by Jean Murray
“There is more to humanity than what you have seen at night,” she said in a low voice infused with warmth. He followed her gaze to a couple sitting on a bench. The male pulled out a small box and dropped to his knee. The woman covered her gaping mouth with her hands. Tears welled in the female’s eyes before the male slipped a ring on her finger. On the far side of the park young men threw a disk in the air while young girls giggled from an adjacent picnic table. Smiles shown on all of their faces.
“I come here when I need to be reminded.”
Bomani focused his gaze on Siya’s face. Her eyes brightened, the shadows underneath them disappeared, replaced by a slight crease at the corner when she smiled. Her beauty and grin grew with every burst of laughter.
“Is this why you go to the diner?” he asked against her ear.
Those intelligent green eyes pegged him. He thought she would deny it based on the look on her face, but she nodded. “They are good people with pure hearts struggling like me to find what is right with the world. They have more reason to turn their backs on humanity, but they do not. They fight for it in the face of poverty and hard times. How can I, a god, turn my back on them?”
How indeed? His gaze wandered over her face. Such a complex female. Honorable. Beautiful. Deadly. He was not sure the order of those qualities, but it made her all the more desirable. Not that she was short on attributes in the first place. Her eyes strayed to his lips and then turned back to face the frolicking humans. He tracked her sharp cheekbone, the brush of her long eyelashes against her cheeks when she blinked. The twitch of her lips when she spied the children. He shifted so his chest touched her back.
She glanced at him from the side. “Care for your first lesson?” She stepped back until she molded into him. “Hold here. Do not let go or you will regret it,” she said, slipping his hands to her flat stomach.
He grasped her slim but solid waist. She tilted her head so he looked over her shoulder. Her aura filled his lungs.
“We have to be careful not to draw too much of it in. Understand?”
He nodded but honestly did not hear the words. The press of her body distracted him from everything else around him. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her mouth close enough for him to capture.
“Close your eyes,” she whispered.
He complied. Hell, he would have streaked naked through the sun if she asked.
“Listen.”
The blare of the nearby traffic irritated his senses. He scrunched his eyes. “What am I supposed to hear exactly?”
“Focus on your power, warrior.
“Oh, that?”
She jabbed him in the side.
He grunted.
“If you are not going to take this seriously, we can just go back.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to his chest. “Powers, right.”
She settled back against him again. “You absorb energy, but have you ever taken the time to hear it?”
He opened his eyes. “Hear it?” In all his years he never heard life. It was just a food source and a means to bolster his strength. “I am not much of a conversationalist.”
“No kidding.”
He could get used to her sarcasm, especially if it came with the smile. How did she find the means to feel such positive energy after all that had happened to her? After he had found her the way he did, harming herself to silence the pain. “Let us just get on with this,” he grumbled and closed his eyes. He tugged her hips against him, frustrated and exhilarated by this entire situation developing between them.
“Relax.” Her voice softened to almost a whisper. She rubbed her hands up and down his arms. “Breathe.”
“I do not need too.”
“Just do it,” she growled.
The edges of his mouth twitched into a smile. Her frustration made him chuckle. He breathed in deeply. His chest rubbed against her back. He turned into her neck and exhaled. The shiver coursed down her spine and resonated through his grip on her waist.
“Better?” She cleared her throat.
The heat against his chest intensified. “Much.”
“Quiet your mind and body. Focus inward.”
His mind was quiet. His body, not so much.
“Open yourself, if you have to, focus on my energy. I can buffer it. Do not absorb the energy, just listen.”
“Okay.” He was not sure what that meant, but he opened his power and searched for living energy. Plentiful, it was hard to focus on just one. In the chaos of the competing signatures, he found hers. Warm and smooth, it was hard not to taste just a little.
A throb sounded in his ears. Regular and even, Siya’s heartbeat washed over him. It unsettled him, the feelings she stirred in his chest. Nor did he trust himself not to hurt her. Forcing another breath, he nestled against her neck, unable to resist the contact nor the deep hunger burning in his chest.
“Listen,” she whispered breathlessly.
He would rather chase her energy. Selfishly he probed deeper and slipped closer to the source. She arched back into him. He slipped his hand up her shirt just underneath her breasts.
“Bomani,” she gasped. “This is not the time.”
He knew what he wanted. His power wrapped around her soul. Her darker side resonated with him the minute their energies touched. The lighter side burned his senses. The pounding in his ears gave way to a melody, like crystals vibrating with the passing breeze. Struck by its beauty he paused, soaking it into his soul. His whole body cloaked in warm bliss.
Siya squirmed against him. “Stop.”
Coldness slammed against his hold. Unwilling to give up what he had found, he tightened his grip on her with a shocking amount of possessiveness. Images of her memories flashed in his head.
“Stop!” Siya yelled. He slammed back into the tree with the thrust of her legs. She shifted their energies and dematerialized. When he solidified she broke his hold and stumbled forward in the darkened room. “Let go.” She gasped and clutched her left chest.
