“It is wondrous, isn’t it? To enjoy the taste of something so decadent upon your tongue. To take full pleasure from your senses. I think this is what befell my brothers and sisters when they took their first taste of living human flesh. But truly the taste that is the sweetest and most intoxicating,” his eyes cut to Meredith in a way that made Charu furious that he dare look at her at all, “it is the taste of a female who receives you into her arms with love. Her body is the taste of the heavens.”
Ischar shuddered and pulled away, his eyes aglow with desire as he turned his attention to his mate. Iris returned the affection, and a hot energy seemed to spark between the pair, undeniable and strong.
It was no wonder that the bond of the lauchume was destroyed if such a power existed.
Charu turned his head away, his serpents moving over him restlessly, and for just a moment he allowed himself to imagine that it were Meredith’s fingers trailing over him in the manner that Iris ran hers down the arm of her mate. He shuddered and his serpents coiled in against him in response to the unexpected pleasure that coursed through him at the picture that formed in his mind.
He felt haunted now, but he could not unhear what he’d heard.
He could not remove the curl of want that chased through him. Lately he’d felt compelled to possess the female, and now the need grew far greater in him.
Meredith was so close he could nearly taste her on his tongue as assuredly as he tasted the meat just moments before. He breathed in her perfume at his leisure in pretense of enjoying his meal and became more ravenous. He ate everything in front of him, imagining that the taste on his tongue was the taste of her skin as he slowly lapped her essence. He snarled low, and tried not to moan with the pleasure that streaked through him at the thought.
Hidden beneath the table, he felt his sex swell for the first time in his recent memory. The flaccid flesh thickened and hardened in his lap. He growled, a shiver of desire running over him. He closed his eyes against it, willing it away with all his strength. He did not open his eyes again until his temporary state of being was once again in his control.
When he opened his eyes, it was to find Ischar staring at him with a mocking, knowing smile. Charu glared and cursed him to the depths of Aites.
Chapter 14
Meredith was barely able to control the fear that coursed through her. She was hallucinating again. It had been days since her last episode in Ashton. She’d been too optimistic to consider it just a one-time thing. After days of peace, her mind felt like it was fracturing again.
At first, everything had been normal. She’d been sitting at the table chatting with Iris and then the room felt like it shifted around her. Everything went out of focus, but when her vision cleared Iris was grinning at her like a cruel wulkwos, her lips twisting inhumanly. Even her barely-there baby bump seemed to swell and ripple with a sickening, pulsating beat.
Iris’s hair seemed to drift around her shoulders in a knotted mass as she stretched out a hand and whispered.
“You need to come, Meredith. He wants you to come to him. There is no denying the traveler what he desires. Come to us, Meredith.”
Ischar turned his head at that moment and his lips spread into an obscene grin matching that of his mate. Their eyes widened to a freakishly large size, the whites of their eyes streaking with red. Their hands stretched toward her, their fingernails lengthening into terrible claws.
Meredith swallowed back a scream and snapped her eyes shut.
Not real. It’s not there, she whispered in panic to herself.
Her eyes flew open again. Neither Ischar nor Iris were even looking at her. Ischar was talking intently to Charu, and Iris leaned against her mate, absorbed by the conversation. A breath jerked out of her lungs on a shaky laugh. She was losing her fucking mind.
Charu’s eyes turned toward her, focusing on her even as he continued to speak with Ischar. The lamp on his belt flared with a comforting light that drove the shadows out of the room, or at least the shadowy terrors currently residing in her mind. She watched his eyes narrow on her thoughtfully, his ears move forward, tilting toward her.
He abruptly unfolded from his chair, cutting Ischar off mid-sentence, and stepped next to her. Looming over her like an impenetrable wall, his eyes fastened on her and his brow knotted. He surprised her by dropping into a crouch, bringing him eye-level with her.
Ischar cleared his throat uncomfortably.
“Has it begun then?”
Charu grunted, his glowing red eyes scanning her face as his big hand cupped her jaw and looked into her eyes. The warmth of his fingers was shocking against her cool skin. It felt so good, bringing back memories of autumns snuggled up near the radiator with a fleece blanket. Meredith dropped her cheek against his palm, her body relaxing completely on a sigh.
She was aware of a shuffling as Ischar moved closer. She peeled an eye open and saw him purse his lips as he looked down at her.
“You know your duty, gatekeeper.”
Charu’s eyes flared and he turned his head to look over at the wulkwos.
“Interesting that you, of all beings, remind me of that, wulkwos.”
Ischar dropped his head in acknowledgment but his eyes flicked nervously between Meredith and his family.
“I mean no disrespect, gatekeeper. My concern is only for my family.”
Meredith glared at him, offended.
“What do you mean? I’d never hurt your family.”
He offered her a sad smile and shook his head.
“You would not do so intentionally, but it wouldn’t save them from your taint the longer that you’re here with us.”
“What do you mean?”
Meredith’s eyes shot over Charu.
“What does he mean by my taint? I’m not tainted,” she refuted, her voice rising on the last word. Yet it would not silence in her mind. It was like a hundred voices of her inner demons that sought to torment her were giggling and whispering the word over and over again. Panicked, she struggled to breathe and she felt Charu’s other palm on her face.
