Soul Unleashed (Key to the Cursed Book 4)

by Jean Murray

  “How could you think that?” He pulled her into his chest. “Do not ever think that.”

  She laid her ear against his chest. With the contact against his bare skin, his heart thumped. She pulled back and covered his chest with her palm. “Did you feel that?”

  Another beat echoed. A strangest sensation, considering it had not beat a day in his life. “Yes.”

  She rose up on her tip toes and captured his lips in a kiss. “I can’t seem to say this enough, but I love you.”

  He smiled, feeling the weight of her words in his chest. Pulling her in tight, he kissed her. Actions to him, always came better than words.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked in between kisses.

  “Yes.” She groaned and slipped her hands up his legs and under his kilt. The fabric did little to hide his growing erection from her skilled hands. He stumbled back until his back hit the wall. Despite her aggression, the beast in his chest remained pacified. He would try his best to release his control to Kit for as long as he could last.

  He found the hook on her necklace that held the dress in place. Unsnapping the loop, the panels of white silk fell free of her shoulder and pooled onto the floor. He tracked his fingertips along her collarbone and dipped them low between her breasts and then circled them around the taut peaks of her nipples.

  She arched back, breaking their kiss.

  He descended upon her skin and breasts. Deliciously firm and in need of sucking. She moaned with each loving draw into his mouth. The scent of her arousal filled his senses. Memories of their first time together in the shower filtered through is mind. How he wanted her then and now.

  Taste her against his lips. The urge to fill her with his seed. Claim her as his own.

  She tugged at his kilt and growled when it did not release. Releasing her long enough to loosen the belt and sword, he let it drop to the floor with a clatter.

  Free of the barriers, he pulled their naked bodies together. The hunger burned too strong to wait to enter her. Supporting her bottom in his hands he pulled her legs up around his waist and pressed his erection into her tight channel.

  “I am sorry.” He panted against her neck.

  “God, don’t apologize.” She gasped and rocked against him, seemingly consumed by the same urgency.

  He charged to the bed and settled them in the middle of the mattress. Even the slightest movement inside her had him groaning. He had done far better in their first mating.

  Rolling his hips, he gritted his teeth. Gods, he was going to lose it. He gripped her hips and thrust deeper, feral and unforgiving.

  “Kamen!” Kit arched off the mattress, her eyes alight with flames. His blurred with orange light. He reached out through the bond and grasped hold of Kit’s soul. The thread between them burned as bright as her eyes. He roared as he orgasmed with an intensity that sent shock waves through his body. Kit dug her nails into his back as she followed and rode the same wave.

  He collapsed down upon her, his now beating heart hammering in his chest. He could feel himself swell inside her, locking him into place. Tiny spasms ejaculated more of his seed inside her.

  “Holy shit.” Kit gasped and then started laughing. “Will it be like that every time?”

  “I do not know.” Kamen was surprised he was able to maintain control over the beast when he could barely control himself. “It is not what I had planned exactly for our first night as husband and wife.” He pulled up onto his elbows to relieve some of the weight.

  Kit picked up some of the smashed petals and brought the red velvet to her nose. She inhaled deeply. “I think it—this was pretty awesome, personally.”

  “I wanted more for you.”

  She cupped his face. “You are all I want.”

  Would he be enough? So much had been rushed, would she regret it later? He forced the uncertainty out of his mind. Now was what mattered.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  The loud thumping of Kamen’s heart beat echoed in her ear in perfect cadence to her own rhythm. A sign they had surrendered to each other fully. Her living energy breathed life into his soul. Only when they were close would it answer the call.

  She memorized the line of his nose, the dark shadow of hair along his chest and jaw, the bulk of muscle under his rich olive skin. Not once did she believe she could be so connected to someone and here he was, lying next to her in the form of a god. One of the most feared of his kind. Her savior.

  For so long she had pretended not to notice Kamen, acting as if she didn’t care. She had wasted so much time fighting her fate. Lost time with him. She sighed, hating herself. The beast sensed her restlessness and stirred in her chest. Her skin burned like fire as every second ticked closer to the eclipse.

