Chapter 41
S ettling into the large couch in the living room, Petra looked at the room with new eyes. Last time she was there, she was a victim and they were her psychos. Last time she was there, she was a vessel for His energy, a sacrifice for his glory.
Nothing had changed, of course, aside from the fact that she was theirs now, fully, they were hers, accepted and more. And instead of standing there, waiting for their attentions, she was settled between two of her men, waiting on the others to tell her what had been going on.
The whole unpleasantness of the insane cop had been over two days now. Leo and Rix has gotten her through the first six hours, taking her from that shit hole in South Philly to her apartment, then to Wilma to get Brutus. Of course, she had asked a lot of questions.
“Petra...honestly, what happened?”
She sighed and shook her head. She couldn’t tell her the truth, but a semblance of it. “Carter, you know his job...well, he pissed off the wrong people. Closed the wrong fighting ring...”
“Say no more! I figured it was something like that. You all right? I mean physically, mentally?”
She nodded. “Carter and his friends got there in time.”
“Daresay whoever it was is not with us anymore?”
“No...they have slipped this mortal coil...” she answered.
“Good. When my husband was alive, these situations were weekly. Once he passed my life got quiet but...I never forgot that madness. Carter isn’t one of the bad guys, though...it will be okay.”
They had made it to the devotional house in the mountains shortly after ten AM, Rix and Leo feeding her, and then passing out with her in the bedroom she normally slept in, citing keeping her safe.
It wasn’t a problem for her, having missed her guys, though she did miss their attentions, she had been exhausted.
The others had shown up a few hours later, smelling of accelerant, dirty and exhausted themselves. They had eaten, and now, they were all sitting in the living room together, and she was keen to learn about what had been going on.
“Now that you are safe,” Emerson said as she snuggled into him. “And we aren’t completely losing our minds trying to get back to you, things can progress.”
"We need to go back to the Balkans," Finn said. "After we've finished up here, I mean. We need to go back and finish what we started. I don't entirely trust the priests to run the place."
"People must have questions," Carter agreed.
“Well what happened?” she asked and Jack took up the story, what drove them to up their timetable, her, and the fact that the people in charge were making moves, big moves that could destroy the organization forever.
She listened as he recounted their actions, swift and decisive, the whole insurrection taking all of an hour. Their allies, friends from school and those that felt things were off, and there were many, helped and aside from the assholes on the puppet council, was bloodless.
“Finn went to the priests then, who had been waiting in the rectory, and told them we needed to save you. They agreed, and we left, saved the day, and here we are.”
She smiled.
“Now...are you okay? I mean really okay?” Emerson asked. “No... I know you feel okay but killing someone is life changing.”
“I’m okay. I have had rest, and food, and while I know this is going to be something I’m going to have to face, that’s for later.” She looked to them. “And I know you guys will be there for me.”
"One thing that might come in handy..." Easton looked a bit uncomfortable.
"I spoke to the priests when we arrived and asked for some.
..spiritual guidance. Turns out that counselling and therapy is actually in their remit, so.
..you know...if you want help, it's there.
They said they'd be happy to work with me virtually. "
She smiled at her sad lover. “That sounds great actually. I mean it won’t be like we have to hide anything from them,” she offered. “We could go together, when you’re ready. So, what else?”
“Well, we did a bunch while there. Carter and I went to the priests about your orphanage, and to get a clear look at what that whole thing about the women and the sisters were,” Emerson said to her.
“What did you find out?”
“A lot, actually. My dad’s journal was right, but the priests have said several of the communes had gone dark a while back, though they still maintain that He was getting devotions from his Feminine.”
"We thought that maybe once we'd finished up over there, we could come back here and actually go and speak to people at the orphanage," Carter said. "If any of the original staff are around, they could tell us why they went dark."
“Why go back before that?”
Rix looked at her. “The priests want to meet you...and see what bloodline, if any, you belong to.”
“They can do that?”
Emerson nodded. “Apparently.”
“So I’m coming with you?”
"You didn't think we would leave you behind after what just happened, did you?" Leo looked at her like she'd gone crazy.
“I don’t know. I mean it’s very possible you could split up and some go and some stay with me and Niobe and Brutus.” She smiled. “They get to come, too, right?”
"Niobe can't fly," Easton said regretfully. "But her sitter will stay with her while we're not here."
"And Brutus can definitely come," Carter agreed. "I'm not sure he'd forgive either of us if we left him alone again."
Pouting at Easton, she said. “But I get to spend quality time with her when we come back, right? Promise?”
"You have my word," he told her and then smiled brightly. "Besides, she has a really long lifespan. You'll literally have decades to spend with us when this is all over."
"Enough talk of pets," Finn said with a gentle but tired smile. "Let's get this sacrifice out of the way and try and have an early night. Emerson booked the jet for tomorrow morning. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can come back home again."
“Okay... I mean that sounds good. I’ll go get ready for bed.”
“Bed nothing. Baby girl, this is your devotional,” Rix offered. “This isn’t happening without you.”
“Oh...” She brightened. “I get to come.”
“You get to offer ,” Emerson said. “As our devotional, you have the honor of offering to He Who Sleeps. If you are part of the organization, then you need to know how to do this.”
"I'll go grab the bucket," Leo offered. "I'll see the rest of you down there."
"Thanks, Leo." Finn rose to his feet and she watched him worriedly.
