by Jen Pretty
Durga pulled forth her long sword. I swung it once before the beast charged. His ragged hair shuddered as he lurched forward. One more long stride and he was bearing down on me. I leaped forward for momentum and slid to the ground between his thick hooved legs. I stabbed upwards into his stomach. Blood gushed from the wound as he passed above me. He let out an angry roar. I leapt and spun as he turned to face me again.
I jumped to my feet, and Durga switched to her conch shell. She brought it to my lips and blew into the end. The sound was like a low whistle that rang through the temple and caused the buffalo to yell in pain. He dropped to his knees for a moment before shaking his massive head, his ragged fur waving and getting back to his feet.
He charged again, this time there was no warning. Durga attempted to draw back on her bow to launch an arrow, but he was too close, and his horn reached us before we could move. The long sharp horn impaled through my sternum and out through my back before slamming me into the wall of the cave, pinning me like a bug. I screamed looking down at the horn that blasted through my body so close to baby Elliot that a new wave of anger hit me.
I slammed the arrow still in my hand down into Mahishasura’s head; it stuck under his skin, and he roared again, but it didn’t do any real damage.
Durga waved her arms until her club came forward. We swung it down onto the buffalo’s head as hard as possible, and the sound it created was like a struck gong. The buffalo collapsed to the ground, his horn dropping to the side and forcing me to slide off. The pain was overwhelming, but I had no time to focus on that. Durga pushed it away and forced me to my feet though blood sprayed from my chest and back like a waterfall. My arms and legs stayed true, and Durga brought forth the lotus.
Its delicate petals seemed a strange weapon to use on a raging buffalo, but peace fell over me like a blanket. That was when I saw the white lion swagger through the doorway. My vision was growing weak, fluttery like a delicate bird.
Singh stepped up to the Buffalo who began to rise, his thick legs scrambling on the stone floor made slick by my blood. Singh let out a thunderous roar. His teeth glistened in his mouth. He set one paw on the great buffalo’s nose, pinning him to the floor. His other massive paw reared back and came down so fast, it wasn’t clear what he had done until the head of the buffalo fell away from the body. He had sliced the demon's head clean off with his razor-sharp talons. Blood sprayed for a moment from the decapitated head and then oozed to cover the entire floor of the temple.
My vision was wavering when a figure approached me. It wasn't until Alex's face came into view a few inches from my own that I realized it was him.
“Please, I must crown the king. Now is the time.” Alex held out his hand.
I didn’t know what he wanted. I shook my head.
“Please, Goddess! The time is now! The King of Thunder waits!” Alex's voice rose to nearly a scream as my knees buckled and I collapsed to the floor.
“Goddess!” He yelled, his voice was fading. The sound of Singh's purr pulled me back from the gloom, and Alex's words reached my mind.
The woman at the rest stop said I had to give the King of Thunder back his lightning. I didn’t know what that meant, but I had a lightning bolt. Durga produced it, holding it in front of me to inspect. I looked from the gift to Alex. Did I trust him with something so powerful? I didn’t trust him with anything.
I knew I only had moments to decide; I struggled to look Alex in the eye. I couldn’t speak. My throat was full of blood. My body convulsed trying to get me to cough, but it would do no good. There was a hole through my rib cage. I held out the lightning bolt with the last of my strength, praying it was the right thing to do.
I watched Alex's back disappear out the door and turned my face into Singh’s thick fur. I prayed I would pass out, as Durga receded, the pain washed in. More pain than I knew a body could handle. Somehow, I stayed conscious for several moments, but my heart beat slowed with every second.
The floor shook, and I thought maybe the cave would collapse after all. It shook again and again as I prayed for death. Durga had abandoned me. I felt her presence like a phantom limb. The space she occupied was now vacant, and I was hollow. A tear slipped down my cheek to get lost in the fur of my lion. My will. He protected me in life and now in death. I imagined I could see my heart, taking one last shuttering beat, before it stopped. The silence was complete.
A harsh tongue ran across my face as I faded away.
“No!” A voice shook the room with its force. “You will not leave me!”
The sound pulled me back from the darkness, and my heart gave a single squeeze. I thought of Elliot. His beautiful face and small fingers. His blond hair and blue eyes.
My heart gave another valiant squeeze.
“Come back!” The voice was so loud, like thunder ringing in my ears and shaking my body.
My eyes flicked open on the third squeeze of my empty heart, and a man was before me -- not a man, a God. He sat astride a white elephant. His four arms each bore a weapon, one of which was Durga’s lightning bolt.
The elephant raised its trunk and thundered a sound, a flash of light so bright, it blew out my vision, and I couldn’t see for a moment. When I could see again, the man stood over me.
“You cannot die,” the man said, his voice stern. His hair whipped in the wind that blew through the cavern.
“I will do as I please,” my voice said. I only realized after I had spoken that I could speak. I lifted a hand and pressed it to my chest. It was whole again. Durga had left me, but I had healed anyway.
