Michael wished to every deity ever worshipped that he knew an answer.
“That’s not what happened.”
Dani and Michael broke apart when Walter spoke. His chair sat inside the open doorway to the library, a pistol resting in his lap. He noticed the two of them staring at it. “There was shouting.”
Michael shoved aside his embarrassment to focus on what Walter had said. “What do you mean, that’s not what happened?”
“The Huntress didn’t attack me,” Walter answered.
Dani narrowed her eyes. “I was fucking there. I saw it. You never wanted to talk about it. Mom wouldn’t talk about it but I saw it all.” Michael felt terror rising in Dani, locking every muscle into rigidity, and knew she was remembering the horrible alien presence hovering over her father’s bloody body.
Walter’s eyes flashed wide in surprise before softening in comprehension. “I didn’t know you were there, sweetheart.”
“Vincent and I were worried. We sneaked downstairs to see what was happening. So you don’t have to lie to protect Mom. I know what happened.”
“Dani, I’d been hit by gunfire. I’d escaped, but I was dying. I called your mom for help, but it took too long to get to the safehouse where you were hiding. I knew she could tap into her connection to save me, but at a cost. I begged her to do it. I was ready to give up anything to get more time with her and with my children. It didn’t attack me, it saved me,” Walter explained gently.
“But you were screaming…” Dani’s fingers tightened on Michael’s. “It was awful. I used to lie awake at night and remember it. I’d want to scream, myself. Vincent ran away when he heard you. But I stayed, I needed to know if it killed you.”
Michael heard the sound echoing through their linked hands. It didn’t sound like a man. An unearthly howling, as if some living creature were being ripped apart. He shuddered. If she’d heard that, he didn’t blame her for believing her father had been attacked.
Dani continued. “It sensed me there and part of it came toward me. I was ready to fight it with my bare hands to keep you safe. It laughed in my head while Mom was in a trance, and it said I would be next. But I knew I didn’t want any part of it. Not then, not ever. It said I didn’t have a choice, that it was already a part of me.”
Walter took her free hand, gripping it tightly. “I’m so sorry you saw that, Dani. No wonder you resisted so strongly. Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Who would I tell?” Dani shouted. “It took you months to be able to crawl out of bed, and Mom shut down so completely that it was like she was gone. She never even came out of the trailer. Eric and I tried our best to keep things together, especially when Gwen arrived. Vincent refused to sleep in the trailer. Did you know that? He spent six months sleeping in the truck before we could get him back inside. By the time Mom started getting up, all she ever told me was that it was my duty to become the High Priestess.” The barrage of words ran out, and she looked at her father again. “Are you telling me it didn’t attack you?”
“No. Without it, I’d be dead. It even gave me minimal sensation in my legs. Not enough to walk, but enough to know if I damage something. It’s not a monster, sweetheart. And neither are you. It’s high time you stopped calling yourself that,” Walter said. “No one insults my little girl.”
Dani studied the two men, each holding one of her hands. Her worldview was undergoing a major reshuffling. Michael could practically feel pieces sliding into their new places. He wondered if this single revelation would be enough to overcome years of fear.
“I don’t know what to say.” Dani looked at Michael. “Is it true?”
Michael extended his hand toward Walter, asking for permission. The man put his free hand in Michael’s, making skin-to-skin contact. After a brief pause, Michael nodded slowly. He could sense her father’s sincerity, guilt, and pride, but no gloating over a successful deceit.
“We should have talked about it. I kept quiet because your mom was so hurt by what happened that any mention of the Goddess was like rubbing salt on her wounds. I thought she must have explained things to you, and I didn’t want to hurt her more by bringing it up. I should have asked you. We could have saved everyone a world of heartbreak.” Walter didn’t seem offended by his daughter’s disbelief.
“I couldn’t. Neither of you wanted to talk about what happened. You were both terrified, I could smell it. Then Gwen came and you focused on her and what she needed. Eric, Vincent, and me, we tried to stay out of the way.” Dani looked up. “How did the Huntress work when you were with Mom?”
