Coleen: Forever (Waking Forever Series Book 5) Read online

  “But the tithing is not for me, Kullaa. You know this.” Ripaa grinned, his teeth a brilliant white in the low light of the temple. “You do it as duty to Nergal, and for the king.”

  “I have no king.” The words erupted from Kullaa before she could stop them.

  Ripaa’s brow arched. “What’s happened that you should utter such blasphemy?”

  “A simple misunderstanding that has left me alone, and my son at risk of being taken from his mother.” Kullaa wrapped her arm around Gamil’s narrow shoulders, and pulled him to her.

  Gamil whimpered. “What’s happened, mommy?”

  Kullaa stroked the child’s shoulder. “It will be fine.”

  Ripaa sighed. “Have you come to serve penance and be absolved?”

  Kullaa bowed her head. “Yes.”

  “Who knows that you’re here?”

  “My servant, but she won’t say anything.” Kullaa did not tell Ripaa that Gamil-Sin had ordered her to temple. The priest’s tone made her feel he might not help her if he thought others knew about her presence at the temple.

  “Follow me.” Ripaa turned and led Kullaa and Gamil into the center of the temple.

  A shallow, rectangular shaped channel filled with water lay before the entrance to an inner chamber of the temple complex. Kullaa knew was it was forbidden for anyone but priests and their servants to enter.

  “Don’t be afraid.” Ripaa had walked the length of the shallow pool, and now stood at the far end, his hand outstretched toward Kullaa and Gamil.

  Confident Ripaa would not permit her to commit a mortal sin, she took Gamil’s small hand in hers and stepped into the two inches of water. The cleansing pool was cold, and Kullaa shivered as Gamil and she walked slowly through it.

  Kullaa was surprised to see another priest waiting for them as they entered the inner sanctuary. Like Ripaa, the man was adorned with elaborate ivory and gold neckless that covered his torso. He wore long, white cotton covers down to his knees, and his skin was as pale as Ripaa’s. Kullaa wondered if the priests were ever allowed to leave the temple for the warmth of the sun.

  “Utuaa will see to your son.” Ripaa smiled as he extended his hand toward Kullaa.

  “No, I want him to stay with me.” Kullaa held Gamil tightly against her side.

  Ripaa shook his head. “It won’t matter in a minute.”

  Kullaa frowned. “Why?”

  Ripaa sprung toward Kullaa. There was a searing pain in Kullaa’s neck as her shoulders spasmed. Gamil’s screams seemed miles away as Kullaa’s legs buckled underneath her. The room was spinning, and the flickering of the torch light was suddenly making her feel nauseous as she collapsed to the floor.

  She did not feel the cold earth beneath her, but rather the softness of Ripaa’s leather skirt as he cradled her head in his lap. The pain in Kullaa’s neck lessened, and she felt a soothing coolness begin to cover her body. It started at the tips of her fingers, and was spreading up her arms and toward her chest.

  “What’s happening to me?” Kullaa could barely hear her own words, and was unable to focus her eyes.

  “I am draining you of your life force, and replacing it with my own.” The priest’s voice was low and soothing against Kullaa’s ear.

  “I can’t move.” Kullaa shivered.

  “You don’t need to.” Ripaa assured.

  Kullaa had the sensation of time moving, while she felt her body become still and lifeless. Not certain if moments or days had passed, Kullaa’s eyes opened. She blinked twice, her eyelids feeling dry and rough. Unable to focus, Kullaa attempted to lift her head, but felt something heavy pressing down on it and her body.

  “Gamil?” Kullaa’s throat was as dry as her eyes. “Gamil?!” She forced her son’s name from her body, her voice sounding musical to her ears.

  “Quiet.” Ripaa’s voice was also transformed, and seemed to pass through her.

  “What’s happened?” Kullaa tried once again to lift her head, but was unable to. Her eyes were beginning to focus, and the dimness of the temple had been replaced with what she thought was the midday sun in the complex’s courtyard.

  “You are now forever, and with me until the end of time.” Ripaa’s once cold hand now felt warm to Kullaa as the priest placed it over hers.

  “I don’t understand.” Kullaa tasted a hot, salty liquid as it was poured into her mouth and down her throat.

  Ripaa’s voice was hushed, his tone almost gentle. “Drink this, and I will explain everything to you.”

