Number of the Beast (Paladin Cycle, Book One) (31 page)

“
Your life is fading
without the nutrients it needs. You must eat. Please.”

“
No,” Lynn replied
weakly.

Isaac had generously given
Ira asylum from purgatory for so many years. Ira would not fail
him. “But Mistress, if you starve to death that will mean the death
of Isaac.”

“
Isaac...” Lynn moaned.
“Where is Isaac? I want Isaac.” Lynn spoke but her eyes never
opened.

“
Isaac will return soon,”
Ira said. “But Master does not wish to return home and find a
starved carcass of his mate.” Ira forced a chunk of the meat
between Lynn's lips. “If not for yourself, then for your
mate.”

Lynn's teeth clamped on
Ira's fingers, but the wraith phased her hand out. Lynn gagged. Ira
clenched Lynn’s jaw shut and forced her to chew. “Please forgive
me, Mistress, but this is the only way.”

Tears formed in Mistress
Lynn's reddened eyes and fell onto the ivory pillowcase. She
grunted. Muffled moans from her upper torso filled her closed
mouth.

Ira fed Lynn two more slabs of meat
before retrieving a pitcher of iced water and assisting Lynn in
drinking.

“
Very good, Mistress, very
good.” Ira patted Lynn on the forehead.

Lynn’s eyes flared yellow.

Flinging herself
backwards, Ira hovered in the doorway. “Rest now, Mistress. Your
metamorphosis is nearly complete.”

# # #

The still water possessed the
consistency of wispy cotton rather than fluid, yet Atticus sank to
the bottom. It was immediately evident that he did not have to hold
his breath. The murky blackness flecked with slivers of ashen
splotches surrounded him. And he made a graceful landing on the
pond’s supple bed.

In the close distance beamed a
phantasmic pale blue pillar.

The
cosmic gate
.

When he walked it was like
stepping through air. There was no pressure from the engulfing
water, nor any resistance to his forward motion.

As he grew closer to the
glowing pillar the black murkiness gave way. The pillar, Atticus
realized, cast a bright torch light.

When was only mere feet away from the
light several things registered to him at once. First, was the
circular design etched into the supple pond floor where the beam of
light emanated from.

Secondly, were the naked
men and a few women bounded to the circle with heavy iron ball and
chains. Their eyes nothing more than dread filled watery blisters
and their mouths agape revealing severed tongues. Contrary to their
ghoulish visages they reacted lively to his arrival by lashing out
to the length their restraints would allow.

But the most frightening
of all was the unbound aberrant creature that floated among them as
though it was only affected by true water. Its body captured the
size of a crocodile, but the physical appearance of a silvery
catfish; multiple spindly legs more suitable for a spider shoved
against the currents water. The bronze skinned face of a rugged
woman with catfish whiskers and tangled mess of seaweed hair
regarded him with curiosity.

“
What wicked evil is
this?” Atticus said, aloud, and realized he could speak
normally.

Even the creature surprisingly
recoiled when he spoke. Her skinny stem-like legs thrashed and she
bared diminutive flat-edged teeth.

Atticus examined the bound
men and women to discover they had countless tiny wounds covering
every part of their bodies. Whatever this abomination was it had
been slowly feasting on these wretched people.

The monster launched its repulsive
body toward him.

Atticus dodged. He unsheathed his
sword.

The creature doubled back.
Its tail end swayed to and fro to gather momentum. Atticus held his
blade at the ready, feet firmly planted, teeth clenched.

The fish-woman torpedoed straight for
him.

Atticus ducked, but held his sword up
so to split the creature in half. Instead, the monstrosity passed
right through the blade.

Was it a ghost?

When it swerved around to counter
strike him with two spider legs the gangly limbs passed harmlessly
through Atticus.

Both Atticus and the monster held each
other’s baffled gazes.

“
You don’t even exist in
this plane,” Atticus said. “Yet, you very well do.” He sheathed his
blade and tittered. Stranger things than Rourn or he had ever
imagined plagued the multiverse.

Without further delay, he
stepped beyond the circle of chained ghouls and into the cosmic
portal back to the modern day Buckeye.

Back to battle the Geminus
Beast.

After a night of hot and
sexy fun, Amy woke with a smile. Wearing only Shane’s over-sized
Vultures T-shirt which draped to her knees, she rubbed sleep from
her eyes. She walked to the back porch. A cane fishing pole in her
hand, Amy padded barefoot across the lawn, through the woods along
the well-cut path leading to Walker’s Creek.

The creek ran steady with mostly clear
water. Perfect day to catch some bluegills.

Amy grabbed the carton of
worms from the ground. She dug her fingers into the moist black
soil until she found a squirming night crawler. She sat with legs
crossed on the bank of the creek and began threading the worm onto
her hook.

Shane gave her a smile and cast his
line into the water.

She pictured them forty
years from now, doing this same exact thing. The years would take
its toll on their bodies, making their bones brittle, their skin
wrinkled and their hair silver, but time would only grow their
love, not hinder it.

He was the man she promised to spend
the rest of her life with, the man she could tell anything to, the
man who would support her in the most trying of times.

A beast wanted her soul. Pretty gosh
darn trying, she thought.

Shane would want to know if something
or someone was trying to hurt her. He would want to protect her. If
the situation was reversed, she’d want to know if he was in danger.
She’d want to help him.

Reveal to Shane about my
existence and the warning I bring.

Startled at Tobias’ unexpected
presence, she grimaced. Her mind was no longer her own. Embarrassed
he heard her thoughts, she felt her face flush.

