My eyes drifted down and I saw what she meant. Huskily I asked, my eyes still clinging to the well defined womanly curves, “Why does Sebastian have you dress so provocatively? He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man to show off something he values to others? I know he values you very highly.”She paused hesitantly and then looked up at me somewhat shyly, “Sebastian and I….. we don’t….. we aren’t intimate together. I’m for show, to make others think of Sebastian as a vigorous man for lack of a better way of putting it.”She looked embarrassed before she continued, “I help Sebastian in his work. Men will often let information slip that they wouldn’t otherwise around a…… around a.”“Beautiful woman,” I finished for her.She blushed a little and nodded her head. She didn’t know how much it meant to me to have her tell me what the extent of her relationship with Sebastian was. I had felt a big sigh of relief inside of me at the divulging of that information.“Don’t tell anyone please. I onl
He leaned forward and handed me some papers. I took them hesitantly, still dazed by his statement. He was giving me Krista! I swallowed, hardly able to believe that this was happening.“Now, on a more serious note, here is the compilation of all the information I have gathered.” He held out a book to me. I took it and glanced at it, “Applied Math and Economics.”Sebastian and my grandfather shared a common trait for cryptic behavior. “You need to leave by sundown. Three horses will be at the inn where you contacted my operatives.”“My horse! I’m not leaving without him!” I said, speaking up.“Already taken care of. He is at a corral at the south end of the city. You can pick him up on your way out of town. Krista and Rugar will meet you there at the inn. Now, I’m sure you must have much to do to prepare for your departure so I will bid you farewell and may the Creator see you safely on your journey back to our homeland.”I took the dismissal for what it was and rose from my chair with
I had liked my plan better than… well this stinking cell. The great unknown of what tomorrow would bring was not something I looked forward to either. I fought to quell the negative thoughts that poured into me at the thought of the evil tomorrow could bring. If the Creator was the God of today, then He was also the God of tomorrow and if He was preserving my life today, then perhaps He would preserve my life tomorrow as well. My resolve strengthened some, but I still felt like it would crumble at any moment.My voice echoed slightly in the empty room, “Thy will be done, but I do ask this of You. Please help me rescue Zarsha and escape with her, Krista, and my uncle’s information to the Valley Lands. If your plans for me are different, then help me obey and fulfill them, even if it means losing my life. My life is yours to do with as You wish, but………..” I stumbled to say the last part, “I don’t want to die yet. Especially when everything seems like it’s turning out for the better.”My
I lost track of time and space. I knew only the next motion; I planned nothing, but fought and reacted instinctively. I was inflicting damage as a result of both my skillful fighting experience and the brute strength I was employing against my hated foe.I hadn’t inflicted any serious wounds, but the broken off javelin point in my left hand had left a half dozen jagged wounds in my opponent that were bleeding freely. I had not escaped injury, however. I was nicked up almost everywhere and there was a deep cut across my left thigh that hurt when I moved.I didn’t care; instead I used the pain to spur me on to greater effort. I was winning! Suddenly, something changed in the air around me and I found myself knocked backward through it. I skidded off the sandy arena floor several times before slamming hard into the arena wall. What had that been?I lifted myself up off the sand fighting for air, not understanding what had just happened. The wild man was upon me before I knew it and it was
“The truth is before you. Repent from your wickedness or in the end your fate will be as these creatures were which you will share for all eternity.”I turned from them and picked up a shard of the sword I had broken earlier and walked towards Zarsha. I cut her free from the pole and held her tenderly in my arms and cried like I never had before in my life.A little hand touched my face, “Why are you crying?”Startled, I opened my eyes. Zarsha smiled up at me and brushed the hair back from my forehead. “You were dead!” I exclaimed.“No, I wasn’t. I was sleeping. I had this wonderful dream that a man held my hand and talked to me. His words were warm and He was nice like you are. I wanted to know everything about Him, but He simply smiled and said that you would teach me about Him and that it was time to wake up.”“That’s all you remember?”“Yes, is there something more I should know?”“No! Praise God, no! Here, let’s get out of here and I promise I’ll tell you everything I know and we
Seven long weary days later found us near enough to the sea that we could smell the salt in the air and even hear the crashing of the waves against the rocks of the beach. Stiffly, I got down from Flin. It was well after nightfall. Zarsha was asleep and I lifted her down, careful not to wake her. I pulled the blanket roll off Flin and spread it on the ground near where I was going to make a fire. I laid Zarsha down onto the blanket and covered her up with it. I looked at her for a long moment as she slept peacefully. I was so grateful to have her in my life.“Why did you take on the responsibility of that little girl?”I turned towards Krista, who still stood by her horse. “I don’t know. I just did and I don’t regret it for even a moment. She’s added so much to my life already that it’s hard to remember what it was like without her just a few weeks ago. ”Krista was silent for a moment. “You’re a rare man Jasper . You don’t mind me calling you that, do you? You don’t think it’s forwa
