Destiny's Revenge (Destiny Series - Book 2) (17 page)

“Lauren, what’s going on? You know we’ve been looking for you?”

“Dad, there isn’t time right now. Get out of the house, come to where I’m staying, and I promise I’ll explain everything. You and mom have to leave right now!”

“Okay, we’ll come, have you called the police?”

“Dad, just come to my place. I promise I’ll tell you what’s going on. You have to leave right now.” I knew if I stayed on the phone with him he would just keep asking more questions trying to make sense of what was going on. I disconnected with him and saw that Rachael was calling me back.

I went through essentially the identical conversation with her that I had just had with my father. She didn’t try to find out any details. She took down my address and said she’d see me soon. I called Seth, and he picked up on the second ring. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. My initial worries that this thing was able to attack all my friends and family simultaneously subsided.

Seth said, “Lauren, your dad just called, what’s going on?”

“Seth, that private investigator my dad hired to find me is a serial killer. You need to get out of your house. He’s going after all of my friends and family. Get Amanda and come to my house right now.”

“The private investigator? Are you sure?”

“Yes, Seth, it’s really important. You need to come to where I am staying right now. It’s the only place he doesn’t know about.”

“Lauren, that Samael guy called right before your dad. He said he had news about you that he didn’t feel comfortable sharing with your father. He’s on his way here right now. He said he wanted to talk to me in person.”

I could feel my heart pumping ice through my veins. In a cross between a screech and a scream I yelled, “Seth, get Amanda and get out! Get out right now!”

Seth spoke very deliberately, “His car just pulled up out front; he’s here now.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks, the hair on my arms was standing on end, and I begged him, “No, Seth, don’t open the door, whatever you do don’t let him in the house. Hang up and call the police, tell them the house is being broken into. Do it now.”

I hung up and put the phone down, nearly shouting in my mind, “
Rewsna, that thing is at Seth’s house, right now!”

Rewsna’s telepathic response came to me immediately, in a calm voice, “
Lauren, we will help Seth. You get home.
”

I couldn’t see through the blinding rain to drive, so I remained parked on the side of the road. I closed my eyes and saw the tunnel appear; I stepped into it and was at Seth’s place. I could see he and Amanda were panic stricken sitting in their living room holding each other. The door bell rang and neither moved. It rang again, while both remained frozen on their sofa.

I heard a loud click as the latch to the door unlocked itself. I could see the horror on Seth and Amanda’s faces as they held each other tighter. I watched the door handle turn and the door slowly open. Samael peered through the opening of the door and found both their faces immediately. He said in an almost jovial voice, “Well, it seems I nearly missed the party.”

Seth’s voice was strong when he answered, “I’ve called the police. We know who you are. They’re on their way right now.”

Samael’s smile grew, “Obviously, if you’ve called the police, you have no idea who I am. Lauren is always a little more resourceful than I give her credit for. You know she tried to kill me tonight? She hid in my bushes and attempted to ambush me. I told her I would exact my revenge through those she cared about the most. I let her know that your blood would be on her hands. The police are an inconvenience, of course, but a promise is a promise, am I right?”

Amanda’s silent sobs gained real volume at this, and Seth looked to her for just a moment before he picked up a baseball bat from the floor and stood up protecting her. Samael’s enormous smile somehow grew larger, “Now that’s what I’m talking about. If you’re going to try to kill someone, be open about it, stand with some pride. I’ll even give you the first swing. Make it a good one.”

Still sounding brave, Seth told him, “Just leave us alone. No one has to get hurt. Just go.”

Samael’s smile subsided as his voice changed, “Seth, this is going to end badly no matter what. I’m giving you one free swing, but if you wish to waste time, I’ll not be so amicable. Tick tock, Seth. I have a schedule to keep.”

Samael took a step toward Seth with his arms outstretched. Seth reacted and swung blindly, missing him by more than a foot. Samael shook his head and replied, “Well, that was unfortunate.” He looked at Amanda nearly inconsolable, still seated behind Seth, “Dear, this will all be over quickly, please stop that incessant crying.”

