Daughters of Takira III: Revelations Read online

  She dropped to her knees, struggling to remain conscious. Looking up, she threw up her arm to block another blow. The hard, compressed leather baton crashed down on her lower arm. A rush of heat and pain shot through her. She fought to rise, but a series of blows rained on her other arm and shoulder until she collapsed onto her side, bleeding profusely.

  With consciousness fast fading, Susoma heard a bestial roar of rage. “Susoma! Noooo!”

  Sean had found her. She was dying, but at least she would die in the arms of the man she loved. Confident he would not allow her body to be taken back to Telmira, she surrendered to the darkness rushing up to meet her.

  Chapter Six

  Sean stood frozen, watching Susoma’s bloody body crumple to the pier. A rapacious hunger for revenge infused him, coupled with a loss that threatened to rob him of the ability to breathe. Eyes glowing and incisors bared, he flashed forward with Chey at his side. He was on the female who had attacked Susoma before she could move. He grabbed her, swung her around in his arms, saw the horror and fear in her eyes just before he buried his incisors in her neck and ripped her throat open with one savage assault.

  He picked up her body and flung it several hundred yards into the water. He looked around the pier. Seeing no other enemies, he dropped to his knees beside Chey who cradled Susoma’s still body in his arms. “Chey? Tell me she’s alive. Please!”

  Chey closed his eyes and placed one hand over Susoma’s temple.

  * * *

  Her world was dark and filled with nothing but pain. Surprisingly, there was little fear. She knew she was dying. She had many regrets, but there was nothing to be done now. She tried to reach out and send a final message to Kyla, but could not summon the mental energy needed. There was nothing left to do but die. Kyla would grieve, but she was strong. She would survive.

  Susoma just needed to release the thin thread of life remaining and let the encroaching darkness surround and take her completely. Once she did, she and her baby would be forever safe from harm. And yet it was difficult to leave Sean behind. She was vaguely aware of him kneeling at her side. She felt his anguish, but she needed so much more. He had already proven that he was incapable of giving her what she needed. It was time to go.

  About to release her hold on life, she was nearly blinded by a soft, pulsing light. She blinked, staring. From the small circle of light, the figure of a man emerged. He was tall and well built, naked from the waist up. Long, dark, glossy hair tinged with reddish highlights fell well past his broad shoulders and framed a strikingly handsome bronzed face with chiseled features and mesmerizing silver eyes.

  The man was breathtakingly attractive, exuding an aura she found difficult to explain. It was both spiritual and erotically sensual at the same time -- and impossible to ignore. He stared into her eyes and right into her secret thoughts, exposing her most earnest desires and needs. All of her hopes, dreams, and wasted ambitions lay exposed to him. Yet instead of shame in the sharing, she experienced a sense of freedom and release.

  He extended his hand. “Susoma, born of the noble and brave Takira Andandre, come to me.”

  She hesitated, feeling the pull of the darkness surrounding them. “Who are you? What are you?”

  “I have been called by many names over my long existence. For here and now, I am Enola Cheyenne.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I am here at the request of one who greatly values you. Release your spiritual pain and I will bear it for you.”

  She was drawn to him against her will, but the darkness tugged at her, promising a release from the emotional pain she’d suffered since falling for Sean and abandoning Kyla to a fate she did not deserve. “It’s too great a burden. I can’t rise above it.”

  He allowed his hand to fall to his side. “You can, because there is one here who desires you to fight your way back through the darkness and return to him.”

  “It is because of my hunger for him that I behaved selfishly, burdening my sister, who already carried the burden for our mother’s needs. It’s too late. I can’t hold on.”

  “I will help you. Throw your burdens on my shoulders.” He extended his hand again. The hand, like his entire body, looked big and powerful. “Take my hand, and I will lead you back through the darkness to the light.”

  “Lead me back to what? I betrayed my sister for a male who does not love me! There is nothing to return to. He cannot give me what I need most.”

  “He needs you more than you know. And your sister rejoiced in your freedom, as you know.”

