by Lizzy Ford
Two’s chest clenched, and he was afraid. He didn’t want kiri to die. She was his. She was all he had.
* * *
Alarms sounded a second before the doors exploded off their hinges.
“What did you do?” Czerno roared in an inhuman voice.
Sofia darted off the table, staring at him as he entered, trailed by Two and the man with green eyes. The man with green eyes leaned over to Two, whispering to him. Two bowed his head, and the green-eyed man was gone.
“How did you free him? How did you alert them?” Czerno demanded, snatching her arm so hard she cried out.
“I’ve been here!” she said, shoving at him and his black memories.
A backhand sent her world reeling. Fire lit up half her face, and she tasted blood in her mouth. She landed hard. He kicked her in the stomach, and she gasped.
“Two, bring her.”
Two obeyed, lifting her off the floor and carrying her. She gazed up at him as he followed Czerno, looking again for some sign of life in his still gold eyes.
“Darian,” she whispered. “Please, Darian, come back to me.”
He didn’t even look at her, and her hope plummeted again. They stopped in a small command center, where one wall displayed monitors.
“Now!” Czerno barked.
Jule’s face materialized on the screen. Czerno snatched her and dragged her close, the visions making her stagger.
“Where’s Damian?” Jule demanded.
“Get your men out of here!” Czerno ordered. “Quickly, before I kill her!”
Fire tore through her, and she cried out. It increased, the sensation of frying from the inside out.
“Stop,” Jule ordered. “Dusty, order a withdrawal.”
The fire burned hot enough to devour Czerno’s dark memories.
I’ll protect you, kiri.
The voice in her head came from Two. Czerno released her, and she fell, body seizing in agony.
“Czerno! We’re pulling out!”
“Cut it!” Czerno snarled. He kicked her as he passed. Jule’s face disappeared from the screen, and the pain eased. Unable to move, she panted, body convulsing with aftershocks from the attack.
“They don’t have him! He’s here, somewhere! Find him!” Czerno ordered.
His vamps scampered out of the command center to obey. He stalked to her again and dragged her up. The man with the green eyes was suddenly behind him, watching her.
“I don’t give a damn if he escapes. I have you.”
He hit her one more time, and she careened against Two, caught between consciousness and darkness. Two lifted her and carried her into a hallway teeming with vamps.
Damian was free! The thought pierced her thoughts, and she sagged against Two, not caring if she survived or not. Two took her down a quieter hall and set her down. She doubled over, pain from Czerno’s attacks crippling her.
Two knelt over her. He held Damian’s ring in front of her face then tucked it into her jeans.
“Yes, master,” he said to no one she saw.
She closed her eyes, in too much pain to concentrate. He touched her, and familiar warmth flashed through her, easing the pain. Two pulled her to her feet. Sofia stared up at him, not daring to hope he’d help her. He stalked down the hall. She watched him, tempted to run, before realizing the amount of activity in the halls behind her guaranteed her capture.
She jogged after him as he strode through the maze. He emerged into a busier hall and waited for her, taking her arm and leading her through the vamps. They passed through the activity before he started down another hall. The alarms faded, and the halls grew cruder, unfinished. Sofia followed him as the halls angled up and narrowed until Two had to walk through them sideways. He reached a door finally and typed in the access code. It opened. They passed through two more before exiting into a cold desert night on the side of a mountain, overlooking the activity at the elevator’s entrance.
Sofia almost cried in relief. Two continued, finding a narrow path in the dark and starting down it. She followed, shivering. The path wound its way downward, dumping them into a draw far enough away to be safe. Two walked on once he reached the desert, and she trotted after him, looking back at the floodlit entrance to the elevator. Gunshots streaked around the entrance. A massive explosion went off, shaking the ground beneath them.
She stopped and stared, throat tightening.
“Damian,” she whispered.