Michael stiffened in surprise. In hindsight, it was obvious. Virginia had been High Priestess when her children were conceived, after all.
“It wasn’t really an issue, since she’d already transitioned from the Huntress to High Priestess. The Hunt is only temporary. When the ritual is completed, then the conduit opens between the priestess and the Goddess.” Walter pursed his lips as he thought. “If your mother chose, she could use the Huntress to give her lover a cosmic reality check. She did it to me a few times when she was mad at me.”
“I never got a choice.” Dani had said the words so many times.
This time, he believed her. “That isn’t how it’s supposed to work. It’s a partnership.” Walter’s gaze turned inward. “The Goddess used your mother’s clairvoyant powers to send visions and warnings we could pass on.”
“I’m a feral, not a psychic.” Dani bit her lip.
“Maybe that’s why the Huntress has been so physical with you, so different from what happened with your mom or the other priestesses.” Walter glanced down at the gun in his lap. “I heard what you said about what happened in college. I didn’t realize it was like that. I’m sorry, sweetheart. That’s more than you should have had to deal with.”
“It’s why I stayed away as much as I could, except for helping with Gwen. You and Mom smelled so relieved when I came home, but I never knew if it was because I was back or because you were afraid of losing a potential High Priestess,” Dani whispered.
Michael sensed the pent-up old hurts easing inside her as the conversation went on. From Walter’s grip, he sensed her father taking on the pain and burden of guilt for his mistakes. His therapeutic instincts wanted to sit them down for some in-depth counseling, but his training warned him this wasn’t the moment to interfere.
Dani lifted her head, her gaze sharp. “When she was seven, Gwen told me I had to go. That the Huntress would destroy us if I tried to do the ritual. But yesterday, she said I had to do it or Dalhard would win. I’ve fought it so long. I know it’s going to take me over if it gets a chance.”
“I hope you’re wrong about that.” Walter frowned.
“I don’t think we have a choice any more. Not if we want to stop Dalhard.” Dani replied.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he struck when he did or that he targeted your brothers. He must suspect they’re my children.”
Walter’s grip came perilously close to crushing Michael’s hand. The brief cry escaping his lips bought Michael an immediate loosening. Walter and Dani dropped hands, but Michael was selfishly pleased to note that she kept her fingers interlaced with his.
“We’re going to have a planning session in the kitchen,” Walter announced, wheeling his chair back. “Join us when you’ve finished.”
He left the two of them alone in the library, his parting invitation reminding Michael of all they stood to lose: Bernie, Vincent, and Eric, even Gwen. But none of it hurt as much as the thought of Dani’s brilliant stubbornness vanishing into an alien consciousness.
“I’ve been afraid of it for so long,” Dani whispered to herself. “It seems hard to imagine it could have been any other way.”
“Our minds always build up our fears to be bigger than they are. I wonder if the Huntress reacted to your fear. It’s a psychic connection, it has to be influenced by the person it’s connected to,” Michael said, thinking out loud. “Maybe there’s a way to use that to keep
it from taking you—”
Dani set her fingers over his lips, her eyes dark with tears. “I know you want to save me. But we’re out of time. I have to take the chance.” Her other hand still clung tightly to him.
Michael wanted to argue. In a story, someone would miraculously know some forgotten rituals to control the Huntress. But no convenient third party popped up to offer salvation.
She kissed him lightly and he tasted the saltiness of her tears on her lips. “You were right. I can’t run away from this. If I do, we’ll lose everything that matters to us.”
“I don’t want to lose you.” It couldn’t end like this.
“I’ll finally be what you see when you look at me,” she smiled, smoothing back the hair from his forehead. “I’ll be the hero you deserve and you’ll get to save the girl.”
“Dani…” His protest trailed off. He knew there wasn’t time. His body screamed for her, rock-hard inside his jeans. It wasn’t distracted by the bigger picture. It only knew how much he loved and wanted her.
