Retribution

by B C Morgan

  It helped to ease the vice around my heart, but it could not remove it. Janelle was like the sister I never had and right then, I was thankful for the comfort she was giving to me.

  “I’m so sorry Marcus, it was clear to see how much you loved her. No one should ever have to do what you just did, if I can help in any way just say,” she said, resting her head between my shoulder blades.

  I disengaged her from me as I got to my feet, Kat looked so peaceful like she was merely sleeping. But thanks to the blood on my hands, there was no way I could deceive myself into believing that.

  I summoned the fire and began to rain it down upon her form, I was surprised when the fire seemed to grow stronger and hotter. Until my eyes landed upon Ishira, I nodded my head to her, no words were needed to show that I appreciated the sentiment.

  Once Kat was one with the wind, we made our way over to Unya, who was still laughing hysterically thumping her fists against her head.

  I knelt and placed a hand upon her shoulder, when she jerked away throwing a knife right at me. Ishira sent a heat so fierce it melted it down to its base metals before it had the chance to reach me.

  Marcelle snuck up on Unya and placed his hands upon her head, she screamed in outrage, but she soon slipped into a deep sleep.

  “We need to get her back to the compound, but until we know what has happened to her she cannot be trusted,” I stated, and I could tell that Ishira was not pleased with my words.

  Luckily there were no disagreements as we got ready to return home and place Unya somewhere that she could do no harm to any of us or herself.

  The only issue was, we hadn’t counted on Malachi.

  I carried Unya out of the cabin and laid her gently on the ground, I was worn out after everything that had transpired, physically, mentally and emotionally.

  Janelle was calling for someone to get us back to the compound as quickly as possible, when Janelle gasped, and we all spun around to see Malachi waiting behind us.

  “I can’t believe you’re here; you must have heard about Unya returning,” I said, but something felt off.

  Malachi came closer and crouched down beside Unya’s prone form, he brushed his thumb across her cheek until she was flying to her feet and leaping into Malachi’s waiting arms.

  “She’s not the girl she used to be, something has changed we need to get her help!” I exclaimed as they put a little more distance between us and them.

  “Unya is perfect just the way she is, whether the version she used to be or the one she is now, she does not require your help.”

  “Malachi what’s happened? You’ve never refused aid from us or at least me, before,” said Janelle as she tried to get closer.

  “Fuck off pup, whatever you had with him in the past is over now, Malachi is mine and I will destroy anyone who tries to take him from me.”

  With that said Unya seized Malachi’s hand and they were gone, just like that.

  28

  Marcus

  The neat scotch burnt its way down my throat, but nothing could touch the deep emptiness that was plaguing my very soul.

  I couldn’t bear to talk to anyone, all I could do when I heard someone walking towards me, was stare into the bottom of my now empty glass.

  “Get out, I don’t want to be disturbed,” I shouted, throwing my glass across the room, until it smashed against the wall.

  “Maurice can’t just go, he has to deliver a message first,” came an unknown voice.

  I looked up and saw a man about five foot three in height, rather mousy looking with greasy hair and vacant looking eyes.

  “Who’s Maurice? Better yet, how the hell did you even get in here? This entire place is protected,”I said, my mind not firing on all cylinders, I should have just teleported him the hell out of there.

  “I’m Maurice, sorry I’m not around people all that often anymore. And those I do see, are usually feeding me their sins. My boss wants to see you, but you must come now.”

  “Do you think I would go anywhere with you, you’re out of your mind.”

  “I know, but who needs sanity, it’s boring. The fact that I am here when I shouldn’t be should indicate how powerful my boss is. She can answer a lot of questions and reveal things you wouldn’t have even garnered a possibility. This is your only chance, come with me now and finally be playing at the same level as the big bad guys or stay and always wonder what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been ruled by fear.”

  I don’t know what was going through my mind, but for some reason I rested my hand atop his and then everything went black.

  When I opened my eyes, I was in an black room, my magic wouldn’t work and when I made it around the room, I discovered there were no windows or doors.

  Just where did Maurice put me and how did I let myself walk straight into a trap.

  I was so lost in my internal musings, I didn’t notice when I ceased being alone.

  “I apologise for Maurice, he enjoys dropping my guests off here, he likes to make you panic.

  Her voice was like a sweet melody, but it did nothing to lift my melancholy. Even when she took my hand and our surroundings changed, nothing could reach my broken heart anymore.

  “I know you are hurting and if I could ease your pain I would, I rooted for you and Kat from the very beginning. I’m sorry neither of you got the happy ending you deserved.”

  “Look lady, I don’t appreciate all this cloak and dagger. You want to talk, then let’s do it face to face. You don’t like that option then you can send me back to my office and let me get back to my bottle of whiskey.”

  Her hood fell and revealed one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. It pained me to even think like that, considering I would never see Kat’s beautiful face and soul again, but it was still true.

  Her body was toned, with a long neck and small curves. Her lips were such a shade of blood that they appeared to shimmer in the light. Mix that in with her bright violet eyes and she would take anyone’s breath away.

