******* TRIGGER WARNING: VIOLENCE AND RAPE ********
Theo and I travel through the corridors of the castle, our shoes clacking against the stone floors. Servants scurry past us with trays of food balanced in their hands. We approach the courtyard. And cross through the hall, before arriving at the garden where Inanna prepared her ritual.
Inanna stands in the center of a large circle, illuminated by the bright full moon and a dozen flickering candles around her. There is the smell of salt and herbs. She is wearing a sheer chemise with a silver clasp. Her skin glows in the candlelight, and she is obviously wearing nothing else underneath.
I shift my attention to Theo as Inanna approaches. He is appraising her, and I can't help but nudge his side.
"She looks lovely," Theo whispers to me. "But I still chose you. You don't have to worry about that."
When she's close, her eyes flicker between Theo and me. "You will have to pardon me with my clothes," she apologizes. "In fact, it is done naked, but this will do as well."
"An offering to the Blood God is made naked?" Theo asks.
Inanna nods. "Yes. You don't have to worry. I am trained to be seen by people naked. However, I may be okay with it, but the other people involved might not."
"And the silver clasp?"
"Added as a symbol of the werewolves' weakness," she answers.
"Is there anything that I can offer in return?" Theo asks. "For my part in this?"
"None," she answers with a shake of her head. "It is between Kaiya and the gods. This will be a cleansing ritual."
"So, what do we need to do?" I interject.
"We need the blood of a werewolf as an offering," she explains as she steps back into the circle. She is ready to begin the ritual. "Kaiya, please join me in the circle."
I nod. But before I can step into the circle, Theo pulls me back and kisses me. It is brief but sweet. I can't help but feel his desperation as he does it. He gazes at me. "I love you, Kaiya," he whispers. "No way to change your mind?"
I reach for his wrists that are cupping my cheeks. I grin at him. "Don't worry, Theo, it's just the mark that will be cleansed."
"I can't remove a mate bond if that's what you'd like to ask," she interjects.
Theo takes a deep breath before letting me go. I step into the circle. Inanna takes my hand and places it on her belly, around her womb.
I frown at her. She might have noticed it because she said, "My womb is a passageway to connect to the gods."
"That is weird," I blurt out.
She only smiles. Her hands slide down to my other hand and into my palm. Her hold is tight, as if she wants to engrave something into me.
"Are you good with anything spiritual?" she asks.
"I'm not sure, maybe..."
"How about your mate?"
"I don't think so," I answer honestly.
"Well, a good thing that it's you, then."
Suddenly, Inanna's nails become sharper. She cuts into my palm, and I flinch at the sudden pain. She slashes her own palm and presses it against me.
"Since a vow already connects us, this will be easier," she assures me.
When our blood makes contact, my head pulls back and searches for the moon. I can see it clearly, but it's dripping with blood. There is darkness on its edge as if it is rotting. I feel myself being pulled into Inanna, and I realize that my right hand placed on her womb has become glued to it.
It is a strange sensation. I turn to look at Theo, but Inanna whispers. "Focus, Kaiya."
Then she murmurs strange words. It sounds ancient. The herbs also smell ancient. It's a mix of wild roses and sage mixed in with something more exotic that I've never smelled before. It has a sweet scent that doesn't overpower, but lingers on me for a long time.
My attention shifts to the moon. It is getting bigger and bigger.
"It's coming," Inanna cries out.
A tremor rumbles in the ground as the moon continues to grow larger. I hear the roars of the earth and feel its vibrations against me as it shakes itself awake with anger.
"Find the thread," she instructs.
The rumblings are noisy, the vibrations chaotic, but as I listen closely, I realize it isn't just one sound. Several of them are mixed together, creating a unique rhythm that makes an eerie song heard across the garden.
Then, I see it. A red thread that goes around Inanna and me. Then, it goes out of the circle.
"Faster!" Inanna orders. "Snap it with your teeth!"
I shift my head into wolf form and bite into the thread. It tastes sweet. Then, I turn my head back to see that the moon has turned completely red with blood and is bleeding down from the edges. It cracks in half and douses the two of us with it. However, the circle we are on is shining a bright light.
The ground quakes more violently than before, and I clamp tightly on the bind and snap it. Inanna screams as I am pulled away from the circle, to… I don't know where. Everything grew quiet. There are no more rumblings. No quakes. No voices.
The scenery changes again. Then, I find myself in the cave back on the island. Someone is screaming. A female voice that's begging for the pain to stop. I go into the crevice and find the naked Inanna lying on her chest. She looks at me with her face wet with tears, as if she could see me, even though I know that she is blind.
On top of her, gripping her waist, is a massive human. Eight feet tall. Muscles bulging in his naked body. His face is covered in facial hair. No. It's not an enormous human, but a god. He looks up at me. His face is cruel and his fangs elongate.
"So, the Vessel is close for reaping…" Then he smirks, "... again."
"Help..." Inanna whispers to me.
The Blood God pushes her head down on the ground. "No one will help you. That is just an illusion. You are being connected to me, to the gods. You are special, Inanna."
When the Blood God moves, I realize he is inside of her! He thrusts into her and Inanna screams. After taking a breath, she whispers, "No more, please..." Her voice sounds tired.
"No, Inanna. You still need to be ready. I still need to fill you up with my seed. A few days more."
"Please, I don't want to be your priestess."
"You had no choice. Handle my size and the pain." The Blood God situates himself between her legs again and raises her hips. "Now, ready yourself. This will be fast."
Suddenly, the Blood God heaves and rams into her at a speed that is no longer human. Inanna trembles and struggles, but the Blood God keeps her in place. She was utterly screwed. She is screaming in pain, and her fingers clutch at the ground.
"Help, please come soon," she begs.
In anger, I step toward the Blood God and fling myself to him. I pass them as if I am just air. The Blood God's moans of passion increase at the same time that Inanna's screams of pain get louder. Blood rushes to my head, I clench my fist, and an idea comes to mind. I don't care anymore!
I stare at the Blood God. He is not my god, so I don't feel any affection toward him. The Blood God's massive body trembles as he releases inside Inanna. As his passion dies down and he stops thrusting into her, Inanna screams all the more, as if his seed is burning her insides. Red veins become visible on her lower body, and the god keeps her in place as he watches his seed fill her, or rather, burn her womb like spitfire.
Amidst the screams, I take hold of the god's mind. The god releases Inanna and turns to face me. There is anger in his eyes.
"How dare you!" he snarls. "You will pay for even trying that!"
Then he lifts his arm and smashes me on my side with a powerful punch. I fly backward and out of his reach. Inanna rolls on her side to watch me from a distance.
It was painful. However, it fills me with relief that I can affect the Blood God. Having the courage, I grab his mind and crush it. Blood falls from my nose. No, not just my nose. Blood is coming off my ears, mouth, and every opening in my body.
"You think you can handle a god's mind?!"
He is about to hit me again when Inanna throws herself toward me. She can't touch me, but she can perceive me. "Thanks," she says. "Return now."
And then, in a massive force, I am whirled away from the cave, from the land of white, and from the quaking and quivering place.
Then, I find myself kneeling on the circle that Inanna has drawn. I look up at her. My face is warm with tears, and hers is that of fear.
"You saw it," she whispers, her voice trembling and laden with her emotions.