by J. B. Miller
Her laughing face merged into the disgusted and hate-filled visage of our last meeting. We had been standing in mum and dad's hallway. It was where she called me a whore. That moment when she screamed in my face and slapped me so hard, it knocked me back a step.
I could still hear her voice shouting at me in fury.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Dia? You were raised better than this." She pointed one well-manicured finger at me. "You are nothing but a whore! Thank the good Lord for small mercies that you are only adopted and not a Mclearey by blood. I never want to see you again. You are no longer welcome in my home or near my family, do you understand? Do not come near my children! I will not have them contaminated by your filth."
I stood there in shock while she left the hallway only to come back a moment later with the kids.
"What's wrong with Auntie Dia, Mummy?" My six-year-old nephew, Liam, asked.
Becka looked at me with the innocence of the four-year-old she was. "Dee has a boo-boo, Liam," she piped. "Her face is all red and she's crying. Did she fall down, Mummy?"
Mara threw a hateful glance at me before turning to her children. "Don’t worry about it, babies. She will be fine. It's time to go home. Mummy needs to talk to daddy and she," Mara nearly snarled the word, "was just being clumsy. She should have known better than to be so silly."
The words were filled with double meaning. The shock from Mara's slap and vicious words had frozen me in place and I could only stand there with my hand to my burning cheek while she took her children away.
The scene fast-forwarded to the moment that dad destroyed what was left of my heart. He had refused to speak to me on the phone and I finally went home to confront him. Mom had pleaded with me to give it more time, but Sean had already been by and while he threatened everyone's lives if they didn’t take care of me, at least he still loved me.
I thought it would be similar with dad. He would be angry and hurt but at the end of the day, I was his little girl. He would forgive, if not forget. Ohh how wrong I was.
"What are you doing here," my father's voice was low and angry.
"Daddy, I wanted to come and talk to you. Mom said to give it time…but I wanted to—" Before I could say more, he cut me off.
"Don’t ever call me that again," he roared suddenly.
"What?" I gasped.
"I'm not your father! My little girl is dead! She would never have become the amoral creature you are. You are nothing more than a trollop with your string of men. It’s a sin, girl, and I will not be having that in my home.
"Go back to your den of iniquity to ply your whorish ways there." He flung a hand in the air, spittle flying from his lips before he continued.
"If I knew what sort of base creature you would have turned into, I would have never brought you into my home. No wonder your own mother dropped you at the doors of a nunnery. It's where you should have been left!"
"Daddy," I whispered brokenly.
The sound of his name from my lips enraged him. His face turned bright red and he began to shout obscenities at me.
"Get the hell out of my house you little bitch. If I ever see you on my property again, I swear I will have you arrested for trespassing!"
Sean's voice came from the front of the house before my father could continue with his rant.
"Dad? What's going on back there?" he called. "Is everything all right?" he came around the corner to find us in the garden.
My face must have reflected the horror of what dad had said to me because the worry in Sean's eyes hardened into something I had never seen before. He had put on his detective face and that was scary.
His hurried walk slowed and his hands dropped to his sides. Some part of my mind observed him forcing his body to relax as he walked toward us.
"Dad," he said again in a soft controlled voice. "Everything okay? I heard you and our baby girl arguing and just wanted to make sure everything was good back here."
The calm that my father had managed to collect fell apart at the endearment. His face mottled and for a moment I was afraid he was going to have a heart attack.
His mouth opened and shut several times gasping for air while his already ruddy complexion turned a startling purple with rage. Finally, able to get past the anger, hateful words filled the air. Things I had never even known my dad was capable of thinking, much less speak, erupted from his lips.
Dad pointed a finger directly in my face, wagging it menacingly while he ranted at Sean. "This little viper in our nest is not our baby girl. I doubt she could even repent now if she tried. It will be hell for her and if we are not careful she will be dragging the rest of us down with her!"
It was as if he had lost his mind and Sean saw it as well. He went to take a step closer when dad's hand shot out and grabbed me by the arm. He shook me like a terrier with a rat. I could feel my head whipping back on my neck with the sudden force of it.
In all honesty, I was too shocked to do anything but stand there while he shook me back and forth.
"Dad!" Sean shouted now. The concern was obvious in his voice. Dad paused and turned to look at my brother for a moment and I took the time to try to wiggle out of his grasp. What the hell was happening here, I wondered. Where had my father gone and who was this mad man?
"What the hell, Dad?" Sean's words echoed my thoughts. "What is wrong with you? You have never raised your hand to any of your kids. Dad, please think about what you are doing. This is Dia, even if you are angry with her for her choices...they are still her choices. It does not change the fact of who she is and that we love her. You can't turn your back on her for loving more than one person."
"Aye, I can."
Dad pointed at me once again. "This little strumpet is going to be the ruin of all of us. Do you have any idea what she has already done to our family? The church is talking excommunication, my career, hell your career, is on the brink and all because this tart here couldn’t keep her legs closed!"
