by R. D. Brady
He smiled, his gaze focusing on her. “To protect that which needs protecting. To bring it back to the beginning.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to.”
He sliced the blade across her neck.
Chapter 1
Present Day
Galeton, Pennsylvania
Hand flying to her neck, Delaney McPhearson sat straight up in bed, her breaths coming out in pants. She ran a hand over her face and through her red hair before grabbing a bottle of water on the side table and taking a long drink. Wiping her mouth, she sat up against the backboard. What was that?
But even as the question flew through her mind, she knew what it was. When she was coming into her powers, she had dreams of her past life as a ring bearer. But this time she hadn’t been a ring bearer. She’d been an initiate in the Children of the Law of One. And she’d lived on Dwarka, the island civilization off the coast of India that had been written off as myth by Western scholars until pieces of it began to be found.
But why show her this? What was she supposed to learn? The dream had shown her Dwarka before it was destroyed. Like Atlantis, they had known the end was coming. They had planned to end it. The man who’d killed Yamini had spoken of protecting knowledge. Was it the Omni? But Elisabeta already had powers. Was she looking to create an army of Fallen?
The priests of Dwarka had wanted the knowledge to die with them. It should have. The Omni was too powerful for anyone to wield it. Governments would pay billions of dollars to get their hands on such a weapon.
But that wasn’t what truly worried Laney. It was the sense that there was something even more dangerous than the Omni that the council was speaking of. And that was terrifying. The Omni could grant someone the powers of the Fallen or take them away. What could be more powerful than that?
The Great Mother chose our fates. A chill rolled over Laney’s skin. She pulled her knees to her chest. The Great Mother was now sleeping in a playpen down the hall—a harmless child. Victoria had done many things throughout her lifetimes, but there could only be one thing that phrase referred to: when she had chosen to end humanity’s immortality.
Was it possible the priests of Dwarka had found a way to grant it again?
She would like to think that was impossible. And that if it was possible, that Jagrav, as unwound as he appeared, had been unsuccessful in his attempt to protect it for the future of mankind. But too much had happened over the past several years for her to believe that. She could hope, sure, but believe? No, that she could not do.
She had to prepare for the unthinkable. She ran a hand through her hair. But how exactly am I supposed to do that?
Chapter 2
Casablanca, Morocco
The blood glistened as Elisabeta Roccorio held it up to the sunlight streaming through the window. She watched the changes in the blood as it shifted.
She placed it back in the tray on her desk with the other two tubes and grimaced at the lab report next to it. The report detailed the blood’s composition, including a CBC test, along with a bunch of more advanced tests. But no matter how much science they threw into the explanation, the conclusion was still infuriating: normal.
After all her work and the destruction of an entire precious tube to testing, all the labs could determine was that it was normal human blood. She pictured the violet-eyed bitch it had come from, not as the toddler she’d last seen her as but as a full-grown woman, who held the knowledge of the ages in her frail, vulnerable body.
As well as the key to immortality.
I was so close. A different woman now took center stage in her mind. Delaney McPhearson, the woman who had snatched Elisabeta’s victory from her hands. But I snatched something from you too, didn’t I?
She ran a hand over the cover of the book. It was a simple leather cover, which no doubt had been replaced many times over the years. But underneath the unassuming cover, lifetimes of knowledge existed. Pages were made of different materials. The early pages were a material that Elisabeta could not identify, but later pages were obviously animal skin, papyrus, linen, rice paper, and every other form of paper used by mankind. The book was a living testimony to the rich variety of textiles used to maintain human history.
But Elisabeta cared about none of that. No, she was more interested in the knowledge garnered from its pages. She ran a hand carefully over the book. The ring bearer thought it was merely a recounting of the lives Victoria had led.
The ring bearer has no idea what power you truly hold.
It had been two weeks since Elisabeta had been forced from her Chicago penthouse. But she had planned for just such an occurrence with accounts and property hidden under other names across the globe. The news stories that detailed her life and her wealth hadn’t even touched the tip of her financial iceberg. Nor did they have any inkling of the plans she’d first started developing soon after her powers had manifested.
Because Elisabeta Roccorio, heir to the Roccorio fortune, didn’t simply want everything that money could buy. No, she wanted everything—power, immortality, and control. She ran her fingers over the test tubes—all that was left of Victoria’s blood. And soon, I will have it.
She opened the book, looking at the first few pages, written in a forgotten language that had once been the language of all of the world. In the Bible, the shift was recounted in the tale of the Tower of Babel, where God smote down the humans and the tower they built to be His equal. But Elisabeta knew that the true reason was because of greed and selfishness.
She smiled. And power. Always power.
Each page seemed to have a sketch of Victoria at a different age in a different lifetime. Elisabeta had lived just as many lifetimes, but unlike Victoria, she did not remember those lifetimes. Only Victoria had been allowed to keep her memories as she shifted from one life to the next.
Elisabeta’s computer pinged, interrupting her thoughts. It was a Google alert. She quickly clicked on the accompanying link, then scanned it briefly before stopping on a picture of a group of archaeologists and their latest find. She read the description under the picture. A tingle ran through her, and she nearly laughed out loud. This was simply too easy. But then, she found fate often played a role in making the things that were meant to be happen. And my ascension is very much meant to be.
