Revelations: Book One of the Lalassu (28 page)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Michael sensed the loss of containment immediately. Even as his mind and body exploded in an earth-shattering orgasm, the alien Huntress opened like a great maw beneath him. Fangs caught at his psyche, scraping along the outer edges for purchase. He felt Dani’s soundless wail of denial and fury as her hands tightened hard enough to leave bruises on his waist.

Beneath the burning rings, Dani’s dark eyes softened in dismay, then hardened in determination. She began to pull away from him, wrestling with the Huntress to keep it from him. But he clung to her, shielding her from the primal whirlwind clawing at them. He refused to let the Huntress have her. He mentally pushed at the mystic predator.
You’ve hurt her enough! You’re not welcome here anymore.
He could sense it struggling to come closer, but Dani joined her mental support to his and together they held it at bay.

He could see it overlaid on top of reality, a coiling snake with black, glittering scales with gleaming red eyes. It snarled at them, coiling around them, searching for a point to attack. Michael started to feel a sense of triumph. They could do this.

Until it swallowed them whole. Crushing pressure slammed into them from all sides, trying to force them apart. He held tight to Dani, her fear and determination matching his own. But no regret—never regret.

Let her go. Let her go, and this will all be over.
The words echoed sibilantly in his head. It was the Huntress. He recognized it immediately and clung even tighter to Dani.

He became painfully aware of the cosmos stretching out in every direction. Stars roared silently in the void, massive furnaces of primal energy consuming themselves in their fury. Planets hung in darkness, unwitting prisoners of gravity. Galaxies spun in place, plowing through the emptiness with massive inertial power. For the first time, he truly understood how mind-bogglingly huge the universe truly was and how infinitesimally small he truly was.

His mind rebelled. He might be small on a cosmic scale, but he refused to accept insignificance. Size alone did not determine importance. Dani, Bernie, Gwen, Walter, Virginia, Celina, George, Kaitlin, Brianna, the Stirgises, all of them were specks compared to the cosmos, but they mattered. Every last person mattered.

The Huntress hissed; a slithering vibration wrapped around him. He sensed he had somehow passed a challenge. Dani lay rigidly in his arms, but no trace of her emotions filtered through to him. If he hadn’t been in the middle of a bizarre mystical experience, he might have worried something had happened to her. But he held firm to his faith in the two of them and continued to hold her tightly.

Love conquers all? Is that it?
The Huntress slammed into his mind, showing him all the horrors committed in the name of love. All the dark secrets he’d been a reluctant witness to over the years. Predators who stalked the objects of their obsession, minds full of deluded fantasies. When the recipients of their imaginary relationships refused to play along, disappointment became violence. He experienced their terror with unfiltered keenness, like a sharp blade slicing into his mind.

He saw men and women worn down by the relentless demands of mates more interested in perfection than companionship. He staggered under invisible wounds to heart and soul, fought against accumulated scar tissue burying him in a callous shell.

He fell to his knees under blows of brutality, powered by the impotent fury of those who saw others as possessions. He wept for the powerless, betrayed by those who promised to love and cherish them above all others. He bent his head over the unmarked graves of possessions who became too inconvenient to their tormentors. The Huntress chuckled, pleased to have broken him.

“This is not love,” Michael insisted, irritated and offended. Did it think to hurt him with old memories? “It is possession, jealousy, and obsession. It isn’t love.”

The Huntress snarled at his defiance, but he wasn’t interested in the predator’s response. He spoke to Dani, hoping she would hear his words. “I’ve seen the world for what it is since I was a child. I already know all the dark secrets you’re trying to shock me with. But I’ve seen the other side, too. Real love, filled with laughter and joy. Love that elevates and delights in their beloved’s flight as much as their own.” He shouted the words.

And do you think you are worthy of such love? You, whose own father cringed from your touch?
His memories fell under brutal fangs, ripping them apart to pick out the most painful morsels. All the shameful and painful events from his past, brought front and center in surround sound and Technicolor.

The first time he innocently told his parents how another adult didn’t like him, only to be told he was lying. His innocent bewilderment changed to crushing fear and shame.