He glared between Sean and me for a moment. Then he dropped his bombshell. "You have always protected her, boy. Did she seduce you as well? Her own brother in all but blood? Bat those big gold eyes of hers and beg you prettily on her knees like the whore she is? By God, I'll not suffer it under my roof!"
The words themselves were a vicious blow, and then came the biggest shock I had ever experienced. My hero, the man who hung the moon and stars for me, and had been the one I had always ran to in comfort struck me.
The momentum with which his palm landed on my cheek was so hard the crack reverberated through my head. Its echo bringing me back to the present where the sound of that crack intensified until something deep inside of me finally broke.
Everything that I had held in broke loose. All the anger, hurt, and power. All that enormous energy that I had not been able to understand or tap into was suddenly free.
It was terrifying and freeing. The world went white and then I knew no more.
Chapter Ten
Cernunnos
Centuries from now this moment would be remembered. The entirety of my Hunt gathered around us watching in both fear and wonder.
Dianthe had collapsed onto her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. She had curled into the tightest ball she could manage and rocked back and forth, as memories assaulted her.
The energy built as each new emotion rolled forth increasing in volume. I knew when it broke it would be a psychic tsunami.
With a gesture, I stopped Brónach and the hound from approaching her. To do so would endanger them both. In fact, I had all of our people move back several hundred yards because the force that was coming would not be small. In the end, it was more than I had even imagined.
The power built until the very skies above us darkened with angry storm clouds. Electricity raced over my skin and the urge to shift into my natural form grew stronger.
The mother of us all only knew how strong her power could grow. It was my responsibility to make sure it did not expand too much.
Dianthe suddenly threw back her head and screamed. Her eyes flew open and the beautiful soft gold they normally glowed had now turned into a burning molten copper. Her gaze met mine for a fleeting moment, but it was blind. She was not seeing me nor the Hunt surrounding her. She was lost in her own torment and it was causing her to lose the tight control she had unconsciously been holding over her gifts for years.
The pressure around us began to grow and I knew it would only be moments before a torrent released.
Once more, I sent my Hunt further back. I had no idea how far the backlash would go once Dia let go. I did however, know that it would be impressive.
The tenor of her scream reached a crescendo and I watched warily as her eyes closed once more and she threw out her arms releasing the hold she had held upon herself.
The training field exploded in light. A pillar rose straight up into the heavens as if a small sun had shot off a flare. It grew and expanded in pulses and after the first wave only grew stronger.
The second pulse of power knocked Brónach and the hound to the ground. The third had my second and his men, and by the forth, I was struggling to stand against her.
I had wanted to let her expend herself, but Dianthe's strength exceeded what I thought it would be. Instead of decreasing, the waves were getting stronger.
I no longer had a choice. I would have to intervene.
I began to take the first steps toward her. We were only a handful of paces apart. However, each step felt as if I was going against a gale.
The energy began to strip my own layers away. It did not please me, as I did not like to expose my true self to others. By the time I had made it to her side, my own glory shone from me.
The golden and green aura of my natural being bled into and mixed with the reds and golds of her own. So much fire and passion and absolutely no control.
It had been a very long time since I had been surprised. And this one was welcome. My chosen was more than a match for me. The secret fear I had held that she would not have been able to hold up to the eternity by my side began to slip away.
It would take years to bring her to the point where she understood enough to grasp the realities of our life, but I would be there for her through it when I could be. And when I was not, I would ensure her other mates and her companions were.
Looking down at her, seeing the tears that streamed down her face, broke my heart. So very young, Dia was an infant in our world, but so much had already been put upon her shoulders. How much more could she handle in a short amount of time?
She's strong, and we will make sure that she survives what is to come. There will be no doubt that she is a goddess when all is said and done.
The life that she had led in the mortal world was no more.
It was time to truly introduce myself to my young mate and welcome her to her new world.
"Dia, my heart. It is time to open your eyes and see me."
*****
Dia
It was all just too much. A girl can handle only so much before she crawls into a corner to die. I was done.
The memory of my dad calling me a whore and hitting me broke the small amount of strength I had left. I had buried it so deep it was almost as if it had never happened. Now that all the angry words and uncertainty came back... Well, I just didn't want to play this game anymore.
So I just let go and an explosion of colors swept me away.
It was peaceful...waves and waves of warmth and tranquility.
I wanted this... I wanted this peace and contentment. With each blissful wave, the feelings became stronger and I let it take me further away.
"Just let go, Dia girl," I whispered to myself and I drifted away.
I didn't know how long I floated before I felt the pressure of a palm upon my cheek. Ironically enough, it was in the same place my dad had struck me. As much as I really wanted to ignore the sensation, it began to pull me back.
From a very far distance, I heard a voice calling to me. It took a few minutes before the vocals sharpened into words I could understand. The cadence of a deep masculine voice that was so very familiar called my name once again.