  She rolled off the bed and grabbed the robe off the hook. Tying the belt, she crept silently towards the door. The suffocating sensation returned tenfold, just as it did when she ran down the beach. Desperate for air, she slipped out into the hall and to the veranda. The high water swirled, similar to how the tide shifted direction. Two forces fighting against each other, one pushing—one pulling. Not unlike how she felt at the moment. She wanted nothing more than to stay at Kamen and her family’s side, but the beast called her to take action. The pain in her chest intensified the more she fought it.

  “You are asking me to leave everything I love,” she whispered to the beast inside.

  They will die, if nothing is done.

  “If we succeed, then what?”

  The beast was silent in her head.

  “Will you hurt them? Hurt Kamen?”

  The realms will be cleansed of the darkness. A new world will be born.

  “Please don’t make me do this,” Kit begged Ammut with tears forming in her eyes. Kit had become what she had always feared.

  It must be done. Apep will be purged from this life.

  “Kamen must be told. I will not leave him without an explanation.” Kit could not lie to him.

  He will never allow what must be done.

  Kit turned and stalked back to the room, intent on defying Ammut. She promised herself she would never lie to Kamen, knowing of Set’s betrayal.

  A few feet from the bed, pain sliced up Kit’s spine and buckled her knees. Her bones shifted and grated together. “No.”

  Tell him and I will make you devour his soul.

  Kit sat back on her heels and rocked in pain. A vision of Kamen’s death at her hands slammed into her head. The beast’s reminder of who was in charge. She cried out to Kamen but not a sound passed her lips. Silent tears streamed down her face. Far worse than she ever imagined, she was held captive by a predator.

  This must be done. Only then will the righteous be free.

  Knowing Ammut would make good on its promise, the fight left Kit. The pain receded, leaving Kit in a cold sweat. Shaking, she pushed up from the floor.

  Kamen stirred on the bed and reached out to her side. Finding it empty, he sat up, his eyes targeting her in the darkness. “Kit.”

  He swung his legs off the bed and came to her. “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her into his arms.

  “Yes,” she said, hiding her fear.

  “Another nightmare?” He brushed her hair back from her face. “Want to talk about it?”

  Pain razored its way along her spine, stealing her breath. She shook her head and leaned against his chest. “I am sorry to wake you.”

  His large hands pulled her tighter. “You never need to be sorry.”

  How wrong he was. She was sorry for the past and what was waiting in the future. It was him who deserved better.

  “The river is starting to change directions. The water is receding.”

  He took a deep breath. “It is the moon’s effect on the earth prior to the eclipse.”

  “So it has begun,” Kit said, already knowing the truth. She could feel it pulsing through her blood and bones.

  “Yes.”

  “You asked me about having a family,” she said, needing to get it off her c
hest.

  “Forget it.”

  She looked up into his face. “I would love to have your child.”

  “I do not even know why I asked. I am the last god who should think such a thing.”

  “Kamen.” She cupped his cheeks, hating she had instilled that doubt in him. She wouldn’t leave without telling him how she truly felt. “There is nothing more I want than to create a life with you.” There could be no greater honor she could bare for him.

  His eyebrows raised and he smiled. A smile that warmed her heart but also broke it.

  “Do we dare hope?” he asked.

  “Anything is possible,” she replied, not even sure if they would see tomorrow.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Kamen hoisted the last of the weapons into the wagon. Execution, Siya’s warhorse, back stepped as the weight shifted. “Easy boy, that is the last load.” He patted the horse’s flank.

  “He will serve you well, Kamen,” Siya said and nuzzled her steed’s nose. Execution sniffed the baby swaddled in the sling against the War goddess’ chest.

  “We will take good care of him.”

  “I should be out there with Bomani.” Siya frowned her displeasure.

  “You have Anya. Not to mention, Asar is leaving the Underworld under your protection.”

