Of Gods and Goddesses: Book 3 (Lords and Commoners Series) Read online

  “Riddick, it’s so nice to see you. I’ve missed you.”

  “Not that much apparently or you would have come back sooner.”

  “I had to stay away. Please let me explain —

  “I don’t care to hear anything that you have to say. You’re nothing but a selfish whore.”

  Riddick’s words were like an arrow through Val’s chest. She recoiled as the full impact of his words hit her.

  Elijah appeared at her side. “That is quite enough!”

  Riddick glared at Elijah. “Honestly, you’re one of the most intelligent people I know. You, above anyone else, should be wise to her tricks. Yet you’re blinded by her charms. You can’t see her for who she truly is.”

  “Riddick, please?” Val reached for his arm. He quickly pulled away and continued to speak to Elijah, as if Val was not there.

  “You see, this is what she does. She looks at us with those big blue eyes and we do whatever she wants. I was under her spell for far too long but not anymore, do you understand? She’s nothing but an evil temptress!” With that he turned and stormed out.

  Val bent over and tried to breathe. Her stomach wrenched.

  Elijah held her. “Don’t worry he will come around.”

  “Riddick’s a brother to me and now he hates me.” Val’s tears fell to the floor. “He’s right. I’m a wretched person. You should be as furious as Riddick — even more so.”

  “Nah, Riddick is angry enough for the both of us.” Elijah tried to reassure her with a smile. “And you’re far from being a wretched person.”

  It was amazing how Elijah’s arms comforted her. At least she could breathe normally again.

  After Riddick’s reaction to her return, Val could not face her other friends. She feared they would be equally upset.

  “They will be elated to see you.” Elijah rubbed his forehead. “Then again, I didn’t think Riddick would react in such a manner.”

  Chapter 56 South America 2034 A.D

  It didn’t take long for the rumors of Val’s return to spread through the tunnels. Mari was the first to burst through the door into Elijah’s room.

  “You are back! Mari pulled Val up from the chair she had been seated in and threw her arms around Val, momentarily lifting her off the ground. They embraced for a long time.

  “How have you been, Mari?”

  “How have I been? Well, this place is simply awful but we’re managing. The question is how have you been? We were worried sick about you!”

  “I’m fine. As a matter of fact, I am better than fine.” Val turned to Samuel and gave him a brief hug and a warm smile.

  “It’s great to have you back,” Samuel said. “We’ve really needed you.”

  “It’s wonderful to see you all,” Val moved to greet Sonia and Aaron but was almost knocked over by a sudden embrace. Val found herself face to face with Mary.

  “Where in the hell have you been?” Mary demanded after her crushing yet thankfully brief hug. “You’re a crazy bitch for leaving us at a time like this. All we did was worry; worry about you, worry about the end of the world …”

  “Thanks Mary, it is good to see you too. I sent word that I was fine. Did you not get my messages?”

  Mary punched Val in the arm — quite hard. “You mean the goddamned vague notes tied to a bird’s leg? Aye, we got those. They didn’t put us at ease. Don’t ever do that to us again.”

  Val rubbed her arm where Mary had hit it. “Hopefully I won’t have to.” After more embraces there were happy tears running down Val’s face and she was not the only one. Being reunited with her ancient and familiar family was a tsunami of comfort, safety and belonging all in one.

  Val was relieved that her old friends were glad to see her — well, all but Riddick. Not surprisingly, he was nowhere to be found.

  “So tell us, what have you been doing for the past fifteen years?” Elizabeth inquired.

  Val took Elijah’s hand for reassurance. “Well ... you would not believe me anyway, so I had better show you instead. There are some people I would like to introduce you to.”

  Val led them down the tunnel until she caught the scent of her daughters. This place was vast and Val would have been lost without her super vampire sense of smell. This led them toward Teller’s room and Elijah gave her a concerned look.

  Val took a deep breath before entering. There will be no turning back after this.

  Eva lit up at her mother’s return. “Mommy, Mommy, there you are!” She had been playing Monopoly with her father, sister and grandma.

