by Jean Murray
Asar turned back to the ledge only to see it empty.
He swore in his ancient language and moved quickly to the next level, hoping to pick up her heat trail. After several empty rooms, he moved to the next level. Finally, the fine caress of her warmth hung in the air. He stopped when he saw fine gold hair dangling in front of him. Hunched over with her back turned to him, the huntress had her arms wrapped around her torso.
From the darkness, his gaze followed up the length of her long legs to the fine round curve of her bottom and flare of her hips. Something black against her pale skin caught his eye, and drew him even closer. The black s-shaped curves trailed from the nape of her neck, down the length of her back, and disappeared behind a waist band of leather. Asar closed his eyes to revel in the heat and energy of her body. His fingertips burned as they hovered just inches above her pale skin. He slowly opened a conduit and absorbed a small amount of the energy and emotion she emitted so freely. Too much, he feared he would kill her. He only wanted a small taste. To feel emotions he had been lacking since his soul was stolen.
The slow trickle stunned his senses as the warmth entered his cold body. It spread like fire on the outside of his skin and then began to seep inward through his muscles. It flowed to the empty chamber in his chest, filling it instantly with a heavy weight. His mouth watered as the taste of sweet sugar coated his tongue. He had never experienced such rich, positive emotion in a human before. It was too overwhelming for him to continue after so many years without it. His inner beast roared in contempt when he started to slow the amount he absorbed, leaving only a hint of sweetness in his mouth.
The warmth in his body receded almost immediately. Opening his eyes, he hovered just a foot from her. He refocused on the mark on her back that seemed to come alive with detail. Initially, he thought the marking was a simple tattoo, but upon closer inspection it was far from human skin art. The individual scales of the long body writhed beneath her skin. The head of the snake had two green eyes that matched the brilliance of her own. The tail tucked neatly between the small dimples at the base of her back, with the tease of a tip disappearing under her belt.
He licked his lips at the thought of following the serpent’s body all the way down between her firm round butt cheeks. His female quarry shivered in response to his cold body followed by her fine flesh standing up in small bumps. Her shoulders rose and fell more rapidly. He saw her clasp her weapon tightly, but wrapped her other arm protectively around her body.
“Get a grip, Lilly.”
Startled by her sudden break in silence, Asar jerked his hand back. The shift in air pressure gave his position away. Her posture suddenly stiffened and she whirled around to confront him. Her green eyes flashed a brilliant emerald color. He had been caught red handed. Some strange sensation washed over him when she drew back her weapon and side stepped around him.
“What are you?”
Asar was not use to being taken off guard, but quickly recovered his dominant posture. “What do you think I am?” He took a few steps forward but kept a respectable distance from her blade.
The woman countered by taking two steps back. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.”
He felt the irritation in her voice and smiled. “I should ask you the same question. What are you, huntress?” He cocked one of his eyebrows. She was not the only one who had questions that needed answers. “An Egyptian asp is a very poisonous serpent.”
She bared her perfectly white teeth. “Appropriate, considering what I’m thinking about doing to you.”
He curled up the edges of his black lips. “I imagine our ideas would differ greatly.” Asar let his eyes drift down her torso. A flush of heat rippled out of her. He grinned, feeling the ebb of her suppressed desire brush against his own. He welcomed her lust like a drug, giving him a sense of euphoria. The sweetness on his tongue intensified.
“Well, we won’t have a chance to find that out.”
Letting out a defensive hiss, the huntress backed toward the window. Kamen appeared to her right disrupting her retreat. She pivoted and rolled to avoid running into him. A ripple of fear wafted from her body.
The emotions he absorbed from her shifted abruptly from the taste of sweet sugar to spoiled milk. He recoiled a few steps, trying to shut off his connection with her. To make the situation worse, the pale revens had found a way up onto the next level and from the sounds of it, and they were coming in significant numbers.
The black haired female dropped down through the window. “What the hell—” She froze. Her blue eyes locked on Asar and his brother. “Sweet, Jesus. Lilly, move. Now!”
