Maeve’s arms fell to her sides and she looked to Sophia in confusion.
“Sera?” Sophia whispered. “What did you say?”
“Sophia,” Sera said, blinking at the shock on her mother’s face. “I mean, Mom. Sorry, too many memories, it’s hard to be clear.” Sera walked toward her mother.
Let me in.
The words were like musical notes in her mind, soft and persuasive. Sera paused and closed her eyes as a strange feeling flooded her head. She gave in to it fully as her mouth voiced words that weren’t her own.
“Sophia. I called her ‘guardian,’ as you were once mine.” She smiled at Sophia’s confusion and held a strand of hair between her fingertips. “Surely you know one other with this red coloring? Think back. You were so young then.”
“No, it can’t be,” Sophia’s gray eyes widened and her head swung back and forth. “Sita? It’s not possible.”
“Why not? I chose you,” Sera said, running her hand gently along the curve of Sophia’s cheek. “I chose you to return. You were my most loyal yoddhita, and then your love for Samsar, well, it was more than I could have hoped for.”
Sera could feel the voice speaking with her lips, thought the words weren’t entirely her own.
“You knew?” Sophia’s voice was a dry rasp. “About Sam?”
“Of course I knew,” Sera’s voice said. “I had already decided to come back, but I chose you after that. I have spent the last thousand years observing humanity. Now that their darkest hour is almost upon them, I couldn’t just stand by and witness their destruction.”
Sophia slumped against the wall. “But that means you would have had to know this seventeen years ago.” Sera felt herself nod. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you say anything? Maybe we could have prevented this. Sam, Nate.”
“Sophia,” the goddess said gently. “Your daughter, Serjana, could not know. You know more than anyone that what is written cannot be unwritten. We can only interpret the signs. The Trimurtas are convening. The cycle of Kali is upon us—man’s darkest age.”
“My lady,” Maeve said, her face troubled. “Micah told me that one of the Trimurtas was missing. We can’t hope to do anything without the power of all three.”
“We found him. He has returned.”
Sophia was still staring at her with guarded eyes. “And Sera, is she … ”
Sera blinked, trance-like, but her eyes were clear as the other part of her faded into the background of her mind. “We are the same,” Sera answered hoarsely. “I’m the same. Mom, it’s still me. I just have the understanding of where I came from, and who she was. She’s a part of me, but I’m still me. It’s OK, Mom.” She gripped her mother’s shoulders, her eyes fierce. “We need to find Nate.”
Sera turned to Beth. “Get your mother and Uri. The Ne’feri need to be mobilized to guard the portals between the realms. Go now.” Beth rushed out of the room after an uneasy glance at Kyle. He shot her another apologetic look. “Maeve, you need to let Micah and the others know. You must go to Illysia.”
Sera pulled back the sleeve of her left arm. Her deifyre flared, its shades of red, gold, and orange mesmerizing. A blinding white light burst from the sigil on her palm and Sera recreated its symbol against the air.
“Darwaaza Illysia,” she said. A white circular doorway shimmered into focus. “Go,” she told Maeve. “It will take you to the Protector. Return as quickly as you can. It will remain open only for you.”
Maeve bowed and slipped through it. The doorway shimmered out of sight as Sera released it. She slumped backward and flinched as Kyle lurched to catch her.
“Don’t,” she muttered, darting a look to her mother. Sera hadn’t said anything about what had happened with him, knowing what they would all think. And as angry as she was with him for attacking her, a part of her knew that if she let him go now, he’d be lost to her forever. Kyle stepped away.
“Mom,” Sera said. “You need to stay here in case Nate comes back. I need to check to see if there’s anything I missed in his room. I won’t go anywhere without telling you, OK?” She turned back to Kyle, addressing him without looking at him. “What are you still doing here?”
“I can help,” Kyle said softly. “With Nate.”
Sera stared at him, then agreed. Regardless of what was still unsaid between them, his gift could come in handy. They climbed the stairs, leaving Sophia in a daze.
“I hope she’s OK,” Sera said, more to herself than to Kyle, as she pushed open Nate’s door.
