The Ripple Effect: Dane

by Jodie Becker

She fell apart as an explosive orgasm burst upon her. Vaguely, she was aware of Dane's groan as his seed pumped into her. Gasping for a breath, she wrapped her arms around him, then dropped her head on his shoulder. This was it. This was love.

  * * * *

  Dane jerked awake and scanned the chamber. Beside him, Jamilah mumbled and snuggled deeper into his loose embrace. The fire slanted a warm light along her skin, and he was struck once again by her beauty.

  Then he heard it. A shift of sand underfoot.

  His instincts flared to life, and he reached for his bow and quiver. Jamilah stirred, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. “Shh."

  She blinked up at him, a frown on her brow.

  Pushing himself into a crouch, his nocked his arrow and listened carefully. As the silence expanded, his heart rate began to pick up, beating a staccato rhythm. Gods be damned, he knew they'd been found. He scrambled for his clothes.

  "Get dressed,” he whispered to Jamilah.

  Without questioning him, she stood and hurried into her clothes. Dane rose from the bed and walked toward the entrance of the chamber, his back parallel with the wall. Jamilah drew up beside him, her fingers on his shoulder.

  With a quick glance out the entranceway, he pushed himself off the wall and into the dark hall. Within the pyramid ran myriads of halls and dead ends. No one could just waltz in this place, and he knew that. His counterpart knew that.

  Gritting his teeth against the fear that curled in the pit of his stomach like an ugly beast, he plotted his next move. They couldn't stay in the chamber. They'd be sitting ducks. Their best chance to survive was to lose whoever was after them in the turns and traps within the pyramid. But the problem remained. Could he lose them without losing his way as well?

  A scrape of stone sounded down the hall. There was only one way to find out if he could do this. Small shafts of light from the sun shone through deep cracks in the structure, offering a guiding light through the halls.

  Stepping into the hall, he pushed Jamilah in the opposite direction from which the sound had come. On the other side of the hall, a paredrii emerged, its lion features lit up with a malicious smile of glee.

  It spread its arms and legs and roared. The sound ripped through the hall and echoed off the walls. Pulling back on his bow, Dane let the arrow fly, but it missed its mark and embedded in the demon's shoulder.

  Cursing, he drew another arrow, but the beast had already surged toward him. Scrambling backward while trying to nock another arrow, he brought the bow up too late as the animal tackled him. He grunted from the impact. His bow fell from his grasp and slid along the sand.

  Grasping onto the beast's mane, Dane struggled to hold it from him, and his knee jerked up and slammed into its side. The claws of the paredrii ripped into his shoulders, drawing blood. Dane hissed against the pain as he struggled to hold the raging beast at bay.

  Something pressed against his upper arm and he glanced at the arrow shaft protruding from its shoulder. Wrenching it from the beast's flesh, Dane stabbed it into the soft tissue of its eye. Blood spurted along his cheek. The demon let out a roar and shuddered as it expelled its last breath.

  With a grunt, Dane pushed the animal from him and got to his feet. He stumbled back, then turned to find Jamilah with his bow in her shaking hands, an arrow loosely nocked and tapping against the maple. Her lower lip trembled as she stared at him.

  "Dane,” she whimpered.

  He gently eased the bow from her fingers and drew her into an embrace. “Come on, we need to get out of here."

  He glanced behind him. Was there only one? He couldn't be sure. But what other choice did they have? Stepping over the body, he stalked down the corridor and paused at the end as Jamilah drew up beside him. He glanced around the corner, and found the corridor empty. Rays of light broke through the walls in thin streaks.

  As they cautiously walked down the hall, the soft jingle of Jamilah's jewelry sounded louder in the eerie silence. It was bound to draw attention to their location should more paredriis stalk the aisles. A cold lump of fear—not for him, but for Jamilah—settled in the pit of his stomach. He prayed he had dealt with only a rogue demon, and that they would make to safety.

  Ahead, the hall forked, and Dane started down the right corridor. The further they traversed, the more his confidence that he'd dealt with a rogue beast grew. A shaft of light slanted from the entrance, and his heart rate picked up. They were safe.

