Well, that and tea. Perhaps it was a connector to his mother, one he sought just as he did Nina.

Grim sighed deeply as he scrubbed off her scent, and tried to think of a course of action. But too late, a flurry of different powers washed over his consciousness like a school of fish suddenly swimming through his body. He finished quickly, dressed with brutal efficiently, and went out to greet his guests.

The minute he stepped through the door, over fifty eyes turned to him. All the reapers were standing, some huddled together as if they'd been having a conversation. Grim moved silently to the front of the room, situating himself in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows. With a flick of his power, a chair manifested and Grim sat, legs crossed.

"You may sit."

A frown tugged at his lips but Grim suppressed it. Before, commands had been hard to issue, they'd felt like a form of binding, another thing tying him to the throne. It was different now however, the power he'd always tried to hide and suppress becoming easier to wield. Grim wondered if it had something to do with Nina, a change she'd inspired in him.

Grim didn't have more time to contemplate it before the accusations and worries began flying at him. "How could you allow a human into our kingdom?" The question was spat out by one of the Watchers. Grim only knew the man was a Watcher from the blood drop-crystal hanging from the edge of the man's hood. If the Watcher had been in human form the drop would have rested on his forehead, secured by a thin gold chain.

"How could I allow a human into my kingdom?" Grim drew out the words and readjusted in his chair. "Perhaps you have forgotten the laws, Watcher. I can't nullify a temporary contract unless it is my own. And if you didn't hear, I did command my brother to nullify the contract with the human, but she refused."

The Watcher stood firm. "Than command her. It is within your power as king."

Grim kept himself firmly in check, though his lips did tighten into a white line. "You would have me manipulate a human?" the words were drawn out, said with contempt. "Do you think me so weak, so incapable, that I would have to resort to compulsion?"

The Watcher drew back and kept silent, reading the heavy tension in the room. However another took up his grievances, a council member this time. "Then fear," the council guardian of the Province of Diyu said softly. "It is a strong motivator."

"We are not monsters." Grim shook his head and regarded the room. "Three months. That is how long Nina is here for. If one human can jeopardize a kingdom that has exists since the dawning of man, than we have deeper problems."

A hush settled over the room, before a man leaning against a wall spoke. "You used the human's name."

Grim turned to the guard who had spoken, and Tylend carefully. "I did."

The accusations were hurled across the room by nearly every reaper present, until it formed into white noise. "You have feelings for the human!," "You plan to bring about the destruction of the kingdom!," "You follow in your father's footsteps!"

Grim let it persist for a moment, let the members say what was burning on their tongues. But then, he spoke. "Silence!"

There was no power in the word, no compulsion, yet every reaper immediately stopped. In that moment, Grim saw himself as a king, for he knew it was not power that made a king, but he how wielded it.

Placing his hands on the arms of his chair, Grim stood. He could feel the tension in the room, a wave of dissension coming from his subjects, but he knew the conversation wasn't actually about Nina, it was about something more.

"We aren't having a conversation about a human," Grim began, turning his eyes to every creature in the room. "This conversation is about our kingdom—my kingdom. None of you truly believe that a single human will demolish everything we have built.

He paused, and let his power leak out across the room. "We can fix this problem easily by addressing the issues at hand. The human will stay for her allotted time, or until I say otherwise. This matter is not up for discussion. Now, let us discuss the other issues, and advise me on the best course of action."

It was a tense moment before Krithi stepped forward and spoke. "Your Highness, My people are scared, my province doesn't know what to think of the monarchy anymore. None of them ever saw King Tuoni, and they think you are just like him."

That was the spark that ignited the conversation about the king he should be and the ways to achieve that. Most of the problems he was familiar with, but had never taken active steps to fit. However, now he did. With every problem that was brought to his attention, Grim addressed it and opened the floor for suggestions on how best to approach it. By the end of the meeting, there was no more talk of Nina and the dissension Grim had felt before had, more or less, subsided.

