The Pentagram Child: Part 2 (Afterlife Saga Book 5) (12 page)

“Draven?” I heard his panic and it made my own double in strength. What was happening to not only me but now to Draven as well?

“Dom, there’s something you should know.”

“Did he make it!?” Draven snapped and I saw her blurred form enough to know she had lowered her head.

“Yes… but not all of him did.” She replied cryptically.

“Get him.”

“But Dom…”

“NOW OR SHE DIES!” Draven roared at his sister, causing her to disappear from sight.

“Draven listen to me…” I had to stop speaking as I started coughing violently and I felt the liquid erupt from my mouth, knowing it was blood. It was like the blood I had swallowed needed to get out of my body…as if it was rejecting Draven.

“Ssshh now, be still and don’t speak.” He said wiping the blood from my face.

“But…”

“NO! Don’t say it, by the Gods, don’t say it because if you think for one moment I just went through all that only to lose you now then you and the fates are wrong!” Draven said fervently.

“But Draven I need to tell you…the last thing… I…” I felt him put his forehead to mine and he whispered,

“I know. I know Keira, but it won’t be the last thing you say to me, because I’m never letting there be a last time with us.
There will only be a forever…I promise you.”
 

“Then I will pray for it.”
I said softly letting a tear escape and doing nothing to prevent my head from rolling back for my time had come and I had got my wish. I was going to die with Draven in the knowledge the world was safe, one that would be made safer without me in it.

“LUCIUS!” I heard Draven roar for the second time and I wondered what he was gaining from calling out for his dead friend. Was he waiting on the other side someplace? Was Draven letting him know that I was leaving this world to hopefully enter the next? Yes, that must have been it because the next thing I knew I must have taken my last breath and it was in awe for the next words spoken belonged to my lost friend. 

“I am here.”

“Lucius, you’re…” Draven was cut off when Lucius snapped,

“Do not speak of it! Now, why isn’t she healing?” Was I hearing this right?

“Look at me and you will know why.” Draven responded in a way that haunted me as it sounded so absent, so lost…
so broken.

“But how?!”

“We don’t have time! We need to heal her as one, like we did once before.” Draven stated and I finally knew that I wasn’t dead. But more importantly…

Lucius lived.

I was so confused. My mind was conflicted with what I would pray for and what I feared had already happened. I tried to speak but found I could only listen and I could only feel. Another tear fell to the floor, leaving my body on a silent cry. Was Lucius really alive!? Had he really somehow made it back and now I could pray for something new…like my own life to be saved.

“Dom listen to me, that blood I tasted…the Venom of God now runs through these veins and it nearly killed me…We...
I…”
He struggled for words a moment before he said, 

“There is no telling what could happen to her if I give her my blood…
Dom, it could kill her.”
  He added whispering the grave news to a fragile heart…both mine and Draven’s. I heard the man I loved struggle to take this in but a few heavy breaths later he said firmly,

“We have no choice, it is this and we pray to the Gods for hope or it is her death and we damn the Gods with War!”

“Very well.
Then let us pray old friend…let us fucking pray!”
  Then in seconds I felt the first wrist being offered to me and I drank it down without needing any prompting.

“Now.”

“So much for my vow not to do this again today.” Lucius said dryly before placing his own wrist against my lips. I swallowed it down with greater urgency this time and the second it started to go down something magically happened. Instead of it burning like Draven’s blood alone had done, it started to cool, like drinking icy water when you’re dying of thirst. My whole body started to light up as if every cell had been touched individually.

Four hands started to touch me and caress me in a way I had never known. My body arched and pushed itself harder, firmer against the touch. I heard myself moan in bliss as a warmth travelled up from my toes and fed parts of my body I had never been aware of. I could feel it coming, growing more powerful with each mental wave that crashed into me. Like a crescendo it kept building and building to something greater, something more monumental.

“Ahh…hhhaahaaa!” I let myself scream out my release as my orgasm rolled over me as though I was being crushed by pleasure. My body spasmed over and over, jerking in someone’s arms. And then out of nowhere it hit me again, only this time the pleasure was so intense it was almost too much to bear.