  There was an incessant clattering sound that seemed to be coming from every direction, and Kullaa head pounded from the noise. “What’s that sound?”

  “Rats.” Ripaa said plainly. “They’re everywhere, but your human ears could not hear them scurrying about.”

  Kullaa felt a wave of vertigo wash over her, and even though she was lying down, she felt as though she might topple over. “But – I am human.”

  Ripaa’s soft lips brushed against Kullaa’s forehead. “Not anymore.”

  The man’s touch sent a bolt of heat through Kullaa. It wasn’t desire, but it triggered in her an almost overwhelming urge to be cradled by Ripaa. The unexplainable need to be near the priest had begun to push all other thoughts from Kullaa’s mind except one.

  “Let me up!” The command burst from Kullaa’s lips as she tried once again in vain to lift her head. “I want my son!”

  “Interesting.” Ripaa spoke casually as he took Kullaa’s hand in his. “You still desire to be with him?”

  Kullaa forced her eyes to focus, opening them wide against what felt like a blinding light. “Of course, now please, release me.” Finally able to see, Kullaa scanned her surroundings, and was confused when she realized she was still inside the temple.

  “Gamil is dead.” Ripaa released Kullaa’s hand, and stood. “The feeling of loss may take hold initially, but it will fade.”

  “What are you saying to me?” Kullaa’s voice had taken on a low, menacing growl. The fear and anger she felt toward Ripaa, and what he had said about Gamil, were being drowned out by the growing need to touch Ripaa.

  “Don’t take that tone with me.” Ripaa chided. “This is no way for us to start.” The priest stood, and turned his back to Kullaa. “We have lifetimes together, and you wouldn’t want me cross with you.”

  “I don’t even know you.” Kullaa looked down at her wrists that were pinned to her sides. Thin strands of silver were wrapped around them, and then around her waist. “What is this?” She tried to pull her hands free, feeling an incredible surge of strength rush through her, and yet she could not break the flimsy strands.

  “There are trade-offs to everything, and secrets that must be kept to ensure our weaknesses are not exposed.” Ripaa turned and looked down at Kullaa. “There are a few hard truths that will make this easier for you.” He smiled, and his incisors were elongated and protruding from his mouth. “We are the gods, we live forever. We hold complete power over the human world.” Ripaa crouched next to Kullaa. “We decide who lives and dies, and we take life.” He grinned. “And from time to time, we give it.”

  Kullaa felt the sting of her tears as they began to flow. Her throat felt tight, and her chest ached. “Why me?” She whispered the question, uncertain if she wanted the answer, and wondering if it mattered.

  “You show promise.”

  “Promise of what?” Kullaa sobbed. She was scared. She didn’t know why her throat burned with a thirst she had never imagined. She couldn’t understand why she instinctively longed for Gamil, but his absence was causing her no real heartache. She felt pieces of her life slipping away with each passing second, and a coldness and indifference was seeping into the narrow spaces that once held her happiness and joy.

  “A partnership is in the works, and you will ensure your husband is brought into the fold.” Ripaa glanced at Utuaa who stood motionless in the corner. “Our numbers must grow outside of the temples. If we are to have any true power, we must form armies, and gain influence no
t just with our words, but with our might.”

  “I want my son.” Kullaa was not interested in Ripaa’s quest for power. She had known too many men that fell victim to its lure, and lost themselves along the way.

  Ripaa bent over, and with a quick swipe of his hand, Kullaa felt the repressive weight of the silver cords fall away. Immediately Kullaa sprang from a prone position, and stood upright in front of Ripaa. The priest smiled, his light brown eyes glowing as he pointed to the entryway behind Utuaa. “Go to him then.”

  Kullaa hesitated. She was suspicious of Ripaa’s sudden acquiescence, and was nearly overcome with a feeling of dread. She walked toward the adjacent chamber, her shoulder brushing against Utuaa’s as she passed him. The touch sent a shiver along Kullaa’s back.

  In spite of there being no torches in the room, Kullaa could clearly see Gamil’s body lying on a low, stone altar. His arms and legs were stretched out, his wrists and ankles bound with leather straps. A scent Kullaa could only describe as honeysuckle mixed with lavender wafted over her. She knew it was Gamil. More specifically, the fragrance was her son’s blood. The smell pushed against Kullaa as the burning in her throat flared again. She clutched her chest as the fire spread throughout her body.

