by Jen Pretty
Who was that? Why was I in the dark? I tried to move but couldn’t. Was I paralyzed? I panicked and tried desperately to do anything. Was I dead?
The sound of a cat purring rumbled beside me. It soothed the fear, and my mind slowed, drifting me back into the dark peace.
“Lark. Wake up!” the voice was angry now.
“You may be the lord in your country, but I am Lord here. I say you let her rest and recover.”
“She's not recovering, though is she?” the angry voice said. “I am taking her back to the elves. They made the blade; maybe they know why she's not healing.”
A lion roared, and then someone lifted me. My muscles were loose, and my head lolled back for a moment before arms cradled me properly. “I will bring her. She is in there. She can’t find her way out.” This was a new voice. One I recognized. It was Singh. My mind settled knowing he had me. He would protect me — my will and determination. I let my mind drift back to the quiet place.
When I became aware again, the sound of an engine roaring filled my ears. I was being jostled and shaken.
“It’s ok Lark. We are almost there,” Singh said.
“Is she awake?”
I knew that haughty voice. I thought I had imagined him in the square — a mirage.
“She is aware, but she hasn’t opened her eyes,” Singh replied.
“I’m sorry Lark. Please forgive me,” Vincent said. “I’ll get you to the elves; they will fix this.”
“Watch the road,” Singh said.
A horn honked, and Vincent cursed. I wasn’t sure why he was here, but hearing his voice made me want to open my eyes and see him. I imagined him in my mind. Saw his features and they morphed into a child’s face. Elliot. The beautiful gap-toothed smile. Tiny fingers wrapped around mine as we walked down the street. Sadness came next.
“Don’t cry lark. Everything will get better.” Singh hadn’t spoken this much since we landed in India. His teeth must have gone back to normal. He was speaking clearly.
I drifted back to sleep, safe with these people. My last thought was of Durga. I couldn’t feel her at all.
“There is nothing wrong with the knife.” A squeaky voice said.
“Then why did it cut her and now the cut isn’t healing? Something is wrong.” That was Vincent. It was his barely controlled rage voice.
“Perhaps she does not wish to continue. The blade abides her will. If she wanted to die, it would allow it.”
“She has been bleeding for three days and hasn’t died.”
“I imagine the Goddess is keeping her alive. They do not seem joined though,” the squeaky voice said.
“What are you talking about?"
“She no longer has the aura of the great Goddess. We can see the magic. It is fading from the girl. If she wishes to die that is her right. It is not for us to stop her.”
Something slammed.
“You must leave here! We will not abide your temper in our home. Be gone, night creature!”
Someone carried me again.
“You should take her to the temple. Maybe the Goddess will help,” I didn’t recognize that voice.
“If she does not wish to go on, perhaps we should allow her the peace she desires,” Singh’s voice was quiet, reverent.
“No,” Vincent snapped. “You will not die, Lark! You can’t die! You hear me?”
I heard a car door slam.
“He will not rest until you return, Lark,” Singh whispered. “I will be by your side until the end if that is what you choose, but think carefully on this decision.”
Someone jostled me, and the car door slammed near me, followed by another. Who else was with us? The engine rumbling and tires over gravel were the only sounds for a long time.
As the engine roared, I considered the words I heard. Did I want to die? I wanted to die in the desert. Vultures circled above me day and night, but they would not land, no matter how long I lay in the sand and begged them to take me. I thought of Elliot. Would he be there when I died? He was in my dreams. The witch showed my future but was my future death, and I would be with Elliot then? Or was she showing me a life I could have in this world? I didn’t know.
Eventually, the car stopped, and the engine died. The sound of car doors opening and closing proceeded Vincent's voice right beside me.
“Please, Singh. I have to know for sure. If she truly doesn’t want this life...” his voice faltered. He cleared his throat. “Then I will accept that, but I must know.”
“Very well,” Singh replied. I was jostled again and carried up steps. Singh's boots thumped into a chamber where the sounds echoed. Peace flowed from all around to welcome me. It was the same as when I entered the temple in Jaisalmer.
Someone lay me on a hard surface, and a cool hand took mine, raising it to a set of lips. “Please,” he whispered. Vincent.
I cleared my mind and let it travel to Shiva. It was so easy I wondered if I was in meditation or had slipped into death.
✽ ✽ ✽
“Child, what have you done?” Shiva asked. He was peering down at me from above, his snake peeking over his shoulder.
I sat up and glanced around. I was in Shiva's temple. Open arched windows surrounded us, sand drifted against the walls and came in through the windows on the breeze.
“I don’t know what I’ve done,” I admitted. "I was fighting vampires, and then I cut myself, and now I can’t seem to go back.”
“Do you want to go back?” he asked.
I raised my shoulders in a shrug and looked away. I crossed my legs and sat before the God picking at my nails.
Shiva sighed. “You must decide. Death is a part of life, you should not fear it, but you have barely lived.”
“I’ve done a lot of living this year,” I said.
“Have you? You still hide away who you are. I realize Durga has been no help with her blood lust and one-track mind, but you have not even begun to live.” He paused, but I didn’t look up. “What of your child?” He asked.
