After the failure of the ritual, I hadn’t seen or heard of Ben until I heard the name mentioned in conjunction with the state senator whom Carruthers was investigating. Tasmyn had been undercover in the senator’s campaign office, and Ben was his manager. At that point, he’d looked the same physically, but I’d realized he wasn’t. Not quite. Before too long, I’d known that the more modern Ben was possessed by the very demon the Hive had unleashed.
He’d vanished for a time after Tasmyn derailed his plans with the senator, but we’d suspected for a while that he was operational again.
“I asked Veronica to step in for Marcus,” Donald explained. “She’s agreed. And yes, everything’s ready on my end. Liesel’s worrying for nothing. Paige will be here. She promised, and she’s never broken her word to me.”
Hearing him speak about his sister, whom he was shortly to sacrifice, made me ill. I tried to school my face to blandness. “Is Paige taking part in the ritual?”
Ben answered me, but I didn’t miss the expression of pain and uncertainty on Donald’s face. “She is. She has a very important part to play.”
Donald shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Ben, I want to talk to you about that. I’m having second thoughts. As a matter of fact, I’m having second thoughts about the whole thing. I’m not sure I can do it. I was thinking last night . . . it’s crazy, isn’t it? The idea that this race of—of other beings, or whatever they call themselves—want to help us bring peace here is ludicrous.”
Ben’s face darkened. “Donald, this isn’t the time to lose your nerve. This was your idea, your dream for our world’s future. You are going to be our savior. In the years to come, people will remember your name as the man who had the courage to act when others didn’t. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” He cocked his head, his eyes drilling into Donald’s, and I didn’t miss the odd pulse of power emitting from him. My chest tightened; I could feel the battle going on close to me. Rafe was doing his best to work in Donald’s mind, and Ben was counter-acting that.
“I—I don’t know.” Donald rubbed his forehead. “It just doesn’t make sense anymore. How can I think about killing my baby sister? She trusts me. She followed me out here, and she just wants to make the world a better place. She’s so young.”
“Which is why she’s the perfect vessel. Donald, when people remember this day—and they will—Paige will be regarded as a saint. A martyr to the cause. Her name will be sung, and she will be elevated as the selfless young woman she is.” Ben paused. “If we don’t do this, think of the world she’ll be forced to live in. She’ll be subjected to misery and pain, and the war that we have the chance to stop will continue. It will rage out of control.”
“Wait a minute.” I spoke up, infusing my voice with what I hoped was a convincing mix of shock and horror. “What are you talking about?”
“Veronica, this is part of what we have to do. You wanted to be involved in this community, and now that we’re taking the next step, you have to be on board with all aspects of it. You’re going to be helping us to perform the ritual. Sometimes we have to make hard choices to realize tremendous benefits.” Ben kept smiling, but his voice was steely.
“The ends justify the means?” I murmured. “I understand the desire for peace. I want it, too. But how is committing violence going to help us achieve it? How does killing one person make the world a better place?”
“Sacrifices are necessary, my dear. Nothing is accomplished without the spilling of blood.”
“Blood, yes—but why does it have to mean . . . all of her blood, Ben?” Donald was pleading now, his face pale. “I could give some of mine, and then all of us—”
“No.” Ben shook his head. “The texts are very clear. It must be the sacrifice of one person to open the portal for the peacemakers. I know it’s hard, Donald, but we made this determination already. We know what we need to do.”
“Donald?” A beautiful woman with jet black hair and flashing dark eyes glided into the room. “What’s going on?” Her gaze flitted toward me. “Is there a problem?”
Even back in the original 1967, Liesel and I hadn’t gotten along. We were both vampires, and we’d recognized that in each other, but we’d never mentioned it after our initial encounter. When I’d joined the Hive, she had cornered me and demanded to know my reasons for being here, but I’d sworn that I’d only wanted the experience of communal living. I’d pointed out that I’d been alive for a long time, and many of those years, I’d existed alone. The idea of being part of a group of people who were so accepting was appealing.
