The Quarter Moon (Afterlife saga) (48 page)

Adrenaline once again played with my body and I was transported back to another place, another moment in a dark time. I sat waiting just like now. Waiting for a sign, a noise or one movement that told me what to do. I sat there waiting with a blade to my veins and death in my hands. Now death was in some else’s hands and I had suddenly tired of waiting. Just like that day I had held my fate and now I would do the same.

My life was mine and even here, in what some souls knew as their last resting place, where resting consisted of torture and cruelty, my life was still my own. And I chose to take it and use it to live.

“You can’t have me
, Charon.” I stated calmly rising from my seat to face this new demon head on. He wasn’t what I thought or was it just this place? Was that what being here did to us? He hissed at me and brought his pole further out of the water as if ready to use in a different way. I held my ground only wishing I too had a weapon. Then a commanding voice cut through our showdown and for a moment my heart stopped beating.

“She is right Charon, you cannot
have what belongs to another.” Tears instantly appeared as I let that voice soak over me in a desperate need for safety. The only voice I could ever give my entire being to and the same voice I had not heard in my world for what felt like an entire lifetime…

“Draven.”

Chapter 44

Long Lost Lust

“Well now, I certainly can count myself as a Draven
.” I watched as a figure emerged from the steps to our right. I hadn’t noticed during my altercation with Charon, but we had drifted to a very grand underground docking area that looked like steps leading up to a Temple. But the rest of the details were lost to me.

Draven was walking down the step
s, flanked either side by two guards who were so heavily armoured that I couldn’t make out much about them, other than they resembled a Gothic version of a Roman soldier.

“Draven…is…is that really you?” I felt the tears fall down my cheeks as my heart sped up with the very idea. Then the man in question came closer until he stood where the room
’s flaming torches lit up his features…features just like Draven’s, only…

It wasn’t quite him.

“No! I don’t know…is this…what is this!?” I stammered finding my heart couldn’t take another blow like this one. This man standing in front of me could be his brother or even the man himself if he ever aged…but wait, it couldn’t be!

“I’m sorry my dear, please let me introduce myself. I
am Asmodeus, one of the Seven Princes of Hell and formally known as The first hierarchy President of Lust but to you my dear, I am simply to be known as Dominic Draven’s father.” This was when my legs crumbled beneath me and thankfully, I fell slumped to the seat behind me. Ok, so now I knew I couldn’t take another blow like this one! Draven’s father! I screamed it in my head but thankfully only spoke it quietly to the room,

“Draven’s father
?”

“Charon
, I think you have reached your limit being here, why don’t you give us a moment alone.” The older version of Draven had every ounce the amount of authority coating his every word, just like I remembered in his son.

Charon went to reach out to me
, when a thundering demonic roar stopped him. I don’t know whether it was the sound that rocked the boat or Charon trying to get as far away from me as possible.

“
Raka!” (Means ‘Fool’ in Aramaic) Draven’s father ground out what sounded like an insult as Charon scrabbled backwards. Because of the sheer power in this man, I couldn’t help but hold myself frozen as Draven’s father stepped up to the boat. With one hand he dragged my end of the boat right up to him. Then, in a far softer tone than he granted Charon, said gently,

“
Tlīthā qūm, come now.” (Means ‘Young one stand’ in Aramaic) I nervously raised my head to look up at him and for a moment I was captivated by the beauty I found there. When I didn’t rise he offered me his hand, nodding down to it, almost like he was engaging a frightened doe. I bit my lip and took his offering, making his eyes flash a powerful red for a small time.

He gave me only a whisper of his strength as he lifted me from the boat with such ease, wrapping an arm around my waist in order to raise me high enough to get me onto the platform. It was whilst being this close to him that I could see more than just Draven in him.

There was also Sophia, as he too had her black curls which brushed the top of his shoulders, although he did have touches of silver along the sides. He also had harsher lines on his handsome face that spoke years of knowledge. The only one that was hardly there to see was Vincent but he still had the high cheek bones and long straight nose that his other son had. But mainly and more painfully, it was mostly my Draven that I saw in him.

