Queen of Ruin(Book three of the Immortals Series)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE GARDEN

Swinging her bag as she strolled through the apartment, Tessa hummed to herself, then stopped at the front door and picked up the phone. "Yes, this is Tessa Mason in apartment 1211. Can you send up the doorman, please?" She poured herself a drink at the bar and glanced up to the door when the knock came. "Come in, Reggie. It's open."

The balding doorman smiled at Tessa and closed the door behind him. He was always happy to hear she was in town again because he made more than a pretty penny over the last few years from their side deals. "What can I do for you, Miss Mason?"

She winked her eye and held up her finger. "One moment." As she walked around the back of the bar, she knelt before the safe and opened it. "What's the going rate these days, Reggie?"

The doorman slid onto the wooden bar stool and shrugged. He was sure the witch didn't care about money at all and would probably give him whatever amount he spat out, but her friendly nature made it difficult to lie to her. "Depends on what you're looking for this time."

Leaning over the bar, Tessa rested her chin in her hand and shrugged as she puckered her glossy red lips. "You know what I like. I'll need her for about an hour on Friday night, for starters. We'll see how it goes after that." With his fingers drumming on the warm oak-colored bar, the doorman tossed it around. "500."

Tessa arched her brow and knelt down, then rummaged through the safe. Her interpretation of Haldir's definition of emergency cash was broad, and this wasn't the first time she dipped into the fund for her personal needs. As she stood back up, Tessa counted out the cash. "Here's a thousand. I want someone who knows what the hell they're doing. You can keep the rest."

Watching the doorman tuck the money in his pocket, Tessa sipped the last of her drink and set the glass on the bar. "Just have her meet me up here around 9."

The doorman tapped his hand on the bar as he stood. "Of course, Miss Mason."

Once Reggie left, Tessa took another look at herself as she put on her black thigh-length raincoat and tied the belt around her waist. Wrapping her bag's leather strap around her hand, Tessa stepped back then disappeared into the mist. Standing in front of the stone castle in the countryside, Tessa took a deep breath and licked her lips. Her leather ballet flats slid across the slick stone steps while she gathered her courage, then used the doorknocker and waited. "Hello, sir. My name is Tessa Mason. I want to speak with Minister Tyson, please." As the butler showed her to the Minister's office, she glanced around looking for Rafik.

She couldn't sense his presence as she did before, and her heart sank in her chest. From the way Tessa reacted, she could hardly blame him if he avoided her now. She daydreamed many scenarios over ten long years of what it would be like when they reunited someday, and none of them ended up quite so messy.

"Tessa. I'm so happy you came back." Delia rushed through the hall and held out her arms. After she gave Tessa a quick hug, she waved her hand towards the door. "Please, come in."

Sitting down in the soft, leather club chair, Tessa placed her hands on her lap and smiled as she tipped her forehead towards her. "I hope I didn't wear out my welcome here, Delia."

Delia smiled and shook her head. "No, of course not. I think anyone in your position would have reacted similarly."

"I'm not sure about all this, but I thought I should talk to him and see if..." Tessa sighed and glanced towards the window. "I have to know if I can do this."

Delia stood and went to the window and peered out across the lawn. "You've been through so much, and this will be a walk in the park in comparison. He's not your enemy; those days are long gone." Seeing Rafik in the garden, Delia glanced back at Tessa and motioned in that direction. "He's out back collecting herbs, Tessa. Perhaps he could use some help."

The walk down the pebble path to the extensive herb garden was like climbing the stairway to heaven as she gazed at Rafik squatting down with his back turned to her.

The soft breeze tossed around his curly hair, and she caught the faint scent of cinnamon and clove as it passed her.

There wasn't a single time in ten years she didn't replace herself swept back to the night on the balcony as she laid against his chest whenever she smelled apple pie or spiced cider.

Hearing her shoes kick the stones as she walked, Rafik glanced back over his shoulder and smiled.

He stood and rubbed his hands together to wipe off the dirt before dusting off his knees. "I didn't think you would come back."

With her bag between them like a shield against their attraction, she smirked and stared off across the lawn. "Neither did I, honestly." Looking behind her, Tessa noticed a stone bench and motioned to it. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Her eyes darted to the fresh scab on his lip when he nodded and made her wince with a rare twinge of remorse. "Of course, after you."

Following her as she strolled to the bench, Rafik's eyes took in her form. Her curly, dark hair lifted into the breeze and called out for his fingers.

