Valerie’s voice was bordering on hysterics. “The worst part was I didn’t feel bad. I was happy. I hated that man with my whole being. My brother, oh my god, my brother. He died two days later.” Valerie sobbed.
James ran to her in an instant, wishing he could take all her pain away, wanting to tear the judge limb from limb for making her relive that nightmare.
The Judge stood up slowly, his claps echoing throughout the room. “Bravo Valerie, Bravo. Play the innocent victim with those tears pouring down your face. You are a murder…”
“Enough!” James’s voice boomed with authority.
“I think not, not by a long shot.” The Judge said. “Let’s see the ten commandments say what James? Let me remind you. Thou shall not kill and what was the other one? Thou shall honor thy father and thy mother. Do you think cooking you parents alive is honoring them? I should think not. So you see we have a claim on her, whether you like it or not.”
James could feel Valerie’s sobs subsiding as he held her close. “Bullshit Judge! You know just as well as I do that all versions of the law, be it godly or mortal, allow for self-defense.”
“You want to argue schematics? Well considering her father never laid a hand on her, explain to me how that is self-defense, and what of her poor mother? Don’t forget she murdered her as well.”
Valerie was shaking with rage. “I didn’t murder her you son of a bitch! I didn’t make her walk into that fire; I was trying to save her from him.”
The Judged only laughed. “I do hope you are confident in that assumption my dear girl. Or this trip through hell will end with a permanent residency for you here.”
James grabbed the immortal by his throat and pinned him against the wall. “I am going to tear your head off for this!”
“Tsk, tsk, you know that is against the rules.” The judge choked out as James squeezed his larynx.
“Just open the fucking door before I say damn the rules.”
The judges eyes widened, realization that he may have pushed James too far dawning on him. An arch of flames appeared on the wall and the stone cracked revealing a doorway. James dropped the judge into a pile on the floor.
“Let’s go Valerie.” He bit out between clenched teeth. She didn’t have to be told twice, they were through the door hearing laughter echo behind them before it sealed shut.
Valerie didn’t get a chance to take in their new surroundings when the door cut the laughter off. James had her in his arms, kissing her with fever. “You poor, poor girl. No wonder you are so strong. You have done nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed off. You should be proud of your resolve.” He said between kisses. “This only makes my feelings towards you stronger.”
“But James, what if he was right? What if I do belong here?” She whispered. Fear coiling in the pit of her stomach.
“He isn’t right Valerie. Trust me in this please.”
Sighing Valerie tried to push her fear aside. “I do trust you James.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The moans were the loudest. They were a mix of pleasure and pain and they were coming from all directions. To Valerie it sounded like thousands upon thousands of souls. Looking around she found that they were on the edge of yet another cliff.
"More stairs?" She groaned.
"With all this moaning going on you’re concerned about the stairs?" James laughed.
“Well considering this is the circle of the lustful I figure the moans go with the territory.” Valerie mused. If she didn’t know she was in hell she would have mistaken the sound of this place for a brothel.
“You are just full of surprises Valerie, what a strange yet wonderful human you are.” James said before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “That’s all you get for kisses here, wouldn’t want to get confused for a native.”
Valerie had a fleeting wicked thought about being a native, but let it pass unvoiced. When this trip to Hell was finally over she knew she would have plenty of time to get better acquainted with James. Now that she had lost her virginity she wanted to practice as much as possible with him.
At the edge of the cliff a warm gust of wind was blowing upwards, it carried hot ashes into their faces.
“Ouch!” Valerie pulled back as one of the ashes landed on her face making her wince. James had his shirt off in an instant and carefully wrapped around Valerie’s head, leaving just her eyes showing.
“You can’t go shirtless, you will get burned.” She protested.
“Yes, but I am an immortal after all, the small burns will be far less painful for me and will heal almost instantly.”
They descended the stairs with James keeping a firm grip on Valerie. The stairs alone were treacherous, but the wind gust made it near impossible for a mortal to descend alone. The further down they climbed, the stronger the wind became and the hotter the ashes burned. Valerie could smell singed cloth as specks of hot embers landed on her. She tried to keep as much of her body as possible wrapped around James, for her own safety and to shield his bare flesh from the burns he was undoubtedly sustaining. Valerie tried not to stare at the naked souls who were chained to the walls of the cliffs. They were locked in various lovers’ embraces, in groups of twos and more. The moans were coming from their never ending scenes of fornication, all the while their skin was charred from countless burns.
“Do they really spend eternity doing that?” Valerie asked with a mix of disgust and awe.
“It depends on the person, on their crimes, and if they are meant to stay here.”
“Why would they be here if they weren’t meant to stay? Don’t tell me people get put here when they are innocent. I already lost faith in the mortal justice system, I would think down here one’s guilt would be a certainty before they get punished.”
James sighed. “My sweet innocent Valerie. Yes they are all in fact guilty. However if they are immortal, and some are, the crime of adultery can be punishable by death if their spouse demands it. This may just be a stop on the way to the gallows so to speak.”