He lowered me and I realised it
was also Draven’s height I now looked up at.

“Draven?” I said his name without being able to help myself. It felt like I was in a dream and in that dream I was transported into Draven’s future. Would he ever age like this?

“I fear my appearance is playing tricks with your fragile mind, little one.” I couldn’t help it. I sucked in my bottom lip and tried not to cry. It felt like being lost as a child and finally finding an adult to guide you. He raised a hand, cupped my cheek and took away one side of the wet trails that had soaked my skin.

“They said you were beautiful
.” I didn’t know who he meant but right now I couldn’t care as the only thing that mattered to me wasn’t who thought I looked beautiful, but it was the beauty that owned my heart.

“Please…oh please, can you take me to him
.” I pleaded, trying to hold back from just falling to my knees and outright begging. I would no doubt be saving that for later.

“Where the rewards in selfless acts lie
, I will never understand.” I didn’t know what he was saying or why, but nor did I care.

“Please
.” This was one moment I would never be above begging. He released a sigh and regarded me with regret.

“I am sorry
, love of my kin, but what you seek isn’t here and hasn’t been for some time.” I shook my head not even letting his words penetrate. He was wrong!

“N…n…
nnno! He has… to be, I know he is! Please…oh please…I can’t…not again, please just take me to him, I will give you anything, my life, my soul…my…my…” I started with a stutter, then a rush of desperate words only to end up sobbing, but just managed to push out the last of my promised bargain,

“…My…everything…” Tears came thick and fast
, making it impossible to see his reaction to me crumbling at his feet. There I found myself in a ball of misery as I let every second of faith I held onto evaporate into what it was…the dust of an age old lie. God, would this emotional pain never end?! No! I needed the physical to bring me back, so I pounded the sides of my fists on the floor, drowning in a pit of agony that I felt so deep inside of me I couldn’t see any way to rip it out!

I felt myself being picked up
and cradled to a hard chest which, for a moment, I let myself pretend was Draven’s.

“
Ethpth
aḥ
!” (Means ‘To open’ In Aramaic) I didn’t take much in but briefly heard what sounded like a pair of massive doors opening. I didn’t look. I was scared what looking up at him would do to me, so I held on. I didn’t know what he was wearing, I didn’t know where he took me and I didn’t know if he was taking me up on my exchange for life. And I no longer cared! I couldn’t, I just didn’t have anything left in me. All I had been through, all those times that I put my life on the line, to come here and find what…?

Nothing…just… nothing.

Draven wasn’t here and I had failed! I had lost everything all over again. Coming all this way just to learn this reality was like someone had just dumped dry ice in my belly and it was seeping into my very soul!

“How could this happen?” I mumbled into his chest, crying the last of it out. I felt myself being lowered before I received an answer, even if though I didn’t really expect one.

“You thought any blood of mine would be brought back here against his will?” I raised my head and had to wipe my blurry eyes on my sleeve, along with… I hated to say it, a runny nose. I then looked up to find him kneeling by my side.

“
Wh…what do you… mmmean?” I asked sounding like I had a cold and trying not to cry at the end, as my breathing hitched.  

“My poor young one, I think you have been steered into greater depths before you learned how to swim
.” I rubbed my nose again and said in a quiet voice,

“I can swim
.” He started laughing and it was a lovely warm sound that once again reminded me of my Draven. His finger traced one escaping tear and he un-expectantly brought it to my lips. When I didn’t do anything but freeze he smiled at me and nodded to his fingertip. So I did what I thought he wanted and kissed the end of it.

“Nothing as beautiful as you should lose a
part of herself…even something as fragile as a single tear, a tear that should never have been given permission to fall.” I nodded and rubbed the rest of them away receiving a wink for my efforts.

“Right, now tell me of your tale and how it led you to my home
, my sweet child.” He got up and sat down next to me. Surprising a squeak out of me, he picked up my legs and laid them across his own.

“What are you doing?”

“Making us comfortable.” He said with a mischievous glint in his dark eyes.

