Soul Awakened

by Jean Murray

  Her cream shirt clung to her breasts and a small amount of her white lace bra peeked out. His gaze followed the delicate curve of her shoulder to her narrow waist and round hips. The clothing did not detract from the beauty hidden beneath her clothes.

  Breathtakingly beautiful.

  His gaze settled on her lips. He remembered how they quivered in fear of him. And here she was? A total conundrum. To be so small, but so brave and vulnerable at the same time. He accused her at being daft and silly, but he realized that was not the case at all. Naive— absolutely, but there was something brewing underneath this deceptively small human. A suppressed and muted power to match her bravery, waiting for the right trigger to flourish and bloom.

  The three females had to be extremely important to safeguard in the Underworld. “What are you?” he asked quietly. He could not resist the urge to brush his thumb over her pink lips. She moaned softly and parted her lips against the pad of his thumb.

  “Isis,” he cursed. He should have a raging hard-on right now, considering the mental pictures of her sucking his thumb into her mouth between those soft plump lips. That part of him was disconnected and lifeless, but that did not mitigate the desire in his chest. To taste her would be extraordinary.

  He had never spent the night with a woman without having sex. What was the purpose otherwise? The fact that Kendra still had her clothes on was a first in his long history of fulfilling his urges.

  He rolled onto his back, careful not to disturb his sleeping beauty. Sex had gotten him into trouble in the first place. His memories were fragmented at best, but one assaulted his mind in clear detail.

  Five years ago, Kepi had weaved her way into his father’s bed. Charges had been levied against her from the Creation Pantheon. Kepi had pleaded her innocence and Asar had ignored her infractions in favor of fulfilling his own dark hunger. His father was not the only one who had fallen into her clutches. Kepi played them all. All but Nebt, who warned them against her.

  When Asar was not around, Kepi’s displays of affection toward Bakari had increased over time to the point she touched him in places that could not be mistaken for anything else but sexual. At that point he should have stopped her or told his father, but he wanted her and what she could offer him. Bondage. S&M. Ménages. Everything his father had, he wanted for himself.

  How sorry was he for that now.

  He knew Kepi was wicked, but he had been mistaken to think that he could handle her and still get what he wanted. He tried to play her game, but she was so much better at it than he, weaving her darkness into his soul and pitting him against his father and the others. She had whispered in his ear how much better he was than his father. He should rule the Underworld. Her plan worked seamlessly. He did not realize how deeply he had fallen until the day he attacked and almost killed Asar, turning his power against the man who had given it to him.

  If Bomani had not interceded, his father would have very well been dead. He had betrayed his father on a level that he could not recover, but he saved his ass by claiming he was innocently seduced. No one disbelieved his claim, except for one. His brother.

  Bomani wore his integrity, like a badge of honor on his skin in the form of his scarified tattoos. His brother had always seen Bakari for what he really was— flawed and corrupt. Bakari used Kepi as an excuse to exert it. Funny how it took five years of torture to see what Bomani saw so clearly. Now his inflated narcissism was nothing but a pit of self-hatred.

  He looked over at Kendra who exuded a purity that healed his body, fed his soul and inner beast. A purity and second chance he was unworthy of receiving. No matter how much he wished to kiss her lips, caress her body, and wake with her in his bed every morning, it was not going to happen. Ever. Jealousy rose in his chest. Someone else would have the chance to love her and not him. He laid a hand over his heart, astonished he would feel such a thing for a human he barely knew. Did he simply love the idea of her?

  Did it really matter?

  The end would be the same. He prayed whoever she fell in love with would be worthy of such a gift.

  He swallowed against the dryness of his throat. A gnawing cramp developed again just below his ribcage. The sound of Kendra’s heartbeat pounded in his ears, calling to him. He quickly extracted his arm from under her head and rolled his feet onto the floor. He needed more wine. He growled and pushed himself toward the bathroom to create some distance between him and his fetish. He hated how it always hit him out of nowhere. There was never a gradual build up. No, it came like a punch to the gut.