  His brief joy was cut short as he heard a scuffle of footsteps. Ominous grunts signaled that they were being pursued from behind. His skin iced as he stopped and looked behind him, over Jamilah's shoulder. Half a dozen of Set's mindless minions appeared in the narrow way, their eyes blazing red in the darkness.

  Lurching forward, Dane grasped onto Jamilah's wrist and pulled her toward the entrance. “Run. Get out of here!"

  She passed him a look that spoke volumes of her fear for him.

  He placed a quick kiss on her knuckles, his eyes on the paredriis. “Go. I'll be right behind you."

  As she took off, Dane drew back on his bow and shot the arrow. The tip slammed into the chest of the closest beast. Backtracking, he fired a few more times in quick succession, dealing lethal blows.

  With only two paredeiis left, the light of the entrance angled across him but left the remainder of the corridor in darkness. Cursing, he turned and ran into the sunlight, only to skid to an immediate halt.

  "Dane!"

  Jamilah stood in the arms of a bull-man, a blade resting at her throat. The terror in her eyes filled him with a heavy sense of despair and guilt.

  "Drop it,” the beast growled.

  He hesitated, his fingers tensing over the only weapon that could save her. The animal growled, and Jamilah let out a small whimper before a line of blood appeared and trailed along the skin of her neck. He couldn't do it. Dropping his bow, he held up his arms. Suddenly, pain slammed through his skull, and he dropped forward ... into darkness.

  Chapter Nine

  The hard, cold surface against his cheek awoke Dane, and he groaned at the pain the throbbed at the back of his head.

  "Ah, so he has awakened,” rumbled a familiar voice.

  Dane cracked his eyes open to find himself in the familiar Throne Room where his father had met his death. Hate and rage poured through him as he pushed to his knees. Nausea set the world in a spin. Moaning, he pressed his palms against the floor to steady himself as he rocked uncontrollably.

  A cold stick pressed against the underside of his chin and forced his gaze upward. The dog-demon's eyes narrowed on him. “Pathetic. To think you have been causing me problems for nearly a decade."

  Dane's lips curled back hatefully. “You killed my father."

  A brow rose in disinterest. “Did I? Hmm, I do remember now. He was the man who thought to save his freak son."

  Fury rose through Dane, and he surged to his feet.

  "Kneel,” Set commanded in Egyptian Demotic.

  The words slammed into Dane. Like an intense wall of gravity, it wrapped around his torso and forced him to kneel. Dane struggled against the invisible restraints, his muscles trembling with the effort.

  Set chuckled. “Fight it if you wish. But while I have you here, you can see who I have claimed."

  He stepped back to reveal Jamilah's naked form on a chaise lounge, her wrists tied above her head. Her brown eyes glittered with tears, imploring him. Anger surged through Dane, and his roar tore through the room.

  Set clicked his fingers, and like a puppet on strings, Jamilah jerked up and floated over toward them. She stopped to hover beside Set. He cupped her chin, his fingers digging into her cheeks. The cruel grip forced her mouth to pucker. “Look at that,” he commented casually. “Isn't she a beauty? Just what I require in a goddess. Timid, soft."

  Her eyes flashed with anger as Dane tried to push himself to his feet.

  Set licked the side of her face, and she jerked from him, but it merely prompted an amused laugh from the god. He step
ped behind her and cupped her breasts. “I can show you pleasure beyond your dreams."

  Dane struggled anew against his restraints. His need to rip out Set's throat grew to a hateful rage. “Let her go!"

  Jamilah's lips pursed as tears trailed down her cheeks. Her features twisted in misery and anger. “You will never show me pleasure,” she said harshly. “You sicken me."

  As though burned, Set dropped his hands from her and faced her, presenting Dane with his back. “Deny me, would you, Isis?"

  She glared at him. “I'm not Isis."

  "I know what the problem is,” Set said after a moment of silence, his speculative gaze falling on Dane. “You have mated with this pathetic being."

  She scowled at him, and despite the tears that lined her face, she looked fearless. “Yes, I have. You can never have anything from me but my hatred."

  He laughed. “You think you're in love with him. Just like the other time."