  “That’s what made leaving her so much worse! She never reproached me, even though I knew she needed me. So his need is not enough! Please. Let me go!”

  He looked past her into the darkness, his silver eyes shining. “I am not yet ready to abandon my efforts to save her. Do not claim her. If you do, I will storm Shadow Mountain and reclaim her.”

  She turned and looked over her shoulder to see who he addressed but saw nothing but darkness. “Who are you talking to?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I am going away for a little while, but I will return. Wait for me, Susoma.” He dropped his hand and the circle of light narrowed quickly and vanished, leaving her alone in an endless black void, suddenly fearful of a place called Shadow Mountain.

  * * *

  Long, tense moments passed before Chey opened his eyes. Sean stared at him, afraid to voice the question burning in his mind.

  Chey sighed. “She’s… fading.”

  Sean clamped a hand on Chey’s shoulder. “Bring her back!”

  “I don’t think I can, Sean. I can attempt to heal her spiritual wounds, but her physical injuries are beyond my meager abilities to heal.”

  Sean tensed, shooting to his feet. Long before three women and one man appeared at the far end of the pier, he heard them. Needing an outlet for his burgeoning rage, he rushed forward to attack. A tall woman with cropped blonde hair and blue eyes rushed forward, sobbing, “Susoma! Susoma!”

  Recognizing her from Susoma’s description, Sean came to an abrupt halt. He allowed her to rush past him to drop down to clutch Susoma’s hand. She turned and looked at a tall man with dark hair and eyes. “Eros! Help her!”

  Sean stepped in his path, incisors bared.

  The man paused. “I am Eros, son of Apollo, Prime Healer of Telmira. I have some skill in healing physical injuries.”

  Chey called out to him. “Her physical injuries are too much for me to heal. Let him past, Sean.”

  He stepped aside, keeping his gaze on the two women. The redhead, Rechazes, inclined her head. “This is Pavala. She is a friend. We will stand guard.”

  He nodded and went back to the small group gathered around Susoma.

  While Kyla held one hand, Chey moved his hand over Susoma’s temple, closing his eyes, his lips moving in silent incantations. Eros’s hands moved over her body. Although he didn’t actually touch her wounds, Sean saw the blood stop flowing.

  Eros slumped back on his haunches, breathing deeply, his face ashen, slight tremors shaking his body. “I have done all I can.”

  Chey opened his eyes, but kept his fingers against Susoma’s temple. “As have I.”

  “Is it enough? Will she be all right?” Kyla asked the questions before Sean could speak.

  Chey looked at him. “She has a spiritual and emotional need that must be addressed now or despite our efforts we will lose her.”

  Kyla clutched Chey’s hand. “What must we do?”

  “She knows you are here and finds comfort in your presence, Kyla, but her greatest need now must be met by Sean.”

  Sean sucked in a breath. “What do I need to do? Tell me and I’ll do anything.”

  “You must tell her how you feel about her.”

  “She knows I would die for her! She knows --”

  Chey stared into his eyes. Sean tensed, feeling Chey’s powerful mind probing his. After a moment of resistance, he dropped his mental guards, allowing Chey brief access to his deepest tho
ughts.

  “Tell her the words she needs to hear, Sean, or say goodbye.”

  Sean’s legs buckled and he sank down beside her. Eros rose, drawing a sobbing Kyla to her feet. Sean moved closer. He clasped one of Susoma’s hands in his. Chey clutched his other hand. “Come into the darkness with me and pull her back, Sean. Tell her what she needs to hear.”

  He took a deep breath. “Susoma? It’s Sean. Come back to me. Please. I need you.”

  He felt her essence, weak and barely alive, touch his mind.

  Sean? You’ve never loved me and I don’t want to live in a world without love.

  His heart thumped with dread. Fearful of losing her, he dug deep to locate and release emotions he had long ago buried. “Before I met you, I existed in a vacuum. Nothing mattered but physical pleasure, and even that had lost its power to move or motivate me.” He placed one of her limp hands over his heart. “But that all changed after our meeting. After hundreds of years of living a life without purpose, you came along and not only excited my passions, but you captured something I didn’t even realize I still possessed -- my heart. Come back to me, Susoma.”