The huntress he now knew as Lilly jolted out of her terrified trance. Her fellow hunter wrapped a strong hand around her arm and tugged. “Snap out of it. Viper is inbound, we don’t have much time.”
Lilly raised her weapon as she stared over his shoulder. A defensive urge settled in her eyes, as if somehow she wanted to defend him against the undead.
“Go. We will take care of them,” he said, calmly.
Those shining emerald eyes flashed his way.
“Lil, it’s time to go. Let’s get out of here.”
She glanced down at her watch and looked at the black haired female. Without even looking over his shoulder, he knew Kamen already had the revens under his control. They stood motionless, despite the food source standing immediately in front of them in the form of two beautiful, heavily armed women.
Lilly narrowed her eyes at the revens, then Kamen. If he could read her mind, Asar was sure she would say, You can control them. With one last glare in his direction, she turned and leapt out the window.
The weight in his chest evaporated with her departure, leaving an empty cavity of nothingness. He growled, as his body grew colder. High pitched motorcycle engines revved and carried off into the distance with his huntress. The sound replaced by the thump of helicopter rotors pulsating in the night air.
CHAPTER five
Kit grabbed Lilly by the shoulders. “What the hell happened back there? Did you grow lead in your ass or what?”
“I don’t know. I can’t quite explain it.” Lilly shook her head. She had put herself and Kit at unnecessary risk. “It was no coincidence those dark revens were there, though. I think he’s curious about me.”
Kit hugged her tightly. “Did you see how big that other mother fucker was? Huge. He had the same tattoos on his arms.”
“We need to figure out what’s going on. The pale revens just stopped. We were less than ten feet away, and they weren’t even looking at us. You don’t suppose those dark revens have a means of controlling them, do you?”
Lilly heard it in her voice, the catch of hope and longing. This could be their first lead in several months—one that might take them a step closer to finding a cure for the revens.
Her stomach clenched. But what if the dark revens hadn’t escaped the blast? What if she’d destroyed their only lead?
“I don’t know, and I’m not sure I want to find out,” Kit said, oblivious. “Now, whose ass do we get to kick for the bad intel?”
“Oh, I know just the person.” Lilly stalked inside the fortress. At one of the dining tables sat the leader of the Viper scouts. Lilly kicked one of the chairs. “Who do I have to thank for the sucky intelligence gathering or the lack there of?”
“What are you so pissed off about, Lilith?” Rebecca asked, rising from her seat. The Viper scout leader had been Lilly’s rival from day one, when Lilly—not Rebecca—had been awarded the lead position in the organization. “From what I hear, you had a pretty successful night.”
“Bitch.” Lilly slammed her fist into the woman’s upturned nose. The other girls squealed as blood sprayed across the table. “The next time you put me or my sister at risk like that, I will personally cut that snake right out of you. Do you understand?”
Another viper scout moved on Lilly only to get a swift kick in the abdomen by Kit. Her sister slowly lowered her leg. “Anyone else?”
&nbs
p; No one budged from the table. The Carrigan sisters were the most senior of the huntresses.
Not to mention the best at killing.
A stern voice cut the tension in the air like a newly sharpened knife. “Lilith. Katherine. In my office for debriefing.”
An older gray-haired matron, whom everyone affectionately called Mother, strode across the carpet toward the administrative area. Lilly grabbed one of the women’s water glass and washed the blood from her hand. “Next time, Rebecca, get your intel straight or someone is going to get hurt.” She slammed the glass back down on the table and followed Mother out of the room.
Mother’s office was in the more ornate administrative spaces of the fortress. One wall of her office displayed the rare Egyptian artifacts Kendra had found on digs over the last five years. Plenty of blood, sweat, and tears were shed to obtain those relics. All in the name of finding a cure for their current problem.
Revens.
