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
“In order for Kebachet to return, there must be one among us who would bond with him and share their godly power. I will take your votes on whether or not Kebachet returns to us.”Sha’ní’s heart thundered in her chest from Ra’s revelation that Kebachet was still alive. She wasn’t sure where he was being held, but it did not matter. He was still breathing air, and his heart still beat.Her hope soon turned into anxiety and the grin on her lips faded as she waited for an answer. She glanced at each god, and none of them returned her gaze. Every god around the table remained emotionless and expressionless.“What is your vote, Sha’ní?”Sha’ní nearly leaped from her seat as Ra’s strong voice entered her mind. His brown eyes peered deep down as he waited for her answer.There was no doubt she wished for her brother to live; however, she was not sure she should voice her opinion. The others didn’t seem to want a traitor in their midst. Even her parents refused to say anything, and she was ce
“Horace will continue creating wars as you command, which also cause chaos.”Charles shivered with a chill, “Remind me to never anger you.”Jasper ’s chuckle was a deep rumble that vibrated her soul as he pulled Charles into his lap, “You could never push me to do this to you.”Charles hooked an arm around his broad shoulders and melted into his chest. She loved the way it rumbled when he spoke.“Your mother? How is it you have power over her?”“It is a law among the Gods. It is not spoken of often, as children are not born often, nor do marriages happen often.“The male of the family is head of the household, regardless of age. In Set’s home, he is the master, and everyone must submit to him.“He placed my mother above me as you are above Sha’ní. In Set’s absence, she is to defer to me.“Set is no longer the master of her family. I am the remaining male, and so, must submit to me.”Charles could not imagine submitting to a child. Both Kebachet and Sha’ní were her children and would r
"Run little goddess, before I flail your hide!” Kebachet roared in the demon dialect.He swung his armored arms toward her and mimicked the beast’s mating dance.Sha’ní yelped and tumbled away from the swipe of his arm, “Stop this, brother! I don’t care what you have seen. I won’t give up on you.”Kebachet growled and stomped toward her. Her eyes dilated, and her mind screamed to run; however, she refused to leave him. He will not win this battle. Sha’ní’s tenacity was as strong as Charles ’s.Kebachet morphed back into a doppelganger and sighed, “Call your father. He must witness this and begin the process of teaching us how to control our thoughts and emotions."I do not care that we will know where the other is at all times. I do not wish to share your life, and I wish for my thoughts to be private.”“As you wish, brother,” Sha’ní beamed, then bounced out of the throne room.Jasper Jasper ’s ears tingled as the familiar sounds of his daughter’s padded feet ran through the hall of
“Thank you for coming.”Jasper gave a curt nod and said, “I am here to help where I am able.”Those were not the words the doppelganger expected. His red eyes shifted to Sha’ní, who stood next to him and then returned in a silent question to explain what he feared.“It is her decision. She has been warned and is still willing to bond with you.”"Are you mad?” He blurted and grasped Sha’ní’s shoulders with his clawed hands, ”Let me die, Sha’ní.”“Ra said you are to be made whole. If I do not bond with you, then another god will.”“Command my soul to leave. For her sake,” He pleaded with Jasper .“My apologies, Kebachet. Ra has spoken. My hands are tied.”The doppelganger stood back and helplessly gaped at the both of them. It was the same look of helplessness he gave when he begged Charles and Jasper for his life.Jasper taught his son that Ra’s word was law and must be respected no matter how strongly he disagreed with it. There was nothing that could be done. Jasper would not disobey
She sounded lost and hurt. If that traitorous bastard did anything to her, he would kill him and damn the earth to hell.Horace teleported to his throne room and raced from his platform toward the pacing young black jackal.“What is it Sha’ní?”Her body froze, and her cyan eyes followed his movements as he ran toward her. When she did not answer, he searched for any wounds on her body.“I am unharmed,” she grasped his hands to stop him, “It is my brother I want to ask you about.”Horace straightened and backed away from her hand’s reach. What could he possibly say about their bonding? Do not give the traitorous bastard an ounce of her essence? Be his for life and forget her brother?Her heart was too deeply committed to bringing Kebachet back from the dead. She would never accept his authority. Besides, She was destined to bond with her brother, and together they would keep the earth free of demons.It was well Ra chose to keep Kebachet. Still, he deserved far less than the intimacy t
Wanting him and submitting to him was not an issue. They were not married. If she went through with his request, she could alienate her father and destroy the delicate connection she had fought so hard to achieve. She could not throw that away for a night of passion.Sha’ní had been kept in the dark her entire life. As a result, she would have failed in defeating Lilene, but Boros guided her and saved the world through her.Perhaps that was what must be done with Kebachet. She must blindly follow the path before her and lean on her father to help her through it when it seemed she would fail.“Why do you expect me to surrender everything to you? That is not how a relationship works. When two people are in love, they get married and live productive lives as best friends. They never own each other. I will never submit to any creature, and I am not ready to commit my life to another.”Her parents’ marriage was a peaceful one. Her father was head of the household. His word was law, and he
Boros guided her to the bed while his hands glided across her bare flesh. Her clothing was stripped before her back hit the mattress. He made sure to pay attention to her body and her mind. He did not wish to harm her and would go as slow and as far as she desired. This was her night.Boros pulled his shirt over his head and started his journey at her feet. She giggled as his lips glided over her ankles. A ticklish place? Boros used his fangs to skim the skin, and she howled and bucked from the touch.Boros laughed and pinned her chest down with his arm while he continued. He may find other places, and he wished to ensure she remained still.Sure enough, there was another sensitive place behind her knees and in the delicious place between her legs. Her mewls and please were music to Boros’s ears as he feasted and pulled an orgasm. Her first. He will treasure it for the rest of his days.Sha’ní’s mind screamed for more as he continued his journey of her luscious body. Every nerve was f
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