“So Malphas wants me to complete the ritual as this maiden, but why him?” I ask and this made Lucius’ face turn to granite.
“Because, whoever completes the ritual and brings all the elements of the Triad together on the Winter Solstice becomes host to the Horned God, binding together the two powers and trust me when I say…that would be a bad thing indeed.” Lucius said this last part in an eerie seriousness that brought on my next question.
“And if that happens, can the Gods not just intervene again?”
“Not when the two powers will be combined. Malphas is a President in Hell and has forty legions of demons under his command, which he can call upon at any time. They can be cast back into Hell easy enough but if Malphas were ever to become a God then those Demons would remain on the Earth’s plane and no one has an army big enough to destroy that amount of power, not I and not even the King.” The picture he painted was one of war and in my case, humans being the collateral damage.
“Could nothing destroy a God?” I asked, making him turn suddenly to me and raise an eyebrow.
“The only thing that can destroy a God Keira, is another God!”
For the rest of the drive his words stayed with me like an itch I couldn’t reach to scratch but still had to endure. The thought that I could be that last piece to an ancient puzzle, one that could bring a God here on Earth, had me close to melt down. It was one thing to be called a Chosen One and hear about a power you didn’t yet feel but to know the end result of you being alive could bring about a supernatural war, was beyond words of the unbelievable.
Even the sound of the aggressive engine that reminded me more of a formula one car racing round a track, didn’t bring me out of my shock. As Lucius promised, he put his foot down when on the German motorway and the reason he loved the Autobahn was frighteningly clear… there was no speed limit.
I couldn’t even guess what our top speed was but at one point I was not only thrown back in my seat but the world outside could have been lost in space for all I knew, as I got a taste of what being in a rocket was like. I tried not to think about it and considering all Lucius had told me about The Triple Goddess was enough to prevent me from screaming in fear. Of course, after about ten minutes it became easy to see that Lucius’ control over his prized possession was one of pure skill. He was right, the car was just an extension of his body and every muscle flexed was a movement the car would follow.
It didn’t take us long at all before I found myself looking up at the club I had been brought to when I was first kidnapped. Lucius drove past it and down a street that dropped down under ground. He turned the car sharply to the right and the road twisted down into an underground garage that was situated directly under the club. I saw a few different cars were already parked and everyone was the same black four wheel drive that all looked armoured.
“Well, you survived!” Lucius said as he cut the engine. He was right, I had but not without that drive taking it out on me mentally and I wasn’t referring to his speeding.
It was only when we got out of the car that I had made up my mind. The consequences of what could happen if Malphas ever got his hands on me could be catastrophic. I grabbed Lucius’ arm to hold him back from walking away.
“You have to hide me, Lucius!” I said and his eyebrows pulled together in worry.
“Keira…”
“NO! You have to, I don’t care what happens to me but you can’t let him get near to me. I won’t let him use me to bring so much destruction to the world…I just can’t…I…” At this point Lucius pulled me into him and it was only then did I realise I had tears streaming down my face.
“Keira, listen to me, he cannot take you from here. You are safe. Your guards are strong and not even I can breach the walls in your mind. You have nothing to fear.” He pulled me back and wiped the few tears away that had not soaked into his t-shirt. He lowered his head until he could see into my eyes.
“Alright?” He said and it was only when I nodded did his worried expression fade. He took my hand and led me silently over to a double door that turned out to be an elevator. I got in without argument when I felt his large hand span the base of my back and give me a little push. He didn’t remove his hand and I felt an odd comfort in his touch. He pressed a panel hidden in the wall and when it popped open, he entered a code onto the small touch screen. The elevator shot upwards at quite a speed and Lucius shifted to hold on to my waist from behind. His grip only eased when we reached the top.
The doors opened to a large round entrance area that had three doors, one in front of us and one either side. In the middle was a large round table with a statue of a marble woman upon it. Her body was being consumed by a coiled black snake that looked as though it was made from burnt wood and the head of the snake was level with her frightened eyes. Its mouth was open as if getting ready to strike.
“Come!” Lucius said snapping me out of my daze. He walked me to the doors in front of us and told me this was his private apartment. As soon as the doors slammed shut behind me, he left my side and walked straight into the large open plan living space. It had a beautiful masculine elegance, with its dark slate floors and light grey couch facing a glass fireplace. The place was dotted with white furniture. Tables and chairs all with metal legs that matched that of the modern décor. Whitewashed walls held large black and white pictures of lakes, forests and snowy mountains I knew well, considering I had just spent over a week there.
Lucius had walked over to a bar area and poured himself a glass of what looked like Vodka. It was a clear liquid but the bottle was frosted with ice. He shook the glass at me and asked,
“Want one?” I shook my head as a no but said a quiet ‘thanks’, at which he shrugged his shoulders and downed the lot. He refilled before putting the bottle back. He came over to stand near me and looked at the pictures I was staring at.