The agony of her face forced his reluctance away. He closed the connection and felt the sear of pain when he did so. Was he destined to hurt every female in his life? “This was a bad idea.”
“Bomani.” She grasped his arm.
He looked down, hating himself for getting so caught up in her. What in duat was he doing anyway?
“Listen, you did not know.” She touched his chest. “You have your father’s gift.”
“And which one is that?” He could not help but sound irritated.
“To take a soul.”
He stared at her, not sure if he heard her correctly. Yes, Asar judged souls before granting them access to the underworld. Bomani had stood guard through many trials. He never asked how his father knew a soul was worthy. Why would his father give him this gift? Bomani frowned, realizing he would never be able to ask.
“You will need to be careful.”
“Did I hurt you?” he asked. His eyes roamed her face, looking for any indication of instability or weakness.
“My soul is not a place you should be,” she said, looking everywhere but in his eyes.
He stepped away, so her hand slipped off of his chest. She distracted him so easily. “Can I use it against Nebt?”
“You must not.”
“What good is a gift that I cannot use?” Bomani growled.
She pursued him. “Never ever do it, Bomani. You would carry her soul within yours. Only the Devourer can consume the evil held within. Not even your father would dare such a thing. This is why the Mevt daggers exist.”
The Mevt daggers belonged to his brother Bakari. Asar was the judge. Bakari, the executioner. The god of death had the power to kill gods with a mere slice of the blade to a god’s heart. The dagger’s spell would separate the god’s power from his soul. Kamen, Bomani’s uncle, had the horrible chore of consuming the condemned soul. Once the process was complete, the god’s spirit was banished to Duat. “How do you know so much about this anyway?�
�� Very few knew of the secrets of the Underworld.
“I made it my business to know.” She scratched the scarab mark on her neck.
Her statement brought him back to the stark reality of their situation. It would be in Siya’s nature to know her enemy. This was what awaited her, if Bast ever got her hands on her.
“You have a great power, but promise me you will not touch Nebt or my father’s souls.”
Or yours, he mused, considering how hard she had fought him. He crossed his arms over his chest. He was not giving up his sole weapon against Nebt.
“Promise me,” she demanded.
Even in the dark her eyes paled to the lightest green. He had seen the blight clouding the otherwise brilliance of her soul. He sensed her fear when he got close to it. Memories he had almost seen. “Tell me what you are hiding and you have my word.”
“Blackmail and extortion will not work on me,” she said, ice coating her words. “We are here to train you to use your powers. Not dissect my soul, a place you breached without my permission.”
“I think I more than deserve to know what is going on with you. Whether you like it or not we are in this together.” He tapped his chest. “What happens to you affects me and vice versa. You may not want this link, but right now it is all we have until we find that gods’ damn book.” His anger boiled and rolled in his chest. Time ticked against them.
Bast, Menthu, Nebt and the siravants were the tightly woven threads in the noose around their necks. The cord dug into his last nerve as the inevitable inched closer. Bomani could not, would not accept the outcome.
The outcome where he would lose Siya forever.
* * *
Siya heard Bomani’s words, sensed the fury across the bond to her soul. He had done more for her than anyone in her life. Had been there in her darkest moments and still came back for more. Everything she dreamed of was standing right in front of her. She wanted the bond. Wanted him. Wanted a life filled with love, but she had no idea how to make that happen. The world hung over her, ready to crush all those dreams the minute she dare hope.
Unlike her, Bomani had his family waiting for him. She doubted Asar would not forgive his own son. Her sins would not be so easily forgotten. Bomani would hate her once he knew.
“You are right. I owe you much. I have something else to show you. Maybe then it will all make sense.” It was a small gesture, but it was all she had to share with him. She had nothing else to give. “Come.” She held out her hand and waited.
Bomani’s chest rose and fell. His cool breath caressed her face. “Do not hide from me.”
“I will try not to.” In her heart she wanted to be rid of the burden. His large hand enveloped hers. Concentrating, she found the location in her mind. Drawing from the energies around them and from within her soul, she flashed them to the one place she had ever called home.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bomani hurtled the boulders, following Siya along a trail to the other side of the now familiar isle. The black beaches had given way to harsher terrain. They delved deeper into the tropical interior where the volcanic rock jetted up to the sky. Execution’s whinnied protests at being left behind echoed off the canyon walls from the beach.
Siya stopped at the end of a dry riverbed. He followed her gaze up the face of black rock to what looked to be a waterfall at one time. She crouched and leapt to a small shelf of rock overhead.
He landed next to her. “Where are we going?”
“From here we climb,” she said, pointing upward.
The black rock disappeared into the farthest reaches of the sky. The top edge was but a sliver from this vantage point.
“To the top,” she said, grabbing a fist full of rock and propelling herself upward.
He palmed the rock. Its sharp porous surface cut into his calloused palm. He had a feeling his life was about to change, and he was not sure it was for the better. He had asked for Siya’s honesty, but he feared the result. Worse, the two halves of himself were fighting for control.