“Meredith, return.”
She struggled to surface from the drowning chaos of her mind. It was as if she were infested as much as Ashton had been, and rather than ravagers, there were invisible denizens destroying the inside of her mind, drowning her in their frenzy. They caught her mind as assuredly as an undertow catches a swimmer, dragging her down into the depths of their madness. Every time she struggled to rise and came close to reality, she was yanked down again.
Charu’s hand dropped away and was replaced by the brilliant blue glow of the lantern. The light within her jumped, propelling her away from the chaos back into awareness. Her breath shuddered out of her and the lantern dropped away. His hand returned, and she felt both sets of fingers gripping the side of her face. Blinking, she focused in on his face so close to her own that his startling eyes, sharp cheekbones, and full lips filled her field of vision.
A shiver wracked her body.
“Thank you.”
“This is the taint,” Ischar muttered from the door as he pulled it shut behind him. They were alone in the room, Iris and Lily notably absent. It dawned on her that he was keeping them away from her. This time, she was the threat. Sympathy and hostility warred in his gaze.
She understood. He was compassionate but didn’t want her anywhere near his family.
Meredith swallowed, her fingers tightening as Charu growled at the other male. She couldn’t deny that there was something wrong with her. Clearly both Ischar and Charu knew what it was. She just needed to know what she was dealing with. She turned her eyes up and met Charu’s gaze as his burning orbs turned toward her again.
“What is the taint? That was the thing you didn’t want to tell me before, isn’t it? Please tell me now. I need to know. What is wrong with me?”
Charu’s eyes closed and he drew in a deep breath. When he looked at her again, the hard lines of his face softened. He’d never looked at her so gently befor
e that she was aware of. For a moment, she was entirely captivated by the transformation of his features. She nearly forgot that she’d asked a question until his lips parted and he began to speak.
“Beings of Aites are miasmatic to the human world. We are not intended to be here, and our presence alone is against the divine order of things. Events of birth and death require purification, often in the simplest forms, from the minimal exposure to our kind. Long-term exposure is devastating, tainting places that once thrived... and the human mind. It opens your mind to be influenced by certain spirits of Aites who will take advantage of it.”
“You can’t be suggesting that mental illness among humans is because of this...?”
Charu snorted. “No. Human minds and health generally have nothing to do with us and itself has no bearing upon one’s spiritual being. This miasma is different. It drove Orestes to slay his mother and wander with no place that he was welcome to linger until his death, as plagued as he was by the Erinyes.”
She laughed nervously. “So I’m sharing my head with a few rogue beings that are, for lack of a better word, like a pestilence. Nothing that will kill me, then. They’ll just drive me mad.”
His expression became grave, though the glow of his eyes seemed to soften.
“Not yet. However, they will never let you rest, but will hound you until your mind shatters completely. No being will be able to save you; no house will welcome you without risking pollution from your miasma. You will lose yourself to them. Then your body eventually follows.”
Her mouth went dry as she absorbed the full ramification of what he said. She understood then why he’d considered it more merciful to release them than allow them to suffer.
“Why?” she croaked. “If you knew that this would happen, why didn’t you kill me?”
He cocked his head to the side and looked away.
“Alone,” he whispered as if to himself.
“What?”
His eyes focused on her again, like beams of light.
“I do not know why I didn’t kill you—it was an impulse that seemed to speak out from my being, halting my hand. I would have left you to find your fate, but you spoke of being alone. I too am alone. Although it will make your condition worsen, I didn’t wish to be alone either.”
Meredith wanted to be angry that he’d withheld such information from her, especially the fact that being with him would make her madness set on her quicker, but when she considered spending the last several days alone in an empty city rotting around her, she couldn’t help the way her skin crawled. She would have gone mad without anyone knowing or caring as she wandered day after day through a dead city.
“What do we do now?”
“I must locate the lauchume and end all of this.”
“I wish I could allow the human to stay here,” Ischar broke in, his face shadowed with pained regret. He shifted in place as if uncertain what to do with himself, clearly not wishing to make the situation worse.
Meredith smiled and reached out to touch his arm in understanding. His eyes met hers at the gesture, a small smile on his face until Charu’s menacing growl rippled around them. Meredith dropped her hand as Ischar took two steps away from her. The growl stopped at the moment of separation. She gave Ischar a perplexed look as he watched her with a strange smile tugging at his lips.
Meredith glanced back at the table where the scant remains of her meal sat. It was nothing but a few bites, but loath as she was not to waste food, she didn’t think she’d be able to get it past her lips then even if she were starving. What was worse was that, though he tried not to show it, Ischar felt increasingly uncomfortable with her presence in his home. Though he said nothing to hurry her along, she could tell with every twitch that he would be happy to herd her and Charu out the door.
She didn’t want to be angry. She understood his reasons, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. She tried to ignore the way he flinched at the hard look that had fallen over her face.
Pushing slowly to her feet, both males backed away to give her space. She felt the room spin around her in a nauseating way, but it soon settled, and she met Charu’s steady stare. Meredith cleared her throat.
