Blood Life (23 page)

When she wondered if they’d ever get anywhere, he reached the area he was headed for. Alethea took in a deep breath of the crisp, forest air. A chorus of birds sang out cheerfully from the trees adding to the refreshment of the scenery.

Roman stood for a moment with his back to her, contemplating. He turned to meet her gaze. The setting sun caught a glimpse of reflection in his gray eyes.

“This is where Devendra will come to meet us.” His face made Alethea shiver for a moment, the pure loveliness of it. Then he took her hand and motioned for them to lift their arms to the sky in silent prayer to Lillith. Alethea didn’t know what to do; her family never practiced any religious rituals so all of this magic was foreign to her.

When he was finished, Alethea opened her eyes and gave him a sideways glance. His expression was hard to read. He seemed to be communicating mentally, but she could not hear him. He turned away from her.

“Devendra,” he called out to the open air.

His only answer was silence from the birds. He yelled for her again, even louder and more desperate. “Devendra, please come to us. We need you now.”

He sighed. “I know you can hear me! Please come!” He lowered his arms and bowed his head in anticipation for what would come next. Perhaps she would come from behind a tree, or maybe even from the sky above.

Letting go of Alethea’s hand, he sunk to his knees. Lokee was too close; they needed Devendra’s guidance and protection. Frustrated, Roman dug at the soil in wrath as soon as the thought of Lokee entered his mind. Incoherent mumblings crept up from his bowed head as he dug, covering himself in dirt and grass.

Alethea dropped slowly to her knees beside him. She draped her arm across his back, nuzzling her mouth in between his neck and shoulder. She whispered to him softly.

Clasping her hands in prayer position, Alethea silently asked Devendra to come to them. To grant them some of her great knowledge and shelter, for they felt doomed and afraid. They were being stalked and did not feel they could protect themselves against Lokee’s wrath without her.

There was a rustling sound behind her. She jolted to her feet and spun around to find Devendra standing in between the locks of vines and leaves of an enormous willow tree. The wind blew through her hair and pushed at her garments, making her figure look like nothing but an apparition.

Roman stood from his shallow grave and rushed passed Alethea, running to pull Devendra into his arms. Alethea took hesitant steps toward the reunion, not wanting to interrupt them. She felt a little stab in her heart as she watched Roman hold another woman so warmly. It wasn’t that she was afraid of losing him, but Devendra was stunning and powerful and intriguing.

Devendra looked up over Roman’s shoulder and released herself from his hold. She locked eyes with Alethea, who smiled and walked toward her, waiting to be invited in to greet her. “Hello, Devendra.”

“Darling!” Devendra flashed a dazzling smile as she moved swiftly and grabbed hold of Alethea graciously. “You are more precious than I imagined.”

Devendra kissed her all over her face and tenderly on the mouth. Alethea felt immense warmth in her embrace.

Roman led the women into a grove of Redwood trees. They gathered around in a circle, enjoying the silence and peace of the scenery within the blanket of towering trees. Alethea looked over at Roman who massaged at his temples.

“Roman, I would have come to you,” Devendra started. She called to a distant wolf with mind magic to join them at her side. She rubbed the wolf’s ears affectionately. “This is Sagebrush. She is the leader of her pack and an immortal wolf.”

Devendra crouched down to give Sagebrush a more decent welcome.

“Most of the witches who are burned are sent to Nothingness,” she explained. “From there, Lillith takes the souls of as many as She can hold, those who are most deserving of Her mercy. They go to Her lair where She grants them the ability to come back as the animal of their choice or as a mortal.”

Alethea, intrigued by the story, studied the wolf fearlessly. She bent down to her knee and put her hand out. Sagebrush moved up to her bravely, sniffing her hand before moving to let Alethea pet her. After getting a few good rubs in, Sagebrush fell to her side and offered her belly.

Devendra laughed. “She knows an animal lover when she sees one.”

Alethea obliged delightedly. “Please, go on.”

Devendra looked over at Roman, smoothing her expression. “If these souls choose mortal life, they must wait for a new shell on earth that needs a soul and repeat their sentence of life. They also cannot choose immortality along with their human shells; it must come to them one way or another in life.