I looked back to the man. His eyes faded to a soft blue and suddenly Vincent was standing over me. He fell to his knees and slid his arms under me, lifting me from the floor and cradling me in his arms. His forehead fell to mine, and then his lips met mine too and heat rushed through me. I relaxed my muscles uncoiling and conforming to his body. He rose and carried me from the room where the dead Buffalo lay. He walked through halls that were now wide and tall enough to walk through on an elephant.
“Did you do this?” I asked him.
“I suppose so, though I'm not clear on what I can do and what Indra does. I would have dug it by hand to get to you.”
I put my hand to my stomach and held my breath. “I don’t feel him.”
“He is there. I can hear his heart. It’s strong," Vincent said, and I let out a sigh. When we exited the tunnel into the moonlight, the carnage covered the area. Soldiers were checking bodies and decapitating fallen vampires who weren’t thoroughly dead.
I glanced around the area. “Where is Peri,” I said.
“Right here,” she said as she came trotting up beside us. “You look like shit.”
“Thanks, you don’t look so hot yourself. What happened to your hair?” I asked. She had a giant bald spot.
“Some fallen bastard thought he could use it as a handle. I reminded him that today's women don’t like grabby men and cut off his hands before I cut off his head.” She rubbed her bare scalp. “I hope it grows back quickly. It messes up my style.”
I laughed, cringing at the ache that still ran through my chest.
A line of vans came rolling up, and Vincent shuffled me into one. I lay on the backseat and waited for the rest of the soldiers and crew to finish whatever they were doing. I kept one hand on my stomach and waited, rejoicing in the occasional tiny flutters there. It was so reassuring and consuming I didn't notice a body block the van doorway.
“I’m leaving, Lark.”
My eyes darted to the van door to find Singh in human form, his face lined in sadness.
“You don’t have to go,” I said.
He bit his lip and looked away. “I can’t go back to the city. You don’t need my help now. You have your own magic and now that Mahishasura is dead and Durga has left...”
“So, she's really gone?” I cut in.
“Yes. She left behind soldiers to continue her work, including you. She will return someday when she needs to restore the balanc
e again.”
I bit my lip and nodded holding back the tears. Everything was changing so fast. Durga hadn’t even said goodbye. “Thank you, Singh, for all you have done for me. I will miss you.”
“You can come visit me. I’ll be here,” he said before shifting back into a lion and letting out an ear-shattering roar. He turned and ran. I struggled to sit up then watched him climb the rocky cliff to stand above the Ellora caves. His yellow eyes glowed in the moonlight, and his white coat glistened. Then he disappeared beyond the cliff.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, hugging them tightly.
When Vincent returned, he reached in and scooped me out of the van. He kissed the top of my head as he set me in the passenger seat of the car Peri and I drove across the country. He slid into the driver's seat, and I heard the two back doors open and close.
Vincent started the car without a word and drove us back to the motel. When he pulled up, there was no line of vehicles behind us. I turned around and realized it was Frankie and Peri in the back seat.
“Everyone else is heading home,” Vincent said. “Alex said to say goodbye. He’s going back to Moscow.”
That was for the best. I would probably hold a grudge against him forever. Though I guess he came through in the end.
“We will stay here for tonight and leave in the morning,” Vincent said before he stepped out of the car. He came around and opened my door. I started to get up, but pain ricocheted through my chest, and Vincent scooped me up. I didn’t like to him carrying me. It made me feel weak, like a kitten.
“You'll feel better tomorrow,” Vincent whispered as he unlocked the door to the motel room.
“Someone should check on Ninel. Let him know I am not Durga in case he wants to go back to Moscow,” I said, my voice a little more bitter than I intended.
"I'll do that now," he said as he set me down on the bed.
As soon as the motel room door shut behind him, I rolled off the bed and limped to the bathroom. I left the door open in case I fell down and killed myself, but turned on the shower and tried to peel my clothes off. The blood was sticky, and the fabric clung to my skin. That car would look like we slaughtered someone in it tomorrow. I kicked off my shoes and toed off my socks. My pants were heavy with blood, so they fell easily, but I struggled with my shirt for several minutes before Vincent returned and found me.
I dropped my arms and let the tears fall. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying.
“I’m all alone,” I whispered before a sob wracked my broken, fragile human body. Even before I knew about Durga, she had been there. This hollow feeling was new and uncomfortable. Vincent stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, burying my head in his chest.
“Never,” he whispered, making the sobs come faster and fiercer. Vincent held me tight until I calmed. Mourning the loss of my inner goddess was weird considering what she put me through. “I will always be with you,” Vincent said, taking away the sting of loneliness.
Little birds flapped in my stomach, reminding me that I wasn’t alone, even in my skin. Elliot was growing inside me, and soon I would have the family I always wished for.
Elliot would have the greatest family ever even if it didn’t include Singh. The lion's absence was as obvious as the lack of soft snores coming from the bed.
He would have uncles and a whole coven of people to care about him. He would have a nice kitchen lady to make him snacks and Uncle Frankie to teach him about magic. I took a deep breath and steeled myself. I pushed away from Vincent's chest and looked up into his blue eyes. Maybe Durga wasn’t with me anymore, but Vincent still looked like a vampire. His pointed teeth peek through his lips. If I was just a human, I shouldn't be able to see his teeth. I tucked that information away for another day and pulled at the neck of my shirt. “Help me.”