  Why?

  He closed his eyes. “Because if you do not, I will have lost my only reason for living. I didn’t realize how important you’ve become to me until I knew you were gone and were in danger. I am so sorry I didn’t get here soon enough to protect you. If you come back to me, I will do my best to ensure you never doubt my… affections again.”

  Affection? Or love? Do you --

  “Yes.” He took a deep breath and released the last vestige of the iron control he’d kept over himself since he had lost his humanity. “I love you, Susoma. Come back to me. Please.”

  For the baby’s sake?

  “Is the baby okay?”

  She has the blood of Takira Andandre running through her veins. She is strong and will survive.

  “Then he -- she -- will bring an added measure of joy to our lives, but even without the baby, I have no desire to live without you, Susoma!”

  He felt her fingers flutter against his chest. He opened his eyes and found himself looking down into her eyes. He glanced at Chey. A slight sheen covered the other male’s skin. His eyes had darkened as they often did after he’d performed a spiritual healing. He inclined his head slightly.

  Sean gently gathered her close, cradling her in his arms. He brushed his lips against her cheek, fighting hard to hold back an unexpected torrent of tears. Over her shoulder, he saw Kyla sobbing. Eros stood behind her, rubbing his cheek against hers.

  Sean sighed and motioned Kyla closer. She pulled away from Eros and rushed over to them. Kneeling beside them, she placed a hand tentatively against Susoma’s back. “Susoma?”

  Susoma stirred and turned in his arms. “Kyla! You’re safe and you’re here. The goddess be praised!”

  Suppressing a streak of jealousy, Sean allowed Kyla to gather Susoma into her arms. The two clung together, sobbing. He rose, realizing he was going to have to get used to sharing Susoma with Kyla.

  Sean tensed at the sound of running feet. A tall woman with dark hair and eyes and a military style haircut faced Rechazes and Pavala.

  Eros approached the two women standing guard. “It’s Myrika, the agent I told you about.”

  “What business do you have here, Myrika?” Rechazes demanded.

  Myrika looked around, her eyes darkening as she noted the bodies of the fallen Compliance Agents. When she spotted that of an agent lying several yards away, a small sound escaped her lips. “Barroni!”

  Rechazes stepped aside and she rushed past her to kneel beside the fallen woman. Unwilling to trust Susoma’s safety to so many unknown people, Sean moved along the pier toward the two.

  Myrika lifted the other woman into her arms. “Barroni!” She looked around, her eyes wide and afraid. Her gaze rested on Eros. “She’s badly injured but she’s alive! Help her. Please.”

  Sean turned to face Eros. There was no way he would allow one who had attacked and nearly killed Susoma to live. Eros sighed, shaking his head.

  “You have to help her! You are a healer! It’s your duty!”

  “I am also a man. I will not render aid to one who unjustly pursued me and those I value.”

  A desperate look on her face, she looked around, spotting Chey, who stood a little apart from the others. “You. I sense a compassionate nature in you. Will you help her?”

  “I have some little ability in that area, but I sense nothing in her that makes me want to expend the physical effort required to aid her.”

  A small sob escaped Myrika’s lips. She looked down at the woman. “Barroni, hold on. I’ll get help.”

  Barroni gave a small shake of her head. “It’s too late to help me. The others?”

  “I think they’re dead.”

  “Then you will be safe. I told them you had left the agency, but I had not yet brought myself to file an official report. When we do not report back, they will think you died with us. Live, love, and be free, Myrika.”

  “Barroni! By the goddess, I never wanted this to happen to you!”

  “To die in the service of the agency is… every agent’s dream. Remember me with… kindness… my love.”

  Myrika buried her head against the other woman’s chest, sobs shaking her body. Satisfied the agent was dead, Sean returned to the others. Kyla had risen, cradling Susoma in her arms. He sighed, swallowed his pride, and made no protest as Kyla carried Susoma to the SUV in which he and Chey had arrived.

  Rechazes and Pavala appeared at the vehicle. “We will stay and… dispose of the bodies. Where will you take Susoma and Kyla?”