Liesel had been skeptical, but she’d never outed me to the commune—probably because she had as much to lose as I did. She made a point of ignoring my existence. I’d noticed, though, that she never allowed me to be alone with Donald. She was possessive of him. I’d suspected then that she had the man under some sort of thrall. Her jealousy of his attention to anyone else was perhaps was why she’d joined us now.
“Liesel.” Donald folded her into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Where else would I be, my darling?” She kissed his cheek. “I’m always by your side, you know.”
“Donald’s getting cold feet.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest. “He wants to call off the ritual.”
“Darling, but no! Not when we’re so close to making every dream a reality. How can you even consider backing out when it’s close enough that we can touch the future?” She skimmed her hand over his body, and I saw his eyes glaze over.
“But . . . but Paige . . .” He frowned at her, his forehead wrinkling.
“She’s just now back. I saw her and spoke with her, and the dear girl is so excited about tomorrow. You’re not going to let her and the rest of us down, are you, Donald, my love?” Liesel pressed herself against him.
“No.” Donald shook his head. “No, I won’t. We must have . . . peace. This is the only road.”
“You’re so wise, my darling.” Liesel glanced over her shoulder at me. “I see we have company.”
“Veronica’s taking the spot Marcus has had to vacate in the ritual tomorrow.” Ben quirked one eyebrow. “Donald asked her to do it.”
Liesel addressed her lover as though I weren’t present. “Do you think that was wise, darling? Surely we have enough of us, even with Marcus missing. I thought you wanted Veronica watching over the people while we were otherwise occupied.”
Donald shrugged. “She should be with us. The numbers are important, and Paige . . . Paige likes Veronica. Having her with us will bring her comfort.”
Liesel’s mouth tightened. I had a hunch that this vampire had been the driving force behind the idea to use Donald’s sister as the vessel; she’d been jealous of the time and attention Donald gave to Paige. It sickened me that Liesel’s need to be his sole focus might cost Paige her life.
“Very well, then.” She slid her fingers down his chest and up under his shirt. “You look tired, darling. Let’s go lie down, you and me, and have a rest. I think I can come up with ways to help you relax.”
Donald brightened and allowed Liesel to lead him out of the room, through the doorway that led to the space they shared. I watched them go, feeling helpless and defeated.
“It’s not going to work, you know.” Ben spoke behind me. “In case you were under the delusion that I’m stupid, I’ve been aware for some time of your desire to stop the ritual, Veronica. Maybe you fancy yourself some kind of crusading do-gooder, but it’s not going to work. I’ve given too much of myself, invested too much time and energy, to let it go now. The portal will open. The dimensional barriers will be breached. By this time tomorrow, the world will be a very different place.”
I wasn’t going to bother to deny anything. “Then why did you agree to allow me to be part of it tomorrow? I’d think you’d want me far away.”
“On the contrary, my dear. I want you close at hand, so that I can keep my eye on you. And I want you to be there to see first-hand the wonders we are ab
out to unleash. Trust me, in the end you’ll thank me.”
“I doubt it,” I murmured under my breath.
“I’m not entirely certain what game you’re playing here, Veronica, but don’t worry. I’m not taking any chances. Your little friends who just so conveniently arrived here today? They’ve been taken into one of the outer huts, and they will be kept there until everything’s over tomorrow. And you will be here, with me, until the ritual is ready to begin tomorrow. I’m not taking any chances, my dear. Not with something as important as this.”
“You can’t keep me a prisoner.” Panic rose in my throat.
“Ah, but I can and I will. Donald and Liesel will be preoccupied until the morning. Paige is sleeping. The others will come here at first light, and as the dawn breaks, we’ll launch a beautiful new world.”
“I don’t think you’re a match for me.” This was mostly bravado. Nephilim were strong, and there was only the slimmest chance I could take him.