“Why did you stay in Germany?” The question just blurted out before I really thought about the personal nature of it.
“I was told to.” He replied simply and I no longer found interest in the photographs of his home.
“By Draven?” At this he cocked his head to one side and a smile crept up on one corner.
“No, not by Draven. The Oracle told me about the place at the lake and that it would become my home. Of course even handier was that no-one would be welcome within the mountain without the owner’s acceptance. Needless to say that Dom was never on the list.” He added smirking.
“And how does that happen exactly?”
“What, more questions? Why Keira, I am surprised.” He said, this time dropping smugness for the sarcastic route.
“Oh yeah, I forgot that I was born brimming over with all this supernatural knowledge…how silly of me!” I said fighting sarcasm with sarcasm. The smile I received nearly knocked the breath out of me. Lucius really was a man born to smile and I didn’t know whether it made it more potent because it was a rarity to me in the beginning or just the fact that he was far too handsome for his own good.
“Touché little kitten, touché. The only way to describe it is like a gulf stream in Hell. Its core runs parallel with a river in the underworld and therefore no Angelic force can enter it without permission from one of Hell’s own. That last one being me of course.” He said nudging me in a playful manner.
“Sounds like a good place to keep kidnapped girls held against their will.” I commented dryly, making him laugh again.
“As it turned out, yes it was.” I huffed in response but when I looked up he wasn’t taking any notice of me. He was looking back at the door we used but when I turned to look I didn’t see anything. I heard his glass being placed on the table and now I was concerned.
“What’s wro…?” I half said and turned round but his intense red gaze stopped me mid-sentence. His eyes were bloody and glowing and to my horror his fangs had lengthened past his lower lip. I tried to step away but he grabbed me by the top of my arms, proving that his strength was too much for my struggles.
“Lucius…what…?”
“Ssshh little dove, don’t fret…it will only make it harder for you.” Ok, now I wanted to panic big time. His look was completely predatory and utterly unrestrained. He pulled me closer to his chest and I used all my weight to pull back, even though the little good it did me.
“I am sorry Keira, but you are right. I can’t leave it to chance that Malphas could take you, so this leaves me no choice.” He said coming closer to my neck. I wanted to panic like the little dove he called me and flap like crazy just to get away.
“I can hear your pulse going wild Keira… calm for me!” Was he insane! How on earth could I calm in the face of those fangs about to sink deep into my skin. Would he really kill me? I thought about what was needed to be done in any hopes of preventing a war no human would ever survive and I find my neck stretching out on its own to one side. My pulse didn’t calm but my neck was now at an angle that was more accessible to his impending bite. I knew what needed to be done but my breath still hitched when I felt his teeth graze across my skin. He didn’t break the skin and I found myself wishing he would just get it over with. I gave my last thought to the man I love, despite all the looming odds against us and wished as I always did in the face of death, that I could see him just one last time.
Draven.
But the bite didn’t come and I looked down to find my fists embedded in his T-shirt, twisting the material as I waited for the only destiny that would bring peace. But still it didn’t come.
“I…I am waiting for your bite, Lucius” I said, surprising myself with my bravery.
“Are you now?” He said along my neck and even though I knew it was coming and more than likely was to be my end, I still felt his touch slide along every nerve in my body. His arm came around my back and pulled me roughly to his chest cutting away any space between us.
“I hope you understand why this has to be done Keira, I really do. You ready?” He asked and I nodded a little but then Lucius grabbed my hair and tugged my neck taut to the side.
“I wasn’t talking to you Keira.” He said and I gasped at his meaning. That’s when I felt the other person in the room or more importantly, another person at my back. The person must have nodded, ‘cause Lucius tightened his hold all over my body and whispered a little sorry against my neck before then moving his head back to make room.
“Wait I…!” I started to say when a flash of green came into my peripheral vision.
“Don’t worry, Toots, this will only hurt like a son of a bitch for a little while.” And then I felt fangs rip their way into skin and tissue as I stared into the glowing red eyes of someone who clearly wished it was their bloody lips at my neck. I started to slip down into a dark place of pain as my last thoughts drifted me closer to my oblivion.
Pip was right…
It did hurt like a son of a bitch!
Chapter 42
Last Straw
I was far too comfortable to be dead. I opened my eyes at the sound of a door closing and found I was lying in a massive black sleigh bed under rich crimson coloured sheets. The reason I could see myself so well was thanks to the mirrored ceiling. Only this wasn’t some cheesy porn style, that was covered in a tile effect, no, this was more like someone had brought every fancy gilded mirror in the shop and then fixed them to every inch of the ceiling space.
Every shape and size had my reflection staring back at me in shock. All of them had a black lacquered frame and some even overlapped each other but no two were alike in design. I lay frozen, locked like a rabbit in view of myself and with immense size of the bed I was in, it made me appear tiny and childlike. I shifted and sat up gingerly, still feeling a raw pain in my neck. That’s when it all flooded back to me…
Pip had bitten me… but why?