  Set stepped away from her and moved behind Dane. Her eyes widened, and Dane felt the prickle of apprehension. Pain seared through his scalp, and he gasped as Set jerked his head back. A cold blade pressed against his throat.

  Set tilted his head forward, enough to whisper in his ear. “Familiar enough for you?"

  Dane's father had died the same way, and he knew his time was up. “I'll find a way to drag you into hell,” he promised.

  Agony seared along his throat as an arc of blood sprayed across the room and onto Jamilah's legs. Her scream rent the air. Drowning on his own blood, Dane gagged. Pain throbbed through his neck as he descended into oblivion.

  Jamilah screamed, feeling as if her soul had been wrenched from her as Dane dropped to the floor with a sickening thud. “Dane! Dane, no!"

  The warm blood on her legs had barely begun to cool when Set fell upon her. His hands cupped her face and forced her to look away from the blood that pooled around her love. His eyes burned red with fury, hate and desperation.

  "Look at me,” he snarled. “He was nothing. I am a god."

  Sobbing against the pain that pulsated through her, Jamilah jerked her head from him as rage rose and battered against her misery. “You're a monster. You killed him, you sanctimonious bastard! I hate you."

  The pain in Set's eyes didn't alleviate the anger that soared through her, and she struggled against the invisible bonds that held her.

  "I did this for us,” he said, his tone cold and assured. “You'll see that. Together we shall rule the world as god and goddess."

  She glared at him, her lips curled back in a sneer. “If you were such an all-powerful god, you wouldn't resort to forcing yourself on a woman who despises you."

  His eyes widened and nostrils flared. “Isis, you can't—"

  "I am not Isis. I'm Jamilah. I don't love you and never will."

  Set's body trembled with a rage that shone in his eyes, and Jamilah felt her legs loosen, as though the invisible bonds that held her fell away. Without further thought, she swung her foot and hit him between the legs.

  The instant Set doubled over, she fell to the ground, released from his enchantment. She surged toward the doors, determined to escape. Pain seared through her skull as she was jerked to a halt by a grip on her hair, and she twisted around to stare aghast at Set. His features were contorted with pure anger.

  "I'll show you to respect me,” he growled, then backhanded her.

  Agony seared along her cheek, and she fell back. The world spun slightly, but she had no time to recover as Set gripped her hair. He twisted it around his fist and dragged her further into the room. Screaming, Jamilah gripped his thick wrist, her heels skidding against the floor as she tried to gain her feet.

  As though she weighed no more than a feather, he swung her up, and she landed heavily on the settee. His hands dropped on her shoulders, pushing her against the fabric.

  "Damn you, you will remember,” he rumbled.

  Her heart slammed against her ribcage as one of his hands dug into her knee, forcing her legs apart. Lashing out at him with her hands and feet, Jamilah cursed him, so intent on her venom that she didn't see the strike coming until it was too late. She raised her hands against it, but it broke through her defense and slammed against her cheek. Stars burst behind her eyes.

  Groaning, she felt his fingers touch her between her legs. Determination lent her its strength, and she rose up and struck her nails across his face, drawing blood.

  Set jerked back and touched the blood on his face with dismay. Her satisfaction only lasted a moment before he was on her again, his fingers over her throat.

  Jamilah gagged for breath and stared into eyes filled with murderous rage. A rage built on rejection. “Deny me, would you?"

  Her lungs screamed for air as she struggled against him, her power insignificant against his. A haze crept to the back of her vision. I'm coming, my love. The thought whispered through her mind as she fell into oblivion, a roar ringing in her ears.

  * * * *

  He was floating.

  White light blazed around him, and he was wrapped in a warm blanket of love and freedom. Was this heaven? Slowly, his feet touched a hard surface, and he wobbled slightly. The white fog that surrounded him began to part, revealing an amphitheatre.

  Podiums lined the circular room, and behind them stood various Egyptian gods. The first had a headdress with a golden disc that shone a light over the room. His falcon features were stiff; much like a monarch would look at a peasant. Ra, the sun god. Beside him was Anubis. Sporting jackal-like features, his black fur was a stark contrast against the white backdrop.

