“And what do I do in the meantime?”
“Don’t sleep with Odin again.”
“What if I never remember you?”
“I’ll never stop trying. I love you Lilith and I won’t give up on us.”
“I can’t promise you I won’t be with Odin.”
“Fine, I’ll take what I can get as long as you let me help you remember.”
“Alright, you can try.”
“Yes,” he said as he pulled me into his arms squeezing me against his chest. “Thank you.”
“Wait and thank me if I remember.”
“I promise, you will remember.”
As I waited for Odin to get home, I took a shower. When I was done, I dried off and wrapped myself in a towel. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I walked into the bedroom and saw someone sitting on my bed. “What are you doing here Draven?”
“I came to check on things. See how my son was doing with keeping you locked up. I see he has failed.”
“Did you actually think Odin would keep me locked away? He loves me.”
“Yes, and that love has made him foolish.” He got off the bed and walked over to me. “I know what you have planned dear and let me just tell you now, it won’t work. You can’t kill me.”
“I can, and I will.”
“Here I am. Kill me,” he said before bursting into laughter. “I’ll let the two of you continue to play house for now. But you still have to face your punishment.”
“I’ll kill you before you ever lay a hand on me.” Suddenly, Draven backhanded me, and I went flying into the dresser causing me to smack the back of my head on the corner of it. Losing my towel was the least of my worries because blood was now pouring from my head.
He started walking toward the door when he stopped and turned to face me, “And don’t be expecting Adreana to be calling. She has been let’s just say…rendered speechless.”
“What did you do to her?” He didn’t answer me. He just laughed as he walked out of the room. I grabbed my fallen towel and pressed it to my head. I started seeing black spots and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would black out. I knew I needed to get help. If I blacked out with a head wound, I probably wouldn’t wake back up.
I tried to stand but failed miserably. I crawled over to the door as fast as I could. I got the door open and only one arm out before I collapsed and blacked out.
When I came to, I was lying on the bed, Odin was next to me. “Hey,” he whispered to me.
“Hey.”
“What happened?”
“Your father was here.”
“What did he do to you?” I told him about everything his father said and told him about him back handing me. By the time I was done, he was furious.
“Odin, I think he has hurt your mom.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because he told me not to worry about her calling. He said she has been ‘rendered speechless’.” He jumped up from the bed and started toward the door. “Where are you going?”
“I have to go check on her. What if he has killed her?”
“I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because I think that is his plan. I think he wants you to rush over there so I am here alone. He wants to separate us.”
“I have to make sure she is okay.”
“I will check on her for you.”
“How? You can’t go over there.”
“I’m not going to. I will reach out to her with my mind.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes. It is how I got Bristol and Parker to come get us. We knew we couldn’t use the phone to call them because you probably had the phones tapped. I had to reach them another way.”
“Okay. Can you do it now?”
“Maybe after I take something for this headache.” He grabbed two pills and some water that were sitting on the table ready for me.
“Now can you do it?”
“Okay. I will need complete concentration and silence.” He nodded and sat on the bed beside me. Him being this close to me was a big distraction. “Odin, I don’t want to sound rude, but can you sit somewhere else please?” He got up and moved to a chair that was beside the bed. “Thank you.”
I closed my eyes and started to think about his mom. I reached for her with my mind, begging to make contact. I called out to her, but here was no answer. Just blackness. But in the blackness, I could feel fear. She was here. She was just hiding.
“Adreana, you don’t have to be afraid. It’s Lilith.” There was only silence. As I stood in the blackness, I closed my eyes and focused on her location. I needed to find her. I began to chant:
A location I seek
From the one that is weak
Show me her light
To guide me through this night.
When I opened my eyes, a light glowed in the distance. I walked toward it. Adreana was balled up in the fetal position with tears streaming down her face. She looked like a lost child that couldn’t find their missing parent. “Adreana,” I called her name, but she didn’t even look at me.
I sat down beside her and grabbed her hand with mine. “You don’t have to be scared anymore. Odin sent me to find you.”
“My Odin sent you.”
“Yes. Are you okay?”
“No. I’m hurt.”
“What hurts?”
“My tongue and my legs.”
“Where are you?”
“Locked in a dark place. I can’t see anything. It’s so dark. I’m scared. Will you help me?”
“Yes. We will help you. What have they done to you?”
“Can’t you see it?”
“See what?”
“Look at me dear.” When I looked at her fear, pain, and regret filled my body. I was horrified at the sight in front of me. It scared me so bad it pulled me out of the vision.
When I was back in the room I was hyperventilating, and tears rushed from my eyes. Odin ran over to me. “What happened?” I couldn’t answer him. I was crying to bad. It was my fault she had been tortured. It was my fault she would never be the same again. “Lilith what happened?” he asked me with pain in his voice. “She’s dead, isn’t she?” I shook my head. “Then what happened?” I held my finger up asking for a minute to get control of myself.
