Darkly Rising (Dark Island Series Book 3)

by J. D. Matheny

  She listened but remained quiet for time. “You’re not going to hurt him, are you?”

  “Jenny, we’ll decide together what to do with him, is that fair?”

  She glanced only briefly at him before snapping her eyes back to the road ahead.

  After a short silence, broken only by the hum of the road and Dennis’s heavy breaths coming from the backseat, Kai pointed off to his left, “There.”

  Biting her lip, Jenny pulled slowly off the road, the smooth suspension of the Lincoln bouncing and swaying but handling the terrain easily. “Are you sure we can make it through this?”

  He was sure, he said. He directed her along with road with repeated encouragements of how good she was doing, until they reached the top of the hill overlooking the temple. The Lincoln was doing fine to this point, but he didn’t want to risk her driving down the slope.

  “I’ll carry him from here,” he said, stepping out. “There, you see?” He was pointing down the hill to the temple and a soft, orange light illuminating the doorway facing them.

  “That’s . . . interesting.” She stared down at the pyramidical structure and tightened her jacket around her to guard from the chill of the autumn air. Turning, she saw Kai hoist her dad’s still slack form over one shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “You can carry him all the way down there?”

  He only smiled and set off down the hill, with a warning for her to take her time and watch her step, but the footing was smooth and dry, and the trek down went without any accidents.

  As they approached the creek, he told her to wait, then forded through, the water rushing up to his knees. Once on the other side, he deposited the preacher against the stone wall of the structure, next to the short staircase, and came back for her. When he swept her up, it was like picking up a doll, and she marveled at his strength.

  Back on her feet, Jenny looked into the building noting the dirt floors and the lantern hanging down from the ceiling, casting off a warm and bright light. She removed her jacket, despite the temperature hovering around the forty degree mark.

  “That lantern in there must throw out a lot of light. It feels twenty degrees warmer here. What is this place?” She was staring now at the tall, wooden thatched roof. “It looks like something you’d see in the Amazon.”

  “For now, just think of it as my second home.” He smiled at her. “This place energized me, makes me feel stronger, more powerful. That’s why I wanted to bring you here. I need to show you something.”

  He walked up to her and placed his hands on her upper arms. This was when he would break the preacher’s hold on her for good, but he knew it wouldn’t be easy for her to see. He also knew he could show her what he wanted her to see, but he was going purely off instinct and some innate knowledge that had been granted to him. He was smart enough to know he was a powerful being, but that he was still a fledgling now compared to what he would become. Right then, he was simply going with the flow and trusting his instincts.

  “Just have a seat on the steps.” He kissed her then before pushing her gently down to a seated position. Then he moved into the temple and retrieved the lantern.

  It felt good to take it into his hands. Gripping the warm metal and glass, he had the sensation of taking hold of a living thing. A thing that he had a special communion with. He wondered briefly is his father was in there somewhere. His real father. He suspected that he was, and he hoped that his father would enjoy this display and understanding of the power that Kai was embracing.

  He set the lamp down at the top of the steps, just behind Jenny, and moved past her to kneel beside her and the still silent form of the preacher.

  “I’ve never done this before, so bear with me. Take the preacher’s hand.” He watched her take her dad’s hand in a light grip, watching the man with an expression that showed she was fearful he would spring up at any moment. “It’s OK, you’re safe here. Remember that. I’m with you, nothing bad is going to happen.” With that assurance, he took the preacher’s other hand, then reached his left hand to grab a hold of hers.

  “Remember, Jenny. You’re safe. This is going to be difficult for you to see, but you are safe. Don’t lose sight of that. Just breathe. Are you ready?”

  Questions formed on her lips, but they died away. After a moment, she simply nodded and said, “Go ahead. I trust you.”

  “Hey, sis. Everything OK?” Thomas was nervous. Thoughts of the lantern and his nephew had run through his mind all afternoon. Besides, getting a call from Sophie wasn’t abnormal, but she usually didn’t call at eight o’clock at night.