  Val had to let go of Elijah’s hand in order to catch her daughter. “Hello, my sweet baby girl. It appears you are getting along well.”

  “It’s not so bad.” Then Eva notice the crowd of strangers Val had brought with her and blushed. She buried her head in Val’s shoulder.

  “We were beginning to think you might never return, Mama,” Vera said.

  Val shifted Eva on her hip and placed an arm around Vera. “You know I would never leave you, my lovely daughter.” Then Val turned to her friends. “I would like you all to meet my twin daughters. Vera and Eva.”

  Mari looked as if she might faint and the others stared with open mouths. It was Elijah’s reaction that concerned Val the most. He backed away. With a glare toward Teller, Elijah shook his head no, as he began putting the past fifteen years together.

  “This is my mother, Valentina and her companions, Sasha and Angela.” Val finished with a gesture to the ladies.

  Angela looked overwhelmed as she surveyed all the people. She was used to living in isolation. Val didn’t know how she would handle all this.

  This was all too much for Elijah. Val did not understand the concerned look that he gave Valentina before he disappeared in a flash. Val set Eva down; the little girl immediately clutched her mother’s leg. Val stared after Elijah but Teller grabbed her arm.

  “Elijah, please! Wait,” Val called.

  “Eva needs you,” Teller said. “She really missed you.”

  “Yes, it will be best to give him some time anyway,” Valentina said.

  Val looked back to where Elijah had disappeared. Having only gotten him back moments ago, she did not want to lose him again. She needed him. Why can’t they see that? Yet one look into Eva’s bright green eyes told Val that she had to stay and be a mom first. Without a word, Eva begged Val not to leave her with all these strangers. Val gave her a reassuring smile and picked her up again.

  Mary and Elizabeth exchanged a worried glance. Mari’s mouth still hung open.

  It was Sonia who found her manners. She stepped toward to Valentina. “I’m Sonia. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  Val introduced her old family to her new family.

  It was Mary who quickly started in with the many questions, “How could you possibly have daughters and where in the fuc… hell did your mother come from?” Mary usually cursed like a sailor but she managed to hold back in front of the young ears — somewhat.

  “Allow me to explain.” Valentina stepped forward. “Why don’t you take the girls and finish playing Monopoly?”

  “I’ve never played,” Val said.

  Vera took her mother’s hand and then Teller’s. “Come on Mama. We’ll teach you.”

  Eva sat quietly on Val’s lap while Vera chatted away merrily about the rules of this fun new game her father had taught her.

  Val could hear Valentina in the other room talking about what happened the night Val had run away and how they had stayed away to keep the girls safe from Elda.

  “Who was that man, Mommy — the one who left before we could meet him?” Vera asked.

  Val glanced at Teller for help but he shrugged and tilted his head in an expression that said, Good luck explaining this one.

  “Well, he’s our king, the leader of our kind or rather the leader of what is left of our followers and …” Val hesitated, “he’s my husband.”

  “What?” Vera said. She had been laying belly down resting on her elbows co
ncentrating on the game. She jumped to her feet. “You’re married to a king? That means you’re a queen and that makes us princesses!” She grabbed Eva’s hands to pull her up. They danced around as Vera sang merrily about being a princess.

  “So does that mean we have two daddies?” Eva asked.

  Val rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger, a habit she’d picked up from Elijah, who in turn had learned it from his father. These difficult questions were bound to be asked and Val dreaded having to explain this to the girls.

  Chapter 57 South America 2034 A.D

  Teller spoke up and spared Val the anguish of having to answer her daughter’s tough question. “Yes. You do have two fathers. Elijah, your mother’s husband, may need some time to get to know you. You are quite a surprise. This is a lot for everyone to take in.”

  Val gave him a grateful smile. The girls were happy as they continued to sing and dance about being royalty. Val’s friends soon joined them as they were very interested in the two miracle children. Eva did not enjoy all the strangers staring at her and retreated back to Val’s lap to hide her face. On the other hand, Vera relished the attention. She spoke freely and confidently with these new vampires, whom she easily won over.

