The Silver Thread (48 page)

“Now do you understand why I keep so many things private from you?” Talvi asked when Annika pulled away from him, letting the corridor between their minds dissolve. “Do you see why I don’t wish to share everything about myself? Some things are indeed best left unsaid.”

Annika knew she had two options as she stood there, speechless from what she had seen. On one hand, she could be terrified to know what kind of horrors that her husband was capable of. She had never imagined he could be so manipulative and cunning, so dangerous and deadly. And if these were the memories that he’d cherry-picked out of seventy years’ worth, what sort of things was he keeping private?

Or, on the other hand, she could trust what his father had told her; that Talvi would do anything for her, and that there was a diamond hidden deep inside that dark, tainted exterior. She also recalled Chivanni claiming that he wouldn’t want anyone else for a friend, and that Talvi would shower her with steadfast love and protection. There had to be some weight behind a statement like that, if they had been friends for nearly sixty years.

Talvi stroked her hair gently, then guided her chin to face him. He looked at her as though he understood her anguish all too well.

“I’m sorry you had to see all that, but I hope it alleviates some of your concerns. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can be a right bastard sometimes.”

“Oh, I noticed,” she assured him, wide-eyed and reeling from the visions. She covered her face with her hands, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. He was right about one thing for sure; she couldn’t undo what she had seen.

He took a final drink and set his empty glass on the counter beside hers, pulling her into his arms.

“Now, is there anything else that needs addressing?”

“Yeah, but I can’t deal with it right now,” she admitted, inhaling the familiar scent of his shaving soap. Honeysuckle, fruit trees, and cinnamon greeted her nose as she rested her head against his chest. “It’s too much to process. My brain feels like it’s going to explode.”

“Oh, now, we can’t very well have that, especially since you banned the use of fairy magic for the evening,” he replied, kissing the top of her head as he began to sway from side to side with her. “If you thought the mess from the sugar and soot was bad, you don’t even want to know how difficult it is to get bits of brain out of a rug.”

“You’re right; I don’t want to know,” she said, shuddering at the thought. “I don’t want to think about any of this right now.”

“Would you like a distraction?” he asked playfully.

“What kind of distraction?”

“I’ll give you a little clue. It’s in my front pocket,” he replied. She turned around and started to reach into the right pocket of his jeans, but he shook his head.

“No, no, the other one.”

She slid her hand into his left pocket, and reached around until she came across what clue he was referring to. He grinned and laughed wickedly, but said nothing.

“That is
not
a little clue,” she said, blushing as she took her hand out of his pocket.

“I didn’t think it would be,” he smirked. “I told you that I had an overabundance of dessert waiting for you. Perhaps you’d like a taste to be certain you’ll enjoy it, since we have so much?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it, but you can still give me a taste,” she said, licking her lips in anticipation.

He tilted her chin upwards, stooping down to deliver the sweetest, softest kiss he had ever given her. He smelled like cinnamon and tasted like champagne; it was a dessert unlike any other. Happy memories of his drifted into her mind this time; the freedom of driving a car, the thrill of dancing a tango in the living room, and the joy of playing an electric guitar for the first time in his long life. There was no urgency in his caress when his hands gathered her long red hair in his hands. There was no impatient grasping of clothing when his hands let go of her hair and encircled her waist. They had all the time in the world to be in that moment. Her blood felt as effervescent as the bubbles in their champagne glasses, but then the moment ended.

“What do you think, birthday girl?” he asked. “Would you like more dessert, or would you prefer we move on to the bisque?”

“I’m liking the dessert, actually,” she said with a grin, readying herself for another kiss, but he slipped out from between her and the counter, and started walking towards the kitchen table instead. He picked up the orchids and disappeared into the living room with them. When he returned, he pulled off the tablecloth where the flowers had just been sitting, gave it a quick shake, and replaced it back on the kitchen table. Then he marched over to her, swooping her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, and began to carry her away.

“Where are we going?”

“You didn’t think we were going to eat on the floor, did you?” he asked, setting her down on the kitchen table. He lifted her arms and pulled her shirt up and over them, casting it aside. Cupping her breasts through her bra, he gave her a skeptical look. “Well? Did you?” She shrugged, smiling as she lifted his t-shirt over his flat stomach and smooth chest, before he pulled it over his head and dropped it beside her shirt. He reached around her back and unfastened her bra in a heartbeat, and she giggled when his sideburns grazed her chest. She tried not to shudder as he kissed and fondled each breast again, running his hands over the smooth skin. He gave her an impatient squeeze before lifting his head.

“Annika, love, where’s your amulet?”

“I don’t know…maybe it’s still in my luggage.”

“No, it wasn’t there. I went through everything when we unpacked,” he said. “I assumed it was in your purse.”