His mother teaching him how to pretend he didn’t feel emotions or receive impressions through touch. They would practice suppressing their expressions in a mirror for hours on end. She warned him that no one would ever believe him or want to be around him if they knew. The weight of secrets pressed down on him, choking away his breath.

When his girlfriend, Reagan, told him that his ability to read her mind only “creeped her out” instead of bringing them closer, her lips curled in disgust and her fingers recoiling from touching him. He could still see her walking away from him without a backward glance. Isolation froze his heart and soul, doubt beat down his self-confidence.

Being forced to see everyone’s most horrible and shameful secrets. Knowing the cashier at the coffee bar was having an affair. Seeing how the man beside him on the bus imagined luring young women home. Learning the random stranger brushing past on the street beat her children. Every nasty and sordid detail came flinging out of his memory.

Enough
. “Is that all you’ve got?” Michael demanded, tired of being the one attacked. “Come on, where’s the mind-altering revelation that will make me into a vegetable?”

He saw all the times he’d been selfish, turning away from people in need because he was too tired and worn out to deal with their problems. He saw all the times he’d been wrong, from accidentally short-changing a waitress to not realizing Bernie was a medium. He saw all the bad results of carelessness, indifference, and ignorance.

And he still stood firm, unbowed by the Huntress’s best efforts. He still held Dani in his arms. Still refused to allow this alien parasite to drive him away from her even as it tightened around him.

“You claim to show the truth! This isn’t the truth. This is fear! All you can see are shadows!” he shouted. “I’m not afraid of you!”

The constricting pressure vanished. They tumbled into disorienting darkness. There was no up, no down, nothing but their mutual death grip on each other.

Well done, Michael.
A woman’s voice greeted them. Strange and hollow, it echoed slightly, though there was nothing for the sound to bounce off.

Light began to glow diffusely as they floated in the strange darkness, enough for him to see Dani struggling to talk to him. He ran his thumb over her cheek, brushing away the tears. They were still naked and clasped in each other’s arms.

“I saw it all. Everything you went through.” Dani’s fingers skimmed over his cheeks and forehead, searching for injury, and he felt her desperate anxiety, the remnants of her blind terror. “I thought I would lose you.”

”It wanted me to let go,” Michael said slowly, piecing it together. “I wouldn’t.”

“It hurt you because of me.” Dani bit her lip and looked away. He sensed her fear that he would reject her.

“Hey, look at me.” He tilted her head back. “I just went through a mystical personality test and I held on to you every step of the way because I am never letting you go. I waited my whole life to find you, and I am not going anywhere.” He claimed her sweet lips, and his body roared in enthusiastic response. “You’re beautiful and strong and anyone who tries to tell you different is a damn idiot.”

Her laugh, though weak, still managed to ring in the void. “It’s still wrong when you curse. Where are we?”

Large blocks of tightly fitted black granite materialized under their feet. Honey-colored sandstone pillars stood at rampant attention along the edges. Exotic, colorful flowers perfumed the air, twining around the pillars as living adornment. Smoky torches blinded him to the world beyond the pillars. He couldn’t help but think it looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. “Is this real?” he asked.

Of course it’s real
,
the same woman’s voice answered him. There were hints of movement beyond the pillars, but no matter how he strained, he couldn’t see them clearly, only wispy and ghost-like flashes of paleness. Michael’s fingers tightened around Dani, moving to stand between her and it.

There is nothing to see. And nothing to fear.
Gauzy smoke congealed, creating a translucent figure of a woman. Long dark hair, intricately curled and braided, surrounded a beautiful face with kohl-lined eyes. Linen drapes barely concealed her long legs and heavy breasts. She walked toward them, taking on strength and color with each step. Her skin was olive-dark and her hair even darker.
Welcome.

Soft cloth fell over their shoulders, wrapping them in thick linen robes. Michael was relieved not to be naked, but disturbed at more evidence of not being in the real world anymore.

It is most pleasant to finally meet you.
The woman came closer, her feet drifting through the granite floor.

“Who are you?” Dani demanded, her voice cracking with fear as she moved to put herself between Michael and the woman. He stayed by her side.