  In no time she was sitting on Mari’s lap showing her how she could braid a doll’s hair. Mari looked as if she were holding back tears.

  “They are simply lovely.”

  “And intelligent.”

  “They look like mini-Vallachias.”

  “Yet, they have Teller’s eyes.”

  “Are they vampires?”

  “Can they fly?” These were some of the many comments circulating about.

  Once Eva had fallen asleep in Val’s arms and Vera, despite her desire to stay awake, was yawning uncontrollably, Teller and Val tucked the girls into Teller’s bed as everyone else quietly left.

  “It’s frightening that Elda knows about them,” Val whispered. “Yet I’m grateful that you get to be in their lives. I wanted this for all of you for so long.”

  “I’m glad you’re back and that you brought them to me,” Teller said. “It’s strange; since the moment I realized they were mine, everything changed. They’re the only ones who matter.”

  “That’s good, because they’re going to require a lot of protection — by all of us.” Val smiled at the two beautiful sleeping princesses. “I know exactly what you mean. I felt that way ever since the day I first heard their faint heartbeats. They will always come first.”

  Teller put his arm around Val’s shoulder. “You’re the wonderful mother I always knew you would be.” He chuckled. “I bet you grew incredibly fat while pregnant with twins.”

  Val laughed. “I was enormous.”

  “I would have given anything to see you like that.” His face grew serious, sad even. “I wish I could have seen them come into this world.”

  Val placed her head on his shoulder. “I know. I desperately wanted you there. I hope you can have a long life with them now.”

  “Since Eva is asleep, you should go to him.”

  Val nodded. “I need to find Elijah … to talk with him.”

  “Good luck,” Teller said. “Don’t worry, he’ll come around.”

  Val searched everywhere but could not find Elijah. She asked people she came across if they had seen him and no one had. As she passed by, she overheard comments such as, “That’s her! That’s the Queen! She’s returned.”

  Finally, she found the girl with short black hair sitting in what appeared to be a mess hall. A hand full of other humans sat around her. What was her name, Bree, no ... Bray? Val appeared in front of the girl. “Sorry to interrupt but have you seen Elijah?”

  It took the girl a moment to focus on Val and another moment for it to sink in that Val had asked her a question.

  Humans are annoyingly slow, Val thought.

  The girl narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me — he has seen you for what you really are and has left you already.”

  “It’s who you really are not what.” Val could not help herself; people no longer spoke proper English.

  One of the men let out a long low whistle as he eyed Val and another said, “Damn.”

  Men in this day and age are so crude. They have no idea how to be proper gentlemen, Val thought. “That’s no way to treat a lady.”

  “Good thing you’re not a lady, then,” Bray snapped. “You’re nothing but a cheating wife.”

  Bray is obviously not going to be of any help. The girl would not tell me where Elijah is, even if she did know. Val turned to leave.

  “Bray, don’t you know who that is? She’s fought for humans for centuries; show her some respect.” A young man stood and held his hand out to Vallachia. “Never mind her, ma’am, we have not seen Elijah all evening. My name is Marcel and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “Thank you Marcel.” Val gently took his hand. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my husband.” Val sped away.

  “I know who she is and I don’t care.” Val overheard Bray say. “You don’t deserve him!” Bray yelled after Val.

  In a flash, Val returned. She was only an inch from Bray’s face. “And you think I don’t know that?”

  Bray jumped back — wide eyed.

  “There is nothing you can tell me, little girl, that I don’t already know.” Val disappeared.

  Once there was no place left to look in the tunnels, Val resigned herself to pacing in Elijah’s small room. Mari eventually found her. She wanted to keep Val company while she waited for Elijah. It was wonderful to talk with Mari. Val had missed her company. Mari wanted to know what motherhood was like. She listened with a hint of envy as Val described the joys of having two sweet and beautiful baby girls to care for.