  He stared at the reflection in the mirror above the sink. His black shirt stretched tight against his chest, as if it had shrunk overnight. The short sleeves wrapped snug around his bulging biceps. Kendra’s energy healed him completely. His eyes still retained the silver cast and probably would remain that way. A constant reminder of his captivity.

  He filled the sink with cold water and splashed his face. With his hand cupped he brought some water to his mouth to drink. The coldness traveled down his throat into the pit of his stomach. Pain shot through his belly. He groaned and grasped his hand over his now ridged abdomen. A wall of sweet nectar hit his senses and knocked him off balance. He leaned forward against the sink.

  “Are you okay?”

  Bakari ran his tongue over the tips of his incisors that had punched through his gums. He cursed low and hard. “You need to leave.” He gripped the edge of the sink so hard the black marble cracked along the edge. Her scent did not dissipate quickly enough. His gaze snapped to the reflection in the mirror. She hesitated at the door, concern filling her wide brown eyes. “Now!” Before he did something he would regret.

  She recoiled. Her large bouncy curls fanned out in a circle when she turned on her heels. He leaned his heavy forearms on the sink and grabbed his head in his hands.

  Hurry, my butterfly. Fly fast.

  The next groan evolved into a deep growl. His predatory urges took control. He pushed away from the sink and headed to intercept her. His beastly hunger drove him, despite him willing himself to stop. Desperate, he threw his arms out against the archway walls and locked his elbow. The jolt sent shards of pain into his shoulders.

  Kendra stopped at the chaise to collect her book and took a couple steps to the door.

  His arms shook under the strain. His beast demanded he feed and he could not refuse it. She was not going to make it. He hissed through bared teeth.

  “Get out.”

  She flinched but kept moving. Thankfully, she kept her eyes on the door. If she looked up, she would see the monster he truly was and would always be.

  The door parted and she left the monster to his cell.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Bomani stared at Bakari’s door for hours. It took all his restraint not to bust through the barrier between him and Kendra. The fear of what he might see kept him parked on the far wall. He needed to respect Kendra’s privacy, if he was ever to obtain her trust. No matter how much it killed him to sit idle. He relieved the body guard who had been assigned to Kendra. The guardian should have never let her go in there by herself.

  A soft click of the door handle drew his gaze up. Kendra slipped out the door with a heavy book in her hand. She pulled the door shut. When she turned around and made eye contact she jumped. The book slipped from her grasp. He caught the book mid-fall.

  “Hi,” she said, shyly and then glanced at the door. She diverted her eyes, in a failed attempt to hide her anxiety. She smiled quickly and accepted the book from him.

  An agonizing bellow resonated through the door. Startled, she grabbed his arms. Bomani immediately pushed her behind him for a minute before pulling her away.

  “What is going on?” He tried not to make it obvious he was scanning her body for injuries or, gods forbid, bite marks.

  “I think you need to help him. He won’t let me. He told me to get out.” She inhaled a breath and blew it out. “He looked,” she swallowed nervously and then continued, “different.”
r />   It could only mean one thing. The beast they all carried had come to the surface in a fit of blood lust. It was a miracle that his brother had not fed from her thus far. He had plenty of opportunity to do so. Bomani looked Kendra in the eyes. The brown pools reflected anxiousness, not fear. She had been in his room for over eight hours. Sleeping, no doubt based on the wrinkle of her clothes. He looked at the door. If Bakari wanted to hurt her, he would have done it already. His brother must have sensed the blood lust coming on and ordered her out before he lost control.

  “Listen. Go to your room and wait. I will check on Bakari and then come see you after. Okay?” He raised his hand and gently brushed her cheek with his fingers. The gesture seemed to reassure her. She nodded and proceeded down the hallway. She looked once before opening her door and disappearing behind the ornamental door.

