The Fury

by Sloan McBride

  Her anger boiled. How dare he come into her home issuing orders? She and Rufus were having a nice conversation and he had done nothing untoward.

  Dagan’s eyes were that intense, deep green again as they glared at her.

  “Don’t take that tone with me,” she said and rose from the chair to take her bowl and rinse it out.

  “You are done for the night,” Dagan told Rufus. “Secure the perimeter and then go catch some shut-eye. Be back here by five-thirty a.m. The seal will hold until then.”

  “Okay, I’m gone,” Rufus said. Before he left, he walked over to her. “You take care, Reese. Be safe.”

  She smiled at his sincere face as he winked and kissed her cheek. He was trying to get under Dagan’s skin.

  Dagan growled and fisted his hands.

  She played along. “Thanks, Rufus. This evening had definite high points.”

  Rufus bowed and walked out of the room via the doorway opposite the one Dagan blocked.

  Dagan glowered at her. “What was that supposed to mean?”

  Reese turned her most innocent look on him. “What?”

  “Don’t try to hand me that innocent look. What did the two of you do here tonight?” He stalked toward her. “When I left you were like the North Pole all blue and shivering and shit.”

  “Do gods really talk like that? Like humans do, cause you sound like an arrogant, egotistical, jealous male. A human male. That’s interesting. Do you think it’s because you spend so much time here on Earth, mingling with humans or do you just like our language? Or maybe you like the whole intimidation thing.”

  She pushed past the tower of vibrating man and went into the living room.

  “Reese, dammit. What happened while I was gone?”

  Sitting down in her cozy chair, she picked up the romance novel she’d been reading for the last week. “I started feeling better,” she said then focused on her book.

  Another growl from deep in his throat floated across the room. Reese hid a smile. It served him right. He acted as though she owed him an explanation, which she didn’t.

  Dagan stormed past her chair and locked the front door.

  Reese looked up in time to see him raise his hand and murmur words in the language she now knew to be his native tongue. She knew he was putting another seal on the house which meant they were in for the night…together.

  His nostrils flared and her scent permeated every pore in his skin. Deep breaths helped slow the erratic beating of his heart; he needed to calm down. Strolling back into the kitchen he decided he could eat. It had been hours since he’d had nourishment and although his strength and skill did not require it, his stomach did. Grabbing the bottle of Johnnie Black off the counter with one hand, he took the steaming bowl in the other and sat at the table. He thought it best to keep his distance from Reese because in this mood, he couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t rip the clothes she wore from her body and mate with her in a matter of seconds. No, he needed to relax and calm down.

  Dagan ate half the contents before grabbing the whiskey bottle by the neck and chugging it. Unfortunately, alcohol didn’t affect his system the way it did humans. Getting shit-faced sounded good.

  Two deep breaths, more food shoveled into his mouth, then chug. He needed to concentrate on those things his body required.

  As he lifted the dripping spoon, he froze. Humming? A soft sweet melody drifted on the air from the other room. Closing his eyes, Dagan opened his senses fully. Her scent carelessly knocked him backwards. He breathed it in. The heat surged through his body like smoldering rock flowing through a lava tunnel. The fury escalated.

  In this uncomfortably hard, small chair his body hardened and burned. He shoved the bowl aside and grabbed the neck of the bottle, bringing it to his mouth for a long swig. It did little to douse the tempered ache turning his gut out. The need grew more intense as the seconds ticked by. Her voice intoxicated him even more than the liquor.

  Unable to stand it any longer, Dagan shoved away from the table and stood. In determined strides, he marched into the room where she sat. With a startled jolt, she looked up as he stormed toward her. The music stopped. Her scent grew stronger the closer he got and lust tore through him at a level he’d never experienced.

  She must have known how close to the brink he teetered because she said, “Don’t start with me again.” She rose from the chair, laid her book down and rushed past him, heading toward the kitchen.

  Lifting the remaining whiskey-laced coffee to her lips, Reese peered at Dagan over the cup while she drank. Warmth flooded her body and the alcohol ignited her nerve endings on its way down to her stomach. Unsure of whether the reaction was due to the whiskey or the relative stranger, who claimed to be the first born son of a Sumerian god, standing there watching her, devouring her.

  “You’re doing it again,” he murmured in a husky voice.

  “Doing what?”

  “Sizing me up, turning me on.”

  She coughed and practically spilled the coffee. “Sorry.”

  Hurriedly, she started clearing the dishes and rinsing them to put in the dishwasher. “So, you are the first born son of the air god?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he approve of what you’re doing?”

  Dagan stood just behind her. She turned and he handed her his bowl. A frown of concentration wrinkled his face. Even in that state, he managed to appear sinful and inviting. Her body tingled again.

  “I’m sworn to protect humans. It’s my duty.”

  “So you said.” She filled the sink with warm soapy water to wash the pots and pans. “Why is it your duty to protect humans?”

  “Perhaps I should explain how this all started.”

  His lips curled in a faint smile and her heart flipped. “Okay.”

  There was a brief silence, as if he considered what or how much to tell her.

  “We are Naruki from the planet Bylari.”