  “I don’t know, Thomas. I’m worried. I dropped Kai and Jenny off at the church for a counseling session with Jenny’s dad, the pastor. When I came back to pick them up, the place seemed empty and her dad’s car was gone.”

  “Counseling?”

  “The pastor invited Kai to counseling this evening. I think it’s part of his conversion plan or something. I don’t think he likes Kai very much, to be honest with you. He’d just come by recently to tell us that Kai couldn’t see his daughter anymore.”

  “I see. I’m sure they’re fine, sis. The pastor probably just drove Kai home afterward.”

  “I’m at the house now and it’s empty. I even swung by the pastor’s house before I came here and it’s empty too. Thomas, I’m scared something bad happened. If you could have felt the tension between the two when they were here last, it was like a time-bomb ticking down. I thought I was being silly thinking that, but now I’m not so sure.”

  Thomas could hear the hint of panic in her voice, which put him more on edge. “OK, stay calm. I’m sure everything is all right. They may have stopped for an ice cream or something on the way home. Whatever it is, it’s probably something stupid and innocent OK? Try not to worry. Do you want me to come over?”

  “Please. I need you here.”

  “OK, I’m grabbing my jacket and my keys as we speak. Are you inside the house right now?”

  “Yes, the house is empty. I’ve already checked every room and he’s not here.”

  “Did you lock all the doors?”

  Sophie paused. “Lock all the doors? Why, to keep Kai out? You think he would hurt me?” Her voice sounded incredulous. “He may exhibit some strange behavior sometimes, Thomas, but he wouldn’t hurt anybody. Especially not you or I. Honestly, just saying it out loud makes the idea seem ridiculous. I’m starting to think we’ve blown this whole thing out of proportion.”

  Thomas couldn’t believe what he was hearing and to a degree, hearing her say those things made him a little nervous. Denial could be deadly. “Sis, you saw the lamp. It fixed itself.”

  “That doesn’t mean it has anything to do with Kai.” The more she spoke, the firmer and more confident her tone grew. “The lamp might be a problem. We’ll get rid of that thing, and we should, but that lantern doesn’t have to mean that Kai is possessed with some leftover fragment of Daucina. I mean, that’s kind of silly, don’t you think?”

  Now it wasn’t just confidence he was registering in her voice, there was something else there. Pleading. She needed him to agree with her. “Just hang tight, sis. I’m going to call James, see if he’ll meet me there. Just to have a third set of eyes.” What he wanted to say was a witness, but he was afraid he’d set her off if he used that word.

  James answered on the third ring, and Thomas could tell that he was a couple of tall cans deep into his night. He could also hear two women screeching on the television in the background; an argument over a baby-daddy.

  “Can you break away from your shows? I could use your help tonight.”

  James let out a breath and Thomas could nearly smell the nicotine coming through the phone. “You think it’s serious?”

  “Feels that way. I think something’s going down tonight, James. Can you meet me at my sister’s place?”

  “I suppose. They’ll probably drag out the results of the paternity test for another twenty minutes, anyway. Do I need to bring my gun?”

&
nbsp; Thomas paused at the other end of the line. “God, I hope not,” he said finally.

  James grabbed the gun.

  Kai could feel Jenny’s eyes boring into him. She had no idea what to expect, but the truth was, neither did he. There was an intoxicating mix of knowledge and emotions that had been playing out inside him for the last several days. Desires that he’d always felt had become cravings and a vague idea of his future had honed itself into an inevitable vision. One moment he found himself wanting to protect his loved ones, the next he felt a need to possess them entirely.

  He was struggling with that just then, performing this strange ritual that he somehow knew would work, even though he’d never attempted any type of trial run. There had been a flash of insight into the preacher’s past transgressions, as if some part of the man’s mind had betrayed him and spilled deeply buried secrets to Kai. Those secrets had been served up and made readily available and Kai had plucked them up without even realizing that they were there. Now he was attempting to do something entirely different by not just recognizing and understanding those secrets, but witnessing them, and sharing them.

