“Stop. Tell me the truth, please. What’s going on with the gang and this Set guy?”
He didn’t answer, and then a fog seemed to come over his face. She watched in shock as that ghostly image of a canine superimposed itself over his head, making him look just like one of those Egyptian guys—like that Anubis he’d mentioned. She blinked, hard, but the image remained.
“I am Elite—a Guardian of Anubis. My god’s protector. That is my truth.”
Slowly, the ghostly image faded until only Tariq remained. She hadn’t imagined any of it, though she’d tried to convince herself she had. “Y-you… Your face was…”
“Yes. Myself, the others, we serve Anubis, and as such, we are gifted with his power.”
At the realization, she blanched. “So all that talk about Set and fighting and god games. That was real?”
“Yes, Eden. Very real.” He shook his head. “Set has contacted you. He sent me to bring you back. You and the vial. Where is it? What is it?”
“I don’t know.” She gripped her hands on the table, trying to think. “I make perfumes and soaps for a living. That’s what I do. I swear, the other day was like every other until I saw you guys fighting in the street. You looked familiar to me, and then your friend pulled me out of the car and tried to make me forget.”
“Tried. Yet you have your memories intact.”
“Yes. I’m different, I told you that. I’ve had weird dreams all my life, and I see things that shouldn’t be real.”
After a moment of silence, Tariq asked, “How old are you, Eden?”
“Ah, random, but okay. I’m twenty-four.”
He stared into her eyes. “I think you are much older than that.”
“What?”
“Ludos Deorum brings together many gods from many worlds. We play on the mortal plane to keep things even. And our kind, those of us who are not mortal, can usually recognize one another. But there are some mortals who live between worlds. Born here, but with ties to another plane.
“You, I think, are one such person. There is so much life in your eyes, a history of a past you do not seem to know yet you dream of.”
She felt herself nodding. “That makes an odd kind of sense. I always thought I was psychic, but I think it’s more than that.”
He looked at her coffee cup, and it slid across the table to him. To her astonishment, the pot of coffee suddenly rose in the air and refilled her cup. Then the creamer and sugar added themselves to her cup before a spoon magically stirred it.
The cup slid back to her, and he just raised a brow, as if to say, See what I can do?
“You?”
He nodded. “Mind magic is one of my talents. My strength and healing are gifts Anubis bestowed upon me—on all his Elite. He is a great and loving god.”
“Not like this Set guy.”
He frowned.
“You don’t seem to like him, so why are you going to bring me to him?” That didn’t seem right.
“You and the vial,” he corrected.
“What vial? And don’t think I don’t know you changed the subject. But we’ll get back to that,” she promised, not sure what she felt when he smiled at her again. He didn’t seem to be laughing at her. Rather she’d swear she saw approval. “I think I might have made whatever was in that vial. Elixir of Life, you called it. But I don’t know how I made it or where it is.” She remembered part of that odd dream. “I think he wanted me to give it to him. I was holding it, but I knew if he got it, bad things would happen. Then, I don’t know, I felt someone helping me. Set tried to force me to give it to him, but…”
“What?” He leaned closer, and she knew.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You helped me refuse him.”
He frowned. “I did not.”
“I felt it.” She put her hand over her heart. “It was you.”
He stared at her hand, and his eyes widened. Tariq put his hand over hers, and energy surged between them. Eden swore she could feel him inside her, a living, breathing, conjoining of souls.
“Ah, Rehema. You have always had my heart. But never as you do now.” He pulled her hand from her heart and gripped her tight. “I had always wondered how Set hid his theft from Anubis.”
“I’m so confused.” And shaken. She’d swear she’d felt Tariq to her toes. It was real. All of it. She didn’t know what to think.
