Revelations: Book One of the Lalassu (34 page)

The Huntress hissed, opening its maw wide. But it cringed back from Dani’s words. Michael grinned, certain it was finally finished.

Dani’s eyes opened and brilliant starlight poured out of them, too bright to look at. When the light touched the Huntress, the scaly flesh sizzled and dissolved into nothingness. It tried to surge forward, but its entire body simply vanished into the darkness.

“Like every monster in the closet, the light reveals there is nothing to fear.” Dani’s eyes closed as she finished speaking and the light faded from her skin.

Well done, my Priestess. Well done.
The Goddess smiled at the two of them.
Now return to your bodies before it is too late to save them.

Chapter Forty-Six

Dani kept herself perfectly still as she returned to awareness. Dalhard’s influence slipped off like a heavy blanket, letting her breathe freely again. Their fight in her mind seemed to have only taken a fraction of a second. Dalhard was still yelling, reaching for Michael. Karan still grappled with Joe for control of the other gun. McBride crouched behind the car with a wailing Bernie. And Vincent’s eyes were tightly squeezed shut, his hands digging into his dark curls. She scanned the tarmac, only moving her eyes, but didn’t see Eric.
He must still be on the plane
.

She released Michael’s hands as Dalhard pushed him back. Michael fell and rolled back over his shoulder to come up in a crouched position. Dalhard stepped in front of her to face Michael, his hands curled into fists.

Dani slowly shuffled her feet, keeping her upper body as rigid as possible. To those focused on the confrontation between Dalhard and Michael, the lack of change would keep them from noticing her slow movements.
Thanks, George
. She sent a mental note to the kid from Michael’s workplace for demonstrating the technique.

They didn’t have much of a window of opportunity. Dalhard might be half-blind with rage, but Karan’s sharp eyes would catch her soon enough. Michael’s eyes never even flickered in her direction. He trusted her to do her part, even though they hadn’t exactly set up a plan. He couldn’t have demonstrated his faith in her any more clearly. The realization lightened her heart and would have brought a smile to her face in a less life-and-death situation.

“You might be able to temporarily hold on to people by frying their brains, but you can’t persuade someone to join you through coercion,” Michael said to Dalhard.

“I don’t need her mind willing. Just her body,” Dalhard snapped back. The scent rolling off his body began to take on the taint of disease. He was beginning to go past the point of sanity. Dani only needed to move a few more inches and she’d be in the perfect position.

“They’ll always break free from your control. They have morals. They’re not like you.” Michael slowly stood up.

“Enough talk!” Dalhard roared. “It won’t save you!”

“Actually, I’m distracting you,” Michael pointed out with a weary smile.

Dani slammed her fist into Dalhard’s temple, knocking his unresisting body to the ground. She could smell the utter shock pouring off him as she stood over him, mind and body once again alert and in control. “We need to talk,” she growled, lifting her foot to smash her heel into his ribs.

Dalhard rolled with surprising agility, wincing as he hit his broken wrist. But he got back up onto his feet. “How?” he sputtered.

“Like the man said, I’m not like you. And I won’t be controlled.” She bent to pick up the discarded gun on the runway.

“Leave it!” Karan snapped, shoving Joe away and pointing his weapon in Dani’s direction. Joe went sprawling and everyone else froze in place.

Dani remained in place, hunkered into predatorial waiting. She’d forgotten about him in the heat of vengeance. The lack of scent kept dropping him out of her awareness. “The odds aren’t in your favor.”

“My employer and I will be leaving now. And while you might outnumber us, none of you are armed.” Karan held the gun steady, his calm demeanor restored. Either he had nerves of steel or extensive military training.

“Wanna bet I’m slower than a bullet?” Dani tensed her muscles, preparing to move. She wasn’t about to let them get away. She noticed Joe slowly moving into a crouch, preparing to tackle Karan again.

“Perhaps you could reach me before I could fire a second shot,” Karan mused as if considering a possible experiment. “Perhaps you are even quick enough to dodge a bullet in midair. But he is not.” With unbelievable speed and precision, Karan shifted his aim to Michael. “Stay where you are, or I will shoot him in the head.”

Fear drained her potential speed and her heart. Joe went motionless, and Dani sent up a grateful prayer. She didn’t doubt Karan was capable of shooting Michael even in the face of his own death. He’d do it without a second thought, because it was necessary.

“Shoot them all!” Dalhard ordered, moving to stand beside his aide. A vindictive smile lit his face. “Start with him!”

“Shoot him and you shoot the only thing keeping you both alive,” Dani warned.

“We are at an impasse. One I have no desire to prolong. Sir, if you will go to the limo, I believe it is time for us to depart.”

“I’m not leaving without—” Dalhard began, spittle flying from his lips.

“We have lost this round, sir. Any further investment would be simply throwing good money after bad,” Karan told his boss. “Unless you truly wish to die here, in which case I shall bid you good luck and leave you here to negotiate.”