Lilly settled into the couch in front of Mother’s desk with Kit sitting on the arm next to her. She was no stranger to Mother’s office. Her and her sister’s presence was required for mission planning and debriefings, but also on several occasions for disciplinary actions. This wasn’t their first fight with Rebecca and her team, and probably not their last. Mother turned in her chair to face them. “Based on the little display in the lunch room, I must assume the intelligence report was incorrect this evening?”
Kit snorted in response, and then resumed picking the mud off her boots.
Lilly clutched the fabric of the cushion in her fists. “Yes. Off by a thousand.”
“It was supposed to be fucking twenty-five,” Kit spat. “Twenty. Five.”
Mother frowned, but her voice remained level. “Yes, that is regrettable.”
Kit snorted again.
“I will look into the matter.”
“Do we know the actual count?”
“The cleaners are still working on the mess. There’s still a lot of pruning to do.” Mother swung her chair side to side.
Lilly shifted forward until she was sitting on the edge of the couch with her elbows on her knees. She bit on the edge of her nail before she spoke. “Mother, this is the largest nest we have uncovered to date. The outbreak is worsening, despite our efforts.”
Mother centered the chair and leaned her arms on the desk. “Either their numbers are growing or they are gathering together in larger groups.” She was silent a moment before continuing. “At least the blast sealed off the cistern below. The revens won’t be able to mass in numbers there again.” Tapping a pencil against her fingertips, Mother stared at Lilly. “Any dark reven sightings?”
Unable to maintain eye contact with her boss’ scrutinizing gaze she looked at Kit. “Yeah, there were two tonight. Similar features, symbols marking their forearms.” She paused unsure of what to reveal. She had never hidden anything from Mother, but she wasn’t about to tell her that she was attracted to it. It taunted her tonight, almost playfully. Hell, she didn’t know why she didn’t kill the damn thing in their first encounter, let alone the second. She would never forget the hunger that she had seen in its eyes. Lilly shifted back into her seat and turned her gaze back to her boss. “The one seems interested in making contact with me. I’m unsure as to the reason.”
Kit laughed. “Maybe it’s horny.”
Lilly flushed. It wasn’t the only one feeling that way. Covering quickly, she rolled her eyes. “I think it’s more curiosity than anything. Did the cleaners find the remains? Maybe those can tell us something about it?”
Mother lifted a coffee cup to her lips. “No, they haven’t come across anything yet. It’s unlikely they made it out, so we should eventually find them.” After another drink, Mother set down her cup and picked up the file. “Has your sister uncovered any more information about the talisman?”
“Kendra!” Lilly stiffened and her heart ricocheted off her ribcage.
Mother raised her hands. “Easy. Our monitor contacted her by phone and instructed her to stay overnight at the museum. It has some of the best security in the city.”
“Thank, God.”
Kit rubbed the top of Lilly’s head as she spoke. “Last I talked with Kendra, she tracked references for the artifact to an excavation that occurred in Egypt. According to the archeologist’s notes, the artifact was stolen in a raid and listed as lost. There were references in the archeologist’s manuscript that spoke about unexplained illnesses and suspicious deaths at the site. The notes described the workers’ bodies as being mummified, as if the life had been sucked out of them. Most of the locals believed it was the curse that was cast to protect the tomb. Same story we have heard for the last ten artifacts. Blah, blah, blah. No mention of walking dead.”
“Kendra is also working on the symbols I gave her. She didn’t recognize them right away, so it may take some time for her to uncover their meaning.” Lilly hesitated. “Mother, there is something that Kit and I saw tonight that I’m not sure how to interpret. The dark revens may be able to illicit control over the primitive ones.”
Mother cocked her head but sat silently, as if her mind was working on some strategy. Lilly held her breath until finally, the old matron sat forward and began tapping her pencil again.
“In the unlikely chance these dark revens survived the blast, I want you to maintain contact. Find out as much information as you can without putting yourself at undue risk.”
“That’s not a good idea, Mother.”
“No, way,” Kit added.
