by Lisa Kessler
Her warm hand touched his arm, searing his cool flesh through the thin fabric of the shirt. Unable to resist, he turned.
Her eyes met his. “I know you heard the agent in the store and probably Lukas, too. They both told me you were unstable, but…” Her lips pressed together for a moment. “I believe in you. If I didn’t, I never would have agreed to come on this trip.”
He stood, undeserving of her comfort. “You know nothing about me.”
“Wrong.” She leaned back against the sofa, defiance gleaming in her eyes. “I know your favorite color is green, you love your brothers, and you’re willing to sacrifice everything for them. Plus, I also know you’re hopelessly behind on movie watching.” Her voice softened. “We’re trapped together on this plane for a few more hours. We might as well make the best of it, right?”
She baffled him. Somehow, she saw right past his position and responsibility and reached into his soul to find…him. Could he be more than the God of the West, the arm of sacrifice? He had no idea, but she made him yearn to find out.
Issa sat beside her. “I believe it is my turn to ask you a question.” Remembering her earlier admonition, he tipped his head. “Please?”
She rewarded him with laughter and a smile that soothed his wounded spirit. “You’re learning. And yes, ask away.”
“The first time we met, you recognized my face. I saw it in your eyes. Tell me how…”
Zafrina purposely kept the lights off on the balcony of Calisto’s La Jolla Hacienda. Issa had warned her of Apep’s spies in the shadows, but after discussion, she and Lukas decided to welcome them. To keep Gretchen and the child safe, they needed Apep to follow Issa and the woman around the world, to Egypt, to follow the codex. They needed him as far from the child as possible.
She only wished Issa had let her read the prophecy before he left. Gretchen weakened with each passing week, and without knowing when the child would be bestowed with immortality, Zafrina couldn’t risk allowing the baby to be born too soon.
Through the glass doors, she watched Gretchen with Kate, holding up the young Night Walker’s wedding gown, smiling. Both women carried hope in their hearts. Zafrina wished she could share in their joy, but there would be no future for them if she couldn’t keep the child and its mother alive.
Lukas stepped out, closing the door behind him. “It’s great to see them happy. It’s easier to pretend all is right with the world.”
Zafrina nodded. “It is good to have a light to reach for in the darkness. Let them keep their hope for the future alive.” She turned toward the dark, angry waves below. “Apep’s serpents could be anywhere.”
And she hoped they were listening.
Lukas followed her lead. “He’ll never get the codex. It’s halfway to Egypt by now, right?”
“I believe so. Issa insisted they fly out tonight.”
Lukas leaned his forearms on the railing. “He’d better take good care of Muriah.”
She squeezed his shoulder. “Issa is the God of the West. Apep is no match for him.”
The door opened behind them. “Kate’s about to model the dress.”
Lukas smiled at his mate. “We’ll be right there.”
The door closed, and Zafrina met his eyes. “The sharpest weapon against despair is hope.”
He took a deep breath and straightened. “Then let’s go sharpen that sword.”
Zafrina followed him inside. After they survived the battle with the Night Demon, Calisto wasted no time asking Kate to marry him. In her past life, she was murdered before they could wed. Calisto seemed determined to break the mold of the past, and Kate agreed.
Zafrina had never attended a modern wedding ceremony, but apparently they involved beautiful dresses, music, and flowers.
Kate shouted from upstairs. “Calisto is locked in his office, right?”
The sound of the Spaniard’s voice came from down the hall. “I cannot be trusted without a locked door?”
“You can’t just answer the question?” Kate laughed and finally appeared at the top of the stairs in a long, ivory colored gown. The dress fit her body perfectly while still allowing her to move freely. The wide neckline was beaded with pearls and crystals that captured the light as she made her way down the stairs.
Lukas called to his maker. “It’s a good thing you’re staying in your office. If you came out now, you’d marry her on the spot and that flower order and gig with the string quartet would be wasted.”
