Page 214 of Fangs
I had no idea who that was, but a new fear stabbed through me. I had to make sure these assholes did not find out about Clarity. She’d already experienced someone else controlling her body, and I would do anything to keep it from happening again. “I’d rather die,” I hissed.
“It matters not what you want, Goddess. We serve a greater purpose than ourselves.” He smiled like he thought his words were comforting. “It is a great honor to be the bride of Death and carry his children.”
That sounded like some Carth bullshit, and I couldn’t help the bitter laugh that escaped my lips. “I’d ratherdie,”I repeated.
Talmar pursed his lips and tilted his head, studying me. “The God of Death is the one who blessed you with your sacred healing powers. You were always meant to be his Goddess, and without him, your powers will corrupt. You feel it, don’t you?” He leaned forward slightly, reddened eyes fixed on me. “The darkness in your veins?”
I bit the inside of my cheek hard, willing myself not to react, but it felt like something slithered beneath my skin as though summoned by his words.
“Even now, your healing power weakens. If you continue on this path, your body will decline, and you will become a harbinger of sickness and death. Only by submitting to this union can you ensure the protection of yourself and those you care for.”
Fear choked me, but there was no way I wouldsubmitto this.
His eyes dipped down, and a terrifying expression flashed across his face. He moved, and I flinched, but he grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled it down to reveal the brand on my chest. I tried to jerk away, but his other gloved hand grabbed my arm, holding me in place with a grip that felt inhumanely strong. His eyes hardened, and he gently ran his fingers over the mark, ignoring me as I tried again to yank my arm free. When he raised his head, the muscles in his neck strained against his skin, and his nostrils flared as he bared his teeth.
“The traitor has claimed your flesh?” he snarled.
I shrank back from that rage, my head spinning. Traitor? Before I could speak, a pained expression crossed his face, and he pulled my shirt back up with an unsettling tenderness and released my arm.
“Forgive me, Goddess.” His bloodshot eyes held mine, and I realized they were hazel. The color made him seem more human, but the frenzied light that shone in them made my blood run cold. “Did I hurt you?”
“What do you mean, ‘traitor’?” I asked shakily instead of answering.
“Juck.” His face twisted like he’d bitten into something sour. “He heard the prophecy, along with several otherfaithfulmembers, and then he deserted his post. I can only assume he thought if he found the Goddess of Life first, he could finally achieve the godhood he so desired.”
My mind flashed back to that moment in the desert, the shock and excitement that had filled Juck’s face as I healed Grip. I thought I was showing him I could be useful so he wouldn’t kill me, but instead, I just demonstrated that I was exactly the person he’d been searching for.
“He said I was an angel,” I heard myself say as though I was floating outside my body.
Talmar hissed angrily through his teeth, startling me enough to look at him. The muscles in his neck corded again as he clenched his fists. “He knew you were no such thing.”
I had no idea what to do with this information. Juckhadwanted to be a god. He’d repeatedly told me he was a god, the divine, and I was his angel.
“He should have worshiped at your feet,” Talmar continued, stroking my arm. “Now you are where you belong, among your devoted.”
I jerked my arm away. “I’m not an angelora goddess.”
His brow furrowed, lips pressing tightly together for a second before he sighed. “I see we have our work cut out for us.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” My hackles rose.
He pressed a hand against his heart momentarily. “You should have been raised among us with the knowledge of your true purpose. You’ve long been neglected, left to grow wild in ignorance.” His tone was patronizing, and it set my teeth on edge. “But the God of Death guides our hands, and we shall mold you into the vessel you are destined to be.”
I had to stop thinking that events in my life were the worst they could possibly be. The universe seemed determined to prove me wrong. He waited, staring into my eyes like he expected my undying gratitude and oath of devotion to the God of Death, and Ididhave some words for him—just two.
“Fuck. You.”
His expression hardened, and he abruptly stood, making me cringe, but he just strode to the tent’s entrance and left. Alone, I slumped against the pole, my body shaking. I had to get out of here. It felt like I’d gone in a horrible circle—I’d escaped the oppression of Carth, where my sole purpose was to submit and have children, only to end up in the exact same role for a fuckinggod.
“Mac? Mac, can you hear me?”I tried, desperate, but there was no answer.
I didn’t know what to do.
Had Wolf known the details? Had he known what the Voiceless wanted with me? I remembered the fear that had flashed through his eyes when I threatened to follow them, the grim determination on his face as he left me restrained in the clinic. Fury and guilt twisted together in my chest. If he knew, why didn’t he just fuckingtellme?
The tent flap abruptly opened, and I went cold all over as Talmar and another Voiceless entered, dragging achildwith them.
“Let go! Let go of me!” the child sobbed.