  “Where they belong -- to my house.” He gave them the address and opened the side door of the vehicle. Kyla sat on the back seat, holding Susoma with a look in her blue eyes that dared anyone to come between her and her sister.

  The bitch was getting ahead of herself.

  A hand clamped down on his shoulder. He turned. Chey stood behind him. “They both need this time to heal, and renew their bond.”

  Sean contented himself with baring his incisors. “Do I need to call a doctor for her and the baby?”

  Eros stepped forward. “No. I will attend to her.”

  Sean stared into Eros’s eyes before looking at Chey, who nodded. “His abilities as a healer are far more impressive than any doctor I’ve ever met. He’s already stopped the bleeding and begun the healing process. You can trust them both to him.”

  Sean nodded. “Thank you.”

  Eros smiled. “No thanks are necessary. Healing is what I do. Now we need to get her home quickly. The baby will not wait much longer.”

  Sean’s legs buckled and Eros helped him into the SUV’s center doors. Chey got in the driver’s seat, slowly driving away from the pier.

  Three hours later with Kyla, Chey, Rechazes, and Pavala gathered around, and Eros attending, Sean watched Susoma scream and grunt their child into the world. With a sobbing Susoma clutching his hand, he held his breath as Eros placed a small, pink bundle into his arms. “Your daughter.”

  He sank onto the side of the bed, overcome with emotion. He stroked a finger down his daughter’s cheek, almost afraid to touch her. He looked at Susoma, his throat tight with tears. “She… she’s… as beautiful as you are. What shall we call her?”

  Susoma swallowed several times before she managed to speak. “Enolas Erosia for the two who came into the darkness and pulled me back from the brink of death. And Seania for the father I know will adore her as much as I do.”

  “Damn! She’ll be grown before she learns to pronounce and spell all those names.”

  Susoma squeezed his hand. She turned to look at Chey, who stood near the bed. “Thank you.”

  Chey smiled.

  “When you left me alone in the darkness, I found I was afraid and didn’t want to die after all. What… is Shadow Mountain?”

  “Nothing you need to concern yourself about. Live, love, and stay free, Susoma, born of the noble and
brave Takira Andandre.”

  “Thank you, but how do you know so much about us… how to say just the right things to touch an emotional chord?”

  Chey shrugged. “I’ve been around for a while. I’ve learned a few things.”

  Sean stroked her arms. “You’re not going to get much more than that out of him. I should know. I’ve been trying without success for a very long time.”

  Susoma nodded and settled against him. Sean smiled and looked down at his new reason for living, his daughter. “You know you were supposed to be a boy and be named after me.” He stroked the small, pink cheek. “But I forgive you.”

  Susoma extended a hand to Kyla. “Come say hello to the first generation of our family born free in hundreds of years.”

  Sean stifled a sigh and allowed Kyla to lift the baby from his arms. “Enolas Erosia Seania Andandre Patrick, you are blessed by the goddess. May you have a long life to live, love, and always remain free.”

  Eros nodded. “Now it’s time for everyone to leave Susoma and Sean alone to rest and celebrate in private. Everyone else, out.”

  Chey looked at Sean. “There is something I need to do so I’m leaving, but you know how to reach me if you need me, Sean.”

  He nodded. “Chey, I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “Treat them both well and be happy and that will be thanks enough.” He grinned. “For now at least. I may need you one day.”

  “If you do --”

  “I know. Congratulations, Susoma. Be well and happy.”

  “Thank you!”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  Eros crossed the room to the door. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you for helping to save her.”

  He inclined his head and ushered everyone out of the room. Left alone with Susoma and their child, Sean released the control on his emotions. He crawled onto the bed beside the woman he loved, pressed his face against her shoulder, and wept.

  Chapter Seven

  Standing at the front door of Sean’s mansion with Eros by her side, Kyla said goodbye to Rechazes and Pavala. “Please tell Erena you all have my everlasting gratitude and when I am certain that all this is not a dream, I will travel to Virginia to convey my thanks in person.”