I didn’t have the faintest of ideas why but I knew only one way to do so, I needed to find the Imp herself. I was at least glad to see I was still dressed and with a bit of wobbling around, I found my balance and got out of the bed. Now I was stood up I could see the room clearly and if I thought that Lucius’ sparse and modern living space would have followed through into his personal room, then how mistaken I would have been.
This place was a Gothic fantasy room and looked like something from the Adams Family! The walls were papered black with black velvet written scroll that looked like it could have been Latin. The bed I had been in, consisted of the head and foot sides coming up so high they reached past my shoulders and the carved wood had been painted black. Each side curled around the top edge and had a twisted metal bar going across that had chains in the corners hanging in swags. It was quite strange and I didn’t understand why the designer would decorate a beautiful natural bed with chains....?
That was, of course, until I walked further round and saw black leather manacles attached to the middle of the chains. I could feel the colour rush to my face at the thought of what Lucius did with them and the idea of seeing my wrists firmly locked inside them, had me biting my lip. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Lucius was into the rougher side of sex but being in this room and seeing the King’s sex dungeon style bedroom was enough to make any woman blush.
I turned from the bed and pushed all thoughts away of the man that had put me there. I pulled my top round from where it had twisted in my sleep and pulled up my jeans that were now a size too big for me. I let my hair down after finding it lopsided and loose and gathered it all back up again. Although when I walked further in the room, I found I needn’t have bothered as I found a note on a small side table next to a lavish Chesterfield couch in cherry red with black buttons. The order was simple…
‘Be Ready At 8pm’
I frowned down at the thick cream parchment with the command written in black ink that barely looked dry. I didn’t know what Lucius was planning but both he and a certain green hair beauty were going to get an earful for scaring me last night. I looked to the line of arched windows along one wall and through the leaded diamonds I could see the rain battering against the glass in the dark. I wondered what time it was and how much time I had to get ready when a clock chimed seven times. So I only had an hour, well that was fine considering I only needed a quick shower. That was until I turned round and found another table with a tray upon it.
I walked over and found myself a little feast with a bowl of some beefy stew and freshly baked bread. There was a glass of wine along with a small jug of water. Oh wow, there was even dessert in the form of some little white mousse in a tall thin glass. I would like to have said I savoured every last bit but to tell the truth, most of it went down that quickly it didn’t touch the sides.
Before I got in the shower, I found a white box tied with a violet blue ribbon sat waiting for me. The box was about a metre long and a foot wide. I found it after I wolfed down my food and did a nosy poke around the room. It was left on a beautiful ornate chair that was black framed and reminiscent of the elegance and sophistication of the regency period. However I doubted the pattern was from that era, not with its printed grey, shaded skull upon cream leather upholstery.
I laid the box on the bed and opened it to find it near bursting with layers of lush material. I lifted the dress from the box and held it up at arm’s length. It was a stunning deep navy taffeta that shimmered in the light and had thick straps which plunged down into a deep V-neck. One side was wrapped around and secured there at my left side with a black stone brooch the size of my palm. It was like a spiral star with five curled branches and small spikes in the middle, all of which had numerous diamond shaped leaves attached.
The dress itself only went to above the knee but from the tight bodice it then flared out into a layered skirt. The wrap around design at the front extended to the skirt in a split and underneath were layers upon layers of glittering silver lace. It looked so delicate that it could have been spun from a spider but despite its delicacy, its bulk provided body to the skirt and unusually I found myself itching to try it on. Only of course I was running out of tim
e.
I had raced into the lavish bathroom that followed on with the black and red theme, which included a monstrous black clawed tub that, like the bed, went up higher at the back. The shower was a black tiled square that was up on a raised platform with steps. The door was bubbled glass with a red bleed from each bubble giving the effects of a bullet riddle body. I even shuddered when getting in but once the multiple jets hit my body with warmth I couldn’t have cared less as to my Gothic surroundings.
I had found everything I needed in another tied box, on a black granite worktop that also dipped into a large sink. I had the world’s quickest and most dangerous shave, which inevitably had decorated my legs in little red cuts that looked far worse in the streaming water than the little nicks they were. I just hoped they would stop bleeding before I walked out of here as the last thing I wanted was to walk in to a room full of hungry Vamps, waving a bloody flag!
I had just gotten out of the shower when I heard whistling coming from Lucius’ room. Wait…was that ‘Over the rainbow’ by Eva Cassidy? I walked in there with only a towel round my body and a matching one twisted on my head, when I saw the green eyed monster with a demonic grin!
“If you have come here for the second course then you can just whistle your way out the door!” I said folding my arms over my chest.
“Aww Toots, don’t be like that. And besides I would have classed you more as a dessert than a main.” She said with a wink and a shit eating grin that screamed trouble.
“Cut the crap Pip, why are you here?” I said more firmly because if she thought I was just going to forgive her for all but taking a chunk out of me, then she had another thing coming!
The Triple Goddess Page 54