Phobia (Interracial Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria) (44 page)

“
The one you killed.”

“
Naturally.” Beraz shoved Bach back.

“
I am sorry,” Bach said quietly.

“
Sorry?” Beraz scoffed. “Your milk-hearted words won’t change anything. It makes it more pathetic that you result to begging, like a Terran
jaga
.”

“
I am sorry because you will never reach High Father.” Bach ran up to him, ramming Beraz through the walls of the torture chamber. “You will die here.”

“
Boy, you can’t harm me.” Beraz grunted when they landed in the adjacent room. He threw Bach back.

Careening
across the empty cell, Bach stopped himself by digging his hands into the ground ripping up the stone floor in the process. He launched forward at Beraz. Picking up a stone block, Bach flung it at him.

Beraz
dodged the first projectile, but wasn’t fast enough to miss the second and third from Bach. The blocks shattered into tiny pieces when they hit Beraz, and succeeded in knocking him to the ground.

Speeding up
, Bach threw more bricks at Beraz as he neared him, before finally beating him with a series of rapid blows to the man’s head and chest.

Beraz
struck back with equal speed and determination. “It is over for you. High Father will destroy you.”

“
But you will not be here to see it.” Grabbing Beraz’s hair, he flipped him onto his front and then repeatedly drove his face into the hard ground. “I am going to make sure this is your last day alive.” He was about to stomp on the back of Beraz’s head, when his mother came in.

“
Coia, help me.” Beraz moaned.

“
Bach, stop,” she ordered.

“
I am almost done.” Bach panted.

“
No, you are done now.” She pulled Bach away. “This is not how it is supposed to happen.”

“
He has learned about my bond with Wisteria. If he lives, he will go to High Father and everything we have planned will fail.” Bach kicked Beraz repeatedly.

She scowled at
Beraz and then said to Bach, “When Wisteria took your brother I had to move up my timetable. You will get your chance to settle up with Beraz very soon, but I want him to be a witness before he dies.”

“
Coia what is this? You were aware of his treachery?” Beraz rasped.

“
No, he dies now
,” Bach’s darkness drew out Beraz’s sword. Bach stabbed him in the heart.

“
Bach, what have you done?” His mother gasped. “I said—”

“
You said our mate would be here. She is not
,” Bach’s darkness replied. “I have no interest in games. I am going to get her, kill Felip and then come back to watch Aleix die.”

“
You kill Felip and everything is over. High Father will win and your beloved will die as uselessly as mine have,” his mother warned.

“
Why is Felip so important to you?” Bach screamed as he threw the knife down beside Beraz’s twitching body.

“
He is bringing an artifact from the Hall of Ages. Galahad’s talisman, it will enable you to finally possess your mate and anyone else you desire. Even the Mosroc will not stop you from renewing her under the light from Galahad’s talisman.”

Images of what
the darkness wanted to do to Wisteria or rather what he’d have her do to him flashed in his mind. The pictures became more violent as the darkness took over. “
We will be able to renew her
?”

“
You can do whatever you want to her and she will thank you for it.”

“
I do not want to hurt her,” Bach admitted. “But I feel nothing will make me happier.”

“
You are a Dy’obeth, the fantasies of killing her are natural and beautiful, so embrace it. To us death is the purest form of love and hate.” She grimaced down at Beraz. “Something you took away from me.”

“
You both are going to rot when High Father—” Beraz managed to shout before his mother covered his mouth.

“
Save your strength,” she said softly. “There will be plenty of time for talking.”

Bach folded his arms and watched his mother almost tenderly whisper something to
Beraz. “Mother, if you need him alive regenerate him, but I will end his life again.”

“
Beloved, you will not have to wait long.” She sent a small burst of healing light though Beraz. “This ends tonight.”

*****

“I promise, this is temporary,” Felip assured Wisteria as he dumped her in a concrete cell. “Once everything is settled, you will be free to go.”

She
’d no clue in which realm she was. Since she didn’t sense any Ninth Metal, she wasn’t in Jarthan.

“
And by free?” She stood as far away from him as she could. “You don’t mean I can return to Smythe. Am I going to be free to be your Thayn or slave?”

“
Wisteria—” he paused as he stood in the cell with his hands in his pockets. “Please do not talk like that. You make it sound as if I get some thrill in leaving you down here,” he spoke with a level of sincerity and innocence that almost seemed believable.

“
If you didn’t…I wouldn’t be here.”

“
You are here, so you will be safe. I cannot do what I need to do and worry about what is happening to you. You might not understand, but we will have the rest of our lives to make sense of this.”

“
Are you completely insane? We’ll never have a life together—ever!”

“
What? You think Bach’s going to stop me? Peeka, After tonight, he will not be our problem.”

“
You’re going to kill him?”

“
Let us not use such ugly words.” He stroked her shoulder. “He is almost consumed by his darkness. Soon, all he will be is a homicidal mess.”

“
But you have the same darkness in you. Your eyes turn yellow like his.”

“
Well,” he leered. “I understand my darkness and it understands me. Your boy is far too childish to appreciate his inner dark, so he fights it. The more he fights it, the greater the dark becomes.”

“
You gave into yours?”