“Where’s Krista?” I asked.From her blank expression I could tell she knew nothing. I walked over to where Krista had slept, hoping to find some trace of her disappearance. Her blankets were gone too, but there was a piece of white paper weighted under a rock lying on the ground where she had lain.I sheathed my sword and with a sinking feeling I reached down and picked the paper up and read it. “Dear Jasper , I hope you understand why I have left. You, of all people, must know what the desire for freedom is like. And as you fought to claim yours, so must I. I want you to know that I harbor no ill will against you. I know that as a slave I could have wished for no better a master than you. Sebastian was wise to give me to you and I know I have disappointed both of you by my actions, but I must pursue my dream of being free, whatever the risk may be. I feel that I will die inside if I give up on my dream now. I wish to thank you, Sebastian and the dear woman who raised me for several y
“Yes, this is true. But if our long time allies perish, then who do you think will be next to fall? It is better that we stay together and if need be, die together. I can assure you that I will continue to preach just that to my superiors until they have no cause but to see it my way as many of us already do!” Captain Jansa finished passionately.I offered my hand to the young captain, “I wish you luck in your endeavor as we could certainly use the help, but there is no shame if you don’t come.”Captain Jansa left me and returned to the bridge to directly oversee the pulling of the ship close to the shore line in the darkness. When we were far closer to the shoreline than I would have thought safe, Captain Jansa gave the orders to cut the sails and come about.A long, hastily constructed wooden ramp was hauled out over the side and secured with rigging. Zarsha and I mounted Flin and, with the click of his hooves sounding loud and hollow in the night air, I directed him down the swayin
Those nights were not about love. It was about possession and reclaiming his authority over her body. He would force her to know him to be master, not the bastard traitor.If he had his way, Kebachet would remain gone. Unfortunately, her brother was her link to life. He must fulfill his duty to her to calm the storm and keep the demon within dormant. Without him, earth would be lost.Sha’ní would not simply die of a broken heart as Charles would do. Her grief matched that of Lilene’s personality, and she possessed the blood of Set. One could imagine the kind of evil she could become. She would never betray those she loved; however, if she felt betrayed, the consequences were grim.KebachetKebachet roamed the outer realms and forged relationships with allied gods. He never bothered with the mortals. They were simply pawns in a bigger game. The gods were the true power of their world. They would reach out to him and whisper floating rumors on occasion. In return, Kebachet agreed to aid
and pulled her to him.Her body collided into a wall of hard muscles and then conformed to it as he dove for her lips with a searing kiss. She held on to him and soaked in his desire for her. She wanted him to take her to the magical place he showed her on the first night.Horace slammed the door behind her, making the decorative weapons on the wall rattle. He shredded her clothing into tatter scraps while he pushed her further into his chambers.His scent is disgusting. You belong to me, Beautiful. It seems you need reminding of that, his deep voice growled in her mind.Sha’ní could not respond to his displeasure. His hands worked in a frenzy on her body as his mouth nipped and sucked in places that made her weak.She landed on her back on the bed with a bounce, and Horace’s vampire form pounced. His passion sheathed inside with a punishing strike fueled with his hot jealousy. She was dizzy from his onslaught and could hardly comprehend what was happening.“Give me your love, Sha’ní,
Sha’ní cupped his jaw and gently turned him to face her. Her crystal eyes begged him to fall in their depth and share her love for eternity.His sins still clung to him even though he was pardoned. He was still capable of horrors that would give anyone nightmares. Her soul was too pure to be tainted by him.“You are your father’s son. You have Charles ’s heart. You are cold and stubborn, yet compassionate and empathetic."You say the males of the gods are the alphas. They are the masters of the home. I see this quality in you.“You want to shut everyone out and become stronger than before. You are afraid you will become what you once were.“I have a feeling Ra gave you a new body with a new mind strong enough to resist any temptation to become what you once were in the underworld or the demon realm.”Her words and acceptance sliced him open and burned away the delicate wall he started building. How could a goddess love a demon?“You are not a demon. You never were. Your soul was only