  Bomani hesitated at the entrance to Bakari’s room. He had to dig deep to find the empathy needed to walk through those doors, let alone rip them from their mounts. Not bothering to knock, he pushed the large door open. One of the guards had told him earlier that Bakari had made it half way to the dining room before retreating to his room. Bomani ground his molars together when he saw the twisted sheets on the bed. He tried to tell himself she slept on the couch, but somehow with his brother he knew better.

  He took several long strides into the center of the room. Inside the bathroom, Bakari leaned on hands and knees with one arm clutched around his gut.

  Bakari growled and flashed his fangs.

  Unimpressed, Bomani crossed his arms over his chest. “What are we going to do with you, brother?”

  Bakari’s dilated pupils eclipsed his silver irises. His brother rose to his feet.

  Shocked, Bomani uncrossed his arms. Bakari’s muscle mass had return, filling out his once sunken chest and abdomen. “What the hell?”

  His brother sneered, exposing his razor sharp teeth. “Care to take a shot at me now?”

  Bomani raised his hands, signaling a truce. “I am not here to fight you.”

  “Funny. You had no problem hitting me when I could barely stand.”

  Bomani bared his own teeth in a flare of protectiveness. He jabbed his finger at his brother. “You were going to hurt her and I could not let you do that.”

  His brother recoiled slightly and his sneer flattened which only validated Bomani’s suspicions. Bakari turned away from him and leaned his hands against the wall and knocked his head against the hard stone.

  “Do you really think I want to?”

  “No, brother. I do not. You have shown extraordinary restraint considering.”

  “It will not go away on its own.”

  Bomani looked at the floor. No, it would not go away. Not until his brother had his fill of his craving. Most did not recover from the beast’s control and had to be put down. Asar had succumbed on the battlefield at Thebes. Bound as mates, Lilly’s energy had sated his hunger. Bomani feared it would be the same for Bakari. Who was he fooling? He knew Bakari would need Kendra’s blood and only hers. The blood-bond would insist on it.

  Over five thousand years ago their creator gave birth to the Underworld gods. The creator started with the heart of a blood and fire demon, surrounded it with basic earthly elements and mixed it with the primordial waters of the Underworld. Unlike their upper world cousins, the Creation gods, who expelled their gift of life, the Underworld gods consumed it. They absorbed the souls of the dead, energy and life brought into their bodies to feed their power. It was their curse, their burden.

  The living energy of a soul was one of the most powerful pills for an Underworld god. It created a balance between life and death, a constant cycle. Despite their mutual distaste, they needed the Creation gods, as much as their cousins needed them.

  There was only one other source as powerful as a human soul—blood. Blood carried the food and nutrition that fed and sustained the elemental and spiritual beginnings. Without it humans could not sustain life. It varied on the god, but they all craved these energies to fulfill their role in the Underworld pantheon and maintain balance in the world.

  Bomani walked over to the bed and sat on its edge. He could smell Kendra’s sweet scent on the sheets. He tried not to think about the possibilities.

  Bakari pushed off the wall and turned to face him with his hand clenched across his abdomen. “Can you send one of the women from the camp? The thirst is unbearable.”

  “I could, but it will not help.”

  “My torture was not enough for you. You wish to punish me more? Is that it, brother?”

  Bomani wished it was that easy. He would gladly take the blame rather than expose Kendra to all of this. “Do you have any memories of your release?” He looked up and made eye contact with Bakari.

  “What the hell does that have to do with this?”

  “It has everything to do with this,” Bomani barked. He rose from the bed and started to pace. He wanted to punch his brother in the face again. The asshole did not remember how he forever changed Kendra’s life, binding her to him.

  Finally he stopped and stared Bakari in the face. “Kendra used her blood to awaken you.”

  Bakari blinked a few times, as if rewinding his memories to that very moment. Bomani did not wait for his recollection to kick in. “Your life is bound to hers.”

  “I know that.” His brother looked to the floor and furrowed his brow. Much to Bakari’s surprise, there was a significant amount of pain in his silver gaze.

