Symphony of Light and Winter (23 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Revelation

Eventually his laughter died down.

“Linden, dear Linden, the length of the dart’s effect cannot be predicted. You’ll just have to take your chances. Would you like to know what I’m going to do to you once I’m free?”

“No. Now stop it! What are you, really?”

“Sit back and relax.” He winked again.

Of course there was only one place to sit. I glared at him.

“Since I must comply, you might as well make yourself comfortable.” He smiled and the wickedness of it caused my stomach to tighten.

The bastard might rule my body, but I was the one in charge now.
I tried my best menacing stare. “Start talking.”

“It’s all very complicated. You see, this planet, this reality, is but a sliver of something much greater. I come from a different…let’s call it a dimension. The best examples I can think of are the concepts of heaven and hell.”

I raised an eyebrow. What kind of shit was he shoveling?

“The energy which animates flesh is referred to as the soul. For life to continue the soul must be recycled, releasing its two parts—the consciousness and the essence. This is my purpose, to be the gatekeeper between Earth and the possibility of heaven or hell. But unlike the human conception of those places, I do not cast judgment, I merely provide a service allowing life to move on, be reborn, or destroyed. Without me, death is permanent.”

“Are you telling me you’re the Grim Reaper? Surely you’re not saying you’re Saint Peter?”

“I am not a saint, as you have discovered, and since the Grim Reaper is a figure who leads the living to death, that is also not an adequate description. I only deal with the soul once it ceases to exist in the flesh. I try not to interfere with the will of your God, but I have come to be of some importance here, and embrace my role.”

“You have got to be kidding me. What should I call you then?”

“Cyril is fine, but I’d prefer you call me lover.” He cocked one eyebrow, and a smirk lifted the edge of his lip.

I rolled my eyes. “Fat chance. Answer the question.”

“The things I have been called over the ages are practically endless. Reaper, soul weaver, vampire, sorcerer, angel, and demon—you name it, but none of them are accurate. They are human fantasies created to cause fear and explain the unknown. Those who know what I am call me the Maker.”

“But it sounds more like you destroy things, rather than make them.”

“My family would argue otherwise. In Overton’s eyes I am part of your God’s plan. I was placed here to help your God free souls of his beloved people.”

“You don’t agree with Overton.” Relaxing some, I rested my hands on his chest.

“No, I don’t. The Goddess who created me was not known for her charity or cooperation.”

“Are you a god?”

“No, I am not. Compared to most gods, I have limited abilities. I can’t sift time or leave this realm in corporeal form.”

“Have you met the God who created me?”

He laughed. “No. I don’t know your God any more than you do, but the human capacity for love could only be gifted by a most benevolent creator, so I know your God is one of kindness, unlike my Goddess.”

He was speaking of deities and his ability to grant and take life, while I sat astride him without underwear. This was nuts. I shifted, repositioning myself around his…

“Would you please stop that? It’s torture to feel you and not be able to do anything about it.”

“Torture’s kind of what I’m going for. You are my captive.”

He groaned. “This scenario holds so much potential yet instead of fucking like rabbits you want to hear a story. I’d much rather make a new story than rehash the past.”

“The new story has a tragic ending. Trust me, you wouldn’t like it. I’d rather hear about your past, so let’s stick to my plan.”

“I beg to differ. If you knew what I can do with my—”

“Stop! I don’t want to hear tales of your escapades. I want to know what you are. Who you are. Where you come from. How you were created.”

He let out a long exasperated sigh. “Fine. But I’m afraid if I tell you my story, you’ll think less of me.”

“Not possible. I couldn’t think less of you than I do right now.”

“Perhaps.” His eyes drifted shut and he let out a deep breath. “You have to understand. I go through long periods of time without any strong emotions and I rarely encounter desperation. When I have to deal with feelings, I act rashly.”

“Nice excuse, but not what I asked for.”

“Linden, it’s a very long story and not one I like to think about.” His brows knitted together, but relaxed on another long sigh.

“Well, I’m sorry you had mommy problems. It’s not like I had the greatest home life.”