“
Decades ago, I am my dark self and he is me, but this is not supposed to be a lesson on my heritage.” He tilted her head up. “All your questions about me will be answered and hopefully a few of mine about you.” He kissed her lips.

She
did feel extremely tired, but his words gave her the strength to force herself away.

“
You bit me?” He let go.

“
The First Pillar is more powerful than the Family and the Dy’obeths. I’m going to stop you.”

“
You are not the First Pillar. You are a girl who had a very powerful father and your father is gone. Perhaps you can shout really loudly and the First Pillar will miraculously come and help you.”

“
Maybe I should.”
Was there a way for her to contact her own people?

Looking a bit u
nsettled, he said nothing more.

“
Scared they might show up?” She quipped.

“
No.” He reverted back to his cocky self. “Even if they wanted to, they will not come because of the Palm Sunday Treaty.”

“
How many more of the First Pillar is there?”

“
I am tired of talking about this. I am going to be late to a meeting upstairs, but I will be back when I am done.” Leaving, he pulled the heavy metal door shut.

*****

Bach and Malcolm made their way through the Trogia Palace to the main hall.

The
magnificent Palace had once been the political nerve center of the Family but was now the seat of High Father’s council of Seven Elders. The only Famila present were brain-dead Drones.

Getting to the hall, he saw
High Father seated on a stone throne in the center, surrounded by five of his sons and brothers who were now the Sens of the Six Pillars. Beraz’s seat sat empty. There were forty-three other Dy’obeth males in the room with them.

Not acknowledging Bach, High Father continued his conversation
, “Karvas. Why have you not gotten the Vashteen Plains under control? My son, we are to rule all the discovered realms. How can you be part of that if you cannot contain a few thousand Dogs?”

“
Forgive me Father. I was focusing on gathering the Terrans for extermination. I intended to deal with the others when that was done, but I have sent my sons to drag out and destroy their first-born. When the Vashteen plains are running red with Dog blood, they will settle down.” Karvas chuckled.

“
Then ensure it is settled by the next moon or I will take your first born as penance.” High Father scowled, but broke into an icy smile. “Coia?”

Bach
’s mother entered the hall.

“
This is no place for women,” Karvas called out to them.

“
Do not lecture me on what is right.” His mother walked up to her father. “High Father, I see you have decided to make yourself the Sen of the First Pillar? That is slightly self indulgent.”

“
In this realm, I am the First and therefore head the First of the Pillars.” Stroking his chin, he responded warmly. “I owe you because you released me, but Karvas is correct, this council is not for you or your sister. And my daughter, never speak to me in that tone again or nothing will save you from me.”

His mother scoffed.
“Obviously, being in Ajana has made you milk-hearted. When you were at your prime, you would have cut out my tongue the moment I opened my mouth.”

The
men fell silent.

“
Are you mad girl?” Karvas rose. “How dare you call our greatest leader milk-hearted? Being around Dogs and Rats has made you forget your place.”

“
I remember my place, brethren.” She sneered. “Would you prefer to be called soft?”

“
Soft?” High Father rose. “If you want to die today, I will oblige you.”

Her
eyes darkened. “No, today is your day to die.”

Bleeding,
Beraz hobbled in while held up by a Drone. He dropped to the floor by her feet. “Bach...” Beraz pointed.

“
The rabja.” Maniko smiled from the door. “Bach fought Beraz for his seat and for me.”

“
A rabja?” Karvas muttered. “Finally, you stepped up nephew. Now that you are a man, you can teach your mother some manners.”

The
Dy’obeths laughed at this.

“
He is a liar.” Beraz strained as blood dripped from his mouth. “The Terran—”

“
Why did you keep him alive?” High Father asked Bach. “I do not require a confirmation. Kill this disgrace.”

The men around cheered.

“It was not a rabja.” Beraz crawled to his father. “High Father, he is hiding the truth about his Terran.”

“
At least die with some dignity Beraz.” High Father kicked him away. “Do not shame your name by rumors, stories or pleading for your life. Bach, finish him and take his seat.” He gestured to Beraz’s chair. “We have a lot to discuss before we start our campaign to cull the Dogs.”

“
Father please—”

“
Beraz, it is over.” Karvas scowled. “You are embarrassing yourself.”

“
No, you should listen to the old fool,” Coia called out. “I swear you will be intrigued.”

Bach stayed still to witness this, t
he last time his relationship with Wisteria was exposed, he’d watched her suffer for it. This time, it would be different, he would make them suffer and it felt good.

“
Coia and her sons have been plotting to destroy us. He’s even bonded with a Rat.” Beraz pointed at Bach.

Several
Dy’obeths laughed.

“
Is this true?” High Father asked Bach.

“
Yes,” Bach answered boldly. “I am bonded to a human.”

“
So, you shed Beraz’s blood over a Rat, over nothing?” outraged High Father demanded.

“
I shed nothing over her. There is a difference,” Bach scoffed and walked over to take a seat on the steps that led up to the high table. “And if anyone—anyone says the word
Terran
again, it will be the last thing they say. And High Father as much as you claim you want to die, you fear meeting Satan.”

“
Matula, how dare you? I’m afraid of nothing.” High Father tossed the stone table at him.