by Jean Murray
Death was too kind.
CHAPTER twenty-two
The pain erupted like a volcano in his chest, spewing a tortuous blaze in his body. He bellowed in anguish when he arrived in Aaru. Lilly betrayed him. With guilt in her eyes, her declaration of love dripped like acid into an open wound. Kepi professed her love in her last moments of judgment, only to lunge for his throat when he was in striking distance.
He would not make the same mistake.
Asar vowed to kill everyone involved, which now included the Carrigan family. The blood lust curled like fire in his fingers the moment he wrapped around her graceful neck. She was defenseless against a god like him. Just a small squeeze of his hand, and he would fulfill his promise to himself and his son. So easy.
But for all the malicious hatred, he could not bring himself to do it. Instead, his weakness for her stoked the already uncontrollable inferno, and he violently reabsorbed his mark from her soul.
In his office, he exploded and incinerated each piece of furniture present. His royal guard and Inpu stormed his room.
“Get out!” he snarled.
All complied but Inpu.
The priest held up his hands in surrender. “Easy, friend. Tell me, what has put you in such a fury.”
“It was Lilly, Inpu. She released Kepi. She released the curse.” The smell of sulfur and fire combusted in and around Asar, charring everything in its path. He picked up his desk chair and smashed it against the stone wall, shattering it into a multitude of pieces.
Inpu backed off slightly. “That is impossible. A human could not have released the goddess.”
Asar looked up from his clenched hands, and scanned the room for something else to destroy. “Lilly is a demi-god. I have seen her marks. She used me to release her powers.”
“She did no such thing.”
Both gods turned toward the furious voice. Nebt stood in the doorway, anger distorted her beautiful face.
Barely glancing at the destruction, she crossed the threshold. “Lilly has no knowledge of her heritage. All she knows is her father and she were present when the curse was released. She came to the conclusion it was her fault.”
The Underworld goddess glowered up at Asar. Inpu put a restraining hand on her arm and shook his head, attempting to warn her off, but it was too late. “For the love of Isis, Asar. I thought you a better man than to blame her for this.”
Asar grabbed Nebt roughly by the arms and shook her, barely containing his power. “You knew she released the goddess and you did not tell me?”
Nebt straightened and stared him in the eyes. “I am not your spy. It was not my place to reveal that to you. It was Lilly’s, but I do not blame her for not telling you, considering the first conclusion you jumped to. After all you have seen and know of Lilly, you would rank her with Kepi?”
“She lied to me!” he bellowed in her face.
Nebt’s face screwed up into a tight ball of fury. She hit him in the chest with her palms, loosening his grip on her arms. “Get over yourself. You were less than honest with her. Do not forget, Lilly risked her life to get your key and your soul. She has done nothing but try to correct her mistake, which is more than I can say for you. Lilly is not responsible for Kepi, you are!”
“Nebt!” Inpu yelled, seizing her elbow to pull her away.
Shaking off her husband’s grasp, Nebt poked her finger in Asar’s chest. “We all warned you against your involvement with Kepi, but you have taken no responsibility for what happened to you and your son. You are more interested in exacting your revenge than the effect your war is having on the human world. In my opinion, Lilly is better off not getting involved with a stubborn, narcissistic ox, like you.”
Nebt turned on her heel and stormed out of the room before Asar had time to retaliate.
Inpu’s mouth hung open. “Asar, I am so sorry. I do not know what has gotten into her. Please accept my deepest apology.”
“I am not responsible for Kepi,” Asar bellowed. Despite his denial, guilt swirled among his anger. He sagged against the wall, his pain overwhelming his fury. “Am I?” Asar asked of Inpu.
His friend for over five millenniums, Inpu was a male of principle and would never speak false truths. “It is not my place to assign blame.”
