by Lisa Kessler
He tensed and finally backed up. “If you wish. But we need to talk before we leave for the meeting.”
“I won’t be long.”
She closed the door, and Issa paced the length of the room. From the moment he pulled in his first breath tonight, he’d thought of nothing but keeping Muriah safe. If he didn’t gain control over the dread and worry, the fear of losing her, he would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
He glanced at her bag. The codex rested inside. He did not need to read it. He remembered the night the priests told him of a vision, a prophecy of the birth of an immortal child. The child and the mortal mother could not coexist long enough for a full-term birth, but the baby was not at risk. The child’s immortality began at conception.
It was the mortal mother who was in danger.
But he couldn’t warn the others. As long as the babe remained within Gretchen’s womb, he was safe from Apep. The God of Chaos wouldn’t risk losing his prize by harming Gretchen or the infant until he had the secrets written on the codex. Issa was the only Night Walker among them strong enough to keep his mind safe from Apep, so revealing the secret of the codex to any of the others had been impossible.
Muriah’s voice hummed through the door, and his heart pounded. What if she were the woman carrying the child? For the first time, he understood the young one’s worry. Lukas loved Gretchen. He wanted her to be safe.
Sadly, Issa couldn’t risk the rest of the mortal world for one woman’s life.
What if the life at risk was Muriah’s instead?
He pushed the thought away. In the end, none of this would matter. He would stop Apep before Gretchen came to any harm.
He got dressed and went to the window, watching the lights of the city below. He didn’t understand love anyway. He’d yearned to have a companion, to be important to at least one person in this vast world, but now that love might be within reach, it already threatened to slip through his fingers. Muriah yearned for a family, to further the generations of her family, the one thing he’d never be able to give her.
The door opened behind him. He turned to find Muriah, fully clothed and brushing her wet hair. She met his eyes and lowered the brush. “I’ve got something to tell you, but you can’t fly off the handle.”
He raised a brow. “I do not fly.”
She chuckled, biting back her laughter and shook her head. “I mean you can’t get all crazy Mayan god on me. We’ve got to leave soon, and I need to know you’ll have a clear head to pull this off.”
Without conscious effort, he reached for her mind, only to find the frustrating wall of silence blocking him from hearing her thoughts. This would be much less likely to upset him if he understood what she was talking about.
“My head is clear.”
“All right.” She gestured with the brush as she spoke. “While you were…incapacitated…I had a voicemail.” She paused. “Apep knows my name and phone number.”
Something exploded inside of him. He fought to keep from grabbing her and running her back to the airport. They could be up on an airplane and back to his jungle. He could protect her there. This mammoth city full of millions of mortal thoughts distracted him. Soon Apep would be among them. He needed to find his footing.
“What did he say?” His voice came out like a feral growl, but he was grateful to be able to speak in her language. A feat considering the way the rage and fear swelled into a storm of discontent within him.
“Nothing important. Empty threats. But he’s coming for us, and it’ll be much easier to find us now that he has my name.” She set the brush on the bed and came to his side, taking his hand. “We’ll be careful, and maybe we’ll be lucky. Tonight we’re meeting with Hasani, and he says he has three different pieces that refer to Apep. I also set a meeting later tonight with Khai. He claims he has a lead on a missing page from the ancient Egyptian priests’ The Books of Overthrowing Apep. If we’re focused, with a little luck on our sides, we can finish this quickly.”
We. He was not accustomed to being a part of a team. Hearing her include him in her plans warmed him.
His behavior was pathetic. A god should not notice minuscule mentions, but she made him feel like more than a god. Like a man who mattered.
“What do you need from me?”
“You’re my buyer from Mexico. You don’t speak English or Egyptian. I’ll translate to you, and if you need to tell me something, be sure to do it in Spanish. Hasani doesn’t speak Spanish so whatever we say will be safe.”
Her eyes sparkled, devoid of worry or fear. This was her element. She was confident and intelligent. His admiration of her continued to grow. “Do you plan on touching the objects?”
“Only if I have to.”
“I assume you won’t touch them in Hasani’s presence?”
“No.” She spat the word out and then took a breath. “If I think there’s a chance of a piece helping us or maybe linking us to a page of that book, then I’ll consign the item. Both of these guys have worked with me long enough to trust me. I’ll let them know I need to examine the pieces with my equipment before we can commit to a price.”
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “And my role is to speak Spanish.”
She grinned. “I’m pretty sure there’s a good chance you can read the hieroglyphics better than I can, so I want you to look over all the pieces with me, and clue me in if I miss anything.”
“Of course.”
“Good.” She released his hand and went to pick up the bag that contained the codex. “Bringing this with us is dangerous, but now that Apep knows my name, it’s probably more risky to leave the codex behind.”
Issa took the bag from her. “I know where we can store it.”
“You have a chaos-proof safe in Cairo?”
“Finish getting ready. We can store the bag on our way to meet your contact. You probably need to eat, too.”
