“He’s coming around…”
The clouds covered the sun.
“C’mon handsome, a storm is coming”
All three of them? Living together? Dante had fantasized about the three of them in many positions, but this? Never so at peace, in love and happy. “You’re here too. With us?” Dante knew his face would be as amazed as he sounded.
Michelle answered with the calmest tone in the world. “Where else would I be? It’s always been us, you know that”
Thunder rolled across the sky. Dante knew he was waking up.
“Come inside. You don’t have to go back. Stay with us. You’ll never be the same”
“Yes I do,” Dante replied. “I want to stay. This is…my paradise. Both of you, all of us. But I have to save her.”
“What if you can’t?” Michelle said, lowering her hand as the downpour began.
“I’ll die trying. Even if I can’t ever get back here”
The rain got harder and Dante’s vision began to fade.
“You really should’ve stayed. Hold on to hope Dante. Please don’t forget this. Don’t forget us when it happens…”
*
The room came into clearer and clearer focus. Michelle was over him, talking to him, though it was as if her voice was muted, far away. He was out of the pool. Lying on his back beside it, his head in her lap. They were not alone in the room.
Nathaniel, a young Aboriginal man that he didn’t recognise and to his surprise, Alex’s ex Matt. The two of them were having a tense argument and Nathaniel was standing at Dante’s feet, watching them. “All three of them lifted that thing off you,” Michelle whispered, easing her wrist down to his mouth. “I don’t know what to do. The young kid seems ok, Matt is, well, Matt.”
Dante took a few gulps and took his time to sit up, his side still bleeding quite heavily. He applied pressure with his hand, looked from one to the other and finally spoke up. “Who are you and what do you want?”
Matt turned his back on Dante and placed his hands on his hips. The other, addressed him in a calm, cautious way. “My name is Koha. I…we…are here on a peaceful mission to contact the king of Sydney. I take it that’s you?”
“It is. And I take it you are members of the Forgotten. But I haven’t the time nor strength for meetings.”
“I know what’s going on with Alexandra Hensley. Do you have enough time for her?”
Dante and Michelle both glanced at each other. “Go on”
“The Night Mother has requested you accompany us.”
“Do you expect me to just believe that? Your people have been fighting us for years”
“And currently you don’t look like you could knock the cream of a rice pudding.”
“Look can be deceiving” Dante tried to lie, but the blood was creeping from between his fingers.
“The point is if I wanted to kill you, we wouldn’t be talking. This isn’t about you or us. Have you seen what’s happening out there? This is about the city.”
“Since when have you cared about anyone else other than your own tribes?”
“Since the demon has taken her over and now the victims are rising again. We are wasting time. Every minute we waste more and more of these things are coming. The Night Mother has a way to defeat the demon. She wants you. Either you come with us, or I kill you here. It is just your consciousness, not your body. You don’t have to leave.”
Dante rose gingerly, supported by Michelle. “Dante don’t, this doesn’t smell right.”
“No, but he does make a point. He could battle me here. And she may be able to help Alexandra. If so, it’s worth it.”
Koha had knelt and began preparing a bowl with different spice looking ingredients. Matt made a point of not looking at Dante, pacing back and forth slowly.
“You might want to put this on,” Michelle said, handing him his black bath robe, the same one that she wore. “Nathaniel brought them over. He said your door shouldn’t be naked for anyone except you.”
Dante put on the robe carefully, placing his hand against the wound.
“You have to get that looked at.”
“Morning comes soon. I’ll be fine”
He tapped her cheek and kissed her forehead. Dante moved across to Koha, where a blue flame had been ignited in the bowl. “Put your hand in here. Hurry”
Dante eased his hand into it, and was whisked in a rushing spin, finding himself in a cave, Koha beside him. There, a few feet in front of him, was a cloaked, thin woman.
“Welcome to this monumental occasion, vampire. What could be the last night of our lives, happens to be the first occasion the leaders of our respective people have met face to face.”
“Night Mother, I assume that is your preferred title. I was told you have information on how to help Alexandra Hensley.”
“I might”
“You might?”
“That depends on you. Your answers to my questions. And your honesty. Firstly, as a show of good faith. I have instructed my hunters to forgo any act of aggression for this night. I would hope I couple count on your co-operation in that.”
“I suppose my co-operation depends on your help. If so, that’s not much choice. But yes, I will join your cease fire”
“Good. Now, to the matter at hand. To truly defeat this adversary, you must know all that I know. Your friend isn’t the only one in danger. The whole city is under siege, held at the mercy of something unspeakable. You know this, but you do not know why.”
Dante held up both hands, exasperated. “Which is what?”
“Long ago, before recorded time, there was once a place in which things that seemed impossible today, were practiced daily. This place, was either wiped out or simply lost like Pompeii or Atlantis. It was a place of wonderment and beauty, and horrors to chill the soul.”
“How come I’ve never heard of it?”