“Well, give her a little credit. It’s kind of hard finding out that your kid is the reincarnation of some goddess you served a few thousand years ago,” Kyle said.
Sera shot him a look. “I guess you have a point,” she said. “You heard then? About Sita? About me?”
“Yeah,” Kyle said with a sidelong glance.
“And you’re not freaked out at all by any of it?”
“A little, I guess, but it’s not like I’m one to talk,” Kyle began. “Everything seems to be happening so fast, and things have gotten so screwed up. Ser, I’m sorry about—”
“Look,” Sera interrupted, cutting him off. “I don’t want to talk about that. Maybe you were jealous and you let everything get to you, but right now, I need to think about Nate. If you want to help, stay, but if not, I can’t deal with you and me right now.”
“I want to help,” Kyle said, and bit his lip.
Inside, Nate’s room was organized and neat, not a thing out of place other than the bed, which looked rumpled as if he’d just rolled out of it. Sera walked over to it and stuck her hand between the blankets and the bottom sheet.
“They’re still warm,” she murmured. “He hasn’t been gone long. You’re sure you can’t sense him?”
“I’m sure.” Kyle stuck his head into Nate’s bathroom. “So what exactly are we looking for?”
“I’m not sure. I’m worried, but the kid is not exactly normal. He does this a lot, disappears for hours on end. What if he just slipped out to go somewhere?”
Kyle turned to check the window. “It’s locked,” he said, and then a thought occurred to him. “What about your dad. Would he go to him?”
Sera stared at him. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She picked up the phone handset in Nate’s room and dialed a number.
“Hi Eleanor, it’s Sera,” she said. “Is Nate there with my dad by any chance? He isn’t? OK, thanks. Beth’s on her way back, she’ll fill you in. Bye.” She replaced the handset and stared at Kyle. “No such luck.”
“Your dad’s at Beth’s?”
“Did Mom tell you what happened last night, with Marcus?” Kyle nodded. “Well, he got pretty hurt. You remember Uri? He’s a healer, so Dad went over there.” Her fists tightened at her sides. “If I see Marcus, I’ll kill him for what he did to my father. And if he or Jude put Nate in any danger, so help me—”
“Ser, Nate’s a smart kid. We’ll find him, don’t worry.”
Sera glanced at him, then scowled, looking away to sort through the stuff on Nate’s desk. She needed his help to find Nate, but that didn’t mean things were back to normal, even if he’d braved facing Sophia to apologize. She ignored the twinge of forgiveness she felt and asked brusquely, “So, what happened earlier? Looked like World War Three was about to erupt downstairs.”
Kyle rummaged through the closet. “I came to find you, and one of the guys out front jumped me.” He saw her look. “I’m fine. Azura blood, you know. Your mom doesn’t trust me either. Kind of wish your dad was here. At least he doesn’t think I’m lower than a snake’s belly.”
Sera shot him a look. “So, why were you giving up at the end? Did you want to die?”
There was a long silence before Kyle responded. “When Maeve shot me, I healed. But when she saw my blood, she went a little crazy, because she said it smelled like demon blood.”
Sera twisted out from under the bed and stared at him. Goose bumps inexplicably prickled her flesh.
“Sera, I
tried to tell you before. I don’t know exactly what I am. Maybe I am a demon. And maybe that’s why I almost attacked you before, why I got so jealous.” He stared at the tops of his scuffed Converse sneakers, avoiding her gaze.
“Is that why your mom tried to kill you when you were little?”
“You heard that?”
“Yeah,” she said. He moved to crouch beside her, and although she felt sorry for him, she moved away, keeping her distance.
“There’s something else,” he said. “Before my mother died, she sounded like she was possessed by something. The voice said that I belonged in Xibalba, and that I’d be there by the time I was seventeen.”
“And you think she was right?” Sera said carefully.
“I don’t know,” Kyle said. “Maybe she was wrong. I’m seventeen today.”
Sera could feel something was different. He felt different.
But then again, she was different too.