"Dia, my heart. It is time to open your eyes and see me."
The only thing I could compare it to was waking from a dream. I had to force my eyes to open even though I didn’t want to. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I would open my eyes and the past months would just be a very strange vivid dream. However, once I was able to pry my lids open the whole theory was out the window.
Cernunnos knelt in front of me, his hand cupping my cheek. This was not the male that I had been living with for what had to be several weeks now. This was the horned god.
He towered above me even on his knees. Great antlers stood proudly from his head and green, brown, and gold shimmering lights played along his skin making the flesh itself iridescent.
I fell into his eyes and began to drown in their decadence. In that moment, I totally understood how some animals were able to mesmerize their prey. I was glued tightly to that hypnotizing gaze.
It took what seemed to be eons before my will became strong enough to break from his hold. The flickering glow around us finally caught my attention. Green, red, and gold blazed in a magnificent aurora. The colors danced over our flesh in licking flames that never burned but caressed in heavenly warmth.
Beyond the flames stood the Hunt. Brónach and Caomhnóir stood closest, well knelt. She was on her knees with a deer in the headlights look going on. Caratâcos and Togodumnus were directly behind her. Each with a hand on her shoulders. They were in a protective position and looked ready to pull her behind them at the slightest movement.
My eyes narrowed. Oh yeah, we would be talking about that later. It seemed that my Sorrow had been holding out on me.
I was rudely pulled from my plotting by the mouth nuzzling my neck. Oh, God…it felt good.
My concentration broken, I turned back to the male kissing a path along my shoulder blade.
"What are you doing," I stammered.
He ignored me but for a soft chuckle against my skin. Without breaking contact, the contact his voice whispered to me.
"Open up, my heart. Open up those wonderful senses of yours and feel what is going on between us."
Cernunnos's hand slipped into mine and lifted it up so I could see the entwined fingers. Our auras danced and played, blending the rainbow of colors into a melody of light. The light show entranced me and I began to lose myself in the dancing flames of our light.
"Open, Dianthe," his voice whispered into my mind even as he nipped the indention between shoulder and neck.
My eyes widened with the sudden sensation and with a gasp, a whole new world opened before us.
We were the flames. They didn't surround us—they were born of us. Our bodies wove and danced together, barely corporal in form.
'What is happening,' I thought.
Cernunnos answered my thought with his own.
'We are merging, two becoming one. Our very beings are joining into one whole, just as our physical bodies soon will.'
I was still barely aware enough to feel shock at that. The fleeting thought of public sex trilled through me but disappeared when Cernunnos nipped my tendon before rising up and taking my mouth in an all-consuming kiss.
Then what little reason I had fled.
We could have been in front of Buckingham Palace at the changing of the guards and I would not have even noticed.
His deep chuckle filled me internally even as he devoured me.
"I do not think the queen would appreciate that as much as some."
The meanings of those words were beyond me, all bar the sensation of his mouth on mine and his wandering hands. Damn, the man had talent.
Somehow, we were reduced to our natural skin and the ground below us had gone from the hard packed earth of the training field to soft caressing moss.
My head fell back when he left my lips and worked his way down to my breast. The gi
rls were definitely appreciative of his attention and stood at the ready.
He unerringly zeroed onto my right breast, which was by far the more sensitive one. How did men know these things?
With a growl he latched on to the puckered tip of my nipple, sucking hard before he drew back letting his teeth graze over the pebbled peek.
My legs were already spread wide as he leaned over me, his hips resting in the vee of my thighs.
One hand cupped the right breast and massaged, as he bent his head back with a moan and began nursing at my breast.
Ohhh hell, that felt better than good. My eyes rolled back into the back of my head and my head fell back since I was too busy arching my chest up into his mouth. I needed more.
Before, I could connect the sensations my body spasmed. "Oh God," I screamed.
I could not even comprehend the sensations ricocheting through my body. I was in the grip of a major orgasm with only his mouth to set me off.
The cheeky bastard had the audacity to laugh at me, breaking away from my nipple to grin.
"You called, my heart?"
He grinned at me unabashedly before slipping a hand between my thighs.
"Did you need more? I'm sure that's what you said..." he trailed off and slipped one, long, perfect finger into the heat of my core.
"Easy, love," he murmured when I instinctively arched into his touch.
One large hand lowered to my stomach and held me immobile while he moved further down my body to watch his slow torture of me.
"You are so exquisitely perfect, Dianthe. For months now, I have watched you. Even as you first charmed my hound, you intrigued me. I have never wanted more than simple pleasure and the duty of my Hunt until I met you."
A second finger had joined the first and he worked them in and out, thrusting deeper and upward against that perfect spot. I did not even try to hide the moans coming from me as he fucked me with his fingers, all the while telling me how we had come to this.
"It was the day in the grotto that I knew. I had suspected before then, but that day you made me yours. I understood you were still more human than not and still unready to take the next step.