Inpu’s non-answer buckled Asar’s knees. He groaned and sank into a crouch against the wall with his head in his hands. Too many emotions warred inside his chest to make sense of things. If he believed as Nebt did, and apparently Inpu, he was responsible for own suffering, as well as his son’s and the reven curse.
A guilt too much to bear.
Inpu knelt beside him. “We are far from perfect, despite our belief and want to be, which makes it harder to turn the mirror on ourselves.”
Asar’s chest fractured in two. He gasped for breath, as he struggled to gain control over himself. His thoughts of Lilly only worsened his agony. He did not hesitate to believe Lilly would betray him, as did Kepi, despite the females being so vastly different. Kepi’s treachery had always been present, he just chose to ignore it in favor of fulfilling his lust. His experience with Lilly—there were no words to describe the effect she had over him and those around her.
Gods, he hated himself.
He covered his ears, hearing the echo of Lilly’s pleas ringing in his head. She was trying to tell him and he refused to listen. Worse, she had told him she loved him, and in return he punished her.
She loved him. The thought made his chest roar with pain. A pain only she could extinguish. If she could ever forgive him for his cruelty, that is. “Gods, Inpu. What have I done?”
“Well, your office is irreparably damaged,” Inpu said, surveying the destruction. His gaze came to rest on Asar. “As for Lilly, that depends on what you chose to do next.”
Asar pushed up and went to seek Nebt. He found her in her quarters with her back to the door. Before he could speak, she prostrated herself on her knees in front of him. “I am remorseful, cousin. I should have not spoken to you in such a disrespectful manner. I will accept any punishment.” She reached out and kissed his hand. “Please forgive me.”
He knelt down and embraced her. “You have nothing to apologize for. You are the first person with the courage to tell me what I did not want to hear.” Asar voice cracked. He shook his head. “What do I do?”
“Are asking me as your counselor or a female?”
“Both.”
“Go to her. Tell her how you feel. Do not stop until she gives in to you. Her soul is heavy with guilt. She needs to know she is forgiven.”
“Forgiveness? I do n0t know what that means anymore.”
His cousin touched his face. “You have forgotten who you are, as a man and a god. I saw a glimpse of that man through Lilly’s eyes. She believes in you.”
Asar hung his head. Kepi had succeeded in destroying him. Once a great man of conscious and ethics, he separated those precious souls from those of deceit and malice. Without his soul to guide him, he lost his way, falling into a pit of his own despair and hatred. He was no better than the criminals he condemned. Could he ever recover? Somehow, his only chance seemed to revolve around a beautiful huntress. “How did we not know she had deity blood?”
Nebt wiped her face with the sleeve of her gown. She rose and pulled Asar with her. “It is unusual a goddess would take a human mate, but it is not unheard of. Lilly’s markings will give us some clue as to which goddess gave her life—or at least the bloodline. It is highly probable her sisters have the same mother.”
“My seed released her powers. The timing of it was mere coincidence to her exposure to the goddess and revens.” Asar remembered Kit’s accusation. Haven’t you done enough to her? He clenched at the fire burning in his chest.
Nebt squeezed his hands. “Maybe you knew on some level. Fate has a strange way of bringing us to our goal. Now.” She straightened his tunic, and placed her palm over his left chest. “You have the love of your life to rescue. Let your heart guide you.”
&n
bsp; He gave a sardonic snort. “Those words would be fitting, if I truly had one. I guess you and Inpu should get to work.”
Nebt smiled. “Oh, cousin. Lilly already did the work for us.” She patted the left side of his chest. “Can you feel it growing inside you? It just needs her love to finish it.”
CHAPTER twenty-three
Asar materialized into a maelstrom of revens. The fortress’ alarms blared at a deafening pitch. The dungeon stood empty.
Lilly’s father was missing.
“Damn it!” He forged his way out to the hallway. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of revens, Nehebkau guards were in the process of being eaten alive. Asar cringed at the sound of their cries, but charged past the carnage, driven by his panic to find Lilly. He followed the most likely path back to her room. A large contingent of revens battered themselves against the door. There had to be warm human body inside for them to claw at it so ravenously.