Kate smiled. “Does that mean you like it?”
Lukas approached her and brushed a kiss to her cheek. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks, Lukas.” The smile slipped from her lips. “I hope we’re doing the right thing with all this planning.”
Gretchen came over, taking Kate’s hand. “You are. This gives us something beautiful to look forward to. It’ll be tough to top a wedding over two hundred years in the making, right?”
A smile tugged at the corner of Zafrina’s mouth. Gretchen was right. Perhaps the only way to fight this uncertain future was to plan something filled with hope, like a wedding.
Or the birth of a baby.
Serpents wound through the shadows like the wind, making their way back to their master. Apep waited at the darkened window of his hotel. The inky, black creatures with red eyes slithered up the dark walls of the building, sliding through the seams of the glass to feed on their Master’s skin. Apep drank in their knowledge, his anger rising.
Egypt. The last place he wanted to return to.
The desert reminded him of his imprisonment. The Egyptian gods had turned their backs on him, allowing the human priests to trap him in a clay vessel for centuries before he finally escaped his prison.
He rolled his head back and forth slowly, pondering his options. He could let them go. He could stay in San Diego and wait for the birth of the child. With Issa away in Egypt, the younger Night Walkers would be no match for him.
But what if they called for Issa’s brothers, the gods of the east and south? Apep had watched from the shadows as they battled the Night Demon in the Yucatan. They were worthy opponents.
He ran his tongue slowly across the front of his teeth. There was something about the mortal woman who owned the bookstore. Something delicious.
Not only did she keep company with immortals who fed on her kind, but her mind was completely shielded from him. As a being of pure chaos, how could he allow such an anomaly to slip through his fingers? He needed to know what made her different and wanted to toy with it.
With her.
He sucked his tongue back into his mouth, pursing his lips. It was time to get to the airport.
Muriah tensed at Issa’s question before she could conceal her reaction. He’d seen her face when he came into Calisto’s house. He’d noticed her expression. She recognized him. Shit.
She pulled her hair over her shoulder, hoping she looked carefree. “You just had a familiar face. For a second, I thought I went to high school with you.”
He groaned, and she caught a flash of that desperation in his eyes that she’d seen in her vision. His armor fell back into place instantly.
“I answered your questions.” He sat beside her again. “And you give me lies.”
“Maybe you’re asking the wrong questions,” she countered. She did feel bad for lying, but she’d never told a soul about her talent with touching ancient objects. Not even Lukas knew, and she wasn’t about to start now.
Issa settled back against the couch. “You said you were the last of your family. What happened to them?”
She rubbed at her chest. “You know, I asked your favorite color. You’re asking much harder questions.”
He nudged her with his shoulder, matching her earlier tease. “You already told me your favorite color.”
“Dammit.” Being ancient hadn’t dulled his mind. The guy was sharp. “Okay.” She couldn’t lie to him again. But she wanted to. “My father left us when I was three. He couldn’t handle my mother’s gift.” Sa
ying it out loud raked her throat, like acid drenched the words themselves. “I don’t even remember what he looked like anymore. My mother and I took on the world. I used to think she was a superhero, you know? Nothing ever got her down.”
Muriah felt hot tears threaten. She cleared her throat, struggling to keep her voice even. “But five years ago, she told me her head hurt. I figured it was migraines, but I think she knew. Brain cancer stole her from me pretty quickly.”
Issa took her hand. Her skin looked pale against his, her fingers slim and tiny compared to his, rough and strong. He didn’t say anything, but there was comfort in his touch.
“I wanted to ask Lukas to make her like him, but she refused. She didn’t want forever in this world. She told me she’d be with me from the other side.” Muriah wiped a tear and shrugged. “She could communicate with spirits. But I never had her gift. If she’s still with me, I can’t hear her.”
“She could hear the souls who passed from this world?”
Muriah nodded, trying not to sniffle. “Yeah.” Pulling in a slow breath, she risked a peek at his face. Not a trace of pity shone in his eyes. Good. “Enough with the hard questions already. Ask me something simple.”
