“Baby, it’s been almost two weeks now.”
Chapter Seven
I’m not sure that I hear her, so I blink a few times and let the words sink in before I say, “Huh.” I am more lost than ever.
“You don’t remember anything do you?” she asks in return, reaching for me again with a look full of pity. It’s a look you’d give a stray puppy you’ve stared at in the pound.
“How could I? After I passed out at the house, I woke up here, just now. Just now Selene! Now is the next day, not two fucking weeks after my family and employees were murdered. Two weeks is fourteen fucking days. Two weeks is a lot to miss out on!” I want to scream at the top of my lungs, I want to break everything in this room, but instead I look at Selene with all the hate I have inside me. Something again shatters within me.
She flinches under my gaze and then looks away. I wish I knew what was running through her mind right now. What has she had to go through to get me here, keep me safe? She doesn’t deserve to be the punching bag for my pain, but she’s the only one here and I’m giving out the only emotion my heart is allowing me to feel right now. Maybe later I would feel bad about this, but as I’m feeling, maybe later, I’d be dead. After all, I’m only human and I’m sure a human heart can take only so much pain.
“Rayne, when you passed out, I carried you to the car and drove to meet up with Damien. I told him what happened and he sent men to the scene and they handled the police. They even had to change the scene some to look like humans had done it. It was terrible. They found your dad,” Selene hesitates.
“Tell me,” I demand.
“You don’t need to know baby. It won’t bring him back.”
“I need to know! Did he fight back, was he protecting anyone? My dad wouldn’t have just given up. Where was he?”
“He was found tied to a chair; his heart was ripped out, Rayne. But I don’t think that the Demon tortured him. I think it was whoever summoned the Demon. They saved him for last,” Selene tells me even though I thought she’d lie.
All I feel is numbness at her words. I unwisely play the scene in my head. Someone tied my dad up first and made him see and hear the screams of everyone. Then, after there was no hope, after torturing him physically and emotionally, that person murdered my father and gave the Demon his heart to feast on. It took the piece of him that was giving and loving and kind. I know I will have nightmares for the rest of my days. How could anyone heal from this?
“What else?” I manage to whisper.
“Baby, it can wait. Please.”
“No!” I yell, then talk in a less loud tone. “No. You already said it’s been nearly two weeks. I need to know.”
“Ok,” Selene agrees, her green eyes full of regret for me. “In order to protect you, they burned a couple bodies to make it look like you were among them but so it was too unrecognizable to completely i.d. Then, at the morgue they planted some of your DNA when the testing was done.”
So, now other families had to have closed caskets or couldn’t identify their loved ones, all to protect me.
“Damien made some calls and so did I. We were able to get you out of town and here to this safe house. I called in a healer whom I trusted. You kept fading in and out, screaming, fighting, and we had to sedate you over and over. When he began to heal your ankle as best as he could, you passed out and hadn’t woken up for three days. You had to grow the bone back at a rapid rate, just in case we had to run again. It took a toll on your body. This is the most alert that you’ve been. I had to give you different herbs, make sure your arm wasn’t infected, and clean you. I’ve been scared to death that you would never come back to me, that you would never be my Rayne again.”
This time, Selene actually allows herself to cry, completely as if for the past couple weeks she’s been trying to be strong for me. I owe her my life and probably more than I will ever be able to repay. I would never know where to begin, how to truly say thank you. Still, she’s right about one thing, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be the Rayne that she knew before this. She died that night too. I don’t know who I am now. I try to form the words to say thank you, but they are not ready to appear.
“Where is Damien now? And don’t worry about the explanation about my father and his business. I need to talk to Damien about that.” I had some serious questions about what was going on with the business and what did it mean now that I was supposed to be dead.
“He’s been working around the clock to keep everything contained while trying to keep himself safe and the business protected. It’s all over the news. You’re father was a powerful man.”
He wasn’t powerful enough to protect his family. If only he-. No, I wouldn’t do that to myself, play the “what if” game. In order to be strong, I had to live in the now. “Is he in danger too?”
“I really don’t think so. I think the message was clear enough and that the damage that was done was enough to make anyone else think twice about crossing that man again.”
“What man?” I ask. I need to know the name of the man who ordered the death of my loved ones, the one who destroyed everything.
“Damien wouldn’t tell me. He said that he doesn’t know for sure who to point the finger at, but they are looking into it. The leads are just making him go around in circles, plus he has to use some underground channels that may draw dangerous attention to him which could make him vulnerable to an attack when he has no idea where it might be coming from. It seems like a lot of hiding behind other people is being done and I don’t enough about that to tell you anything.”
“It’s okay, I’ll get that information from him. I think I’m feeling better now. The pain has stopped,” I admit. The physical pain at least.
She smiles. “Good. That means the drink is working.” Selene looks around the room as if to make sure no one is around before she asks me, “So, how did you do it Rayne? How did you find the strength to fight to stay alive long enough for me to build my power?”
