Ishtar Anomaly (books of Sinnis)

by Gibson, Natalie

  She looked across the van at Nanae. She was glad they had a large van because Nanae had taken his natural form. He wouldn't have fit inside anything smaller. He was flanked by her father's murderer and Izzy's. Camilla rubbed her belly where the baby had started to move. She had lost a lot in the last half hour. She silently promised herself that she was done loosing. Their baby would survive this. Nanae had a plan. She could see it. If only they could push their thoughts into each others minds like Nathalia and Kafziel, she would know what the plan was and be ready when he sprang into action. He didn't look like he was springing into anything. He looked...relaxed. Nanae smiled at her. She locked eyes with him, trying to tell him that she was ready, but he didn't understand.

  Izzy's killer sat beside Nanae, but stared at her. She beamed hate rays at him. She despised everything about him. His pockmarked face, his stubby fingers with nails bit to the quick, the way he constantly moved his mustache as if it tickled his lip, it all made her angry. He winked at her and she gritted her teeth. He looked around. Everyone was looking at him. He put his finger to his ear. Camilla could hear the Texan yelling on the phone.

  “Brady! Wake up. I told you not to get distracted. It's time. Give him the tranq.”

  'Brady' searched his belt for a minute before finding the dart gun. He pushed it into Nanae's ribs and squeezed the trigger.

  “No!”, Camilla yelled.

  “Don't worry”, Nanae said to her before his head dropped to his chest.

  Camilla wrapped her arms around her bomb bound belly, waiting for the pain to start. With Nanae unconscious, her baby would be pushed from her body. She willed her ability to find an ailment inside one of the other occupants of the vehicle. None to be found, she closed her eyes. Nothing happened. Brady continued to smile at her, his mouth twitching irritatingly. He gestured to the phone, still clutched in her hand, pressed against her stomach. She put the phone back to her ear.

  “This'll go faster this way. When the van stops do exactly what my men tell you and they won't hurt ya'll. I promise.”

  The man who had shot Camilla's dad chewed his lip, and making some internal decision, took out his bowie knife. He made a quick slice across Nanae's arm. The thick blood swelled to fill the gash and the murderer dropped his head and latched on to the red streak. It was the man beside Camilla's turn to yell, “No!” He shook his head, “Idiot.”

  The blood drinker straightened, smiling at the man who had called him a name. “I'm no idiot. You were never going to share the blood with us. You'll take it all back to Texas. Now, I have some that you can't take. Man, I feel good. I can feel it inside me, bonding to my muscles, making me strong.” He was breathing heavy and fast.

  Camilla's guard moved his gun to point at her dad's killer. He shot twice quickly but the intended victim moved too fast. He was standing and had the gun away from the shooter in a breath's length. Camilla watched as his face exploded outward toward her. Two bullets dented the van wall. The man crumpled and she could see Brady re-holstering his gun. Smiling. Always smiling. Always the happy murderer.

  “Thanks”, was all her guard said.

  Brady inclined his head in a silent 'you're welcome'.

  The bloodied man on the van floor twitched. Camilla tried not to look at his destroyed face. She threw up anyway. She hadn't eaten anything so there wasn't anything but stomach acid to bring up. It hurt her throat, but the pain passed quickly, her body healing itself.

  The car stopped. Shit, she thought, you're never supposed to let them get you to a second location. That was always where the most horrible things happened. Rape, torture, murder, the violence always escalated at the destination. Seeing as how they had killed two people at the first location, she shuddered to think what they had in store for her and Nanae here. The double doors on the back of the van opened and light spilled in, momentarily blinding Camilla.

  The dead man's feet bumped hers as he was slid out by whoever had opened the door. Her guard warned them. “He's not dead yet. Cut off his head and incinerate 'em. It's the only way to keep him from rising and joining our prisoners' side. You're next darlin'.” His comment was accentuated with a hard grip on her arm and a slight shove.

  Camilla stood and made her way to the back, managing to avoid slipping in the blood. the tip of Nanae's wing caressed her side when she passed by. She tried not to react. No one else could see the movement and it told her Nanae was not unconscious. No wonder her baby still held tight.