“AHHHH, oooohh!” I cried out again as every muscle in my body not only healed itself but felt like it had done so with the intension of pushing each one to its limits! It was the most violent orgasm I had ever had and one that I would be scared to ever experience again.

I started to feel my chest rise and fall with the desperate need for air and soon the exhaustion followed. I opened my eyes and for the first time the world came into focus. The second I did this I wish I hadn’t made the innocent mistake as I came back to this world to see two things, things that would haunt me till the end of days. 

The first and most gruesome was actually how Sammael had died on the Altar and I knew now why Draven had tried to shield that from me. But the next was far more terrifying.

“DOM!” Sophia’s desperate cry chilled my heart and as I let my face turn to the other side, with my cheek still against the marble floor what I saw killed me.

“Draven?” I said his name as though what I was seeing wasn’t real but one look into his dead eyes and I knew he was gone. This time I had really done it…

This time I had killed Draven.          

Chapter 55

The Awakening

Seeing death wasn’t something you ever forgot. Yes, for a warrior or a solider or even a mass murderer, I understood that you could become immune to it. Everyone had their own coping mechanisms. But still, there was something that clung on to you whether you wanted it to or not. Almost like freshly disturbed asbestos fibres sticking to your lungs when you breathed deep. The effects could be everlasting and devastating.

Now I had seen death. I had walked the line hand in hand with death himself and still I was breathing. I had felt the pain and I had beaten it back only to win and fight another day. I had known what it felt like to feel yourself slipping away to that unknown place where doubt was the biggest destroyer of hopes, dreams and faith in that better place. Yes, I thought I knew death.

But I didn’t.

I wanted to go somewhere, anywhere that reminded me of life. I wanted the lush green earth to embrace me in its sounds, smells and sights of every day proof there was beauty left in the world. Because right now I needed that evidence that the world hadn’t ended and what I had just seen hadn’t been real. I needed to know that the world still existed…even if it had just ended for me.

I kept replaying the same pictures over and over in my head. First there had been Sammael’s severed head that had started to eat away at itself from the thousands of black maggots that swarmed from his nostrils. They poured down the rest of his face, so that all that remained intact was the top of his head, which was starting to cave in on itself. Then there had been his severed limbs which created the same infestation that seemed to have made up his flesh. Flesh hungry maggots everywhere.

His blood however was like black ink and it filled the pale altar with dark symbols as his blood travelled the carvings. So this was the only way to kill a man like Sammael…to lock his essence within the ancient markings after first beheading him. I didn’t know what it all meant or how it worked but I knew that once the blood in the symbols started to evaporate then Sammael really was no more.

It was a gruesome sight and one not likely ever forgotten like all of the deaths I had witnessed, whether it was mortal or supernatural I remembered them all. But it was nothing but a single raindrop in a day of storms compared to turning my head and seeing Draven that way. I heard people trying to say something to me but I couldn’t hear them over the screaming. I just needed the silence. I just wanted the isolation to grieve. And definitely didn’t need anyone trying to drag me away from his body as I could feel many hands doing.

I remember feeling so angry with everyone! I was angry with everyone around me trying to keep me from him, even in death. I was angry at our fallen enemies for ripping us apart and using our love against each other. And I was angry at myself for letting them. But most of all I was angry at Dominic.

“You promised! You promised me! You said you would never leave me again! You promised damn you! DAMN YOU!” I only now realised I was the one screaming as I lost all control over my emotions. It was like waking from a dream and finding yourself stood outside in the rain with no idea how you got there. In my mind I had been a small figure of a girl curled up, holding herself in an empty cell and crying quietly for her loss. But in reality I woke to find I was on top of Draven hitting out at his chest and cursing him for leaving me. I was hammering my weak fists down like it would bring him back and throwing his broken promises back in his lifeless face.

“Lucius do something!” I heard someone yell over the chaos that was my heartbreak. I felt myself being manhandled off his body with much more force this time. I started to lash out and fight but then felt a swift slap to my face causing me a moment of shock, one that lasted long enough to stop my wasted efforts in getting back to a dead man.