  A gasp wrenched from her throat as Reese fumbled the plate she held and it fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.

  “Did you just say you came from another planet?”

  “No, I was born here.” He gave a lift to his shoulders. “But my people came from Bylari about five hundred thousand years ago.”

  Sure, why not? The shock ebbed as the curious side of her pushed to the forefront. “So you’re aliens?”

  Dagan rolled his eyes heavenward. “I’m not really a green, slimy creature with tentacles, if that’s what you mean. What you see is what you get.”

  She bent to pick up the large pieces of the broken plate. Standing, she let a reluctant smile touch her lips. “I’m sorry. Momentary brain stutter, which tends to happen when I find out I’m speaking with a…” she blew her cheeks out, “…being from another world.”

  He crossed his massive arms over his chest. “I’m the same being you’ve been dealing with since we first met.”

  Cautiously walking over to the large pantry, she dropped the broken bits into the trash can and brought the broom and pan back to finish cleaning up the mess. Stopping in front of Dagan’s stiff form, she gazed up to his face. “I’m sorry, Dagan. Please continue.”

  He relaxed his stance. “From what my father has told me, my people left Bylari to escape the ravages of a war that had done untold damage to the planet. In the first ship were the males and Nammu, she who gave birth to all the gods.”

  “But you’re not gods,” Reese offered in a clear voice.

  “To the humans we are. We live for thousands of years and we have powers that you cannot comprehend.”

  He took the dustpan and broom from her to discard the remaining shards of the plate. She turned back to the sink and the dishes.

  “When they happened upon Earth, they were taken with the beauty of the planet and the abundant resources it offered, so they decided to make this their new home. The males did everything needed to survive in their lives. They farmed, they fished and built magnificent palaces in which to live. They were happy in thei
r existence.”

  “Okay.” She rinsed a pot and put it in the strainer.

  “They sent word to the second ship which had left later and soon, the females arrived.”

  “Ah, the plot thickens.” Reese smiled at him over her shoulder.

  “The males became lazy and distracted by the females.”

  “As is wont to happen when women come around.” She winked at him. A hungry, wicked look crossed his face and made her sweat. Of course, the rising temperature of her body could be due to the fact that she had her hands in warm water. She stole a glance. Nope, it was definitely him.

  He came closer and whispered in her ear, “There is the ring of truth in that.”

  He’d come up behind her so stealthily, she hadn’t felt him move. “So what happened next?” she asked breathlessly.

  He hopped up onto the counter to watch her and finish the story.

  “The gods were starving and in need of many necessities, but were too lazy and preoccupied to continue. So, they begged Nammu to create servants for them. Those that could tend the fields, maintain the structures and keep the gods in the lifestyle they wanted.”

  “Man?”

  “Yes,” he said as he ran a fingertip down her arm.

  Chills raced across her skin and she swallowed several times trying to concentrate, washing the same dish over and over.

  “Nammu went to Enki.”

  “The God of Wisdom,” she offered.

  “Intrigued by the idea, Enki saw no harm in it, so he arranged a party.”

  Reese finished the dishes and released the water. After wiping her hands on the towel, she walked over to stand by the table, keeping as much distance between them as possible. “I take it something happened.”

  “That’s the truth of it.”

  His eyes darkened as she ran her hands up her arms.

  “With the combined energy of all, Ninmah created man from blocks of clay, and Nammu breathed life into them. The attempt had been successful. The servants were provided with everything required for their survival. In turn, they built temples to honor the gods who’d made them. They gave offerings of livestock and crops. This made the deities happy and they continued their lounging and loving.”

  “I see,” she said and moved farther away from him. “So the Naruki created mankind to serve them as gods with a mutual agreement they both honored.”

  “Yes.”

  “What about Kur? Not much has been found regarding the creature.”

  His eyes clouded. “In his drunken stupor and after having witnessed the creation of another species, Enki decided he wanted to create one himself.” Dagan jumped down from the counter and paced the kitchen. “Unfortunately, without the others and the knowledge to create as Nammu, what he created was a weak, feeble, useless creature.”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Enki held compassion for it and begged Ninmah, my beloved mother, to take care of Kur. She agreed and did her best to help the creature. Unfortunately, even the Earth-Mother Goddess couldn’t correct or change the defects in its genealogy. She summoned servants in a small village to watch over it for the rest of its days.”

  Dagan’s pacing and intensity filled her with a sense of unease. She grabbed his arm and the static charge voltage of a bug zapper surged through her body, making the hair on her arms stand up. She jumped back. It surprised him as well.

  “Was it awful?” she whispered while shaking her hand to get feeling back in her fingers.

  He moved away. “Over time, Kur responded in small ways to those who cared for him. Being self-aware, he knew the story of his origin. Although able to function to a small degree, he hated his existence.

  “One day a young woman brought food to his room. He had been contemplating revenge against Enki. His rage turned on the girl and he drained her life force which in turn made him stronger, more powerful than he had ever been before.”

  “He liked it.”

  Dagan nodded. “So much so that he murdered the entire village.”

  “Oh my God.” Reese wrapped her arms around her body as if to stave off the evil.

