Dark awakening hidden cu.., p.15
Dark Awakening: Hidden Currents, page 15
Among other insults, she'd started with accusing him of spying on her and of being controlling and suffocating. The words had cut deep, each one a dagger to his heart. But it was what came next that had truly shattered him.
"You want to know the truth, Rob?" Lynda had sneered, her beautiful face twisted with contempt. "I never loved you. Not really. You were safe and dependable. A good provider. But God, being with you is more boring than watching paint dry. You are so predictable. Spying on me was the first unpredictable thing you have ever done. I need more than that. I need passion and excitement. And that's something you could never give me."
She wasn't wrong. If not for Margo, it would have never occurred to him to check who Lynda was meeting with for lunch. Come to think of it, how had Margo known where she would be?
Did it matter?
Not really.
What was done could not be undone.
Rob closed his eyes, trying to block out the memory of the cruel words, but they kept echoing in his mind, relentless and devastating.
39
JASMINE
In the hallway, Jasmine leaned against the wall for a moment and let out a long breath. The emotional intensity of the last hour had left her drained, but there was also a spark of excitement. Rob's life was about to change dramatically, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
It was an awakening.
She remembered her own introduction to the world of immortals and the wonder that had accompanied that revelation.
It had been so marvelous to discover that the reality she had been aware of hadn't been complete, to learn that there were many populated worlds out there and that an entire civilization of gods was colonizing planets and patrolling the galaxy.
Rob wasn't going to learn all of that today, but he was about to start a very exciting journey of discovery.
Perhaps it would soothe some of the poor guy's pain.
Taking a deep breath, Jasmine composed herself, put a smile on her face, and opened the door. She didn't want to bring any residual tension into Ell-rom's space. He had enough to deal with without her adding stress to it.
The moment she stepped into the penthouse, though, she felt the tension in the room. The television was blaring in the living room, and Ell-rom sat rigidly on the couch. His eyes were glued to the news broadcast, his jaw was set, and his hand was fisting the remote control with so much force that the plastic was creaking under the pressure of his grip.
Without hesitation, she crossed the room and gently pried the remote from his hand, clicking off the TV.
Ell-rom blinked as if coming out of a trance. "Why did you do that?" he asked.
Jasmine sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "You are not ready to see all that ugliness. Remember what I told you? The news editors like to pick the worst of the worst to broadcast because that's how they get viewers, and viewers bring advertising money. Showing people spending happy afternoons with their families is not newsworthy."
"So that wasn't real?" He waved his hand at the television set.
"Oh, it was real, but it was an ugly slice of reality. Not everything is like that."
That was true, but those pockets of evil were popping up more frequently around the world, and things were getting worse for most people. Still, she could shield him from that for a little while longer.
Los Angeles was still relatively safe, although not as safe as it was only a few years ago. Other major cities were seeing a more rapid rise in violent crime, and part of the world was receding into darkness. The sad part was that women and children were always the first victims when things were starting to deteriorate. It seemed like lately, travesties committed against women and young girls had become a daily occurrence.
Darkness was on the rise. There was no doubt in her mind about that.
"Even that much is bad," Ell-rom said. "How are things like that allowed to happen in human societies? What is this savagery?"
Jasmine was asking herself the same questions, but Ell-rom couldn't allow himself to get so upset. "You need to calm down. We don't want you to accidentally..." She trailed off.
Ell-rom swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "You're right," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I need to control my emotions. I can't allow them to boil over."
Guilt washed over Jasmine. She should have known better than to leave him alone with access to the news. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone with the remote. It's my fault."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw something shift in Ell-rom's eyes. The anger and dismay over what he had seen in the news were replaced by a flash of hurt.
"What's the matter?" she asked, though she had a sinking feeling she already knew.
Ell-rom's jaw clenched, his eyes meeting hers with an intensity that took her aback. "I'm tired of being treated like a child. I appreciate your concern, but I can handle watching television without your supervision."
The words hit Jasmine like a physical blow. She opened her mouth to protest, but the truth of his statement stopped her short. She had been treating him like a child, hadn't she? In her desire to protect him, to shield him from potential triggers, she'd been stifling him.
"You're right," she said softly, the admission difficult but necessary. "I'm sorry for having been overprotective. You're not a child, and you are perfectly capable of making your own decisions. My job is to supply the information that you might be lacking, but I shouldn't decide for you."
Ell-rom's expression softened, but there was still a hint of hurt in his eyes. "I know you mean well, but I need to learn to navigate this world on my own terms. I'm not an impulsive person, and I know what I can handle and what I need help with."
"You're absolutely right. I'll do my best to keep in check my overprotective instincts."
A moment of silence stretched between them, not uncomfortable but charged with unspoken emotions. Finally, Ell-rom broke it. "How's Rob?"
Grateful for the change of subject, Jasmine launched into an explanation of Rob's situation, and as she spoke she watched Ell-rom's face, seeing the empathy and understanding dawning in his eyes.