She picked up her phone and dialed. Troy Healey picked up quickly. “Yes, Samyaza?”
“I need a progress report.”
“The dive continues. We’ve found some artifacts.”
“Any carvings?”
“No, Samyaza.”
“I need you and your team on a plane as quickly as possible.”
“We can be on one within three hours.” He paused. “Should I leave some men at this site?”
“No. What we are looking for is not there.” When Elisabeta had sent her team out, it had been a long shot that they would discover anything worthwhile. But fate had allowed what she needed to be uncovered at just the right time. Divine intervention at work.
“Where are we heading?”
Elisabeta smiled, excitement coursing through her. “Göbekli Tepe. Call me when you are on site.” She disconnected the call, pulling the book back toward her.
So many incarnations Victoria had. Most thought of her first identity as that of Lilith, the evil villainess hidden at the outskirts of Genesis. But before she was Lilith, she was known as Gaia, the mother goddess, the Mother of All.
Elisabeta could not read the first few pages, but she had no doubt they spoke of Victoria’s time as Lilith, maybe even mentioned her Gaia incarnation. She just hoped that the information she needed was not on those pages, for there was no one alive who could translate it for her.
Although perhaps there is one, she thought, picturing Cain, the dark-haired immortal with black eyes.
Nevertheless, she’d had her translator working around the clock ever since she’d acquired the tome. A knock sounded at her door, causing her to look. Tha
t should be him now. “Come in.”
Dr. Isaac Chen, the premiere global scholar on ancient languages, strode across the room. Age fifty-four, he had spent his life translating esoteric texts. It had cost a pretty penny to pull him away from his work with the Chinese government, but hopefully that investment was about to pay off.
Chen took a seat without waiting for Elisabeta’s invitation. He nodded. “I have completed my latest round of translations. I believe I may have found what you are looking for.”
She held out her hand.
He ignored it, settling back into his chair. “It was quite involved. I do not think there is anyone else on the planet who would have been able to translate it. You are truly lucky that I agreed to work with you.”
Elisabeta curled her hand into a fist, imagining how good it would feel to punch through the arrogant academic’s chest. “For me, Dr. Chen. You work for me, not with me.”
“I’m not sure why a woman such as yourself would even be interested in such a topic. It does not seem to coincide with your philanthropic endeavors.”
Elisabeta had to keep herself from snorting. Chen had been sequestered since he’d begun
his work, at Elisabeta’s command. He did not know what the world now knew of Elisabeta’s abilities.
She swallowed down her growl of impatience. She was so sick of this man and his ego. Not to mention his not-so-veiled sexism. “The translation, professor. Now.”
He harrumphed, taking his time to leaf through his folder before pulling out three sheets of handwritten notes. Elisabeta snatched them from his hand before settling in to read. Chen stood up.
“Sit,” she ordered without looking up.
He grumbled something under his breath as he sat, but this time she ignored him. She read through the first page, her anticipation growing. Halfway down the second page, she found it. She read through to the last page before returning to the section. A smile spread across her face.
“I take it you have found what you are looking for.”
“I have indeed.” She finally looked up. “And you have made no notes, no copies, electronic or otherwise?”
Chen glared at her. “I’m not sure how I could. I have not had any access to my computer or even my phone since I began working for you.”
“Well, it looks like our work is coming to an end, so that will no longer be a problem.”
Chen stood. “Good. I expect my payment will be placed in my account within the hour.”
Elisabeta smiled. “Oh, you will be taken care of long before then.”
“Fine. Now I’ll—”
Elisabeta moved quickly around the desk, slamming her fist into the professor’s face while holding on to his shirt. Blood and two teeth sprayed across the room before she plunged her hand through his chest and yanked it back out.
The professor didn’t even have a chance to scream. His eyes simply went wide before the light in them disappeared. She dropped him to the ground with a nod. She was right. That did feel good.
Chapter 3
Baltimore, Maryland
Noriko smiled as she walked along the preserve. The preserve was a ninety-acre estate halfway between the Chandler School and headquarters that had been out of use for years. Near the middle of the property was a tall research hide, thirty feet off the ground, for the researchers and vets. The whole area was enclosed with a fifteen-foot electrical fence, and a secondary fence had also been erected to keep any would-be neighbors from getting too near the electrified one. At the front gate was a guard hut that was staffed 24-7.
The old house on the estate was modified to serve as the shelter for the animals. There were two dozen Javan leopards in residence, whose genomes had been manipulated in a lab. The result was they were all much larger and stronger than standard leopards, most standing at four feet at the shoulders, all of them highly intelligent.
As Noriko walked, Tiger, one of the youngest, a yellow-and-black leopard, rubbed against her side.
Noriko ran a hand through his fur. An image of Cleo appeared in her mind. She looked down at Tiger. She’s with Laney. I don’t know when she’ll be back.
Happy.
Yes, I’m sure she is.
