Destiny's Wrath (Destiny Series - Book 3) (19 page)

Just then Renny’s voice resonated in my head, “
What have you done? Show me what has happened.
”

“
Renny, Max and I have some things to work out. We’re a little busy right now. I’ll contact you later
.”

“
Lauren, you don’t understand. You and Max just achieved Virtue. I need to know what you did. Virtue is one of the five pillars you needed to complete your soul. How did you accomplish this? The Council will be so pleased for you. I’d like to be able to tell them how it happened
.”

“
We’ll talk later. We’re all still meeting at the motel at 11 a.m. Right now I need to take care of some things. Just let them know that Max did a completely selfless act. His action could bring nothing but pain on himself, but ultimately saved the world from Samael. I promise I’ll contact you soon
.”

“
He saved the world from Samael? How did he accomplish this without our help? I know Max is fond of the Cabinet members; did they assist with this? It cannot wait, Lauren. We need to know how you achieved Virtue
.”

“
It’s going to have to wait, Renny. I’ll contact you soon
.” I blocked the rest of her communication. I couldn’t afford for us to have a repeat of the last time the Council knew that Samael was inside Max.

“
We don’t have much time. Renny just contacted me. It seems your little invitation to Samael resulted in your ‘badge of Virtue.’ She’s anxious to see the circumstances.” I turned to Bert, “You have your life back, what’s left of it. I need to talk to you privately.”

Bert and I stepped outside, “I don’t know how to thank you two enough…”

I cut him off, “You can start by listening to me. Samael made a shambles of your life. He’ll do it again, if you don’t do exactly what I tell you.” Bert’s face lost its color. “You need to accept responsibility for all actions, even if you feel like you weren’t in the driver’s seat. You need to make amends with your neighbor, clean up the mess you made at the police department, and never, I mean never think of Samael again.”

“
I don’t think I’ll ever forget him.”

“
That’s the wrong answer. You need to get with Jimmy, tell him the same thing. He can’t let on to anyone that Samael was ever a part of the equation. He cannot think about him or remember any of the conversations he had with him. The only way to destroy Samael and send him spiraling from this earth is to trust that he no longer exists. If you two continue to think of him or harbor fear that he could return to you one day, he will. Do you understand?”

Bert nodded. “But what if…”

“
There are no
buts
. If you want your life back - take it back. Max and I are going to get rid of him, but you and Jimmy need to do your part, too. Forget him, don’t think about him, and never, under any circumstances tell anyone about him.”

“
If we do all that, he’ll be gone for good?”

“
Yes, you have to trust that he doesn’t exist. You’re a strong man, and Jimmy’s got a lot of penance to do, but if you two can trust in this outcome – all of humanity will reap the benefits.”

“
Never thinking about him again?”

“
Go to a hypnotist. Go to a priest - whatever it takes. Get the word to Jimmy, no more thoughts, ever.”

Bert walked back into his house, and Max walked out without saying a word. As we stepped to the car wordlessly, I watched the expressions on Max’s face and knew he was having an internal conversation with Samael. From the looks of it, I was glad not to be included. I knew I needed to have an internal conversation of my own.

“
Renny, can you hear me
?”

“
Yes. Share the details of Virtue. We are all ecstatic for you!
”

“
Soon. We are still on to bring the Council and the Cabinet together this morning, right
?”

“
Yes, Lauren, just as you requested
.”

“
Great, I’ll see you then
.”

“
Wait! Lauren, you have achieved Courage, Passion, Virtue in the span of less than five years! Your souls are nearly complete. Empathy and Trust are the final pillars, and you and Max will have completed your souls!”

“
Thanks for the recap. I get it.”

“
Lauren, assuming you are successful with the last two, you could join the Council. We would be honored to have you.”

“
Yeah, I don’t think so. You said ten members, so basically someone would have to die. Plus, I don’t like the idea of being on a hit squad.”

“
We – are – not - a - hit squad!”

“
Renny, not interested. But I do want to know, once we’re done, what happens?”

“
Happens? You live out the remainder of your life in a calm bliss. Life will not throw challenges at you. When you pass over from this life, you migrate to the eternal.”

“
So this is our last life together?”

“
It may be your last human life, yes. But there is so much more waiting for you. The eternal is what every soul attempts to achieve. Only very few are successful.”

“
Great! So we get these last two pillars, no more demons, telepaths, or anything else supernatural involved in my day-to-day, right?”

“
Lauren, I have come to think of us as friends. I would like to think that even after you achieve your last two pillars, we will still remain close.”

“
Renny, reality check. We are close out of necessity. Max and I have put a plan in motion that will yield fantastic or horrific results. If they’re fantastic, we’ll complete our souls by the end of today. If horrific, you’ll likely be burying us by the end of the week.”

“
Show me.”

“
At the meeting today, I’ll share all the gory details with both teams. Samael will either be gone or he’ll be running the show.”

With that statement, I broke communication with Renny and blocked her again. The longer I “spoke” with her, the sooner she would be aware of what I was up to. I was driving. I could see Max was still preoccupied with the barrage of questions, comments, requests that Samael was no doubt blasting him with. After I knew Renny couldn’t
hear
my thoughts any longer, a plan began to unfurl in my head. I stopped at a convenience store to get something I knew I’d need.

The rest of the drive I stole several glances at Max: he looked like he was somewhere close to pain. I put the truck in park outside our motel room and asked, “Max, how’s it going?”

A frustrated look stared back at me, his answer sounded strained, “He’s stronger than he was last time. It’s pretty hard to tune him out.”

