Tears of Blood (11 page)

"I believe so," Sarahi replied. "Because it is
God-breathed, human can join with angel, as the existence of the nephilim
proves. But because of sin..."

"Human DNA can also merge with demon, producing succubae."

She nodded.

"So then," one of the clerics, a young man with bright blue
eyes and a lusty gaze which raked insolently over Sarahi’s torso,
"spit it out. How do you make an incubus?"

"Isn’t it obvious, Peter?" Lucien asked the boy.
"If the mingling of demonic and angelic blood can only happen in the
presence of human DNA, then the way to produce an incubus is..."

"To breed a naphil to a succubus?" The blue eyes widened.
"Good thing nephilim are chaste!"

Lucien’s dark skin turned even darker. "Not
entirely," he said in a tight, strangled-sounding voice. All eyes turned
from Sarahi to him.

"Lucien?" Jonas said, as though pleading him not to go any
further along this line of thinking.

"You know I have a son. You all know this. It is not a
secret."

"But Lucien... his mother is human. Tell me she’s
human."

"No," Sarahi answered. "Only half."

The implications sank in slowly. Eyes, expressions, spoke of rejection,
fear, revulsion.

"We’ve been harboring a demon in our midst?" 
One of the elders asked, disgusted.

"My son is not a demon," Sarahi said. "He has the
potential to be a great hero, our savior. If we can leash his power, we just
might be able to destroy Lilith for good."

"And how do we do that?" Peter asked.

"From what I’ve read, the incubus is like... a duck. He
imprints to his first partner, and only that woman can connect to his energy.
So who would it be?"

She met eye after eye. Every person, each and every one, blushed and
turned away.

"What?" she asked.

"It’s just..." Mr. Smith started, then broke off,
visibly steeled himself, and continued. "You mean sexual partner?"

"Of course."

As one they all turned their eyes to the floor.

"Would someone please explain the problem?" she insisted.

"Listen, love," Lucien said, "To the clerics,
sexuality is... intensely private. To the nephilim, a total mystery. You are
speaking of this as though it were a casual coupling, as though it were
nothing."

"Oh no," she said, "it’s very important. I just
need to know who."

"No one," Mr. Smith said. "He’s
unmarried."

"He’s twenty-one years old," Sarahi said,
incredulous.

"That’s not so very old to be unmarried, here," Mr.
Smith replied.

Sarahi didn’t respond, but it occurred to her that being married
meant a great deal to them. She’d never encountered an attitude like
that.

"All right, well there’s no time to lose," she said
after carefully measuring her words. "Even now, Lilith is searching for
him. If she becomes his imprinted partner, we have no chance."

Now everyone was squirming.

"Imprint on Lilith..." Mr. Smith stammered, "but that
means..."

"Try not to think about it," Sarahi urged. "But
it’s really important to prevent it. I’m sure you’ll all
agree."

"Well, that’s a problem," Peter said.
"There’s only one girl he likes..."

"It will never happen," Mr. Smith said firmly.

"What now?" Sarahi demanded.

"Josiah’s crazy about Smith’s granddaughter,"
Peter said irreverently, earning him sharp glances from all the elders.
"Has been forever."

"And so?"

"So I won’t have that demon child near Annie," Mr.
Smith said. Sarahi raised her eyebrows.

"I’m afraid a lot of parents are going to feel the same
way," a female elder said, having the good grace to look apologetic.

"I see," Sarahi said. "So harnessing an unlimited
source of energy means nothing to you people?"

"There’s more to it than that, love," Lucien said.
"These people set a great store by marriage. Josiah has been raised by
them. He is... quite attached to Annie. I doubt he would consent to anyone
else."

Sarahi shook her head. Could they not understand? "Every day he
remains unmated, the risk increases. Lilith knows he exists. She will be
reaching out to him, trying to tempt him."

"There is no way a child of our community would consent to
incest, not even that one," Mr. Smith insisted.

"And if he has no idea the beautiful creature in his dreams is
his grandmother?" Sarahi let the question hang in the air, daring someone
to take it up. Only Peter spoke.

"No disrespect, ma’am, but I think you’re overstating
Josiah’s importance. I’ve known the kid his whole life. He’s
weak, small. Barely equal to the lowest cleric, let alone some otherworldly
creature. I really doubt he has the capacity to be... all that you say."

"Peter, be quiet,"The Assassin snapped in a raspy whisper.
"You’re an overrated, self-centered turkey. This is no time for
your egotistical bullshit."

The youth colored and shut his mouth with a snap.

Sarahi grinned at her friend and winked.

"We will consider the situation, but I don’t expect this to
be resolved quickly. Is there something we can do in the meantime to help
ensure our safety?"

"Yes," Sarahi said. "Bring my boy home. I want to see
him. And if he’s here, we can work on finding him a wife, since
that’s so important to you people."

"It is," Mr. Smith said softly.

It looked as though the meeting was about to break up when Jonas spoke.
"What about Lucien?"

"What about him?" one of the elders replied.

"His lover is here; the mother of his child. There’s no way
he can maintain his vows in the face of that. I wouldn’t be surprised if
they’d been fornicating already."

Lucien blushed, giving away the answer. Sarahi nailed the naphil with a
green-eyed glare.

"Well, Lucien, have you broken your vows again?" Mr. Smith
demanded.

"He hasn't," Sarahi insisted.

"Liar," one of the elders accused, pointing a gnarled
finger in Sarahi’s direction. "Are you denying you’ve been
intimate?"

"Not at all," Sarahi replied lightly. Across the table,
Lucien choked. "I’m saying it was no violation for him to do
so."

