“I will not ask again, child. Speak, or I will force it from you.”Charles ' cool fingers gently touched his tightening arm, Give your word, husband. If what I suspect she is protecting is true, then you will wish to know. Do not react to what your eyes tell you.“Not until you promise, daddy. Promise me you will trust me and not jump to conclusions,” Sha’ní continued. She was unaware of their private conversation.Jasper whipped his head around to glare at Charles . He would not be ruled by his family. Spit it out, wife. What is it you think you know?“Daddy, please! I am begging you. You control your emotions all the time. You control your mind and demand we do the same. I am only asking you to continue.”Charles ’s eyes widened, and her pupils dilated as she focused on something behind her. Her vision through the bond and the speed of her heart caught Jasper by surprise. Somehow a demon escaped the battle and was approaching Sha’ní from behind.Charles Charles could not believe wh
“It is not up to you to decide my fate.”“It isn’t yours either. I brought father here instead of mother because I knew it would only make him more upset if I did not come forward sooner rather than later. He would have surely killed you and made it my punishment.”Kebachet laughed, “The god of the dead may be many things, but he is not that cruel. Not to his own flesh.”“How could you say such a thing! He claimed to have sold your soul to the death knights for a millennium and then strangled it himself!”The door to the farmhouse opened revealing the god of the dead and the goddess of balance and life. They both had glowing eyes that exuded powerful emotions of disbelief. Jasper ’s mind could not grapple with Kebachet’s image. It was as if he had found a way to teleport into the future.Kebachet held back a snicker at the absurd notion. Only Fate and Time could do that. Although it would be intriguing if he could somehow mimic the gods.Charles only wished to run to him and embrace h
She gripped Sha’ní’s shoulder, then teleported them both to Jasper ’s chambers within the god’s temple.“No!” Sha’ní screamed and fought to free herself from Charles .Charles had wrapped her arms around her daughter, pinning her back to her chest.“You will stay here, Sha’ní. Your father is of sound mind. "Do not forget Kebachet is his son and the treason he committed against him. Jasper must decide if his soul is worth saving,” Charles whispered in Sha’ní’s ear.She kept the comforting illusion hoping to pacify Sha’ní enough for her mind to see reason.“He paid for his crimes. He is your son too! Why don’t you want him to come back?” Sha’ní growled angrily.Charles knew she flew words around in a desperate attempt to get her way; however, they still hurt. To think her daughter would believe Charles was incapable of loving her children shattered her.Charles released Sha’ní and stood in front of the door, “Do not question my love for my children.”The pain in her voice made Sha’ní f
Atumn-RaRa sat alone at his personal workstation, gazing out the window; however, he did not see the honeysuckle bushes that decorated the courtyard. The events over the last century played over and over in his mind like a song he could not shake.He could still feel Lilene’s caress and hear her soft whispers as she made promises to return to him. He was foolish, and it nearly cost the lives of his children.Charles ’s sentence was more than fair. He deserved much more for his actions; however, he was thankful for her mercy. He only waited for the council to summon him.“My Lord, please come to me. There is a demon among us who has a soul,” Jasper called from Ra’s throne room.Ra’s heart leaped with joy. He found his son and resisted killing Gegleth.Ra teleported to his throne room and rested in his chair. Jasper and Gegleth both knelt with their chins tucked to their chests. Both were plagued with a burden.“Speak, Jasper .”“My Lord, I wish to know if you were involved with banish
“If you create a new body, he must be consummated or begin to perish. It is the way of things,” Jasper explained. His voice softened to the respect Ra demanded.“He does not have to be consummated, Jasper . Only a god willing to share power.”“That is a high price to ask of any god. They will be forever connected. They will forever know of each other’s pain or joy. Thoughts will not be private. It is best for him to be mated to the one who will share the power.”It was not the physical pain that worried Jasper . He was concerned about the effect on his son.Ra enjoyed watching Jasper raise Kebachet. There were lessons Jasper learned as he grew up that he instilled in his young son. Privacy was a powerful shield against an enemy. Blocking his thoughts and shielding his mind from foreign probes would protect him from the most ruthless demon.Sharing a god’s power would expose Kebachet’s mind. No matter. The god must adjust, and the perfect goddess to connect to would be Sha’ní. She was
Jasper ’s mind and emotions were still flowing through their bond. He truly believed she was jealous of Horace’s affection toward Sha’ní. It sickened him that she would desire Boros and infuriated him that she grew to love him before he could claim her heart as a mortal. Loving another, especially his brother, stroked his possessive nature and left him crippled to do anything about it.“No, wife. Had Boros remained alive, you would have attempted to mate with him.“At the time, I did not see it. My brother was extremely attracted to you. He said as much to you while you hunted your master’s allies.“The night you laid by my side as my body transitioned into a vampire, your thoughts lingered on my physique and reminisced of Boros.“‘If any of (your) clan wished to mate with (you), he would have been (your) first choice,’” He quoted.Charles gaped at Jasper in disbelief. He was truly a calculating, cunning jackal. She barely remembered that thought. She had just turned Gabriel into a va
As Sha’ní traveled through the blue sea, the souls paused in their wanderings and turned toward her. Charles had never seen such a thing. They did not respond to the god of the underworld once they went to sleep. Jasper had stated Sha’ní found her godhood. This must be what she could do.Sha’ní paused in her trek, and the entire valley lit up in a brilliant blue. Every single one, as far as the eye could see, turned to face Sha’ní.“I wish to speak to the ancient soul who lived during the time the Matriarch Lara ruled in the house of Khalid Rahal.”Charles ’s jaw unhinged as the souls pulsed to her command, sending brilliant blue ripples through the masses. The sea slowly parted until a single soul stood alone in the split.Charles could not speak with the souls or see their past lives like Jasper ; however, she could see the faded features resembling their recent life. Jasper could command living souls and the ones waiting for judgment. The only god who could control a sleeping soul
Sha’ní clenched her hands into fists to keep from reacting to a burst of power emitted from Ra. Everyone’s thoughts and surface emotions rushed into her and overpowered the eerie silence.Both her parents stared at Atumn with extremely different emotions. Charles was concerned for Ra and was surprised at how well he handled himself.Her father was furious with him and anxious for the meeting to be over. It was the first time she had ever physically felt an emotion from him. The connection was overwhelming.The others had varying degrees of respect toward Sha’ni, including her new friend, Horace; however, the one who stole her attention was her daddy. She dared not ask him about Kebachet but based on his reaction to Ra, it could not have been good. She just wanted him to tell her if he lived.“It has come to my attention that there is a need for an adjustment among us,” Ra’s commanding voice demanded Sha’ní’s attention. His presence weighed heavily in her mind as his power consumed her
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