by Lisa Kessler
She opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on his. “We need to get Apep contained, and then we can go back to our lives.” Her heart pounded. Her pulse was probably giving her away. “Until then, we could make the most of the time we have together. No strings attached.”
He lowered his hand from her cheek, but made no move to retreat. “I could not bear to care for another who cared nothing for me in return. Not again. My existence is empty enough. If you were only with me because you shouldn’t be…” He stepped back, like the Grand Canyon itself had just come between them. “That is a risk I am not willing to take. I can continue to slake my lusts without damaging my heart. Contrary to what you saw in the alley tonight, I do have one.”
He turned and went back into the bathroom, closing the door.
Muriah flopped onto the bed. This is what she wanted. She waited for the wave of relief to wash over her… Nope. The only thing she felt was yearning.
She was screwed, and not in a good way.
Issa draped the towel over the shower rod and pulled on his shorts. A secret smile curved his lips. Muriah was attracted to him. She’d seen him at his least human and at his most animalistic. She’d witnessed visions of him at his weakest, most tortured. And tonight she’d seen him at his worst, and knew secrets he’d hidden from the rest of the world.
And still, she desired him.
She made him believe it might be possible to be more than the Upholder of the West, Mayan Becab God. With Muriah, he could simply be Issa, even if he was still discovering who that might be.
He would give her anything, perhaps even his heart. But she wasn’t offering hers in return. She was warning him that her heart was not available.
Issa stared into his reflection. For once in his long existence, there was a light deep in his soul. A dangerous flicker of hope. He ran his fingers through his wet hair and exited the room. The lights were off, but he could see just as well in darkness.
He switched the light on, and Muriah groaned. “I was trying to sleep.”
“And the darkness is exactly where Apep’s serpents will be watching.”
“We haven’t seen him since we left the hotel.” Was she whining? He raised a brow as she went on. “New York is a big city, and he doesn’t know where we are.”
“Maybe not yet, but he might discover us if he started tracing transactions for the young one’s business.”
“His name is Calisto.”
She lay on her side facing the bathroom, her eyes closed. He walked around the bed and lay down behind her. He brought his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She didn’t resist. Her body molded perfectly against his.
“Shouldn’t you be getting comfortable in the bathtub? Sunrise is coming.”
He breathed in the floral scent of her hair. “I have two hours.”
She wiggled free of his embrace and rolled over to face him. “What is this? I thought you were going to slake your lusts elsewhere.”
She sounded…annoyed. Interesting. “I am willing to take a risk if you are.”
“What exactly are we risking?”
He watched her pulse pound inside her smooth throat, betraying her desire. This game could become addictive, but that knowledge did nothing to dissuade him. He was certain he’d never desired anyone the way he did Muriah, but she had a strong will, every bit as strong as his own. He had to be patient. “I did not feed tonight.”
“No?” Her breath caught. She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “We can’t. You’ll be in my head.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “And you will be in mine.”
“That’s too much risk.”
He chuckled. “Perhaps I should go settle in the tub.”
“No.” She took his hand. “Maybe just a kiss.”
He cupped her face, his gaze locked on hers, and her heart raced. Even a kiss was too much risk, but it was also too much temptation. She’d never wanted a kiss more. The moment their lips met, she closed her eyes, drinking in every sensation. His tongue coaxed her mouth open, and she moaned. She’d kissed many men in her life, but none of them were in the same league with Issa. He took his time, until her heart was on the verge of bursting. He stoked the fire inside of her until it radiated through all her limbs and pooled low in her belly.
His fingers tightened in her hair as he rolled over her. She parted her legs, welcoming his body even closer to hers. A deep rumble vibrated through his chest in answer, the kiss becoming more urgent, hungrier. His back was smooth, every muscle well-defined. She explored every exposed inch of his torso, her hips rocking into his. Feeling his erection rubbing against her only made her want more.
Her nails dug into the back of his shoulders, and Issa broke the kiss, staring down at her with crimson eyes. The tips of his fangs were exposed between his parted lips, and her heart stuttered. Her treacherous body hungered for his bite, damn the consequences, and before she could stop herself she tipped her head, opening her throat to him. “Drink from me.”
Every muscle in his shoulders and arms tensed, keeping him propped above her. He took in a slow breath like he was drinking her scent into his lungs. His voice was low, husky, hot.
“You are the greatest temptation I have ever known, but I want more than your body. My heart is already at risk. Until you are ready to risk yours…” He kissed her again, turning her blood to molten lava in her veins. “…I will wait.”
He rolled off of her, pulling her into his arms. She lay on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He’d watched the world change around him, civilizations rise and fall, and although he could have anything, anyone, he wanted her. Fear teased the edges of her thoughts, reminding her that what he’d told her could be a lie.
Men lied all the time. Her own father lied and walked out of her life. Why would immortal men be any different?
She lifted her head. “Why can’t we just enjoy each other’s company as long as we’re stuck in this mess? There’s no guarantee we’ll make it out alive anyway.”
His expression sobered into the mask of the God of the West. “I gave you my word I would bring you back to your store. And I will.”