Seth swung again and connected, hard. The force of the bat against Samael’s skull knocked him to the floor. Seth and Amanda remained frozen, and I watched in horror as Samael lifted his head slightly off the floor. He laid face down for a few seconds. I could see Seth taking a step in Samael’s direction when Samael pushed his body off the floor. He was on his hands and knees staring directly at Seth one second then transformed into a wolf in front of them. The wolf’s teeth were bared and he was ready to lunge. At that second a single gunshot echoed from the doorway as a uniformed police officer stood wide eyed, staring at the feral animal.

The wolf turned around and charged the police officer when a second gunshot sounded. This time the wolf whimpered and abandoned his charge, moving instead to the open front door and nimbly making his way into the night.

Relief washed over me: Seth and Amanda were safe. My heart was racing, but I knew they were going to be okay, so I stepped back through the tunnel to my reality and saw that Peanut was stretched across the bench seat with his head across my lap. I looked out the windshield to see that the rain had diminished enough to continue the drive again. I took a deep breath and let the joy of Seth and Amanda’s victory wash over me. I called to Rewsna again and showed her what had just happened.

“
Lauren, I am pleased they are both safe, but you must get home now. It is not safe for you exposed as you are. The Council has not been able to locate your Max. Go home so that we can find him together.”

The brief relief I felt when I knew Seth and Amanda were okay was short lived. “
Rewsna, I’ll look for him now.”

Her voice was clear and not as collected as before, “
No, get back to your house. Max must be safe at the moment. The Beast is capable of many things, but he cannot be in two places at once. Go back to your house. We will all be meeting there.”

The tiny house I had rented was busting at the seams from all the people suddenly occupying it. I had not met most of the Council members before tonight, but I assumed anyone at the house I didn’t know must be part of the Council. Mom, Dad, Seth, Amanda, Rachael, Melissa, and Wanda were all huddled in the living room. I noticed my brother and his family were absent, Rewsna had heard my apprehension when her answer resonated in my head, “Lauren, he has a protection detail en route to him. He and his family will be fine.”

Rewsna, Mike, and the others I had not met were in the kitchen. Remembering what had happened with Joe, Max, and Benny, I heard Mike tell Peanut to check everyone out. Peanut must have understood his mission was sensitive because I watched him systematically sniff every person in the small house. He looked like any normal dog greeting a house full of guests. When he was done, he came back to me and lay at my feet, not a hair out of place or even a rumble of concern.

Rewsna stepped into the living room, “Lauren, I believe now is the appropriate time for you to share with your family and friends what you know about Samael.”

I questioned her without words, and she responded silently with a simple nod. I took a deep breath and said, “I know you have all met Samael, the private investigator that my dad hired to find me.” I looked at my dad and his eyes darted to the floor. I’m sure that my telling him Samael was a serial killer only added to his anxiety. “I’m not sure how much detail to give all of you. After everything that has gone on these last couple years, it’s difficult to put everything into words.”

Blank stares looked back at me. If I told everyone the truth, I don’t know if any among them would have the courage to accept it. Seth and Amanda looked shell-shocked, and I assumed they would be the easiest to convince. I looked into the concerned faces of the others.

There were five in the room - Mom, Dad, Rachael, Wanda and Melissa - who would think I wasn’t stable. My hesitation must have made Seth and Amanda more nervous because Amanda spoke in barely more than a whisper, “What was that thing tonight?” All eyes in the tiny room left me to look at Amanda. Her ivory skin was ghost white, the color had even drained from her lips, and her eyes showed nothing but terror. Seth put his arms around Amanda in a protective way, but he, too, looked frightened.

“That was Samael.” I looked at all the other eyes staring at me seeing a mixture of curiosity and concern. “Mom, Dad, I told you Samael was a serial killer, although technically he’s more than that.” I could see the pain shining through my dad, and I knew I had to make him understand that he played no part in any of this. “He isn’t exactly human.” I looked to Rewsna to make sure she wasn’t giving me the international signal for “Shut up.” She gave me a slight nod, indicating it was acceptable to continue on.

“Samael is some sort of shape shifter. He can become any animal he chooses.” I reached down to my side and gently petted Peanut, “Except a dog. I first met Samael while Max and I were camping. He spooked the horses, one of the horses broke free from her lead, and Max left for just a few minutes to get her.” Shivers whipped down my spine as I thought about that night so very long ago. “Right after Max left Samael walked into the campsite. He told me I could choose a quick death or a cursed life. Well, I’m still here, so I guess you all know what I chose. He shifted into a bear right there in front of me and that’s about all I remember.”