Names are tedious and limiting. I’ve had so many. I’ve always preferred something descriptive: Queen of the Night.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Dani blanched as belated awareness finally twigged. “You’re the Goddess.” Behind her, she smelled a sudden burst of curiosity from Michael. No fear, only interest. Of course he wasn’t afraid of being in some mystical alternate reality.
Every story should have one.

It’s been a long time since my Chosen Priestess raged with such defiance.
The Goddess smiled in amusement.

“I’m not the first, then.” Dani was surprised at her disappointment.

It was the Middle Ages, then. She grew up believing sex to be a sin, poor thing. It took ages to set her straight. But you are a different bowl of fruit.
Afraid for so long.
The Goddess toyed with Dani’s hair, leaving a spine-tingling trail of electric energy behind.

This wasn’t at all how Dani pictured meeting with a deity
. Shouldn’t there be more flaming swords and booming voices from the sky?

“She had reason to be afraid,” Michael’s politeness kept his words from being an accusation, but only barely. “Your Huntress violated her.”

The Huntress is a representation of the conduit between you and I. It is shaped by you as much as by me.
A divine frown rippled across her features like a wave on water.
You were angry and frightened, transforming the Huntress into the very monster you feared.

“So it’s my fault? Blame the victim? How evolved.” Dani tensed further, waiting to get blasted by a lightning bolt. Her family wasn’t big on church but mouthing off to a god was probably one of those instant-death-worthy prohibitions.

Your anger is great. You hold onto it like a shield even though it drags you down into the depths where you cannot breathe. If you continue to clench it to you, it will cost you everything.
The Goddess glanced at Michael, her slanted eyes making her meaning clear.

“Leave him out of it,” Dani growled.

Your love for him opened my connection to you, letting us move beyond monsters in the dark. I am not your enemy, Danielle. I want to help you. Ask me what you want to know.

“How can we rescue Bernie and my brothers?” she asked. Everyone had been so sure the Goddess would help them; this was her chance to find out.

There are many possibilities. But the strongest chance of success lies after the next sunset. But if you go alone, you will be the first to fall to the darkness. Those you love will follow you.

“That’s the best you can do? You’re a god!” She’d hoped for a more detailed plan that would let them evade all the dangers.

I see, but cannot interfere directly on the mortal plain. All gods need to work through mortals. You are all blessed, or cursed, with free will. Even if we know what is to come, we cannot do more than provide suggestions and the occasional nudge.
The Goddess reclined on a low couch that appeared under her as she leaned back.

“There are more of you?” Michael asked eagerly.

The Goddess smiled fondly at him, raising Dani’s jealous hackles.
A large number of us take an interest in your world. But that is a topic for another time. I have done my best to guide you both to this exact circumstance and moment, the best chance of survival for my people.

“Both of us? Michael, too?” He’d been dragged into all of this because of her. His strong fingers squeezed her hand, reminding her not to underestimate him.

The Goddess focused on Michael.
I do regret the pain. There was only a thin sliver of opportunity to reach you. I needed to be forceful to ensure the messages came through.

“My flashes,” Michael nodded slowly. “The developmental therapy classes, meeting Joe, following Dani. It was all you.”

Now that you’ve been here, it should be easier on you.
Her elongated eyes focused on Dani.
You were much more difficult. I began with your parents, guiding them to each other. A time of great darkness is coming. I needed a different kind of High Priestess, one who could be a warrior. I found a line of ferals with great power to blend with your mother’s bloodline.

“So my parents’ marriage is all a manipulation by you?” Dani felt sickeningly responsible.

Not at all. I merely provided an opportunity for them to fall in love. I told you, Danielle. I do not directly interfere.
Harsh irritation marred the Goddess’s serenity.
If I could have, I would have prevented your father’s injury. Your mother begged me for his life and I granted it, knowing you would need both parents to face what was coming. The conduit was severed that night by the energy I sent through it. I crossed a line and lost the connection because of it. Left without a way to communicate to soothe your fears, I watched, helpless, as the Huntress became a vicious and cruel monster instead of a connection between us. As the time for the ritual binding approached, I knew it had become too dangerous.

I sent a message to your sister through the dead to prevent you from doing the ritual. I hoped it would not take much persuasion for you to flee. You needed to find a way past the fear, find a connection with another person as an equal.
The Goddess paused to examine Dani carefully.
You haven’t quite achieved it. Fear and anger run too deep in you to trust easily. I can only hope you find your trust in time to fight the darkness.

