by Kate Hill
“How can you stop them?”
“I have my methods.” His eyes blazed. “The parasites know if they harm any of my women, they will suffer tortures such as they cannot imagine.”
Tamanna knew the priests feared Chand’s wrath, but she also knew no matter how much fear he instilled, they held the power of freedom over him. Yet what sort of freedom was it, to be forced to participate in this kind of deceit and to have the revolting priests feeding off his blood like ticks on a dog?
Tamanna stood and approached him. Slipping her arms around him, she rested her head against his chest and listened to the wild beating of his heart.
“All of us are trapped, aren’t we?” she said.
He didn’t reply, but held her in a fierce embrace. Finally he pushed her away and headed for the door. “I must go, Tamanna. Our time is over.”
“But we have two more days.”
“No. This must end now before that bastard wins after all.” He paused, his hand on the doorknob and his head bowed.
“What bastard? What are you talking about? Chand!”
He stepped out the door and slammed it behind him. When she ran to it, she found it locked from the outside.
“Chand! Answer me, damn it! Chand!”
No reply came.
* * *
Chand stood on the shore of the netherworld’s black ocean. The red eyes of the damned glowed beneath the surface of the water, laughing at him, not that he blamed them. He was, after all, their lord.
Wind tore across the empty beach, making his unbound hair lash his body like dozens of tiny whips.
He was cold through to his heart, but he hadn’t forfeited his freedom.
When Tamanna had slipped her arms around him and offered comfort even after she knew the truth about him, he realized he had succeeded in making her love him. Unfortunately, he teetered on the edge of love as well. Having never loved before, he hadn’t understood the danger he was in until he considered refusing his freedom if the priests tasted her blood. When she had asked how he could stop them, he knew that was the one threat that would work, but how could he give up so much for a woman? She had infected him like a disease. If he spent even another day with her --
No. He refused to think about it.
He could almost hear Kabir’s voice taunting him, even though he and the man were once again separate entities.
Until next year.
An entire year before he could see Tamanna again, feel her touch, bury himself in her soft, willing body and listen to her soothing words of affection.
Growling over his lingering weakness, he leapt into the water. A swim through hell’s ocean would wean him off the woman’s tenderness.
Chapter Eight
Tamanna sat on her silk-covered bed in her room in the harem. Wrapping her arms around herself, she stared blankly out the window and considered the events of the past two weeks.
After Chand had left abruptly, the priests had moved her to the harem where the other women seemed to accept her as a companion -- until they realized that when the priests came to dine on their blood, she was the only one excluded.
Knowing the Lust God’s order protected her from the blood drinkers gave rise to their jealousy. From then on, most of the women ignored her while others attempted to goad her. This led to physical brawls that often left Tamanna bloody. She was a strong woman and usually gained the upper hand in fights, unless several women leapt on her at once, which happened more often than not.
When the priests saw what was going on, they locked her in a private room, no less comfortable and elegant than the rest of the harem, but somehow a far worse prison.
For the first time, she began to truly understand the pain of Chand’s loneliness.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the door.
Curious, she stood and approached the door. Every evening a priest would bring her food and fresh water. The vile creature would never talk, even if she asked a question, and would leave in seconds.
It was not evening, however, but morning. Sunlight bathed the room in light and danced off the pool of water in the garden just outside her window. When Chand was away, the priests never appeared in daylight, so who was outside her door?
The lock turned, the door opened, and a handsome young man stepped inside. Tall with smooth brown skin and dark eyes, he gazed at her with hesitation. Though she had never seen his face, there was something familiar in his expression.
“Tamanna?”
“Who are you?” she asked warily.
“I am Kabir.”
“You’re not a priest.”
“Like you, I’m one of their captives. I thought we might spend some time together, if you’re willing?”
* * *
Kabir stood staring at Tamanna, his heart pounding.
After Chand had left him, Kabir had been shocked by his turmoil regarding the Lust God.
He thought he had known all the dark corners of Chand’s thoughts and feelings, but he had been wrong. Until Tamanna, the Lust God had kept his deepest emotions well hidden. Kabir had almost been overcome by the man’s desperation, loneliness, and self-loathing. He had no idea how much guilt Chand felt about the priests’ deception and how he despised the weakness that drove him to accept it.
After Chand had gone, Kabir dragged himself to his chambers where he had dropped onto his bed and not moved for days. He was always physically exhausted after the Lust God left his body, but this weariness went beyond anything he had ever felt before. Though as an immortal being, he healed rapidly, it had nonetheless taken a full day before the wounds on his hands faded. He could still feel pain of his bones bruising and flesh splitting beneath the pounding of Chand’s fists against marble.
The destruction of the altar meant little to the priests. They would have another built in time for next year’s ritual, but the meaning behind its destruction haunted Kabir.
The Lust God was as much a pawn as the women and Kabir himself. His punishment for his crimes was nothing short of torture, his only bit of happiness allowed during the week of the ritual. If Kabir continued his plan for Tamanna to fall in love with them, thereby ending the means for the ritual to be performed, he would condemn Chand to eternal loneliness.