When she finished, he shook his head. "Poor Rob. To have someone you love turn on you like that must be devastating."
Jasmine nodded. "It is, but I believe that it's for the best. Lynda clearly wasn't right for him, and now Rob's world is about to change dramatically for the better, but it will take him time to realize that."
"Does Rob know about the spying device Margo put on his mate?" Ell-rom asked.
"No. But I imagine it will come out soon. All the secrets are about to be revealed."
A soft chuckle escaped Ell-rom. "I was in Rob's situation not too long ago."
"You didn't have a cheating fiancée," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"No," Ell-rom agreed. "But I didn't know who and what I was. It was pretty profound to find out, and there is still a lot to learn."
The weight of his words hung in the air between them. Jasmine thought back to those first few days after Ell-rom had awakened, the confusion and fear in his eyes as he grappled with his new reality. She had been so focused on protecting him, on helping him adjust, that she hadn't fully appreciated the magnitude of what he was going through.
"I can't even imagine." She reached for his hand. "How are you really doing with all of this?"
Ell-rom was quiet for a long moment, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand. "It's overwhelming. There are moments when I feel like I'm drowning in all the new information, all the things I need to learn and remember, but then there are moments like this. Moments with you, where everything feels right. Where I feel anchored."
The honesty of his words brought tears to Jasmine's eyes. She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I'm glad I can be your anchor," she whispered.
40
ROB
At the sound of the front door opening, Rob winced.
The last thing he wanted was to smile and be civil to Mia and her rich fiancé, but he was curious to learn about the earth-shattering news Tom was about to impart.
It would have been better if they had waited at least one day to visit so he could gather the broken pieces of his heart and pretend to be whole, but they were here, and he had to deal with them as best he could.
With a sigh, he looked up and was surprised to see Mia enter, walking on what he assumed were her prosthetic legs. She must have gotten a new and advanced model because her gait looked completely natural. He had known Mia for most of her life, and since losing her legs, she had never walked so well.
Still, that wasn't as jarring as the guy walking in next to her.
He'd heard Margo talk about Mia's fiancé being movie-star handsome and richer than the devil himself, but he'd thought that his sister had exaggerated. As it turned out, she'd downplayed the guy's god-like appearance.
Why had Tom chosen Mia when he could have any woman on earth?
The pair made no sense.
Mia was a lovely young woman, pretty, sweet, and talented, but she was not in the same league as her guy. According to Margo, Tom had taken her to Switzerland to see a world-renowned expert for her heart condition. The treatment she'd gotten there and the protocol they had prescribed had restored her health, and evidently, he'd also gotten her much better prosthetics.
Rob rose to his feet and approached the couple. "Mia, it is so good to see you." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You look amazing." He turned to the fiancé and offered him his hand. "I assume you are the man responsible for Mia's good health."
"You could say that." The man shook his hand. "I'm Tom, or Toven to my close friends."
After that introduction, Rob wasn't sure what he should call the guy. Margo had always referred to him as Tom, so maybe that was what he should use.
"I think I'll stick with Tom for now. I'm Rob. Thank you for helping Mia and for coming here on such short notice."
"Margo is like a sister to Mia, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for Mia and her family." The god-like creature smiled, and Rob felt weak at the knees.
He had never been attracted to men, but there was something about Tom that transcended the normal and mundane.
It was unsettling, to say the least.
Perhaps Lynda's betrayal had shaken up his foundations so profoundly that even the basic pillars of who he was were showing cracks.
"Your sister calls me Toven, so you should call me Toven as well."
"Thank you," Rob said, because he couldn't come up with anything better. Right now, his brain was not firing on all cylinders.
"Where should we do this?" Margo asked.
Rob cast her a questioning look. "Do what?"
"Talk," Toven said. "We can sit down right here." He motioned at the couch and armchairs that flanked the massive coffee table in the center of the room.
As Rob sat back down in the same spot he had been sitting in for the past hour or so, Margo sat next to him, and Mia and Toven each sat in an armchair facing them.
"Perhaps a drink is in order." Margo rose back to her feet. "The bar is fully stocked, so you can take your pick."
Rob realized that he was thirsty despite finishing the bottle of water Margo had given him when they had entered the penthouse. Evidently, emotional turmoil burned through liquids faster than normal.
"Can I have another bottle of water and also a beer?"
Margo grimaced. "You won't like the kind of beer we have, but I can get you some very good whiskey."
"I'll take it." He wasn't a great fan of whiskey, but he needed some alcohol to dull the pain.
"I'd like some tea." Mia rose to her feet with a fluidity that should not have been possible with a prosthesis.
Toven looked at her with adoration in his eyes. "I would like some tea as well, my love."
She smiled back. "Of course."
When she and Margo ducked into the kitchen, Rob turned to Toven. "I've known Mia for many years, and I've seen her with all kinds of prostheses, but I've never seen her walk so naturally with them. You must have gotten state-of-the-art tech."