  “My name is Violet, and I am the oracle and before you ask, yes I am the oracle who foretold of the Ebony Child. I’ve also foretold a lot of other prophecies, but no one ever wants to hear about those,” she said with a laughing lilt to her voice.

  “Why did you want to see me, I can’t think of a damned thing I could ever do for you.”

  “I’ve been here for a very long time, I’ve had the odd visitor but that’s always few and far between. But in all honesty, I wanted to meet you, my lone warrior, always surrounded by people but entirely alone at the same time. You have always been an enigma, you just appeared out of nowhere and slotted right into a prophecy that was foretold long before your life came into existence. You were never supposed to be a part of any of this and now you will have to see it all out until the very end.”

  Her words confused me, but I didn’t even know where to start on questioning her.

  “I asked you here, at this specific time to show you what the Gods are doing. Everyone has been fooled into believing they are being passive, bar that one incident on the news channel. No one is looking in the right places, consider the sway and influence they have over the humans, they can keep it hidden from you for as long as they choose, until now that is.”

  She led me over to a waterfall and placed her hand into the stream, it changed until images were playing out on it, like it was some kind of mystical television.

  The first one was in a church, with Athena and Zeus standing up on the alter with the body of a vicar lifeless at their feet.

  “From here on out, you will only worship us. Pray, curse, sacrifice but only ever in our names. We are the only Gods you will ever need and just to show you we mean business we have selected one of you to come and stand up here with us.”

  That had all been said by Zeus and then a human was marched up to them, quaking in fear.

  “We have learned a lot since we were released, we watched, listened and waited. So Xander, we would like you to use that
device you call a camera phone and record what happens next. That way the whole world can see just how serious we are.”

  Xander the human the Gods has chosen, pulled his phone free, but after the fourth time of dropping it on the floor, Athena grabbed hold of his wrist and held it in place.

  Once the moment was being recorded, Zeus turned to face the camera head on.

  “We are the only Gods you should ever love, what am I saying?” Her laughter rang out, it was such a sinister sound that it would fill anyone with dread. “Love isn’t necessary fear will do just as well. What is about to happen is for you all to bear witness to, this is what happens when you disappoint or insult us. If it happens again, you can’t say we didn’t warn you.”

  Zeus called upon his powers and in moments the entire church was decimated along with its occupants, all perished except from the two Gods and the one unlucky mortal who had to record the entire thing.

  The image changed to a beach, filled with tourists and beach lovers, enjoying the sun and cool water mere feet away from them.

  The screams started long before the image came to us, as tsunamis covered the beach, pier and arcade areas. No one survived the onslaught, those who weren’t killed by the sheer force were dragged out to sea never to resurface.

  Image after image was filled with death and destruction. Volcanoes, storms that tore roofs off some houses and destroyed others, brick by bloody brick until they were blown away. Earthquakes which tore massive cracks through the ground, sending any unlucky pedestrian hurtling down further than the eye could see.

  The last image that appeared wasn’t connected to the Gods but Unya herself. She was travelling the streets with Malachi and they were killing for the fun of it.

  Unya rejoiced in every life she took, and Malachi seemed like he was getting off on the violence.

  The image froze just as they were starting to rip clothes off one another, thank fuck, and I stared speechlessly at the oracle.

  “What’s happened to her? Is the Unya I knew and loved still in there somewhere?”

  “She was supposed to be, Lawson sacrificed his life so she would have a chance at fixing your world and remain in it herself. She had to lose herself so she could be ready to face the Gods wrath, but I can’t see her future anymore, I can’t see anyone’s that ties in with it.

  I could never see yours clearly anyway, but to not know if all my meddling could help this stupid world, it’s killing me. I’ve destroyed so much in the name of good and now it’s all going to Tartarus, isn’t life grand.”

  “Snap out of it, Unya is a good person, she just needs to remember that she has people who love and care for her. Even if she never remembers why, I won’t give up on her, not while I still have breath in my lungs.”

  She gave me a watery smile before placing a chaste kiss on my cheek, I was ready to return to the real world when she gave me one last parting message.

  “Someone will reveal a great truth at their time of death, do not disbelieve, you could find your true path if you can learn to listen and act on faith alone.”

  29

  Unya

  “You don’t deserve to live, you should just end your life now.”

  “Don’t listen to him, he is just being cruel.”

  “Yes, don’t listen, you can’t abandon us, we would never survive without you.”

  “No, listen to me Unya. There is something wrong with you, there is no fix for what is ailing you. You need to put an end to it and let us all rest in peace. At least those of us who deserve it.”

  I smacked the palms of my hands against my temple, trying to quiet the voices inside my head. Why did that one creature want me gone so bad, was it right. Would I be better off by ending my life?

  The voices had been sending me into turmoil, but I was growing tired of them screaming at me.

  Stealing the life from others helped, but I was enjoying it more when I killed with Malachi, especially when we shared.