“I have been in service since I passed my twentieth cycle and my father sacrificed me to Set. Set, in turn, gave me to his son, Anubis. I didn’t mind going because my father was a terrible zealot who did horrible things in Set’s name. My life with Anubis has been a gift.” His gaze roamed over hers lovingly. “Not only do I guard Anubis, I protect the innocent and the precious dead. Duat, our afterlife, is a place of great learning, of living in a state beyond the mortal.”
“Heaven.”
“Of a sort. Not a Christian heaven, but an afterlife all the same.” Tariq rubbed her palm with his thumb, and she started to relax, sharing his warmth. “My father would not stop his incessant bragging and praying. He called to Set, and as Set’s devoted servant, he had the god’s ear. There was a prophecy, and my father read me into it. I guess Set saw something too because he realized that if given over to the darkness, my power, combined with the blood of Anubis, could one day rip through worlds.
“You see, the gods can do many things, but to protect the universe, there are laws even the gods cannot break. They use us, those of magic, and mortals to do their bidding.”
“Like you being here for the God Games.”
He nodded. “Exactly. When Set demanded I serve him, I refused. My soul belongs to Anubis. So Set took a piece of me. My Ib—my heart.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Each soul has five parts: the heart, the shadow, the name, the personality, and your vital essence—that which gives you life. Set took my Ib, chaining a piece of my will to him. This is forbidden since I am bound to Anubis, yet he did it anyway. I have always wondered why Anubis never corrected this.”
“Why didn’t you just tell him?” She felt for him, having to deal with Set. That guy had an oily feel to him she didn’t like. At all.
“I was put under a spell that will not allow me or anyone close to me to tell my god. No one may speak of my punishment.”
“Punishment?”
His face blanked, and she had a bad feeling Set didn’t just pull Tariq’s strings for fun. “Tariq?”
“Set enjoys both mental and physical torture. But it is of no consequence, as I heal quickly. Our problem is that you made something Set wants. Where is the vial? Do not fear I will hand it over to him. But, at some point, he will come looking for it, and I must protect you.” He put his hand over her chest. “You, Rehema, are my heart.”
After a moment, she realized what he meant. “Oh no. No. You can’t mean…”
“Yes, dearest. My heart has always beaten for you, but now it beats in you.” He smiled. “We are truly one.”
Chapter Six
“I have your heart in me?” she whispered, in shock. No wonder she’d felt so connected to him. Relieved the closeness made sense, she was also saddened to know their relationship had been created by magic, not any real feeling.
“Yes.” Tariq didn’t seem upset at all.
“Why aren’t you trying to dig it back out? Can I give you your heart back?”
He shook his head. “The Ib is not the actual organ. My physical heart beats. Feel.” He held her hand to his chest, where she felt his heart beat. “The Ib is my heart’s essence. And it has been yours since the day we first met.”
“Yesterday?”
“No. You don’t remember, but you will. I fear Set had a hold on you as well, and he’s been keeping you in hand for some reason. Perhaps to create the Elixir he wants.”
“I’m still not sure where it is.” She put her hands over her chest, wanting to feel him there. “Why did you call me Rehema?”
He pulled her close and kissed he
r, and she felt tears stream down her cheeks. Grief, triumph, fear, joy. All of his emotions surged through her, and she felt their hearts beat as one inside her.
“Set has much to answer for, making me forget so much. But now, looking at you, I see. I remember.”
Strangely, she was starting to as well.
“You were a young girl of just sixteen cycles when we met over a common well in Asyut. Your eyes were like rich pools of honey, and I offered to carry your water for you back to your family. We fell in love. You had such wonderful dreams of what our life would be. Of strange and wonderful things like boxes that talked, travel by winged construct, knowledge at the touch of a button.”
Her eyes widened.
“Yes, even then you were a dreamer.”
“Set calls me halimah. That means dreamer.” It all made a weird kind of sense.
“Yes. When I say you had my heart, I meant it. I love you, have always loved you.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Your true name is Rehema. The name of your first birth. Your memories of the past are gone but for dreams, yet the love we shared is there. I remember you.”