“For fuck sake Keira listen to me! HE’S NOT DEAD!” Lucius shouted for what sounded like the hundredth time. He shook me with one hand and it was only when I looked down that I realised he had the other one tucked into his shirt that was half open, hiding it from view. I started shaking my head as I processed the words and once they did my eyes widened and my lips quivered before I said,

“Re…really?” At this his anger and frustration seeped from his eyes and he let go of my arm to stroke down my face.

“Really, Keira…he just passed out.” At this I lost it again only this time for my entire world of better reasons. I fell to my knees barely taking note of my healed body and the lack of pain before crying out my utter relief. I felt Lucius get down next to me and I threw myself into his body taking him off guard. I burst into uncontrollable sobs and felt him put an arm around me, pulling me closer to his body by the waist.

“Is she going to be alright…bbb…bossman?” I heard an emotional Pip ask that sounded like she was still sobbing herself.

“Give me time alone with her, there are things I need to explain. Take the King back to his bed, for he will need the rest if he is to…” I felt Lucius hesitate before deciding not to continue.

I don’t know how long it was after Lucius had turned everyone away when I finally got myself under control but by the time I looked up he was still holding me with one arm.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” I said in a croaky voice that had been abused this last twenty four hours. Lucius’ eyes got soft, causing handsome little lines to appear at the corners.

“You thought I had died?” He asked and I choked back another sob and decided it was safer to just nod.

“I am sorry my little Keira girl.” He said sincerely.

“What happened back there?” I asked nodding back towards the Temple exit and where I knew the crypt wasn’t far away. He took a deep breath and looked away. I knew he was trying to find the right way to tell me and it looked like he wasn’t looking forward to the task.

“Will Draven be alright?” I asked and then thought of another question,

“How did he stop the Titans? Or was it you, is that why he called out your name?” Soon I had him laughing and shaking his head at me.

“You don’t change do you? Even facing death doesn’t slow you down.” I gave him a frown in return, one to which he just laughed at again before giving me a playful frown back, mimicking me.

“Right Mister, emotional girly outburst is done, time to talk” I demanded pulling away from him and folding my arms. I expected him to do it back at me but then I remembered his hidden arm.

“Are you injured?”

“Bloody hell woman! How do you expect me to answer a single question if you don’t ever shut up!?” He said pretending to be dramatic.

“Ok answer that one first.” I said nodding to his arm.

“No. If I am going to explain what happened then I will do so on my own terms…now not a word or so help me I will gag you.” I couldn’t keep the smirk from my face after he winked at me, even when I rolled my eyes at him it lost its desired effect as I was grinning.

“Do you remember when I first found you in the Temple?”

“Yes but what has…” When he lifted up his finger to shake at me I held my tongue and the impulse to ask yet another question.

“I didn’t rescue you straight away.”

“You didn’t?” He raised an eyebrow at me and I threw up both of my hands in defeat,

“Hey give me a break, if there is always one poor sap that gets left out of the loop it is muggins here…besides, that wasn’t really a question, more of a prompt to get your ass in gear with the story telling.”

“Have you finished?”

“Can I get away with saying maybe?” I asked making him roll his eyes.

“Right, getting back to the point. When I saw what he was doing the last parts of the puzzle fit into place. We knew what he had planned and I crept back from the Temple to inform Dom. We both decided that if I couldn’t get you out in time then there was only one back up plan.”

“And that was?”

“We needed his blood. We both agreed that he wouldn’t kill you as he needed you alive to bargain with Dom for your life. So seeing as there was only one way to release the Titans, it just happens to be the same way to lock them back up again…hence needing his blood.” Lucius finished taking me back to that horrible place in time when I thought he had taken the fatal bite.

“But why didn’t you tell me any of this!” To this outraged demand he both gave up trying to stop me asking questions and just cocked his head to the side as if it was obvious.

