Retriever of the Lost Souls (Retriever Series Book 1)

by Brian

  “Hell is just a word, Mark. By agreeing to this, you will have the finer things in life. You will have money, cars, a big house…” His words trailed off. Shaymo knew he was appealing directly to Mark’s lust for such things.

  “What about Lilith? Will she always be with me?”

  He asked this question knowing that if the answer were satisfactory, he would be agreeable to anything they asked of him.

  “Lilith will be your wife, and you will have children with her. You will be able to make love to her whenever you want, and you will have all you seek – and more - in life.”

  Shaymo had him in his clutches.

  Lilith then spoke up.

  “Mark. Please, say yes. I want you to be my husband, but this is the only way. Don’t you want me? I am very much in love with you,” She said seductively.

  Upon hearing Lilith’s voice, Mark made his fateful decision.

  “I’ll do anything you want of me. I want you Lilith, and I want to be your husband!”

  They closed themselves off from Mark’s view, hugging each other.

  When they came back, Shaymo told him of a ritual involving blood that he would have to go through.

  Mark said, “Blood? I’m not good with blood. It makes me pass out. Do I have to go through this? Can’t I just give you my word?”

  Shaymo wanted to laugh. Mark was such a wimp.

  “If you want to marry Lilith, this is the only way,” he told Mark.

  “Okay. Okay. I’ll do whatever you want,” Mark said quickly.

  “I’ll come to you tomorrow night to begin the sanctification, but it will take a few months to fully complete. I promise you won’t regret this decision.”

  True to his word, a few months later Mark was fully committed to becoming a follower of the Darkness. Shortly after that, Mark and Lilith married, and Mark found himself driving a new car and building the house of his dreams. He was blissfully happy, and since Shaymo always left the memories of his making love with Lilith, Mark never knew any different.

  One day Lilith came to Shaymo, shivering with anticipation.

  “I have something to tell you that I hope will make you happy,” Lilith told him with a smile.

  “Let me see. You are leaving me for another?” He said jokingly, knowing that this would never happen.

  “You are a silly man sometimes. My surprise is that I’M PREGNANT.” She squealed with delight.

  “That IS a fantastic surprise. I’ll make sure that our sons are brought up in the ways of below. I’ll personally oversee their training.

  “Um, what do you mean ‘sons’?” Lilith looked at him surprised.

  “We will have five big strapping boys and one beautiful girl. Are you ready for this?”

  “Oh, my goodness!” she said. “I don’t know if I can handle that many children!”

  “Ok, what if we make it three boys and one girl? Can you handle that?” He smiled at her.

  “Oh, that is much better!” Lilith said, quite relieved. “I can’t wait to tell Mark. He will also be excited. But I need to ask you something. Is this child your seed or Mark’s?”

  “It is Mark’s seed, but because my blood runs within your body, they will be my offspring.”

  Nine months later, Lilith found herself with a healthy nine-pound baby boy and couldn’t believe she was a mother. As the years passed, she had two more boys just as Shaymo had predicted. She longed for a girl she could spoil and dress up in frilly dresses. Soon enough she became pregnant again, but this time it was twins. A boy and a girl. Although it was now five children she was enchanted with each one of them. She loved them all very much, but they made her tired, as they were all very active and quite spoiled by both of their dads. While the boys had a look that was a combination of both parents, Selene was the spitting image of Lilith. She had soft dark hair and dark green eyes, and true to her wishes she soon dressed Selene in frilly dresses.

  Tannen, Seth, Samuel, and Alistor were the names she and Shaymo had chosen for the boys. They were influential names in their world below since the boys were destined to be great leaders of their respective covens.

  One night as she was about to put the twins to bed, she felt a presence beside her. Alistor put his arms out and said, “Daddy.” Selene copying her brother also reached for her father. “Daddy, daddy, daddy”. She turned to find Shaymo standing there behind her. He picked up both babies.

  “We need to talk. Some things need to happen very quickly,”

  “I’ll be done in just a minute.”

  She took Alistor from his arms first and laid him down in his crib. “Goodnight little man.” He instantly fell asleep. Shaymo walked to the other crib and tried to put Selene down, but she would not let him. Of all his children she was the one that had her daddy wrapped around his little finger. Lilith took Selene out of his arms and laid her down. “Goodnight baby girl” both parents said to her. “Night mommy-daddy, love oo”. Laying her head down she too fell asleep quickly.

  She took Shaymo’s hand as they walked out of the room.

  “Due to failures of the past, the time has come for the prophecy to become a reality. We still haven’t been able to locate ‘The One’ precisely but are reasonably confident that your sister Isabella is dating him, and we need you to move to Arizona.

  Lilith just stared at him. She was trying to determine if he was serious or not.

  “Arizona?” Lilith said frowning.

  “Yes, Arizona. Isabella will insist that you go, and when you meet this boyfriend of hers, he will be powerless against your beauty, charm, and this.”

  He held up a small vial of managa.

  “If you determine that he is The One, you must not let him go. Rumor has it he is quite attached to Isabella, and if you find that you have difficulties completing your assignment, just put this into his drink, and he will be completely powerless against its properties. It will make him crave you as he craves no other. I have already put the thought into her head to ask you to move there. “We will also have to get Mark to file for divorce, since you will need to be free to take Eoin below with you.

