Destiny's Wrath (Destiny Series - Book 3) by Straight, Nancy (read full novel .txt) 📗

see you two again. Lauren, my dear, I’ve missed you terribly. We never had a proper romp, what with everything going on. I believe Bert could provide you some lovely photos of just how thrilling a night with me could be. They are lying right there in that folder.” He pointed to a folder on the coffee table.

I picked up the folder and saw the gruesome images as Max shouted, “Samael, get out of him, now!”

“I will, in due time. I’m just about finished.”

“I mean it, Samael. Leave him now.”

“You miss me, don’t you, Max? So lonely without me. I do confess that I miss Lauren terribly: the soft touch of her skin, the little noise she makes when she orgasms. I’m sure you’ve discovered a host of new sounds since my departure.”

“Samael, this is your last warning. Leave him now.”

“Or what? You’re going to pry me out with a chisel? I think not. I’ll release Bert when I’m able to finish my tasks. Isn’t that right, Bert?”

Silence echoed out, not so much as a twitch of his muscle or a blink of his eye: Samael was definitely in control. He was strong, so much stronger than I remembered him. Max’s resolve was unyielding, “Bert, can you hear me, Bert? The body is yours; you only have to tell him to leave. Tell him to leave right now.”

Samael laughed through Bert, a loud, sinister laugh. “I believe it’s a little more complicated than that, Max. I’m not quite strong enough to phase out and live on my own, and if I leave Bert, I’ll have to take refuge in a host. Are you volunteering? Is that what I’m hearing?”

I looked at Max, knowing the answer we needed to give to Samael. Max nodded slightly, wordlessly agreeing that this was the only way. I looked back at Samael, “If that’s what it takes, yes, Max will host you again.”

Max said nothing to contradict my offer. Samael looked perplexed, “Really? You’re offering up your soul-mate to host me. He will share you with me. I thought this was repellent to you?”

I didn’t answer his question, instead asking my own, “Samael, what happened to you? You were the one who said destinies shouldn’t be altered. You attacked me that day in the woods because I had bent someone’s destiny. What you’ve done to Jimmy, Bert, and all those innocent people…it just doesn’t make sense.”

“If the universe saw fit to bear a destiny bender, then who am I to try to keep destinies mapped? No more up-hill battles. I have lived many lifetimes. For my crimes against the universe, I will be banished after this life to a distasteful location. My days are already numbered. It’s time to make the most of them, don’t you agree?”

“No, Samael, I don’t. When you were in Max, you were almost human. After you left, we had long conversations about you. I know it was you who convinced him to talk to me, when all he wanted was to isolate himself from me. It was your urging that allowed us to remain together, because you, too, knew Max and I were destined for each other. Max told me everything, every conversation you two shared, regardless of how disgusting it may have been. We know you are neither good nor evil by yourself: you feed off the emotions of your host. So I tell you now, if the only way you’ll leave Bert is to step into Max, then step into him.”

I could see the confusion on Bert’s face, the hope shining through clouded eyes. Samael’s voice spoke again, “Why would you put yourself and Max in such danger? Why would you allow yourself to be subjected to that? It doesn’t make any sense?”

“Because, it’s the right thing to do, for the right reason. Let him go, Samael.”

“Max, it seems Lauren missed me. Are you of the same mind? Are you welcoming me back to your body?”

Max let out a deep sigh, “Yes, now let him go.”

“This isn’t some sort of a trick you two have schemed up, is it? You are simply here to take me home to Ridgeville?”

“For Pete’s sake, Samael, let Bert go.”

Without further deliberations, Max stepped up to Bert and put his hands on his shoulder. I could see the pain on both their faces as Samael finally left Bert. Bert’s features were his own again; the relief showed clearly as soon as the process was over. He began speaking a mile a minute, like a child who had been forced to sit quietly for hours being given the opportunity to speak freely.

“Oh my God, he’s gone. He’s really gone. He’s a demon. You let a demon into your body. Why would you do that? He’s vile. You should have seen what he did to my neighbor.” Bert gripped the folder with photos in his hand shaking them at us. “He destroyed my job. He never let me have control. It was all him. I felt his rage: he wants to destroy everything that is good with the world and people.”

Max was tuning Bert’s words and warnings out. He spoke very clearly to Samael, out loud, rather than through his thoughts, “You do not have permission to use my body, you may not participate in any of my decisions, do you hear me?”

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