Dalhard jerked his torn and dusty jacket into place before stiffly walking to the limo. Karan remained absolutely still. His aim at Michael never wavered.

It wasn’t fair. Dani longed to rip into her enemy. If she’d been capable of growing fangs and claws, she would be doing it. Her fury demanded the right to rend and destroy. But she would not endanger Michael.

He glanced over at her, a hint of worry in his eyes and his scent. The intensity of her thirst for vengeance must be coming through to him. He would be afraid of her doing something stupid and violent. She pulled up the memory of his disappointment in her after she’d attacked Redneck. The possibility of seeing the same disappointment again in his eyes cooled her rage.

She would let them go for today. They couldn’t disappear. She’d hunt them down and make them pay.

Dalhard got in the car. As soon as the door clicked closed, Karan began to back toward the limo. He kept the gun trained on Michael, not even glancing back to see where he was. He went straight to the driver’s door as if a string connected him to it.

Once he was inside, the limo screeched away in a haze of burnt rubber. Michael’s surprise swept through Dani’s lungs like fresh mountain air, stinging a little in its clarity. Was he disappointed she hadn’t charged after them?

His relief as he pulled her tight into his arms answered her question.

“They left me,” Vincent whimpered, collapsing onto the tarmac. His outburst reminded Dani that there were more casualties to deal with than her and Michael.

“You got cuffs?” she asked Joe, nodding toward Vincent.

Joe pulled the silver restraints out and slipped them around Vincent’s wrists. Her brother didn’t resist, staring after the limo as if his heart were broken.

“Michael!” Bernie broke free from McBride and came charging up to Michael, wrapping her arms around him. “You saved me, just like you promised!”

“I had some help.” Michael knelt down to accept the hug. Dani smiled, a soft ache building beneath her heart. Bernie might think it was all over, but her life would change forever. She and her mother would have to go into hiding.

“Bernie, I’d like you to meet someone. This is Dani. She helped me to save you.” Michael pointed at Dani.

“Hi,” Dani said awkwardly.

She needn’t have worried. Bernie launched herself at Dani with terminal enthusiasm. Her little arms wrapped around Dani’s waist. “Thank you, pretty lady.”

Dani brushed her fingers through Bernie’s hair, smiling at Michael.

“Eric is still unconscious in the plane. Along with… Nada.” McBride’s shoulders hunched as if under a heavy weight. He avoided looking at them. “She saved us all.”

“I told her,” Bernie told them proudly. “Chuck said you were safe and coming after us. Nada said she would make sure the plane would stay here. She said she couldn’t stop the cars because she couldn’t be sure to get both at once. She says not to worry about her. Just bring her home to her family.”

McBride stiffened, glancing at Dani, Joe, and Michael.

“She can speak to the dead. If she says that’s what Nada wants, it’s true,” Michael explained, moving closer to Dani and Bernie.

“She’s not mad at you. Honest,” Bernie said, trying to reassure McBride.

It wasn’t successful. McBride shuffled into the plane. Michael rubbed Bernie’s shoulder. “What do you say, kiddo? Let’s go home and see your mom.”

With a whoop, Bernie ran to where Joe was loading Vincent into the back seat. She claimed the front and bounced on the seat, fiddling with the radio.

Michael pulled Dani against him and she inhaled his unique scent, letting it saturate every fiber of her skin and hair. She couldn’t imagine even trying to live a life without him. Those terrifying minutes when she’d believed he was dead still haunted her. “You’re stuck with me now,” she whispered, playfully nipping at the strong line of his jaw.

“I would never have it any other way,” he whispered back, seizing her lips with his.

Her fingers tightened in his hair as his hands cupped her tight against his body. He deepened the kiss, making it both a promise and a demand.

His hips ground against hers, and she moaned, feeling the hot length of him pushing against her. Her inner core blazed with aching, moist heat. The scent of their combined lust drowned out everything else. She was surprised it wasn’t visible, like an aura of orange and apple blossoms.

Her fingers hooked into his shirt, preparing to rend the fragile fabric.

“Not to interrupt, but what the hell? You know they’re going to fly out of the country with some damn fake ID. They got away.” Joe’s frustrated explosion broke them apart.

“I didn’t get everything. Some hints, a couple of account numbers. There wasn’t enough time.” Michael frowned.

“Even if you did, I can’t put you on the stand. I can’t put any of you on the stand. Which means I can’t even charge them with kidnapping,” Joe snarled, frustrated. “I might be able to get a murder indictment, but they’ll be long gone.”

“It’s a start. We’ll use what we have to track him down,” Dani corrected him, strangely content with her circumstances.

“We’ll get you information you can use. Or at least, that Interpol and the SEC can use. Or some other agency.” Michael shrugged.

“So you’re telling me there’s a plan?” Joe asked.

“What plan?” Michael smiled.

“Please tell me there’s an actual plan.” Joe looked ill.