  Dane's gaze ran over the line of gods and goddesses that observed him, yet strangely, he felt they were waiting for him.

  "So, this is the one?” said a cat that sat on the podium in front of Ra.

  "Yes, Bast. No need to sound disappointed."

  "I think he is what the world needs,” commented another Egyptian goddess, this one human, but somehow Dane recognized her as Maat.

  "What say you, Anubis? Shall he live or die?” asked Ra.

  "You know his time isn't now,” said a voice that was very familiar to Dane. A voice he'd been living with for over a decade.

  He turned his head to find Osirus walking up to him. The god's dark eyes glimmered with amusement. “Surprised to finally see who has been your companion all this time?"

  Dane shook his head in disbelief. “What's going on?"

  A woman appeared beside Osirus, and she dropped a loving hand on the god's shoulder.

  "Jamilah?” Dane whispered. When she merely smiled at him, he knew he wasn't looking at his beloved, but Isis.

  "When we learned that Set had been released from his prison, we knew we had to find a way to send him to the underworld. That's where you came in."

  Dane frowned. “But why wait over a hundred years? He has destroyed almost everything we hold dear."

  "Timing was of the essence. We couldn't do anything until she came into being, and we have no hold in her reality, so we had to wait."

  "Huh? Jamilah?"

  "Yes,” Isis said.

  "I don't understand."

  Isis smiled at him, a patient, parental smile. “In every generation a key is born. A soul that was strong enough to contain the spirit of Osirus, just like you. But when Jamilah wasn't born in her reality, the key passed on to another child in your reality. When she came into being, we merely unlocked your capabilities."

  Dane frowned, his mind thrust back in time. “Abdul."

  He turned toward Ra, and for the first time, the brown eyes looked familiar. Slowly, the feathers shimmered away to reveal the features of an Egyptian man. His teacher had been Ra.

  Disbelief made Dane's knees wobble, but Osirus gripped his shoulder to hold him upright. “Is it so hard to believe?"

  "Yes,” Dane said. “Why didn't you just kill Set?"

  Ra nodded, acknowledging the validity of the question. “I am despaired to say that as time passed, we lost much of our abilities. We cannot, individual
ly, kill Set. United as one we can, but we needed a vessel to do so."

  "Then what of Jamilah? What role does she play?” Dane asked.

  Isis stepped forward. “Set was in love with me. Once, I, too, thought I loved him. But he has a cruel side. When I married Osirus, Set spent years trying to regain a foothold in my heart. That effort expelled much of his energy from him. Weakened him. For a woman who looks like me, he will do the same, and weaken himself, leaving him open for defeat."

  Dane understood then, his eyes narrowed. “So, what now, then? I'm dead."

  Osirus stepped forward and opened his palm to reveal a golden serrated knife. “Are you? Take this. You will need it to defeat Set."

  Dane wrapped his fingers around the ivory handle. “But how can I defeat a god?"

  Osirus looked into his eyes. “You will, because all of us will be there with you. Now, go."

  A blaze of white light flashed across his consciousness, and Dane opened his eyes to find himself in the Throne Room once more. Blood, still warm, slicked along his skin, and he pushed up, feeling for the wound that was no longer there.

  He turned his head to find Jamilah on the chaise lounge, struggling against Set, who tried to restrain her with his hand over her throat. Her eyes rolled back, and she went lax. Fury rose through Dane as a hum of power pumped through his veins. He stood with a roar and surged toward Set.

  Set faced him, his jackal features forming. “You!"

  "Yes, me.” Dane lunged forward, slicing his blade toward Set's neck.

  Set struck out with a forearm and hit Dane in the wrist, knocking the blow aside. With his other hand, Set snapped his fingers. “Be still,” he commanded.

  Dane felt a small shift in the winds, but wasn't hindered by the magic that surged through the room.

  Set's eyes widened. “Coming back from the dead? Who else did you bring back with you?"

  Dane's lips curled back. “All of them."

  With a growl, Set lunged forward. His claws lashed out. Dane sidestepped, avoiding the blows as he looked for an opening. As he stepped back, his foot slipped on the slick blood that pooled on the tiles, and Dane fell back hard. His head cracked on the tiles.