Toven smiled. "Indeed. There is nothing more state-of-the-art than what nature makes. Mia no longer needs prosthetics. She has regrown her legs."
For a long moment, Rob just gaped at Toven. "How is that possible?"
"Many things are possible when you have the right genes."
Rob frowned. "Gene therapy? Is that how it was done?"
Toven chuckled. "You could say so." He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and his chin on his fist. "Before I go into what made it possible for Mia to regrow her legs, I need to take care of security concerns first. What you are about to hear from me, Mia, and Margo is a big secret."
"I understand. I will not breathe a word of it to anyone."
Toven smiled. "I will make sure of it, but I need your permission first."
That was an odd request. "What do you want to do that you need my permission for?"
"It's a mind control trick that will prevent you from telling anyone who I don't approve as safe what you are about to learn."
Was he talking about some sort of hypnotic suggestion?
Rob wanted to laugh. He couldn't be hypnotized, but Toven didn't need to know that. "You have my permission."
41
ROB
"Very well." Toven leaned forward and looked into Rob's eyes. "You are not allowed to reveal any of it to anyone I don't specifically approve. For now, that covers everyone not present in this apartment, but once we are done, I will enlarge the number of people you can talk to about this."
Toven's words settled around him like bands of steel. The guy was using some sort of hypnosis on him, but even though Rob had never been successfully hypnotized before, he felt that this was very different from his other experiences.
He frowned. "What's going on? What did you just do to me?"
"I compelled you to keep this conversation a secret."
"Compel? You mean hypnotize?"
"In a way. Compulsion is a much stronger form of hypnosis."
Rob swallowed. "I didn't know I could even get hypnotized. I always thought that I was too analytical for that."
Toven nodded. "That's possible. My type of compulsion is very difficult to resist. But my ability is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. What I'm about to tell you is going to sound impossible, and I hope that my small demonstration of power will suffice to help you suspend your disbelief."
As Mia and Margo returned from the kitchen with tea, water, and a tray of cut fruit, Rob couldn't take his eyes off Mia's legs. She was wearing pants, so it wasn't immediately obvious that what was underneath was flesh and blood and not plastic and metal, but now that he looked more closely, he could see the contours of her shapely legs.
Toven looked up at his fiancée. "I've already started, but only with the compulsion. I'm about to delve into the history."
Was he going to explain about the miracle of Mia's legs?
"Good." Mia put the two teacups on the coffee table while Margo continued to the bar. "I want to hear you explain it," she said. "This story never fails to wow me."
"Me too." Margo looked at Toven. "Can I offer you some whiskey as well?"
Toven shook his head. "No, thank you."
"You knew about Mia regrowing her legs?" Rob asked Margo.
She nodded. "Why do you think I asked Toven to come over? I know much more than that, but I couldn't tell you any of it without someone first making sure that you can't tell anyone who is not supposed to know."
It made sense.
Toven could compel his silence.
Toven lifted his teacup, leaned back in his armchair, and crossed his legs at the knee. "How well do you know the Old Testament, Rob?"
He hadn't expected that question. "I'm not a churchgoer. I know what most people know."
Toven nodded. "How about Greek and Roman mythology?"
"I'm probably a little better acquainted with those." Rob smiled. "It was much more fun to read about the shenanigans of the Greek and Roman gods than the angry God of the Old Testament."
Toven laughed. "I agree. Those stories were much more relatable because they were based on real people, and they were not shortened and adapted to meet the biblical narrative. The gods were not mythical characters that humans invented to make sense of their existence. They were real, and they took human lovers, and a race of immortals was born from those unions."
Was he reciting some biblical story? Or was that a metaphor for something else?
Rob waited for Toven to get to the point of his story, but he just sat there and sipped on his tea.
He frowned. "That is it? That's your big secret?"
Toven shrugged. "In a nutshell, yes. But I guess you need more to internalize the meaning of what I'm trying to tell you. I guess the confusion about what the scriptures meant when they described the descendants of gods is the result of a faulty translation."
Rob remembered vaguely the passage about the sons of gods taking the daughters of men and the giants who were the product of those unions.
"You mean the giants?"
Toven smiled. "Very good. The word Anakim was translated to mean giants, but the correct translation is immortals. I'm sure you are familiar with the Ankh, which most of the Egyptian gods are depicted holding."
Rob nodded. "It looks like a cross with a loop at the top."
"The symbol is referred to as the key of life or the breath of life. The Ankh symbolized life, both in this world and the afterlife, and was associated with deities, who were depicted holding it as a symbol of their life-giving power. Single—Anakh, plural— Anakhim. Does that make sense to you now?"
Strangely, it did, but as a fascinating lesson in etymology. It still didn't mean that the mythological gods had been real.
"Let's assume that you are right and that the correct translation should have been immortals and not giants. That still doesn't prove that the gods were real people. Besides, what does it have to do with me?"