“When they choose animal forms, they are given the choice of immortality right off. If they choose it, so be it. If not, they live a normal life span for the animal they choose. Sagebrush here chose to be an immortal wolf and she has been with me for many years; since before I met you, Roman.”

Roman raised his eyebrows and looked at the wolf who sat up and watched Devendra pace in front of them as she spoke. “Sagebrush can be thoroughly trusted.”

Sagebrush was monstrous, terrifying to look at and imagine biting at your throat, but soft, cuddly and beautiful to the eye. Alethea stood up suddenly.

Devendra smiled at her. “No, Alethea, not my wolves. Never. They still contain the soul of the human they were in life, but also the soul of a wolf. She can understand you, but she chooses not to speak.”

“Speak? As in English?” Alethea asked, taken aback by such an idea.

“Yes. I had a wolf once who liked to speak very much. Too much, as a matter of fact.” Devendra laughed softly, then frowned. “He died protecting me. His name was Xraetheos.”

  “I’m sorry,” Alethea said, sadly.

“Thank you. He could have been saved; I had the ability, but he refused. He was tired. It was his time to go.”

Alethea nodded respectfully. Roman bowed his head.

Devendra collected herself and continued. “With Sagebrush, I receive her thoughts in pictures which explain what she is trying to communicate. She will never show aggression unless aggression is due—just like us.” Devendra smiled, warmly, at her wolf. Sagebrush jogged over to her mistress and stood in front of her. “They are protectors, don’t get me wrong, but the hostility is directed precisely, not randomly.”

Alethea grinned, feeling absolutely out of touch with the mind-reading act. Then Roman’s serious voice broke her insecurity. “Devendra, he’s here,” he blurted to her. “The calls have already begun. He wants Alethea, and if I remember correctly, not for her life.”

“Yes, I know,” she moved to Alethea, reaching out and running the back of her fingers across her cheek.

Alethea blushed. Devendra had her in complete awe, everything about her. Her movements, her draping clothes, her dark, silken hair, her sapphire, feline-shaped eyes, her pouty, meaningful lips, her tiny, elegant fingers, her . . .

“Alethea,” Roman said, snapping Alethea back to the situation before them, “explain your dreams to Devendra.”

“I already know of them,” Devendra replied, “but if it would make you feel better to get them out of your mind, Alethea, go ahead.” She looked at her softly, studying her as she thought about it.

They were both staring at Alethea, waiting for her to say something. She opened her mouth to apologize, but was cut off by Roman saying, “Are you all right?”

Alethea just looked at him, wondering if things would turn out all right. Her gut was not really that concerned about it anymore. With Devendra there, she felt unusually safe and at ease. There was no fear. No terror. She could feel power seeping from Devendra’s energy. It cloaked them like a shield against the outside world.

“Alethea?” Devendra questioned politely, but Alethea knew she was fully aware of what was going on in her mind.

“Well,” Alethea managed, “he has threatened me more than once.”

“Yes.” Devendra sounded sorrowful. She bowed her head and walked away from trees and toward the open land. Sagebrush kept an even pace at her side.

Roman looked quickly from Alethea to Devendra, and then started running after her. “What do you think?” he asked when he reached her, grabbing her shoulders and twirling her around to face him.

“Roman, there is something you do not know about me,” she was trying to break away from him. Her expression was tight and full of tension. “I was so ashamed. I didn’t have the courage to admit this to you before, but time is getting short. I know that I have no choice  but to do so now.”

“What is it?” he whispered dangerously, pulling her closer to him by the elbows. Sagebrush stiffened, crouching with her mohawk growing. Roman, hearing a faint growl, looked down. The wolf locked eyes with him as if to warn him not to go any further.

Devendra whispered to the animal in a foreign tongue. Sagebrush immediately backed away. He hugged Devendra to his chest, wanting to hug away her pain and grief, but feeling a stab of anxiety about what she was about to reveal to them.

“Roman,” she sighed, wiggling herself from his hold. She turned and gestured for Alethea to join them. “You need to know this. As much as I am afraid you will not be able to accept what I am about to tell you, please bear in mind that it was a terrible mistake that I have paid for time and time again.”