  “I will defend it with my life.” Siya held out her hand.

  Kamen grabbed her forearm in a warrior’s handshake. “I will watch over Bomani.”

  “Thank you.” She kissed the soft round head of baby hair. “We will do what we must to protect what we love.” With a sad smile her eyes measured him. “May the gods be with you, Kamen.”

  “And you.” He bowed. Siya had gained his respect on many levels. Asar had left their home in good hands. Surveying the palace and the now receding river, he wondered if he would ever set foot on the sandy beaches again. What would be left when the war was through?

  Unsettled by his thoughts, he motioned to the platoon captain. “It is time.”

  Sin, Bakari’s senior officer, directed the dark warriors forward to the wagon. “For blood and fury,” he yelled.

  “For blood and fury,” the platoon yelled back and dematerialized. The horse and wagon shifted into black mist and then disappeared.

  “Kamen,” Kit shouted from down the hall. Jogging to him, the weapons jingled from her leather clad hips. She threw her arms around him.

  “Kitten.” Kamen kissed the top of her head. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, but you need to go ahead. Mother wants me to hang behind. She will bring me shortly.”

  “I will wait.”

  “No. Asar, Bakari and Bomani have already left. Mother has asked Lilly, Kendra and me to perform a ritual prayer before the battle. It will help protect Aaru.”

  Kamen clenched his teeth, not wanting to leave without her. “I can wait.”

  She huffed out a breath. “Go, I will be all right.”

  “Kit,” Lilly called from up the hall.

  “I love you.” She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “And I you.” He returned her embrace.

  She released him and ran back down the hall. Stopping at the door to her mother’s temple, she looked back. Her blue eyes shimmered before she blew him a kiss.

  He pulled his energy inward and shift between the realms, not at all comfortable with the change in plans. His feet hit the hot sand, still warm from the day’s sun. Although in the tomb shadows, he braced himself for the burn of the ultraviolet rays.

  Asar stood in the archway of the tomb, his face turned into the light. His eyes closed. “I have forgotten how beautiful this world could be.”

  Kamen inched forward, not certain the lifting of the law would include him.

  “Come, brother. Enjoy the warmth before the darkness comes.”

  Standing on the line between light and dark, Kamen stepped forward. Warmth bathed his exposed skin. He turned to the horizon. The sun hung low in the sky over the Nile River, its reflection churning in the water. The moon suspended just to the right inched slowly towards the star. Soon all the planets would be in alignment.

  The water under the lunar pull of the eclipse altered the directional flow of the river. Instead of flowing into Duat, it flowed out, thus weakening the barriers between the realms.

  Beyond the ruins of Thebes, the sand rippled with serpents. Nehebkau, the Snake god, waved his arm over the sand, commanding the serpents to converge with the earth. Large cement warriors stepped free from the dune and lined up in the front ranks. The thump of the huntress’ war birds pulsated in the hot dessert air as they circled overhead.

  “We meet again on Mother’s ruins to rise against our enemies,” Nehebkau said as he approached Asar.

  Asar shook Nehebkau’s hand. “It is a good day to die.”

  “Speak for yourself, Death god. I prefer to live another day, if I can help it.” The Snake God laughed. “Kamen.”

  Kamen nodded.

  “I hear congratulations are in order,” Nehebkau said and held out his hand.

  Kamen grabbed the Snake god’s arm in his grasp. “Thank you.”

  “I suppose the Creations will sit this one out again,” Nehebkau said.

  “Not all of them.” Kamen waived to Dennu, one of Siya’s orphans. The large Creation broke ranks and bowed before the Snake god.

  “It is an honor, Sire.” Dennu straightened.

  “Excuse my surprise,” Nehebkau apologized. “Where in duat did you come from?”

  “The highlands.”

  Nehebkau’s brows furrowed. “Among the humans?”

  “Yes, along with my other brethren.” Dennu gestured towards the ranks.