Lou Thomas jogged up with Snow, the white leopard with the bright blue eyes, at her side. Rolly Escabi joined them, his dachshund, Princess, in his arms. “I am hungry,” he announced, “and so is Princess. Aren’t you, baby?”
Princess licked him in response.
Apparently I’m not the only one who can communicate with animals, Noriko thought as she watched them.
Since she’d come to the mainland, her abilities had been evolving. She’d always been able to understand animals, but the two-way conversations were new. But that ability was not the one that had everyone worried. It was her psychic skills—they had grown much stronger than she ever thought possible. She could now almost choose what her visions were about by focusing on a particular topic. But sometimes those directed visions were tough to come out of.
Really tough.
Lou, Rolly, Zach Grayston, and Danny Wartowski seemed to have set themselves up as her personal babysitters. One was with her at all times, ever since the last vision—the one that had knocked her out for hours. But she hadn’t had any visions since then, directed or otherwise, so she thought she might be in the clear.
Lou shrugged. “I could eat. How about the Afghan place?”
“Ooh, I love that place,” Rolly said.
“Noriko?”
“I’m okay. Why don’t you two go? Maybe bring me back something?”
Lou and Rolly exchanged a glance. “Yeah,” Rolly drawled. “We’ll just go grab some food and bring it all back. We’ll eat here.”
“You don’t need to babysit me.”
“We’re not babysitting,” Lou said quickly. “Just making sure you’re okay while your abilities develop.”
Noriko wanted to be mad, but she kind of liked that they were keeping an eye on her. “Okay.”
“We’ll be back in twenty, thirty minutes.” Lou paused. “No trying to have visions while we’re gone.”
Noriko put up both her hands. “No problem. I am just going to hang with the cats.”
Rolly raised an eyebrow. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Okay.” He grabbed Lou’s arm, pulling her down the path. “Let’s go, toots.”
“Toots?” Lou asked.
Rolly grinned at her. “I thought I’d try it out.”
“Consider it an abject failure.”
Rolly shrugged. “I don’t know. I kind of like it.”
Noriko listened to them banter back and forth until they faded from view. She turned to Tiger and Snow. “Come on, guys.” She headed for the center of the preserve. There was a large hill with a landing that offered a great view. It was Cleo’s favorite spot in the preserve and had become Noriko’s as well. A sense of loss fluttered through her as she thought of the black leopard, the matriarch of this group of cats. She missed Cleo, but she was glad she was reunited with Laney.
She took a seat on the ground, leaning her back against the rock outcropping. Tiger curled up on one side, Snow on the other. Together the three of them looked out over the preserve. Noriko felt content for the first time in ages. The children were back where they belonged. Elisabeta had disappeared, and the government was now trying to find her, and the cracks were getting wider in the fake narrative Samyaza had concocted around Laney. Cleo was back with Laney. And Laney, well, she was sort of back. All in all, life was looking up.
With a sigh, she leaned back. Snow snuggled in closer with a purr. Noriko smiled. “I know, girl. I’m pretty—”
Pain lanced through her head. She gripped both sides of her skull as her sight dimmed.
The visions never hurt like this, she thought just before she crashed to the side.
Chapter 4
As the head of the Chandler Group, Henry Chandler had overseen multimillion-dollar deals and maneuvered through impossib
ly complex international relations. His reputation tended to intimidate people before he stepped in a room. His seven-foot-two stature furthered that intimidation once he was in the room.
The man sitting across from Henry now, however, was not even slightly intimidated. And for good reason. They were evenly matched physically. Henry was a Nephilim and Gerard a Fallen, but their powers were the same—enhanced speed, strength, and healing ability. On a personal level, though, Gerard Thompson was a man adrift. All he knew had been ripped aside when he’d turned his back on Elisabeta. Yet the man looked as polished as usual in a crisp lavender-colored shirt and gray slacks, his blond hair perfectly in place.
Henry didn’t know what to do with him. He had helped the children Elisabeta had kidnapped. There was no doubt about that. He had shared with Henry and his people everything he seemed to know about Elisabeta’s vast network. Everything he had shared so far had checked out—the bank accounts, business, real estate, etc. All had been traced back to Elisabeta.
“So, where do we go from here?” Gerard asked.
“I’m not sure,” Henry said. “This is rather new territory.”
Gerard had been in Elisabeta’s employ for years. In actuality, though, their relationship had been much closer and much more complex than a simple employee-employer relationship. Truth was, Henry just wasn’t sure if he could trust the man. But Laney had vouched for him. Henry had no idea what to make of that. After all, Laney had been in hiding for the last year. When exactly had she gotten to know Gerard?
“Look, I understand your hesitation given my track record. But my allegiance to her has been severed—permanently.” Gerard’s usually expressionless face flashed with pain so quickly that Henry thought he might have imagined it.
Henry had pulled Noriko aside to get more details about what she knew of Gerard’s break with Samyaza. She had explained about his wife and children. Although it had happened thousands of years ago, for Gerard it was as if it had happened yesterday. Or at least, that was what Noriko believed. But she was very trusting, always seeing the good. With her upbringing, it was hard for her to see the duplicity in others. But if what she said was true, Gerard had more reason than most to be against Samyaza.