My eyes shot up to his. “He is in my dreams. I see him when I sleep. Why wouldn’t I want to sleep forever?”
“Because he does not grow in your dreams. He doesn’t change. He is still the dirty boy you saw in the tunnel. Think, Lark.”
So, I did. I let my mind look at Elliot in my dreams. Every time his fingers wrapped around mine, or I held him in my arms, he wore ragged clothes and had dirt on his hands and face; always the same. He would smile, and I would ignore the bits I didn’t want to see. Tears fell from my eyes when I saw him now. He was my boy, but he was not. He was just an image of a boy.
“In the world of the living, that is where you belong, foolish girl.” Shiva chided. “Now off you go, I have important work to do, and so do you.”
I nodded an opened my eyes.
✽ ✽ ✽
Beside me was a man on his knees, his head bowed to the floor. Behind him stood the most magnificent white lion. His eyes were glowing yellow. His lips curled.
I reached out my hand and touched the soft blond hair of the man bowing in prayer.
He jerked up, and Vincent's beautiful face was before me.
“Thank you, Goddess,” he said as he lurched forward. His torso covered me, and his arms slid behind my back to drag me off the stone where I lay, wrapping me tightly in his arms. Tears dropped from his face to land on mine, mixing with my tears. I didn’t know if I was crying tears of joy or sadness, but I was alive.
Lips met mine in a searing kiss. Vincent's warm scent filled my nose, and I relaxed into his arms. He rose, still holding me tightly and walked out of the temple into the bright midday sun. He swung open the door of a beat-up old jeep and set me in the passenger seat.
“I’m glad you have returned,” a voice said from the back seat. I swung around, and it was that liar Alex. I called my blade to my hand and had him pinned to the seat, knife at his throat in a moment. I may have been almost dead a second ago, but I was not dead now, and this bastard locked me in a cage in
the freaking tunnels in Moscow.
“Please!” he begged, his hands up in surrender. Eyes wide in terror.
“Why should I spare you? You helped a murderer capture me!”
“No, I helped you. It was important for things to play out that way.”
“No, you are a double-crossing snitch!” blood trickled from a slice in his neck.
“Please, Goddess, I beg for mercy.”
The blade disappeared out of my hand, but that wouldn’t stop me, my hand wrapped around Alex's neck and my nails dug in.
“He did save you.” Vincent’s voice was bland.
“What?” I asked, not taking my eyes of the vampire who was gasping in front of me.
“Well, he suggested we bring you here, so technically he saved your life.”
“Seems like a stretch,” I replied.
“Perhaps. I will leave it up to you,” Vincent said. His voice was almost joyful.
I released the stupid vampire and turned around in my seat. “What is wrong with you?” I asked Vincent, taking in the smile on his face. His dimples were on full display.
He shrugged. “I’m just glad to have you back.” He leaned over and tried to kiss me again, but I stopped him with a hand on his chest. This bastard high tailed it, leaving me a letter. Then blamed me for killing his brother and abandoned me in Moscow after clearly stating he didn’t want to see me again.
I raised an eyebrow at him. Did he think I would forget all that because he decided he couldn't live without me after all?
“I’m sorry,” he said. His face falling. “I should never have said what I did. Vaughn pointed out the error of my ways when he came to America and kicked my ass.”
“You deserved it,” I said, still unsatisfied, though interested in how that played out.
He nodded and licked his lips. “I was an idiot.”
“A jerk face idiot,” I said.
“Absolutely.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
A scratching sound, made me turn around. Singh was at the back door. Vincent stepped out and opened the door for the lion, who hopped in and turned around, parking his butt right on Alex. I laughed as the vampire moaned and tried unsuccessfully to move the lion off his lap. Singh looked at me and curled his lips into a weird lion smile. It was disturbing, but I appreciated the sentiment.
Vincent climbed behind the wheel again and started the engine.
I watched him as he pulled the vehicle onto the road and accelerated. His profile was strong, his jaw set as he focused on piloting us wherever we were going.
“Did Vaughn really beat you up?” I asked. Imagining it in my head made me giggle, and he turned to look at me with a goofy grin. It was strange on his face like it didn’t quite belong.
“He kicked my ass. Trevor had to stop him, or I think he might have done permanent damage.”
“Trevor stopped him?” I asked.
“Yeah, he is getting strong, but I think it was more shock that stopped my brother. Trevor is so small; when he grabbed my brother's arm and yelled, it was like a child telling his parents to stop fighting.”
I pushed the thought of a child away and went back to imagining shy Trevor stopping the two old vampires in their tracks.
“I forgot to call him back,” I said.
“Who? Trevor?” Vincent asked.
“Yeah. I called him whatever day that was and said I would call back because the reception was bad.”
I caught Vincent’s grin before he smoothed out his face.
“What?”
“It’s nothing. You can talk to him when we get back to Narayan’s house.”
I nodded.
As the car entered Jaisalmer, the sounds of horns honking and the now familiar sight of camels and cows wandering the streets greeted us. Vincent piloted the small jeep through the narrow streets of golden sand buildings and through the narrow gate into the fort. He parked the car, and we all got out. Alex fell out when Singh finally hopped off him, and we made our way through the crowds towards the Lord of the city’s house.