The answers awaited him at the peak of the mountain. He inhaled deeply, allowing the floral scent of Siya to seep into his lungs. An extraordinary amount of strength infused his muscles, unlike anything he had experienced before. He grabbed a large expanse of rock and hoisted himself up the face.
His movements were smooth and efficient. The heat of the climb loosened the stiffness in his joints. Energy and satisfaction flowed through his body with each foot. The curve of Siya’s ass and strong legs disappeared over the next ledge. Hand over hand against the stone, the burn of his muscles spurred him upward.
He leapt to another face, shortening the distance between them. Despite the pain, he gained satisfaction at the bloody trail he left behind. He hooked his heel over the upper edge and pulled himself up and over.
Siya’s eyes widened.
He seized her before she could get a good hold and pinned her against the rock. “Goddess.” He licked his lips, dying to quench his thirst with the fine sheen covering her graceful neck and shoulders. It was impossible to keep his distance from her.
“Warrior.” Her heated eyes met his and her chest rose and fell rapidly. “Your strength is improving, but you are holding back.”
He had always been in control in everything he had ever done. Control kept him focused on the goal and minimized distractions. At this point in his life, he never felt more out of control. “I thought this was about you, not me.”
“This is about us.”
Us?
“We are in this together then?” He grazed his fingers along the edge of her shirt. His fingers tingled when he contacted his glyph. As alarming as it had been in the beginning, he had grown to appreciate its significance.
“It appears so.” The edges of her lips turned upward but failed to reach her eyes.
He released her, but the narrowness of the shelf limited the space between them. “Where are we going exactly?” There was nothing at the top, just more rocks.
She snaked around his waist, grabbed his shoulders and jumped on his back. He stumbled, his heels skirting the edge. “Fuck.” He grappled for a hold on an outcropping of stone.
“Climb,” she hissed in his ear and cinched her legs tighter around his waist. The heat of her body flared through the fabric of his shirt.
“You are crazy.” He grabbed ahold and hefted them both up the side of the mountain. Twenty feet, his foot slipped. He slid and struggled for a sure grip. Snagging a rock, he halted their descent.
“You are thinking like a warrior, muscling things to bend to your way. These rocks do not bend, Bomani.”
“No, kidding.” His arms began to shake.
She leaned in tighter to his back, relieving some of the pressure. Her hand slid over his legion crest. “You are Asar’s son. You may have a warrior’s body, but you were born a god. It is time you started thinking like one.”
Bomani looked at her from the side. “What am I supposed to do exactly?”
“You used your powers once before on me. How did you do it?”
He shifted to lessen the burn of his legs and forearms. “It just happened.”
“It did not just happen. You had to will it.” She looked up. “Focus on what you want and take it.”
He closed his eyes and refocused on his energy and that of the rock. He thrust his legs and reached for the next grip without looking.
“That’s it. Thirty feet to the right,” she whispered against his ear.
Pain screamed through his muscles and bones. Concentrating on the rocks and shifting his weight so as not to lose the precious package clinging to his back, he climbed to a ledge where the stone split open. He dropped to his hands and knees. Siya rolled off and lay on her back next to him.
“Your body did the work, that is why it hurts.”
He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. Fine drops of water settled against his skin. “What is this place? It feels different than the rest of the island.” He lay on his side next to her.<
br />
“In the height of the Egyptian Empire when the humans worshipped us, gods created these realms, each having a sacred core.”
Sitting up, Bomani looked around. A core at the top of a mountain defied the basic definition. The intense energy ran in opposition of the world outside.
Siya stood but had to lean to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. “It is a temple.” She drifted into the darkness.
Bomani hopped to his feet, his muscles clenching in protest. He ran his hand along the ceiling to avoid cracking his head open. In complete darkness, his vision shifted to variations of spectral lights. The walls shimmered with iridescent hues of blues, pinks and yellows. He crouched to duck through the narrow opening.
Beyond the low shelf, the stone opened into a large cavern. Turquoise water fell from an opening in the ceiling into a round shallow pool, surrounded by moss covered rocks. On the opposite side, a basin of black water boiled and heaved at its center. He walked over and dipped his hand in the cool water. “From the Underworld River.”
“Yes.”
Bomani brought the water to his mouth and recited a prayer out of habit before drinking it. Sadness struck him. He missed home.
“You could return,” Siya said, watching him.
“Too much has happened.” Bomani waved his hand through the water. He had lost the respect of the legion. The warriors had pledged their loyalty to his brother, who would no doubt assume Command in Bomani’s absence.
Bomani rose to his feet and scanned the rest of the cavern. A large circular stone sat in the center of the room. Carved deeply in its center was the All Seeing Eye surrounded by a four pointed star.
“A compass?” he asked, drawing closer to the object. The energy in its center pulled on his soul.
“What else do you see?” Siya asked and stepped next to him. Her skin glowed and her green eyes shimmered with a silvery light.
Bomani directed his gaze downward. Two of the four points pointed to the pools. At the northern apex the sound of wind whistled through holes in the stone. The southern expanse was filled with sand and rock. “The elements. Earth, wind, water.” He stared at the underworld waters.