“Probably,” she said with a shrug, drawing his face against her chest. The truth was, the last time she had seen it was in Paris, underground, and not in the catacombs. But she didn’t let herself think about her amulet’s whereabouts for a second longer.

“You had better hope you find it, otherwise nothing’s going to save you now,” Talvi said, laughing wickedly in between taking tastes and deep breaths of her skin. “I think your dessert is almost ready. Shall I check the oven?” he mused, and reached underneath her skirt, sliding his hands up her thighs. A thrilled gleam of delight entered his expression.

“I take it that means it’s ready,” she said, smiling primly at him while unbuckling his belt. He nodded, coaxing her panties down her legs until they landed on the collection of clothes on the floor. When she unzipped his jeans, he sighed in relief and curled his hands around the backs of her knees, pulling her to the edge of the table.

“Do you want me to take this off?” she asked when he reached under her rainbow skirt again.

“No,” he instructed, with smoldering, starving eyes. “It makes you look like an exotic bloom, so leave it on. That way, your little bumble bee can take all the nectar he likes from his favorite flower.” He kicked off his shoes and maneuvered out of his jeans before taking her into his arms and kissing her deeply again. The scent of fruit trees toyed with her nose, and the taste of champagne danced from his mouth to hers. She felt herself being gently guided to lie back, and she fully expected him to melt into her, but he surprised her by restraining himself, resting his hips against hers while sheer pleasure radiated from every pore of his skin.

“I never thought I could feel such devotion, and then my love got in the way,” he began to say, his mouth hinting ever so subtly at a smile. “Intoxicating like a mystical potion, and I knew not what to say.” He leaned his head down above hers as his hands coaxed her lower back to arch upwards against his hips. “You know I tried to resist you, but when you kissed me like lovers do, oh…I knew…it was only a matter of time…before you would be mine.”

“I’m so glad you like my song,” she smiled, looking up into his eyes. “Of any song I’ve ever loved, I think that one’s my favorite. I hope that’s not too vain, to love your own creation more than anyone else’s.”

“How could you not love what our passion produced?” he asked, nuzzling into her cheek. “We created it together.”

“I never could have finished it without you,” she confessed. “You were right about the words. They came to me at the perfect time.”

“It’s true, the timing was perfect, but did it not strike you as odd, that they came to you as though they were whispered in your ear?” he asked.

“No, actually; it didn’t seem odd at all,” she admitted, as he rocked his hips ever so slightly from side to side between her legs. “It was the first time I stopped overthinking the words, and just let them come to me. I gave in and lost myself in the moment, like you said I should do. I don’t know exactly where the words came from.” She looked up into his eyes, and saw that familiar twinkle in them. “But I’ll bet
yo
u
know.”

“They were my mantra while we were apart, Annika,” he said, teasing the corner of her mouth with a flick of his warm tongue before focusing his gaze upon her. “Those words played over and over in my mind nearly every moment of every day that I spent trying to get to your door. I walked countless steps to their cadence, in forests and fields, through the snow and over ice, never knowing they would be put to your music one day, allowing for all the world to hear how much I love you. Now, let me help you sing.”

The smell of cinnamon and the taste of champagne returned as their lips met once more, and after laying everything out on the kitchen table, and after months of dissonance and discord between them, Annika and Talvi finally fell into perfect harmony.

“It’s about time you guys showed up!” Patti shouted through the din of the noisy and crowded bar to Talvi and Annika. Charlie, James, and Chivanni were all about to join her for a round of shots, but they waited as two more were poured for the birthday girl and her husband.

“We would have been here earlier, but Annika forbade me from having any assistance in the kitchen,” Talvi explained, taking a shot glass that Charlie passed to him, and handing it to his wife. “I’ve never made a meal like that before, and I had no idea of the amount of preparation, let alone actual cooking to be done.”

“Did you have any leftovers?” James asked, passing him another shot. “Your menu sounded incredible!”

“Yes, the meal was absolutely delectable, but the food is in the icebox, wrapped up in aluminum,” Talvi snickered, reaching out to touch Annika affectionately on the nose as she was given a shot glass.

“Wrapped up in
what
?” James shouted through the noise.

“Aluminum!” Talvi repeated, louder this time.

“What?” James shouted again.

“Aloo-MIN-yum, you deaf bastard!” he howled. “Piss! You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” James probably would have responded, but he was laughing too hard at Talvi’s accent. Chivanni just shook his head and smiled.

“Alright, alright, let’s drink these before we spill them,” Charlie said, raising his shot glass. “Here’s to my little sister getting a little older. Happy birthday, Ani.” The others followed suit, and passed their empty glasses to the bar as another round of drinks was ordered.

The contented grin on Talvi’s face faded when his hand reached for his pocket. He pulled out his phone, glanced at the screen, and then stuffed it back into his pocket.

