Page 45 of Always Eros

Eros puts his hand on my chest over my heart, still holding my gaze. Whatever he’s doing seems to do the trick, because he nods.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter Fifteen

EROS

If I could, I would whisk this beautiful man into my arms and be home in a flash, but I must maintain the mortal facade a little longer.

Which begs the question, when will I tell him what I am? Now that I’m pretty certain his cult involves vampires in some capacity, he might come to fear me. The idea sits like a weight in my chest. I would hate myself for frightening him.

He turns his head and smiles at me while buckling his seat belt. I sense nothing but happy and excited emotions pouring from him. He’s so innocent in some ways, yet so divinely appealing he sets my senses on fire. My gums throb with need. Hades, the man is tempting. I want to taste him in every way possible.

“You seem deep in thought,” Justice says.

“Ah, no. I’m not. I’m just calming myself down.”

I start the engine and pull out of the parking lot, driving like I’m Thorn to get back home. At a stoplight, I turn my attention to Justice, who has his hand out the window, enjoying the evening breeze.

“How were you educated?” I ask to shift my own attention from desire.

Justice glances at me. “At the compound. A lot of members were certified to teach, but we moved through the grades quickly since all earthly concerns were removed.”

“What do you mean?”

“One of the guys at the safe house, Mike, told me at breakfast that he’s learned since he left the cult that most of the history we were taught is false or seriously revised. We were led to believe that outside of the compound was nothing but war and misery because humanity was lost. I guess that’s how they kept us controlled. With fear.”

“Do you not know much about American history?”

Justice scoffs. “No history other than what Mike called folklore. We spent a lot of time discussing the origin of Nightsky. We had to know it to be able to teach it.”

I nod while my mind swirls with thoughts. “How do you get new members, besides the children being born?”

“Disciples. They go out on what’s called rescue missions to look for the worthy. They try to identify people who are almost completely lost to the demon world. Those struggling with addictions and other ailments.”

I roll my eyes. “Common tactic for cults and religions.”

After a moment, Justice shifts in his seat toward me. “What god do you believe in?”

“Myself. I am god. So are you. To me the divine is what we embody. Everything is energy, Justice. We are nothing but intricately composed stardust. Believe in yourself.”

I hear the uptick of his heartbeat and the swoosh of blood through his body. He’s excited.

“How did you learn that? Who taught you?”

“Yves taught me. I was raised Christian.”

“Ooh,” Justice says. “The Deconstruction.”

“What?”

“A lot of adult members who came to Nightsky were formally Christians. They had to go through intense deconstruction to rid themselves of the pervasive evil they were taught.”

“Oh, my darling Justice. While I don’t necessarily disagree, I think it’s important to recognize that that’s the tactic of all theologies. They all purport to be the only truth, the only path to salvation, but ask yourself, salvation from what?”

“Well then, what happens when we die?”

“What if we don’t die?” I glance at him before returning my gaze to the road. “What if we simply return to the stars?”