Tendril Hearts (Immortals Book 11)

by LJ Vickery

“What’s this all about?” He floated the question between them. “Is this some Chosen thing, a compulsion you had to act on it?” He pulled his pants up and fastened his belt buckle, seeking out Veronica’s beautiful eyes. She warred with herself. He could tell the minute her mind latched onto what she’d say. He was pretty sure it would be the truth…but not the whole truth.

  “It was a test.” She bent and put her shoes back on, not meeting his eyes again.

  “And?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “And you’ll be happy to know you passed.” She turned and opened the door, losing the opportunity for more questions.

  Dumuzi wasn’t upset. Hell no, he was elated. Veronica had set the sexual bar high with their closet interlude. He’d damn well make sure to exceed her expectations during their next encounter…and that encounter couldn’t come soon enough.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Sorry Muze, if I…uh…interrupted anything.” Marduk kept his chin down when he said it—that was good. If Dumuzi saw so much as a smirk on the thunder god’s face, he’d happily engage in knocking it off. Damn. All his unreleased, backed-up testosterone had every cell in his structure full to bursting, and he was fucking uncomfortable.

  Not only that, Dumuzi was aware―as everyone trooped into the large office once again―the smell of his and Veronica’s sexual arousal would permeate the air. Every god and goddess in attendance would know what they’d―almost―been up to. It burned his ass.

  “Get comfortable,” Marduk began. “We may be here for a while. We have a lot of stuff to cover, but top on the agenda are the correlations we’ve made between Muze and Verrie’s family. Here’s what we already know. Dumuzi’s episodes, sporadically spaced throughout the years, come in clusters and correspond to the few days around the full moon.”

  Dumuzi wondered where Marduk was taking this.

  “Without leading the witnesses,” he glanced to the four human women sitting together, “we found Verrie and Sienna’s voices have all come near the full moon as well.”

  “I never realized…” Veronica’s eyes went wide. “I guess I was always so consumed with pain, I never thought about timing.”

  “Sienna,” the thunder god turned. “The night the police picked you up in the Blue Hills, you had an incident with the voices just previous, did you not?”

  “Yeah, I did.” Sienna looked thoughtful.

  “Dumuzi had an episode at the very same time,” Marduk stated, but before they could ask what that episode might be, he kept on. “As a matter of fact, we’ve been able to definitively match up nearly a dozen concurrent events without a doubt having paired the exact time periods for the clusters. For instance…” he tapped the button to activate the computer white-board on the wall. “…the latest cluster began last September which had been puzzling to us because, before that, Muze hadn’t had a relapse in…” he pointed his indicator backward on the timeline. “…nine years.”

  There was a gasp from Veronica. “No.” She put a fluttering hand to her throat. “Th…that’s when I left Boston for Colorado.”

  She looked shaken. The self-assured woman who attacked Dumuzi in the closet had disappeared. He couldn’t help himself. The vegetation god rose from his seat and walked purposely to stand behind Veronica, putting a comforting hand on each of her shoulders, leaned down, and whispered.

  “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. That’s what we’re here for.” He gave her a quick squeeze and was gratified when one shaking hand came up to cover his own. Something he couldn’t name swelled in Dumuzi’s chest. Mine. The word taunted him.

  Marduk continued, “That band of activity lasted for twelve years, having started in 1993, and again matches up with the duration of Verrie’s voice invasions.” He flipped to another chart.

  “Oddly, one would think Muze’s problems should have started with Verrie’s because she’s his Chosen, but we know his phases have occurred off and on since he was very young.”

  Which was a fucking long time ago.

  “So with Frank’s help,” Marduk plodded on, “we’ve matched his problems with not only Verrie’s but her mother’s and grandmother’s.”

  This just got hella disturbing. Dumuzi’s head started to pound which was damned strange because gods didn’t get headaches. Marduk was still talking? There was more?

  “Thanks again to Frank and to the computer skills of Lahar and Sham, we have a very complete genealogy, going back to…not Merrymount in 1624 as you might have imagined, but to Mesopotamia in that same year.” This raised a lot of god’s heads. Here was something new. All the Chosen so far had god related bloodlines that had begun in Merrymount. Could it be that Verrie’s god connection had emanated from a much earlier time?