You want
me to tell Shane about you?
she silently
asked.
Why?

I wish for my father to
know of me.

Amy’s
heart raced and felt as if it might jump out of her throat.
Shane’s your father?

Tobias remained predictably
quiet.

Who the hell was Tobias’ mother?
Somebody he’s cheating on her with?

And to think that she’d thought about
them growing old and loving each other forever! Now she wanted to
rip Shane’s face off and stomp all over his balls.

Amy jumped to her feet and
began muttering aloud, not giving a pig’s twisted tail if Shane
heard her. “You ask me to trust everything you say, yet you
obviously don’t trust me with the whole truth. I want to know
everything. Who you are. Who I am. Where you’re from. And what
Shane has to do with all this. Start talking or I swear I’ll ring
the dinner bell and let this beast have his way with
me.”

Silence in her head.

The creek whispered softly.

Amy groaned. “Tell me who
your mother is or I swear I’ll do it. I’ll give myself to the
beast. Screw saving the world and all that bull crap. The game’s
over, Tobias, or whoever you are.”

You are my
mother.

Amy’s vision blurred. The
woods swirled around her. She took a deep breath and paced faster.
“That’s impossible. I think I’d remember if I gave birth. Stop
lying to me.”

She heard a rustling sound and the
loud crashing of water, like a waterfall.

When
Tobias responded his words came in a burst.
I am inside of you.

“
You’re in my head. I got
that, already.” The sound of water trickling resounded in her mind.
“Are you near water?”

I am
inside your womb.
Splashing sounds
followed the squawking of a large bird.

My
womb?
Amy gasped, her palm slipped over
her stomach.
You can’t mean what I think
you mean.

The one called Shane is my
true father and you are my true mother.

Moisture
filled her eyes.
How is this possible? My
period isn’t due for almost a week?

I am eleven days into
conception. And I have only learned the truth of my origins in
recent weeks.

A
nervous laughter trickled from her trembling lips.
You’re quite intelligent for a
fetus.

My fetus serves as the
conduit allowing me to speak to you from the future. Nineteen years
from your present date.

Shane
watched Amy pace. It was bad enough that she spouted nonsense about
giving herself to a beast but to make matters worse, she spouted
this nonsense to herself, or nobody or… somebody?
Who the fuck is she talking to?

She looked pale and
nervous. He set his rod against a tree and went to her. Gripping
her elbow, he asked, “Babe? You feeling okay?”

Amy gave him a wide,
shit-eating grin, which only escalated his concern. It was the same
expression she had when she told him about the mind-blowing orgasms
her aunt swore to, just from placing her shoes toe-to-toe under the
bed right before she got laid.

He frowned, gripping her
arm tighter. “Talk to me.”

She shook her head and
raised her hands, as if surrendering to an unseen army. “Okay, here
goes.” She exhaled loudly. “I met a boy.” She giggled. “Or a man,
depending on how you look at it.”

A flash of heat blazed
throughout Shane’s body. Queasy knots rolled inside him, twisting
his nerves. Sweat bubbled on his forehead. “A man?”

“
Not a real man. I mean he
is real but he’s only in my head. I know it sounds crazy. Really
crazy. But he’s real and he wants me to tell you…”

Shane held up a hand, palm
out. “I’ve heard enough.” He clenched his teeth, facial muscles
hardened.

Her eyes grew wide. She
shrugged away from his firm grasp. “Please. I have to tell you
more. He’s from the future.”

Cupping her chin, he peered down at
her. God help him, she was beautiful. So sweet and loving and
passionate. But she might just be bat-shit fuckin’
crazy.

Should he get her therapy? Would they
lock her up like her aunt? What about medication? How would that
change her?

He didn’t want her changed. He loved
her just as she was. Amy may be a loon, but she was his loon, and
he’d be damned if he was going to let anyone drug her up or lock
her away where he couldn’t see or touch her without someone in a
white coat observing their every movement.

So, she hears voices. Big fuckin’
deal. She’s not a threat to anyone or herself. Maybe Amy and he
could keep this man-boy from the future their little secret. As
long as this mysterious voice in her head wasn’t telling her to
burn down Roxy’s or shoot Sheriff Bowden in the back there was
nothing to worry about.

Nobody would have to know she was
loco.

Amy wouldn’t hurt anybody. Hell, she
had to give every rodent a proper burial just to appease its
spirit.

You’ve known she was a
kooky broad since you first met her, Baker. Don’t go acting all
shocked now. Get your shit together! Better or worse you love
her.

“
This man that talks to
you,” Shane said. “Does he have a name?”

Her eyes lit with excitement and he
couldn’t help smiling.

“
Tobias.” Her voice shook,
either from pride or from fear of his reaction.

Stroking the back of his
hand down her cheek, he said, “Let’s keep Tobias our
secret.”

She took a step back. “I’m
not crazy. Tobias is our--”

He
pressed a finger to her lips, shushing her. Choking back tears, he
said, “Tobias.” Shane’s voice shook as he grumbled the name of the
‘man’ talking to his woman.
Tobias the
bitchass.
“Tobias is our secret. So if you
love me, you’ll drop this now. I really don’t want to hear
anymore.” What he wanted more than anything was to dropkick Tobias
like he’d done Private Sanders at the rec hall.

Her fists balled by her
side. “You don’t understand!”

“
I understand if you go
around telling everybody that you hear voices...”

“
One voice,” she
blurted.

He sighed. “Okay. If you
go around telling people you hear a voice...”

Amy let out a huff. “Not
‘people’.” She made air quotes. “Just you.”