Taken By Storm

by L. J. Vickery

  Dagon, who had been steady on his feet, supporting Holly, suddenly felt warm…then hot… Shit! He was practically on fire. He felt the pulsing and the heat; and this time there was no mistake. He didn’t even have to look down. His fucking amulet was ablaze, and—thank the gods—hidden from Holly’s eyes beneath his shirt.

  He should have acknowledged it the first time but, gods help him, it had been a natural reaction to pretend it hadn’t happened. It scared the crap out of him. He hadn’t once imagined that finding his Chosen was possible. In all his thousands of years, and all the women he’d tumbled, not once had he ever come close to finding a true mate.

  Now, there was absolutely no doubt. The amulet never lied. For better or for worse, Holly was, and would always be, his Chosen.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dagon was in a frenzy! He had scoured Chicago for Anshar and Lenore, finding no trace of either one. Now, he frantically paced the hallway in front of their hotel room, waiting to feel the energy that would indicate they were back from wherever they had gone.

  Dagon vacillated between a surety that Anshar would be receptive to helping him and the possibility that he’d receive a punch in the nose for his audacity. He’d gone over what he would say a thousand times, and every time it sounded more pitiful. Gods! Why wouldn’t they return before he talked himself out of this?

  Dagon leaned against their door. He was just about to give up and make another flying pass over the city, when he heard a noise from within and felt the energy that had been missing all night. He heard Lenore’s husky giggle, and Anshar’s growl. Shit! He had to knock fast before the two shucked clothes, and he was left waiting for the rest of the night while they copulated.

  “Anshar!” He rapped his knuckles on the door. “Anshar, it’s Dagon,” he called and thought he heard a muffled curse.

  Why bother knocking? Anshar’s voice came sarcastically into his head. Mist right in.

  Dagon took that as an invitation and ended up with his back to the door, but this time on the inside.

  “To what do we owe this pleasure, cuz?” Dagon knew that Anshar didn’t hate him like the rest of the gods did, but it didn’t mean that Anshar welcomed him either. Their last encounter, joining forces against those punks at the bar, had actually been quite enjoyable. Lenore, however, was less than welcoming.

  “Yeah, boss man, or should I say, ex-boss man? You looking to maybe lay down some boundaries and trap us in our room? Oops! My bad!” She batted her eyelashes. “Looks like you’re not even smart enough to keep a couple of old witches captive.” Lenore narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

  Dagon winced. “Aye, there’s the rub.” He was not averse to a little Shakespeare when necessary.

  Anshar looked at him with a slightly amused expression, then gestured to a small, round table that sat in front of an over-sized, plate glass window. Dagon took the hint and crossed the room, grabbing a seat. Anshar sat opposite, and Lenore settled on the edge of the king-size bed.

  Dagon wasted no time. He had several points to cover, and he wanted it done quickly.

  Deep breath and… “I’ve found Holly,” he revealed without preamble.

  “What?” Anshar leaped to his feet and came within inches of Dagon’s nose. “Where is she? What have you done with her?”

  “Sit down,” Dagon said wearily. “I haven’t done anything.” He huffed in exasperation. “Hear me out, and then you can do what you want—call in the reinforcements, shoot me in the head—I don’t care. I’m at my wits end, and I’m sure that once my story is told, you and the boys—wanting nothing more than my eternal torment—will all be amused. What the humans say is true. Payback is a bitch.”

  Anshar went back to his chair but perched warily on its edge. “Explain,” he said, his eyes turning black.

  “Don’t pull that serpent shit on me, not now.” Dagon shook his head, then dropped it into his hands. He knew that he’d never appeared so flustered in all his life. Anshar and Lenore must be thinking the worst, so he cut his losses and dove right in.

  “I found Holly three nights ago. She tends bar in a dive on the South Side.” Dagon rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb. “I was alone when I ran across her, and I’ve been keeping her company.” Hah! He kicked himself mentally. You’ve had your hands all over her, and now you’re royally screwed, he chastised himself.

  “I haven’t reported in to Erra nor have I revealed her whereabouts to Matthew. I am, however, aware that my behavior has been suspicious, and I know it’s only a matter of time before they follow me to see what I’ve been up to.”

