Caress The Dark God [Scions of the Ankh 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Toni L. Meilleur

His tone was suggestive and by the sideways look he gave her she knew without a doubt he intended a double meaning. Tessa thought the best course of action was to not respond at all. In fact, that was her whole plan of action. Even during the car ride, she kept her lips tightly clamped. A few times he tried to engage her in conversation, but Tessa was firm. If she didn’t talk to him, he couldn’t wreck havoc on her senses and then subsequently seduce her with the ease of a warm knife through butter.

  Instead, Tessa chose to look at the beautiful scenery unfolding before her. Since Anaise and Jonathan’s home was on the outskirts of Cairo, there were spots of natural land that were beautiful. When Tessa started to question Torian about the name of the property they were passing, she noticed he had a dark look upon his face.

  The car began to slow down alongside a copse of trees. Tessa suspected Torian wasn’t mentally in the vehicle with her anymore. He seemed distracted and agitated. “Stay here.” His tone was crisp and with any other person Tessa suspected it would have brooked no argument.

  Tessa was immediately annoyed with his tone. “What’s the matter?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Then I guess I get to go.”

  Torian looked at her with a scowl. Tessa quirked up one eyebrow in challenge. He could just give in now or waste precious time arguing with her. “On the condition that if there is any danger you will do what I ask without question.” Tessa opened her mouth to protest, then recognized that he wasn’t budging on that particular request. She nodded her agreement.

  As soon as the car stopped, Torian was out of the car. He seemed to be looking for something. Tessa got out and immediately a feeling of ill will washed over her. It was as if an entity of evil blanketed the area. She shivered and Torian looked at her questioningly. She gave him a shrug and began to follow him. As they made their way through the trees, the stronger the sensation of evil. Torian glanced back at her periodically, but he seemed preoccupied. Then he stopped suddenly, causing Tessa to slam into him.

  “Go back to the car and lock the doors.” His voice held a strange note. Tessa forgot about their deal as impulse took over and she stepped around Torian. Up ahead, quite clearly, she could see that three bodies littered the ground.

  “Oh my god!” Tessa gasped, going for the bodies. Torian grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.

  “Go back to the car.”

  “No. They might be alive. I can help.”

  “They’re dead.”

  “How do you know that?” Tessa wrenched her arm free. “I’m a doctor, don’t ask me to go against that.”

  She didn’t wait for his answer as she rushed towards the bodies. Instinct made her go to the smallest body first. Tessa had seen death before, but the sight of a child dying or dead always shook her. It was a little girl. Her dark hair was fanned about her wildly on the ground. Her face had a serene expression. Almost. If not for the small tears of blood that had leaked out the corners of her eyes and her ears, she appeared to be at peace. Tessa forbid the tears gathering in her eyes to fall. She gently put a hand to the little girl’s neck, wishing for a pulse. Finding none, Tessa swallowed over the lump in her throat as she rose and checked what must have been the little girl’s parents. Torian was right. They were all dead.

  She undid the man’s shirt and looked at his chest. There was no visible mark, at least, not at first. Tessa watched in awe as the now-familiar mark began to embed itself on the skin of his chest. “That’s impossible,” Tessa breathed to herself. She rushed to the woman and pulled up her shirt. The mark was already half formed and becoming darker. “Torian, look at this.”

  But she didn’t need to call him, he was already standing over her and kneeled to be eye level with her. “It is the same mark the others bear.” He gently took her by the elbow and rose, pulling her with him. “We have to get this family to their loved ones.” At his words, Tessa’s eyes strayed over to the body of the little girl. She was just a child. As Tessa stared, tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. Her vision blurred until she could no longer see the child. Within moments, Torian had gathered her against his chest as Tessa tried to get herself together.

  With tenderness, he kissed her on the top of her head. The gesture was so thoughtful Tessa sighed as her arms wrapped around him. More than ever, she wanted to find out what was happening to these people. She sniffed and pulled away, slightly embarrassed by her actions. “Sorry, that was unprofessional of me.”

  “That was very humane of you.” Torian used a thumb to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes. “Being a doctor does not mean you have to deny yourself emotion.” He smiled. “One should never get used to death.” The last part he seemed to say more to himself. “Please, Tessa, go to the car and wait for me. I’ll call the local police.” He took out his cell phone.