  “You remember. Give it a minute, it only gets better.”

  “Five years,” Bakari whispered.

  Bomani pinned his brother against the wall. Bakari gave no resistance.

  “Why did you do it?” Bomani slammed his forearm into his brother’s chest. “Tell me what happened in that cell.”

  “They were demons. Only demons.”

  “The hell they were. They had names I think you might be familiar with. Ari. Saben. Rie.”

  “Shut your gods damn mouth.” Bakari slammed his fists into Bomani’s chest. Bomani staggered, but returned and grabbed his brother by the shirt.

  “What happened with Kendra?”

  “Get the hell away from me.” Bakari gripped Bomani’s wrists and squeezed.

  “No,” Bomani growled. “I want you to remember every gods damn bit of this. Do you think it is a coincidence that your thirst strikes when she is around?”

  “Get off of me.”

  “She carries your mark, brother. Your mark.”

  “What?” Bakari released Bomani’s wrists. The stunned look told Bomani his brother retained no memory of the event. Bakari shook his head. “No. You are mistaken.”

  “Oh, I wish I were. You claimed her in that cell.”

  Bakari’s legs crumpled beneath him and he slid the length of the wall. “No. I could never hurt her like that. I know you think of me as an animal, but I would never. It is not possible.”

  Bomani crouched. “If I thought you raped her, you would be dead already.”

  “My blood?” Bakari groaned.

  “Your blood. Why?”

  “I hate you.” Bakari grabbed his head. “Everything is a gods damn blur.”

  “Why?”

  “She was dead, killed with the others. When she took a breath I panicked. Afraid she would leave me with Kepi.” His brother hung his head between his knees.

  Bomani rose to his feet and walked a few steps away. Isis! What the hell was he doing? He treated his brother with cruelty. And for what, because he was jealous? He prided himself on his integrity and honor. He showed no honor here today. His brother had awoken confused and afraid for his life. Kendra was his only link to reality. Would he of acted any different in those circumstances? Probably not.

  “Bakari, I am sorry.”

  “Leave.”

  “I came here to help you and I…” Bomani shook his head. “I want to help.”

  “I do not require your assistance or anyone else.”

  “Is there something I can get you
?”

  “Get out.”

  Bomani walked to the door and yanked it open.

  “Bomani.”

  Bomani turned to see his brother standing in the center of the room. His shoulders slumped forward and his expression flat.

  “Tell Kendra never to come back here.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Bomani closed the door behind him and almost knocked over the servant bringing Bakari’s meal. He grabbed the crafts of wine before they tipped over and spilled. “Sorry.”

  The servant rebalanced the tray and smiled. “No, excuse me.”

  “May I carry that in for you?” Bomani asked politely.

  “No, Commander. I can manage. Would you be so kind as to open the door?”

  Bomani gratefully obliged. It gave him the excuse to check on his brother. He walked in to find the main room empty. His brother must have retired to the bathroom after he left. The young blonde girl set the tray on the table, arranged the plate for presentation and folded the napkin at precise right angles. She poured the wine without spilling a drop and set the other crafts on the bar located against the far wall. Oddly, there was more wine than food.

  She exited as quickly as she entered. “Have a glorious evening, Commander.”

  Bomani stiffly returned the courtesy. “And you.” He never felt comfortable in the palace. Too many protocols. Despite his title as Commander of the legion, he would forever be a warrior.

  Although he achieved his goal of mitigating the risk to Kendra, he felt horrible the way he had done it. He beat himself up, thinking of the different ways he should have handled it.

  At Kendra’s door he took a breath and blew it out. How the hell was he going to tell her? The truth, idiot. Lilly did not want to upset her, but ignorance was not always bliss. Especially, if it meant Kendra might get hurt.

  He knocked lightly on the door and waited. After a couple minutes with no response, he knocked again. He risked breaching her privacy and pushed open the door.