Two took her arm, driving her onward. When assured she’d follow, he released her and marched on into the desert, away from the mountain. A sense of familiarity hit her as they neared a clump of rocks. She’d seen it in Pierre’s future. The images replayed, and she launched forward.
“Pierre, no!” she shouted, running ahead of Two.
He snatched her as she passed, but not before she heard a shot and felt fire burn through her. She was driven back against Two, who caught her. Warm blood splattered her neck and face.
She cried out in pain.
“Let her go!” she recognized Pierre’s voice.
Two lowered her, pulling up his sleeves. She snatched his shirt.
“No!”
“Fuck, Pierre!” Dustin snarled. “Sofia? You ok?”
“I’m … ok,” she said, suddenly dizzy. “Dustin, don’t shoot him, please! Please!”
A dark shape moved from the rocks while three more fanned out from the sides. Two strained against her grip and tensed. Sofia shook her head to clear the dizziness.
“Darian, lower your head,” she ordered.
The man beside her hesitated then obeyed. She yanked his hood off.
“Dusty, Jule’s got him!” Rainy shouted triumphantly. “I’m calling the choppers.”
“Fast,” Dustin ordered.
In the distance, a small army of vamps was running towards them. A flashlight blinded her. She held up her hand.
“Mon dieu!” Pierre said, then cursed.
“Holy shit,” Dustin breathed as the flashlight rose to Darian’s face. “Holster em! Now!”
He moved forward, stopping to stare at Darian.
Pierre dropped beside her, muttering in French. Sofia sagged, exhausted. Before she started to drift into an in-between place, she saw Darian stand and look around, awake for the first time in thousands of years.
Dustin’s face was a mottled mess of emotions. Darian eyed him warily, not recognizing him, before he knelt beside her again. Heat scorched through her and she gasped, awake once again.
“You can see the stars, kiri,” he said in his monotonous, mechanical voice.
“Rainy, where’s my chopper?” Dustin shouted, drawing his weapon again.
“Looks like we should start running, non?” Pierre asked.
Sofia pushed his hands away. Fatigued, her wounds were nonetheless healed. Pierre hauled her up.
“Pierre, carry her. We’ll run,” Dustin said.
Before he could comply, Darian shoved him aside and swept her off her feet.
I’ll protect you, kiri.
They ran to the next nearest group of rocks, where a handful of four-by-fours waited. Darian placed her behind Dustin and climbed behind Rainy. Sofia wrapped her arms around Dustin and squeezed her eyes closed as the engine roared to life. Sand flew as they soared and leapt through the desert. The distant beat of a helicopter’s wings drew closer as they raced away from the mountains into the desert. A chopper landed ahead of them.
Dustin braked hard and swung his leg over the handlebars.
“Sofi, go! Rainy, Lon, with me!”
Sofia shielded her eyes against the wind and sand. She reached out to Darian and grabbed his hand, pulling him with her. His world was one of confusion, his memories overwhelming as the dam that had been in place for thousands of years crumbled. Darian held his head, and she wrapped her arms around him, wishing she could protect him from the dark memories breaking free.
I’m scared, kiri.
“Hold on, Darian,” she whispered, tears blurring her vis
ion. “I’m here.”
He showed her a picture of where he’d taken Damian.
“Thank you, Darian!” she cried.
I’m scared, kiri.
She felt his fear and squeezed her eyes closed, the man in her arms colliding with the man hiding in the corner of her mind. They became one, and this time, when she reached out to him, he took her hand. She sobbed, absorbing the black visions spilling through his mind. Thousands of years of Czerno’s depravity threatened to consume him. She was his only relief, and the visions threatened to consume her.
Peace, oracle.
She didn’t recognize the voice in her mind and felt the presence of someone – or something – beside her. A hand swept the dark memories from her mind, and she sagged against Darian, feeling the same sense of peace overtake his mind.
“Master, I did as you said,” Darian said in a choked voice. “I saved kiri.”