  “So why haven’t you told them where she is?” Anshar shook his head in disbelief, and Dagon couldn’t blame him. “I’m confused.”

  Dagon snorted. “You’re confused!” There was no point beating around the bush. He just needed to say it out loud and get it over with. “Imagine how I felt when I realized that she was not only the target, but my gods-damned Chosen.”

  Silence filled the room for long, tense moments. He watched as Anshar and Lenore took a good long look at each other. Finally, Anshar spoke.

  “Shit.”

  Dagon let out a rough bark of laughter. “Well said, cousin.” He looked at them both. “A truckload of shit, and I have no idea how to deal with it.” He rubbed an aching spot between his eyes. “Any suggestions?”

  He heard Anshar release a breath. “How much are you willing to sacrifice for her?” his cousin asked.

  Dagon looked at him as if he were out of his mind. “That’s a really stupid question, Anshar. How much would you sacrifice for Lenore?” A weary sadness overcame him. “You know as well as I do that I need to make sure she’s safe. That’s how we feel about our Chosen. It’s ingrained in us at the cellular level.” He waited for Anshar’s nod and proceeded.

  “I need to make sure she goes with you, goes back to the compound, and receives all the gods’ protection. Once that happens I’ll be satisfied. My ‘buddies,’” he said this sarcastically, “will eventually find out, and I’ll be taken to the Underworld by Nergal to answer for my failure.”

  Dagon had no hopeful scenario in mind for himself. He’d already resigned himself to a dark future. “At least she never has to know that she’s my true mate nor feel my pain because we won’t share an amulet. I can spare her these things so she can get back to living a normal life with her sister and brother and all of you in the Blue Hills. It’s better than the alternative…which is what…death?” Even though Erra had renounced his “kill all” decision, who knew what the god of war would really do.

  Lenore spoke. “Does she know—”

  “She knows nothing!” Dagon cut in. “I haven’t told her what I am, or that I know who she is. All Holly understands is that we had an instant attraction to each other, and she trusts me.” An ironic laugh escaped his mouth again.

  “So what do you want us to do?” Lenore moved off the bed and put a hand on Dagon’s shoulder. He felt nothing but compassion coming off of her now. It was somewhat of a comfort to know that he wouldn’t be sent below still hated by his great-great-great granddaughter. Lenore and Anshar would also have talked at length about how gods were treated in the Underworld. Lenore would know what Dagon would face every day for the rest of eternity when he was taken back to Hell. He felt her shiver in revulsion. Yeah. She understood.

  Dagon shook off his foreboding. “I’ve asked Holly if it’s okay to bring my cousin and his girlfriend by tomorrow night. I know it’s cowardly not to do this alone, but I need you there when I reveal everything to her. With your backup, I’ll feel like I can tell her the whole story. After we’ve filled her in, we can call in your troops—Marduk, Enlil, even Tess, and whoever else is around—so you can move her to safety.”

  “Sounds like a good plan, but shouldn’t we put somebody on watch tonight?” Lenore looked worried. She’d been around Matthew and the PP, and knew how intrepid they could be.

  Dagon pulled the phone from his p
ocket. “She should be home by now.” He sent her a quick text, and they all sat quietly until his phone chimed back a reply less than a minute later. He read it and let out a sigh of relief. “She is,” he confirmed. “And I don’t think it’s wise to put her home under surveillance.” He worried his upper lip. “Placing guards there will only alert Erra or Nergal to god energy in a strange place. Right now, they don’t have a clue as to where she lives, so she’s much safer by herself.”

  Anshar concurred. “You’re right, and by the time she gets to work tomorrow, we’ll already have the bar surrounded. After she understands what’s happening, we can bring her back to Massachusetts.” He turned to his cousin. “And what about you? You’re really going to give up without a fight?” Anshar asked him the obvious question.

  “Hmph,” Dagon grunted. “You know as well as I do that there’s no place on earth Nergal won’t find me, so my time is limited no matter what I do. Better that I take my punishment.” He gave a heartfelt look of regret to his cousin. “I’ll finally have done something right, giving Holly back her family.”