  He had Jenny’s hand wrapped inside his own and he could feel how clammy and rigid it was. Her anticipation and anxiety were just as powerful as his own. There was no way to predict exactly how she would take what he was about to show her, but he knew one thing, it would be powerful. His body was suddenly shaken with tremors of excitement.

  Relax Kai, this will take focus!

  He took three deep, calming breaths, pulling air in slowly and letting it out in long, sustained whooshes. Then he stilled his mind. The only thing he thought of now was the preacher, and the secret.

  Jenny’s mother, show me Jenny’s mother. Show me the secret.

  He heard a sudden intake of breath beside him, and he was lost in the vision. He wasn’t just seeing the preacher, he was the preacher.

  He watches her across the table, a small round table with a gleaming white tablecloth and covered in sparkling silverware and fine china. Three candles burn in the middle of the table, and her auburn red hair catch the light in a movie-like way, wholly different from any other woman in the restaurant. She alone stands out. She alone radiates. The others are dull and lifeless in comparison.

  He stares fixedly at her mouth as she wraps her lips around a delicate bite of meat and slides the fork slowly from her mouth, leaving the tines clean. Her lips are glistening and shaded with a light pink lipstick, one that doesn’t so much draw attention on its own, but serves to highlight their natural shape and beauty.

  But that’s his wife, isn’t it? That’s his Julia. Largely through his own influences, she’s a natural beauty that doesn’t go out of her way to attract attention. No matter how little makeup she wears, how long her skirts, or how simple her hairstyle, she shines. A hidden gem that dazzles far too much to remain truly shrouded away from lustful eyes.

  He knows there are lustful eyes. They find her constantly. Sometimes through covert peeks and glances, and other times through not so subtle gapes. He sees them all, notices every covetous look and reaction. In part, he can’t blame them, he shares the same feelings. Even after twelve years of marriage and one child, his desire for her has never been slaked. Every movement catches his eye and every smile and whisper brings on a new wave of desire. Such is his deep desire for his wife that he’s even prayed to his Father for forgiveness, for surely such a degree of lust cannot be holy.

  Yet his prayers go unanswered, and his appetite for her only increases. Even more so when he sees others express their own desires for her. Men, sitting with their wives, but their attentions constantly yanked away by the sultry redhead with the creamy pale skin and shapely legs and breasts. Wives who can’t help but stare with jealousy and envy, wishing they could attract their man’s attentions in such a way, but knowing they never have.

  Dennis senses it and feels it all. Every look, every hot breath, and every uncomfortable yearning. And his desire grows. His need for possession grows. He wants to pull her next to him, to show everybody that she was his! Later, when they would make love, he knew his need to establish her as his own would overwhelm him and lead to things getting a bit out of hand. Maybe a little rough. It was a record that kept on spinning and never changed tunes. He would need to dominate her, and while doing so, he would envision that all those jealous onlookers were watching him while he did it. They would see just how much the angelic woman was truly and completely his, body and soul.

  But was she? He often wonders, and he often suspects. She is a lovely woman, kind and gentle, but sometimes when she smiles at another man he sees more than just innocent geniality there. Hidden in those smiles are secrets, shared and communicative. There are messages passed and received, but he can never tell for sure what they are. Invitations for something more than simple friendliness? Or were they more? Had the invitations already been accepted? Her smiles are always the smiles of a lover.

  The questions and the doubts drive him crazy.

  “Are you alright, dear?” Her green eyes show concern over her empty wineglass.

  Ah, her voice was like liquid sunshine, warm and seductive. “Yes, quite alright, I assure you. Would you like a second glass of wine?”

  She smiles, tentative and questioning. “A second glass? Are you sure?”

  He smiles reassuringly and gestures at the server to refill her cup. “Enjoy yourself. You aren’t losing control, are you? You’ve still got your wits about you, it seems. I think a second glass is safe.”