He stiffened. “She wasn’t my mother!” The ferocity of his scowl caused the muscles in his cheeks to twitch.

Touchy subject. I pulled my hands away from his chest and leaned back. “O-OK…so she’s not your mom. Just tell me. You’ve got time.”

“At least you hope I do. I’d much rather talk about which place would be more comfortable for me to take you. The piano or the floor?”

“Knock it off.” I swatted his chest. “She was?”

After a deep breath, he continued. “She was the culmination of three weakening deities. When gods abuse their powers they can weaken and become beholden to great gods. Think of it as a cosmic check and balance. Weakened gods who face oblivion or bondage can instead choose to be combined into one more powerful entity. A God Maker is a god who can weave their energies together; God Makers are very rare, with only one or two currently in existence.”

“Is that how you created Overton?”

“Sort of. I’m not a God Maker, but I used a similar technique to create him.”

I shifted to get more comfortable. His eyes widened.

“Is the dart wearing off?” My muscles seized in panic.

“Linden, just because I’m paralyzed doesn’t mean I can’t feel your heat through my jeans.” He paused. “And the dampness too. When the dart wears off, you’ll know, because you’ll be on your back underneath me begging, while I wrap my lips around those succulent nipples again. Do you feel how hard I am?”

Heat rushed up my neck and filled my cheeks. I looked away. He was doing it again. My mouth was so dry I couldn’t answer him.

“Every time you move, I can’t help but think about how wonderful it will be to sink into your heat.” He took a deep breath. “Feel free to unzip my pants and indulge. I’m willing.”

I cleared my throat. I wouldn’t allow him to get me off track, no matter how bad I wanted to let him have his way with me. “Continue.”

“If I must, but I have to say, I like my suggestion better.”

“If you can feel this…” I ground myself against him hoping to torture him with need while making a point, but I managed to stir my own desire.

He moaned.

“Then you can feel pain too. Don’t test me. You were saying.”

“All right… the God Maker failed to securely bind all three of the deities, causing the Goddess to go mad. I sought out the God Maker who originally created her, and he honored me with limited teachings, the application of which provided little help. Her condition progressed. Foolishly, I also used the knowledge here on Earth to save the people I cared about, without understanding the repercussions.”

“Overton was right. You were trying to save the priest.”

“Yes. The Goddess retained the memories of all of the deities. But it doesn’t work that way for humans.”

“It still doesn’t explain why she created you.” I stretched and shifted my hips.

He arched a brow at me. “In her anger and madness, she destroyed a fellow God who did not return her affection, and created her own companion; one crafted to fulfill her desires.”

Jealousy grew from somewhere deep inside until the sound of my teeth grinding together brought me back to the moment. “She wanted a lover?”

“Yes. A fascination for the cycles of life and the act of procreation consumed her. Human men sated her immediate interests, but she longed for more. She couldn’t gather enough power to create a God, but managed to harness enough to create me. I was her consort, resembling the human men she favored, but enhanced with superior attributes, and elements of her own being.”

“So you were her sex slave? Househusband? Boy toy? I don’t get it.” I didn’t bother to hide my irritation. I shifted, dragging myself along his shaft. Heat radiated from my cheeks.

He coughed, and a growl left his lips. “All of those descriptions are far too kind. From the earliest moments of my creation, my treatment was reprehensible. I had no free will. At first she insured my obedience by keeping me under a spell. It allowed me to consciously assess her treatment of me but never vocalize or act upon my dissatisfaction. I suffered in silence. Eventually, she grew tired of my agreeable state and released me from the spell.”

“Too bad she can’t teach me that one. You agreeable? I can’t…even…imagine.” I shifted, grinding my pelvis into his.

He groaned.

“Yes, well…it was her own flaws she saw in me.” He raised an eyebrow, winked, and made no effort to hide the smirk that remained. “Much like a parent might see their reflection in a child, she cast me aside, choosing to contain me rather than risk losing control of me. You would think no longer being the focus of her cruel attentions would be welcome, but my life was so void of purpose. I found myself longing for anything she would bestow upon me. My willingness to be degraded for even an ounce of affection was one of her greatest punishments.”