He flashed into the room, only to dodge a blade aimed at his neck. He grabbed Kit by the waist and restrained her wrist. She struggled but was no match for his strength.
He hissed under the burn of her skin. “Stop!”
She finally sagged against his chest. He removed her weapon and handed it out to Kamen, who had just appeared in the room, then turned her gently. Kit’s eyes reflected the same panic as his own.
“Where is Lilly?”
“I don’t know. Everything locks down as soon as the alarm is tripped. If she could be anywhere, it would be in the dungeon.”
Asar raked his hands through his hair. “She was not there. I already checked.” Where would she go?
Of course!
He grabbed Kit by the shoulders. “Where are they holding Kendra?”
“Mother wouldn’t tell me, but my best guess is the administrative spaces. She wouldn’t let her get far. She considers Kendra a high value asset.”
Asar turned to leave, but felt the burn of Kit’s hand on his arm. “I’m going with you,” she said, desperately. “Please.”
He nodded and glanced at Kamen, who took up position behind Kit. Before he opened the door, she grabbed his hand again. “I don’t think I need to tell you how difficult it would be for revens to penetrate this compound. They don’t gather in mass numbers like this. Nor do they have the capacity to coordinate an attack of this magnitude. Unless…” Her alarmed voice trailed off.
“The goddess. She is after Lilly.” Asar turned and erupted through the door, clearing a direct path to their destination. Flash grenades exploded around them. Asar checked the fallen Nehebkau bodies to ensure none were Lilly. He slowed seeing blood streaked blonde hair beneath a horde of ravenous zombies. Biting back the sourness rising to his tongue, he hit the revens with the force of explosive black power.
Asar sucked in a breath. It was not his Lilly, but some other unfortunate huntress to count among the fallen.
“Thank god,” Kit gasped.
“The revens are pulling back,” Kamen warned.
The goddess found what she was looking for. “Lilly.” He transported the trio immediately to administrative offices just off the cafeteria area. Unlike the main building, an eerie silence settled over this side of the compound.
Kit ran down the hallway yanking open door after door, only to find empty offices. “Kamen and I can finish checking here. Go save Lilly.”
He materialized at the main entrance. Revens poured out of the facility under a hail of gunfire and flame throwers. The goddess would never exit here. She created a diversion to draw the Nehebkau hunters to this location, which meant she chose another escape route. He quickly ran along the perimeter of the building.
Helicopter rotors thudded overhead, plucking Nehebkau survivors off the roof line. The perimeter guards secured the outer gates to trap the revens inside. The fortress would be bombed, killing every last thing inside its borders.
He stopped in the shadows and watched a pale reven disappear into the earth. No doubt this was the breach. He moved toward the opening. The hatch had a lock on its upper side, which meant it could only be opened from within the fortress.
Not giving it another thought, he followed the reven inside.
The multiple intersecting paths within the tunnel disoriented him until he sensed Lilly’s energy floating on the stale air. She passed through here not long ago. He bolted down one of the paths, overcoming several revens as he followed the trail of her heat.
He halted a short distance from where voices echoed in the tunnel, and peered around the corner. Lilly knelt in front of the goddess. A very large reven held her by the hair, and roughly ripped her head back so she was staring at Kepi.
Dressed in the body of the young, black haired female, Kepi glared at Lilly with blood red eyes. Lilly’s father stood next to the goddess.
“If you do not stop fighting us, I am going to have to resort to hurting that beautiful body of yours. And the last thing I want is to mark up the body I intend to take.”
If Asar’s face could go pale, it would have. Kepi taking possession of Lilly’s demi-god form would give her regenerative properties. The goddess would no longer need to transfer her essence. And worse, the extent of Lilly’s powers was unknown, especially since he had shared part of himself with her.