“Remember, when immortals bond it is with blood, it is for life, it is not like mortal marriage where you can change your mind.” He continued when he heard Valerie gasp. “The mortals contained in this circle may be here for eternity or they may be destined to move even lower down. No one but fate can say what lies in store for them.”
“Well that is just depressing. Is there no such thing as redemption?”
James felt bad answering her, he knew most mortals believed in redemption. “If they haven’t redeemed themselves by the time they end up here then no, there is such thing for them.”
Valerie didn’t care what these people had done; it was rather depressing to think of an eternity that offered no change. Now that she was armed with the knowledge of gods, demons, and immortals, part of her couldn’t help but wonder if this was just their own sick form of entertainment.
“Karma.” James said.
“Karma, yeah I get it, you reap what you sow. Doesn’t make it less depressing.”
“No Valerie, look down, that is Karma.” James explained nodding towards the bottom of the cliffs.
They were almost to the last few steps and what Valerie saw took her breath away. A woman dressed all in gold stood tall, her flaming hair falling in soft curls down her back and streaming over her shoulders. Even as a mortal Valerie could feel the power radiating off the being who stood below. A breathtaking smile lit up the woman’s face as Valerie made eye contact with her.
“Her name is Karma?” Valerie asked with amusement.
James made a snort as he bit back a chuckle. “Yes, and believe me Karma is a bitch.”
Valerie started laughing, the woman looked friendly enough to her, but then again every female she knew including herself knew how to be a bitch.
“James, naughty naughty, where are your manners? That is no way to introduce an old friend.” Karma yelled up to them.
“More like an old enemy.” James quipped as he descending the last step, setting
Valerie firmly on the ground next to him.
Karma waved his comment off with a flick of her wrist, her eyes homing in on Valerie. “You must be the lovely woman who captured James’s heart instead of just his bed.”
The comment stung, Valerie hadn’t considered how many woman James may have had over the centuries. She found herself wondering if Karma had shared his bed. The woman was a picture of perfection, the swell of her breasts straining the silky gold fabric she was draped in.
Shaking her head Valerie fought back her feeling of jealousy and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Valerie. It is nice to meet one of James’s frien … acquaintances.”
Karma shook Valerie’s hand and chuckled at the stumbling of words. “We are friends, don’t listen to James. He is just being silly.”
Valerie’s smile faltered as she made contact with Karma’s skin. Flashes of memories from long ago flooded her mind. A glimpse of a woman in gold leading her to the shed, musical laughter as she squeezed the lighter fluid bottle with all her might, a woman’s hand restraining her when she tried to run into the flames after her mother.
“Ahhh.” Valerie panted as she sunk to the ground on her knees. She hadn’t remembered trying to follow her mother until just now, but she was certain a woman in gold stopped her from what would have meant certain death.
“Valerie, are you okay? What the fuck did you do to her Karma?” James was shouting, but all Valerie could do was stare at Karma’s face.
“You, I know you. You were there.” Valerie panted.
Understanding dawned on James’s face. This was the god or goddess as it were, that had touched Valerie. James thought Marion was referring to Valerie’s birth when he said she had been touched by the gods, he never imagined one of them had interfered with her fate.
His anger swirled around them as his fangs elongated in his mouth. James was on top of Karma in a flash, choking her on the rocky ground. Valerie could see his fingers digging painfully into the flesh of Karma’s neck, she winced in anticipation of the sound of snapping bones, but Karma only laughed as James tried to squeeze the life out of her.
“Assaulting a god James? You know I could have you executed for this, and where would your poor mortal end up if you were dead? You think she would make it out of this god forsaken place on her own?”
“Just tell me you didn’t know she was destined to be my blood mate, tell me you didn’t pick her because I denied you in my bed. Tell me you aren’t the petty bitch I know you are!” James spat.
Valerie was relieved to hear that James hadn’t bedded Karma, but she wanted to know if she had killed her parents over the wounded pride of a goddess. “Answer him, please.”
With amazing ease Karma threw James off of herself, rubbing her neck softly as the fresh bruises began to fade. “No, I didn’t know. I was attracted to you Valerie because of your rage and the injustices you suffered. I am Karma after all and if anyone was in need of a good dose of me it was that slag of a father of yours. Most mortals resist the gentle urges I give them, only psychos are happy to commit murder. You Valerie were different; you were neither psycho nor resistant. There is strength in you that is rarely found, even amongst immortals and gods. You would do what was right even if it meant taking the life of a family member. You understand justice. This is why I blessed you with my mark.”
Karma walked towards James, slapping his face hard enough to rock his head back and leave blood trickling from his mouth. “That is for putting your hands on me, you didn’t think I would let that go unpunished did you?” she said as he began to growl.
Valerie saw how explosive the situation could become and placed her hand on James’s shoulder. “Don’t give her the satisfaction. It’s not worth your life.”