Grim turned his head as reapers began to gather themselves and leave the sitting room. Behind him, the sky was a deep blue, swirled with black. It was a perfect mirror for Earth's night, but, it was in fact, not night at all. The Underworld was neither under nor above Earth, but on a different plane entirely, accessible only through a series of portals. The largest, and first portals ever created, were in the Castoff, Darklore, and Bloodspurn Castles, built into their very foundations and given as gifts by Yin and Yang.

"Your Highness?" a voice interrupted his musings.

Grim turned towards the man who had spoke. "Yes, Tylend?"

"Do you need me to do anything?"

Grim stared for a long time at Tylend, not quite looking at the reaper but more of what he represented. Royal Guards maintained their position for all their immortal lives. There were only two ways to be relieve of the position: by a queen or king, and the true death. The former never happened, and the later was only in extreme cases and usually issued by the king or queen.

They were, more or less, glorified shields for the royal family.

"No," Grim finally said, standing up from his chair. "You're free to go."

The minute he said the words, Grim was struck by how untrue they were. Royal guards, just like kings, were stuck. Archaic rules made freedom impossible for the both of them. Change, that was what was needed most, not just for Grim or his kingdom, but for the whole of the Underworld. None of them were free because the past still bound them all, still held everyone and everything in a tight grasp.

He clenched his fists and sped off down twisted corridors back to his study. Behind the oak door was more than freedom, more than even change. It was not Nina on her own, but them together, their relationship. A word was on the tip of Grim's tongue to describe it all, to put a name to the new energy and life in his home. But then the door opened, pulled back from the inside, and a curly, tousled head poked out. In an instant, Grim forgot the word, forgot everything as he took Nina in his arms and closed the doors to his study.

***

Nina was caught in a memory... Or was it a dream? She could no longer tell them apart.

She was in the morgue, but she wasn't in the morgue. She was seeing herself,... but it was strange. It was like she was watching herself in a movie.

Then the morgue melted and she was in a field of flowers... Or was it at home in her bed laying on her flower comforter? Was she a child or a woman?

Music played, a melody that she recognized, words she could sing to, but couldn't understand. Or was it a conversation? Did she hear music or a conversation?

Her father smiled at her, her mother beside him. They looked happy, not at all how she'd seen them before. They also looked different, like they weren't exactly her parents. Who were they?

Nina couldn't see anything; it was all a swirling blur of dreams and memories smashing into each other like fighting rams. Time unwinding, circling back—unmade, recreated. It hurt.

The feeling of uncertainty, of not knowing what was going on, was driving her insane. She needed to get out. Needed to escape. Right. Now...

"Having a nightmare?" Uri's voice penetrated the memory, or dream, or whatever it was, and drew Nina back to the present.

Nina felt like she'd jumped three feet in the air, but she didn't even move a muscle. The memory faded into nothingness as she slowly returned to Grim's bedroom. The sheets were warm beneath Nina's naked body, and a slight swivel of her hips let her know she was still covered with a sheet. Thank God for small mercies.

"What are you doing in my room, Uri?" Nina grumbled as she popped open an eye to look at him. "You're acting like a creepy stalker."

"I'm hurt." Uri's slapped his chest dramatically, but winked at her. "I came to get you."

Groaning, Nina shifted just as a pressure decided to push against her bladder and remind her that she was still human. "Help me up. I need to pee," she muttered to Uri and held out her hand.

Uri looked at her and shook his head ruefully. "You know, whenever you talk to me it always sounds like a command."

Smiling, Nina reached for his hand while keeping the sheet firmly in place over her breasts. "And whenever you talk to me, I'm pretty sure you're either hitting on me or just messing with your brother."

Nina cocked a brow that dared Uri to contradict her. When he didn't, she gave him a victory smile, wound the sheet around her body, and marched to the bathroom.

It had been a couple day? Weeks? Nina couldn't remember anymore. Being in Grim's bed pretty much blocked out time for her. But it had been a while since she'd seen Uri, and that in and of itself surprised her.

"So, why haven't you come to meet me sooner?" Nina yelled through the bathroom door.

She heard Uri move around the room, his footsteps quiet on the rugs scattered around. "I had some business to take care of. But I never forgot about you, Nina; and if you ever want to mix things up..."