“Who’s calling you?” Annika asked.

“Who do you think?” he replied, and put his arm around her. “I’m not going to answer it, though. She can leave me a message if it’s that important.”

“I have to say, Talvi, I’m really surprised that you made Annika dinner,” Patti said, sipping her drink. “I thought all you knew how to make was lemonade.”

“Oh, you just hush your mouth, Patti Cake,” Talvi scolded with a smile. He rolled his eyes and took his phone out of his pocket, and Annika frowned when she saw that Merriweather was calling him a second time. He pushed the button that sent the call straight to voicemail and put it away.

“Why is she calling you right now? Isn’t it like, three in the morning in London?” Annika asked amidst the chatter.

“It’s five,” he replied, hoping not to elaborate further.

“Did she not get the memo that you don’t work for her anymore?”

“Apparently not, but she’ll figure it out soon enough,” Talvi said, kissing her on the head and then nuzzling into her neck. “I for one cannot wait to write some new songs with you. We make such beautiful music together, if I do say so myself.” He tried to pay attention to what James and Chivanni were now discussing with Patti and Charlie, but he could tell that Annika was not enjoying herself much at all.

“This may be daft of me to ask, but is there something upsetting you?” he said into her ear so that only she heard. Annika rolled her eyes at his question.

“Uh,
yeah
,” she said, turning to face him so that her brother and their friends wouldn’t see the irritated look on her face. “When we were at the hotel in Paris, I clearly heard you tell your boss how much you loved it when she let you loose, and let you take her however you wanted. You were dying to hook up with her, and you didn’t even try to hide it, just like you’re not even trying to hide the fact that she’s booty calling you on my friggin’ birthday!”

“Oh, Annika,” he began, with a sorrowful and sympathetic expression in his blue-green eyes, but he was trying his damnedest not to smile. His cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet, which then spread to the tips of his ears as he took her by the shoulders. “When I was speaking with Merri at the hotel, I was referring to something entirely different. I can see how you would misunderstand that conversation, now that I think about it, but…” he drifted off, distracted by an outburst of Chivanni’s laughter. “Merri’s had a dreadful time keeping an assistant, and it’s more or less my fault, so I completed a backlog of tedious paperwork for her. My reward was to be a trip down to the weapons locker, not down on
her
. The locker is in the basement of the embassy, and she has one of only three keys to that room. That’s why she and I would have to go down there together. I haven’t been there in ages, but she’s always let me take whatever I wanted in the past. You can understand why I would be so eager for the chance to see what she has down there. It would be the same as someone taking you into the finest guitar shop and letting you have your pick of instruments, free of charge.”

He bade Annika to lose herself in his eyes once more, and she caught the sight of him being let loose in a well-lit room, bypassing the assault rifles and handguns, and instead running his hands over the pommels of swords, gauging the weight of different daggers in his hands, and hurling razor sharp throwing knives at a target, all under Merriweather’s watchful eyes as she recited the specs of each item he showed interest in.

Now it was Annika’s turn to blush. She felt the heat creep across her face and ears, and even down her neck and chest. How ridiculously humiliating, that she had taken his conversation so far out of context, and for so long. Maybe this was her punishment for eavesdropping.

“I’m sorry that there was such a misunderstanding between us, but you don’t exactly help things by assuming the worst about me, either,” he said. He reached up to tuck a strand of her long hair behind her bright red ear, then began rubbing her shoulders as he tried his best to comfort her. “Though, to be fair, there’s a lot that’s quite unsavory. But sharing details of my former profession is not wise for either of us. In fact, I’ve probably told you too much as it is.”

“Yeah, you sometimes overshare,” she said, reaching her arms around Talvi to cuddle against his chest. “But I forgive you.”

“Bloody hell, I ought to turn this damn thing off,” he muttered when his phone started to ring a third time.

“Maybe you should just see what she wants,” Annika suggested when she noticed that Talvi now had two voicemails along with his two missed calls. “If she’s calling you this early in London, it might be really important.”

“Perhaps, but I’ll still try to make it snappy. Don’t you go anywhere,” he said as he tapped her affectionately on the nose and hurried outside to take his phone call.

“So Patti, I have a question for you. Actually, I think we all do,” Annika said, folding her arms over her chest. “It only makes sense to have you do the artwork for our new album. Are you interested?”

“Oh, and we could have the album release party at the gallery, featuring all of your paintings from school!” James added enthusiastically. “I’m all for it, so you damn well better say yes.”

Patti grinned wide, turning to Charlie, but he was only wearing the same hopeful smile as Annika.

“Of
course
I’ll do it!” she laughed. “I’d be insane not to! There’s starting to be a serious buzz about the band now that you’ve got some demos out. Speaking of which, when are you guys having another show?”