“Only a select few possess the knowledge of its existence. It is said there are several books with tales of it, but I don’t know it it’s true. Those I grew up around are some of the select. I heard whispers of this place as a child and thought them no more than campfire stories. But as one grows up, they realise the truth. It’s real. It existed, where we sit and walk now.”
“What, you mean early Sydney?”
“Early Australia. Before the settlers, before the Dutch, before even the Aboriginals. Perhaps hundreds of thousands of years ago. Maybe more. I tell you it’s the truth,” she said, at the look Dante gave her. “Should you need proof, look no further than the sky above you. The darkness is from a tale told directly to me by a childhood friend. In this land, there existed a coven of witches, the Visari. They were formed to battle and conquer the world of men. They wished to prove that women needed men for nothing, not pleasure, not protection. Not even to create life. Their ultimate aim was to find a way to create life using magic. If successful, they would wipe out the male species. Once, they summoned something from the blackest pit of the underworld, and this caused a great darkness in the sky.”
“What was it?”
“What they hated most, a male that despised women. A presence they could fight, to train, to harness their anger. They have another name for them today. A demon. But this one, this demon was given a name all by himself. Dominus.”
“So, you think this thing that’s killing people now this Dominus?”
“Without a doubt. The story I heard, was they would defeat it, and summon it again. Every time it would come back stronger. Every time the sky would get darker. Eventually it grew more deadly. The scenarios today are almost identical. Cloudy sky, murder due to sexual violence against women only. They had created what they feared most, and unwittingly unleashed it upon themselves.”
“You…really believe this?”
She looked at Dante with purpose. “You, a vampire, find it hard to comprehend that there are things which exist yet cannot be explained, cannot be understood, only faced?”
“I believe in many things”
“Then why is it so hard to believe this? The characters might have changed, but the elements are the same. Good against evil. Strike and counter. Actions and consequences. Magic still exists. A mother that is told she can never birth children, yet has them. You feel it when your true love kisses you for the first time. You yourself feel it now, the overwhelming desire to help your friend. But like everything, where there is good, evil provides the balance. That’s what we face now.”
“So what must be done? What does it want?”
“What all of us want. To exist. To thrive. A demon like this feeds off negative energy. Think of it like a diver. The ocean is our plane of existence; the diver is the demon. Without equipment, a diver can hold his breath briefly before he has to surface. Negative energy is the demon’s apparatus. Fear, hate, despair. It’s swelling in the city, hence the sky getting darker, filling the demon’s tank with oxygen. It targets women because that’s what it was summoned to do. Its ultimate desire is to have no need for the apparatus. It wants to be here permanently.”
“How? By fucking as many unconscious women as it can?”
“By corruption. Evil can only truly triumph when it defeats and consumes something wholly good. Rape is one of the most crippling, degrading and humiliating things one can go through. the act itself rips power from the victim, and feeds the attacker. This demon is no different. It’s not attacking the vagina. It’s attacking the heart, the soul of the woman. It went from woman to woman because it hadn’t found who it was looking for, feeding off their pain and misery. The only way to fight it, is love and faith in positive energy.”
“What does any of this have to do with Alex?”
“How well do you know her?”
“As well as anyone. I’ve been watching her since she was a child.”
“Do you know what she is?”
“She’s human. As far as I know. Are you going to tell me that is incorrect?”
“For one so old, your ignorance seems palpable. What about the things you’ve seen tells you she’s human?”
“She looks and she smells human. Everything since, in the last day or so has been from this demon’s influence.”
“And that is where we must investigate. What has happened in the last day or so that wasn’t done before? Have you noticed anything? A wound, an irritation?”
“Wait. Yes. Her hand. Her right hand. She told me she had been cut when attempting to shake someone’s hand at her school.”
“Who?” The Night Mother snapped.
“A parent. Mrs. Batty. Alexandra told me her daughter had been absent for days on end. The engagement ring is what cut her. The wound was covered in eucalyptus and couldn’t be repaired by me at that stage. Is that what you mean?”
The Night Mother appeared to look down as if a dreaded realization came to her. “There is a theory that demons can be transferred from one host body to another. It needs to be from a blood relative of the victim, to a non-blood relative, using an object of great personal or symbolic significance, drawing blood.”
“She was infected with this thing? Deliberately?”
“It seems that way,” the Night Mother seemed almost as troubled as Dante was, though that was unlikely. “When was this done?”
“I noticed it a few nights ago. And it was done a few nights before that, if I’m correct”
“That cannot be. The demon appears to have only taken over her body and powers in the last day or so. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Have you slept with her?”
“What difference does that make?”
“Would I ask if it didn’t? Answer the question”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Last night”
The Night Mother was silent, and Dante felt he had just admitted something truly horrible to her. Yet her next words surprised him. “She must truly love you a great deal”
“Why do you say that?”
“She accepted, even invited death by sharing her body with you. That would bypass her natural defence.”
“What natural defence? What is she?”