Good boy. Be at peace tonight, both of you.
The being left, but the peace remained. Darian began to cry, and she held him tighter.
The chopper landed. Pierre hopped out and helped her then Darian. They were at another discreet location, this one nestled between the peaks of two mountains. She darted off the landing pad with him, and the chopper went up again. The men on the small base drew their weapons at the sight of Darian. She took his arm, terrified they’d shoot the lost soul. Pierre led them to the empty, well-lit helicopter hangar, where several men crowded around a still body on the hangar floor. Her heart flipped, and she sprinted forward.
“Damian!”
He was unconscious and pale. She dropped to his side and fluttered kisses across his face.
“Jule, what’s wrong with him?” she asked, twisting.
“Poison,” Darian croaked.
Jule’s arm shot out to block the interloper’s progress towards them then froze. His mouth dropped open. She hopped to her feet and shoved Jule’s arm away, pulling Darian to the ground beside her.
“Darian, what is it?” she demanded. “Please tell me!”
He held his head and leaned into her, struggling. She took his face in her hands again, forcing his attention on her.
“Please, Darian!”
“Claire’s … blood,” he said at last.
Jule knelt beside them, staring at the horribly scarred man.
“Claire … was meant to be his oracle,” he said hoarsely. “It’s your blood, Sofia.”
Horror descended upon her as she realized the depth of Claire’s betrayal. Darian crouched beside his brother, studying him while emotions flew across his face. He placed his hands on his face. Damian’s body bucked. Darian moved away. Damian rolled onto his side and puked blood into the sand.
Sofia touched him, heart rejoicing. Dazed, Damian sat up.
“Kiri is safe,” Darian said in a monotone voice.
Damain’s head whipped around. The two brothers stared at each other, and she choked back a sob, joy and horror flying through her.
“Everyone out.”
Damian’s voice was soft, but his command made everyone in the hangar jump. Jule pulled her to her feet and half-carried her out. He gripped her arms and turned her to face him. His gaze was unusually intense as he struggled to control his emotions. He embraced her, hugging her hard. She clung to him, overwhelmed.
“Here I thought I’d lost two people I cared about only to recover three,” he said, hoarse. “If you weren’t D’s, I’d kiss you.”
“Jule! We need to go!” Pierre’s voice urged.
“All hell is about to start raining down,” Jule said, pulling away from her. “Go with Pierre. Rainy wants to chew your ass out for dragging Traci into this, and then I’ll chew your ass out for being so fucking stupid.”
He wiped the tears from her face and kissed her forehead.
“Go,” he said, pushing her towards her awaiting bodyguard.
“Bring them both back to me, Jule,” she whispered. He gave a brisk nod.
“Sofia!”
She turned, surprised to Traci racing towards her from across the helo-pad.
“Two women,” Pierre muttered.
Traci flung her arms around her, her fear fresh on her face. Sofia hugged her back.
“Pierre,” Jule said with a toss of his head.
“Gladly. Come with me ladies.”
He gripped each of their arms and led them towards two black Tahoes. She twisted to see the helo-hangar one last time, not yet able to believe the night’s events.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
His brother was somewhere inside the scarred shell of a man before him. He stared into Darian’s gold eyes, seeking some sign of the man he’d known. Darian struggled visibly, his gaze stormy and his frame shaking. His own head was fuzzy from the effects of the drink he’d been force fed. He had a throbbing headache, and his body didn’t respond the way it should.
“Do you know me, brother?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Damian,” came the mechanical voice. “Kiri loves you.”
Damian couldn’t help his smile at the words. Darian knew him because of Sofia, and he reached out to his brother, absorbing what memories were in his mind. Darian’s mind was like a disaster scene after a hurricane. The bits and pieces of who he was were there, disjointed and scattered. Two people were all he knew with certainty: Sofia and the Watcher with his forest green eyes. His brother wasn’t sure of anything or anyone else, even if he did match the faces in his thoughts with those around him.