“Did you tell Gwen I needed to do the ritual now?” Dani demanded. She felt like a pawn on a chessboard, and she didn’t like it one bit.

I did. I didn’t think you would open yourself any other way. Your love and trust for Michael has done much to soothe the Huntress. Your willingness to face your fears has done even more.

“That’s why the Huntress was quiet in the forest when we kissed,” Michael guessed.

The Goddess nodded, still focused on Dani.
It is not the traditional route, but you have found your way to me. Are you willing to accept your role?

“Do I still have to do the ritual?” Dani asked.

The ritual is designed to open your mind to me, to establish the connection properly. You are already here. All that remains is the testing.
The Goddess flickered, vanishing from the couch to reappear standing in front of Dani. Her cheeks tingled as the Goddess cupped them with ephemeral hands.
Are you ready to wake up?

Dani wanted to refuse. She’d spent her life trying to ignore the parts of herself she didn’t like.

Michael moved to stand behind her, his hands resting warmly on her shoulder and waist. “You can do this. You’re stronger than you’ve ever believed.”

His faith warmed her as much as his touch. “Bring it on.”

The Goddess smiled, revealing sharp fangs behind her parted lips. Her eyes flashed bright red and her echoing voice took on a harsh scraping hiss.
You are familiar and comfortable with the darkness. But how do you fare in the light?

Molten sunlight burst out of Dani’s skin, blinding her to everything around her. She screamed, jerking away from Michael, terrified he would be burned. The liquid light charred her skin into blistering agony. She would have screamed if there had been any unsinged air left in her lungs. All the pain she’d ever caused in her lifetime came home to scrape along her nerve endings.

She saw a parade of men’s faces: all the men she’d Hunted beginning with Husky and Beer Breath and ending with Josh. She experienced their terror as the Huntress devoured them. She couldn’t turn away from the sadness and worry of their families: parents, brothers, sisters, children, the same pattern over and over again. The blazing pain increased, branding the images deep into her scarred soul. She’d hurt them far worse than their crimes deserved. Every protective layer had been burned away, leaving her raw and open.

This is what your fear created. This is what you cannot be allowed to forget
, the Goddess’s hollow voice hissed in her mind. Her face replaced the victims’ faces.
Can you live with your true self, Danielle?

The words carried an implicit invitation. Dani could escape from the searing light, go back to the darkness and its promised oblivion. She could vanish into the void, never having to face what she’d done ever again. It would be the suicide she’d often thought she’d deserved.

If she did that, her brothers and Bernie would die. And Michael would be alone. It would be the ultimate running away. She drew strength from Michael’s words. She couldn’t change the past, but she could choose better in the future. She could be the protector he believed she could be. Gritting her teeth, Dani found strength she wouldn’t have guessed she possessed a week ago and hissed back to her tormentor. “You think I’ve ever forgotten it for one damn minute of one damn day!”

You would defy me?
Glowing red eyes and fangs promised eternal torment.

“I have already. Every step of the way,” Dani snarled. “I’m not close to being finished.”

The pain and light vanished. Dani dropped to her knees and Michael dropped beside her, running his hands over her unblistered flesh. He looked up at the Goddess. “An illusion?”

Illusion and reality are not far apart in this place. I regret your testing needed to be so harsh. It’s far more than any of my Chosen Priestesses have ever endured, though I fear it will seem mild compared to what is to come. But I needed to be certain you were not broken. You will have to be strong, not relying on anyone else, even me. But strength without love and compassion is tyranny.

Dani reached out to entwine her fingers with Michael’s. The clean scent of his relief and pride swelled in the air between them. She knew he would feel her own determination and love through the contact.

The corrupted Huntress has been cleansed, though it will always be vulnerable to further twisting. Be wary of it.
The Goddess seemed tired, her form flickering between translucency and solidness. The temple around them began to fade into nothingness.

It’s time. Go back and draw strength from each other. Let them all know the rules have changed.
Her form began to dissolve, but her eyes hung gleaming red in the darkness like a demonic version of the Cheshire Cat.
No one hunts my people with impunity. Wake them all.