  Her eyes follow the waiter, perhaps wondering if she should accept or not. Dennis’s eyes track her own, watching the waiter retreat toward the kitchens. The waiter is tall and tan, with dark hair and laughing eyes. He’s thinner than Dennis, and younger. He looks back at his wife, whose gaze shifts from the waiter a moment later to regard him once again.

  “Is everything well with you? What is it? You seem perturbed.”

  Dennis wants to sneer at her, to show his contempt for her obvious and wanton desires toward another man. So obvious that he’s sure half the people in the room must have witnessed his wife so blatantly lusting after the young waiter. Yet she asks so casually, as if taunting him.

  “Why would I be perturbed? Your thoughts are pure, are they not? I have a lovely, faithful wife who adores me, what more could I ask for?”

  He waits for her to respond, building responses in his head for any avenue that she chooses to take with her reply, but she only smiles a sad and tired smile. He wants to smash her face just then, but he restrains himself. He won’t forget, however. He will not be made to feel like he is tiresome. It’s her shameless and wayward acts that are tiresome.

  The waiter returns and sets down her glass of wine. Then he places a well-manicured hand on her shoulder and asks if the lady is in need of anything else. He recognizes the question as the thinly veiled suggestion that it is.

  “The lady has all she needs, and I’ll let you know if we require anything else.” He stares at the man with shrewd eyes until he apologizes and retreats.

  “Dennis, was that necessary?” Those sea green eyes stare at him, full of accusation and judgment.

  He almost laughs at her face. “Drink your wine quickly, my love. I do believe I’m ready.”

  35

  Thomas and James huddled together in front of Sophie’s door, hands thrust deep into coat pockets and shoulders hunched forward. The temperature was hovering just a couple degrees above the freezing mark and their breaths were firing out of their mouths in rapid white plumes. Thomas glanced down suspiciously at James’s coat pocket, where he noticed a noticed a bulge that may have been gloves or a handkerchief, or it may have been something else.

  “Did you bring it?” He nodded down toward the pocket, afraid to say the word in case his sister was nearing the door.

  “.357 snub nose, fits in there nice and snug.”

  “Shhh! Damnit. I don’t know how I feel about that. That thing stays put unless the unthinkabl
e happens, got it?”

  James tilted his head toward the bigger man and peered at him sideways. “I’m an old man, Thomas. Not some punk kid hopped up on adrenaline and dreams of glory. I don’t even think my body produces adrenaline anymore. I’ll keep my bloodlust in check.”

  The door opened then, only enough for Sophie’s brown eyes to peer through. “Thomas. James. You came. After speaking with you on the phone, Tommy, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

  “Sophie, let us in for Christ sake! It’s freezing out here. We’re just here to help.”

  Sophie paused long enough for Thomas to consider the idea that she might just refuse them entry, then the door swung open. Thomas and James ushered themselves inside with noticeable sighs of relief. The house was warm and toasty.

  “He’s still not back then?”

  “No,” said Sophie, looking at her brother with a mix of worry and apprehension. “Even if they had stopped off for something, which I seriously doubt, somebody would have contacted me. Plus, they’d be back by now. It’s not like they’d go out to dinner together. I’m really worried, and you telling me to lock the doors against my own son didn’t help. Then showing up with James—no offense James—you’re scaring me. What are you intending to do?”

  “Sis, I have no intention of hurting my nephew. We’re just here to help find him and make sure nothing bad is going on. Now, you said he’s not at the church and not at the pastor’s house. You don’t think it’s likely they would have gone anywhere together. Any ideas where that leaves us?”

  “Well . . .” she replied, biting at her nails now, “there’s only one place that keeps popping into my head, but it doesn’t make any sense.” She pulled her hand away and looked sheepishly at her brother, not wanting to continue but knowing he would urge her on.

  “Yeah? And?” Thomas was already getting impatient, but now he was noticing the near frantic look in Sophie’s eyes and his stance softened. He reached out and pulled her into him, thankful that she accepted his embrace. “Sophie, let’s just concentrate on finding Kai, then we’ll go forward from there. Do you not want to tell me because you don’t want me to find him?”