Damned and Desired (13 page)

The man smiled. “She was sexy. Dark hair, blue eyes and she had a bandage on her forehead and naked.”

An image of Sakari and her bandaged head came to Brad’s mind but he pushed it away.

The nurse came in to attend the patient. The doctor pulled Brad aside. “We had another guy in here the other day with a similar story. And a number of women patients admitted with extreme fatigue after meeting a guy on the hiking trails. But they didn’t mention any sexual interaction. At least they didn’t admit to any. And they didn’t look like they were molested, or drugged. Tox screens were negative.”

Brad rubbed his head. “Okay, so not drugged and not sexually attacked. I still don’t get what you telling me.”

The doctor gave a nervous laugh. “Very peculiar. It’s like they were all physically drained almost to the point of death with no apparent cause, no dehydration, sunstroke or illness. Almost like they were attacked by a succubus.”

Brad made a face. “A little too far in the metaphysical realm don’t you think, Doc?”

The doctor shrugged. “Could be. I’ll ask around at the hospital, talk to some of my colleagues. See if anyone has come across this.”

“Probably don’t want to let this get out or this tourist town will soon turn into a ghost town,” Brad said.

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The next morning, Brad met his grandfather at the Bell Rock trailhead. The large red rock formation always reminded him of a giant UFO. It was early, the air crisp and cool, the sky a gray-blue. This was Brad’s favorite time, before the tourists started hitting the trails and scampering up rock formations like a bunch of ants on a sugar cube. “Why won’t you stay at my house while you’re in town?” Brad asked Bill, as they walked Zeus, his black Labrador along the trail.

“I stay with my cousin and his wife when I visit. Emily cooks better than you.” Bill patted Zeus as they walked along the trail. Bill had on a pair of dusty old hiking boots, jeans and a long-sleeved denim shirt with the cuffs buttoned. How he didn’t sweat to death in that, Brad didn’t know. In a couple hours, the desert would heat up. Brad wore jeans to protect his legs from the brush and a tee shirt.

“Thanks a lot. I can cook,” Brad argued.

“Not like Emily.”

“I can take you out.”

“I have other stuff to do too besides worrying about food.”

“Shaman stuff,” Brad said.

“Yeah, shaman stuff.” Bill chuckled. “Have your powers returned?”

“I’m working on it. I go out into the desert, focus like you said.” He tried to keep the frustration out his voice but he saw his grandfather studying him.

“What are your dreams like?”

“My dreams?” Brad held back a laugh.

“What are you dreaming about?”

Dreams were always important to Bill. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve had some dreams about tornadoes,” Brad said. “Must mean I have a lot on my mind.”

“Could be. Tornadoes can also be a spirit trying to communicate. Maybe leopard spirit is trying to reach you. Tell me about the dream.” Bill picked up a stick, unhooked Zeus’s leash and tossed the stick. “Go get it boy,” he yelled at Zeus.

“Bill, leash law. We’re in a park.” Brad pointed to his dog who was taking the scenic route to fetch the stick.

“Yep.” His grandfather looked at him and smiled.

After several figure eights and fake outs, Zeus finally snatched the stick and raced back to Bill.

Tail wagging, Zeus dropped the stick at Bill’s feet. “Good boy.” Bill patted his head and tossed the stick again. “About the dream…”

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Brad watched Zeus run around in circles with the stick in his mouth. “I’m usually in my house and I can hear the wind outside. I look out and see the tornado coming. I watch it for a while, curious, then look for a safe place in the house and can’t find any. I wake up.”

Bill nodded. “Next time you have this dream, you should go outside and walk into the tornado.”

Brad laughed. “That’s against all common sense, like standing up in the line of fire.”

“I’ve never known you to walk away from a fight. When you were a boy, you were angry at your mother for leaving. Yet you would come home, stiff-lipped with a black eye or bloody nose for defending her honor when the other boys made fun of her.”

Brad pressed his lips together. After all these years, the pain still ran deep about his mother leaving and his schoolmates teasing him about it.

“It wasn’t their place to judge her. She made her choice, right or wrong and I’m sure it wasn’t easy. She left Jake and me in good hands.”