Ben laughed, tossing back his head. “I admire your courage, Veronica. But trust me, I’d have you down on the floor before you could blink. I’ve handled vampires before.” He pointed to a closed door. “Now you can go in there quietly and wait for morning, or you can raise a fuss and make me do something unpleasant. Wouldn’t you like to take the easy way, just this once?”
I bit the corner of my lip. Without any back-up, I wasn’t sure fighting Ben just now would do me good. I needed to re-group and try to figure out how I could stop everything in the morning.
“Fine.” I bit out the word and stalked to the door. “But Ben, you’d do well to realize that I have information that you don’t. There are things you don’t know and can’t understand. What you’re going to do tomorrow is doomed to failure. What you do to Paige will be a tragic waste of life, not a noble sacrifice. You’ve been blind to the truth.”
He smirked at me as he shut the door. I heard the lock turn, and then he spoke so low that I doubted I could’ve heard him without my vampire super-senses.
“To quote another great visionary . . . what is truth?”
I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
Then magnificently we will float into the mystic.
“Into the Mystic” Lyrics by Van Morrison
Tasmyn
2017
“Are you awake, Michael?”
It was early, those morning hours between the setting of the moon and rising of the sun, when the darkness felt particularly impenetrable. I lay in our bed, staring into nothing, my head resting on my husband’s chest.
“Yeah. I guess all the sleep I got while I was hurt is catching up with me. I can’t seem to drop off.”
“It’s almost time for me to get up. Nell, Daeglan and . . . Marica will be waiting for me downstairs.”
“I know.” He rubbed my arm. “Are you scared?”
I heard the jumble of his thoughts and knew his meaning. We’d been together for so long now that I seldom had to ask him for clarification anymore.
“Shitless,” I answered. “I don’t know if I can do this. And even if I can, what if it’s not enough? What if we fail?”
“Failure is not an option.” He brushed his lips over the top of my head. “The three most powerful witches in the world are working together to stop a looming evil. Honey, you can do this. I have complete faith in you. Now you need to feel the same. Trust yourself. Know that you have got this coming and going.”
I swallowed. “I keep thinking of everything that could go wrong. What if Marica is really working for the Hive and turns on us? What if Nell’s mother lures her over to the other side, and I have to fight against her? What if Veronica and Rafe and the others couldn’t stop the original ritual, and we have to deal with the power of the demon who crossed over back then?”
“Or what if everything goes smoothly and you win?” He held me tighter. “And then you and I go home, celebrate with so much abandon that we make a baby . . . and we get our happily ever after, too. Maybe focusing on that is the better idea.”
“You might be onto something there.” I skimmed a hand over his stomach. “I wish we could start celebrating now.” Although I was grateful beyond measure that Michael was healed and awake, I knew that he needed some rest. Doc had suggested a few days in bed before he regained his regular activity, and I had a hunch that from the doctor’s perspective, bed rest didn’t include what I had in mind.
Still, I could follow the direction of my husband’s thoughts all too well, and what he was fantasizing about just now made me groan.
“Not fair. No thinking about it when we can’t make it happen.” Despite myself, I let my fingers wander lower to his stiffening shaft. “God, Michael. You’re making it very hard for me to be a good wife.”
“I think in that sentence, the words hard and good are key.” He rolled to his side with only a slight wince. “Though I think it’s you making it hard, if you get my drift.”
I stroked him, reveling in the feel of him growing longer and harder in my palm. “I should probably stop.”
“Yeah, true. In about two weeks, maybe.” He sounded a little out of breath. “I love when you touch me. You set me on fire.” He pushed the long T-shirt I was wearing out of the way and slipped his fingers between my legs. “But even more, I love to touch you. Roll onto your back.”
“Michael, we shouldn’t—” I began, but he laid a finger on my lips.