  The driver and front passenger stood at the doors and helped her down. They backed away quickly when her feet were on the ground. Clearly they didn't want to be near her. They knew she wasn't clear of danger and their actions told her the Texan could and would still use the bomb if something went wrong.

  Her eyes adjusted to the increased light of being outside. Camilla looked around. They had taken her to what looked like a innocuous farm. She watched two men drag the twitching, probably quickly healing, body towards what looked like a cylo. Her guard must have come out right after her because he stood with his gun on her but his eyes on the van. A front end loader approached the open doors, a giant space pod on it's lift. The pod lid was open. Camilla could see that it was metal on the outside, with lots of controls, buttons, tubes that made it look like Sputnik or something. Inside didn't look comfortable. It was coated with plastic at least a foot thick and had dagger-sized needles fed through it.

  Somehow they managed to roll Nanae out of the van and into the modern iron maiden. It closed with a hiss, telling Camilla that it was sealed air tight. The group moved towards the red barn and as they approached those wide doors with the white 'Z' boards slid apart. A giant wall of hay bales blocked their way, but once the barn doors closed, the bales swung in, revealing the secret inner chamber.

  The farm machinery placed Nanae's space aged coffin into a niche in the wall and backed out. Brady stayed close to it, resting his hand on the outside. Camilla's guard urged her forward. Once she crossed some unseen boundary the floor moved. Dropped was a more accurate word. She was on an elevator with no sides or front. The wall where Nanae's body nestled was the only thing to move with the floor. Camilla reached out and Brady steadied her. She snatched her arm away as soon as the lift came to a stop.

  Her guard moved her out of the way as unseen gears started the conveyor belt that took Nanae from his current location across the room. It groaned under the weight. Perhaps they were unprepared for the tremendous weight of the natural Nephilim form. Someone took the phone from Camilla's hand. She'd forgotten she was still holding it. She wondered if the Texan had been talking this whole time. Her guard took his earpiece out. Communications must not work under ground.

  Her guard gave her a seat close to Nanae's resting place. She jumped when the the container started making noises. Brady had disappeared and Camilla wondered if she would get a chance to fulfill her promise to kill him for what he'd done to Israel. Her guard, the only man left with them, spoke. “I remember you. Weren't nearly that pregnant then.”

  Camilla didn't respond, her attention locked onto the tubes of Nanae's prison. They were red now. These men were stealing his blood again. Nanae's life poured into a couple of compartments on the outside of his box. Her guard went to retrieve them and replace them.

  “He'll never let you keep that. He'll destroy it.” Camilla barely whispered.

  “See, that's where you come in, darlin'. You're our insurance policy on a few levels.” He strapped the largest container to his chest and brought the smaller one to her. He shoved it into her hands. “Drink.”

  “No.” Nanae's voice came from the container but was a clear and loud as if he was not behind a food of plastic and another of metal.

  “Glad to see you're awake, Healer. You need to see this.” He opened a sliding door over Nanae's face, allowing him to see into the coffin. “This thing is designed to trigger the detonator if the air pressure inside changes. Don't try to break free or transport yourself away. She'll die if you do.” While his attention
was on Nanae, Camilla tipped the beaker and the blood spilled onto the metal seamless floor.

  It stung when her guard backhanded her, but she knew he had held back. He could knock her out if he wanted. Good thing he didn't want to. He went to the coffin again and got another container. This time he didn't give it to her but held it to her mouth. She clenched her mouth shut. She knew Lilitu couldn't give birth. She knew Nanae loved her, even if his beast kept him from telling her, and she would become Lilitu if she drank his blood.

  “This isn't necessary.” Nanae's voice soothed her. It told her she would be alright. He was calm so she was calm.