“Umm…isn’t this a bit weird, I mean, I am kind of dating your son
.” I reminded him just as he removed my boots and started rubbing my feet.

“First of all, knowing my son
and the blood that runs dominant in his veins, then you are not simply ‘dating’ him as you put it, you solely belong to him, owned by him…”

“No I…”

“Eh, eh…I haven’t finished.” He said holding up a finger, gently admonishing me. He also went back to rubbing my feet after first peeling back my socks and I just prayed that my feet didn’t smell! And how did he make that simple act seem like he was peeling something a lot more concealing away? Wait, what was I thinking…? This was just plain old weird but also, oh so heavenly. I mean, jeez the man had skills alright!

“And secondly in reference to this…” He nodded down to my bare feet that were currently being dominated by his large hands.

“Just find yourself lucky that’s all I am doing and you don’t find yourself flat on you back, screaming for days under my ministrations, sweet girl.” When he saw my mouth drop, he gave me a pure, down to the bone, bad ass grin and leaned closer to my mouth to snap at it with his teeth, making me snap my own mouth…shut tight, that was. He burst out laughing and said,

“I am the Devil’s Prince of L
ust, after all.”

I gulped and licked my dry lips causing him to watch the action
as though he would lean over at any minute and do the same thing. I decided there was only one way I could think of to take both our minds from the sexual fog that his presence emitted.

“I don’t suppose there is any chance in Hell of a cuppa tea is there?”
The grin he gave me painfully reminded me of Draven whenever he thought I was being cute and for the long minutes of being stared at, I didn’t think he would grant my odd request. But the next thing I knew I was soon staring down at my own Homer mug full of the perfectly brewed tea being held out to me like a gift from…uh…well not the Gods but…The
Prince of Lust
. Now that was a weird sentence even for me!

I looked up from my own personal nectar to say thank you when he said,

“Where there is tea, there is hope.”

I had to smile. 

Whilst I was I telling him the story from the beginning, I also had time to take in my surroundings. The room we sat in was a very long gallery type room that was completely made from the thick black blocks. It had at least ten pillars running in the centre the full length until I couldn’t make out what was at the end. The pillars were made from a light grey stone that looked like solid ash. They arched up to the ceiling and the moulding interlaced with numerous other arches making up the intercut pattern above.

As dark as the stone was
, it wasn’t lacking character or light showing off that character to its fullest. The light came from the most unusual lamps. Thick bicep arms of red tinged brass came out of the heavy rocked wall, with their shackled hands holding flaming orbs.

But it wasn’t just from the walls
, as long slender female arms also provided light. They came out of the top of the pillars like tiered chandeliers but each was holding a light bulb upside down. The tops of each held a single flame and the oil could be seen in the glass at the bottom. Each one of these was shackled at the wrist and chains hung heavy in between, joining all the arms together.

It was pretty cool in a strange way
, but the rest of the room had me blushing. Along the walls were various sized alcoves, each housing a sculpture of a sexual nature. Now, if there had been just two people having sex with each other then I could just act like I was seeing something like this in a museum. But oh no, not for the President of lust!

Of the ones closer to us
, there was one of a large apple four times the size of a football. In its centre was a woman’s vagina with the snake’s body coming from its core. It was coiled around the apple and its head rested just by the stalk, looking down at its own body emerging. I think most would gather this represented Eve in the most unforgiving light.

The one straight ahead looked like a large gold ball
, but when you gave it more than a quick glance you could see it was something more. It was a contorted body with the face of a demon. A large penis stood tall and erect for him as he was having a jolly good time giving himself oral sex. As crude as this was it wasn’t the worst part, as its bull sized balls were also in some sort of vice! Now that made me blush.

The ones further away in the next set of alcoves consisted of an overly muscled sea
God holding across him a writhing mermaid. His trident, held tightly to her front, was trapping her breasts in between the three spears. The helpless mermaid had her head arched back in rapture as her tail had been pulled down enough to reveal a painfully large penis mid thrust, in between the glimpse of human legs. This one was made from old bronze, the type that turned green in places from the copper oxide.