She waited for him to say something more, to smile, anything, but he seemed almost to be looking through her. Muriah settled back onto his chest, struggling to find some emotional footing. Closing her eyes, she saw the carved red door of her family’s legacy, the store, her home. If she focused on that and remembered to think with her head instead of other body parts, maybe she could get through this.
She’d never yearned to be a mother. Not even as a little girl. No dolls, no mothering instinct, but faced with the end of her entire family line… A family business needed a family to continue. Once back home, she needed to find a suitable guy and settle down.
But her vision of the future blurred every time Issa touched her, or surprised her with a smile.
Self-control was never her strong suit when it came to men, and each night she spent with Issa, it crumbled a little more.
Issa carefully untangled himself from Muriah, resting her sleeping form on the bed. He watched her dream, and wished, for the first time in his immortal existence, that he had more time. Unlike the young Night Walkers in San Diego who had been turned from their human form, Issa had never seen a sunrise, or an afternoon. There was no memory of sunshine to taunt him.
But he wished he would be able to see Muriah awaken and open her eyes. He wished the night never had to end.
He could do many things, but stopping time was not one of them.
Issa went into the bathroom and settled into the tub. The cold, smooth texture was in stark contrast to the soft curves of Muriah’s body against him. Hearing her whisper to drink from her veins had almost undone him. She wanted him.
It was a start, but, if he’d learned anything in his long life, it was patience. Although she pushed his control to the limit, he recognized his own attachment to her growing. He couldn’t risk getting in deeper unless he was certain she followed hi
m down that path.
With only a few minutes before the sunrise, he closed his eyes and reached out across the miles to her friend in San Diego. Lukas. We are safe for now near the airport. Is the plane ready for the flight when I awaken?
He waited and finally heard Lukas in his mind. Yes. Muriah is safe?
She is sleeping.
Taking her to a Broadway show while Apep is on the loose was pretty cavalier, even for a Mayan god.
Issa smirked at the censure in the young one’s tone. I was alert. She was happy. And Apep did not find us. I am more than capable of keeping her safe.
You’re on your way to Apep’s home turf. Don’t be too cocky.
Surely you are not telling me how best to protect her.
Silence. He waited, but nothing more came. Good.
Issa breathed out one last breath, and the sun stole the life from his body.
Chapter Fifteen
“Sir, can you spare some change?”
Apep glared at the bearded man, the storm of chaos swelling. “No.”
“Your eyes…” The homeless man stumbled closer.
“Yes, you understand.” Apep lowered his gaze to the man’s chest.
A sheen of sweat glistened on the man’s face, a gasp escaping his lips as his body temperature rose. Apep stared, agitating the man’s cells on a molecular level until he collapsed onto the garbage-strewn alley.
The outlet for his frustration helped ease the rage building inside him. He dropped a quarter onto the dead man’s chest. “The pleasure was all mine.”
Apep walked away, still searching for the God of the West and the woman. He’d seen them outside the Millennium Hotel, but the fucking ambulances kept pulling in and cutting off his pursuit. By the time he’d made it across the evacuation area, they were gone.
And now they could be anywhere.
He was going to have to go to the dammed desert. To Egypt.
Unless… He stopped for a moment. Now that he’d released some of his pent up rage, he could think straight again. Only two of New York’s airports would be reopened in the morning, and if Issa needed to land in Cairo before sunrise, they’d need to fly out at dusk. They’d flown from California on a private jet.
How many private jets flying to Cairo would be leaving tomorrow night? Probably not many.
A crooked grin twisted his lips. He wasn’t going to Egypt. And he was very close to having the codex and the child.
Muriah jerked awake when housekeeping knocked at the door. No sign of Issa. She glanced at the closed bathroom door as she rolled out of bed and cracked the door open. “We don’t need cleaning.”
The housekeeper nodded and offered a rushed apology before hurrying back to her cart. Muriah closed the door and reset the deadbolt. With the blackout drapes pulled tight, she slipped inside the bathroom.
Issa lay perfectly still in the bathtub in nothing but his boxer briefs. She fought the urge to grab her cell phone and snap a picture of the perfection in her hotel tub. Who would she show it to anyway? She closed the toilet and sat on the lid. For a moment, the previous night’s kiss warmed her all over. The weight of his body over her, his hips rocking into hers.
She got up. This wasn’t helping the tiny thread of self-control she was clinging to. Besides, she’d offered her blood, and he’d refused. He wanted more from her than she would allow herself to give him. She needed to stay focused on her store, her family.
Issa was not family, just temptation.
She wandered to the bed and snatched up a pillow and a blanket. It probably didn’t make any difference, but seeing him unprotected without any comfort bugged her. Lifting his head, she slid the pillow under him and then draped the comforter over his cold body.
Without thinking she leaned over and brushed a kiss to his forehead.
Maybe he was more than just a temptation.
She hustled out of the bathroom, closing the door tight behind her. The television droned on in the background, and she called for room service. They were too close to getting out of New York to risk going out for food and running into Apep.