  “Oh, but it is. I'm takin' this blood and I can't let you destroy it like the last batch. Your Lilitu was with us and when you destroyed your blood you also destroyed her. Did you know that would happen? We didn't. But we learn from our mistakes. That's why she has to drink before I leave. You won't be able to destroy the blood if it courses through her veins. Not without killing her. Oh, we know that eventually you'll stop loving her but by then this blood,” he gestured to the container on his chest, “will be indestructible. Once we change the blood, it's no longer yours to manipulate. That's why the tranquilizer still works. It's made from your Lilitu's blood but we've changed it into a more stable substance, not susceptible to your command.”

  When Camilla didn't open her mouth, the man fisted her hair and tugged her head back. It was harder at this angle but she managed to keep her lips sealed. Her attacker sighed and released her hair. She knew he wasn't giving up but was still stunned at the pain of his blow. He had backhanded her again. This time he hadn't held back. The blackness encroached on her sight, giving her tunnel vision and the stars obscured what little remained. She fought to stay awake.

  Thunder cracked and rolled. Lightning struck Camilla in the shoulder. The pain was intense and it cleared her vision. She looked to find a bullet hole gushing blood at the center of her pain and the man put away his smoking gun.

  “Now you can drink or die. Decide fast. I aimed for your subclavian artery and by the look of all that blood, I must have hit it. You'll bleed out pretty quick with a wound like that.”

  Camilla's eyes narrowed and she glared at her shooter. She felt her ability working to close the gap in her shoulder, but it wouldn't be fast enough. She was almost drained of power and there was no ambient energy to gather in this place. She trusted Nanae to save her. She looked at him and closed her eyes.

  ***

  Nanae watched as his Sinnis bled to death. “She's dying. Pour my blood on the wound.”

  “You and I both know that won't work. She has to consume it.” The man quickly poured the blood down her throat. She choked as his first attempt just filled her lungs and then her body took over, swallowing great gulps to keep itself from drowning.

  Nanae growled. It wasn't what he wanted but he knew it would save her. Like the cells Nephilim use to hold Akhkharu, this box he was in kept him from using his power. The good thing was, she was so drained from healing her brother that her ability was no threat to her baby.

  The child inside her was viable. He could be delivered and survive at this point but Nanae knew that this would be the last for Camilla if she consumed his blood. One was better than none and at least now she could live to raise that one.

  The elevator in the corner had gone unnoticed until now when it opened. The blood thief stepped on as Brady stepped off. The doors closed. The blood was gone. Brady ran to Camilla and scooped her up as if she weighed no more than a feather. “No, no, Sunshine, you can't die. Wake up. Shit Nanae, what do I do?”

  “Get her out of here. She'll live, Izzy, but they forced her to drink my blood. When she wakes, she'll be Lilitu. She'll need your help adjusting. Tear off the vest but leave it inside the building somewhere. Run. Fast.”

  Nanae continued to desire that Israel look like the man who had tried to kill him in the bathroom of their suite. He would need the disguise to get out of the barn. Izzy, who looked like Brady, ran to the elevator. Nanae watched as the doors closed and wondered if it would be the last time he would see his little family.

  ***

  Camilla woke to a wrenching pain in her abdomen. There was a tightness that hurt deep inside in a place she hadn't known could feel pain. Izzy's voice cooed at her, telling her to hold on, Nanae would be here soon and so would their baby.

  She opened her eyes to find she was being carried by Brady, the man that killed Izzy. The world around them was blurred. She slipped her arm under his. Her palm wrapped around the hilt of his bowie knife, strapped to his hip. Ignoring her own discomfort, she quickly unsheathed the blade and plunged it into Brady's back. “That's for Israel.”

  “Ahh...Damn that hurts.”

  The world around them stopped whizzing past. They were in someone's front yard. The grass was soft and well manicured. Brady laid her down gently, taking his time even though Camilla continued to twist the knife in his back. He grimaced as he stood. He stepped back from her, twisting and turning, trying to grasp the knife protruding from his back. Camilla hoped he couldn't reach it.

  “Did my arms just get shorter?! This whole changing to match people's desires shit is getting old.” A screen door slammed. “Go back inside. This doesn't concern you.” A man stood unmoving on his front porch, the gun in his hand aimed at them both.

  Camilla recognized the voice. “Izzy?”

  He dropped to his knees beside her, effectively blocking the gunman's view of her. “It's me, Sunshine.”

