Blood Stained Tranquility (3 page)

No, in their world, it meant that Ismini was owned, and since Dyletri hadn’t mated to her in return, her body went haywire in a way that was far beyond hormonal. Her very soul was making her sick.

As in, “going-to-die-soon” kinda sick.

Then, as if seeing her best friend in that condition wasn’t enough of a mindfuck for Eve, Nylicia’s projection had walked into the room. The shock of discovering that she was real was nothing compared to Eve’s realization that her dream had been as well, and her stupid ass had walked through that portal.

In that instant, she realized that she was next. She would soon mate to Zeniel the same way that Ismini had mated to Dyletri. Zeniel, the god she had sworn would never touch her again, and ironically, the one male that she wanted to touch her in every way possible.

Especially right then.

She tried to call out to him again.
Zeniel!

“Vedlyl, are her vitals stabilized enough for me to go in there?”

“Her heart rate is way too high, even for an immortal. Look at her skin, look at all the energy coursing through her right now.”

“I have to try.”

“You’re not going near her unless it’s safe for her!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Zen. Shut the hell up and let me do what is necessary!”

The voices receded, leaving Eve on her own again. For the hell of it, she tried moving a few more times. That ended in failure, of course. She tried not to despair as the darkness seemed to press in on her. At least she knew she was still alive. That counted for something, right?

Not if I have to remain a vegetable forever, trapped inside my own damned mind.

“Now, now . . . I would never let that happen. At least not for long.”

Eve was shocked by the sudden intrusion inside her mind.

“Evesse? Can you hear me?”

“Oh, God, Nylicia! Yes. I’m here. Can you hear me?”

“Yes. I can.”

“Where are you? I can’t see anything.”

“I know. Me neither. But I need you to stay calm, okay? Every time your emotions spike, you threaten to bring down the room. Hell, I think the whole dimension is shaking, you powerful little thing, you.”

“What?”

“Your powers are multiplying even though you’re unconscious. And . . . well, they’re tied to your emotions, and emotionally speaking, Eve you’re . . .”

“I get it.”

Nylicia went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “Passionate, I’d say. Others might say high-strung, but I’ll stick with passionate.”

Like Nylicia was one to talk. Eve tried to growl, but apparently that couldn’t be done mentally and what came out sounded kind of strained.

She thought again of how she had met Nylicia. That night, she turned both Evesse and Ismini into immortals. The pain of the change had been almost unbearable, but Eve hadn’t cared. Not only had she been desperate to be more than human, Zeniel had been on Earth, fighting off dangerous monsters. She would have done anything to help him.

And she had. She had allowed Nylicia to alter her DNA and then she’d gone to Earth and kicked some major ass, if she did say so herself.

“You gave these powers to me,” she called out to Nylicia. “Can’t you . . . stabilize them or something?”

Nylicia remained quiet. Eve hadn’t known her for long, but she knew that was a bad sign.

“Nylicia?”

“Let’s stick with what I do know for certain.”

“Hell, no!” Eve cried. “You’re telling me everything. Everything, you hear me?”

“You are becoming more powerful, but on top of that you’re stuck in some sort of coma. There’s only one thing I know that can cause that. Did you, by any chance, think of anything that happened in your past right before they threw you into the vortex? Traumatizing details. Things like that?”

Of course she had. Lisrn, one of the two Aviraji that had captured her and Ismini, threatened to force himself on her. All Evesse had been able to remember as she and Ismini were dragged toward that vortex was what had happened years before, how her stepfather had once tried to rape her.

The memories of where her life had gone after that followed her all the way into that vortex.

They’d been there even as she died.

“I’m taking your silence as a yes.”

“What does it mean?” Evesse asked.

“Destiny, hon. Mutation. Amalgamation. Whatever you’re more comfortable with. And it’s going to hurt. I’m sorry.”

Hadn’t she hurt enough?

“What exactly does that mean, Nylicia? Amalgamation?”

“It means I can’t do anything for you. You’ve got to ride this out.”

“Ride what out? Nylicia, for once just stop with the obscure shit and tell me what’s going on!”

“She’s barely known me a few weeks and already she knows,” Nylicia mumbled, her voice getting fainter with each word.

“Nylicia? Nylicia, damn it, don’t leave. Please tell me what’s about to happen!”

Nylicia never answered. She didn’t have to. The darkness got so heavy that Eve couldn’t make another sound. The pressure grew and grew until there was nothing left. Not even a single thought running through her mind.

Chapter 2

-Brownsville, Pennsylvania (USA)

Two weeks later.

“Please. Please. I . . . oh, God. What are you?”

The man didn’t wait for an answer to his question. He spun around and took off, his shoes screeching against the cement.

It wouldn’t do him any good. He had been selfish. He had caused his wife’s death. There would be nowhere in the world he could hide now. Not until he was dead.

Zeniel, God of Tranquility, wanted to spare him. Not because of any desire to see the man live. Hell, no, but because he didn’t want to be the one to punish him. Mavrak, God of Vengeance, however, had other plans. He had locked onto the man and was threatening to hurt everyone else around them if Zen didn’t let him have this one thing.