He brought his hand up to her cheek to catch a tear. The unexpected tenderness of his touch kept her from pulling away. He leaned closer, and her breath hitched. She caught herself imagining his lips on hers. Would he taste as good as he smelled?
“Why do you love this wizard?”
She blinked, breaking out of the fantasy playing in her head. She’d forgotten about the movie. She leaned over and grabbed her laptop. “Magic, friends, loyalty, courage… what’s not to love?”
She clicked on the play button and expanded the movie to fill the screen. “You can decide for yourself.”
Chapter Nine
The size of the computer screen made it necessary for them to move even closer together. Her soft hair brushed against the bottom of his chin as the movie began, teasing him with its softness. Issa blinked back the unwanted wave of desire to wrap her in his arms.
A blurb filled the screen about the young at heart, and Muriah stopped it.
“Um. Do you need me to read it?”
A chuckle crept up on him as he shook his head. “I can read, write, and speak many languages.”
He could feel the flush of heat from her cheeks as she tipped her face up toward him. “I was just checking. I know you’re Mayan, so…”
She cleared her throat and started the movie again. Knowing this film was important to her, and wanting to understand her better, he did his best to pay close attention, but every time she shifted and settled her body even closer to his, concentration on the movie grew more difficult.
Dorothy sang about a world over the rainbow. A place with no troubles, and Muriah rested her head on his shoulder. He wished he could give her a world like that. Issa rested his arm around her shoulders, hoping she might accept the comfort.
She brought his hand down from her shoulder, along her ribcage, keeping her fingers over his at her waist, and he froze. Again, he longed to hear her thoughts. Either way, he was glad she couldn’t see his face. There was a better than average chance he might be beaming, unbecoming for a god.
But she made him feel like a man, like he could be more than simply his position in this world. Like he mattered.
Hearing Muriah softly singing along with the songs lightened his burden until he’d almost forgotten he sat miles off the ground in an airplane. This woman was her own brand of magic. His chin rested on the top of her head for a moment, and he forced himself back.
She made him forget his station.
The movie unfolded into a beautiful feast for his eyes and ears, so many colors and songs. On the tiny screen, Dorothy scolded the wizard and a chuckle rumbled in his chest. There were bits of his Muriah in this Dorothy from Kansas.
He stiffened. Not his.
He couldn’t allow himself to forget. Emotional distance was necessary armor. Caring, tenderness, love… It all led to madness, and that path was much shorter for him now than it had been centuries ago when he sacrificed Ch’en to save their people. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to keep his mind from wandering away from Dorothy and her little dog.
THE END finally flashed on the screen and he waited for her to stop her computer. But Muriah didn’t move. Her weight still rested against him. Issa leaned forward to see her face and found her eyes closed. Muriah slept peacefully inside the same arms that sacrificed more lives than she could imagine.
Something twisted in his chest.
She fit perfectly against his body. While she rested, he allowed himself to study her face, memorizing every beautiful angle. Her dark hair framed her elegant features. He brought his other hand up to trace over the perfect arch of her brow and slowly down her cheek, along the smooth curve of her jaw. Her rose-colored lips parted slightly, and she nuzzled closer to him.
Issa swallowed hard and rested his head back against the sofa. Being this close to her tied him in knots. His thirst teased at the edge of his consciousness and mingled with his growing feelings for the woman who already admitted to him that she wasn’t offering her heart, not that he was capable of caring for it. He was the god of sacrifice, and taking life was much simpler if his emotions remained at a distance.
Closing his eyes, he took a breath and reminded himself she still wasn’t being honest with him about the moment they met. He’d seen her face when she first noticed him, the recognition in her eyes, and on this plane she told him she thought she’d gone to school with him. He’d watched her beautiful eyes, witnessed the hesitation, and when he called her on the lie, she didn’t deny it, she changed the subject. She was hiding something.