  “I thought you were dead.”

  “I know. Nanae focused on wanting me to look like the man they sent in to kill me. I was already changed when he opened the shower door. He was so stunned at seeing himself that he didn't even shoot.”

  “I heard shots.”

  Israel, who's face was slowly changing back to normal, looked ashamed. “I killed him, stripped him, tossed him in the shower and then took his place. I killed eight men today.”

  Camilla had only seen him kill two but didn't ask about the others. “You had to. They made you.” The tide of pain washed over her, the wave taking away any thought. She panted, willing the hurt away. She heard scuffling on the porch behind Izzy and then a shadow engulfed them both.

  Nanae, in all his natural glory, stood over them, his wings shielding them from prying eyes. He reached down and pulled the knife from Izzy's back. Izzy flinched but didn't cry out. Nanae slipped one arm around Israel's chest and lifted him off the ground. He licked Israel's wound and when that was closed, he bit into Izzy's neck. He offered his Lilitu his wrist and Israel quickly grew fangs and bit through the thin skin there. Camilla watched as they exchanged blood and felt jealous. She wanted that.

  “Shit!” was all she said before another contraction rocked her body. She knew Nanae's blood was heaven to taste. She remembered how delicious it was. That bastard had made her drink Nanae's blood after she passed out. He hit her, shot her, and killed any chance she could have children. She was losing her baby; the only one she'd ever have. She clutched her stomach. “No.”

  Nanae flipped Izzy over his shoulder and leaned over to pick Camilla up. The world was blurred again but now there was more wind. Nanae was flying. He carried Camilla in his arms like an infant and Izzy, hands wrapped around Nanae's neck, lay on the Nephilim's back. She tucked her head into Nanae's chest.

  He smelled so good. She rubbed her face over his pectoral. She kissed the skin over his heart and when the tiny masculine nipple at her chin hardened into a peak, she took it into her mouth. She could hear his heart beat. Her next contraction was totally overshadowed by her hunger. She'd never felt anything like this. The world was gone; she didn't even know who she was. The need was all there was.

  She scraped her teeth over every inch of tan skin she could reach. Nanae stiffened but said, “Feed, my beauty, for your baby.”

  “Our baby,” she muttered against his flesh. Camilla ran her hand up his chest to his neck. Israel grabbed her hand. A heaviness in her pussy caused
by touching both her men at the same time made her forget everything. She wanted sex. She wanted blood. She wanted life.

  Camilla bit Nanae's chest with her flat human teeth. His blood, warm and spicy sweet, poured into her mouth, starting a rolling ecstasy that radiated through her body and made her cunt throb. Her orgasm, created by slaking her blood lust only, rocked her and she tumbled into oblivion, wanting more.

  Chapter 13

  Nanae set them down in the courtyard of the Daughter's Austin compound. The sun had set while they flew and the children were all being tucked in by their parents. Izzy jumped off Nanae's back and ran around to help him lay Camilla on the thick soft grass. Camilla was still unconscious.

  “Is it normal for her to be out this long? How long did I take to change?” He smoothed Camilla's hair away from her sweating face.

  “She cannot change like this. Her body is stuck in perpetual labor. It's unable to progress further.” Nanae carefully felt for the baby's position.

  “She can't give birth because she's changing and she can't change because she's pregnant?!” Izzy stood and paced a few steps, running his hand through his hair. “Nanae, we can't loose them both. I can't live without them.”

  “Neither can I, my beauty. Give me your knife. I will have to cut the baby out.” Israel took the knife, still bloody from being in his own back, and gave it, handle side out, to Nanae. “Go get the First and her mate.” Israel hesitated as Nanae lowered the knife to Camilla's body. “I promise you, they will both live.”

  Izzy disappeared.

  Nanae was a healer and had helped to perfect most of the lifesaving procedures of humans over his many years. He was a surgeon, the worlds first, but now was not the time for delicate cuts. He needed speed. That was why he sent Israel away. He would not understand the violence. Camilla, in her current state, could live through anything except remaining pregnant.