  “You can’t feed from him anymore. The blood is dead.” Ripaa was standing next to a distressed Kullaa.

  “Did he suffer?” Kullaa averted her eyes from Gamil’s dead body.

  “Yes. That’s the point of sacrifice.” Ripaa put his hand on Kullaa’s back. “You can’t bring yourself to cry, or more to the point, you don’t feel the pain you imagine a mother should in this moment.” He gently rubbed Kullaa’s back. “It’s one of the many blessings the change brings. Complete freedom from the life you knew.”

  “I don’t want to forget him.” Kullaa pulled away. Her memories of Gamil seemed like stories someone had told her once, but she was unwilling to let go of them. She feared they contained the best of who she was.

  “You can remember him, but you’ll never feel like his mother again.”

  Kullaa’s eyes glowed an iridescent blue in the darkness of the temple. She felt the anger at her son’s senseless and violent death choking out any affinity she had for Ripaa. Her desire to be near the priest evaporated, and was replaced with such rage that Kullaa feared it might tear her apart. “I’m going to kill you.”

  “Impossible.” Ripaa chuckled as he turned to walk away from Kullaa.

  Kullaa lunged at Ripaa. In spite of her speed and strength, the priest easily side stepped Kullaa’s advances, and she collided with a large stone column.

  Shaking the loose rock and grit from her hair, Kullaa crouched to the ground. Her eyes were bright and her incisors fully extended as she hissed at Ripaa.

  “I grant you you’re quick, and you certainly have the heart for it.” Ripaa cocked his head to the side. “I’m your maker, and you will obey me. Otherwise, I will be forced to end your life before it ever begins.”

  Kullaa slowly rose, her hands like claws at her side. “I have spent my life listening to men. Doing what men wanted me to do.”

  “Do you truly wish to disobey me?” Ripaa took a step toward Kullaa. “Think carefully before you answer. Eternity hangs in the balance.”

  Voices echoed from the main corridor of the temple. For a split second, Ripaa’s focus left Kullaa as he glanced at Utuaa. In that fraction of a moment, Kullaa saw her opportunity and acted. With all the strength she could gather from her legs, Kullaa sprung forward. Simultaneously, Ripaa turned his head. He opened his mouth to the point that his jaw nearly dislocated, the priest let out a vicious growl that filled the space.

  Kullaa stood rigid in front of Ripaa, her arm locked straight out in front of her. She had thrust her clenched fist directly into Ripaa’s mouth, and with such force it now protruded from the back of his skull. Flinging her arm to the right, Kullaa severed her maker’s head from his neck.

  Lowering her hand to her side, Kullaa felt the surge of power and strength began to leave her. She tried to dislodge Ripaa’s head from the end of her arm by shaking her hand furiously. Seeing movement to her right, Kullaa quickly pivoted and crouched low to the ground, her teeth exposed as she hissed at Utuaa.

  “I will not harm you.” The man held his hands up in front of him as he slowly approached Kullaa. Carefully, he slid Ripaa’s disembodied head from Kullaa’s hand, and dropped it to the floor. “You have done what I lacked the courage or strength to do.” The man knelt down, his head lowered. “Thank you.”

  Kullaa stood. “Get up. I have no desire to be your next deity.” The burning at the back of her throat was becoming unbearable, and she scratch at her neck with her fingers. “I’m thirsty.”

  “There are peasant worshippers in the exterior temples that can be taken without anyone taking notice.”

  Kullaa shook her head. “I have something else in mind.” Without another word, she was gone, the narrow streets of the city passing by her in a blur as she navigated toward her former home.

  Silently, Kullaa jumped over the short brick wall of the compound, and moved toward the living quarters. The sound of nine heartbeats pounded against her. Kullaa lifted her head, and took a long breath in through her nose, isolating Gamil-Sin’s musky scent.

  Kullaa stood over her husband, asleep in his chambers. The rise and fall of his chest, along with the sound of his blood flowing through his body, brought the burning in Kullaa’s throat forward stronger than ever.

  Kullaa wrapped her cold hand around Gamil-Sin’s ankle. The heat of his skin skittered up her arm. With a swift tug, Kullaa pulled her husband from his bed. A loud yelp escaped him as his head hit the stone floor.

  Sitting up, Gamil-Sin rubbed the back of his head. “What are you doing?!”