“I love you,” she whispered, pulling her hand free to wrap her arms around him. “I always will.”
“I love you, too.” He held her, wishing the moment could last forever, but it couldn’t.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Eric sneaked through Dalhard’s stark halls with more care than he’d ever taken sneaking out of his parents’ house. Vincent was off with Dalhard for another experiment and Eric intended to take advantage of the opportunity. The laboratory was off limits with armed guards protecting it, ditto the lower levels. He hoped he might find a phone or computer somewhere, a way to communicate with his family or Vapor. They needed to know about Dalhard’s ability to cloud other people’s minds through touch since the evidence suggested they weren’t taking his advice to run.
The sound of sniffling caught his attention. He tilted his head, closing his eyes to track the sound. It came from one of the rooms nearby, and Eric feared he knew who it was.
The unlocked door opened easily. Clearly Dalhard wasn’t worried about his acquisitions moving around on this floor. Bernie huddled on the simple mass-produced bed, a bright rag doll and a tiny bear clutched under her chin. Her breath hissed in, obviously preparing to scream.
“Hey, it’s me, Eric. We met this morning.” Eric immediately dropped to one knee, all too aware of her fear and despair filling the air. He made himself as small as possible, trying not to intimidate her further. He scanned the room, spotting the camera mounted on the wall. No toys littered the tiny room, and there was none of the luxury of his and Vincent’s suite. It both sickened and soothed him to see her so ignored. On the one hand, no child should be treated this way. On the other, it meant Dalhard still didn’t understand her true potential.
“I re-remember,” Bernie sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
“I heard you crying. What’s wrong?” Eric asked. If he could get her to cooperate, this would be an even better link than a phone or computer. It would be absolutely untraceable.
“Chuck says he can’t talk to Gwen anymore,” Bernie wailed, breaking into fresh tears. “He says the bad men are going to hurt us and the pretty lady is going to die and Michael will be too sad to help me.”
Eric’s hopes sank so rapidly that he could feel them leaving exit wounds on the bottoms of his feet. “He told you all that, huh?”
Bernie nodded, still curled miserably on the bed.
Ghosts did make the best reconnaissance scouts, provided someone could hear what they had to report. They went everywhere and listened to everything. Eric glanced at the camera, conscious that it likely recorded every word.
“You know, we have a TV in our room. Do you want to come with me and watch? We could keep each other company.” More importantly, he hadn’t found any cameras in there. Eric hoped her parents hadn’t drilled her on stranger-danger as thoroughly as his own had.
Bernie nodded and crawled awkwardly off the bed, her toys still clutched in her hands. Eric offered his hand and to his surprise, she curled her sticky little fingers around his. It made her seem so much younger than she must be.
“Chuck said I could talk to you. But not the other one. He’s been following the bad guys around to see what they do. They’re getting ready to take us away tomorrow,” Bernie said as they walked down the hall.
“Tomorrow!” Eric stopped in his tracks. There wasn’t time to search for an opportunity anymore. He’d have to make one. He hoped there wasn’t an audio along with the visual in the hall cameras. Dalhard couldn’t be allowed to suspect Eric still operated outside of the man’s influence.
He settled Bernie in the lounge, finding something colorful, loud, and kid-friendly to play on TV while he brought her some cookies. Then he settled himself in a nearby chair. “Bernie, is Chuck here?”
Bernie nodded, her eyes flicking to an apparently empty chair.
“Can he tell you why he can’t talk to Gwen anymore?” Eric asked, keeping his voice low.
Bernie frowned, answering slowly as if she didn’t quite understand. “They sealed her up with salt to keep her safe.”
“So he can’t get in to see her, but he can still talk to her,” Eric pressed, trying to keep his body language as casual as possible. His tensed arms and hands still betrayed his urgency.
“He says they’re all shouting to try and get her to hear them. Like they do with me, sometimes.” Bernie shuddered.
Her gift must be lesser than Gwen’s. The stronger the medium, the more they attracted ghosts. In Gwen’s case, strongly enough to draw in spirits who weren’t even searching for a medium. “I need to get a message to Gwen. Will Chuck try to pass it on?”