The mention of food distracted her. “I’m starving. There’s a great falafel place in Khan el-Khalili. They also have great baklava…” She stopped herself. “Why am I telling you this? You won’t eat any, will you?”
“No. But watching you enjoy your meal will be amusing.”
“Oh, please.” She laughed, the magical sound reinforcing his desire to keep her safe. “If we’re stashing the codex first, we’d better get going.”
Chapter Eighteen
“The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities? You can’t be serious. You think we’re just going to walk in there after hours and ask them to hold on to a Mayan relic for us?”
He smiled down at her. “I do not think. I know.”
Issa was seriously sexy when he shifted into his cocky god mode. As long as he wasn’t ordering her around like a minion, the line between sexy and seriously annoying was very thin.
She followed him around the side of the building to a door marked SECURITY. Issa approached the guard and met his eyes. “We have an appointment.”
The man stiffened, but quickly relaxed his stance and withdrew his key ring. “I’ll have to check my guest list.”
“Of course.” Issa glanced her way with a hint of a smile on his lips. And her pulse thrummed. Seeing a playful side in him after witnessing all of his pain in her visions melted her heart in a dangerous forget-your-responsibilities-and-follow-your-heart kind of way.
She went inside with them. The security guard took a clipboard off the hook on the wall and scanned the list. “Looks like everything checks out. You know how to get to the basement storage area, Mr. La Deaux?”
Muriah hoped her poker face was in place because her jaw wanted to hit the ground so badly. She watched Issa, but his attention remained on the security guard. “I do.” He shook the guard’s hand. “I appreciate your help.”
“Anytime.” The security guard tipped his head to Muriah and went back outside to his post.
“How?” She kept her voice low. “Explain yourself, Issa La Deaux…”
He laughed, the deep tone echoing through the empty corridor.
His gaze met hers. “Forgive me for borrowing your name, but I have never had any need of a surname until I realized he was searching for one on his list.”
“But my name wasn’t on that list anyway.”
He shrugged. “Perhaps not in print, but inside his mind, he saw what I wanted him to see.”
“So you didn’t magically add your name to his clipboard?”
“No.” He took her hand. “No one else will find our names. There will be no record we were here.”
“What about security cameras?”
His dark eyes met hers. “As long as nothing is missing from the museum, they will have no reason to review the security tapes tomorrow.”
“Are you suggesting I might take something?” She bristled at his insinuation, but couldn’t condemn him for his warning. This building housed artifacts that could fetch her enough money to retire.
“No.” He lifted their joined hands and pressed his lips to the back of hers. “I am saying they will only pursue us if we give them a reason.”
“We came to make a deposit anyway, right?”
“Exactly.”
She followed Issa through back corridors and down into the lower basements of the building. Most of the artifacts were boxed and tagged with numbers, but she ached to open them and see what was hidden inside. When they reached a well-lit back corner, he stopped.
“We will leave the codex here.”
She took the bag from her shoulder and handed it to Issa. He carefully folded the edges and the straps before sliding it between the crate and the wall. “It is well lit here. Apep’s serpents will not be able to search this area, and no one on staff will have any memory of our faces. It will be safe.”
“You don’t want to read it first just in case?”
“I know what it says.”
“You’ve known all along, and you didn’t tell them?” She frowned. “Gretchen’s life is on the line.”
He sighed, lowering his eyes to the floor. “I cannot trust the knowledge to the others. Apep is too strong. They cannot keep their minds shielded from him.”
“So you already know how to keep Gretchen safe, and you kept it to yourself. She could die.” She took a step back, processing her thoughts. “I thought you were supposed to be some kind of protector, but I guess that’s only when it suits you.”
Issa lifted his chin, his expression aloof and devoid of the playfulness she’d seen earlier. This was the Mayan god. He was hiding from her.
“No. Stop it.” She shook her head. “We’re past this God of the West crap. I know you, and this isn’t you at all.”
“God of the West crap?” A flicker of emotion sparked in his eyes, but it was quickly extinguished. “You have known me for a few days. I have lived in this world for millennia. I do what must be done to protect the human race, not a single woman, even if she is your friend’s lover. My existence would be different if I had the option to follow my heart, but that is not my path. The safety of the mortal world is first. Always.”
“Fine.” She turned to leave, speaking without waiting to see if he followed her. He had super Night Walker hearing. He wouldn’t miss it. “There are always options. You choose to hide behind your responsibilities. That’s easier than doing what you know is right.”
He caught her elbow, spinning her around so fast she gasped. Crimson ringed the irises of his dark eyes. “I did what I thought was right in the jungle a few weeks ago. I refused to sacrifice Kate, and instead, I pulled the heart of my brother, Mulac. He orchestrated the demon’s freedom, wished to destroy humanity and begin again, and he wanted to be worshipped. I believed he deserved the punishment, not her.