  “In Sumer to be exact,” Marduk inclined his head to the humans, “which is what you call Iraq.” He paused to take note of the written chart again. “We have a continuation of the family line upon leaving Sumer. In England, commencing in 1647 which for those of you who are history buffs will recall is the heyday of the HEIC―the Honorable East India Company―when the exodus from the area between the rivers was rife. Verrie, your family made the trek from Sumer to England and settled in London for a couple of centuries before finally migrating to Boston in 1820.”

  Wow, it was a lot to take in, but as Marduk spoke, Dumuzi had been thinking dates. “So, even though you only traced her family lines to 1624, her ancestors were most likely in Mesopotamia from the time I was young until I got, uh, booted out in 17 AD,” he pondered.

  “That’s what we figure,” Marduk agreed. “And you had your episodes from 239 BC until you…left, so that would tend to confirm it.”

  Dumuzi had, that year, joined the gods in hell, but he wasn’t going to mention that in front of Verrie.

  “And I didn’t have any more occurrences until well after Merrymount. Until after I was invisible,” Dumuzi swallowed hard, “beginning in 1820.”

  “At the exact time when Verrie’s ancestors moved from England to Boston.” Marduk sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “And I’ve had them ever since…”

  “Yes, in time periods that correspond directly to the lives of the American-born women on our timeline, beginning with their late adolescence and continuing until their deaths.” Marduk looked satisfied everyone was up to speed with what he knew.

  “So what the fuck?” Anshar spoke up, looking thoroughly confused.

  Dorian, their resident warlock took the first stab at putting things together.

  “It seems these demons have been following Verrie’s family for centuries. But for what reason?” he pondered. “Perhaps they’ve been waiting for something…like the two of you to come together?” Dorian looked from Veronica to Dumuzi, pinning the god with a dark stare. “It seems your unconscious self has been aware when one of these family members lives near, and has reacted in a…” he tapped his upper lip, “…protective fashion?”

  “I agree,” interjected Marduk. “But why?”

  Dagon put forth another question. “And what about the demons’ words?” the serpent god pondered. “Uggla dwall. What could they possibly mean by saying ‘Goddess, mine’?”

  This was news to Dumuzi who bristled. Nobody had told him they knew what the demons had been saying. How dare the vile creatures call Verrie or even Sienna theirs? His fingers tightened unconsciously, and he felt Veronica shiver under his touch. Dumuzi couldn’t help it. He wanted to rant. The demons had no right. He bit back his denial with difficulty. Now was not the time. He’d only impede the stream of consciousness that was currently happening among the fine minds in the room.

  It was Enlil’s turn to speculate. “Maybe it would be smarter if we took Muze out of the equation for a moment. Wouldn’t we be better served to know who began the family bloodlines back in ancient times?”

  There was agreement from his wife. “And, of course, what Verrie’s family has to do with Frank’s?” Candy supplied. “Doesn’t anyone else think it odd, putting their gene
alogies side by side, they’ve been together at least since immediately prior to their immigration to England?” The records only reached back one generation before London. It would be difficult to find anything older unless the family had lived in a prominent city like Babylon. Dumuzi was suddenly sure Marduk would put some of the guys on that possibility.

  “And then there’s the fact Riley can hear us speak,” Enten’s voice chilled the air, “and even though Frank can’t hear us, she can see invisible Ninurta. I think that also deserves looking into.”

  “Okay, so here’s the plan.” Marduk pointed to Dr. Dani-Lee. “You take the ladies up to the infirmary for some blood tests and DNA swabs. Verrie, after you’re through since we’re still in the full moon window, I want you to try a controlled reaching out to those demon voices.”

  Dumuzi growled. “Hell no.” He felt a shimmer of unease roll down his spine. Shit. Was he going to lose it right here, right now? He looked down at Archie who’d come to his feet but wasn’t tugging on him in the way that preceded an event.

  “We’ll be with her at all times, Muze. We’ll tap into the voices through her and see what we can find out. It’s the only way to get to them, and you know it.”

  Dumuzi felt the pain ramp up in his head again, and he looked down to see his Chosen rubbing at her temples. He wanted to laugh at his sudden understanding. The headache he was feeling was hers. That was fucked up. They were already sharing feelings before the amulet ceremony? But he had to address an even bigger potential headache.