  Mari told Val of the hardships of losing the mansion and the servants. “I’m actually expected to clean my own room in this dreaded dungeon. Well, most of the time Samuel does the cleaning,” she added with a smile. “There’s no way to truly clean our clothes. The river is too muddy, so we are forced to wear filthy gowns at all times.”

  Mari moved to the small chipped mirror on the wall. She gently patted her cheekbones and pushed the skin upward. “I swear, I have started aging since we came to this dreadful place.”

  “Don’t be silly, Mari. You look as lovely as ever.” Val joined her and peered into the mirror.

  “Not like you. You’re simply glowing.” Mari frowned at Val’s reflection.

  “Perhaps it is motherhood.”

  Mari was still Mari and Val was glad of that. She was also a wonderful distraction, as Val was starting to worry about Elijah. Where could he be? Perhaps he’s in trouble?

  Chapter 58 South America 2034 A.D

  She had children with him! How can that be? It’s not possible. But they resemble her. Looking at the girls was like looking at Vallachia when she was child. Yet their eyes ... they had his eyes. It was the emerald eyes that haunted Elijah. They would always be there — a reminder of who the father was. So that’s why she stayed away, to give birth to them, to hide them from me. Even as Elijah thought this, something about it didn’t ring entirely true. Confusion overtook him. He could not make sense of any of it.

  Sex was one thing but to have someone else’s children — that was another matter entirely. One he could not forgive. Maybe Riddick was right; I should not trust her. Perhaps I have been fooled by her all this time? For the first time in a long time, Elijah thought of his father. What would he have to say? The answer to this was all too clear. He would have killed Teller a long time ago, perhaps Vallachia as well. Or perhaps he would have kept her alive to torture her in some terrible fashion. Father tried to kill Teller before Val and I were married. He would not stand for any of this. I wish he were here now, to do what I have not been able to do. He had the courage to take action and I am weak — when it comes to her. I should have killed Teller when I had the chance; if only Samuel had not pulled me off of him fifteen years ago, I would have torn his head
from his body. I should have!

  What are you waiting for? A voice in Elijah’s head rang out. I did not raise you to be a coward.

  “Father?” Elijah asked.

  Yes, my son, it is I.

  Elijah had been aimlessly walking through the jungle but now he ran. He headed straight for Teller’s living quarters, knowing exactly what he needed to do. It was as if he was possessed. He was only able to see his anger and nothing else. It was easy for him to sneak into Teller’s room and hide behind a curtain. He will be going to bed at any time. Elijah only had to wait a short while before Teller entered the room. This was the perfect opportunity; he had no idea Elijah was waiting with a broadsword.

  Elijah could only see Teller — his focus was on his prey. Nothing else in the world mattered. Only him and me, Elijah thought.

  Elijah waited until he was sure Teller was fast asleep. Then in a flash Elijah was at his bedside — sword drawn. A sure way to kill a vampire was to sever the head from the body. Elijah had done this tirelessly for centuries fighting the Black Plague across Europe. Killing vampires was all too familiar and all too easy. So why not him? Why not now? Elijah placed his sword near Teller’s throat.

  A movement came from the bed. A tiny little arm draped itself across Teller’s large chest. Teller placed an arm around the small girl. They both continued to sleep —peacefully. Elijah withdrew his sword. Teller’s daughter was protecting him in her sleep without even knowing it.

  Elijah noticed the second girl, the smaller one. She seemed to keep her distance, so innocent and beautiful. With their eyes closed the girls did not remind Elijah of Teller, only Vallachia — his lifelong love. Elijah shook his head to try to clear the confusion. How did I not notice the twins until now — their sweet scent, their heavy breathing? Have I been out of my mind — a crazed madman? Elijah looked around the room. I shouldn’t be here. I can’t kill Teller. What am I doing?

  But the voice in Elijah’s head returned — his father’s voice. Since when is a son of mine afraid to kill? If the girls are in the way then you kill them as well. I did not raise you to be so weak!