  Tessa looked at him and wondered just for a second how much more to him there was than his good looks. He genuinely seemed to care what happened to these people. More than that, he had so effortlessly comforted her.

  As Tessa made her way back to the car, a chill went down her spine. She looked around, sure someone was following her, but when she turned no one was there. She shook her head. She was just freaking herself out now. Tessa saw the car just yards ahead when that feeling came over her again. This time she was determined not to turn around and kowtow to her imagination. That is, until the area around her suddenly fell deathly quiet. Tessa swallowed hard and turned slowly.

  A tall man stood directly behind her. He had long, thick braids that went past his shoulders. His eyes were a curious green and she did a double take as they seemed to flicker and become slitted like that of a snake. He just stood there with a curious expression on his face.

  “Can I help you? Are you sick?” Tessa looked at him, and a warning bell went off in her head.

  He came closer and Tessa found herself instinctively backing away. She could almost feel his aura reach for her, dragging her into an abyss of malignancy. Tessa kept backing away, trying to clear her thoughts. For a second she thought she heard Torian calling to her. She shut out the phantom voice, knowing that was impossible. But something pushed at her mind and Tessa felt her knees start to buckle. She wanted to crawl away from the man as he advanced on her. The curious expression had changed to maniacal joy as he stood over her. He raised his arms in the air, and Tessa felt something hot course through her body.

  It was like an army of phantom hands squeezing her from the inside, her breath became hitched as her lungs felt like an iron vise was clamping them. Her vision swam and her eyes burned as sweat began to form in rivulets down her face. A tremendous pressure suddenly manifested in her ears, and all sound was cut off. I’m dying, she thought. Suddenly a wind kicked up, cooling the sweat on her. The pain was gone and Torian was there. She wanted to call out to him, but it was too late. Her world went black.

  * * * *

  Her fear assailed him. Anubis called to her, but she blocked him from her mind. Whatever or whoever had caused the little family’s deaths was still here. Anubis tried to fight his way into Tessa’s mind, but she prevented it. Without access to her mind he would have to take the time to track her. Anubis scented her and followed her trail as fast as he could. To his horror, a tall man stood over Tessa — draining her.

  In a rage, Anubis rushed him, knocking him away from Tessa. As she slumped to the ground, her eyes focused on him for a moment. Anubis turned to the man, taking in his appearance. He had never seen this being before, yet something about him said he was a traveler of some sort. Anubis darkened the sky as the braided hair man laughed at him.

  “So, I finally get to meet you, jackal.” His words were clipped with an Egyptian accent.

  “It is my pleasure,” Anubis responded, pulling a bolt of lightning from the sky and hurling it at his opponent, scoring a direct hit.

  The man stumbled, then paused. A smile lit his face and Anubis realized he had absorbed the bolt. “Can I have some more please?” he asked with a dark smile. “I’ve
hardly eaten at all today. Well, that is if you want to count that small meal back there.” He indicated the area where he and Tessa had found the bodies. Anubis realized he had no idea who or what he was dealing with. More than that, he could feel that Tessa’s life force was nearly gone.

  Anubis moved faster than the killer could track him, circling him until he grabbed the other male from behind. With his hold tight, Anubis began to siphon the life out of the being. The stranger screamed. At times his screams sounding more like a hiss. He didn’t know what this being was, but it was full of natural energy. It would take days to bleed him dry. Anubis didn’t have that kind of time, not with Tessa practically dead. He kicked up a small funnel of wind and pushed the traveler inside. He could only hope that it would hold him.

  As Anubis backed away from the makeshift trap, a startling realization came upon him. It was not natural energy that coursed through the killer. It was souls converted into energy. The energy he had siphoned into himself was from souls! Anubis could hear their cries as he released them. He looked at the thing he had captured again. If he left it here, the creature could get away and cause many more deaths. He needed to take this thing to Jonathan and imprison it. His gaze shifted to Tessa. Her eyes and ears bled profusely. He could not take them both. He had no idea if the being could break the bonds during transport. It could prove dangerous for Tessa if that happened. But if he left her here, there would be no saving her. It was a question of one life versus hundreds, maybe even thousands.