Once my breathing was under control, I began to tell him what I saw. My tears never stopped flowing. “She is hurt, but she is alive. Your father should have just killed her. That would have been the nice thing to do.”
“What did he do to her? Just tell me.”
“Odin, you don’t need to know what he has done to her.”
“Damn it, Lilith. Tell me.”
“He cut her tongue out. And her eyeballs. He also cut her legs off. He has her trapped somewhere dark. But she doesn’t know where.”
“That fucking bastard,” Odin yelled as he threw the table that was beside the bed across the room barely missing the baby’s cribs.”
“Odin, you have to calm down. I know this is hard, but hurting our babies isn’t going to fix anything.” He fell to the floor beside the bed. I got off the bed and sat next to him. I wrapped my arms around him. “We will find her Odin.”
“How?”
“We will figure it out.”
“She will die from her wounds if we don’t get to her.”
“I know baby. I will keep a check on her as much as I can. I will also try to figure out a way to get a location on her.”
A rapid knock sounded at the door. Brant didn’t wait for us to let him in. He opened the door and said, “Ambi is gone.”
“Draven has her,” I said never taking my eyes off Odin.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Needless to say, we would not be summoning Slaaneth today. We had to figure out a way to save Odin’s mom first. I know there has to be some sort of spell that will tell me her location. I have tried a
ll day to meditate to find it, but I can’t concentrate long enough to get anywhere. I even locked myself in the library, but that didn’t help either. I needed a break.
I found Odin and asked if I could take a walk outside. “I’ll walk with you if that’s okay?”
“I’d like that.” I knew he needed a break just as much as I did. It’s driving him crazy not knowing where his mom is. Not only is the guilt killing me because all of this is my fault, but to watch him in pain makes it worse. I know he blames me even though he hasn’t said it. He hasn’t been able to look at me since I told him what happened to his mother. I think the only reason he even wanted to walk with me is for my own protection.
“You’re quiet,” Odin said breaking the silence. We had been walking around the property for about ten minutes and neither one of us had spoken to each other.
“I could say the same about you.” He took a deep breath as if it would help him somehow. “Odin I’m sorry.”
“What do you have to be sorry about?”
“This is all my fault.”
“How?”
“Because it was my idea to get your mom to help. If I wouldn’t have asked her to help us, Draven would have never hurt her. She would be safe right now.”
“We both asked for her help Lilith.”
“It was my idea.”
“Come here,” he said as he pulled me into his arms. “I know you think I blame you, but I don’t. You didn’t make my father do that to her.”
“No, but…”
“Lilith, stop. Don’t blame yourself. I don’t.”
“Odin, I know there is a spell to find her, but I can’t focus enough to figure it out.”
“You will.”
“How are you so sure when I’m not?”
“Because it’s you baby. You will figure it out.” He leaned down and kissed me on the top of my head. I sensed that he needed to be held so without saying another word I wrapped my arms around him and held him close.
I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I listened to his breathing and focused on his heartbeat. He was what I needed all along to focus. As we stood there holding each other in silence I was able to concentrate. I focused on what I needed to know and as if a light bulb went off inside of me, I had the answer.
I pulled away from him. “I know what to do. I know how to find your mom,” I said smiling at him.
“See, I knew you would find the answer.” He kissed me and hugged me tight. “Now let’s go save my mom.”
We went back into the house and into the library. I grabbed the globe from the table. “I need an orange, some apple juice and a knife. Oh, and a bowl.”
“Your spells get weirder and weirder. Last time you needed cinnamon.”
“Cal, can you be serious for two minutes please?” Odin snapped.
“Alright, I know you’re stressed. I’ll be quiet.”
When Dex brought back the items I asked for, I peeled the orange and then pulled the orange in half. I then I pulled one of the halves into fourths. I put the orange slices and the apple juice into the bowl and mixed them together. I then spread the mix over the globe moving my hand clockwise then I began to chant:
Strength of night, power of day
Let this help me find a way
The pulp and juice of two fruit
Will help me make pursuit.
A location floated into my vision. I had the address to his mother’s location. Suddenly, my head was jerked back, and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I began to levitate off the ground. I no longer saw the address, I saw the building and what was inside. It was dark, but my eyes saw through it. The building had two guards that stood outside and there were two more guarding the front of the building on the inside. There was a room in the back of the building where one guard stood in front of the door. I could see inside the room.
Odin’s mother lay in the dark on a table. She is almost lifeless. Her wrist was chained, and blood pooled around her. Someone else was in the room. Ambi and Draven stood in the corner watching Adreana bleed. They began to speak.
“Can’t we just kill her? She should have died by now.”
“Patience Ambi. Suffering a long and painful death is her punishment for helping my traitorous son and that whore of a wife of his.” Ambi ran her hand down Draven’s arm in a sexual way. He looked at her and smiled. “You are eager my dear.”
