Embrace the Desire (18 page)

“Isten has been awoken and your son has pledged his allegiance to him.”

“Isten?” Damon stalked back and forth in front of his throne. “Why would Payne do that?”

“Because he hates Gyth almost as much as he hates you. If he can't get his revenge by one means, he will use another.”

Damon grinned. “So much like his father.”

Payne's body ached and he was harder than he had ever been in his entire life. Chanta was the hottest thing he had ever touched. The situation in her living room had rapidly spiraled almost out of control. She was the daughter of a god, Varick's sister, and she deserved better than his purebred lust.

Nothing would have ever prepared him for the desire that was coursing through his entire being. He couldn't let it continue controlling him, he had to put a damper on it. Only, he didn't really want to. He enjoyed her touch, wanted to touch her more and in all of her secret places. And gods above and below, the way she responded to him was shocking. Even the irritation in her eyes had turned into a molten blend of desire and lust.

And that turned him on even more. He didn't know why he felt guilty of anything. Sex was why he was here, sex with her. Shaking his head, he swallowed trying to rid himself of the thirst crawling up his throat.

Crouching on the rooftop of Chanta's apartment, he peered into the streets below. He did many things exceptionally well. Fight. Kill. Protect innocents. He wasn't so sure he was going to be good at the sex thing. In his youth as Damian and even later as a Destroyer, he had never lain with a woman, not once. Not ever. He was a virgin.

• • •

Varick stood in front of his fireplace and closed his eyes. The low hum rumbled deep within his chest as the room grew dark. When he spoke, his voice twisted, warped, deepened.

“Payne. Payne. I'm coming. We need to talk.”

“Not now!” Payne's voice boomed inside Varick's mind.

“Now! Bastilla . . . I think she's here. She's asking for asylum from a clan of vampires and a man who haunts her nights.”

“She's in the Underworld with Damon!”

“I'm positive it's her.” He strained to keep the connection with Payne.

“There's no way that it could be her. She must be an imposter. Kill her.”

“She asks for help.” Varick waited impatiently as Payne remained silent.

“Bastilla always did know when to make an entrance.” Varick felt Payne dematerialize from the rooftop and appear in a dark alley. “Well, Come on. I don't have all night to wait around for you.”

Varick appeared to Payne's right. Payne spoke without turning to face him. “You sure it's her?”

“She stays on the eighth floor. I have a few of the Destroyers watching her. They say that she sneaks out in the early hours of night and returns right before dawn. While she is out, they have had difficulty following her. It's like she disappears into thin air . . . like a . . . ”

“Witch.”

Varick nodded. “She's here for a reason. Something's going on in the Underworld. She made a pact with Charon to get here to find you.”

Payne's jaw flexed, his hands fisting at his sides. “No doubt, Damon sent her.”

“Payne? She's still the Bastilla that you loved.” Varick eased into the subject knowing Payne would get defensive. “She may be in need of our assistance.”

“She's Damon's puppet. The only assistance she'll need is called gravedigger.”

“Can you take care of her if need be? Or do you want me to do it the need arises?” Varick leaned against the wall. “I know the attachment you felt with her, the pain of losing her.”

“Yeah . . . my mother was also my mother and it sure as hell didn't bother me to cut her fucking head off and it won't bother me to do the same to Bastilla.”

“When?”

“Tonight, if you can manage it.”

“I can manage.”

“You're weak from . . . whatever it is you're going through.”

Varick gritted out, “Fuck you Payne! I can manage! Just tell me when you're ready.”

“No time like the present.”

“Give me your hands.” Varick paused. “Just give her the benefit of the doubt, she may need your help.”

“You just love this shit, don't you?” Payne took Varick's hands.

Varick grinned. “What? You mean you don't like holding my hand? I'm hurt! And here all this time I thought you loved me. And you'd make such a pretty girlfriend.”