  “What about me?” Dumuzi and everyone else knew when Verrie had her head invaded, he would become an instant danger.

  “Sorry, buddy, but you’ll be rooming in the cell next to Matthew’s until we’re through.”

  That’s just what he thought Marduk would say. And it didn’t make him happy. Being separated from his Chosen with someone else responsible for her well-being made every one of his hackles rise. “Fine. I get it. But make it quick, okay?” he snapped. “I don’t like any of this.”

  “Can I ask a question?” Veronica’s hand shot up, quaking though it was.

  “Of course, Verrie. And you don’t have to raise your hand,” Marduk smiled kindly. Veronica twisted in her seat to look at Dumuzi.

  “What happens to you when the voices talk to me?” Her eyes were big, and her lips trembled. Dumuzi figured he knew what she was thinking. She’d just made out with him in the coat closet and wondered if she’d been kissing some kind of freak. Well…yeah. He didn’t know what to say. Luckily, Shamash came to his rescue.

  “Let’s leave Muze out of it for now because he’s not in control of his ‘change’ the way we are. But we’ll give you a quick demonstration of the various creatures we become. Gentlemen?” The blond god stood up and started taking off his clothes.

  “What are you doing?” Verrie squeaked. “Sienna, Riley. Turn around. Close your eyes.”

  “Screw that, Ms. F,” Riley trilled. “If these guys are going to take off their clothes, I’m watching.” She turned, arching her brows, pleading her case. “When will I ever, in my entire life, get to see guys like these in the buff again? I’ll probably end up married to some hundred-pound weakling geek…so, please?” Her eyes and words beseeched.

  Dumuzi could see Frank wavering.

  Riley pressed her point, “Pretty please, Gram? It’s not like we don’t have HBO. Besides, if we leave, shouldn’t you have to go too?”

  The last one did it. “Awright.” She turned her attention to the hands-at-buttons-and-zippers gods. “But asses only guys. I don’t want these girls seein’ any dangly bits. Ya got me? Jewels ta the wall.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Shamash grinned, and Dumuzi set himself to watch the female faces…all the female faces while the men faced away. Even the goddesses were unconsciously licking lips. Married to serious booty or not, they weren’t impervious to some impressive, additional immortal flank. Anshar, Dagon, Enlil, Enten, Lahar, and Shamash all turned their backs and stripped down.

  “Anybuddy gut any dollah bills?” Aunt Frank breathed out, causing a room-wide chuckle that broke the tension. Her pretty pale skin had gone a lovely shade of pink. “Nothin’ like this at Centahfolds.” Dumuzi assumed that was some kind of male strip club and bit back a few of the choicer things he wanted to throw at his naked buddies. Because, shit, they were trying to do him a favor.

  “Ladies.” Sham looked back over his shoulder. “Please don’t be afraid. The six of us are going to morph into creatures that, for some reason,” he gave a low growl over his shoulder toward his wife, Quinn, “completely ‘do it’ for our mates.”

  The transformations began, and Dumuzi saw eyes darting in all directions. The women didn’t know who to look at first. Large dorsal fins and scales appeared from the backs of Dagon and Anshar. Horns sprouted from the heads of Enlil and Lahar, and fur emerged from the pores of Shamash and Enten, one golden, the other white. As their human skins disappeared, each one slowly turned to give the audience a good look at their changed bodies. Snouts replaced noses, and long, sharp fangs were de rigueur. Snarls, brays, and hisses cut through the room.

  “Holy shit.” Frank’s whispered comment just about summed it up.

  Dumuzi quirked one side of his mouth. This was the god-squad who had taken him down earlier in the woods. What a fucking bunch of freaks, he grinned. But who was he to talk? He was the freakiest of them all. He looked at Veronica’s face to gauge her reaction.

  At first, he saw shock, that was certain, but to give Verrie her due, the shock was quickly replaced with curiosity. After curiosity―when the menagerie began to make noise―humor became the predominant reaction, and Dumuzi relaxed his gut.

  “Mom? Can we have one, please?” Sienna’s teasing voice sounded above the cacophony. “This is better than Twilight,” she grinned. “Who needs vampires when you can have gods?”

