They pulled another horse from the coral, threw her across it and tied her hands to her feet beneath the horse, as she screamed and pleaded to the townspeople to help her. But the townspeople remained standing, their faces downcast, as one by one members of the crowd slipped away from the scene.The two men mounted their horses and loped out of town, tugging Krista’s horse along after them. After several miles the two men stopped and one came back and cut the rope binding Krista’s hands to her feet.She was picked off the horse and thrown roughly to the ground onto her face. Everything hurt from the rough ride.She started to push up weakly from the ground when a voice from her past spoke, “Well, well, what do we have here but old scarface herself!”Krista’s insides clenched as she looked up through the tangles of her hair and saw the fat, corpulent form of Esmeralda standing before her, who had only grown uglier with age.“You’ve only gotten prettier with age, honey. You brought me b
Her hips and the sides of her cheeks were clearly visible. She knew she was regarded as a beautiful woman, but this outfit left little to be discovered or imagined. It was humiliating!Why did she have to go through this further humiliation before she could be free? She bit her lip and tried to hold on to the hope that the messenger’s words had brought her, but it was hard and she fought against the tears that threatened to fall. She would not show any weakness to the mongering crowd she could hear jabbering in the market room beyond the thin walls of the prep room. The door of the room opened, they had come for her.The boards of the stage that her bare feet traveled across had been worn smooth by the countless poor souls who had been led across them before her. Stillness had fallen over the formerly mad atmosphere of the place.The stage was well lit in the otherwise seedy and rundown building. She was led to the center of the stage and the iron anklet around her left ankle was secu
“Jasper .”He turned back to her questioningly. Krista knelt down before him and extended her hand with her palm up in a sign of submission.“Master, I promise to never run away from you ever again! I swear it! I will serve you all of my days faithfully! My body is yours to enjoy as you wish and my heart will be obedient to every word you say, but my spirit, I give to the Creator, who has used you, my master, to save me from the darkness of these people and the hell that resides within them. My Creator has given me a better master in you than I could have ever wished for, but one thing I beg of you master is that you would never allow me to be parted from you again, because I love you with all of my heart!”Throughout her impassioned speech tears had been streaming down her face, and her voice was choked with the strong emotions that she felt for the man risking his life to save her.Jasper I couldn’t stand to watch her blurt out her heart in promised slavery to me for one more secon
Jasper Either Set did not care about Jasper ’s meddling, or Nephthys chose to ignore her husband’s adultery. Jasper never received the summons he expected.Instead, Kyle ventured into his throne room and reported Set deployed them to kill Sha’ní. Jasper told him to continue as ordered and left a shocked and confused Death Knight in his wake.He did not care about his daughter’s predicament. If she perished, then she was not worthy of his throne. He would create another heir later.Set’s deployment came too soon. He was not yet ready to reveal himself and enjoy Set’s torment.Jasper teleported to the suites surrounding the temple. Just as he thought, Nephthys still paced their living quarters.Set had always accused Jasper of being a weak pup. His own whore did not have the courage to confront her mate about his infidelity. She was the weak link in their family, not him.If his wife ever betrayed him, he would ensure her soul suffered for ages before he released her to oblivion. His m
The mansion hummed and vibrated as it opened its doors, “Do not linger. You may visit Charles , nothing more.”Horace did not hesitate to enter the building and had no desire to terry. He must wake Charles to stop Jasper from dooming the world.The ornate doors to the Queen’s Chambers swung open to allow him in, then shut and locked behind him.The room was quiet, with ambient lighting from the scones around the room. The large fireplace was dark and cold. No one had been in here since Sha’ní discovered the gray demon.Horace walked deliberately through the sitting room and into the bedroom. He could sense the mansion watching the intruder very closely. He would not have much time to wake her.Horace slowly raised Charles ’s jackal body into his arms. Her wildflower scent smelled sweet and inviting. He missed the scent and the precious few years they spent together as vampires.Then he remembered Sha’ní’s scent and how the blueberry gave him peace and joy. He enjoyed the aroma of bloo
Charles knew the attack would come before the spear appeared. She had just enough time to block his thrust with the staff he gave her as a wedding present. The tip of his spear scratched her exposed skin; however, it did not draw blood. The spear must taste her blood to activate her worst nightmare.Jasper was very strong and precise with his attacks. Charles had only bested him a handful of times over the ages. Those times were only for play. This time it was her life or his.She had chosen her life when she discovered his infidelity; however, she had never been able to resist a plea for help from those she protected. Her daughter and the earth were in extreme danger and needed her to return. It seemed her husband desperately needed her as well.Jasper attacked fiercely, using his spear to drive Charles toward the nearby farmhouse. Charles refused to retaliate and feed his rage. She only defended herself until she could break through his madness.Charles ’s back hit the wall to the h
“Father?”“Yes, Sha’ní. I am here. If the demons feed on the souls, they will become too strong for us to fight them.”Sha’ní glanced at Lilene, who stood silently with a smirk on her face. Jasper placed a hand on Lilene’s shoulder in confirmation of her silent question."Are you with Lilene? Have you forsaken us?”“I have not forsaken you. It is you who has forsaken me. My army fights for you, and the souls have begun following you. I will not allow you to rule my domain.”“Father, I...”Sha’ní paused and looked at the succubus. This was a lie. Jasper would not side with a demon no matter his feelings toward his daughter.“I will take your kingdom for my gain. You will be a slave at my feet!” She growled and thrust Death to kill Lilene.She raised her red sword to block Death; however, Death hit the crystal blade and shimmied down to her arm, nearly severing it.Lilene cried out and clutched her arm. Her wide eyes locked onto Sha’ní, and Jasper vanished.Lilene began attacking Sha’ní
The only good in her life was a vampire-who-was-not. Yet even he deceived her. The reasons for his deception no longer mattered. It was too painful to face.Ra’s finger lifted her jaw to look him in the eyes. She expected to see his madness, but it did not stop the shiver.“You have lost, child. Did you think you could overpower me?”“No, my Lord.”“You will be the first to fall.”“Yes, my Lord,” She mumbled.Nothing mattered. Sha’ní would not fight him. She wondered if she died in this reality if her body would actually die.The only way to kill a god was to destroy the soul. If her mind believed her to be dead, would she wake up from her nightmare or remain in the dark?A cold and dark power went through her forcing a scream out before her lungs locked. Her heart fluttered in her chest, fighting to keep her alive. The darkness continued further down until it reached her soul. Sha’ní’s body went rigid, and a silent scream was etched on her face. It would not be long now.The cold gri
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