A single left turn and Mavrak knew he had the man trapped. The man’s breath hitched as he came to a dead end. The whimper that left him pierced through the roars leaking into Zeniel’s mind. Zen wanted to help him. He wanted to turn away before it was too late.

But it wasn’t going to happen. Mavrak was agonized. The details of the man’s crime replayed over and over in his mind. Zeniel had lost control the moment he’d laid eyes on the man, and now, Vengeance was desperate for its due.

“Please . . . I didn’t do anything. Why are you doing this to me?” The man’s shoulders fell, his head hanging low. He hadn’t even turned to face Zeniel as he approached. “Why?”

“You know what you did.” Mavrak’s warped voice spoke out of Zen’s mouth. “You caused her death.”

“She was already depressed! It’s not my fault she hanged herself!”

His shout sent more images shooting through Zen’s mind. From the other side, the wife’s soul screamed out in agony, demanding retribution. She was so pained that she hadn’t even moved on. She was trapped between the mortal realm and the spirit world, the four walls of their bedroom her eternal prison.

“She lost your child, and you betrayed her. Barely a week later.”

“She couldn’t get over it. I needed a break! I needed someone to make
me
feel good for a night!”

That did it. Mavrak’s eyes focused on the man’s back. Shadows slid out, the black and red fog illuminating the alleyway as it made its way toward the man. Zen screamed inside his own mind. Not that it would work.

“Your selfishness and betrayal pushed her to kill herself. You added to her pain. She was innocent.”

The man turned, his wide, frightened eyes filling with tears. “Please.”

Zeniel managed to gain back enough control to turn his head, but it did him no good. The shadows had been released and were locked on their prey. He heard the wraiths cackle from within them. The man’s scream came next. Followed by more pleas, and strangled groans.

Mavrak wanted to turn around, to bask in the punishment being dealt. Zeniel somehow made himself stay still, not needing to see. The man had cheated on his wife shortly after she’d lost their baby. The wraiths were having a field day with him, tearing at certain organs. He could tell by the man’s choked screams, and the sound of ripping flesh.

Zeniel wanted to heave. He wanted to scream. He’d sworn never to let this happen again. Even worse? He was so
aware
this time. Through the roars, through the agony, and the never ending assault of images, he knew what was happening.

He had no clue how he made himself leave that alley. All he knew was that one moment he was there, and the next he’d materialized behind an abandoned church near the river. He didn’t have to worry about leaving a mutilated body behind. The wraiths were still there, and they wouldn’t stop until there was nothing left.

He stumbled and landed against the church’s outer wall, barely catching his weight before accidentally bringing the entire, deteriorated thing down.

It was so late at night that the streets on this side of the small town were practically empty. The only signs of life were the occasional car on the road, the gas station several blocks away, and a few stragglers spilling out of bars.

Sliding down the side of the church, he sat on the ground. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and wrestled his brain into submission. He was lost, but he wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t force his other half to obey him now that it had been given the kill it wanted.

At least Zen hoped so.

He had to distract himself, and quick. Running a hand through his hair, he looked around and focused on the road. The number of abandoned buildings in this town was staggering considering its actual size. The population? Not so much. Less than three thousand people lived in Brownsville. For the umpteenth time, Zeniel had to wonder if Ianthen had gotten the location wrong. But the God of the Hunt never made a mistake.

Ian had tracked Enteax, and the trail had led him here. Neither of them knew what that blue-skinned bastard was up to, or why he was in a small, ex-industrial town to begin with, but Zen didn’t really care about that.

What he cared about was what Enteax and his partner Lisrn had done to his woman. That was why he was on his current quest. Just thinking about those assholes putting their hands on Evesse had Mavrak twitching again, had him feeling angsty. He was poking, scratching, and hissing his way down Zen’s spine, looking for the override switch.

He held up images of the world’s sins to Zen like a flashcard exhibition of crimes. Zen had shut down his tranquility grid in an effort to block it all out, but it hadn’t helped.

There was the woman ten blocks away, going swipe-happy on a counterfeit credit card. The account it was linked to belonged to another woman in North Carolina. That woman would most likely not be able to feed her four kids come tomorrow. She’d be without money, at least until the bank finished investigating the credit card fraud and refunded her.

And the guy up in Maine? He’d just stabbed a man behind a school. The victim’s wallet lay on the table before him as he twirled his blade and contemplated where to strike next.

Zen ground his teeth, trying to push the images back. Every second, a new one popped up, a fucked-up circuit of pure shit that lit up every area of the map. He literally heard Mavrak huff right before the prick pulled out the mother of all “sin flash cards” and slapped Zen across the face with it.

Atherton, California. Two boys, no older than seventeen, had just successfully drugged and raped a fifteen-year-old girl. They had then set their sights on which girl would be next.

If only Zen could blame the rage that he felt on Mavrak. However, that baby was all his. The urge he had to Sweeney Todd those little bastards was coming from
him.
He imagined slicing into each of them with his blades, ripping their guts out with his bare hands.

Him
, the same being that had inspired every peace loving religion on Earth.

It had started out with one small settlement near the border of what would become India and Nepal. His teachings eventually spread. In time, he became friends with two of the greatest men who had ever lived.