I sit up straighter as I try to remember what exactly I felt in those moments. I have to fight through the fogginess of my mind trying to protect myself from the whole ordeal. Finally, I speak. “I fought to buy you time and also because I didn’t want my final moments to be full of fear. I couldn’t let that thing steal that from me too. When it grabbed me by the throat one of its mouths closed and it got frustrated as I kept staring it down. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. You said that the Devourer feeds on fear and I wasn’t feeling any at the time. The only emotion I was feeling was defiance.”
Selene shakes her head quickly as if I slapped her and I look at her sideways. “What?” I ask, confused as to why, she herself, looked puzzled.
“You said you stared it down and it couldn’t kill you?”
“Yeah,” I say slowly. “I guess so.”
Selene stares deeply into my eyes for a few seconds and I finally turn away feeling uncomfortable. Finally, she whispers, “It’s you, I know it is.”
Huh? At this point I am completely perplexed and also fearful to ask any more questions, but I force myself to ask anyway. “I am what?”
Selene mumbles something to herself and then her entire demeanor becomes perkier, almost scaring me. She nearly jumps out of her seat as she gets up so fast, hair swinging wildly as she hurries out of the room, calling behind her. “You will know everything soon enough. Just relax baby!”
I stare out at the door and realize that I have to go to the bathroom. As I glance to the side of me, I see an empty bedpan and I groan.
Chapter Eight
After I stop feeling self-conscious and just use the stupid bedpan, I feel much better and drift back to sleep. I don’t know how long I’m out, but when I awaken, I hear Selene plus another voice in one of the other rooms. The voice is feminine and commanding. I almost wince at the power behind it from here. Then, I almost become angry as I realize that Selene is pleading with the other person to come see me.
“Please… special…she can be…
”
The voices are muffled as if they are walking away and Selene is following behind, trying to get this other person to stay.
“Diana… Please just see…”
I’ve had enough of this. I don’t like to hear Selene beg, especially not on my account. Plus, I have to find out who this person is that’s too good to apparently even come look at me. This time, I remember that even though my bones have been spelled to grow back quickly, my ankle is still in terrible condition. I make sure I get out of the bed much easier than I did before. I make it to the door without putting hardly any pressure on the ankle but I still feel slight stabs of pain come and go. Out in the hallway, I see a light coming from what I assume is the living room and I see Selene’s head nodding emphatically.
“I just know it Diana. I would have never summoned you here without the proper tributes if this wasn’t a matter of urgency. Please, you don’t have to believe me, but once you see her you will know the truth. You will know that I’m right,” Selene says to the mystery woman quickly and passionately.
Finally, I hear the other woman’s voice clearly. “And if you are not right, you will pay the price young witch. You must know your place and I will be more than glad to teach it to you.” Her voice is like a cold shower, shocking and lacking any warmth at all. It echoes all around me as if it is coming from different directions and I almost look behind me to make sure there aren’t any speakers on the wall, magnifying the sound. Even though her voice is filled with icy power, it is the most beautiful sound my ears have ever heard and I have to see who it belongs to.
I round the corner, limping foolishly and then come to a stop. The woman known as Diana is facing me, looking directly at me and I have to bite my lip to keep my jaw from dropping. Diana is about 6’4” with long blonde hair that is so light that it almost looks white. Her skin is incredibly smooth and is slightly glowing. Her eyes are the lightest blue I have ever seen in my life and her lips, small and pink, are frowning. Still, it doesn’t take away from her other-worldly beauty.
She is wearing a long, one strapped dress that hangs modestly over her chest, showing nothing, but still managing to look attractive. There are no shoes on her feet and I’m sure that she hardly wears any at all, despite having perfect feet as well.
It takes all my energy to look away from this woman, who by no means would ever be mistaken for human. But, I have to show her where my heart lies as I look toward Selene.
“Are you okay baby?” I ask her.
Selene looks almost horrified at my blatant disregard of the woman across from me. “Um, you’re asking me if I’m okay? Rayne, you shouldn’t be out of bed,” she tries to chastise me. Her voice is thick with the accent I love so much as her nervousness comes to the forefront.
“I had to check on you. I heard you speaking and it sounded like something was wrong.” I start to wobble slightly and lean against the wall before I topple over while still trying to look serious and protective.
Selene notices my mini struggle and smirks. Then, she catches her composure and looks back to Diana who is staring at me with a raised eyebrow.
“You’d try to come to the aid of your witch while in your condition, human.” It’s not a question but I answer her anyway, trying to ignore the way her voice resonates all around me and the goose bumps that are forming on my skin.
“Yes, as you said, she is my witch. I love her.” I try to sound confident, have my voice contain power like hers, but I know that’s impossible.
“Interesting. Come to me child,” Diana coaxes me. My body seems to move on its own toward her.
As I get closer, I notice that her skin truly has not one flaw to it. There is no visible mark or scar, no extra hairs poking out, nothing. She is what make-up tries to imitate. Diana lifts up my chin, taking me in as if I am a science project. Her hand is warm and delicate, but part of me still wants to pull away from her as if she is a ticking time bomb. Yet, I force myself not to pull away as we lock eyes.