  “What about the T-Taj?” Lenore interjected.

  “The what?” This was a new one on Dagon.

  “The Tiny Taj. It’s Tess’s nickname for the compound in the Blue Hills. Wouldn’t you be safe from Nergal there?”

  “You have a kind heart, Lenore, but you’re a little naïve.” Dagon avoided Anshar’s knowing look. “I’ve screwed Anshar’s bunch over one too many times in the past.” He gave a nod to his cousin. “There’s no way I’ll ever be forgiven or be invited to live in their midst again.”

  Lenore started to protest.

  “No,” Dagon interrupted, holding up a hand. “I know what I’m talking about. I’ve thought this through, and it’s the only way this is going to play out.”

  Dagon was shocked when Anshar reached across the table and grabbed his hand.

  “I forgive you, Dagon.” His cousin was trying not to get too emotional, knowing he’d probably never see him again after tomorrow night. “I’ll miss not having you around, even as an adversary. We were always more like brothers than cousins when we were little, two stupid serpents getting into all kinds of trouble.”

  “Oh!” Lenore’s gasp had them both looking at her in question.

  “I just realized…the divination prophesy!” She looked hopeful. “Think Anshar. Bright serpent, not dark. That part was for me, that you were my fate, not Dagon.” Lenore was excited. “Share your song. That part is because I have Lorelei blood and can soothe the savage serpent.” She shared the information with Dagon, who was shocked. He’d not known that she had that power.

  “Two will be made whole.” Lenore crinkled her nose. “I’m not sure what that means, but maybe, just maybe it means that both of you will come out of this better than before.” She looked hopefully toward Dagon.

  “Or perhaps it means Holly and Dagon will heal each other,” Anshar speculated.

  Dagon refused to get his hopes up. “More likely it’s talking about the two of you.” He smiled at the pair.

  “Two will bring salvation.” Lenore looked at Dagon. “You’ve already given me mine by mating me with Anshar. So I think this means that you will save Holly.”

  “As long as I keep her away from Nergal and Erra, I don’t care what it takes.” Dagon felt a modicum of relief, hearing the last line of the prophesy. He was hopeful that things would work out as planned and Holly would be safe to continue her life. Dagon cleared his throat.

  “Now as for the ‘being made whole’ part, I can’t be sure, but I think what I have to tell Anshar next may shed light on its meaning.” Dagon didn’t know any other way to start. “Forgive me, cousin, for not believing in you. Perhaps if I had not been such an idiot, I could have kept your life from being such a misery.” He looked at Anshar, then Lenore. They were both waiting with twin looks of consternation.

  “Anshar,” Dagon put out a hand to grip his cousin’s arm. “You didn’t kill your parents.”

  The all sky god’s mouth dropped open and he smacked at Dagon’s hand, springing to his feet. “That’s bullshit, and you know it!” he erupted. “Why would you lie to me about that?”

  Dagon stood up as well, and this time grabbed his cousin by both shoulders, forcing him to look deeply into his eyes. “It’s the truth! I learned it a few days ago. I got into this bizarre conversation with Erra about killing gods and goddesses, and he told me that he’d done it, like it was nothing!” Dagon got choked up in the retelling. “He said he had no problem killing your parents and that, because you were your serpent that day…” Dagon had to clear the tears from his throat to continue, “…you went out of your mind trying to stop him, but it was too late.”

  Anshar sank down into his seat, shaking in obvious torment. He cradled his head in his hands, and Dagon watched as Lenore came to kneel beside him.

  “All this time…all this time.” Anshar ran agitated fingers through his hair. “I thought…gods!…I wondered how…I loved my parents and could never understand why I’d done such a horrible thing. But now, I didn’t kill them! I loved my parents, and I didn’t kill them!”

  Tears streaked down Anshar cheeks, down Lenore’s cheeks, and Dagon, deeply affected, felt moisture accumulate in his eyes. Anshar turned to Dagon again.

  “But why?” he asked, his voice choking. “Did he say why he did it?”