“Come on Keira, we all know your acting skills are utter shite. Besides, I needed Alex to believe and if you believed then so would he. But hey, if it makes you feel any better it did put me into a coma.”

“Oh yeah, that helps, thanks.” I said sarcastically before hitting him on his arm, the one he didn’t have cradled to his chest. He laughed once and then it was if a memory had him frowning again.

“You know if there had been any other way then we would have…” I stopped him by putting my hand on his leg.

“I get it. Don’t get me wrong, I wished there had been another way and would have loved to have been spared the heartache but if it meant saving the world and killing the bad guys, then who am I to complain.” When I finished I looked up as during my little speech and admitting my heartbreak at seeing him die I hadn’t been able to look at him. But when I finally met his eyes all I saw there was the respect he had for me.

“I think we should continue this conversation on the move, if Dom wakes he will do himself an injury if he finds you are not by his side.” We both got up and I tried not to make it obvious that I was staring at his arm. We walked the length of the temple and I noticed him giving me a side glance.

“You know you are about as discreet as an elephant hiding behind a lamppost.” I rolled in my lips to stop my smile and said,

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh now this is different, Keira’s playing coy.” I shot him a look and did a pathetic attempt to growl at him making him laugh.

We were now walking back through the house part of Afterlife and it was the first time I’d stepped within these walls for over a year. It had been an insightful journey back but I managed to keep my emotions in check as he told me all that had happened. Of course his side only went back so far and if I wanted the rest I would have to get that from Draven. Well, when he awoke of course.

He decided it wasn’t the best idea to walk me back through the crypt considering there was quite a lot of shit to clean up…these were his words not mine. I found out that Alex had left the army of the dead to keep the rest of Draven’s council and half of Lucius’ busy.

Vincent had led the fight seeing as it would have been impossible for him to have helped his brother in Hell, being the Angel he was after all. So he and the others had helped to hold them back before they could become overrun. Pip and Adam had also been helping in this but they couldn’t afford Adam turning into his beast for fear it would be too hard to contain him. So as soon as Lucius had regained consciousness, both of them followed him into Tartarus, after being assured by Draven that he could get his father to bring down the barrier for a short time.

He also told me about how he had saved Draven’s life and I was surprised, given his cocky nature when this wasn’t said in a boastful manner. It was said as a matter of fact and as I threw my arms around him and started to sing his praises (obviously not literally, as my singing voice sucked and that was one victory song no one needed to hear.) This was in fact the most uncomfortable I had ever seen him look.

Hearing about the Cyclopes brothers had my fingernails trying to embed themselves into my palm but I had felt so proud when hearing how Adam had defeated them with ease. I had also laughed hearing what Pip’s part in all this had been and I was looking forward to being with my friend again.

In truth the overwhelming need I felt to be with them all right now was getting stronger the closer we got. I could only put it down to what it must have been like knowing your family was off to war and nothing inside you felt right until you saw for yourself that they were safe again.

The hardest part in all this was what was happening now and what Lucius had to tell me, which all started with a simple sounding question,

“So why did Draven pass out?” Lucius closed his eyes a second and then stopped walking. I didn’t realise until I was a few steps ahead of him and as soon as I saw that he was no longer with me I too stopped. I turned to look at him and knew instantly this wasn’t just something like jetlag for a demon after a battle. No his face said only one thing…

“It’s serious…isn’t it?”

“I am not going to lie or try to play this down because not only do you have the right to know but I also think you will be the only one able to help him.” I frowned and instead of bombarding him with questions as was my usual trait, I simply nodded for him to continue.

“Dom had no choice but to enter into Tartarus with only his demon side, leaving his Angelic side behind in the fear that a place like Tartarus would destroy that part of him.” I let this sink in for a minute giving my brain chance to catch up with exactly what this all meant.

“But it didn’t destroy that part of you?” I asked knowing that since the ritual of the Triple Goddess that Lucius too now had his own heavenly side. Hard to think looking at the cocky bad ass who stood opposite me now but with the spear of Longinus embedded beneath his wings I saw that day what he had become when trying to save my life.