I looked directly into Max’s eyes, but spoke instead to Samael. “Hey, Samael, I need you to take it easy on Max, okay? We’re all going to be one big happy family for the foreseeable future. I’ve got a couple surprises for you today.” I took Max’s hand and cupped my breast with it.

Max’s eyes widened, “What are you doing?”

“
Oh, ease up, Max. You said, more than anything, Samael really wanted to be intimate with me, right?”

A feral voice from deep within Max, hissed, “YEEEESSSSSSS!”

“
Samael, you like the way that feels? You want to go inside and have some quality time?”

Max’s voice responded and his eyes looked as though they were pleading, “Lauren, don’t do this. I’m not going to be able to control him. Don’t flirt with him.”

I merely got out of the truck, while Max stayed seated. I could see he was having an internal argument with Samael. I walked around to the passenger side of the truck, opened Max’s door, and offered my hand. Again, speaking to Samael rather than Max, “Samael, I’ve missed you, too. Let me show you how badly I’ve missed you.”

Max’s words were stiff, pained, “Lauren, call Renny. Call her now. Before something really bad happens.”

“
Samael, you wouldn’t let something bad happen to Max, would you? Not when I have something so naughty planned for you.”

Max’s body erupted from the truck, but I knew it wasn’t Max who swooped me up in his arms and started sprinting for the motel room. We were standing at the door within minutes. Max was no longer strong enough to even interject words. Samael was in control, I could feel it. I could sense his excitement.

In my most sultry voice, “Samael, tell me what you’re going to do to me. I hear you like to make girls scream. I don’t think you could make me scream. I think you’re just a big softie.”

Devoid of Max, the eyes staring back at me had changed. Max’s seafoam green with brown specks were gone, replaced by a brilliant sapphire color. Samael spoke, “Lauren, my love, I have waited an eternity to hear those words from you. All those lifetimes I was forced to watch you from afar. Rewsna screwed up and contacted you three years ago, which permitted me to finally seek you out. I do not wish to inflict pain on you. I want your screams to be the passion you feel for me, too.” Samael never set me down; I was still cradled in Max’s arms.

I slipped the key card in the door, Samael pressed the door open. Without breaking his gaze, I commented, “It’s too bad you are inside Max.”

“
What do you mean? Max is your other half. I would think intercourse with me through Max would be the best of both worlds for you.”

“
You don’t know us very well. Things have changed a great deal in the last six months - since you left us. Did Max not share that with you when you joined him?”

A sizzling look still emanated from his eyes, but curiosity accompanied the sizzle.

I continued, “Max and I have an open relationship. We figure this is our last lifetime being human, so we’re making the most of it. The only rule is we don’t share our conquests with the other. With you inside Max, he’ll know exactly what we’ve done.” I held my hand up to his chest, caressing him through Max’s shirt, “Maybe this isn’t such a great idea. I don’t want Max to know how badly I want you. If we’re spending eternity together, he may never forgive me.”

“
I, I can, I can keep him in the dark. I have already put him there. He cannot see anything going on right now. Lauren, you are all I have dreamed of, for longer than you can fathom. You are all I’ve ever wanted! To hear you want me, too, I could never have imagined.”

“
Yeah, but there is still the problem of Max. Hmmm, let me think for a second.” I rolled out from his arms and stepped into the comically small bathroom. I looked at the vanity and said to myself, “This had better work, or we’re both dead.” I slid into my sexiest negligee, dabbed on a drop of cologne, used mouthwash and looked at myself in the mirror. I was worried that Samael would smell a trap, but Max had told me that Samael was obsessed with me. He’d better have been right. An obsessed demon is the only way I’ll be able to fool him.

I stepped through the doorway in my bare feet and negligee, to see Samael, in Max’s form, lying on the bed. The blue sapphires staring back at me enlarged for a second as he took me in. Nearly breathless, he uttered, “You are - magnificent.”

I casually walked over to the side of the bed, noting the time on the clock. Just over an hour before the Council and Cabinet members would arrive. I’d need to be downstairs well before they arrived or they wouldn’t be capable of waiting together.

Doing my best impersonation of bashful, “I don’t know, Samael. Are you sure Max can’t see?”

Authority beaming through his voice, “Positive. I am in control. He is tucked away for safe keeping. It is just you and I.”

I reached into my purse, “If he found out that we were ‘enjoying’ each other, he might leave me. We couldn’t have that.” I took out three yards of shiny silver chain and gently placed it on the nightstand. I had stopped at a convenience store during the drive back to the motel and got lucky finding exactly the props I needed for my little “show.”

Samael’s eyes turned, still the sapphire blue, but different - dangerous. I dug further in my purse and found little silver loops for body piercings. “He once told me that you said having the two of you together would be the best of both worlds for me. You told him that I could have my loving attentive Max during the day, and a demon in the bedroom. Did you really tell him that?”

Samael’s hands were all over me. He was breathing hard close to my ear, and I knew if this were on video, I could be accepting an Emmy. “Yesssss, I can do very imaginative things with you. I have to confess that in my wildest dreams, I never believed you would allow me to . . . to ask me, to do them. What changed your mind?”

“
Things aren’t always as they seem, Samael. When it looked as though you were truly becoming evil, I worried that your actions might be my fault. I was worried that you had felt my draw to you, that I had denied my attraction to you, and you were taking my rejection out on the world. I don’t want you to do ugly things to the world, Samael. I want you to do them to me.” I began fondling one of the piercing rings in my thumb and index finger, teasing him with it.

I could see Samael’s arousal. “What sort of things do you wish me to do to you?”

Still holding the silver loop, “I’ve never had a ‘harness’ installed. I saw the photos of what you put on Cynthia. Bert showed them to me. Very original. No, I think something slightly more imaginative for me. Tell me, do you have any ideas?”