  The goddess-ladies in the room whooped and did high-fives—it was clear they agreed with Sienna.

  “And since we wouldn’t want to waste a good morphing…” Candy strolled up to her husband Enlil―currently the bull―and reached up to stroke a horn. “What do you say, stud-man?”

  He snorted through his bovine nostrils and scooped Candy up as if she weighed nothing.

  “See you guys later,” she smirked and gave a pinkie wave back as he carried her out the door. The room quickly cleared of all creatures, except Lahar’s ram, in under thirty seconds.

  “Don’t tell me they’re all going to…?” Sienna’s voice trailed off. “Oh my god, Mom. Can’t you just wait to find out what your god turns into?” She looked at Dumuzi and back at her mother like she’d just discovered ice-cream.

  “Sienna,” her mother warned. “Don’t even go there. I can wait.” Veronica gave Dumuzi a negative shake of her head. He got it. She didn’t want to know what he turned into while there was an audience around to witness her reaction. He was glad. The vegetation god wasn’t ready to let his Chosen know there could be no happy endings with his alter-ego.

  Although…his brow creased…he couldn’t be sure of that. All the guys had been certain they’d harm their Chosen while transformed, and that had proven to be far from the reality if the noises echoing throughout the house at the moment were any indication. Could it possibly be the same for him? For them? Shit. One thing was certain. He wasn't going to try it out without lots of extra security on tap.

  Marduk looked amused at the going’s on but focused on Lahar who began to suck the curled horns back into his head. The ram-man remembered to turn back to face the wall just in time.

  “That is so cool.” Riley came out of her stupor. Before anyone could react, she was hurrying around the table, making her way toward Lahar. “Can I feel one of your horns?”

  As she reached, a distressed growl emanated from the being who was half god/half beast.

  “Don’t touch,” Marduk yelled like thunder.

  Riley stopped dead in her tracks. At the look of terror on her face, the god tried to soften
his tone “Sorry, but uh, back off, okay?” He looked sheepishly at Frank while Riley retreated. “Could you do me a favor and explain erogenous zones to the young ladies?”

  “Oh, puh-leeze,” Sienna stepped in and rolled her eyes. “Give us a break.” She turned to her friend. “Riles, don’t touch the man’s stickie-outie parts, or you might get more than you bargained for.”

  There was a lot of coughing in the room, and some decidedly feminine snickering while Lahar came fully back to god form.

  Marduk’s face looked a little flushed, but to give him props, he didn’t wait for equilibrium to return before getting on with business. “Uh, Lahar? As soon as you’re able, I want you and Sham to make the trip to Iraq. See if you can find any census or birth records for Verrie and Frank’s family in any of the museums. Make it quick and make it clandestine.” Marduk didn’t have to say “invisible.” It was implied. The boss reached out in his head to the golden leopard who was in his room with his wife.

  Shamash? As soon as you’re through, see me. I have a road trip for you and Lahar.

  A loud, imperative snarl shook the compound.

  Yeah, yeah. We get it.

  Chapter Twelve

  Verrie didn’t know what she was thinking. As Dr. Dani led them up to her infirmary, so many things were going round and round in her brain. Foremost, of course, was Dumuzi. Because…damn. Hormones buzzed that had been dormant for at least a decade. She’d attacked him in the closet—a closet, in retrospect, that was not normal. Verrie hadn’t had a chance to ask Muze―they’d been kinda busy―but a few things around them had been sort of…ghostly? Shining? Odd, but of course not the oddest thing she’d encountered since entering the god’s household, so she dismissed it for the time being.

  The apparitions, or whatever they were, certainly hadn’t stopped her crazed need for Dumuzi. Now, there’s something she couldn’t stop thinking about. She’d boldly let out her natural, sexual assertiveness. And, score, instead of being repulsed by her hyperactive libido, the god had seemed to enjoy it. Verrie could still feel the dampness between her legs from the encounter, and although her head spun with periphery questions—about ancestry, gods turning into creatures, and the fucked-up voices in her head—her predominant thought was, When can I get back to the delectable Dumuzi? Cripes. Was she sick or what? Sex should not be the first thing on her mind.