Wanda was a woman with brute strength and no time for shenanigans. I could see in her eyes that my explanation was about as believable as Gnomes roaming around the front yard pulling weeds. Rather than trying to convince her specifically or everyone in general of the truthfulness of my revelation, I decided it would be better to just keep talking. Even if they didn’t believe me, the more I told them the better it felt.

“I was somehow suspended while my body was in a coma. Remember how the doctors told you there was no medical reason for me to be comatose? I was somehow held by this thing. I had met Rewsna a few weeks before the attack. She is telepathic. We had communicated over great distances before the bear incident. While I was in the coma, I called out to her, and it wasn’t until Rewsna answered me that I knew I was still alive.” I looked to Rewsna and she waved at everyone in the living room. “When she answered me, she told me I wasn’t dead, and I needed to break free from the Beast. I fought to break free and woke up. When I did, I inadvertently took a part of the Beast with me.”

I glanced at Wanda again and could see she wasn’t buying any of it. She wouldn’t make eye contact with me, but I could tell from the way she looked away and stared out the window she believed this all to be a great big waste of time and an enormous load of crap. Refusing to stop, I knew I needed to provide a little proof, so I continued with, “He used to have the ability of sight, where he could decide he wanted to see what someone was doing and could see them. That’s the power I took from him. Over the last several days I’ve been watching him. I saw him interview each and every one of you.”

This caught Wanda’s attention, and she finally made eye contact with me again. “Wanda, he found you volunteering at a homeless shelter. You wanted to help him, so you took him into an office and shut the door behind you. When he asked you the last time you’d seen me, you said two months ago. You didn’t even know that I was out of the nursing home or awake. You told him you thought of me as a daughter and you would never forgive yourself for letting the shooting in the restaurant go down the way it did. If the shooter hadn’t shot at the kid, you had a knife in your boot. You would’ve slit his throat if you could have just gotten close enough.”

Wanda gasped and her eyes grew wide briefly then went back to normal when she dismissed my vision by saying, “You could have planted a wire on him and heard all of that.”

I nodded in agreement but followed with, “The office had three desks pushed together in a modified triangle, last year’s calendar was hanging on the wall, and there was a mousetrap behind a filing Cabinet. There’s no way I could have heard that on a wire, right?”

“I don’t know, Lauren. Maybe you had one of those cameras on him or something? What do you want from me? What do you want from all of us? If we’re just here to hear stories, I’ve got a lot of work to get done, and I’m leaving.”

Council members in the kitchen perked up, and I could feel the tension in the air. I knew this wouldn’t be easy to accept if I were on the receiving end. I would probably have the same reaction. I tried a different approach, “The truth is Wanda, I feel a lot the same about you. You are the toughest woman I’ve ever known, and I always kind of wanted to be like you.” My eyes left Wanda and went to all my family and friends, “Tonight I did something stupid. Up until today the Beast wasn’t targeting any of you, but I tried to kill him. I thought that if I killed him, I could have my life back. Unfortunately, all I really did was piss him off. He called to tell me all bets were off and that your blood would be on my hands. I couldn’t let him do to any of you what he tried to do to me. So yes, I do know I sound like a lunatic, yes I know that this seems about as likely as monkeys flying out of my butt. I wanted to try to save you all from him, even if it means that for the rest of your lives you think I’m certifiably crazy.”

A strong voice resonated saying, “We believe you.” Seth stood up, looked at Amanda and continued, “That thing tried to attack us in our home tonight. He would have, too. He changed into a wolf right in front of us. The police showed up just in time to shoot him. He took off bleeding, but what Lauren is saying is the truth. It was Samael that came to our door, and Samael somehow picked our lock and let himself into the house. He told us that he intended to kill us because Lauren tried to ambush him tonight. Right before the police showed up, he changed from a man into a wolf. I’ve never been so scared in my entire life.” He looked to Amanda, who said nothing but made no effort to discount anything he had just said. “So why is he trying to kill us? Why did he try to kill you?”