“I guess whenever works for the guys works for me,” Annika replied, looking at James, and then at her brother. “My schedule’s kinda wide open now. Talvi wants me to take some time to focus on writing more songs, so I guess I could start booking us gigs now that the album’s getting mastered.”

“Wow, that’s really exciting!” Patti squealed with glee. She waved at Talvi as he made his way towards them through the crowd. “You’re lucky that he’s so supportive of your art.”

“Yeah, I
am
pretty lucky to have someone like him in my life,” she agreed.

Talvi came up behind her, slipping one of his arms around her waist while he handed her a shot.

“Drink up, dear,” he said.

“What is it?” she asked, sniffing the little glass.

“A surprise,” he said, watching her expectantly. As soon as she’d taken the shot, he took the glass from her, looked at her friends and brother, and gave them a wink and a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

He took Annika by the arm, guiding her to the rear of the bar, and led her through the kitchen.

“Dude, you guys can’t be in here,” one of the cooks said.

“We were just leaving,” Talvi replied, not bothering to look at who was speaking to him. Instead, they headed straight for the door, and stepped cautiously into the night.

“Where’s your car?” he asked, once he saw that they were the only ones out back behind the building. He reached between two of the trash barrels positioned against the wall, and pulled out a dark brown backpack. “I can’t remember where we parked, but I have something special for you in it,” he said, and slipped the backpack over one shoulder.

“Um, it’s down a block and a half over there,” she said, pointing into the trees before digging the keys out of her purse and handing them over. He took them in his free hand, but his other didn’t move from her arm as he ushered her along the sidewalk at a fast clip, staying in the shadows of the side streets.

“Why are we going so far out of the way?” she asked.

“Because it’s easier for me to get away with this, my dear,” he said, and stopped walking just long enough to pull her against him, aggressively copping a feel while kissing her hard on the mouth. “If that’s what you feel like through your clothes, I can’t wait to discover what you’ll feel like when I take them off.”

“Seriously? You want more dessert?” she hooted. “Well then, we might have to call it an early night.”

“That sounds like a fine idea,” he said, and tossed the shot glass under some rhododendron bushes before resuming walking.

They arrived at her car and he helped her into the passenger side before climbing into the driver’s seat. He adjusted the chair back so he was sitting with good posture instead of reclining like he usually did, then pulled quietly out of the parking spot and got onto the highway.

“Sweetie, you told everyone that we’d be right back,” she pointed out as they merged onto 84 east. “They’re going to worry if we’re gone too long. I’ll text James and let him know about our change of plans.” While she dug her phone out of her purse, Talvi rolled his window down. Then he extended his right hand out to her.

“Let me see that for a second.”

“No way. You’re not supposed to text and drive,” she said with a grin, but it didn’t stop him from snatching the phone out of her hand.

“One, one-thousand,” he counted, then chucked it out onto the highway.

“What the
hell
did you do
that
for?” she yelled at him.

“I don’t want us to be disturbed during our alone time,” he replied, rolling the window back up.

“Yeah, well you could have just turned it off, you jackass!” she hollered. “I’ve got a zillion pictures saved on there and all my contacts and stuff! That was a real dick move you just made! And speaking of dicks, I hope you don’t think you’re getting laid again, you ass!”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I still am,” he said, without a care in the world.

“Oh my god, Talvi, what’s gotten into you? You’re being such a douchebag! Give me a cigarette already!”

“Sorry dear, I don’t have any.”

“What the hell? You always have…” Annika trailed off, noticing that the tail lights and headlights of the traffic were starting to blur. She rubbed her eyes and strained to see them again, but they were even blurrier than before. It looked like they were exiting onto 205 north, toward the airport, but the letters on the signs overhead morphed into an incongruous smear. She clutched her hands together, twisting her meteorite ring around her finger, and an image of Finn giving her a very important language lesson bounced into her mind.

“Why don’t you have any cigarettes,
sludoor
?” she asked, suddenly feeling suspicious, sick, and drowsy all at once.

“Because they’re bad for your health.”

“What was in that shot you gave me,
sludoor
?” she asked, feeling more nervous, nauseous, and tired. She could barely keep her eyelids up. She thought about holding them open with her fingers, but her arms were like lead weights attached to her shoulders, rendering her hands useless.

“I told you, Annika, it was a surprise,” came his prickly response. He glanced over at her, watching her head loll from one side to the other, before eventually coming to rest against her window. “Are you starting to figure it out?”

“Where are we going,
sludoor
?” she managed to mumble through her numb lips.

“We’re going to visit a friend of mine,” he said. A nasty smile spread across his mouth, and an even nastier expression filled his soulless dark grey eyes. “Although at some point we should get to know each other a little better. I
am
your husband, after all.”