“Lark!” I heard and whipped my head up to find Trevor racing down the steps towards me. He flung his arms around my neck and clung like a monkey.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, hanging on to him for dear life.
“I came to help. I was worried about you.” He finally let stood back so I could get a look at him. He had filled out since I had last seen him.
“Holy crap. You look great,” I said.
“Thanks, come on. You need rest.” He took my hand and led me past everyone and into the house. Singh bound past us and into the bedroom we had been using.
“Lark.” I turned to find Nara, his head down. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, though it kind of was. He shouldn’t have been keeping those vampires. The rest wasn’t his fault though.
“Thank you, Goddess.”
I turned to follow Singh and Trevor, but Nara spoke again.
“My man from the south has brought word of Mahishasura.”
My blood went cold.
CHAPTER SIX
I turned back to the vampire. “He has found Mahishasura?”
“Just stories. He heard a tale of a bison burning villages in the area of the caves.”
“What caves?” Please don’t let this jerk be underground again.
“Ellora caves,” Vincent said from behind me. “It's a tourist site, but 90% of the caves are off limits. I was going to wait until you had eaten and rested before I told you.” Vincent glared at Nara.
“Ok, well, I can hear about this while I get rest and food, right?” I raised an eyebrow at my bossy vampire.
“I’ll have food brought to your room,” Nara said, spinning on his heel.
“Be nice to him. He is a good man,” I said as Vincent, and I walked down the hall to where Trevor and Singh were waiting.
Vincent raised an eyebrow at me but wisely kept his mouth shut. I was not taking any of his crap. I walked into the room to find Trevor and Singh flaked out on the bed. I made Trevor laugh by jumping over him to flop down on the bed between them. We were just missing Drew, and I felt bad for leaving him behind in Moscow. I remembered his face when I told him he wasn’t coming with me.
I sighed and closed my eyes for a minute. I would have to apologize to him. I opened my eyes and propped myself up on the pillows so I could see Vincent. He sat on a chair in the corner, and I almost laughed. It was a wing-backed armchair, and he sat with a bland look on his face, like a king on a throne.
“Hey, are you a king?” I asked. “Everyone kept asking me about the king.”
“I don’t feel like a king. I think it might be like when you and Durga first began. Like he is there but not. Sometimes I feel something churning.”
I laughed at the perplexed look on his face. "Oh, man, this will be crazy. I wonder if that's why Durga has been so quiet since you showed up." I sought the deity, and she stirred but didn’t rise. Interesting.
My eyes locked on Vincent's. His glowing eyes faded to blue and my heart melted. “Do you feel that?” I asked, holding my breath.
“I’ve changed,” he replied.
“No, nothing changed. You are still you, only now you share with someone else. Just like I do.”
He nodded, and his eyes shifted back.
I took a deep breath. “OK, tell me about the buffalo man and the caves.”
"In the south, there is an old monastery temple carved deep into the rock. No one knows how deep the caves go because most of the access points are too narrow for an adult to walk through. Many more they have barred off for generations to keep tourists from getting lost down there.
“We need to go there,” I said. It wasn’t a question.
Vincent nodded.
Trevor grabbed my hand. “Do you have to go now? You could stay for a bit,” he said.
“Maybe tomorrow,” I said. I wasn't feeling up to travelling across the country.
“I
have a plane on standby,” Vincent said.
“A big plane?” I asked.
“No.”
Shit.
A woman walked in carrying a tray of food. She smiled at me and then set the tray on the bed.
“Thank you,” I said as she hurried back out of the room.
Trevor and I dug into the food, and I flicked on the TV, handing him the remote so he could find something for us to watch.
That's how we ended up curled together between Singh and Vincent holding hands and screaming like girls at the scary movie he chose. Vincent rolled his eyes but smiled, and Singh slept through it, like usual. When the movie was over, we collapsed in giggles.
“All right, you’ve had your turn. I want time with Lark too,” Vincent said, scooping me up off the bed and carrying me away.
“I’ll talk to you in the morning before I leave,” I said to Trevor who settled down with Singh. I reached out and flicked off the light as Vincent carried me through the doorway. He set my feet on the ground and took my hand, leading me to another door further down the hall.
He opened the door and ushered me in, but didn’t turn on the light. The moon shone through the open doors of the balcony. This room was a mirror of the other, but the mood here was more serious and immediate. Vincent faced me, his arm sliding around my back and settling low on my spine. At the same time, his other hand cupped my neck and pulled me against him. I slid my hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck. I had missed him so much in the desert, no matter how much I yelled that I didn't. I loved him.
He dropped his head and sealed his lips to mine, pressing and begging me for entrance with his tongue. I opened my mouth, and his tongue flicked against mine, making my heart race. The smell of his aftershave surrounded me like hot steam, raising my temperature and threading my pulse with his.
His hand behind my neck slid to my hip, and he lifted me off the floor. My legs slid around his hips, giving me a higher vantage point. I raised my hands to the sides of his head as he strode to the bed.