“I…remember you too. Meeting by the well. You tricking me into walking back with you. You always were a schemer.” She’d loved him so much once, and even now felt a pull toward him. But loving someone she didn’t know…knew…think she knew? “This is so confusing.”
“I know.” He stroked her cheek. “But the truth is Set took my Ib and hid it in you, knowing I would never do anything to harm you to get it back. I will always be less than truly whole without you.”
She felt terrible “I’m so sorry, Tariq.”
He laughed, surprising her. “Sorry? For what? For bringing me to life again? Rehema, I—”
“My name is Eden,” she said softly, and his smile faded. “I know I was once Rehema. But now… I’m not that girl anymore. I haven’t been for a very long time.”
“Yes, you are right, but—” Tariq paused and scowled.
“Tariq?”
“I have thought of something. Wait here.” He rushed from the room and returned with two of his men. “This is Mbizi, and this is Asim. Mbizi, look at her.”
She felt on display but didn’t shy away when the large Mbizi drew her to her feet and stared into her eyes.
“I begin to understand. The Elixir… It makes sense now.”
“Asim?” Tariq asked.
Asim moved to her and put his head to her chest. “Ah, I hear your Ib, Tariq. And something else.” He stared at Tariq with an odd look Eden didn’t understand.
Apparently Tariq did, for he paled. “Something else?”
Asim straightened and gave her an apologetic nod. “Yes.” Then he shocked her by going to one knee. Mbizi did the same.
“Um, Tariq?”
He looked strained but pleased. “They show you their respect.”
“And obedience to the mate of our leader.”
She watched them get to their feet, smile, and speak to Tariq in another language then leave with another bow in her direction.
Then what they’d said hit her. “Wait. What’s this about being your mate?”
Poor Rehema—Eden. His mate had been taking the news of so much change so well. Explaining to her right now that not only had they mated, he’d impregnated her, would not help her remain calm.
A child.
He quivered with joy, his jackal beyond thrilled to have found not only the rest of his soul, but the perfect companion for all eternity. One doomed by ties to a brutal god, a curse, and a lifetime of penance, but hey, at least they’d connected.
He led her to the bed and sat next to her, keeping a hand on her knee because he was unable to stop touching her. “Eden, we have little time before Set returns. I would that you know the truth.” Or as much of it as you can handle right now.
She nodded, looking so lost and vulnerable his heart melted inside her. “I have been empty without you these many years. Though you are Eden Dixon, a mortal woman of this plane, you are also the soul I cannot do without. I pledge myself to you. For always. You do not know me, and I do not know you as Eden, but we are meant to be together.”
“I, well, this is so incredible.”
“I know. We have nothing but time to learn each other. I only ask you to give me a chance. I love you.”
She looked scared, and he couldn’t blame her.
“I will never force from you that which you would hold back. We will take things between us slowly.” Time to tell her another hard truth. “I fear that perhaps in my zeal to connect with you last night, I mated you. I had not meant to, but I cannot be sorry it happened.” He moved his hand from her knee to her soft palm and gripped her tight.
“Mated. What does that mean, exactly?” Her hands were cold, so he took them in his and kissed them, warming them with his breath.
“It means I will never stray from you. You are my life. My duty is to you first, Anubis second.”
She stared at him. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
She chewed her lip. “I’ve never had anyone be with me like that.”
“Love you like that. Because I do.” He stared into her eyes, willing her to believe it. “You said you have no family here. No close friends either?”
“I have some friends.” She sighed. “But no, no one close. I like my life, but it’s nothing special, I guess.”
“You are more than special. And now you have a family and friends who will care for you. Me and my brethren. We are your family.”
“Oh, Tariq. I just don’t know…”
“Accept my truth, even if you do not yet know your own.”
She watched him, her eyes troubled. When she finally nodded, he let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Anubis.”
“About that… You’ve lived for a long time. How long exactly?”