Mother raised her hands again. “Hear me out. These things may have information we need to locate the cure or they may know who is spreading this. Or, they may be the source.” Mother stood. “I don’t need to mention how this would affect you personally. It’s a gamble I think we need to take.”
Lilly hung her head and rubbed her forehead. The decision had been made and there was no arguing with the old lady. Mother knew the perfect words to get the two of them to comply. She looked up into her sister’s pained blue eyes. “Fine.”
Lilly and Kit walked back to their room in silence. Finally, after the door closed, Kit piped off. “That woman holds our father over our heads like a damn ransom. I don’t like this one bit, Lil. It could kill you.”
Lilly collapsed on the bed, completely exhausted from the night’s events. “The dark revens probably didn’t make it out.”
Kit lay next to her. “I understand you want to save dad, but maybe it is time to just let him go. We could be free of all this.”
“Before he passed, I promised him I’d find the cure.” She rolled to her side and stared eye to eye with her sister, her palms pressed together under her cheek.
Kit touched Lilly’s face. “Some promises are made to be broken.”
CHAPTER six
Among the debris of the aqueduct, Lilly walked to the level they had been on the night before. A fine white dust coated every surface. Body parts were indiscernible from concrete slabs.
The remains of the undead were removed and stacked into large mounds prepped for incineration. Heads in one pile, hearts in a second, and the bodies in the third. It was the only way to ensure that the victims of the curse were cataloged and one hundred percent exterminated. The information would be handed over to the local authorities to resolve the growing missing person cases in the city.
With twilight falling, the cleaners were running out of daylight to work. The workers were in the process of erecting high ultraviolet lights to keep the pale ones at bay. Lilly stooped down and brushed her fingers against the fine dust that had retained the heat of the fire. There is no way they made it out, she thought. Damn it.
One of the UV lights above her head flickered on. A few feet ahead, a reflective flash caught her eye among the debris. She kicked away the chunks of rock. A long thick gold chain lay coated in white dust. When all eyes were turned she stooped and cupped the necklace in her hand.
Kit sauntered over. “Let’s blow this place. I’ve had enough of burni
ng flesh to last me a lifetime. Plus, I’m hungry.”
Kit’s statement was a testament to how numb they had grown to the whole ordeal. Gone were the days when she would become physically sick over the sights and smells.
“Yeah, let’s go.” Lilly stood and pocketed her treasure.
During the twenty minute motorcycle ride to the museum, she noted how surprisingly quiet the streets were. The hit on aqueduct had made a significant dent in the reven’s numbers. At least for tonight.
The museum doors were in the process of being secured when they arrived. Lilly had requested a night off for both her and Kit after a second altercation broke out with Rebecca. Better to let things cool down for a while. They could work with Kendra on her research, tucked safe and secure behind the walls of the museum.
Well, Kendra would work on her research. Kit would goof off, and Lilly would wander the halls of the building. Either way it was time spent together. Sort of.
Kit pulled the cork out of the wine bottle and poured three glasses. “Cheers, sisters!”
Lilly smiled at her two younger siblings. They had been through so much, and yet they’d found a moment to laugh together, despite the lack of cheer these days. Hell, the last five years, for that matter. She sipped her wine, then stuffed a piece of cheese in her mouth. “Any luck deciphering the symbols I gave you?”
Kendra covered her palm over her mouth, attempting to chew her food before she spoke. “It’s a form of ancient hieroglyphics. Interestingly enough, the glyphs predate the references I currently have in the archive.”
“I’m assuming Egyptian?” Lilly sat forward on their makeshift picnic blanket that consisted of a torn fabric tapestry.
“Yes and no,” Kendra said. “The glyphs have similar features but are unique unto themselves. The only Egyptian symbols that I could find that even came close were the ones used predominantly in pharaohs’ tombs, referencing the underworld and afterlife.”
Kit scowled. “Surprise, surprise. Why is it we always seemed to come back to something dead and rotting?”