“In those same stories, was a group of women empowered with extraordinary gifts unlike any other. They were lost throughout the ages, thought to be mere myth. Much like the vampire. It is my belief that your lover, is one of them. Perhaps the last. She must be protected. She will inspire millions. They will look into the sky and hope for a new and better tomorrow. That is why the demon hunts her.”
“Why. Why now?”
“Any number of reasons. The most likely is that it somehow found a way to escape. But I must ask if there was something that has occurred in the last few weeks or months that you have noticed her act strangely? Perhaps an event where she could’ve used her powers even unintentionally? The magic which generates her abilities is the same that created Dominus. Light and dark. My theory is that she has somehow unintentionally used her power and that is what has unleashed him, recognising his enemy.”
“I have no idea. We hadn’t spoken for weeks after the explosion.”
“Ah yes. The vampire mansion, where many priceless artefacts were kept hidden by Vincent. In his underground vault. Said to house things like a sword, with a white blade. A spell book as well.”
“What of it?”
“The sword was used by a champion in those times. Cursed to be wielded by only the worthy. It could be used to fight Dominus. The spell book was the same used by the Visari. It too could possibly be used. Yet both were gone when I sent Koha to retrieve them after the explosion.”
“They could’ve been destroyed.”
“Impossible. Both would be immune to fire and any other weapon. I tell you this to show you that there are other forces at work here. Your lover survived the fire, and Dominus was unleashed shortly after. Two avenues that could’ve aided in his defeat have disappeared all from the same event.”
“So the fire unleashed this thing?”
“It look that way.”
“So there is no hope then?”
“Even when everything is lost, there is always hope, vampire. But you must be prepared for the repercussions”
“Tell me.”
“Dominus has taken over, there is no weapon that can touch her. The longer he invades her, the stronger he gets. He feeds off her strength. All the victims will rise as ghouls and will continue his mission. Destroying women, the life bringers. One bite or scratch and the victim becomes a ghoul within minutes. Two becomes four. Four becomes eight.”
Dante held up a hand. “I get it. What I don’t get is why you’re telling me”
“You are the reason your lover is in trouble. Do not take umbrage, it’s the truth. You did not put the demon on her, but the blood flowing into her from intercourse allowed it to break through. She is an agent of light, you are darkness. I have heard you have attempted to generate good will among your fellows, and in that respect, you are much better as king than your predecessor. But a zebra cannot change its stripes. No matter how hard you try you will never be pure and good again. Your soul will never be cleansed of its sins. You may love her, but you will never be worthy of her.”
Dante had given a sneer just as she said for him to not take umbrage. He stood and listened to her words. Drowning in them. He ran through the events of the past few nights in his mind, especially their night together. Was it too good to be true? And then it hit him. Dante had cum inside Alex. She had ‘accepted’ death. It really was his fault. Dougie’s words hit him. He must’ve known something, but Dante had ignored him.
Alex’s body in mid-air, jerking so violently. Screaming. Alex was being assaulted, raped. And Dante could do nothing to stop it.
It was Dante’s fault. HIS fault. His selfishness. His desire for Alex after so long. All reason, all logic had left him and his one thought, to tell her how much he loved her, rose above all and lead to this.
“Tell me your plan” he said gravely.
“We have one, perhaps two n
ights in which to attempt this. After that there is no hope. Once Dominus siphons all her powers, her body and soul will be lost. Tell me vampire, if you were it and women were your target. Regardless of age or health, and you commanded a virtual un-dead army which carried out those exact orders, where would you send them?”
Dante felt affronted, but only for a moment. It was shear guilt that he could so easily delve into the darker part of his mind, the killer inside him, which calculated very easily where he would go with the same mission. One place where women of all ages gathered. One place in which if it was broken into by even a handful of the rising victims they would have double the amount of ghouls in less than an hour.
“The Royal Hospital for Women, in Randwick”
“My thoughts exactly. If you cross reference the growing sightings, they all allude to movement towards Randwick. Gather your forces. I cannot send all of my hunters, as I will prepare a second defence with them. But I will give you my best, Koha. They will defend the hospital. They will be hopelessly outnumbered but there is no help for it. You must focus on your objective. Dominus and the woman you love”
“How can I save her?” his voice was meek, guilt and horror flowing through him. Dante had been through wars with worse odds than this. But nothing as personal, nothing that meant as much to him. They had to win. They had to get Alex back. He needed to get Alex back.
“There is but one way. With this” the Night Mother said, holding out a medallion and tossing it to him. “Be warned. There is a price vampire. A steep one. Most do not have the courage to face it, no matter how much love in their heart they have. What say you?”
Dante looked at the medallion, the red v symbol. How something that looked so insignificant could be so powerful, Dante didn’t know. Dante had no choice but to believe. He had to save her.
“Name your price Bruha, and I’ll pay it”
Chapter 44
Panic
Nicole pressed her fingers against her abdomen, attempting to ease the searing cramp with some pressure. For the last hour she had alternated between feeling hot and then chilled. She was trying to maintain her composure but something truly didn’t feel right.
Shadow Chaser (Undeadly Secrets Book 3) Page 25