  Lilith was more than happy to be able to do something to help their cause and couldn’t wait to call Isabella to tell her that she was moving out there. She had spoken to Isabella just a few months previous and heard all about her boyfriend and could hardly wait to meet him. With the gifts Shaymo had given her, Lilith would immediately know if he was indeed ‘The One’ or not. It made Lilith unhappy that this might be the last time she would steal one of Isabella’s boyfriends, she had always found it fun to see the downtrodden look on her face. Even through it all she remained faithful to Lilith as her best friend.

  Chapter 34

  The next day Isabella excitedly told Eoin that her sister Lilith was moving to Arizona from Ohio. She was very excited because she had not seen her sister for a long time, but she was also very nervous because many times in the past, Lilith had stolen a love interest away from her. When Isabella told Eoin of her fears, he assured her that it wouldn’t happen again.

  After Lilith and her family arrived, Isabella decided to have a barbeque so that Eoin and Lilith could meet. Upon meeting Eoin, Lilith immediately knew that they had indeed located ‘The One’ and began her assignment by throwing alluring looks in his direction. Eoin tried to look the other way but kept feeling drawn toward her. When Isabella wasn’t around, Eoin would return the look with one of his own. He chose not to say anything to Isabella because she was thrilled that Lilith was back in her life.

  The following Friday night, Isabella and Eoin invited Lilith to a bar to listen to some live music, but this time, Isabella witnessed their flirting, as neither did much to hide it, causing Isabella to relive heartaches of the past. That night, she drank much more than usual and was unable to drive home.

  They decided that Lilith would drive Isabella and her car home. After they dropped off Isabella, they returned to the bar to get Lilith’s car, talking into the night. Eoin knew his attract
ion to Lilith was inappropriate, but he couldn’t help himself and felt very guilty about it. Then, he began making excuses, saying to himself, “we’re not exclusively dating. We’re friends with benefits.”

  Lilith was cautious not to let Eoin know anything about her situation or intentions. They began to speak on the phone for hours at a time, both complaining about their relationships. She would tell him that Mark was always yelling at the kids and treating them like second-class citizens. He would complain about his ex-wife and her incessant demands. They would go for walks in the park, hand in hand, speaking for hours about fidelity and what they wanted out of a relationship. On one such occasion, making a sweeping gesture with her right hand, she made a circle starting at the top of her head moving counter-clockwise around her body. “When I love, it is with my whole essence.”

  On the night they came together, they had been drinking, and on their way home he pulled into a motel parking lot, making clear his unspoken desire for her. Trembling, he leaned over and kissed her. Then looking deep into her eyes, he uttered the words that would forever link the two.

  “Do you want me to drive you home or are we wasting time?”

  It suddenly was very quiet as her eyes flashed bright green.

  “We’re wasting time.”

  Thus, began the battle for Eoin’s soul. Upon checking into the room, she pretended to be as nervous as he was. A voice inside his head was telling him to stop, but a louder voice, Lilith’s voice was overriding it.

  “You are free to be with anyone you chose, and you don’t need to answer anyone.”

  Slowly and sensually she began undressing, holding him spellbound as inch by inch her tantalizing body was exposed.

  His eyes were glued to her beautiful form as she glided across the bed to lie down. Once more, her big green eyes grew even brighter as she enticed him to join her. Time seemed to stand still. Then, breathless and with her arms stretched out to him, he heard her say, “Come love me.” Positioning himself above her, Eoin was lost in his lust, as they made wild love.

  Later that night, he lay on his bed and pondered what had happened. He couldn’t understand his powerful draw to Lilith, and just kept telling himself the words she had said to him in the car. “You are free to be with whom you wish.”

  Eoin found himself spending time with both women over the next month. Isabella made him feel like there was something special between them that included friendship, laughter, and kinship. Lilith, on the other hand, brought out an extreme sexual need, which he could not explain.

  Confusion over both relationships, combined with the problems in his personal life Eoin began to sink into a depressive state. One day he made a very foolish decision that would bring about the end of his relationship with Isabella. Leaving work early, Eoin drove to their favorite bar and proceeded to drink himself into oblivion. Having accomplished that rather quickly, he rented a motel room with thoughts of ending his life and called his ex-wife to say “goodbye.” She asked him where he was, came to talk him into getting some help. Eventually he changed his mind about ending his life and allowed her to drive him home in an inebriated state. When they arrived home, she put him to bed. Then, going through his phone records, she called Isabella and told her to stay away from her husband, that his depressed emotional state was her fault.

  The next morning, as Eoin was preparing to meet Isabella for a pre-arranged breakfast date, he received a hysterical phone call from her. She told him that she was tired of all the drama in his life and that their relationship was over. Once again, he heard Lilith’s voice echoing in his head: “You are free to be with whomever you wish to be with.”