  “Kur went on a rampage and killed many across the land. Before the gods could stop him, he kidnapped the Goddess Ereshkigal and escaped to the Underworld.”

  Entranced, yet still unsure about the sanity of this ordeal, Reese aptly listened to the fascinating story.

  “The teachings I’ve had were that An, the sky god and Enlil ordered Ereshkigal to the Underworld to be Queen of the House of Death.”

  He sighed. “There have been numerous attempts over the centuries to get her back, but none have been successful. He holds her deep in the bowels of the Underworld. We have no proof that she lives, but the Goddess Inanna will not give up hope.”

  “This is all interesting to be sure, but what does it have to do with me, a twenty-first century archeologist?”

  Dagan caressed her cheek with his fingers. He fought the increasing urges to explore the contours of her face, the nuances of her body. “Enki’s blood flows within you. The power of it pulls at Kur, who is still bent on revenge.”

  Reese shivered. A small whimper left her lips and Dagan pulled her into his arms.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”

  “Will he stop?”

  “No.”

  “Then how will you protect me?” She glided away from him. “You can’t be with me for the rest of my life and he lives on forever.”

  “As do I.”

  Reese shook her head. “I must learn more about Kur and those creatures. I want to know everything.”

  Dagan ran his fingers through his hair. Would she ever stop with the questions?

  “Look.” He held up a hand to cease her litany. “It’s been a long day. I’m sure you’d like to get some rest and I’m beat. How about saving the interrogation until the morning?”

  Her disappointment washed him with a gush of guilt, but it would pass.

  Her eyes were like the lapis lazuli that swirled around the city of his birth. Her unique scent radiated from her skin and mixed with her sex, invading his superior and heightened senses. He closed the distance between them. His body burned with the fury.

  Quick as lightning, he slid his hand under her hair, grabbed the nape of her neck and pulled her lips to his. She moaned.

  Reese broke the kiss. “Stop.”

  He did, but it took great restraint. In an attempt to calm the storm erupting in the cells of his body, Dagan inhaled through his nose, exhaled through his mouth and bore holes in the wall behind where Reese stood.

  Reese readjusted her clothing, which had twisted in his embrace. “I don’t even know you. I’ve let you in my home, although why is anyone’s guess, and you fill my head with fairytales.” She pointed a finger at him. “Despite how intrigued I might be, it doesn’t give you an open invitation to take liberties.”

  Nervous energy ignited her.

  “You’ll leave when the seal is broken, or whatever.” She paced the area behind the sofa. “And—” She stopped and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare touch me again. Are we clear?”

  He leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and crossed his arms. “I agree. We should not touch again. It could be catastrophic.” More for him than her, especially if his people found out.

  “Good,” she said and marched off toward the bedroom.

  Dagan roamed the house checking doors, windows and any other possible entries into the home before settling uncomfortably on the floor with a pillow and blanket Reese had thrown at him.

  He hadn’t slept and all his senses were on alert so he knew when she’d re-entered the room.

  “What happens tomorrow?” She looked at the clock on mantel. “I mean today.”

  “The seal will disappear at sunrise and I will hunt.”

  “Hunt?”

  He sighed. Obviously, his hope for peace until morning was short-lived. He rolled to his side and propped his cheek on his upturned palm. “I w
ill search out Kur’s minions, his watchdogs. They’ll either be sent back to the Underworld or destroyed so they can do you no harm.”

  She shivered. “What will I be doing while you’re hunting?”

  “You’ll stay here and I’ll seal the house again. You’re safe as long as you’re inside.”

  She lifted her brow and her voice. “Uh, no, and I’ll go so far as to say, hell no. I can’t stay here forever and I won’t. I’m meeting my team Monday to start work on a proposal.”

  The determined glint in her eyes told him she was serious and that made him angry. “And what will you do if the death squad manages to get to you and I’m not around?”

  In the dim lighting, he watched her shift from one foot to the other and imagined the wheels turning in her mind.

  “I’ll do what I have to.” Reese rolled her shoulders. “Besides, you can’t be sure how long they’ve been here. For all we know, I’ve been watched for weeks.”

  “Not likely.”

  Planting her hands on her hips she said, “How can you be so sure?”

  He sat up. “Because I would have felt them and been here as well. Kur sends the galla to different breaks on the timeline to search out descendants of the gods. They must have happened on this point in time and sensed your presence.”

  She flicked her wrist as if swatting a gnat. “Regardless, how do I explain you to my colleagues? A big, dark Sumerian warrior following me everywhere I go?” She shook her head. “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’s my bodyguard to save me from the evil Lord of Hell, nothing to be concerned about.”

  The tone of his voice hardened. “Lord of Hell? He would probably like that title.” Dagan glanced toward the window. “I should get ready, dawn will break soon.” He shifted to his hands and knees before unrolling his body to a standing position.

  “Right,” she murmured.

  Dagan zipped his pants and sat to put his boots on.

  “Are you awake yet?” Pyre’s voice echoed in his head.

  “You know I’m awake.” He walked past the window and saw the sun just breaking the horizon. “What do you want?”