He shrugged. Time ran differently in Duat. “Two thousand years? Yet the Underworld’s concept of time and the mortal world are different, so I cannot be sure. Perhaps twice that?”
She gaped at him. “You’re an old man.”
He chuckled.
“But Tariq, I’m human. I’ll have maybe another sixty years, if I’m lucky.”
“You have lived many lifetimes, never aware of any other except through dreams. But now you’ll have me to remind you. Once Anubis hears of Set’s treachery, you can be by my side, in Duat or here. We will have many lifetimes together.”
“You mean, like this?” She looked at them. “Won’t I get old?”
“You will stay as you are from the moment Anubis kisses you. The power in you, from my heart and your dreaming, will stay. I know this is much to ask, but will you accept your place by my side? At least think about it?”
“I’ll do nothing but think about it. But how are you going to tell Anubis about Set if that spell is over you and the others?”
“That presents a problem,” he admitted. “But nothing we cannot work out. Together we are strong, habibti.” He kissed her, his heart so full he thought he might burst. Their problems seemed insurmountable, but with Eden at his side, they could move mountains.
Mbizi raced into the room. “Tariq, we have a problem.”
Tariq stood, but no way was Eden letting her “beloved” go anywhere without her. She had his heart, and though it made no sense at all, somehow he had hers too. She loved the big guy, though she couldn’t have said what his favorite food was, whether he slept on the left side or the right, or whether he preferred cats to dogs. Head of a jackal—probably dogs.
Crazy seemed to be her middle name lately.
“I’m coming with you, so don’t even think about telling me to stay behind.”
He frowned but tugged her by the hand with him. They followed Mbizi down a long hall into what looked like a large war room. Maps of the city, colored pins, and terrain replicas littered several tables.
Tariq gave her a quick introduction to his men. The handsome one who’d tried to brainwa
sh her was Hasani, the mischievous guy who’d been first in the shower was Asim. Mbizi and Manu looked alike but apparently weren’t brothers, and Chig—short for Chigaru—seemed busy interrogating a beautiful woman wearing a sneer.
“Okay, I think I understand what the Elixir is,” Mbizi was saying. “From what Lowe mentioned I—”
“Lowe?” she interrupted.
“The beautiful elf over there. Or should I say valkyrie? They all look alike to me,” Hasani explained with a smile. The woman flipped him the finger, and he laughed. “Isn’t she cute? I caught her giving some Dogs the slip a few blocks over, and what do you know? She’s trying to convince me someone on our team cheated, is about to get a sure-death, and that Anubis is disqualified from the games.”
Mbizi groaned. “Yeah, there’s that.”
Lowe tried to walk around Chig, but he wouldn’t let her pass.
Eden stared at the woman. She was tall but slender, with honey-brown hair and bright blue eyes that couldn’t possibly be real. Her hair shifted, and Eden swore she saw pointed ears. “Wait. Elf? Valkyrie? You mean, like Odin’s handmaidens?”
“Totally not a handmaiden, and not Odin’s either.” Lowe snorted and gave Eden a onceover. “So you’re the one who’s sending Anubis into a timeout. Not bad. You have pretty big balls for a human.” Lowe’s eyes narrowed. “Then again, not so human, are you?”
“What?” After all she’d been through in the last two days, now she wasn’t human? She turned to Tariq. “Is this because we mated?”
He slapped his hand over his eyes and looked to be in pain.
Chig nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Congrats, T. Now can we please find a way to tell Anubis Set’s been fucking with you? You have to protect your mate, especially since she’s—”
“Not now,” Tariq roared, and even Lowe looked taken aback. “Chig, not another word. Mbizi, explain our situation.”
Eden wanted to know what had suddenly put him into a lather, but Mbizi’s explanation distracted her.
“The Elixir of Life really is a cheat. That vial Eden made was only possible because she’s in her forty-first conversion.”
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