  With the end of his relationship with Isabella, he drew even closer to Lilith, and though she was still married and had young children, she continued telling Eoin that she was a “one-man woman,” especially now that Mark had filed for divorce, and she was looking forward to making a family with him. Her lies about the divorce and how she was treated made Eoin feel as if he had finally found what he’d been looking for.

  Eoin found himself spending all his free time with Lilith as his life was spiraling downward and out of control. If she asked him to do something, anything, whether he wanted to or not, somehow the looks she flashed at him would not allow him to argue. He no longer felt in control, and blindly did what she wanted him to do.

  Eoin had not spoken to Isabella since their last tearful conversation, and desperately wanted to talk to her, but she had made it abundantly clear she wanted nothing to do with him. The relationship between Isabella and Lilith had also been affected, and even though Isabella felt betrayed by her sister, she and Lilith had always been best friends, and she didn’t wish to lose a lifelong relationship over a man. She decided to call Lilith and made plans to meet them at the bar, so she could spend some time with them both.

  Eoin and Isabella felt the old familiar spark as soon as they saw each other, and laughter rang out from the start as if no time had passed between them. Whenever Lilith wasn’t looking, Eoin would flash Isabella a look of desire, with Isabella sending one back almost immediately. Lilith, of course, was aware of what was happening and pretended not to notice. She knew she had to do something quickly before all her work came undone, and that night after Isabella left, Lilith decided to make use that vial of the managa.

  The following night Isabella received a phone call from Eoin, asking if she wanted to go out for a beer, with him, alone. They met at a different bar and had the time of their lives, laughing, dancing and flirting. By the time it was time to go, both had with an intense desire for each other, and were agreeing to see each other on the side without telling anyone, especially Lilith.

  A few days later, Eoin and Lilith were having coffee in his kitchen when Lilith requested that he bring her some tissue from the bathroom that was located around the corner from the kitchen. As soon as he turned the corner, she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out the small vial of managa. Smiling, she put it into his coffee and promptly stirred it. She knew that once it was ingested Eoin would become compliant and would forget all about Isabella. When Eoin walked back into the room, she quickly swung around and gave him a wet, lustful kiss along with a tight embrace.

  “I made you some more coffee. It’s nice and hot. Enjoy.”

  He slowly drank the coffee, enjoying the full-bodied flavor with each sip, utterly unaware that she had spiked it. Smiling at him, she told him she had to go home to “take care of business” but promised to see him later. Tilting her head to the side, he watched as her hair cascaded off her shoulder and down her back, then leaned forward to kiss her. Normally when Lilith would leave he would feel a sense of relief for she was continuously at his side. But this time he felt no relief, he felt as if a part of himself was leaving with her. Immediately after she left, he picked up the phone to call her and tell her how much he missed her. Lilith hung up and smiled with glee knowing her special potion had worked wonderfully.

  Lilith and Isabella had restarted their friendship and were spending time together again. Isabella liked the thought of having her friend and sister back in her life, and Lilith loved the idea of keeping her enemy close.

  Together they started planning a surprise birthday party for Eoin and put together the invitations to send to mutual friends. Lilith had plans for herself and Eoin on his actual birthday, so they decided to have his party the day after.

  Two nights before his party, they had all gone out together again. With the managa working its magic, Isabella watched as Eoin and Lilith started acting more and more amorous toward each other. She tried several times to catch Eoin’s attention, but he had eyes only for Lilith. Isabella once more made the mistake of drinking too much and had to be driven home again. On the way back, Lilith threw many questions at a very drunken Isabella, who was unable to fend them off. She confessed to Lilith just how much time she and Eoin were spending together and showing her their sexy text messages to each other. After dropping Isabella at home, Lilith drove
back to Eoin’s apartment where she would spend the night. She decided she would not say anything to Eoin at that point and time. She would bide her time and drop the bomb when it was least expected.

  The day before Eoin’s birthday, Lilith spent the entire day with him. Although he could not keep his hands or mind off her, he was beginning to get a feeling of feeling smothered by her and was glad when she told him she was unable to stay the night due to family obligations. He watched her leave and again he felt a part of him missing her, he could not understand the pull he had to her, but something about it did not feel right. The feeling he had for Isabella was much different. It was a feeling that all was right in the world with him. He called her the moment Lilith was out of sight to ask her to spend the night with him. Without hesitation, she said yes.

  Chapter 35

  Isabella had plans to take their sexual experience to another level and had previously spent the day shopping for enhancements to an already semi-wild sexual experience. That night, the sexual expressions between them had been intense, they had decided to try breath play and Isabella suddenly began shaking as she reached her pleasures then stopped breathing.

  Crying out her name, Eoin was panicking as he slapped her cheek and shook her. She then convulsed three times in rapid succession before inhaling deeply. Relieved and grateful, he gently laid her back down on her pillow but entirely unprepared for what happened next.

  With her eyes closed, her hands at her sides, and her voice barely above a whisper, names began spewing forth from her lips, as if someone or something had entered her body and wished to announce its presence.

  “Tedor”

  “Gerranor”

  “Namus”

  “Shaymo”

  Eoin’s heart was pounding in his chest but he wasn’t scared. He attempted to talk to whomever it was, but it didn’t seem to listen. The final name was long and drawn out.