The plane jolted, and Muriah came to life beside him. “Did I fall asleep? Sorry about that…” She closed the laptop. “Here comes the quiz… What was your favorite part?”
He frowned, raising his head from the sofa. “Favorite part?”
“Yeah.” She pulled her dark hair back from her face. “It’s not a hard question. What made you laugh, sing, dance…you know…your favorite part.”
Issa shrugged, retrieving his arm from around her shoulders while he replayed the film in his mind. “The horse of a different color made me smile.”
Muriah’s laughter filled the cabin. “Ah. So somewhere under that ancient, tough exterior, you might have a sense of humor lurking.”
Humor? He’d never considered it before. Laughter seemed trivial when one spent eternity alone.
Muriah set her computer aside and frowned. “You don’t look so good.”
“I hate flying.”
She almost gave him a smile. “No, I mean your skin. You didn’t feed, did you?”
Again, he caught himself struggling to keep his jaw from dropping. He increased the distance between them. “I am fine.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Clearing her throat, she rose from the sofa, walking in front of him as she spoke. “We’ve got another hour before we land in New York, and we need you at full strength in case Apep is there to meet us… You could drink from me…”
If she had slapped him, he wouldn’t have been as surprised as he was by her offer. His brow creased. “You will not share how you recognized my face, but you trust me enough to drink from your veins? I could kill you.”
“Well, we can’t have you draining the pilot so…” She rubbed her hands up her arms and looked his way. “You haven’t killed me yet.”
He held her gaze, but he didn’t reassure her. In his current state of mind, he wasn’t certain he could guarantee her safety.
“Okay fine. I’m curious. I admit it.” Her hands fell to her sides as she blew out a puff of air. “Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve wondered what it would be like, but I couldn’t talk to Lukas about it. He would’ve freaked, plus he’s family…sort of.” She winced. “It just felt wrong, but now…” She gestured from herself to him, “I’m here, you’re thirsty�
�”
His fangs lengthened in his mouth. He was beyond tempted. And she was willing.
He rose from the sofa. “You trust me with your life? This is not a game.”
The rational part of her brain agreed with him wholeheartedly and screamed at her to wake up and rescind her offer, but after a lifetime of bad boy adrenaline rushes, this was too hard to resist. Ever since she’d been old enough to understand what Lukas was, that there really were blood-drinkers in the world, she’d been fascinated.
Here was a chance to experience it with a sexy Night Walker…whom she’d just met.
She muzzled the mental voice spouting off reason and dove head first into the familiar pool of no-strings-attached sensation. “You gave me your word that you’d bring me back to The Dimension’s Den.” Muriah held eye contact, refusing to retreat from her request. “If I can’t trust the word of a Mayan god, who can I trust?”
Issa’s entire body tensed. His muscles contracted like it took every ounce of his self-control not to touch her. She watched him, willing him to come closer.
“The silence is making me nervous.” She wet her lips, taking a step closer to him. “Talk to me. Tell me how it all works.”
Issa stared down into her eyes. “Usually, you would be mesmerized by now, eager to follow my commands.”
“I’m not much of a ‘command’ follower.” Her heart pounded so hard, Muriah could almost hear it in her ears. “Will it hurt?”
His strong hand cupped her cheek, and even though his skin was cool, the touch comforted her. “Perhaps for a moment, but I promise you, I can ease the pain.” His voice was deep and soft, sensual. Heat bloomed in her abdomen, radiating through her body.
She swallowed the wave of desire, struggling to keep her thoughts straight. “Can I see them?” A crease marred his perfect brow, and she added, “Your fangs. Can I see them?”
He remained silent, and for a second, she thought he might give her one of his holier-than-thou-Gods-don’t-perform-to-impress-mortals speeches. Instead, he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, his dark eyes locked on hers, and as he lowered her hand slowly, his lips remained parted enough for her to see the sharp tips of his fangs.