He tore the thin material and gently pulled my arms free. I stepped into the steaming shower, and Vincent stepped in with me.
“You still have your clothes on,” I said.
“I don’t need to be naked to wash your hair, Lark.” He grabbed the bottle of shampoo and stood there all wet and glorious while I ducked under the running water. He turned me around and squirted shampoo on my head. His fingers massaged my scalp, relieving some of my tension. I held my hand over my stomach, assuring myself that Elliot was fine. My little miracle. My chest bore a huge scar. None of my previous injuries had left a mark, but this one had, and I wondered if it was because Durga had left me there to die. If so, how had I healed? These were questions for another day. My body was already protesting being upright for so long. My vision shimmered around the edges. I leaned back into Vincent's chest and let the water wash away the rest of the dried and flaky blood.
Once I was clean, Vincent wrapped me in a big towel and dried my hair while I sat on the bed. Sitting was better than standing, but still hurt. He pulled one of his big sweaters over my head before tucking me in and kissing my forehead. Then he went back to the bathroom, and I heard water hitting him as he had his shower. I listened to the domestic sound and let my eyes slip shut.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The scent of bacon and coffee raised me from the dead. Ok, I wasn't dead, but something might have died in my mouth. It was a new day, and I tried to put the pain of the previous day behind me. Until I sat up. Then I remembered I don’t have super healing powers anymore, and I collapsed to the bed again.
“Morning Lark,” my bestie said.
I raised a hand and waved.
“You still lying around? Get up lazy. We have a plane to catch.” Peri said.
I flipped her off.
“If you don’t get up, I’m eating all this bacon and drinking all this coffee,” she said.
I heard the door to the room open and close.
“Stop tormenting her or I will cut off your head,” Vincent’s stern voice said.
I sat up and glared at him. “Hey. You don’t get to threaten my friend,” I said, pointing a finger at him.
“That is how you get Lark out of bed,” Vincent said with a grin.
Peri laughed, but I continued to scowl at the vampire lord.
He stepped forward and stole a kiss before setting a plastic bag down on the bed beside me. “I got you some clothes. Comfortable for travelling. It's a long flight.”
I grabbed onto his shoulders and tried to pull myself off the mattress, but I was stuck in the blankets that had wrapped around me somehow overnight. A lion used to hold the sheets down on one side. The thought made me miss Singh again, but I wouldn’t cry. Damn it.
Vincent untangled the blankets and then lifted and set me on my feet. I had to hunch over because my chest still hurt. A flutter made me set my hand on my stomach. There was a small bump where none had been the day before. I froze and waited. The bird flapped its wings, much stronger than the day before. Little kicks and twirls felt more like a fish than a bird.
Vincent noticed me holding my stomach, and his hand slid to join mine.
“Oh my god,” he whispered. “You should change and eat. We should get home.” His voice was a little worried, but I knew everything was fine. Elliot was twisting and leaping, how could anything be wrong? I would need to get him into sports, or maybe martial arts. That would serve him well. Not that he would need to fight. I would protect him.
I shook out of my visions of Elliot’s future and grabbed the bag of clothes before heading to the bathroom.
“Guard my bacon,” I said over my shoulder.
I came back out dressed in jogging pants and a hoodie that was loose and comfortable, just as Vincent had promised. I grabbed the small tray of bacon and a cup of coffee off the table then walked out the door. When we loaded back into the car, someone had covered my seat with a blanket. I bet those blood stains would never come out. I took a sip of the coffee, but it didn’t taste right.
“It's decaf, you’re pregnant,” Peri said with a laugh when she saw my face.
Gross.
I put i
t in the cup holder and left it there.
Ninel was with us, his cheeks were flush, though he was still thin. He looked like a sick man now though, instead of a skeleton. He was bouncing back faster than Trevor had.
“Hey, Ninel. You headed back to Moscow?” I asked.
Frankie and Peri slipped into the seats on either side of the ancient vampire.
“No, I am coming back to America with you. I will guard the child if you allow me.” He bowed his head.
“Of course. I would be honoured. But you know Durga left?” I asked, to be sure.
“Yes, Vincent informed me, but she is never gone, Lark. She would approve of my mission to see you and your child safe.”
The hairs rose on the back of my neck. He was right. The goddess was always watching, just not through my eyes anymore.
“Thank you, Ninel,” I whispered.
Vincent started the car and drove us to the airport. He pulled up to the doors and let me out. I waited with Frankie for the vampires to park.
“I’m glad you came,” I said to fill the awkward silence.
"I’m glad I came too. I wasn’t sure how it would feel to be around you and Vincent, but it’s ok. I feel like maybe we should have never been more than friends — good friends.”
“I feel that way too,” I said, smiling at him. “So. You and Peri?”
Frankie flung his arm over my shoulders and pulled me in tight beside him. “I don't want to jinx anything, but she is amazing. Isn’t she?” We watched as the vampires walked across the parking lot. I tried to get my eyes to shift from Vincent, but it was like he had hypnotized me. He was back in a suit and looked delicious. He had styled hair perfectly and wore dark sunglasses. Nope, it was too much. He was too beautiful.