“Shhh. I’m fine. I’m not going to overdo. I can’t go with you today. I can’t protect you, and I can’t stand next to you and be strong, but this I can do. Just lay back and let me give you some of my strength the only way I can.”
I fell onto my back and wriggled my shirt up, stripping it over my head and tossing it aside. Michael lowered his head to capture the nipple of one breast in his mouth, making me hiss in a breath. Between my legs, his fingers made lazy circles.
“So good,” I gasped. “Harder. Make me come hard.”
“That’s my goal,” he murmured against my skin, moving his lips to my other boob. “You’re so silky smooth on my fingers. When you come back to me, I’m going to slide into you, fill you up and make you come on my cock. But for now . . .” He pressed his thumb hard against my clit and thrust two fingers into me. “For now, come against my hand, and feel your own power. Let it go, Tas. Let the power go. Let it flow.”
The climax hit me with so much force that I arched my body as though I were desperately seeking even more. As my vision tunneled and my breath caught, something else released. Energy sizzled through me, and I felt sparks on the tips of my fingers. I was strong, so absolutely filled with power and strength that we both levitated off the bed, surrounded by a vortex of swirling lights and colors.
When my heart slowed and I could see again, I focused on lowering us to the mattress, even as Michael kissed me. I knew that his touch was giving me what I was going to need for this battle. Filled and empowered, I could face whatever the Hive threw at me and emerge victorious and whole.
“Take this with you.” Michael whispered to me, his hand cupping my cheek. “Know that I love you with every nuance of my being. Remember? I was made for you, and you were made for me.”
“Now and for every always,” I agreed. “I’m going to save the world for us.”
Riding through the silent dark that morning, it occurred to me that our group sounded a little like the beginning of a bad joke: An Irishman, two Romanians and three witches were crammed into a compact car . . .
Marica, who was seated in the middle of the backseat between her cousin Nicoleta and me, was the only one who seemed excited about the task at hand. I guessed I could sort of understand that; she’d been barred from practicing magic for a long time, and being not only allowed but encouraged to do it now had to be incredibly freeing. She was fairly vibrating, and the smile on her face was only slightly maniacal. I edged a little closer to the car door, hoping I was subtle enough that she didn’t notice.
Nell wa
s in the front seat. When we’d met in the garage this morning, Daeglan had automatically taken the driver’s seat. Nell had fastened him with a narrow gaze and quirked eyebrow.
“Do you have a license to drive here? Remember, we stick to the correct side of the road in this country.”
He’d rolled his eyes. “I hardly think my license or lack thereof is going to be our largest issue today. I know where we’re going, as Cathryn and I went over the map last night. Now, backseat or front?”
She’d stared him down a minute more and then opened the passenger door. “I get carsick. I need to sit in the front.” She’d tossed me a semi-apologetic glance as I’d sighed and climbed into the backseat.
Neither Nell nor Daeglan had spoken since then. Aside from Marica’s incessant humming, the car was silent. We’d taken a highway exit fifteen minutes before, and now we were speeding along a country road in the utter darkness of the early morning.
“They were here.” Nell spoke up, startling me. She slid a sideways look at Daeglan. “Rafe, and Joss, Veronica, Sionnach, Seamus and Lucas. Some time between the day they left for 1967 and now, they drove along this road.”
Daeglan lifted one large shoulder. “Maybe, although it’s possible they came to the commune a different way. Could be the roads have changed since then.”
“No, there were here. I feel Rafe. I can . . .” She closed her eyes. “There’s a weird lingering shadow of his essence. This is how they came.”
“Let’s hope they were all safe once they got here. And successful, too.” He slowed the car and turned down a narrow dirt road. “This is an old campground. We’re going to leave the car here, and then hike the rest of the way in. We’re going to get as close as we can to what used to be the commune. But it’s important that we go in dark, so the minute we get out of the car, we need to be holding hands.”
I frowned at him. “I thought your invisibility only worked if every part of us was touching every part of you.” I’d wondered how he planned to make this work.
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