• • •

Payne roared, but his words were lost as time swept them back through the eons. The purple light beat into Payne's skull and he gritted his teeth as he went numb from head to toe. His heart pounded in his chest as the pressure of the leap forced tears from his eyes. The entire trip he watched Varick's face. Varick held his expression perfectly as his fingers entwined in Payne's. Payne heard his thoughts as he sagged forward.

“I'm right here my friend. I've got you and I won't let go. Relax and come with me. Let me hold you. Relax Payne. I've got you.”

Tears filled his eyes as Varick cradled Payne's weight against his chest. Time travel played with the emotions and Payne's were deep and tortured. Varick gently held him as the warp slowed and swirled around them. The purple light sparked and grew brighter as the neon lights of tortured Souls appeared in the distance.

“We're here.”

Payne stood and grabbed his head. That hurt! He settled and his mind went to the night on the Nile River that had changed the course of his life. They were swimming across the water and he knew that it was Bastilla and himself. In less than a half an hour, he would reveal his secret to her and she would break his heart with her traitorous act.

Payne watched the memory play out in silence as he remembered how they had flung themselves to the ground laughing. It was the best and worst of his memories with her. He watched in horror as her face welled with fear and terror as he showed her the demon under his skin. The muscle in his chest tightened as she stood and ran back to the river.

“Payne?” whispered Varick.

“Varick, she betrayed me . . . ”

“Payne . . . just let it go.”

Payne turned to face Varick as his eyes filled with tears. “She betrayed me, Varick. As all women did. My mother, her . . . ”

“But I never will and it was her betrayal that led me to you.” Varick's eyes darkened, swirled with emotion. He and Payne were tight, closer than brothers and he felt his pain. “I am Varick, I am your friend, and I will never betray you.”

“My friend? You're Gyth's son. Chanta's brother! Why didn't you tell me?” Payne's head sagged and his eyes darkened. “Why didn't you trust me with that information? Or are you so much like Gyth that you planned on using me as well?”

Varick closed his eyes as the purple light flashed around them. “I am not my father.” He uttered a truth, a whisper. “You are my only friend . . .”

Varick gripped Payne's shoulder hard. “And you . . . you are my brother if not by blood . . . by tears my friend. Your pain is mine.”

“And yours is mine.”

They waited patiently until Bastilla stealthily slid around the corner of the building. They recomposed themselves and followed her footsteps. She led them to the outskirts of town and shimmered. Payne closed his eyes and searched the night for her.

“She's close. In a field with two barns and a cave and there's another building. She's going down a tight steep flight of stairs. There's a sign. Fether Hills Vineyard.”

“That's just east of here.”

Payne grinned and opened his eyes. “Ready for a good fight?”

Varick laughed as he pulled his blades out. “I'll let you show me what you've learned pupil.”

Payne laughed as they shimmered and reappeared at the end of the first barn. Varick started counting as vampires followed Bastilla into the vinery. Thirteen, fourteen vampires and twelve, thirteen, fourteen witches filtered into the building. He looked at Payne and shook his head.

“Might not be a good time to mention it, but I may or may not now be able to control my powers.”

“Yeah, I know old man . . . you rest and just watch how a pro does it.”

Varick rolled his eyes. “This old man will have to come to your rescue.”

Payne grinned as he slipped out and made his way to the building unseen. Varick grinned as Payne went into full Destroyer mode. Scimitars clutched in both hands and eyes glowing, Payne was a lethal weapon.

“You know you are kind of sexy when you look like that.”

“Shut the fuck up Varick! Son of a bit . . . there's twenty four more down here . . . come on old man!”

“Thought I was going to rest and you were going to show me how a pro does it.”

“I'm beginning to think you're afraid old man.”

Payne laughed heartily as Varick appeared by his side with his blades flaming. Two mighty war cries sent chills up the spines of the fifty-two demons. Vampires and witches sprang into action as the terrifying scene played out before them.

And Bastilla turned to watch them. She grinned as Payne sliced three witches down and leapt to his left slamming his hilt into a vampire's face. Black blood splintered through the air as the Destroyer skillfully brought his blades across the vampire's chest.

Beautiful!