"How do you figure?" the elder asked.

"Well, he broke that vow long ago, right?"

The old man nodded.

"Did he ever remake it? Lucien, did you swear, after your return,
that you would never touch a woman again?"

"No," he replied. "I knew you were out there
somewhere. I would never swear a vow I knew I could not keep. And they never
asked."

"There you see," Sarahi said, her voice filled with
triumph. "He never vowed. He’s free."

"Hey!" Peter protested. "Why should he get to have a
hot woman to play with? Shouldn’t our heroes have to follow the same
rules we do? I can’t have a girl in my bed until I get married, right? So
why does he get to?"

Suddenly, everyone was talking at once. Lucien brought one big hand
down on the table. The shouting ceased.

"This is not my decision to make. However, I will not be parted
from Sarahi again. From this day forward, I go where she goes. I fight only for
her."

Sarahi’s jaw dropped. "Lucien," she whispered into
the tense hush, "you don’t need to do that."

"I do," he said. "I love you."

Sarahi felt prickles of heat climbing up her cheeks. Her eyes burned
and her throat clogged with tears. "Oh, Lucien," she said softly.

"Very well then," Mr. Smith said, "since you
obviously won’t stop your wicked ways, and we can’t have you
setting a bad example for everyone, you two will be married this afternoon. If
you refuse, you’ll both be cast out. We’ll figure out how to deal
with your... child later."

"I’m agreeable," Lucien said.

Sarahi nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Wait a minute," Jonas said, "that’s worse. I
want a wife. I bet there’s not a naphil at this table who would say
otherwise. Why should Lucien get one?"

"They’ve already born a child together," one of the
female elders pointed out.

"I can make that happen," Jonas said, arching an eyebrow.
The other nephilim were nodding

"Gentlemen, wait," Mr. Smith said, "Are you saying
you
want
wives?"

"Yes, Mr. Smith."

"But, Jonas, why didn’t you ever say anything?"

"We did. Many times. We have always longed for that connection.
You clerics made celibacy a condition of your help. We gave up asking centuries
ago."

"I beg your pardon," Mr. Smith said, contritely. "I
had no idea. I assure you it was never my intention to deny your people such an
obvious need. Remember, when we came of age, rose among the clerics, you were
already established, with your rules, culture, everything. I assumed you took
those vows as a formality." The man looked flabbergasted. Sarahi
couldn’t take it anymore.

"But that’s foolish," she interjected.

"What do you mean, Succubus," he asked her coldly.

"I’m sorry, but think, sir. Where do nephilim come
from?"

"From the joining of angel and human," he replied as if by
rote.

"Have you ever considered what that means?" she asked,
tilting her head to the side.

"What?"

"That the angels
lay
with those human women. Why on earth
would the joining of two sexual beings create an asexual one? That makes no
sense."

His eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Why didn’t I think
of that?" he muttered.

"Perhaps because you’re not a succubus," she said
with a gentle smile.

"Well, this is a dilemma," Mr. Smith said.

"I don’t think it is," Lucien disagreed. "Give
them the same rules as clerics. If they want a wife, they can have one. She
must be at least twenty years of age and give full consent. And gentlemen,
there are no divorces with this group, so if you choose badly, you’re
stuck with her. Also, we’re ageless. Human girls are mortal. If you marry,
you’ll watch the woman you love age and die." Lucien reached across
the table and took Sarahi’s hand. She stroked her thumb over his fingers.
"That should be enough reality to keep you from making foolish
decisions."

"If your lady is right and that demon is coming for us,"
Jonas said darkly, we might all be dead in short order."

"If we can keep Josiah on our side," Sarahi replied,
"we just might stand a chance."

Sensing she was finished, the clerics and nephilim began to drift away.

Sarahi rose and drifted around the table to Lucien. He wrapped his arm
around her slender waist and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"Mr. Smith," she turned to address the elder once more.

"Yes?" he asked warily, clearly not recovered yet from the
events of the day.

"When does my son return? I need to see him."

"We’re expecting them any minute. I’m surprised you
didn’t ask about him sooner."

"I had no idea he was here. When The Assassin brought me, she
just told me I would be safe. She never said a word about Josiah."

"She?" Mr. Smith raised his eyebrows.

"Yes. The Assassin is a girl," Sarahi replied, "but
she’s never told me her name, so don’t ask me who she is."

"Well at any rate," the elder went on, "I don’t
know when the young clerics will return, but you two are going to be married
this afternoon, before you incite a riot. Sarahi, go to the storage room next
to your room and look through the white dresses. There should be one you can
wear."

Sarahi nodded.

"And is it to much to ask the two of you not to... do it until after
the wedding."

Sarahi gave him a wicked smile which set his cheeks aflame, but said
nothing. Lucien pondered the question. "I think we might just be able to
manage... if you hurry."

The elder hurried all right. He nearly ran from the room.

"Just what is it about me," Sarahi asked as they walked
hand in hand down the hall, "that makes everyone so uncomfortable?"

"Well, love, you represent the decadent lifestyle a lot of them
secretly wish they had experienced."

"But, Lucien, I hated that."

"I know, love. If you truly were a tramp, I wouldn’t have
wanted you. "

She grinned. Then her smile faded. "Does it bother you how I used
to live?"

"Sarahi, it’s two millennia past. And it’s not as
though you had a choice in the matter."

She nodded.

"I love you. The rest doesn’t matter to me."

That made her smile. "Now if only we can figure out how to get
Josiah and this Annie together, all will be well."