Bill patted Brad’s shoulder. “Leopard spirit wants to find you again. You need to find peace with your past.”

Brad huffed. “I’m trying. It’s the only thing I think about.”

“That’s your problem. You think too much.”

“Let’s take this trail, the tourists will be all over Bell Rock in an hour or so,” Brad pointed in a direction away from the large landmark toward another stone monolith called Courthouse Butte. The massive red rock structure looked like the profile of a human face gazing skyward when viewed from a certain angle.

The sun had begun to warm the air, lizards ran out from under rocks and scraggly brush and Zeus tried to catch them. The sound of birds chittering in the bushes and trees kept his dog entertained but he stayed close when he was called.

“So, what’s this about an evil entity you wanted me to check out?”

“I don’t know if it’s an evil entity,” Brad said. “I just said strange events.”

“Tell me about them.”

“There’s this woman I met in the desert, beautiful, exotic. She seemed to disappear.

I also fought with a coyote who changed into a man.”

Bill stopped walking. “Coyote?” He looked shocked and a bit scared.

“Yeah, like the one you use to tell us about in the old legends.” Zeus came running up and dropped the stick in front of Bill. He put the leash on the dog.

“You have troubles, son.”

“What kind of troubles?” Could that beautiful woman he met be evil somehow? He hoped not. He saw the image of the coyote change over the man and felt the superhuman strength.

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“A night in the sweat lodge would help to bring your powers back. You’ll need them to fight Coyote. He almost destroyed your brother.”

“Jake fought him too? When?”

“A year ago. If this woman has any connection to Coyote, you should stay far away from her.”

“I don’t think she’s evil.”

“If I am right she’s evil and dangerous.”

* * * * *

Sakari swooped low over the desert in daring maneuvers and dives, testing her abilities. She could’ve spent hours, days even, exploring the rock cliffs, the barren plains and lush evergreen forests in the high country. But she had to get to the portal and return to Anartia.

A quiver of fear shuddered through her falcon body and for a brief second she thought she’d shift back to human form. A disastrous error. They were nearly immortal but it didn’t mean they didn’t feel pain or couldn’t die.

The ability to draw in surrounding chi energy to regenerate life for a very long time had been developed many centuries ago by the scientists on Prygos. But a Prygosian couldn’t survive such horrific injuries like extreme burns or decapitation. Tarik could also drain the lifeforce through his instruments in the lower chamber.

The magnetic pull from the vortex and the portal guided her to the correct location.

She tucked her wings back and glided in, landing on a boulder a few feet away. She willed herself to shift into her human form.

Standing naked in the desert, she felt the warmth of the sun as it rose above the horizon against her skin.

Invisible between the two boulders, the magnetic energy of the portal drew her closer. Holding onto the nebula stone, she walked naked into the swirling vortex of energy.

The dizzying disorientation during the brief journey made her stomach dip and then she was standing at the cliff’s edge looking out over the great sea of Anartia.

The gray waves churned and crashed against jagged rocks, seaspray spewed a salty mist high above the cliffs.

The sky was also gray with dark, threatening clouds. Not a good sign. Energy levels were low on Anartia again. The demoness would be in a foul mood. Turning around, Sakari strode up the long, sloping hill of heather toward the temple. Even the heather had lost its lush green color and pink fragrant flowers. She picked up her stride and ran toward the temple, not wanting to keep the demoness waiting. She was not known for her patience.

Sakari climbed the white marble steps to the temple. The structure looked similar to the ancient Greek structures. Tarik redesigned the old temple to look like Earth’s grand 73

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monuments. Gwyllain was pleased by the beauty and harmony of the numerous columns and large rooms.

It wasn’t as grand as her residence on Prygos but after a thousand years, Sakari suspected the demoness wanted something different, maybe something that didn’t remind her of her husband, the ruler who had exiled them all on Anartia.

When she entered the great room, Gwyllain had two male Drones attending her while she lay stretched out naked on her lounger. Both were young, early twenties Earth years, and extremely handsome. Selecting an appealing form made acquiring quarry much easier. Changing appearances and giving each Drone the skill for shifting was one of Tarik’s engineering abilities.