One mighty stroke after another, one war cry after another, and one terrific slice after another, the two Destroyers battled on the ground before her and she was in awe of it all. The fierce beauty of it was overwhelming.

Varick turned as two vampires came from behind and grabbed his arm. His flames leapt up to his shoulder and the vampires lurched back as the fire spread up their arms and engulfed them in black flames. Their screams and hisses faded as ashes flew into the air.

A witch appeared to his right as he sliced up and back at another vampire and the witch latched onto his shoulder with her claws digging deep into his skin. His eyes blazed as the white robe ripped. The witch screamed in pain as a blast of fire came from his mouth and slammed her to the ground. In a swift fluid motion, her head rolled as his sword danced through the muscles of her neck.

Payne charged three witches and blasted them back into a crowd of five more with his purple flame. Body parts went flying in several different directions as he blasted through the swarm of Satan spawn.

Pure energy. Gods, he lived for this shit.

One fell to the right, one to the left, and two more as he turned on his heel and swung his swords in perfect balance.

“How many?” Payne screamed as Varick slammed a vampire to the ground and coughed as the ashes filled his nostrils.

“Thirty-eight.”

“How the fuck do you do that?” he asked as he swung to the left and blasted another to the right.

“Lots of practice!” Varick answered as two more vampires fell at his feet. “Forty-two!”

Varick trembled and fell to one knee. Payne stepped in front of him and growled as four witches and six vampires stepped forward. Payne let his flame pour from his fingers in full force as Varick slowly stood.

“No. Payne, let me have them all . . . ” his voice turned dark and eerie, “You must . . . go . . . Bastilla!”

“I won't leave you like this!”

Varick chuckled as his back cracked open and he fell forward with steam flowing from his nostrils. “Damn you, go now! When my dragon form comes, I'm not able to control him!”

Payne turned and caught his breath as Varick's black-scaled wings ripped out of his back. Without hesitation, he ran for the stairs going into the basement with a grin on his face. Varick was going full blown beast and pity to the idiots that tried to run.

Bastilla turned to face Payne as he sailed down the steps after her. “Damian . . . ”

Payne replaced his swords and cracked his knuckles as cold bitter hate filled his eyes. Bastilla stepped forward and her tears sparkled in her eyes. Payne grinned as his incisors extended past his bottom lip and his flames licked at his ears. This moment had been a long time in the planning and he was sure as hell going to enjoy her groveling at his feet.

“Damian, I have missed you!” she confessed as she stepped forward to embrace him, but stopped short on his words.

“Whore of Damon! You betrayed me!”

“Damian, I was afraid! Your mother would have killed us both! Please Damian, listen to me. It was I that took you to the dessert to save you.” Bastilla's face softened as she edged closer. “I am not his whore! He forces himself on me and if I fight back he hurts other people to make me . . . ”

“Lies!”

“Please listen to me. He takes what he wants and gets what he wants. I don't have the power to stop him . . . but you do! I need your help . . . help me escape him . . . help me kill him!”

Payne narrowed his eyes. “Why would I help you? You waste your breath!”

“Please Damian, I beg of you . . . please!”

Payne's cruel laughter filled the room and sent a blast of cold air up Bastilla's spine. “I am not your Damian anymore! I am Payne! Prepare to meet your fate witch!”

Falling to her knees, she let the tears flow as she looked up at Payne. “I beg of you Damian, please kill me so that I will never have to return to Damon. I have suffered so many of his beatings, his rapes, and his bloodlust that I would rather die than go back to him.”

Payne hesitated as he stared at her face, the face he had once loved so very much. “How did you escape the Underworld?”

“A god named Charon came to me one night, offered to help me find you and the Destroyers.” She gently reached out and ran her fingers down his leg. “I know I betrayed you Damian, but that was so long ago. I was afraid.”

“You willingly gave yourself to Damon!” Payne roared as his heart broke again. “I would have protected you! I would have loved you!”

Slowly, Bastilla came to her feet. “You couldn't even protect yourself from your mother or from Damon back then. How were you going to protect me?”