  “The Goddess of War found and raised them in the human realm. They will be fighting alongside of us this day.” Kamen gripped Dennu’s shoulder. He hated to admit it, but these Creations were worthy of his respect.

  “Why the colors?” Nehebkau asked, pointing to the black and gold ribbon tied to his bicep.

  “There are others like me who may have been turned by Apep. If you see one of us without the Underworld colors, kill him.”

  “Duly noted,” Nehebkau said. “It is an honor to fight with you, Dennu.”

  The young god smiled and returned to his unit.

  Despite the pre-fight comradery, Kamen prowled restlessly along the line of defense. He had left the beast hungry for battle, but something felt off. Absent. His spine and shoulders lacked the constant ache. While the beast still stirred in his chest, it was not as poignant as before.

  “I do not feel comfortable about the women fighting either,” Asar said, his eyes intense.

  “Something’s not right.” Kamen growled.

  Asar narrowed his eyes on Kamen. “Are you having troubles?”

  “Yes and no.” His senses were screaming, but he could not discern whether it was pre-war jitters or the energy around them.

  “Come, I trust your instincts. If something is amiss, it is.”

  Kamen jogged next to Asar to the edge of the ruins. He scanned the dunes of sand that stretched for miles. The prickling worsened along with the scent of death carrying in the winds.

  “They mean to surround us.” Asar raised the flag and waved it high in the air. Horns blared announcing the enemy’s presence. On the horizon opposite of the barrier between the realms stood a legion of Apep’s minions, a mix of siravants in human and gargoyle form and the tainted Creations.

  The helicopter rocketed overhead, laying down rounds of ammunition as the siravants took flight. Rocket propelled grenades pummeled the front lines, yet Apep’s forces marched forward. Rank after rank crested over the hill. Far more than they ever imagined.

  “Where are the women?” Kamen asked, scanning the forces.

  “I sense Lilly, so she is close.” Asar raised his curved blade and signaled the next wave of modern weaponry.

  Kamen reached out through the bond, but it was cold and distant. “Kit is not.” He turned to search the cr
owd.

  “Kamen, I need you here,” Asar said, blocking his path. “As much as I want to seek Lilly out, I must stay focused on the battle. Just as you should. The women know their role in this fight, and it is not on the frontlines. “Get your head together.”

  Kamen shifted his gaze from the approaching troops and the span of Underworld forces. Lilly and Kendra’s energy drifted like perfume in the air. Kit’s was not among them. He remembered Asar’s words that Kit was destined to guide the souls home to Aaru. A sense of dread crept along his spine. She would not be foolish enough to risk returning to Duat, would she?

  Her fear of the place was still imprinted in his mind. Yet, he knew her too well not to know she would do something reckless and impulsive if it meant saving her sisters. If that was the case, he had to get to Apep before Kit. End this once and for all to keep her safe. To keep everyone safe. He eyed the barrier. The shimmer had become translucent, revealing the darkness ready to break through. He needed to draw Apep to him and away from the Underworld forces.

  A loud explosion shook the battlefield. The wining of the failing helicopter echoed across the desert along with the swoosh of blades slicing through the air. Siravants attacked the metal bird in coordinated effort to drop it out of the sky. “Everyone move,” Kamen shouted.

  Troops scattered as metal and beast fell from the heavens. The fuel ignited on impact and seared heat across Kamen’s back. He rolled to his feet and charged the burning aircraft. Dark warriors lay dead among the smoldering wreckage, their weapons still in their holsters. A loss they could not afford when the main battle had yet to start.

  Kamen leapt and tore into the closest siravant, snapping its neck with his hands and spilling black blood onto the sand. With the Creation curse lifted, his darker gifts were ready and deadly. The second siravant retreated, uncertain why Kamen showed no fear.

  “You do not remember me?” Kamen hissed. The malice of Apep shimmered behind the black oily gaze of the siravant. “I am coming for you.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Kit fingered the key she had lifted from Kamen’s pocket. The hugs had been spent and she had said goodbye to her sisters under the guise she would be along shortly.