Horace blocked most of her attacks while she cursed him and her life. She used every foul word she thought of to hit him where she hurt the most.Horace grabbed both her wrists and pinned them to her back. The front of her body slammed into his chest as she fought to free herself.She spit on his face. The thick saliva rolled down his cheek in thin strings, but he didn’t release her.“I hate you! You should have stayed in the shadows playing with humans. How could you do this to me!”His exposed chest was pressed against her. She only had to call his soul for help, and it would have no choice but to destroy its vessel.HoraceSha’ní’s red eyes suddenly returned to their natural color and went blank as she sagged in Horace’s grip.Jasper ’s black form appeared out of the darkness of the underworld and gazed at the precious jackal in his arms. He used his ability to paralyze Sha’ní. It would not last long.Horace carefully lowered Sha’ní to the ground, “You must fix this, brother. Her m
Kebachet’s screams quieted, and his sweaty body relaxed, forcing her to hold his weight. She panted from the strain as the last of her power trickled away.Just before she dropped Kebachet and went unconscious, the ribbon of power that connected them snapped and back lashed. A thunderous concussion smacked her mind, and a flood of emotions and images pulled her under the wave. They came so quickly that she could not filter them or make sense of what she saw. There was no up or down. The invading thoughts erased everything she experienced and latched onto her without mercy.Everything was tinted in red. The sky, the stone ground, and the monstrous creatures were all red. Her body hurt from freezing temperatures, and her chest felt like she was having a heart attack as her fist plunged on its own accord into a body and ripped its beating heart out.The red world returned with the sounds of creatures being tormented. It happened repeatedly, and each time a different innocent soul or a m
“No. They will not,” his baritone voice rumbled with an icy edge while his pale eyes continued to devour her.Sha’ní was confused and mortified and utterly attracted to him. She wanted nothing more than to please him, and she didn’t understand why he was so angry with her. But the display of his aggression was making her body warm inside, and the knots in her tummy leaked in hot drips between her thighs.Sha’ní lowered her gaze and picked at her nails, “You wish to do this in private?”“It is not my wish to be bonded to anyone. My thoughts are my own. My actions are not to be questioned. I will live as I see fit within the laws of the gods.”His words stung and tears started to blur her vision as she continued to pick at her nails. She understood he was a private person. That had already been established. It was why Jasper had been working with him.A hooked finger lifted her chin so her eyes would meet Kebachet’s gaze, “I am thankful for your gift and willingness to help me. You will
Kebachet’s entire body tensed as he pulled Sha’ní closer to him. He buried his nose into her neck and inhaled her scent. It was then she knew this soul had been lost. It broke her heart.She realized Kebachet was sharing his heart with her and willing to be venerable. It was a great honor to be let into the heart of a prideful soul who would not tolerate weakness. It meant he trusted her enough to be natural with her.Sha’ní could not imagine a world without Kebachet. She was not sure how she survived without him all of this time.A tear fell down her cheek at the thought of losing him. This soul was a warm, passionate soul. His heart was capable of love so strong it could kill an entire realm of demons.She did not understand how it could be dying when Ra made a perfect body and Jasper had control over its fate.“Brother?”Kebachet inhaled deeply, then moaned a sleepy response.“While your body was still new, your soul cried out to me and said it felt death.”“I suggest reading about
“Please,” she whispered as anxious tears stung her eyes.“Your fear is disgusting, sister. Do not disappoint me,” He warned.“But your soul...”"Is not your concern,” he interrupted, “Trust the god of the dead.”It was a silent reminder that Jasper was in control, and if he wanted his soul, he would have taken it long ago. Trust was hard to give when it had been broken by lies and secrets.She swallowed hard, then forced her back to the two males in her life who she loved deeply and teleported to Horace’s chambers. Horace always had the answers. Maybe he would be willing to share his knowledge or perhaps wipe away her anxiety with his magnificent body.Her core coiled, and warmth seeped through her as she remembered the night he took her to a magical place.Sha’ní let herself in without knocking. It felt a bit strange inviting herself into someone else’s home, but he said she had access to his chambers at any time during their relationship.The god of war sat in a simple wooden chair
“What’s so funny?”“You, sister. You are lonely, yet a powerful god desires you, and you resist him.“You are not daddy’s little girl. Respect him in his presence. Beyond that, he does not need to know of your private life. It does not matter if he approves or not.“I assure you, Jasper understands this.”“Do you feel the same as Jasper ? Do you feel I should change my words and become a daughter worthy of the god of the dead?”“You are unique, Sha’ní,” Kebachet said before his mind slipped back into unconsciousness.Moments later, Kebachet’s soul burst with light within his chest. I see you, It whispered.Sha’ní touched the blue glow, and it pulsed in response.“Do you know who you are?”I am Kebachet, son of Jasper and Charles .“Do you know who I am?”Daughter of Jasper and Charles .“What is your desire?”To find forgiveness from the god of the dead and the goddess of balance.“Do you wish to live?”The soul pulsed within Kebachet’s chest as it thought a moment. Yes, It wailedSha