Looking over the garden to avoid his eyes, Tessa panted as she tried to keep up with her racing heart's demands as he sat beside her. "All I've ever wanted since I can remember is to be a potion maker. I used to mix up all Momma's good lotions and perfumes and pretend I was the most famous healer in history. It's funny how I have the chance to study with the best in the whole damn world, and it just happens to be you."

He could feel how conflicted she was as he examined her face, no matter how hard she tried to push her real emotions down. "It is our Fate that crosses our paths again."

She pressed her lips together and huffed through her nose. She was sure that someone watched over her, but she wasn't any closer to caring what they thought than she was the night of her cotillion. "The Fates are crazy, aren't they?" He shook his head as he joined her in watching the landscape. "No. It seems that way because we are so small. We don't see what they do."

Tessa glanced at him and narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you're up for this? I mean, this could be unpleasant."

That amber flicker in his eyes sparkled as he grinned and nodded. He hoped things would improve between them, but he expected nothing. "I owe you much. The very least I can do is show you these things."

Her eyes fell to his lips, and she swallowed down the memory of his flavor. Blinking away, she sighed through her nose. "If this is going to work, I need to know everything, Rafik. I'm not talking about potions; I need to know everything that happened with my parents."

As he worried this arrangement might end if he spoke the truth of it all, his heart raced. "From what place do you wish me to start?"

Tessa's breath hitched as her throat already burned with the pain of losing her family. She was more or less aware of the details, but she needed to hear it from his mouth. "Why did your family come to Savannah?"

Scratching his temple, Rafik sighed and glanced away. "From the time I was born, he taught me to hate you. I grew up hearing all these terrible things about your people, and when my father decided to go to Savannah and eliminate you all, I was proud to do so with him."

Tessa scoffed out through her mouth as he inched closer. "But when I saw you walking into the ballroom with your family, I knew the things he said couldn't be true. I told him you were mine, and I couldn't do what he asked of me." It was a mistake to look into his eyes, but she couldn't help herself, and she knew right then that everything he said was genuine. "He swore to me that you were all being abused in every conceivable way by Jasper, and I hated him. I stood outside your house at night and prayed that you were safe and counted down the minutes until my father freed you of your prison."

He pushed the tearful memory from his cheek and licked his sore lip. "He was my father. I had no reason to doubt his words."

Leaning over with his elbows on his knees, he recalled the night it happened as he hung his head down in shame. "I knew what he was going to do to your father; that's true. I thought I was saving you. He swore to me that you would all come to live with us and that you would be at my side from that day on. When your mother began to react, I looked into my father's eyes and saw he was a monster, and every word he'd ever spoken against your family was a lie."

Glancing back over his shoulder, he took in her face. "You disappeared, and I knew I only had minutes to replace you. But when I saw you in your brother's arms, I realized it was too late. I begged the Fates to bless you, and I hoped for the best. It was many years before anyone would tell me for certain that you were alive, but in here," Rafik sat up again and pressed his fingertips to his heart, "in here, I had no doubt. Every molecule of me sensed you out there somewhere. I sang our song to you in my head every morning and night and prayed that you would hear it."

A glimpse of the first dance they shared came to her mind, and her eyes fluttered to the ground. "I heard you. I tried for so long to ignore it, but I kept replaceing myself humming it out no matter how hard I tried not to."

Leaning into her, Rafik stared at his dirty hands and snickered at himself. He was too gentlemanly to dare touch her with filthy hands, but he wanted so much to feel his fingertips on her skin. "I don't expect that you'll forgive me, Rohi, but I will never stop saying I am sorry. I know what I stole from you, and I am your servant, my love."

All his words replayed in her head. If she was in his place that night and her father gave her the same command, she would have killed every one of the Idrissi's without hesitation.

She knew she was a hypocrite, but his remorse could never replace all she lost. "I can't forgive you. I can't. Not now."

Any concerns she might have about why he asked her to come was waved away by his hand as he shook his head. "It's alright. Just, please don't go, Tessa. My invitation is not dependent on your affections; it is my penance. I want to do it." Close enough to smell the sweet scent of his breath, Tessa's teary eyes met his. "I won't make things easy for you. I can't promise that I won't get angry again and try to set everything on fire. I got a bad temper and mean streak a mile wide." The same boyish grin that met her eyes the night they met smiled back at her as he put his hand on his chest. "Do your worst if you must. The only thing I fear is not seeing you again."