they lived, and sometimes, bad people were not available when they needed to feed. Sometimes, the innocent were sacrificed to fulfill those needs, and it was done without regret.
“There is a divine moment in our lives
when we all become one.
It’s called procreation,
and it is reborn,
continually and forever.”
–Dirk Benedict
Eighteen
Roman stood at the edge of an enormous cliff, staring at the lush, open land below him. Devendra walked up and drew close behind him. He never broke his contact with the beauty of the land, how clear and crisp it had become with his new sight.
Devendra sensed his pleasure and slipped her arms around his waist. To her surprise, he violently turned around and reached out to grab her, holding her at arm’s length. His fingernails dug into her flesh.
She frowned. “Roman, it will solve nothing to look at me with such revulsion. I have given birth to you; I should be seen as your mother, your lover, and your teacher. Without me you would never survive. And without Alexandria you wouldn’t want to,” she explained, swallowing the hurt his reaction caused.
“I never asked for your help! Why did you choose me? What’s in it for you?”
Shocked by his innuendo, she held his stare without faltering. She was able to read his thoughts in fragments, but not in their entirety. He, on the other hand, could not read her mind at all, which saved her in situations such as the one they were experiencing.
She thought of Lillith and Her words, He will lead you to the only one who can save the Combined. Without him, we will not survive.
The words rang over in her head countless times before, but never touching her as deeply as that moment. She must win him over; she must get him to let go of his hatred and love her, trust her completely.
The sound of his voice broke her reflections. “I never even cared for mortal life; Alexandria changed that for me. Now she is gone and I am damned to live eternally without her touch! How could that possibly be the best for me?”
He let go of her arms, turning back toward the cliff’s edge. “I am doomed to live eternally without my only reason for ever wanting to live in the first place. I waited for her to come along since I was a boy. Do you understand that? I waited for her all my life!”
Devendra looked down at his feet, unsure what to say to nurture their relationship. Her heart bled at the harshness of his energy toward her. It was something she never expected from him. He had always been so gentle, but the Blood changed people. It exposed the things hidden away in the hearts of mortals; things they’d rather not know or accept about themselves. Things like hatred and regret.
He continued the verbal slaying. “You have condemned me to life on Earth to walk among the impressions and fascinations of mortals; constant reminders of who I used to be but can never again grasp and wouldn’t want to. I must deal with the seductions of men and women who will try to take Alexandria’s place in my heart! That sickens me! I will kill for that alone.”
He wiped a hand over his face, stopping to rub at his eyes. “I must choose carefully who to kill and who not to. All of this torment forever! How could you do this to me?” he exclaimed, thrusting his forefinger into his chest.
“How could I do this to you?” she asked, defensively, clenching her fists and holding them tensely by her sides. “For one thing, you called out to me. If you hadn’t, well—”
“Well what? If I hadn’t maybe Alexandria would still be alive?”
“No, Alexandria could not have been saved. It was her Fate to enter mortal death.” She paused. “You are not paying attention to the importance of your creation.”
“What importance? Nothing is more important to me than my—”
“Roman,” she shouted, “shut up and listen to me, Goddess damn it!”
She waited for him to give her the sign that he would listen. She
“There is a divine moment in our lives
when we all become one.
It’s called procreation,
and it is reborn,
continually and forever.”
–Dirk Benedict
Eighteen
Roman stood at the edge of an enormous cliff, staring at the lush, open land below him. Devendra walked up and drew close behind him. He never broke his contact with the beauty of the land, how clear and crisp it had become with his new sight.
Devendra sensed his pleasure and slipped her arms around his waist. To her surprise, he violently turned around and reached out to grab her, holding her at arm’s length. His fingernails dug into her flesh.
She frowned. “Roman, it will solve nothing to look at me with such revulsion. I have given birth to you; I should be seen as your mother, your lover, and your teacher. Without me you would never survive. And without Alexandria you wouldn’t want to,” she explained, swallowing the hurt his reaction caused.
“I never asked for your help! Why did you choose me? What’s in it for you?”
Shocked by his innuendo, she held his stare without faltering. She was able to read his thoughts in fragments, but not in their entirety. He, on the other hand, could not read her mind at all, which saved her in situations such as the one they were experiencing.
She thought of Lillith and Her words, He will lead you to the only one who can save the Combined. Without him, we will not survive.
The words rang over in her head countless times before, but never touching her as deeply as that moment. She must win him over; she must get him to let go of his hatred and love her, trust her completely.
The sound of his voice broke her reflections. “I never even cared for mortal life; Alexandria changed that for me. Now she is gone and I am damned to live eternally without her touch! How could that possibly be the best for me?”
He let go of her arms, turning back toward the cliff’s edge. “I am doomed to live eternally without my only reason for ever wanting to live in the first place. I waited for her to come along since I was a boy. Do you understand that? I waited for her all my life!”
Devendra looked down at his feet, unsure what to say to nurture their relationship. Her heart bled at the harshness of his energy toward her. It was something she never expected from him. He had always been so gentle, but the Blood changed people. It exposed the things hidden away in the hearts of mortals; things they’d rather not know or accept about themselves. Things like hatred and regret.
He continued the verbal slaying. “You have condemned me to life on Earth to walk among the impressions and fascinations of mortals; constant reminders of who I used to be but can never again grasp and wouldn’t want to. I must deal with the seductions of men and women who will try to take Alexandria’s place in my heart! That sickens me! I will kill for that alone.”
He wiped a hand over his face, stopping to rub at his eyes. “I must choose carefully who to kill and who not to. All of this torment forever! How could you do this to me?” he exclaimed, thrusting his forefinger into his chest.
“How could I do this to you?” she asked, defensively, clenching her fists and holding them tensely by her sides. “For one thing, you called out to me. If you hadn’t, well—”
“Well what? If I hadn’t maybe Alexandria would still be alive?”
“No, Alexandria could not have been saved. It was her Fate to enter mortal death.” She paused. “You are not paying attention to the importance of your creation.”
“What importance? Nothing is more important to me than my—”
“Roman,” she shouted, “shut up and listen to me, Goddess damn it!”
She waited for him to give her the sign that he would listen. She
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