The pain in his voice sent shivers through me. “My God, Cyril.” It never occurred to me someone with his level of power could be victimized. I had imagined that he ran roughshod over anything in his path. Looking at him, with his perfect body, made it hard to believe he ever lacked for attention.

“She went on to seduce six human men, and then augment them. One possessed incredible strength, and another had the ability to channel magic, while others could drain life. Myghal was her first. Since at the core they were still human, their power was limited, giving her the upper hand. Being men, they were not immune to the plethora of human imperfections, but she gave them supernatural abilities anyway.”

“Myghal is weaker than you. That’s good to know.”

“Don’t be overconfident or underestimate them. A human is no match against them. They may be weaker alone, but together they can crush almost anything on this planet, and with the right strategy, that could include me. I am the only one created entirely from energy. It’s why I can manipulate energies when the others cannot.”

I ran my hands over his chest. “But you feel so human.”

“That’s by design. It’s what she wanted most. But if I’m ever destroyed my body will not decay like flesh.”

Even with all my anger for him, I didn’t want to think of being without him. “Why did she ever let you go? I don’t understand.” I couldn’t say it was because I would never be able to. “If you were the perfect companion, why are you here?”

“With every trip to your realm, the Goddess unraveled more. As she weakened, so did her hold over me. My power soon surpassed hers and I concealed my freedom from her. Her madness made her fickle, and frustration among the men grew. They began to bicker and fight. Afraid she might destroy us all, I exploited their dissent and led them in a united front to beg her to stop. She refused.

“Oh, bet she was pissed. Especially given your diplomacy skills.”

He rolled his eyes. “She knew I would destroy her if she did not stop using her magic for selfish reasons. Enraged by my demand, and the knowledge that I sought the counsel and teaching of the God Maker, my betrayal fueled her final act. She drained the earth of energy until she could hold no more and used the power to weave a curse to punish us. Releasing her last thread of sanity, she cast her final spell, setting the curse and sealing her own fate.”

“Oh my God. What a horrible story.”

“I said you’d see me differently. I allowed her to abuse me and in the end couldn’t destroy her. Think I’m weak, don’t you?” He averted his eyes for the first time.

“Hardly.” In my own display of weakness, I reached up to touch his face. “I now know just how strong you are.” I allowed his stubble to tickle my fingertips as I brushed them back and forth. “A weak man would have bullied his way through and died in the process. You may have lost her, but you saved all the other men. Without you she would have eventually destroyed them.”

“Little good it did me. They blame me coercing them and have been seeking vengeance ever since.” He then did something strange. He chuckled.

What an odd reaction. It was not a happy topic.

He grinned and reestablished eye contact.

“What is going on with you?” I poked him in the chest.

“In about forty-five seconds things are going to get interesting. I can hear Stanton’s footsteps in the hall. He’ll notice the light and look in here or maybe I’ll yell for help. How do you plan to silence me? Seems I’m not the only one who makes foolish decisions when desperate.” The smug look on his face irritated me even more than his words.

Faintly, I heard steps echo. No plan for an interruption. Shit. I didn’t have the resources to gag him. Instead, I settled for stunned silence. The steps slowed and without further thought I lay myself across his chest and smothered his mouth with mine. I released his lips and moved my hips in rhythmic motions and called out, “Oh, Cyril. So good. Yes, just like that.” If Overton thought we were in the throes of passion, maybe he would keep walking. Continuing to grind against him, I allowed my dress to fall from my shoulders. My nipples puckered and gooseflesh broke out across my skin, uncertain whether it was the icy chill in the air, or the man beneath me who caused the reaction.

His face froze in an expression of surprise and frustration.

My hips never ceased; I needed his full attention.

“Linden, oh…” His breathing sped up, but he still could not react. His fang stuck out over his lower lip and he bit down.

Speeding up, my freed breasts bounced as I slid along the length of his hard cock. “You feel so good.” I moaned.