Page 92 of The Satyr's Guilt
“At the jail, the guards weren’t human.Neither were some of those who visited. You told me you aredjinn.”
He did not hesitate to answer.“Correct.”
She liked that Jarek was direct, that hedidn’t coddle her. “I don’t know what a djinn is.”
“We are warriors, soldiers for hire, muchlike mercenaries. At one time, we fought for the Persians. We’vebeen part of the Varangian Guard. Centuries later some of us flewwith the Flying Tigers. Wherever there are wars, we fight. Earth.Scath. It matters little.”
“Scath. Is it another planet?”
“No. A realm. Separate from Earth but partof it.”
“It sounds crazy.”
He laughed, a deep rumbling but sinceretone. “Not so crazy when you are an Aeternal.”
“Why was I kidnapped?”
“This story is going to sound crazy,too.”
“Hit me with it anyway. I’m in a mood tobelieve nutty as a fruitcake.”
Jarek sank onto the floor pillows, his legsstretched out. For such a large, dangerous man, he perfectedserenity. “Your captors took only specific humans, those with DNAmarkers indicating a witch or warlock in their lineage. They werelooking for descendants of the Blood Coven. We aren’t surewhy.”
“You’re saying I have these markers?”
“Yes. You probably had a mage ancestor. It’sdoubtful you are Blood Coven since you were sold to Spear. Did youhave blood drawn in New York before you were kidnapped?”
She thought for a moment. “There was a blooddrive. I donated. Do you mean something like that?”
“Yes. That’s probably how they foundyou.”
If she had received a phone call months agofrom one of her program listeners who spoke about a witch in herfamily tree, Lizette would have pronounced the woman suffering froma break with reality. Getting kidnapped and taken to another realmby aliens altered her sense of realism. It wasn’t much of a stretchto believe Jarek’s story about why she’d been snatched. Sheaccepted some strange DNA proved she was descended from a mage.
When Jarek leaned forward, his black silkypants molded to his immense thighs. The muscles in his forearmsbunched as he rested his elbows on his knees, his legs crossedunder him. It was strange how human he looked with his enormousbare feet showing.
Lizette lifted the pelt which covered her.She peeked down the front of her gown, checking her injuries. “Thescratches are healing.”
Beyond her control, an image flashed in hermind. Spear’s heavy body hovered above her, his hips poundingagainst her as he raped her. She closed her eyes, willing thepicture to disappear. Clenching her jaw, she said, “Other thingswill never heal.”
“Do not say ‘never.’ Any wound canmend.”
“No. The things I allowed him to do.”
“You survived, didn’t you?”
Lizette cleared her throat, refusing toallow tears to fall. “At what cost?”
“I can’t answer the question. Only you can.I suppose the cost depends on what you do with the rest of yourlife.”
“You don’t understand.” Lizette drew a deepbreath before she continued. “I let him rape me. I encouraged himto put his hands on me. Hell. I did unspeakable things so hewouldn’t kill me.”
“Yet here you are. Alive. And soon, he willbe cornered and dead.” Jarek leaned back, tenting his fingers tostudy her.
His matter-of-fact, stoic response nearlyconvinced her.
But no.
“He branded me. With an iron. Like a fuckingcow.”