  Kullaa grabbed her husband by the throat, and holding him a foot off the floor, glared at him. “Does it look like you get to ask anything of me anymore?”

  Gamil-Sin’s eyes widened, and seeing the fear she had desired in them, Kullaa sank her teeth into the side of Gamil-Sin’s neck. The man’s fists pummeled Kullaa’s shoulders and back, but the vampire felt nothing as the heat of his blood began to course through her.

  Dropping the dead man to the floor, Kullaa wiped her blood stained mouth with the back of her hand. The blood lust was satiated, but Kullaa’s thirst for vengeance continued to burn her from within.

  Strolling down the hall, Kullaa heard a rapid heartbeat approaching. Shala came around the corner, her shoulders wrapped in a thick cotton cloth, her hair braided down her back.

  “Kullaa? What –” The woman’s eyes widened as she took note of Kullaa’s blood soaked clothing, and iridescent blue eyes.

  “Leave this place, Shala.” Kullaa’s voice was low and menacing. “Or I will be forced to kill you.”

  Shala backed away from her mistress and friend, tears streaming down her cheeks. Stumbling backwards, she fled the hall. Closing her eyes, Kullaa listened as her servant’s heartbeat faded into the distance.

  “What’s going on out here?” Gula’s voice came from behind Kullaa. “Have you come back for your whore?”

  Kullaa turned slowly, and took great pleasure in seeing Gula’s usually smug expression be replaced with one of utter fear. “I’ve come back for you, Gula.”

  Before she could take a single step backwards, Kullaa had her former lover by the throat. Leaning in, Kullaa ran her tongue along the length of Gula’s jaw, and then pressed her lips to the terrified woman’s ear.

  “My son is dead because of your jealousy and vindictiveness.” Kullaa leaned back, her blue eyes glaring at Gula. “I cannot think of a death gruesome enough for you.”

  Gula gasped, her fingers clawing at Kullaa’s hand. “Please!”

  “Please what, Gula?”

  “I don’t want to die.” The woman’s face had turned a bright red, and the whites of her eyes had become speckled with red from broken blood vessels.

  “But I want to kill you.” Kullaa dropped the woman to the grou
nd.

  Gula rolled to her side and began coughing violently. Kullaa grabbed her by the leg and drug her back toward her room. “I loved you. I had intentions toward no one but you.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t –” Gula gasped for air, her voice sounding dry and faint.

  Kullaa effortlessly lifted Gula up by the ankle and tossed her on her bed. The sound of bones snapping filled Kullaa’s ears as Gula’s ribs cracked from the impact.

  “I love you.” Gula sobbed as she clutched her midsection. “We can have a life again. Make this house our home again.” Tears streamed down the woman’s face. “You have to forgive me.”

  Kullaa stood at the foot of the narrow bed. “I don’t have to do anything anymore.” She pounced on Gula, pinning her shoulders to the bed. Tilting her head back, Kullaa felt a wave of euphoria cascade over her as the smell of Gula’s tears and blood materialized into a sweet taste in her mouth.

  “Kullaa, please!” Gula pleaded.

  Looking down at a terrified Gula, Kullaa grinned. Her incisors protruding beyond her upper lip, her eyes lit up, accentuating the thin veins that protruded from the pale skin of her jaw and neck. “You – are – dead.”

  Thrusting her palm up against the woman’s chin, Kullaa forced Gula’s head back. Her jaw instantly dislocated, exposing the front of her neck. Tearing through layers of flesh, muscle and tendon, Kullaa pulled the warm blood in gulps into her mouth. Within few seconds, the sweetness became bitter, and she spat the last of her dead lover’s blood to the floor.

  Rising from her haunches to her feet, Kullaa stared down at Gula’s lifeless body. The humming of the woman’s heart had stilled, and Kullaa took great comfort in the silence. The rage that had carried her through the horrors of the past few hours began to leave Kullaa, and she sat down on the edge of Gula’s bed, pushing the dead woman’s body onto the floor.

  Kullaa knew that any moment the woman she had been would disappear. She had felt the life she knew leaving her, from the moment she awoke in the temple. Her son was dead, but she could only feel it in so much as she registered it had happened. She had murdered her husband, and felt no more regret than if she had swatted a fly. Gula was dead by her hand, and yet the woman she had loved for a decade lay discarded on the floor, and Kullaa couldn’t even be bothered to cover her.