Suddenly, I’m gasping before I realize it and I quickly turn my head. What I’ve seen, I can’t explain. There is a power behind her eyes, frightening and beautiful all at once and a look that says that she’s seen and done more than I ever will. Her stare made me feel as though I was drowning. Waves of a tempest crashing down onto my chest, filling my lungs.
“It’s okay child, don’t be ashamed. It is not often that one can look into the eyes of an Immortal the first time meeting one.” She smiles at me. “You are beautiful. Young witch, you have chosen well.” Diana says; her hand now on my shoulder, her height just as intimidating as her supernatural eyes.
I blink twice at her words. Immortal? This is just getting better and better. I examine Diana’s appearance. She doesn’t look to be much older than mid-thirty’s, but clearly, I needed to add at least a couple zeros to her age. Apparently there are a lot of things that I need to be brought up to speed on. I definitely don’t like feeling like I’m at the bottom of the food chain either. No wonder why her damn skin glowed. Jesus.
“Thank you Diana. Are you now willing to look?” Selene responds, a slight desperation in her voice.
“I will look only if you agree to pay the cost. If you are wrong, you will pay double that. These are my terms,” she says, with finality.
“I will,“ Selene responds.
“Wait,” I say backing away from both of them. “What cost? Look at what? If this is about me, I should know what you’re talking about. And if you are going to have to pay something to a freaking Immortal I should at least have a say in it.” I try not to sound whiny or fearful, but we were dealing with a real life, f’ing Immortal. I know that there is no way in hell they were talking about money.
“You will watch your tongue child. Although I am surprised that she did not explain to you why I am here, you should appreciate what she is doing for you.”
‘But, I don’t even know what’s going on,’ I think to myself, distrusting my voice not to sound pouty.
“Rayne. There is a prophesy, no, more like an agreement that says that some humans will be given power from the immortals in order to protect themselves and their kind. Long, long ago before humans stopped believing in supernaturals or the ‘awakened’ as some of our kind calls themselves, they pledged themselves as servants of the immortals. The humans were being wiped out in waves with no true means or heroes to stop the attacks,” Selene begins.
Diana continues for her, cutting her off with a wave of her hand, “In turn, if unique humans met certain, as you say, criteria, they could be marked by an immortal to become more than human. They would possess the means to destroy their enemies. If the human was worthy, they could become a protector of their kind. In this way, humans would not have to be completely powerless against the other races that walk the Earth. However, that was long ago and the pact that was made has been long since forgotten. As well, we immortals no longer walk this plane.”
“Selene,” I say, turning to her, ignoring the growing pain in my ankle. “What about me makes you think I could be one of these people?” I am extremely curious to know.
“Forgotten doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist anymore either. One of the prophecies says that ‘they will be destroyed, gaze upon evil, yet know no fear,” Selene tells me excitedly. “Your family’s death in a way was your destruction, they were your lifeline. When the Devourer came after you, you knew what it was and yet you stood up to it, unafraid. It is said that, that human who fulfills the prophesy and becomes marked will be a warrior that the world has never before seen. Rayne, there has not been one marked in over a generation. That seer was talking about you.” Selene sounds so confident that I could be the one.
I look at Selene. She thinks that because that thing’s mouth closed, I could be some kind of super-human. I start to shake my head, but I can’t let Selene look like a fool in front of the immortal. What if she was right about me?
“So, when she improperly summoned me, Selene stated that your entire family was just mu
rdered and that you fought against a Demon, a powerful one at that and it was unable to kill you. Is this the truth young warrior?”
Warrior? Me? I look back at Selene who smiles and gives me the confidence that I need. I step toward Diana again, nodding.
“Yes. I couldn’t let that thing hurt Selene too even if it cost me my life. I refused to let it kill me knowing that I was afraid of it,” I say, as truthfully as possible.
Diana nods in approval. “Those are the qualities of a protector. There could be power in you yet.”
Before I can blink, Diana pulls me into her arms, grabs both sides of my cheeks and stares piercingly into my eyes. This time, I’m unable to look away and I swear I feel her pulling memories out of my mind. Birthdays, arguments, swimming, family time, the Demon, she sees it all. It’s not really painful, but I feel a type of violation that I’ve never felt in my life. The memories of me making love to Selene play and I try to force myself to think of something else. Diana focuses of my passions, competitiveness, and morality. Finally, she pulls away from me and smiles.
“It’s been over two hundred years since I’ve marked anyone. There is something remarkable inside you and you don’t even know it. You have a strong urge to protect child, and I believe that with that strength, I can turn you into a weapon,” Diana says satisfactorily.
I finally give in to my pain and limp to the couch. They both follow me without a word. So, I respond, “A weapon? To be used as I see fit, or as a tool for others?” Power comes at a cost; I was learning that the hard way.
“You are right child. You would owe me a service, but by no means would you be a slave. We immortals are oath bound to guide the chosen humans, not to rule them. Long ago when that pact was made, our eldest brother Alexander fell in love with the human race. He said that he saw qualities inside of your kind that no other race that walked the earth possessed. He never told us what the quality was and instead said that we must all look for ourselves.”
The Unmaking (The Rayne Whitmore Series Book 1) Page 6