  “Have you had your fill yet pet?” He asked, as he licked up the side of my neck, not even caring about the blood that was coating my skin. I didn’t care myself either, as I bit along his shoulder blade, tearing his shirt from his body.

  I could feel myself growing excited and my thong was drenched by that very excitement.

  My heart was pounding in my chest, as my nails scored his back and he bit and sucked on my neck. Writhing my body against his, utterly shameless and I didn’t give a rats arse about it either.

  I could feel his excitement pressing into my stomach as I continued to grind against him until he was lifting me in the air and leaning me against the wall. Held in place by nothing more than his hips and my hands gripping hold of his shoulders. He ripped through my bottoms, hitching my shirt dress up around my waist, as he lowered his own jeans and then blissfully, he was pushing himself all the way in, right up to the base of his cock.

  He ripped at my shirt sending buttons flying everywhere, as we continued to lick, suck, bite and kiss. Smearing the blood onto us even more, I couldn’t get enough of him, every time my mind switched to thoughts of him, I grew excited and wet.

  My whole body was alive as I began to tingle all over, I didn’t hold back as I cried out in utter bliss and we yet again, came undone together.

  30

  Marcus

  I sat in my office just staring at the bottom of my whiskey glass, I’d already polished off two bottles but still the feeling of despair refused to numb. I couldn’t help but think over what had happened between me and Kat, the guilt of taking her life was wearing me down. It didn’t matter that she had requested it of me, that little nugget did nothing to assuage me of the pain I was feeling due to taking the life of the woman I loved.

  Add Unya to that equation, and I couldn’t bear to lose the girl who became a sister to me in such a short amount of time.

  I can’t say I was impressed by the amount of alcohol I had put away over the last few days, but I wasn’t a lightweight anymore.

  Everything had gone to hell, I couldn’t trust my own people, Unya had no idea who I was, and even Violet hinted at the fact that my true origins may not have occurred here. If that wasn’t what she was saying, then what was the wanderer comment about, unless more than likely, she was talking about the fact that I never fit in anywhere. Always going from place to place, never knowing where I would be from one month to the next.

  I may have jumped the gun a little on the last one, but it would fit in with what Nora had said. I sat there trying to contemplate our next move when Nora came running through the door.

  No words were spoken, nor were they needed as I registered the horror on her face. She charged back out of my room, I was hot on her heels as we sped down towards the entrance to the forest.

  I didn’t know what to expect, but finding Janelle lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood most certainly was not it.

  David held her in his arms, while shooting daggers in Nora’s direction.

  “What happened?” I demanded, as I fell onto my knees and checked for a pulse.

  “Janelle and Nora decided to go off on another excursion, and Janelle was shot,” screamed David, his agony pouring through every word.

  I turned to look at Nora, I respected her more for not shying away from my hard stare.

  “She needed to check something, it was supposed to be a quick in and out job, but something went wrong. Somehow someone knew we were there, I brought her back as fast as I could, but I don’t know how to heal a wolf shifter,” she exclaimed, looking defeated.

  I shouted for our medics, who wasted no time in coming to her aid. They transported Janelle into one of the medical rooms within the base and all we could do was wait.

  At least four hours had passed since Janelle had been rushed off, and we were all on tenterhooks. David had been beside himself and hadn’t uttered a single word since our quick exchange earlier.

  Nora was quiet and wouldn’t look at either of us and I presumed she was blaming herself for
whatever caused this to happen.

  I refused to play the blame game, especially as I had no idea where Janelle and Nora had gone and why anyone would want to shoot her.

  For a split second I wondered if Nyakesh had been responsible, but I knew Nora would have revealed that straight away if it had been the case. So no, the bullet hadn’t been anything to do with her. Which only left one other option, and that was, it was connected to her mysterious past.

  When one of the healers finally emerged, we were all standing in a moment, she came straight over to me and gave her permission to check on Janelle, but the same courtesy was not offered to the other two.

  I knew that decision was going to eat away at David, but I wasn’t going to refuse just to spare his feelings, I wanted to, but Janelle needed someone to be with her and I was the only one who was permitted.

  It only took me a few minutes to get to her room and I had been so relieved to find her sitting in a bed with a scowl upon her face.

  “Marcus you need to tell those idiots to release me, I do not have the time to waste away in a damn bed,” She stated, the growl coming through with her words.

  “I will do no such thing. Janelle you could have died, it’s a miracle you’re still here as it is.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic, it was just a flesh wound,” she claimed, but we both knew it was far from the truth.

  I picked up her chart and browsed through it before returning it to its spot.

  “It punctured your lung Janelle, you’re lucky our healers are so skilled at what they do. You wouldn’t even be here if it had been your heart.”

  Her scowl deepened, but it also lost its edge. She knew what I said was true, even though she would’ve never admitted it to me.

  “You once said if I told you my secret, you would reveal yours, unfortunately there isn’t much to tell. But I hope what I have will be enough for you to trust me with yours.”