“You’re here to kill me. No loose ends, isn’t that what you said?”
The ridiculous conclusion brought an amused smile to Dmitri’s face. “After all the time you spent in my company—safely, most of it, I might add—how could you think I was here to kill you?”
“Well, there’s the fact that you actually did kill my wife. You’re nothing more than—”
“The God of the Afterlife,” Dmitri interrupted.
“What?”
“Or the God of the Resurrection, if that’s the way you prefer to think about it. I’m here because I want to show you something. Here.”
Dmitri reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small, leather-bound book, placing it in Shep’s weary grasp. The letters on the front cover, inked in gold, were a bit of a surprise.
“The Bible?” Dmitri nodded. “I thought you said you wouldn’t answer the Jesus question.”
Dmitri continued, “And I stand by that, but I’ve always been a fan of the religions of man. So vast in their interpretations, always seeking the answers to one universal question: how did we get here? One of my favorite passages from the Bible is Genesis 2:21. I wonder, will you read it aloud?”
Perplexed, Shep didn’t know what to do but comply. “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. Yeah, he created woman. I remember it from catechism. What does that have to do with anything?”
“I don’t know if anyone ever told you all the effect bonding has. Back on Altunatus, the act requires a mental connection as … well, a physical action. You might call it mating. And when you mate to another, physical echoes of your bond manifest in certain parts of your body.” Dmitri’s hand came to rest on Shep’s midriff, running over the bandaged area. “Ribs, it turns out, are where the DNA of our bonds is the most concentrated. I know you, Shep. You’re a scientist at heart, you’ll want to know why. You’ll want to know how. I can’t explain it to you. You’re not ready. But in way of an apology for all that you’ve suffered, I hope you will accept the humble offering made to you by the God of the Resurrection.”
The last words were drowned out by the pounding of Shep’s heart. Dmitri stepped away and drew back the curtain that bisected the room and hid the identity of the patient in the neighboring bed.
She was sleeping, but she looked just as beautiful as he remembered her. Just as perfect. Just as alive.
“Oh my God.”
“I prefer Dmitri,” Dmitri returned with a wink. “Christine won’t remember her death. We thought it was best if she were to forget. The question is, can you let it go and just accept her as she is?”
Tears were streaming down his cheeks. Was he kidding? He’d give up anything to have her here. Even more ribs, if that’s what was asked of him.
In that moment, seeing Christine’s chest slowly rise and fall with each breath, Shep found himself saying something he never thought he’d say to Dmitri Kronastia. “Thank you.”
“Merry Christmas, Shep.” Dmitri’s arm outstretched, and he presented a hand.
“And Hector?” Shep asked hopefully.
“Next on my list.”
-Ψ-
Shep stared at Christine for hours after Dmitri and Victoria left him alone. An hour after sunset, her eyes fluttered open. He wanted to leap off his bed, take her in his arms, and kiss her until dawn. At the same time, he didn’t want to scare her. Just because she wouldn’t have a memory of her death didn’t mean he could lie to her about the last three years.
“Hey, handsome.” Christine winced as her hands went to her temples. “Wow, I’ve such a headache. Feels like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck.” She hitched up on one elbow with a grunt and took in their surroundings. “Are we in a hospital? Shep, we’re in a hospital. And we’re both in hospital gowns. What happened?”
“You died.”
Her head whipped his direction. “What?”
“You’ve been dead for more than three years, but Osiris brought you back.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. A mouth he planned on keeping busy well into the night. “You know about Osiris?”
“And Victoria. And The Order. Christine, I know it all.”
She bit her lip as a wave of anxiety washed over her. “Do you know why I was sent to you?” He nodded. “Are you angry?”
“No, I don’t care. I don’t care what screwed up historical cover up brought you into my life. I don’t give a damn that you’re bonded to Victoria, either. The only thing that matters is your bond to me.”
She smiled at him. “Shep, I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you. I couldn’t. I still don’t know why you were so important to her. But once I fell in love with you, I didn’t want you anywhere near The Order. I wanted you safe. I didn’t want Victoria Kent anywhere near you.”
“We are safe now,” Shep assured her. “Well, I am. You, however, are in a lot of trouble.”
Christine blanched. “What? Why?”
Gathering all his strength, Shep willed himself to sit up. He placed his sore feet on the cool tile floor and stood. “Because I haven’t made love to you in three years, and because we have a semi-private room all to ourselves, and all the time in the world.”
About the Author
Killian McRae would tell you that she is a rather boring lass, an authoress whose characters’ lives are so much more exciting than her own. She would be right. Sadly, this sarcastic lexophile leads a rather mundane existence in the San Francisco Bay Area. She once dreamed of being the female Indiana Jones, and to that end she earned a degree in Middle Eastern History from the University of Michigan. However, when she learned that real archaeologist spend more time lovingly removing dust with toothbrushes from shards of pottery than outrunning intriguing villains with exotic accents, she decided to become a writer instead. She writes across many genres, including science fiction, fantasy, romance, and historical fiction.
www.killianmcrae.com
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Other titles:
A Love by Any Measure
Have Gown, Will Wed
The Pure Souls Series
Pure & Sinful
Once You Go Demon
Coming in 2014:
The Devil You Know (Pure Souls)
Chapters
07.01.09
Prologue
12.15.12
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
12.16.12
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
12.17.12
Chapter 10
12.18.12
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
12.19.12
Chapter 18
12.20.12
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
08.12.30 BCE
Chapter 26
12.21.12
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
About the Author
12.21.12: The Vessel (The Altunai Annals) Page 25