“I think it’s time we were on our way.”
Charu, bless him, did not speak. He offered neither platitudes to ease her hurt feelings nor anger toward any perceived insult. Instead, he offered a silent nod and retrieved his hammer. Resting the weapon on his shoulder, he levied an uncompromising stare on Ischar.
“You have no knowledge of the location of the lauchume?”
Ischar sighed wearily and shook his head.
“I honestly do not know. Since I severed myself from the lauchume, I no longer share the link with him or other wulkwos. In truth, it is a blessing to no longer hear his insidious voice curling through my thoughts. All I know for certain was that he said early on that once he was free, he was heading west to the furthest coast. There, he planned to establish his rule in a golden city.”
“A golden city?” Meredith worried at her lip in concentration. Although poetic, there were many cities that she could probably consider being “golden.”
The wulkwos shrugged.
“I’m sorry I cannot offer more.”
“Well, it’s a bit more than we had,” Meredith offered in attempt to soothe the male’s feelings. He gave her a thankful smile. Unfortunately, the moment was spoiled by Charu’s indignant bark of laughter.
“We’ve been traveling west all this while. The lamp has shown the way. Nothing new was gained.”
“I beg to differ. You’ve been following a sign from the lamp, but I doubt even it told you that he’d intended to move all the way to the coast rather than settling in another city. It may not tell us where he is at this moment, but it’s something.”
Ischar trailed after them, keeping his body between them and his family all the while, as they made their way to the front door. He tapped her arm lightly. Meredith looked over her shoulder, her eyebrow raised.
“Although this is not a suitable place for you to be as you carry your burden, why do you continue to follow him even now? He searches for the lauchume and that is nothing less than certain death for you. Find a place to stay in comfort.” He hesitated. “Perhaps I can clear out an abandoned house at the edge of the city. We can deliver food to you. As long as you stayed in your home and did not venture near the town, you would be able to stay there to live out your remaining days in peace and comfort.”
Although the idea of spending the rest of her life locked away in a house at the edge of town sounded miserable to her, she knew it was a generous offer. She’d never have to worry about eating or being safe. They’d see to her needs.
She glanced over at Charu. He’d already strode several feet from the porch and stood tall and proud against the light of the waning sun. It framed him like an aura, and it made him seem all the more alone.
Alone.
The outside world fell away as she focused on him. His horns jutted into the sky in a manner she’d once found terrifying but could see the noble strength in the curving lines. He was hard with muscle, violent in his task, and harsh, yet his nature was calmer than she’d expected, his consideration more cautious. His confession tugged at her heart. He was so alone. Alone against the creatures who threatened to tear apart her world. She couldn’t think of anyone at that moment more deserving of love and companionship.
She met Ischar’s eyes and shook her head.
“You are leaving with him?”
She sighed, a treble of laughter rippling out of her as she brushed her hand through the strands of her hair before tugging her hat back on.
“Yeah, I am.”
“Why?”
She shrugged, uncertain if she could put it into words.
“I really do I appreciate your offer, but I can’t leave him. We’re both lonely souls in this mess. Something in him saw something in me worth saving, and maybe I want to save him back. If I can offer even the smal
lest comfort through all of this, knowing that I would die regardless, whether in comfort or in pain, I would choose him. I... care. Besides, this lauchume seems interested in me.”
A laugh rumbled up from his chest, his eyes shining with their supernatural glow in the dark, yet perhaps shining all the brighter for his amusement.
“The human heart never ceases to amaze me. How one person can see someone of worth in a being that all others would recoil from in fear. Your capacity for love and empathy, it is precious. Very well, Meredith. I swear I will remember this day, and the sacrifice you made. I will remember you after you are long gone from this world.”
“Will you?”
“Oh yes, Meredith, and you will live in my memory and the memories of others who come after me. That which is remembered lives forever.” He paused, a look of fear skittering across his face. “A word of caution, Meredith: if the lauchume wants you it will never be for something good. If you are not willing to hide, stay close to the gatekeeper. It is the safest place for you.”
She watched after him as he stepped back into the dark shelter of his home, the door easing shut between them. It almost felt as if something momentous had happened. She felt the energy curl through her, eager with anticipation as she turned toward Charu and the empty stretch of road.
His expression was stony, yet his eyes burned as she approached him. Unlike other times where he’d walked on with barely a glance to see if she bothered to follow, he waited until she drew up to his side. His ears flicked forward as he looked down at her.
“You will accompany me?”
Meredith smiled up at him, her eyes studying every feature she could discern in the evening light. She stretched a hand forward, surprised to see the witch-light of the lamp flickering off her fingertips. She drew back, uncertain if he’d be inclined to touch her when he’d never been before.
To her surprise, his large hand came up from his side, his fingers folding around hers in a warm, gentle grip. His eyes never left her but there seemed to be awe in his regard. The flames of light flickering over her skin cooled under his touch and receded to a subtle glow she could barely see. However, she did not miss Charu’s primary serpent sliding down his arm. His massive hand glided over her wrist, followed by a significant length of his body, until their bound hands were entwined together in his coils.
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