For the first time, he felt genuine sympathy for the Lust God, so much that he remained in his room for nearly two weeks before his reason overcame his emotions.
Regardless of what Chand must endure, he had willingly committed his crimes. Kabir and the women had been deceived and they deserved release.
The demon priests slept by day. Kabir could sneak into the harem, court Tamanna, and the parasites would never know the difference.
On his way to the harem, other thoughts had plagued him. He could not tell Tamanna the truth about his plan, or else it could hinder the natural course of any feelings that might develop between them. This made him as much a liar as the priests. He told himself it was a means to a better end, yet he couldn’t help the hint of guilt that nearly prevented him from knocking on her door. Worst of all, part of him already loved her. He had been witness to almost everything shared between her and the Lust God. He had felt her warmth and kindness and often wished she had been offering it to him, not Chand. As much as the god craved companionship, Kabir’s life had been lonely and miserable as well. He longed for Tamanna’s touch, though he loathed the lies that would bring it.
Now his decision had been made. He stood, facing her, offering the beginning of a courtship that would end their loneliness and hopefully free the prisoners of the temple.
Tamanna’s rich brown eyes gazed into his for several seconds before she stepped aside and gestured for him to enter her room. “Come in.”
He stepped inside and sat in a chair by the dinner table. For several moments they stared at each other in awkward silence. Kabir’s heart pounded and his hands felt clammy. Flirtation had never been a particular talent of his, but after a century sharing a body with the Lust God, one would think he
would have learned something about attracting women.
Finally, Tamanna broke the silence. “I didn’t realize the priests and Chand used men in the ritual.”
“Excuse me?”
“The ritual which allows him freedom from his imprisonment.”
Stunned, Kabir stared at her. He had no idea Chand had told her the truth about his punishment. Though he eventually confided in the women about the ritual, he liked to save face by making it appear like he could initiate it at will and not fully depend on the priests. When had he told Tamanna? It must have been after he’d destroyed the altar in the dungeon. The incident had accompanied thoughts that disturbed Kabir more than he imagined they would. When Chand had pushed him into the darkest recesses of his mind, Kabir had chosen to remain there in blessed blackness, numbing himself against Chand’s thoughts. Chand must have confided in her at that time.
“He told you about that?”
“Yes.”
Drawing a deep breath, Kabir ran a hand through his hair and rethought his plan for the evening. Somehow, Chand had managed to overcome his pride and reveal his shame to a mortal. He had been honest with Tamanna, and she had responded. Why shouldn’t she? Kabir preferred the truth over lies and doubted he could love a woman who was any different.
“The priests and Chand do use me, but not in the way you think. During the week of Chand’s freedom, the Lust God and I are one.”
* * *
Tamanna could scarcely believe the story Kabir spun. If she thought herself and the women of the harem used, the young priest was even more so. Not young. He was over a century old, made immortal by the Lust God’s power.
Strange how two men who seemed so opposite could inhabit the same body for even a short time. The priest seemed humble, gentle, almost innocent in spite of all he’d endured. Chand was arrogance personified. Perhaps the only thing common to them was strength. Kabir had the strength to fight against his captors and endure the ritual’s yearly torment, and Chand had the strength to keep his sanity while banished into a darkness that would drive a lesser man mad.
When he’d finished speaking, Kabir rested his elbows on the table and pressed his palms to his eyes, as if to alleviate a headache. She didn’t doubt he had one. She knew she certainly did.
“Pathetic,” she finally whispered. “We’re all trapped. All of us.”
“Chand --”
“Is as trapped as the rest of us,” she replied. “Can you imagine enduring his punishment?”
“No, I can’t,” Kabir admitted. In spite of all he’d told her, he still withheld the knowledge that to stop the yearly ritual, she must fall in love with both him and the Lust God. He hated himself for it, but she seemed to love Chand already, and if she did there was a good chance she wouldn’t want to deny him the only comfort he had left. He stood. “I should go.”
“No. Please stay and have something to eat with me. I’m tired of dining alone.”
“Thank you.”
She served a meal of bread, fruit, cheese, and wine, which they took into the garden and ate beneath the shade of a tree. As if anxious to forget about Chand, the ritual, even their imprisonment, they discussed frivolous matters, from the weather to mutual interests such as swimming and horseback riding.
By the end of the meal, the awful tension that had built up in Kabir for the past two weeks had nearly faded away. Perhaps it was due to so many years of solitary living, but he had never enjoyed anyone’s company as much as he did Tamanna’s. She was honest, kind, and without pretense. When she laughed, it was with genuine gladness.
After eating, they moved back inside and talked more. Kabir wasn’t sure how much time passed, but when he looked outside it was nearly dusk.
“I must go.” He stood abruptly and headed for the door. “The priests will awaken soon and if they know I’ve been here, they might try to prevent more visits.”
Tamanna nodded, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering, though the room wasn’t cold. Apparently the priests frightened and disgusted her as well.
Impulsively, he slipped his arms around her and held her close.
“I’m sorry this happened to you, Tamanna,” he whispered against her hair.