Valerie’s touch instantly calmed James. It was like that with blood mates, they had power over each other’s moods and emotions. Taking a deep breath James allowed her love to wash over him, easing his raging soul. “Gods don’t touch mortals out of the kindness of their hearts Karma, so what is it you wanted out of Valerie.”
Valerie blinked in confusion. She thought Karma just wanted her to burn her father, but apparently if James was right Karma wasn’t done with her yet.
“When the time comes Valerie will know her task. There is a war raging immortal, a war that all species will take part in.” Karma told them.
“I will be damned if my wife, my blood mate, is going to take part in a war!” James bellowed lunging at Karma. His hands closed around a wisp of smoke as Karma disappeared. James whirled in circles, cursing the gods and fate before gathering Valerie in his arms.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. When this is all over we will go hide somewhere together and live out our lives in solitude. I promise you this.” James said even as the words rang false in his heart.
He knew that he couldn’t abandon Mathius and Linda. If the gods came after him they would start with his friends and family.
Years ago he lost his parents to a group of rogue vampires who came after him for retribution. James still suspected the gods had something to do with it. His parents were old and powerful, a group of young vampires should not have been able to catch them off guard. He would just have to figure out a different way to keep Valerie safe.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The floor was covered in filthy tile, cracked with holes of concrete gaping out at them. Valerie was exhausted. They were only in the third circle of Hell, gluttony, but she felt like she had been travelling for days. At least there weren’t any stairs, she thought to herself. James had been strangely quiet and any attempts Valerie made at small talk were greeted with grunts and sighs. When they left the circle of the lustful it was through a doorway that brought them to this disgusting place. They were still travelling down; the tiled floor was forever sloping. The further down they went the worse the stench became. Piles of trash and rotten food began to decorate the long hallway.
Valerie let out a screech when a rat scurried across the floor. Following the creature with her gaze she noticed some of the piles of trash were moving. Before she could comment on the movement a roach scurried out from beneath a discarded Snickers wrapper.
“I think I am going to be sick.” Valerie murmured trying not to breath in.
She was greeted with another grunt from James and what sounded like laughter that he was trying to hold in. She was pissed about the silent treatment. It wasn’t her fault that Karma had marked her. She didn’t deserve this attitude from him and if it didn’t stink so bad she would tell him exactly how she was feeling. Trying to breathe as little possible meant not starting an argument.
The tiled hallway opened up into an area that could be described as nothing less than a full blown dump. A flooded dump. Valerie found herself standing in ankle deep liquid that did not look like water. She glanced over at James and to her annoyance saw that he was hovering a few inches above the sludge.
“I thought you didn’t want to risk using powers down here? Not fair. If I have to walk in this crap so do you mister.” Valerie pouted stomping her foot down only to be rewarding with the sludge splashing up the front of her.
The sight of Valerie pouting like a little kid made James smile for the first time since their run in with Karma.
“Some things are worth the risk love.” James said winking at her.
Valerie kicked a stream of stench filled sludge at him, covering the front of his jeans.
“Blimey woman! What did I ever do to you?” James feigned confusion. Laughing he slowly sunk back down into the sludge. “Happy now?”
“Quite.” Valerie said with a smug smile. “Which way now? I want out of this place as soon as possible.”
“Sadly we must go through the dump.”
“Well let’s get moving, this is absolutely the most disgusting place I have ever seen.” Valerie said, trying to stifle a yawn.
James realized how tired she was; sometimes he forgot the limitations of mortals. “On the other side of the dump we will come
to a ladder, which of course goes down. The good news is that my friend Bartholomew has a cave about halfway down the ladder. We can stay there for the night and get some rest.”
Valerie was elated at the news. She felt like she was going to fall asleep on her feet, but the last place she wanted to do a face dive was in the sludge and garbage surrounding them. The thought of rest got her feet moving. She was also hoping that James would talk to her about Karma when they got to the cave.
A few minutes into the dump Valerie realized they weren’t alone. Her foot had connected with a head that was poking up out of the garbage. Valerie tried to offer an apology to the head, when she realized it hadn’t even noticed. The head was too busy devouring any trash it could reach with its tongue. Gagging Valerie began to walk around it.
“Can you kick that burger closer?” The head inquired as it caught sight of her.
James grabbed her arm and yanked her forward. “Don’t help them, any of them.”
Valerie was about to point out that she only saw one head when movement in front of her caught her attention. Now that they were further into the dump there were people in varying degrees of obesity spread throughout. Some were mostly buried in the trash, while others had just their heads poking out, like the one she kicked.
Valerie was always a bit awkward in uncomfortable situations like this one. “Know any good fat jokes?” she asked James trying to lighten the mood.
James quirked an eyebrow at her before laughing. “As old as I am I have heard them all. Do you know what mopeds and fat ladies have in common?”
To Hell and Back (Eternally Blooded) Page 6