Sera knew Kyle bitterly regretted what he’d done—she could see it in his eyes and hear it in every word he spoke. The truth was he was still her friend no matter how much of a misogynistic idiot he’d been, and he deserved a second chance. Her face softened.
“Birthday truce?” she offered. Kyle nodded as if he couldn’t speak. She grinned. “I swear to God the last few days feel like I’ve been on some kind of crazy-coaster. I can’t believe we didn’t even go to Sal’s for your birthday breakfast. It’s like sacred tradition.”
“Tell me about it. What I wouldn’t give for some normal right now, and Sal’s home fries, eggs, extra crispy birthday bacon.” Kyle’s eyes nearly glazed over at his words.
Sera grinned at his expression. “Tell you what, once we find Nate, breakfast on me.” She peered at him with curious eyes. “Hey, when did you get your tattoos done over?”
“What?”
“They’re dark red now, and the shape’s different. They don’t look like dragon wings anymore and they curl down the back of your neck in this intricate vine design.”
“I didn’t notice,” Kyle said, his face conflicted. He seemed confused about the changes, but it was almost as if he didn’t want to acknowledge them. He shrugged indifferently. “I don’t know. Today hasn’t been exactly normal, but maybe it’s a good thing. I haven’t felt anything from Jude in a while either.”
Despite Kyle’s nonchalance, Sera could see the shaded fear in his eyes. The changing tattoos obviously had some significance that he didn’t want to think about … something that caused both her mother and Maeve to freak out. “Looks like you have something to celebrate. No more Jude. Couldn’t ask for a better birthday present.”
Kyle’s mouth twisted wryly. “Not sure if I have that much to celebrate. I spent all morning cleaning pasted-on demon blood out of Carla’s carpet, I almost got killed by two immortals, and my best friend, maybe girlfriend, will never forgive me for being a complete loser.” Sera gaped at him, unable to hide her expression. “Too soon?” he asked.
“Kyle, about us, I’m—”
But Sera’s voice faded as they both saw the mark exactly at the same time. It was an ashy faded symbol, barely visible against the wall just above Nate’s pillow. And they both recognized it in an instant.
“Azrath,” Kyle breathed.
“You know it?” Sera asked. “I saw him draw it in Xibalba.” She reached forward with tentative fingers.
“Sera, no,” Kyle warned. “Remember last time?”
“It’s OK. Last time, I was unprepared.” She leaned forward and laid her fingertips just over the symbol, not touching but hovering. The air shimmered. It was a portal. Sera stared at Kyle, her mind whirling. She needed to know where the portal went, but in order to do so she had to trust Kyle with her life. Sera hoped she wasn’t making a monumental mistake. “Hold my arm just in case,” she told Kyle, who instantly grasped her left arm.
“Don’t worry, I've got you.”
After a searching look, she dipped her fingers into the middle of the symbol. They sunk into the wall as if it were thick pudding. She felt the pull instantly, like a vacuum sucking her toward its exit point.
“Can you see where it goes?” Kyle said.
“Not yet, it’s closing too fast. Hold me. Whatever happens, don’t let go. If I squeeze once, it’s OK. Twice, get me out.”
Sera pushed forward again and stuck her body halfway through the portal. It felt like she was splitting into two, elongating until she emerged gasping for breath on the other side. She glanced back and saw the upper half of her body suspended in thin air, the air shimmering around her ribcage like a glowing white disk. Seeing her body severed at the chest was an ugly image and she looked away quickly, slightly nauseated.
Sera could feel the portal closing in like a noose against her skin and she knew she didn’t have much time. If she didn’t move quickly, she could die; even an immortal couldn’t be in two realms at the same time. Sera squeezed Kyle’s hand once and felt his reassuring squeeze back. She looked around. She was in a white room with a bed at one end. Something small lay motionless on it. She couldn’t tell if it was Nate or not.
“Nate,” she whispered. “Nate!” she called, louder. “Is that you? Can you hear me?”
A voice in her ear made her almost lurch completely through the portal. “Nate can’t hear you.”
Then hands grabbed her neck, holding her firmly in place. She felt Kyle’s immediate concerned squeeze from the jerking movement. She squeezed back once. She had to find out why Azrath wanted her brother. Plus, if Kyle pulled her back, she’d likely be strangled.