“I’m sorrier for you. At least I had a choice about whether or not to come here, even if I wasn’t aware of the truth.”
“I had the choice as well, though under the influence of the same lies.”
Tamanna’s arms tightened around him for a moment, then she tugged away. “You must go.”
“I’ll return tomorrow, if you’ll have me?”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
The urge to kiss her nearly overwhelmed him, but Kabir restrained himself. In spite of how his body cried out for human contact, he needed to move slowly and not force himself upon her.
He left and hurried back to his chamber. That night when he drifted to sleep, his dreams were filled with Tamanna naked in his bed, their bodies entwined. Her kisses stole his breath and her body seemed to draw his very soul into her.
Kabir awoke soaked in sweat and sporting a massive erection.
His heart pounding so hard he thought it might leap through his chest, he stood on trembling legs and opened the window of his chamber, drawing in sips of cool night air.
Tamanna was right. They were pathetic and trapped. No matter what the outcome of his plan, he, Tamanna, and the Lust God himself would be forever marked.
* * *
Over the next few weeks, Tamanna looked forward to Kabir’s daily visits. They spent long hours talking, walking in the private garden outside her room, and bathing in the hot spring pool in his chamber.
She didn’t fully understand how much he meant to her until one morning he was late in arriving. Terrible thoughts raced through her mind. Had the priests discovered him and locked him up? Who knew what other horrible punishments the parasites might invent for a man completely at their mercy? His immortal body could endure all sorts of torture and never succumb to the comfort of death.
Over the past week, he had been looking increasingly unwell with shadows beneath his eyes and lines of tension around his mouth. When she asked if he was ill, he assured her he was fine. Whatever troubled him he wouldn’t talk about. This refusal to confide in her hurt her more than she wanted to admit.
By late morning, she had begun a futile attempt to break through the locks on her door. Finally, she heard a bolt slide. Her heart pounding, she stood still, fully expecting one of the priests to step through the door.
Upon seeing Kabir, she embraced him tightly. “I thought the priests did something awful to you.”
“I’m sorry. I overslept this morning,” he said, stroking her hair.
She loosened her hold enough to examine his face, noting that he looked tired, and his eyes shone with an almost tormented gleam.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head and forced a smile, brushing her forehead with a kiss. “Nothing.”
“Why won’t you talk to me?”
“I want to, Tamanna. I sit awake nights thinking about all the things I want to say to you.”
“Then why not say them?” She took his face in her hands, her gaze never leaving his. “It’s not as if the two of us have a great many friends.”
“Is that why you spend time with me, because I’m all there is? Not that I blame you if that’s the case.”
“Of course not,” she snapped.
“Tell me the truth, Tamanna. If we were free and you could have your pick of companions, would you choose someone like me?”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head, a faint, sad smile on his lips. “Not even a moment’s hesitation before you answer. Have I taken advantage of you, just like everyone else?”
“What?” Fresh worry clawed at her. Was he going mad? Had the priests done something to him after all? “Kabir, you’re not making sense.”
“Aren’t I?”
“What about you? If we were fre
e, would you seek me out?”
“Yes.” He grasped her shoulders and tugged her close, devouring her with his gaze. “Gods, yes, Tamanna. Of all the wretches in this temple, you’re the only one who came with love in her heart. The rest of us wanted something more -- glory, wealth, carnal pleasures, but you --”
“You think I didn’t want carnal pleasures?”
“Remember, I was with Chand when you were together. I know you wanted more from him than simple lust. You cared for him. I wanted you to care for me, too, but --”
“I do,” she whispered against his lips. “I just know I don’t appeal to you as a woman, so I’m content with friendship.”
His brow furrowed and he caressed her cheek. “What?”
“In all this time we’ve been together, you’ve never once tried to kiss my mouth or suggest we mate.”
“You want to?”
Tamanna’s pulse quickened. She studied Kabir’s smooth, handsome face and ran her hands over the lean muscles of his chest that reminded her so much of Chand. How could she lust after two such opposite men? Even worse, how could she have fallen in love with them?
“Do you want to?” she asked, hoping he would say yes. After being away from Chand for what seemed like eternity, her healthy young body craved sexual release, but only with a man she cared for.
“Every night I dream of making love with you,” he murmured, his lips hovering an inch away from hers. “I feel like I can’t even rest in sleep because I want you desperately. I awake more tired than before I closed my eyes. Your scent clings to me. The sound of your voice never leaves my mind. I want you so badly, Tamanna.”
“Then why haven’t you said something?”
“Because I…”
“You can tell me.” She brushed his lips with a kiss, then embraced him, stroking his back.
“I think I’ve destroyed us all, Tamanna.”
“What?” Wrinkling her nose, she moved to face him. “Kabir, I don’t understand.”
“There is a way to break the ritual, to free us all from the priests and Chand.”
“How?”
“If a woman gives her love to both the Lust God and his host and if they love her in return, the ritual will no longer work. The women will be free, Chand will be trapped, and without his blood the priests will revert to their human form. He loves you, Tamanna, as I do, and I know you love him.”