Michael pressed a soft kiss against Dani’s cheek as she answered. “No plan. Just faith.”

TWO MONTHS LATER

Epilogue

FBI Manhunt For Escaped Millionaire Continues.
The title scrolling across Michael’s phone was practically longer than the story. Even in the distracting bustle of patrons at the Blue Curtain, it didn’t take long to read. A corrupt businessman was no match for the news of a local New York celebrity spotted buying shoes at two a.m. Dalhard easily escaped the authorities, but plenty of law enforcement agencies were eager to introduce themselves. Despite Joe’s worries, raids on Expanding Horizons, Right-Hand Man, and a dozen other companies provided enough evidence for the courts. Dalhard’s domestic accounts were frozen. But Michael knew the man possessed any number of hidden foreign assets and accounts.

He sipped at his beer, moistening his dry mouth. Dalhard wouldn’t accept defeat. Michael could predict it with the same certainty as tomorrow’s sunrise. Having seen Karan’s eyes as they escaped, Michael was certain the other man would come after them as well. Of the two, he wasn’t sure which was more dangerous, but together, they were still a formidable threat.

He reminded himself of the victories as the audience clapped for Opal’s new solo act. Bernie was back with her mother, whose record had been courteously expunged of all false data. Virginia arranged for them to join a community of
lalassu
under new identification. There was also a new live-in nanny who happened to have extensive experience with mediums and psychic visions. Chuck now spent most of his days running messages between Gwen and Bernie, both of whom were delighted to have a new friend. He missed her, but she was safer hidden.

Eric was recovering slowly. He’d been unconscious for almost two days after Dalhard’s psychic attack. His mind had been ransacked and overwritten, and it needed time and specialized care to heal. Michael suspected one of the frequent visitors to the farmhouse might have been a healer, but Virginia still held her secrets close.

The only real casualty was Vincent. His carefree outlook had shattered, possibly beyond repair. He spent his days lurking at the farmhouse, avoiding the rest of the family as much as possible. He obsessed about Dalhard’s control, afraid the man still had hooks deep in his mind.

Despite doing intensive psychic work, Michael couldn’t promise him mental freedom. Dalhard’s poisonous insinuations were incredibly difficult to distinguish from ordinary thoughts. Dani’s brainwashing might have been obvious, but Vincent’s had developed over time, becoming a part of him. There was no way to guarantee it had all been removed.

And McBride vanished shortly after Nada’s funeral. None of them knew where he had disappeared to, but the urn containing Nada’s ashes had vanished as well.

“Ladies and gentlemen…” The announcement interrupted the chill of trepidation before it could send more than a frisson of fear along his nerves. He tucked away his phone, eager for the grand finale.

The curtain rose to reveal Dani in all her glory as Onyx. Her dark hair was pinned into a thick bun on top of her head, with tiny wisps framing her face. She wore a gorgeous black silk robe that glittered with invisible sequins.

“It’s time for the night to end and for us all to say good-bye.” Onyx paused to smooth her robe. “Usually that wouldn’t mean so much to me. I’d be ready for the next adventure to start, always looking to a new horizon. But over the last little while, I’ve come to realize how important the people in my life are. It’s made me feel a little sentimental.”

She smiled at the audience, finding Michael easily. He grinned at her as she winked at him, timed perfectly for him alone. He couldn’t keep a certain smugness from his smile, able to see through her careful façade.

“Earlier in the show, I said dreams vanish at the end of the night. But it’s not entirely true. Some dreams are still around when you wake up. So I wish you all a little piece of the dreams you’ve found here.” She lifted the microphone and began to croon
Dream a Little Dream of Me
, soft and sultry.

Michael whistled along with the rest of the audience as she tugged at the tie of her robe, letting it slide to the floor in a silken puddle. Beneath, she wore a sheer, black, fitted nightgown, tied at the front with white ribbons.

She slid the first ribbon open, then the next. Each line loosened the nightgown a little more, revealing the skimpy bra and thong beneath. When it fell to the stage, she reached up and pulled the pin from her bun, letting her hair fall around her shoulders.

The audience applauded, and soft hoots burst from a few. But Onyx seemed to hold them all spellbound. Michael couldn’t help but compare the emotional atmosphere to the first time he’d come to this club. Then, the Huntress had whipped everyone into a dark sexual frenzy. Now it was still intensely sexual and sensual, but the darkness had vanished. It was teasing between lovers, intimate and powerful. People smiled, hands clasped under the table, eyes shining as they swayed softly to the music. It didn’t bother him any more to have other men watching her, wanting her.
Enjoy it all you want. All you get is Onyx.

The song wound to a close and Onyx curled up on a small daybed on the back of the stage. Their eyes met again and she smiled, the roguish grin flashing briefly though the dimming house lights. The rest of the room faded into insignificance and they were the only two that mattered. Michael raised his beer bottle to her in a silent salute.

I’m the only one who sees Dani.