minutes. Keisha had pulled on a comfortable pantsuit for travel and tied her long, wet hair back in a tight ponytail. Her bags were already in the car.
She’d not been up here for a while, and the change in the once sterile little room was amazing. The big bed was still the largest piece of furniture, but Liana had added a comfortable couch and a work desk and two chairs. The walls were painted a soft, mossy green, and the bedspread had all the colors of the forest in an intricate pattern of geometric shapes.
Liana was on the couch surrounded by rolls of yarn in all shades of pink, busy crocheting what appeared to be a crib blanket. When Keisha raised an eyebrow, the woman who was once a goddess merely laughed.
“Not for me, Keisha! This one’s for Lisa’s little girl. I’ve already finished blankets for Tala’s son and daughter.”
“I wondered. That’s beautiful.”
Liana sighed. “I’m still learning. Don’t look too closely. Xandi’s been teaching me but I still make mistakes.” She dug into her work bag and pulled out two neatly folded blankets. One pink, one blue.
Keisha took a moment to admire her work. “Definitely traditional, I see. Lisa and Tala are going to love them.”
Liana sighed. “I hope so. I’ve been so worried. I keep listening for the sense of their life force and I can’t findanything. It’s scary. I’ve been praying to Eve since this morning when I first heard their cries.”
Keisha sat next to her on the couch. “Does she answer you?”
Liana shook her head. “Not really, though I know she hears.” She flashed Keisha an open, honest smile. “Eve’s a much better goddess than I ever was. I don’t expect answers, but I have complete faith she’ll do what she can.”
Keisha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “We always had faith in you, Liana. You didn’t fail us.”
“I failed Eve.”
Anton sat on the other side of her. “Not necessarily. I think Eve’s happier in her life as Goddess than she ever was as a mortal. And aren’t you better suited to this life, as a mortal woman?”
The door opened and Adam stepped into the apartment. That’s when Keisha realized that the best thing about this small room was the amazing change in Adam.
He smiled at Anton and Keisha, walked across the room, and planted a big kiss on Liana’s mouth. “She’d better be suited to this life, because I’m not turning her loose. What’s up? Any word on Lisa and Tala?”
Anton stood. Keisha had a feeling he was too tense to sit still. “Not a word. That’s why we came by, to see if there was anything Liana could recall from her vision this morning that might help us. We honestly expected some kind of word, some proof by now that they were alive.” He paced, crossing the room, staring out the window toward the forest, then walking back to the couch, where he stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Liana shook her head. “I wasn’t even thinking of them when I suddenly felt Tia’s cry of pain and saw Lisa and Tala through her eyes. Two large men in dark suits grabbed them from behind and jabbed needles into their necks. It looked like they went for the big artery.” Shetouched her neck, just over her carotid, as if she’d felt the sharp prick of the needle herself.
“My vision was very brief—mere seconds. Lisa and Tala immediately went limp, but the men were holding them up, encircling their waists so that it looked natural, as if they were walking close together. I couldn’t see Tia’s attacker. He grabbed her from behind. She struggled. The needle went into her neck, but I think he missed the large artery because she didn’t fall unconscious immediately, the way Lisa and Tala had. I heard the gun, felt the bullet pierce her body, here.”
She touched herself, over the jut of her hipbone. “Then the drug must have taken effect. Her vision and my sense of her disappeared.”
“Damn. Could the drug have killed them? I don’t want to
She’d not been up here for a while, and the change in the once sterile little room was amazing. The big bed was still the largest piece of furniture, but Liana had added a comfortable couch and a work desk and two chairs. The walls were painted a soft, mossy green, and the bedspread had all the colors of the forest in an intricate pattern of geometric shapes.
Liana was on the couch surrounded by rolls of yarn in all shades of pink, busy crocheting what appeared to be a crib blanket. When Keisha raised an eyebrow, the woman who was once a goddess merely laughed.
“Not for me, Keisha! This one’s for Lisa’s little girl. I’ve already finished blankets for Tala’s son and daughter.”
“I wondered. That’s beautiful.”
Liana sighed. “I’m still learning. Don’t look too closely. Xandi’s been teaching me but I still make mistakes.” She dug into her work bag and pulled out two neatly folded blankets. One pink, one blue.
Keisha took a moment to admire her work. “Definitely traditional, I see. Lisa and Tala are going to love them.”
Liana sighed. “I hope so. I’ve been so worried. I keep listening for the sense of their life force and I can’t findanything. It’s scary. I’ve been praying to Eve since this morning when I first heard their cries.”
Keisha sat next to her on the couch. “Does she answer you?”
Liana shook her head. “Not really, though I know she hears.” She flashed Keisha an open, honest smile. “Eve’s a much better goddess than I ever was. I don’t expect answers, but I have complete faith she’ll do what she can.”
Keisha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “We always had faith in you, Liana. You didn’t fail us.”
“I failed Eve.”
Anton sat on the other side of her. “Not necessarily. I think Eve’s happier in her life as Goddess than she ever was as a mortal. And aren’t you better suited to this life, as a mortal woman?”
The door opened and Adam stepped into the apartment. That’s when Keisha realized that the best thing about this small room was the amazing change in Adam.
He smiled at Anton and Keisha, walked across the room, and planted a big kiss on Liana’s mouth. “She’d better be suited to this life, because I’m not turning her loose. What’s up? Any word on Lisa and Tala?”
Anton stood. Keisha had a feeling he was too tense to sit still. “Not a word. That’s why we came by, to see if there was anything Liana could recall from her vision this morning that might help us. We honestly expected some kind of word, some proof by now that they were alive.” He paced, crossing the room, staring out the window toward the forest, then walking back to the couch, where he stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets.
Liana shook her head. “I wasn’t even thinking of them when I suddenly felt Tia’s cry of pain and saw Lisa and Tala through her eyes. Two large men in dark suits grabbed them from behind and jabbed needles into their necks. It looked like they went for the big artery.” Shetouched her neck, just over her carotid, as if she’d felt the sharp prick of the needle herself.
“My vision was very brief—mere seconds. Lisa and Tala immediately went limp, but the men were holding them up, encircling their waists so that it looked natural, as if they were walking close together. I couldn’t see Tia’s attacker. He grabbed her from behind. She struggled. The needle went into her neck, but I think he missed the large artery because she didn’t fall unconscious immediately, the way Lisa and Tala had. I heard the gun, felt the bullet pierce her body, here.”
She touched herself, over the jut of her hipbone. “Then the drug must have taken effect. Her vision and my sense of her disappeared.”
“Damn. Could the drug have killed them? I don’t want to
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