Therian Prisoner(40)
Devon shivered and pain clouded her gaze. “The amulets made the attack possible, yet they also guided you to her.” Suddenly her brows drew together and curiosity burned through the haze. “Why would the Historian have amulets that drain the power of Therians?”
“That’s a long story and it’s filled with events that took place a very long time ago. According to your mother, you’ve never had much interest in history.” In fact, Devon’s lack of interest in history had caused her mother many sleepless nights. Historian was a role passed down from mother to daughter and Erin wasn’t at all convinced that Devon was right for the job.
“Do you have somewhere else you need to be?” She flashed a challenging smile before resuming her leisurely meal.
He glanced at his plate, but the only thing he was hungry for was more of her. “Have you ever heard of Boudicca?”
Devon thought for a moment then said, “Wasn’t she the British warrior queen who led a rebellion against the Romans?” Her lovely eyes rounded and she set her plate aside. “Did you know her?”
“No. She’d been dead for a couple hundred years by the time I was born.”
“All right. Then what does she have to do with the amulets?”
“According to the legend, Jatara was allowed to—”
“Who is Jatara?”
The question shocked him. How could she not know who Jatara was? “Your mother never told you about the first Omni Prime?”
She picked up her root beer and took a sip, looking a bit sheepish. “She made me memorize all sorts of names and dates when I was about twelve, but I don’t remember most of them. I grumbled and complained every time she made me study, so she eventually stopped trying to spark my interest in her stories.”
“You didn’t believe the names and dates had any real significance, so you never paid much attention.”
“I knew the stories were important to my mother, but I’ve never been a fan of history.”
“So I’ve heard.” Erin didn’t have any other female relatives, so it was likely she’d try again to kindle an interest in Devon. The only other option was for the Omni Prime to choose another bloodline for the Historians and that would break Erin’s heart. “It might be a good idea to revisit those old ‘stories’ now that you know they’re real events. You might find them more interesting.”
“So refresh my memory. Who was Jatara?”
“The story actually starts with Khonish and Bellin.”
“Now those names I know. They’re the god and goddess responsible for Therian abilities. Aren’t they brother and sister?”
“Yes.” He set his empty beer bottle in the hamper and found a cluster of fat purple grapes. “When Khonish gave Therians the ability to manifest their animal natures, Bellin convinced him to leave females latent. She wanted females to be able to choose their own life path.”
“But instead males forced their daughters and sisters to submit to politically beneficial mates?”
He didn’t let her personalization distract him from the story. The more she connected with the events, the more real it would seem to her. “Among other atrocities. So Bellin decided to even the playing field. She’d find a female worthy of the gift and enable her to champion other females and balance the distribution of power among the Therian world.”
“And how did Bellin intend to do that?”
“She chose Jatara, one of her faithful priestesses. Bellin offered Jatara to Khonish, knowing he had a thing for virgins.”
Devon made a strangled sound and anger flashed through her gaze. “This legend was written by a man, I take it. Is being raped the inevitable end for every historical female?”
“Don’t rush to judgment. Jatara was nobody’s victim. She knew exactly what she was getting herself into and decided, without pressure from anyone, that sacrificing her virginity was worth the power she would gain.”
“Go on. I’ll try not to cringe too often.”
He scooted closer to her and held a grape against her lips. “Eat. You’ll need your strength for round two.” She smiled and he pushed the grape into her mouth. “Bellin wanted Khonish to allow Jatara to absorb any animal nature she wanted, but he said that would make her too powerful. So they compromised. Khonish allowed Jatara to gather animal natures for a month and then he locked in her definition, making all of the natures she’d gathered part of her permanent being. Bellin helped her determine which animals to incorporate, so Jatara ended up with some serious power.”
“And her abilities were passed down to her daughters?”