Bernie looked at the empty chair and nodded.
“Tell them that Dalhard is gifted. If he touches you, he can get inside your head, make you do things you don’t want to do.” Eric heard the distant tapping of approaching footsteps. He hated pushing the little girl but his only opportunity was about to vanish.
“He’s gone. He’ll do it. He’s trying hard to be good.” Fresh tears threatened to spill from Bernie’s eyes. “I miss my mommy. I want to go home.”
“I know. I’ll figure something out. I promise.” Eric cursed himself for a complete fraud. He couldn’t even figure out how to get Vincent and himself free, but he couldn’t stand to see the little girl so upset.
“That means I have two heroes helping me. You and Michael. And the pretty lady, I guess. If she doesn’t die,” Bernie said as the door to the lounge opened.
“Who’s going to die, Bernadette?” Dalhard swept into the room, his face narrowing in disapproval. Vincent rolled in behind, heading straight for the bar.
Bernie shrank into herself, and Eric smelled the acrid fear tainting her cotton and chocolate scent. “No one. We were just watching cartoons on TV,” he answered quickly.
Dalhard immediately dismissed the matter, waving his hand to brush it aside. “Your brother and I have had quite the afternoon.”
“Should have seen it, bro,” Vincent crowed, beer in hand. “One hit and, bam, the heavy bag splits open, spraying sand everywhere. It was awesome. New guy was impressed.”
Eric stared at the brown bottle in Vincent’s hand. His brother had been drinking heavily since their disastrous “job interview” yesterday. He hoped it was a sign that some part of Vincent recognized how screwed up things were. Suddenly he realized what Vincent had said. “What new guy?”
“Corporal Ronald McBride. You saw him earlier.” Dalhard’s granite eyes locked onto Eric, studying him.
“He woke up, then?” Eric forced himself to shrug as if he didn’t really care about the answer.
“He did, with an extra two inches and seventy-five pounds of muscle. His physical strength has increased almost eight hundred percent after the treatment. But he is nothing compared to the two of you.” A proprietary smile smugly broadened Dalhard’s features.
“Guess I don’t have to worry about losing the job, then. When’s dinner?” Eric caught
himself squirming under Dalhard’s study and forced himself to stay still. If the man touched him again, this time he might end up like Vincent. He had no idea why he’d been able to resist and Vincent hadn’t, but he wasn’t going to count on it with less than a day to escape.
“I’ll have something sent up. And someone will escort Bernadette back to her room.” Dalhard finally lifted his gaze.
Bernie shot a panicked glance at Eric.
“She can stay. I don’t mind,” Eric said quickly.
Dalhard left them, eager to focus on other matters. Eric waited until Vincent got up to get another beer. Then he whispered to Bernie. “I’m going to get us out of here. Tonight.” If he had to, he’d leave Vincent behind.
“I don’t want to get shot.” Bernie’s wide eyes stared at him. “Tomorrow the men with guns will be gone.”
“Chuck told you that?” Eric hesitated. If the ghost knew something…
Bernie nodded. “It’s part of a trap tomorrow. The bad man will send them all away.”
If Dalhard was distracted by someone springing his trap and the guards would be gone, it might be his best chance to get himself, Vincent, and Bernie out of there. He could knock Vincent out and carry him. Mom and Dad must know someone who can fix whatever was done to his mind. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it beat grabbing Bernie now and hoping he could outrun the guards and their bullets. If only he didn’t have the sickening certainty that they were all playing into Dalhard’s plans.
This was not how he’d planned for things to go, André fumed as he stalked toward his isolated office. McBride’s test results were disappointing. Yes, he was stronger than even the strongest human, but he still performed far behind the ferals. It was like settling for a cheap knock-off instead of the proper designer. But he couldn’t hope to build a fortune on the few ferals that Nature stingily provided.
Revelations: Book One of the Lalassu Page 23