“Because I refused to take her heart, I almost destroyed my entire race. I put this world in jeopardy. I did that by putting what was ‘right’ before what must be. Gretchen carries an immortal in her womb because of my weakness, and if she dies, it will be yet another stain on my bloody hands.” His voice lowered to a gruff whisper, “You make me wish for things that I cannot have. This world is a mantle I cannot lift from my shoulders. So while it may be God of the West crap to you, this is who I am. I do not have the freedom to play hero and follow my heart.”
He released her arm and passed her by, jogging up the stairs. His words rang in her ears. She wanted to tell him he was wrong. She wanted him to smile, that sexy smile he’d only shared with her during the flight to Egypt. Of all people, she should know better. Love didn’t exist, and if it did, it certainly didn’t change people.
But she’d chipped away at his godlike armor, and she’d seen glimpses of the man within.
Issa had a sense of humor. He had laughed with her.
She sighed and started up the stairs again. He was noble to a fault. Since when was doing the right thing a weakness?
On the final flight of stairs, she slowed and came to a stop. Doing what was right for you might not be what’s right for the world. How many times had he taken sacrifices—pulled hearts, as he called it—against his will? How many times had he been forced to hurt himself and sacrifice his wants in order to keep everyone else safe?
Her throat tightened. People hated the lesson of unanswered prayer, but she’d never considered how difficult it must be for the god on the other side of that equation. What if he wanted nothing more than to save Gretchen, but he had to walk away because it was the only way to keep the child safe while they trapped Apep?
Muriah groaned. She was a shit. A selfish shit.
She reached the final steps and opened the door to the hallway. Issa stood at the end, his arms crossed, head held high, without a trace of emotion. Muriah approached slowly, unsure what to say. She rose up on her toes, her lips brushing his cheek. “I’m sorry.”
Confusion marred his brow. “Why?”
“The God of the West is a huge part of who you are and…” She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. “And I can’t imagine how hard it’s been to carry that burden.”
Her words left him stunned. For the past ten minutes, he’d been brooding in the hallway. Angry at her for her judgment, at his fate for showing him joy only to steal it from his grasp, and at his inability to be the hero Muriah deserved.
Yet here she stood before him with empathy in her eyes. Understanding.
He gathered her into his arms, his lips tasting hers. Her arms slid around his neck, her embrace like a balm to his soul, sunlight to the shadows of loneliness plaguing him. He was unworthy of her or her affection, but he’d never been more grateful.
Pulling back from the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers. “Can I confide in you?”
“Like a secret?” Her full lips curved into a smile that had his blood pulsing below his belt.
“Yes.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Definitely.”
He glanced each way for effect and whispered, “Sometimes, I, too, find my burden as God of the West to be a load of crap.”
Muriah laughed in his arms, warming him all over. “I don’t blame you.”
He lowered her to the ground, reaching for the minds of the security staff. For now, they were safe.
She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s get some food.”
He smiled. He wanted much more than food.
Apep stood on his own, pain shooting up his leg. He savored the pain like an elixir, concentrating his hatred for the God of the West. Issa would soon know the depth of his power. They both would. And he would wield the power of the Night Walker race like an unforgiving sword of malice. The gods would take notice, and the entire earth would suffer until he was welcomed home.
This injury only delayed the inevitable. Nothing would stop him. Not now.
He’d lost the entire day healing the wound. Now, after another delay, he had a red-eye out of New York and he’d be in Cairo in the morning. While Issa slept, he would find Muriah La Deaux and the codex. Issa would be his to control very soon.
The thought made him smile.
Chapter Nineteen
The
Khan el-Khalili bustled with activity. Muriah took Issa’s hand so they didn’t get separated in the labyrinth of alleyways. At least that’s what she told herself. She refused to acknowledge how much she enjoyed touching his skin.
The cobblestoned walkways twisted past tea shops and stalls full of merchants calling to the shoppers. She tugged Issa behind a pair of haggling women bartering for a better price on silk scarves, and finally, she stopped in front of her favorite food cart. One look up at Issa, and she almost cringed. His expression was carefully blank, but every muscle in his face appeared tense. His gaze lowered to meet hers.
“It’s loud here, huh?”
A faint smile brushed over his lips, alleviating some of her concern. “No worse than Times Square.”
“I should’ve tried to get them to meet us somewhere else.”
“No.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “The more people, the less likely he will find us.”
“Do you think he’s here yet?” She stepped up in line and started scanning the crowd for Apep.
“I do not know, but assuming that he has arrived is probably wise.”
She placed her falafel order and moved to the other end of the cart. Issa surprised her by ordering more food to go. They found a table and sat. Groaning in delight at her first bite, Muriah tipped her head toward his bag. “That’s not your usual fare.”
He nodded. “This is for you. For later.”
“For me?” Muriah frowned. “How much do you think I eat?”
“We are not returning to the hotel. You will need food for tomorrow while I rest.”
“Wait a second.” She set her food down. “When did you decide this? We’re partners. I get a say in our next move just like you do.”
“Apep has your name and your phone number. He probably has discovered who supplied our private jet as well. You will not be able to use your phone, and we will not return to the hotel.”
“Enough with telling me what we’re doing. How about just talking to me like a normal person?”