Nina could practically see the eat-shit smile on his face as she washed her face. Shaking her head, she smiled fondly. Uri was just... incorrigible.

It was still strange, despite how long Nina had been in the Bloodspurn Kingdom, she hadn't really seen the castle and she didn't know what was behind its walls. Grim had told her there were several balconies, but the place was so massive that Nina could walk for hours and feel like she was in the same place she'd started. It all just looked exactly the same: stone walls with ornate tapestries draped over them and big, thick wood doors. She had opened the doors a couple of times, when Grim had meetings to attend and left Nina to her own devices, but after her third door and the horrifying discovery of some kind of weird BDSM trap, she'd given up on her curiosity.

But she wanted to see more, to explore and to meet people that weren't guards that hated her guts. Nina missed the human component of it all, missed talking with someone other than Grim or Uri.

If she were honest, she missed Nicole. "Uri," Nina began as she exited the bathroom and walked towards the wardrobe where Grim had set some clothes aside for her. "I was wondering if we could go to the human world for a few minutes. I really want to see my friend Nicole—make sure she's alright."

Nina could still remember the conversation she'd had with her father, the palpable anger and disgust in his tone in regard to her friend. She was worried about the Nicole, about what her father might do to her.

There was a long pause as Nina pulled out some clothes and tossed them over her shoulder and on the bed. It was so long, in fact, that she turned around and found Uri looking at her with the most curious expression. He looked like he was trying to see past her, or inside of her—the type of look someone gives his reflection.

Raising a questioning brow, Nina tried the same tactic with Uri. The reaper was a complete mystery to her. While he seemed like he was a laid-back guy who really just wanted to piss off his brother, there was something just beneath the surface. Sometimes it felt like he didn't care about any of it, like he was completely removed from it all.

"How 'bout I check on her later. Grim would kill me if I took you to the human world. Besides, we have plans today."

She knew Uri was probably right about Grim, but a niggling part of her still worried for her friend. "Promise me you'll go see her," Nina said seriously, needing the conformation to at least set her mind at ease.

"Think I'm not good for it?" Uri placed his hand over his heart and looked wounded. "I promise on my princely crown that I will go and see Nicole."

Nina rolled her eyes and spun her finger in a gesture for him to turn around. Uri covered his eyes like a child playing hide-and-go-seek, but obediently spun around. Nina threw off the sheet, and dressed quickly. No because she was worried about Uri seeing hr, but because the brat had started to count down. She had a feeling he wouldn't sneak a peek, but just in case he did, she dressed quickly. "three... two... one... Ready or not here I come."

Uri spun and Nina slapped her hands on her jean-clad hips and glared at him. A second later he burst out laughing, bent over and gripped his sides. Nina couldn't help but join in.

It was another few minutes of gasping and trying to get her breathing under control, before Nina spoke. "So, we're going out?"

Uri straightened and wiped a stray tear from his eye. "Yeah. I thought you might want to get out of the castle and explore the town. It's a decent size with tons of places to shop, you might like it."

Nina nearly squealed with happiness at the thought of finally leaving the creepy castle, but her mood sobered immediately when she remembered Grim. The man hadn't let her get five paces from him before he, or one of the new guards he'd assigned to her, was there. She always had a shadow in the castle.

"And what do you get out of it, Uri?" Nina asked as she pulled her hair back and secured it in a ponytail.

"You decent?" Uri asked before looking over his shoulder and turning around completely. He smiled suavely at her. "Having your company for the day is pleasure enough."

Rolling her eyes, Nina snorted and looked around the room for her shoes, spotting them at the foot of the bed. "Bullshit. What's the real reason?"

"Well, there is the small matter of Grim touching you even though we're contracted. And seeing as I won't fight him..." Uri shrugged. "Whisking you off is the next best thing."

"That sounds more like it." Nina nodded as she sat down and laced up her shoes. "But at least leave him a note. He's been a bit paranoid about my safety lately."

Nina felt a shift in the air and then Uri was suddenly in front of her, bending down to help her tie her other shoe. "I think I can do that," Uri acceded as he pulled the laces taut.