One of the men stood behind the lounger and was fondling Gwyllain’s breasts, while the other knelt between her legs fucking her. His ass bounced up and down as he thrust and pumped inside her. The demoness sipped wine from a crystal goblet, appearing only mildly amused by the men’s attentions. Before the demoness spotted her, Sakari rushed to her chamber down a side corridor, slipped on a white silk tunic and stepped into sandals. She returned to the great hall, trying to catch her breath.

“Left in a hurry?” Zorian asked from her side.

“What do you mean?” Sakari asked looking at Tarik who was being fed slices of juicy mango from a slave girl’s fingers. He slurped each slice then licked her fingers, the girl giggling the whole time. Give her offering, get it over with, then back to Earth.

Maybe she’d see Brad again.

But it would be better if she didn’t. He would be safer. The thought of harming him twisted at her insides. She would have to look for other Kithra, those she wouldn’t have dangerous feelings for. Focus was important for protecting her quarry. That had to be the trick, like Valdon said. “Don’t let it get personal.”

She glanced down at her attire. “I guess I did.” Her sandals were undone and her gold belt hung half tied. “A last minute collection.”

Zorian knelt and tied her sandals for her, then crisscrossed her braided belt. “More presentable for the demoness and Tarik.”

“Thank you.”

“Sakari, come to me. You have an offering, better this time, I sense,” Tarik called from across the room. “Anartia is in such a state.”

Sakari cringed but not outwardly. She smiled and strolled up to Tarik. “Yes, I have an offering for the demoness’ consort.” Sakari bowed her head.

She caught a glimpse of Gwyllain studying her but kept her attention on Tarik.

Tarik stood and smoothed a hand over Sakari’s shoulder. “Come. We shall retire to my chamber for the transfer.” He turned and started to walk away with Sakari following.

Her body recoiled at the thought. There was no way around this. This was the final cycle of her Drone duties.

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“No, you will not.” Gwyllain sat upright in her lounger.

“And why not? I’ve taken Drones to my chamber as have you.”

“Not this Drone. Once we return to Prygos she will become my handmaid again.

There will be no private offering with this Drone,” Gwyllain said.

Tarik opened his mouth to speak and took a breath instead.

Hadn’t Gwyllain requested Sakari become a Drone or had it been Tarik’s idea?

Nothing could be more dangerous than stepping between the demoness and her mate, even if it wasn’t Sakari’s fault.

Tarik appeared to be about to argue with his mistress then gave her a disinterested shrug and started to remove Sakari’s tunic from her body. “I will be quick then, I have work to do in my chamber.” He angled his head directing Sakari to lie on his lounger.

She cringed. Although Sakari didn’t shy away from sex and nudity, Gwyllain was obviously having a hard time with her and she feared antagonizing the demoness. She also couldn’t get Brad out of her mind and wondered if she would sufficiently perform her duties while so distracted. She removed her tunic and stepped over to the lounger.

Tarik smiled at her with a lustful look and his cock was fully engorged.

“No!” Gwyllain interrupted again.

Sakari put her tunic back on. Was her offering again not sufficient?

The muscles around Tarik’s jaw tightened. “The Drone has an offering to give, my mistress and Anartia is in obvious need of the life energy. If you would glance out the skylight you will see.” He pointed to the large window in the cathedral ceiling.

Dark clouds roiled past, threatening a severe storm.

“I am aware of the state of my Anartia,” Gwyllain stated through gritted teeth.

“Your projects continue to drain our kingdom.”

“My instruments need the power. They will release us from exile one day. I need Sha Warriors to test the effective collectability.”

“Use this Drone for your test,” Gwyllain said with a flick of her hand, referring to Sakari. When Sakari was her handmaiden on Prygos, Gwyllain treated her with kindness and called her by name but since they’d been on Anartia and the demoness had been the ruler of her tiny alternative world, the woman had called her only by her station of slave or Drone.

“But it has not been tested,” Tarik said. “It might be dangerous, especially for someone from Prygos. The drain too sudden may kill her.”

Gwyllain glared at Tarik. “The Earth’s moon is drawing us into its orbit. We don’t have time to be cautious with your projects. All on Anartia are at risk. Now go!”