THE LAST SECRET KEEPER Secret Keeper series books 1-4

CHAPTER 9

Author's note:

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas :) 

I've had 2 hours of sleep tonight, this book waking me up once again. The characters really don't seem to like being left in limbo lol.

I'm going to begin with the scene that woke me up, and hopefully, the rest of the chapter will fall into place. Enjoy!

Blood dripped from her gown as Lanecea stood within the cathedral, eyeballs, freshly plucked from their endless, gaping sockets, dangling from her blood-stained fingers.

"Thank you for rescuing us," the cherub-faced little boys in their matching choir robes chorused in unison, making the avenging woman smile just because she couldn't help it.

"You're very welcome, my little darlings, but I'm not nearly finished yet. You may want to close your eyes now. I wouldn't like you to have nightmares." 

The boys squeezed their eyes closed tight but not before witnessing Lanecea reach backward, unsheathing the gleaming broadsword strapped to her back. Closing her own eyes just because it was far too horrific a sight, Lanecea swept her arm from right to left, severing the heads of the cardinals in one sweep, their hapless heads rolling down the polished wooden floor.

"Lani!" Deverra, the goddess of midwives and women in labor, interrupted Lanecea's morbid thoughts. "The babies are gods - they can hear your thoughts!"

"Ohhh," Lanecea set down the bottle she had been holding up to her leaking nipple before tenderly caressing her rollicking baby belly. "Mamma is so very sorry, my little warriors. I was bored and I'm afraid I got a little carried away..."

Deverra shook her head but couldn't help but smile at the honest-to-a-fault queen. 

"I'm sure they will be alright but you must take greater care to guard your thoughts," Deverra instructed as she placed her hand on the round expanse, the babies still ricocheting off of each other. "I know you are bored and it feels much better to breastfeed, but if you intend to stay longer, you know there is no other way."

Lanecea had done well milking herself for the past two hours, her overactive imagination coming to the rescue once again as the children studied with Minerva, and Storm was long gone leaving Lani on her own.  Honos had accompanied Storm and Deverra had only just returned from the Oak Grove. What else was Lanecea supposed to do other than imagine the demise of her foes?

"I haven't asked Storm if we would be permitted to stay longer," Lanecea confessed to the goddess who was packing the filled bottles as Lanecea resumed milking. "I'm not sure that he would agree to my plan, but I like to know that I am prepared should he say yes. With the devotion of the Cardinals, this changes everything. I would like to focus on rescuing as many of the boys as possible before tackling the rescue of the Wolf Charmers.  I'm feeling very guilty and cannot shake the feeling eating at my conscience..."

"Why ever would you feel guilty?" Deverra leaned against the side table, finally giving the queen her full attention.

"I can't help but feel that I used my sons as bait when the Cardinals were here. It wasn't my intention, of course, but I hate the feeling that I may have used them as lures to ensnare preditors. My conscience won't give me a moment's peace and then there is the issue of the boys that need me. I would love to ask Storm's permission to bring them back to the farm - to adopt them, but they won't be able to speak a word of English, and to have to adjust to modern life might be far too traumatic and, although I am very passionate about rescuing prey from wicked predators, I am not qualified to help them heal, if you know what I mean. My poor body is still out there struggling after what I endured. I think it might be better to leave them here, but, oh I don't know. I have a vision of what I would love for the boys, but I'm struggling to put it into words."

Deverra remained silent for a long moment as she reached for the full bottle, passing Lani another empty one.

"I think it would be a wonderful idea to have a home where the boys would be safe - a refuge and I believe Minerva is the perfect one to run such a place. You know, as the goddess of education, she will love nothing more than to mother these little lost souls and steer them straight. If anyone can help them after they are rescued, I believe that she can. Perhaps you could create a network of safe houses for abused children. It would be a lovely project for you to focus on."

Lanecea was silent as well, although she was already falling in love with the goddess' plan, Deverra able to articulate what was in Lanecea's heart. 

"There are too many predators where I live, so I don't think it would work, but I would have loved to have such a home to run to when I was a child. It's a wonderful idea. I'll mention it to Mrs. Wagner and Mrs. Himmler when I return - I'm sure they would love to get involved."

Deverra, as full-goddess, was very capable of reading Lanecea's thoughts and heart.

"Lani," Deverra's voice was soft as she tilted the queen's chin, "there are many predators in this world but I know that there are men who are predators who are stronger and care for the prey - they strike terror into the hearts of other predators. It will not be you that tears out the eyes of predators. You will always be prey. Leave that to the hero predators, and trust me when I say, you are already building an army of such men and have since you were just a child."

Lanecea pondered the goddess' words. Super predators? That was an interesting concept but of course, Storm had always said he was a predator but he treasured his prey and would never let anyone or anything harm her. Hans was the same, taking on the vampires who preyed on the innocent. Deverra was correct - she had been building an army without even realizing it and was also raising an army. This latest batch of babies would be added to the ranks with their older brothers soon enough. The very idea of Lanecea, prey, raising an army of noble predators gave her shivers - the good kind, of course.

She didn't hear Deverra tell her that she would return shortly, Lanecea's mind entertaining her once again as she sat alone in the castle bedroom.

"We are coming soon, Little Darlings. No one will dare to stand in the way of my army. Perhaps, once you have been under Minerva's care and are grown, you will join my ranks as well and help save the innocent. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Lani thought, sending out her blue electricity to the little boys who were waiting to be rescued.

Someone had to care.

Perhaps that is why no one had ever rescued Lanecea all those years before. Left alone in a house full of predators, Lanecea's fire had been kindled - this burning need to destroy everyone with a wicked heart.

Setting another bottle on the table, Lanecea replaced it before looking out of the window with unseeing eyes. She really missed Storm when he was away, but it came with loving a hero. Heroes couldn't stay perpetually embedded in their priestesses, she supposed. 

With the nannies well-stocked, Storm would agree to let them extend their field trip, Lani was certain, and then she would ask permission to visit her body at long last. Her body needed to be rescued from its current vampire overlord and she was certain her body would begin to heal once she learned that her suffering had only served to make that fire more intense and unquenchable. 

Not all was lost, after all.