  “He was ordered to do it. Some kind of a contract. You’ll have to figure it out now that you know.” Dagon sniffed and ran a sleeve over his face. “I will say that, even though he’s normally unemotional, in this instance he did seem to display some remorse.”

  “I’ll kill him!” Anshar was on his feet again, his body growing as he started turning to serpent. “And before I do,” he hissed, “I’ll painfully extract from him the name of the perssson or persssonsss who made him do this murder.”

  Lenore caught Dagon’s eye as he started to move to restrain his cousin. She shook her head to stop him and began to croon a small song. She knew, like Dagon, that this was not a good time for Anshar to lose control. They had too much to do. Dagon was amazed when tension slowly dissipated in the room. So this was what a Lorelei did.

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it all out, Anshar,” Lenore assured her mate when he looked wholly god-like again. “But right now, we have to concentrate on Holly. It’s time we called the others.”

  Lenore was right, of course, but even with the calming effects of her song running through his veins, Dagon wasn’t sure he wanted to face the immortals. “Should I leave?” he asked, hesitantly. “They might not want me here…”

  “No! You stay,” said Anshar, pulling himself together. “This is your rescue operation, and I want everyone to know you’re on our side now.” Joy came to his cousin’s eyes. He was obviously proud of him for having the courage to do what was right. He was also grateful for the information Dagon had brought him and, for that, Dagon felt whole. After all these years, his cousin would be able to walk tall and know himself for the loving, compassionate son he’d been.

  “Marduk complained recently that he wants his irreverent buddy back.” Anshar laughed. “He’d better watch out. I’m feeling damned skippy.” Marduk was going to get his friend back…and more. Anshar hadn’t looked this light and unburdened since he was a kid. He was so happy that, without warning, he picked Lenore up and swung her around. His laughter shook the walls, then he turned back to look at his cousin.

  “You asked me if I could forgive you for not believing in me more when I was young. How could you believe in me when I didn’t believe in myself?” He put Lenore down and grabbed Dagon, pulling him into an enormous bear hug. “You’re more than forgiven, cousin.” There were tears in his eyes again, and Dagon wondered where this was going. “You are loved,” Anshar whispered. “There always has been, and always will be, a special place for you in my heart.”

  Dagon was astounded and touched. When he was finally released, he was almost at a loss for words, but ma
naged to respond, “I truly feel the same way, Anshar.”

  The air was thick, but his irreverent cousin emerged from the gooey mess of emotions they’d stirred up and broke the tension. “Now let’s get our friends in here and see if they kill you before Nergal gets his chance.”

  “Bring them on.” Dagon was suddenly suffused with feelings of well-being. “Marduk’s full of hot air, anyway.” It was funny, but for the first time in a very long while, Dagon felt like he was doing the right thing, and he wasn’t nervous about his eventual fate. He actually smiled. Holly would be safe, Anshar had his life back, and now he just didn’t give a shit what Nergal would have to say.

  He sat back down and listened while Anshar opened a head channel, Marduk…brothers. My room, stat! And Marduk, you definitely want to call Tess in for this one.

  Gods began arriving, making the room feel extra tiny, especially when they saw Dagon. They were all eager to be on the opposite side of the room from where he sat but there was only so much free space.

  The gods in Chicago—Marduk, Enlil, Absu, Emesh, Enten, and Dumuzi—arrived in seconds, Dumuzi looking very much like he’d just tumbled out of bed.

  A head call had been placed back to Quincy, and it took fifteen minutes before Tess showed up with Ishkur, Shamash, and Lahar in tow. A small contingent had stayed behind to keep an eye on things at home as well as to keep Huxley calm. The male was irate at the thought of missing things.

  Amidst the shuffling of feet and the grumbling of gods who wondered in their heads, rudely and openly, what the fuck Dagon was doing in the room, Anshar looked at his cousin.

  “Do you want to tell it?”

  Dagon wrapped his newfound contentment around himself like a cloak and perused the room. It was the first time he’d had to face Tess since he’d had her abducted, and he chose to speak to her before the others.

  “Tess. First, I want to say that I’m sorry for everything I put you through. I was an asshole, and there’s no excuse for my behavior. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but if it’s any consolation at all for my poor actions, I bring you good news.”