“Go on,” Roman pushed, his heart rate rising at the ideas that flowed through his mind.

“Lokee is—” A dark cloud swept over the sky, devouring the moon. Alethea looked up at the clouds as the wind picked up. Her hair blew into her eyes.

“Devendra, what’s going on,” Roman asked, resting his hands on her shoulders. “You must say it now!” He squeezed his hands on her skin, looked up at the sky, then at Alethea, the ground, and back at Devendra, uneasily. The wind continued to gust, knocking them slightly off balance.

Devendra grew nervous, anxiety washing through her in waves. She collected all of her hair into her hands, biding time, stalling for as long as possible. Then she decided to let it out, the truth she had held inside for fear of losing Roman’s trust forever and never fulfilling Fate.

With absolute dread and a stricken face, she yelled as loud as she could, chasing some of the wind away. Nature quieted her creatures, leaving an eerie silence behind in anticipation of Devendra’s confession.

“He is my son!” she cried, running away in horror of what had escaped her lips. Overhead, the clouds burst into a heavy rain. Devendra stopped when the first drops caressed her face. She stopped and turned back toward the two very confused faces staring back at her.

Slowly, Roman and Alethea walked toward her, shocked at the news, but eager for her to stay with them and explain herself. What a tale she would have to tell; Roman and Alethea weren’t angry with her, only engrossed in the possibilities.

What now? Roman thought to himself. What would happen next? Was Devendra trying to save Lokee because he was her natural born son, or was she restless to destroy him? Could she still be trusted with their lives? What did this mean?

The trio made the long walk to one of Roman’s Bleu cottages in perfect silence, thoughts running wild and at obscene speeds in each of their minds. When they reached the door, Roman broke the awkward silence.

“I don’t understand how it’s possible,” he admitted, after drying himself off with a towel and passing it over to Alethea. She went through her own ritual of drying herself, and then tried to hand the towel over to Devendra.

With her arm outstretched, Alethea motioned for Devendra to take the opportunity to be dry before they started, but Devendra’s response was to wave the attempt away and begin the story, dripping wet and in obvious turmoil.

She went over the tale with them. She explained her struggles with the Mother Goddess and the treachery of creating Lokee despite Her wishes. Roman paled at the lack of respect and fought himself not to slap her hard across the face and banish her from their existence.

It sickened him that Lokee had any ties with Devendra; he felt there was nothing she could ever say to make the idea settle with him. He’d always view her differently, and in turn, find it difficult to remember the love and trust he had felt for her for so long.

“No, Roman,” Devendra pleaded with tears welling in her eyes. “Please . . . you know me! I have had nothing to do with his hatred. He brought sorrow to all that crossed his path and finally we have the chance to destroy him.”

No longer able to keep her tears at bay, they spilled over the edges of her eyes and streamed down her face as she spoke. “Lillith chose you,” she insisted, and pausing for a moment to collect herself, she glanced at Alethea. “And Fate chose you. I believe you are the key to saving our race, Alethea. I don’t know how yet, but I know it in my heart of hearts.”

Alethea, shocked at the innuendo, could only open her mouth.

Devendra continued, trying to explain better what little she knew of the role Alethea would play in the drama. “It was known long before I even knew you existed that you would, in the future, hold the key to saving our kind, the Combined, from the imposters, the Kriestos.”

Resting her hands at her sides, Devendra turned her focus to Roman. He shook his head in disapproval. Alethea found it hard to breathe suddenly.

Devendra moved closer to Roman, wringing her hands and fighting to manage her irregular heartbeat. “The key you held, Roman, all this time, which existed through lifetimes before, was the beacon for Alethea’s soul to return to,” she finished, glancing over at her again, full of respect. “But it is Alethea who holds the vital means to save us. How that will come to pass, I do not know, but it will happen soon and we must act fast!”

Alethea cowered at the thought of Fate and the control It had on every situation in every circumstance. Life was a play written by Fate, and only Fate could alter history naturally. She could not. She wasn’t even a vampire long; she couldn’t even read minds. What could she possibly give to the situation except grief? Fate wasn’t necessarily a force to be reckoned with.

“Lokee is of your blood, Devendra.” Roman’s angry voice broke in. “How can we trust you now?”