Racked with urgency, he looked around the cramped quarters. Lilly might get hurt if he tried to battle in the confined space. His best choice— follow and wait for an avenue to rescue his love, then escape. He could only watch and hope an opportunity presented itself.
“If you are trying to get to Asar, it is not going to work. He doesn’t want anything to do with me,” Lilly growled at the goddess.
The goddess laughed and stroked a finger across Lilly’s face. “Oh, sweetness. He has already done more for me than I could have ever anticipated. He just could not keep his hands off you, could he? Stuck his cock right into you without a thought of what you might be. I cannot believe he actually shared his seed with you, a human.” Kepi grabbed Lilly by the chin and leaned in. “He never felt me worthy enough, but that does not matter now. I have taken everything he cares for, and this will be another scarab in his sarcophagus.”
The goddess kissed Lilly’s lips. “I knew the day you released me from Duat you would come in handy. I just never imagined what a gift you would be.” Kepi stepped back and cackled. “Is that not right dear old dad?” She caressed his face.
“Get your fucking hands off of him,” Lilly hissed and strained under the reven’s grip.
Kepi grabbed Lilly by the throat and constricted her grip. “Do not tempt me, bitch. I will not hesitate to make him take a few bites out of you, just to see the horror in your pretty green eyes.”
The goddess signaled with her head. The reven ripped Lilly from the floor and pushed her down the long winding tunnels.
Asar prowled a short distance behind the group. With each passing minute more of his optimism sank to the pit of his stomach. His only saving grace, Kepi’s body, devoid of most of its senses, limited her ability to detect him. The undead passed without giving him a glance.
The goddess and her revens traveled most of the night and stopped at an abandoned underground subway system. Most of the entry and exits had been blocked. Kepi placed Lilly under guard and retired to another room.
In the darkness, Lilly struggled against her bindings. Then, as if he’d absorbed the last of her energy, she stopped fighting. She lay on her side, resting her head against a rock with her eyes closed. A position of vulnerability Lilly would never put herself in, he thought. She was giving up. The energy against her skin faded to a dim glow, a reflection of her state of defeat.
Sinking into a crouch against the wall, Asar turned his hatred inward. Her pain was his doing. He would never forgive himself for hurting her.
The sensation of wanting to save her overwhelmed his senses. Moving soundlessly, he closed enough distance to feel her heat against his flesh. Her face constricted. Despite her eyes being clenched shut, tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I am sorry,” he said, softly. His voice sounded foreign, even to him.
“It doesn’t matter.” She shifted her position to be further away from him. “Just leave me alone. I’ll get what I deserve soon enough. You should be happy.”
Asar flinched. He was not use to being in this position, begging for someone’s forgiveness. “I was unprepared for all of this. I have chewed on my need for vengeance for so long, I was not able to see clearly and mistakenly included you in that hate. I am truly sorry.”
The emotions were raw and overwhelming. Without them for so long, it was difficult to manage. Lilly had grown a portion of his soul back. And right now, it was aching with as much vengeance as he held for the goddess.
“You’re apologizing to me?” She shook her head. “I don’t deserve your pity.”
Asar growled. Do not stop until she gives in, Nebt had said. She was not going to make this easy on him. “This is not pity. I behaved deplorably, and blamed this situation on you. It is not your fault.” He paused, taking a breath his body did not require, but his ego did. “It is mine.”
Lilly blinked a few times and then sighed. “Leave now, before the goddess takes back your soul.”
“Damn it, Lilly.” His voice rose, and the revens shifted. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to control the torrid of emotions threatening to blow his chance with her. “The only thing she can take that matters to me is you.”
His voice strained under the emotion. He grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her upright so he could untie the bindings. The motion brought his face close to hers. Her unblinking eyes watched him.
He stopped inches from her face. The pain in his chest subsided under her warmth, despite the burn of his skin. “I never want to lose you. I could not bear it. I…” He leaned his head down to gather strength.