Going Thru Hell Read Free

consequences of every action. The bright colors tempting to braid into something more beautiful.
    “No, wait, Kylie, wait, I shall go. We wil l leave you alone for one week. You must decide by then.” He disappeared.
    Something needed to be done . If I'd completed the little show, I might have had peace for longer than a week. They wanted me to use it for them, not against them.
    I climbed the stairs to the roof, the electrical charge of power marching up and down my skin, hair blowing in an unseen wind. I knew where I was going and why. Anahita the Persian equaled maternal protection, but the ancient Mesopotamian goddess took the pain.
    Grateful a few remained on my side, I opened the last door, barely remembering to lodge something in the doorjamb to keep from being locked out. Every step calculated and robotic. My mind held the strings in a gentle grip, whispering in a long dead language, pushing to be braided into something different. I yearned to make changes, and hated myself for it.
    I stood still, waiting. Fire surrounded me, sharp talons gripped my waist, and an insistent purr filled the air. Tiamat, ancient Mesopotamian goddess currently in the middle of a theoretical firestorm among anthropologists, historians and archaeologists.
    Her dragon form endured as my favorite, fierce and beautiful in its fatal attraction. When standing, she stood ten feet high at the shoulders, twenty feet long from nose to butt, with buttery soft, black leather skin. A long nose, her mouth filled with serrated teeth, and an almost constant wisp of smoke curling from the large, rounded nostrils. From each side of her head sprouted three horns sweeping back and protecting the vulnerable area between her head and neck. Her barrel chest vibrated with purrs. Her legs were as thick as ten year old oak trees, ending in claws tipped with razor sharp talons. Tiamat’s back arched, smooth and utterly graceful, flowing into a long tail and ended with an arrow like rudder for flying, or defending herself. Enormous black wings grew behind each shoulder blade, often held tightly to her back and unnoticeable until unfurled. Her best feature were big, round, black eyes sparking various colors depending on her mood.
    She wrapped around my body and with a whisper, let the power engulf us. The big body shuddered. She sacrificed taking the pain for me. If unused, the power caused great misery. Tiamat absorbed it with a hug and a purr.
    She cooled the needs, calmed the power, taking its anger and returning it to the place hidden by my soul. She pulled me closer, the loud thudding of the giant heart lulling me to sleep.
    The sunlight filtered through my eyelids, sending shards of glass through my fog soaked brain. Aftermath, the ability's version of a hangover. Bringing the power to the surface and not using it showed a bit of stupidity on my part. Yet, if I hadn’t, more than likely Magni would have been relentless.
    I sat up in bed, unsure how I got there. The last thing I remembered was falling to sleep cuddled next to Tiamat. With slow, cautious movements I lurched into the bathroom for a hot shower. I stood under the powerful spray, the heat and steam helping ease symptoms. Leaning against the tiled walls, I wondered if life would ever allow a sense of normalcy. The evidence shouted a resounding negative.
    Dressed, hair gently pulled into an octopus clip, sunglasses in place, I left OKC, and continued east. The thought, One week, just one bloody week, circled in my head. In the past week, immortals showed frequently, more so than the last fifteen years. Annie'd said the other night something was happening. History said it wouldn’t be long before their plans were revealed and I faced reality.
    Only the brave st ones, those with the most to lose, hounded me. One day they might come together as a group. I was stuck in a catch twenty two. Damned if I did, damned if I didn't.
    The landscape changed again, from flowing plains and wide open spaces to large