“Be gentle. He’ll break if you push him,” the Watcher said.
Damian twisted, surprised to find his body stiff with the simple movement. He was too out of sorts to feel the Watcher’s arrival.
“Master,” Darian said, bowing his head.
The sight of someone once so powerful and proud in submission to anyone infuriated him. For the first time in his life, Damian was speechless when confronted with the horror before him.
“He’s been abused for thousands of years,” the Watcher said, pausing beside the still, scarred man and resting a hand on his head. “He’ll need your help.”
“Like I wouldn’t help him,” he snapped.
He looked to his brother again, fury of the deepest kind running within him. He loved Darian, always would, but understanding what he’d been through for thousands of years made him wish his brother had died instead of being forced to bear such pain.
“I can only coach,” the Watcher reminded him. “Your oracle and Darian had to do the real work. If she’d been any less of an oracle than what she is …”
Darian would spend the remainder of his life in the hell that’d claimed him. Damian’s throat tightened.
“Claire did this to him.”
“Yes, she did. After the attack, Czerno brought him back to life. He wasn’t part of the plan to kill him, but he found out from Claire when they met shortly before Darian’s death. He understood that the Black God can never truly kill the White God for fear of unleashing the Original Beings, who would crush him. He was there to save your brother when Isac finished and kept him under control using Claire’s blood. I think he’s since been sickened with evil and forgotten if you don’t exist, neither does he.”
“My own enemy saved him,” Damian said with a harsh laugh. “Our world is so fucked up.”
“Yes, ikir, it is,” the Watcher agreed.
The depth of Claire’s betrayal made him wish he could kill her again a thousand times over! He’d been too kind in his execution of the sick bitch!
“Kiri,” Darian said almost sadly.
Damian’s spinning emotions warmed at the idea that Sofia saved him. He didn’t want to think on the probability behind such a powerful oracle appearing when she did. No, he wouldn’t look that gift horse in the mouth, not when the embodiment of her ability sat hunched before him.
“Will he ever be close to the man I knew?” he whispered the thought, unable to help the tears that rose with it.
“There is a legend among the humans of the
phoenix, who rises from his own ashes,” the Watcher replied. “Your brother will never be what he was, but he will rise again as the Grey God.”
He looked to the Watcher, surprised.
“Darian is the Grey God?”
“Yes, ikir. He will be forever stuck between the two worlds, the good and the evil, without entering either or leaving either behind. His will not be an easy role to fill.”
He reached out to his brother and touched his head to his forehead. Darian didn’t resist, and Damian delighted in the idea that the sound of him breathing meant his brother was truly alive.
“Watcher, I love him, and I can’t fathom his pain,” he said. “Will he be lost like this forever?”
“No. Even in human time, his suffering will be short but it will be very bad for him until it ends.”
“Sofia can help him.”
“There will be others who will help him, too. He will need them all, and he will need you if he is to take his place as the Grey God. One of your team captains will have friends as well.”
“Jule is as old as you,” he said. “Or older?”
“Close,” the Watcher admitted. “He’s still not in favor among my kind. His penance is not yet served.”
“Good. Leave him here with me.”
“You’ll not face anyone willing to challenge you for him, ikir, I assure you, though there may be some who might help him.”
The amount of distaste in the Watcher’s voice amused him. Jule had never said what he’d done to piss someone off and get exiled to earth, but it must have been bad if the Watcher’s kind clipped his powers and sent him packing.
“By your leave, ikir,” the Watcher said with a bow of his head.
He waved him away, attention returning to Darian. He touched his brother’s face, his emotions soaring once again.
Darian was alive. Sofia was safe. In that moment, nothing else mattered to him. He released a deep breath and rose, aware the birth of a new god and discovery of a powerful oracle indicated nothing but more trouble to come.
“Come, brother, let’s take you back to kiri,” he said.