She swiveled her eyes slowly, her heart in her throat, and saw two glowing red eyes as Jude squatted next to her. “Now this is very interesting, isn’t it Marcus?” Marcus laughed, his fingers tightening around her neck.
Jude looked her up and down and twisted to look behind her missing lower half. He stood and walked toward the bed where Nate was laying.
“You leave him alone,” Sera hissed. It hurt to talk with Marcus’s fingers around her throat.
“Or you’re going to do what, Sera?”
“What does Azrath want with Nate?” For a minute Jude looked as though he wasn’t going to answer her question, but then he surprised her.
“Insurance.”
“For what?”
“Simple. Your father’s cooperation.” Jude ran a finger through Nate’s curls. Nate sighed and stirred, and Sera felt a weight lift from her shoulders. He was alive.
“Don’t touch him, you filth,” she said. As she said the words, the boy in the bed turned and Sera felt bile lurch in her stomach. It was some kind of demon creature with a child’s face—Nate’s face—and the rest of its wizened body covered in fur. A nekomata. It bared a row of sharp fangs in a Cheshire cat grin and the face distorted into something ugly and rodent-like.
“Where’s Nate?” she gritted. “If you’ve hurt him—”
Jude glanced over his shoulder, his grin cold. “Why? You’re going to hurt me? You think I’m afraid of a little Daeva blood?” He laughed and stroked the nekomata. “Oh, I know what you are, Sera.”
“Damien made the same mistake,” Sera snarled rashly.
Jude turned slowly, transforming, his face contorting before her eyes into something black and grotesque. Black scaled wings sprouted from his back, and green thorns spiked along his spine. He was bigger and uglier and more monstrous than Damien had been.
“What did you say?” Jude snarled through bared fangs.
Marcus’s fingers dug into her skin like a vice. She could feel his hands twisting into talons and could smell the rancid sourness of blood on his breath. She refused to give him the satisfaction of looking at him. She reined in her anger.
“You heard me, and if you think you scare me, think again.” She felt Marcus’s claws almost cutting off her breath but she knew that Jude wanted to be the one to hurt her. She could see it in his hot demon eyes. She turned to look at Marcus. “Let me go, Marcus,” she told him. “You will die if you keep y
our hands on me.”
At her words, Marcus looked uneasy, but Jude’s long laugh from the middle of the room erased his nervousness. Jude walked to crouch once more in front of her, his body transforming back to the boy she knew.
“You’re in no position to be threatening anyone.” Jude caressed her stomach with a cold finger, and Sera had to force herself from cringing at his touch. “The minute that portal closes, you are over, Daeva or not.” He brushed the hair off her face, an appreciative leer distorting his features. “By the way, I like what you’ve done with your hair. Red suits you. I always thought you had some fire in you.” His voice grew hard as he grabbed a handful of hair so hard that her eyes smarted. “Now tell me about Damien.”
“I can’t … speak,” she rasped. Jude nodded for Marcus to release his hold. “Damien thought I was Daeva, too.”
Sera knew she didn’t have much time; the portal was a tight rubber band against her skin. But she understood the odds now and knew that revealing her power would give Azrath and his minions a tactical advantage.
“So, what are you then?” Marcus asked.
Sera looked at Jude as she responded, “Something worse.”
And then she flung her fist as hard as she could into Jude’s face. She heard the satisfying crunch of bone but didn’t dwell on it as she squeezed Kyle’s hand twice as hard as she could, and a third time for good measure.
Jude leapt to his feet, howling with rage, but he was too late as she jerked backward through the portal in half a second, crashing into Kyle.
The portal spun closed, but Sera wasn’t taking any chances.
“Darwaaza bānd,” she gasped, drawing a sealing rune on the wall and collapsing on the bed. Her body had started shaking uncontrollably.
“Are you all right?” Kyle asked. She nodded, her teeth chattering so hard they felt like they would shatter. “What happened? Did you see Nate?”
Alpha Goddess Page 21