Zafrina watched the others from the kitchen of Calisto’s home. Lukas and Calisto each had their mates in their arms, teaching them a traditional waltz. Gretchen stepped on Lukas’s foot again and laughed while he groaned in mock agony.
“Dancing is not my thing.” She smiled. “Digging in the dirt, now that I can do.”
Lukas kissed her forehead and lifted his arms into a ballroom frame again. “Anyone can dance. We’ll keep practicing.”
Calisto dipped his bride-to-be, stealing a slow kiss. When he brought her back upright, Zafrina heard her whisper, “I remember dancing in the waves.”
The Spaniard turned with her and smiled. “You have always been a wonderful dancer.”
The fresh blood heightened Zafrina’s ancient senses. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on the others, but it was unavoidable at her age.
“Zafrina, what do you think of this for a centerpiece?”
She glanced over as Kate’s friend, the perky blonde, entered the kitchen with her more serious counterpart trailing behind. The two had been Kate’s best friends before she became a Night Walker and against Zafrina’s advice, she shared the secret of Night Walkers. Luckily, Kate had been correct in placing her trust in them. The two women were fierce in their protection of her secret along with the rest of them. As far as they were concerned, Kate was still Kate, she just had an upside-down sleep schedule.
Zafrina wondered if their opinion would change as their faces lined and their hair grayed while Kate remained ageless. Or maybe they would witness one of them feed or shift into their spirit animal. Would their secrets still be safe?
A question only time would answer.
“Well?” Edie handed her the candle dusted with confetti made in the shapes of musical notations. “Turn it around.” Zafrina did, and in spite of her objection to planning a wedding while she attempted to keep the heir to the god of the north safe, she smiled.
The side read: Gregorio and Tala, Calisto and Kate, Eternal Love.
Regret cast a shadow over her heart. After Mulac’s betrayal, she’d lived a solitary existence with no regrets, calling love a myth. Seeing that core belief shattered left her alone in a room full of mortals and immortals alike.
“It is lovely.” She handed it back as Lori approached with another trinket.
Lori’s hair was a darker shade of red than Gretchen’s, and the fire in her hair carried over to her heart as well. Her loyalty and protectiveness of her friends intrigued Zafrina. Lori’s thoughts were forthright and loud, but Zafrina kept that information to herself. If Kate hadn’t taught her friends to shield their thoughts, Zafrina was not going to do it for her.
“We’re also working on a special floral arrangement.” Lori produced a printed photo as well as a few loosely arranged romneyas from Calisto’s front walk. “I haven’t shown Kate. We wanted to surprise her.”
But now I’m having second thoughts.
Zafrina’s gaze flicked from the flowers to meet Lori’s eyes. “No need to worry. This is the perfect flower for her.”
She turned the blossom in her fingertips, losing herself in the crinkled white petals of the romneya. This was the same type of flower Calisto had given to Kate a lifetime before. These petals had helped Kate recover the memory of her previous life as Tala.
“You don’t think we should show her first, just to be sure?” Lori asked. Zafrina pulled her attention off the flowers and returned them to Lori. Her fingertips brushed the inside of Lori’s wrist and their eyes met.
She’s stunning.
Hearing Lori’s thoughts almost made Zafrina smile. Perhaps she would tell the mortal about shielding her mind after all.
Lori pressed her lips together and broke eye contact, taking a step back. “After waiting two lifetimes to finally get married, I don’t want to be the one to screw it up for her.”
Edie nudged her friend. “Kate will love it because yo
u put it together for her.”
Zafrina nodded slowly. “You know her better than I do.”
The two women followed Zafrina’s gaze into the living room. “Gretchen’s going to be all right, isn’t she?”
“I will do my best to ensure she is.”
Edie glanced Zafrina’s way. “It’s good to see her smile.”
“I’ve got to get home.” Lori hesitated. Edie will expect a hug. I’d have to hug both of them. I don’t know Zafrina well enough to get physical. Do I? I’m probably overthinking everything.
Lori was also cautious. Probably wise.
“Good night.” Zafrina exited the kitchen, her gaze locked on Lori’s. Was the mortal afraid or entranced? She’d been careful not to mesmerize either of them. Strange…
She left the two women behind for their good-byes and sat on the couch, watching the couples waltzing. Her heightened senses picked up the unborn child’s strong heartbeat, while joy radiated from their faces. Love, hope, and the last chance for the survival of their race.
With their existence on the line, love might be their greatest weapon against the fear and chaos.
Muriah passed the day watching television and working on her laptop. She sent emails to three of her contacts in Egypt, letting them know she would be arriving in Cairo soon and to be on the lookout for artifacts containing any mention of Apep. She also dangled the carrot of a customer traveling with her who was willing to pay top dollar for the relics.
Stretching, she heard movement inside the bathroom and tried not to notice the way her heart skipped. She rolled her eyes. He might be what she wanted, but he was not what she needed. The red front door of The Dimension’s Den filled her head, and she did her best to cling to it.
Issa came out of the bathroom. “Thank you for the blanket.”
She shrugged, hoping she looked flippant. “No biggie.”
He came out and started dressing. “We have a flight?”