“Yes, I am. I know what I want.”
“And what would that be?”
“You.” Draven grabbed Ambi and pulled her in for a kiss. It was sloppy and wet causing my stomach to turn. They groped each other feverishly. It was disgusting to watch. I was thankful when they finally pulled away from each other.
“Let’s go home, shall we?” Draven said with suggestion in his voice.
“Finally,” Ambi said biting her bottom lip.
As they walked out of the room I was once again in the library. I stopped levitating and fell to the ground fast. Odin reached out and caught me just in time. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. I know where they have your mom. And if we are going to save her, now would be the time since your father is a bit preoccupied,” I shuddered at the thought of Draven and Ambi together.
“What do you mean preoccupied?”
“Let’s just say Ambi is keeping your father busy.”
“That’s just nasty,” Cal said.
“Just be glad you didn’t have to watch it.”
“I think I’m going to be sick. Thanks, Lilith, for the visual.”
“We need to go now. There are five guards, two on the outside, two on the inside and one guarding your mom’s door. Odin, I think it would be best if you stay behind with Ava and Elijah.”
“No way. I’m going with you.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“I don’t care. That’s my mom, I’m going.”
“Please don’t make me put a spell on you. I don’t want you seeing your mom like that.”
“Lilith this is nonnegotiable. I am going and that’s final.”
“Fine,” I snapped my fingers and changed my clothes. I was once again in my leather fighting outfit. “Let’s go.”
I gave Odin the address as we piled into the car. Latham, Dex, Cal, and Tristan came with Odin and me. Everyone else stayed back to protect Ava and Elijah.
It didn’t take long for us to reach the location with Odin driving as fast as he was. He parked a few blocks away from the building, so we could sneak up to it without being seen. Odin was doing some weird hand motions to the guys. When he was done, they nodded that they understood what they were to do. I, on the other hand, had no clue what orders he just gave them.
The guys took off. Latham and Cal went to the right while Tristan and Dex went to the left. Odin grabbed my hand and dragged me behind him. We walked up to the building casually as if we were just passing by. The guards stopped us. “Can we help you?” One of them asked.
“No thanks,” Odin said as he punched the man in the face. The second guard lunged for Odin but was stopped by my foot making contact with his throat. As he was gasping for air the shades, he had been wearing fell off revealing that he was a Tainted One. While he was distracted trying to catch his breath I ran over and ripped his heart out of his chest.
The first guy had gotten the upper hand on Odin. He had him pinned to the ground. He reared his hand back and was aiming for his chest. He was going to rip Odin’s heart out. I ran over and grabbed his arm in mid strike. “I don’t think so mother fucker,” I said full of rage. I twisted his arm back until I heard a snap. The man cried out in pain then I kicked him in the face sending him flying off of Odin. “Are you okay?” I asked as I helped him up.
“Better now,” he said smiling at me. The man came charging back at us. “I got this one,” Odin said as he ran toward the man. When they met, Odin flipped over the man ripping his head off in mid flip.
“Yes, you do,” I said out loud but to myself. Odin was so sexy in the way he moved.
Odin walked back over to me and said, “You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Looking at me like you want to devour my body.”
“Maybe I do want to devour your body.”
He smacked me on the butt, “Same here Lamia mea.”
Just then the guys came around the building. “It’s clear,” Latham said.
“Good. Then let’s go get my mother.”
As we entered the building the two guards, I saw in my vision rushed toward us. I stood back and let the guys take them on. I watched Odin as he took the first guy out. He was skillful and graceful in his movements. Heat flushed through my body.
Without me doing it my x-ray vision kicked in. I could see the man guarding the door to Odin’s mothers’ room. He was pulling a phone out of his pocket. He knew we were there and was about to call reinforcements. I was standing in front of him within a matter of seconds. He hadn’t even had time to dial the number. I casually reached up and placed my hand on his chest. His skin turned gray as I watched the life drain from his body.
I don’t know where the power came from or what I even did but I liked it. I stepped over his lifeless body and ran into Adriana's room. I felt her neck for a pulse. It was there although, weak. I broke the chains that held her down to the cold metal table.
Adriana's voice entered my mind. “Lilith kill me please. I can’t live like this anymore. Please.”
“I can’t,” I said as tears filled my eyes.
Odin came into the room. “Is she alive.”
“Yes, but barely. She wants me to kill her.”
“Mom, if you hang on, we will get you some help.”
“Lilith please. You know I won’t survive like this anyway. Kill me.”
“Odin, she doesn’t want to live like this. She’s begging me to kill her.”
“Mom are you sure this is what you want?” She nodded her head. “Okay.”
I looked up at Odin, he nodded for me to go ahead. I lay my hand on her chest and drained what little life she had left from her body. Tears fell rapidly as she took her last breath.
Beautiful Corruption (The Corruption Series Book 2) Page 22