He looked exhausted, they all did. Planning the coup and all the international travel with the accompanying jetlag, plus the effort required to kill a man and cover it up.
..it was no wonder they were all tired. Maybe the God would give them all a bit of an energy boost to get through the next few days.
The trip down to the well was quick, and she made it a point to walk with Finn, holding his hand.
She missed her Devil, missed them all, and she needed to reconnect.
“I’m a little nervous about this,” she said as they made it to the stairs.
“What if it isn’t accepted? What if...” I’m not accepted ?
She didn’t finish the thought with words, leaving it to hang in the air.
"He sent you to us." Finn looked down at her in amusement. "Why on earth wouldn't he accept you when He was the one that gave you to us?"
“I don’t know...” She fidgeted. “I was so worried before...that I would never see you again,” she offered. “Now that I’m here, I’m just worried.”
"Well stop," he said gently. "This is meant to be. You were born into The Order, I think, and you were brought back to us. We're not leaving you again. Besides, it sounds like you've already made offerings of your first blood."
"And it's not like He doesn't already know your energy," Carter pointed out from behind them. "We've been feeding it to Him for three years."
She nodded. “Still kinda...scary.”
“Nonsense,” Rix said as he walked by and pinched her ass with a wink. “Get to it so we can all turn in.”
She looked to Finn. “Okay, how do we do this?”
"Same as we did when you watched after Black Night," he told her. "Except this time instead of us cutting ourselves, you can dump what's in the bucket in there."
“Okay...”
They set up, them around the perimeter, this time with her at the center. Words were spoken, and she felt the tickle of power at her navel, sighing as it went from a tickle to a blanket, and further, making her body tingle.
“For you,” she heard Finn say, and she stepped forward and tipped the blood into the well.
“For you,” she whispered.
Much as it had the morning after Halloween, tendrils of smoky light began curling up out of the well, reaching toward her. "It's okay," Finn said, steadying her as she automatically backed away. "Let it touch you."
Steeling herself she stood there, waiting.
The tingle of magic grew, and as the smoke touched her it turned electric, the air charged around her as if her hair would stand on end from the static.
But no static came. The caress of power was innate, and she felt it inside, as well as out, a small moan slipping from her lips as her body thrummed with energy and needed release.
"Just let it roll through you," Finn said gently. "Don't fight it. It's a gift." Tendrils of light started reaching out to the men as well and Finn smiled as he reached out a hand to the one nearest him, letting it curl through him.
"I feel so much better," Carter groaned quietly from behind her. "I didn't realize how tired I was."
“It tingles...” She gasped. “In odd places...”
“Don’t worry, love, we will help with that later,” she heard Jack murmur.
Soon the space was filled with tendrils that glittered and pulsed with unearthly light and she was sighing, allowing it to suffuse her. And then she felt it, a heartbeat, deep and thrumming, off from a human’s, a weird cadence, not a falter but a rhythm that had its own origins.
“I....can you feel that? Is that Him?”
"Yes, it is," Finn confirmed. "He's pleased."
"He should be after all the blood He's had this week," Leo said drily and amusement tingled through them all.
"Joy," Carter realized aloud at the same moment they all felt it. "He's gifting us joy. That's a new one."
"It's a new era," Finn reminded him.
She laughed, feeling a tear run down her face as she did.
Joy... Joy never felt this good, this pure.
She looked to her guys, and smiled at each one.
The tendrils receded from them then, feeling came to her, wrapping her in a thick embrace.
She felt the pressure around her heavy but not at all unpleasant, before it pulled back and slithered back into the well.
Falling to her knees, she let the tears fall, happiness and the feeling of being so small in the face of something so awesome coursing through her.
"Kind of overwhelming your first time, huh?" Leo said, coming across to her to help her up.
"I didn't get joy," Easton blurted out. "He spoke to me. I didn't get joy."
"What?" Finn turned to look at him but Carter was closer. "What did He give you instead?"
"I don't know how to explain it." He just stood there, tears pouring down his face as he struggled to find the words.
"It just...it doesn't hurt anymore," he stuttered out.
"The memories...they don't suck me in. I can.
.. I can..." He broke off again and Carter hugged him, looking over his head at her and the others.
"I think what he's trying to say is that the God has taken the power of his memories to help him heal," he explained, with a meaningful look at her.
She crossed to him and Carter, unsure of what was to happen, how to even approach her sweet Easton, but she wouldn’t let him be there alone. He needed to know she was there, all in, for everything.
"He told me that what stops him from engaging in physical contact is the flashbacks," Carter explained to her quietly. "The moment someone touches him, he gets sucked into the bad memories and he doesn't know how to get out of it. If that's not happening anymore..."
The conclusion was obvious. He'd be able to initiate actual physical contact with her. Even though he still needed to work through therapy to deal with his trauma-trained behaviors, his memories would no longer have the power to come between them.
Biting her bottom lip. she nodded and stepped forward. “East...” she said softly, reaching for him. If they could be together...if they could...
"I'm a bit overwhelmed," he sobbed and then burst out laughing because obviously.
She followed suit, pulling him to her and hugged him tight. He didn’t stiffen, and she let out a heavy breath as she laughed with him. Looking up to her guys they were all smiling, in awe, and looking hopeful.
"A true blessing," Finn congratulated. "We should go and celebrate."