  He made the only choice he could. In fact, it wasn’t a choice at all. It was what had to be. He could not live with any other scenario. Anubis summoned Tessa’s lifeless body into his arms.

  Chapter Eight

  I need your help. Anubis sent out the call to Jonathan as he whisked Tessa through the dead plains, aiming for the pyramids. She had but the smallest spark of life left in her. He didn’t know what that being was or exactly what it had done to Tessa, but it was damn near lethal. She lay limp in his arms. Her breathing was so shallow that more than once he had to check to make sure she still lived. Damn him! He should have known better. He had sensed the creature in the area, but thought it further away. He had sent Tessa to the car thinking to make her safer. Instead, he had only endangered her more.

  What is it? You sound… worried. Thoth’s almost immediate answer lessened his fears slightly.

  The one responsible for the deaths is captured in a ’clone. I do not know how long it will hold him.

  Why not just bring him here? There was no mistaking the puzzlement in Thoth’s voice.

  I am otherwise engaged.

  Anubis you know how dangerous this person is. Why would you leave him—

  Tessa has been hurt.

  There was a long moment of silence. Anubis knew Thoth was thrown off by his behavior. If nothing else, he was always dependable, efficient and a mechanical killer. Anubis always did what needed to be done. He could feel Thoth trying to read his emotions, but blocked him. As important as this being was, right now his main concern was Tessa. It was no one else’s business. For the first time in his life, Anubis wanted to do something for himself. He wanted to save Tessa. He wanted her more than he wanted anything in his long life.

  Show me where he is, Thoth said at last. Anubis flashed him a quick image of the area in which he had left the prisoner, then he promptly shut down all communication with Thoth. It would take all of his concentration to save Tessa. With little effort, he entered the great pyramid. An object that had been the subject of curiosity for thousands of years, no living human really knew its purpose. Anubis set Tessa down gently in a large chamber and mentally lit the sconces adorning the walls.

  This was a place of rebirth, of metamorphosis, to be more exact. Anubis and the other travelers built the pyramids to aid the humans. It healed them when they were sick. However, the power changed the humans more than intended. It gave them talents humans had not had before. They gained the ability to see the future, and some could read minds. The effects were various, but one thing was clear: It was in violation of the code of the travelers. They were not to interfere with the natural life of a species by drastically altering it. The pyramids were shut down and no one had used them. Until now. Anubis quickly transferred himself into a shade and entered a nearby forest. As quickly as he could, he gathered the necessary herbs and twigs for the ritual and returned to Tessa. He made a fire, throwing the herbs into the flames to begin the ritual. Carefully, he cleaned the blood from her face. He knew the moment Tessa’s soul left her body and he met her at the river.

  Her soul was beautiful. A golden glow surrounded the outline of her body. He stood in front of her as she tried to get around him. She had no idea she was dead. He knew what was happening — she was following the powerful song of the dead. Its melody lured souls to the other side. It was within his judgment to allow them over to cross and either live out their days in happiness or punishment. If there was a question, he judged them using a scale. He would not judge Tessa. He would not let her pass.

  What are you doing? Where are we?

  Do you not remember anything?

  Pain and lots of it. Is he gone? Did you save me?

  Her words cut through him viciously. He had not been quick enough to save her. Come with me, let us walk. Anubis took her by the hand. She looked past him, her eyes full of her longing to move on to the other side of the river. It has been a long day, Tessa. Tell me, how do you feel?

  Strange. I feel light. Can you hear that, Torian?

  You hear a beautiful song, do you not?

  Yes. I’ve never heard it before. Listen to it. Where is it coming from? She frowned in confusion.

  Anubis began to lead her away from river, away from the lure of the song. In the land of the dead there were many places to explore. In many of the places, Anubis had made a home for himself. He tugged at her hand lightly, but her feet dragged as she looked upon the other side of the river. Shortly the house he had built in the gray-skied land rose on the horizon. Upon seeing the home, Tessa gasped.

  It’s like a castle. Who lives in a castle near a lake? Tessa joked. Her light-brown eyes took in every detail of the outer veneer of the castle. Anubis flashed them inside to his favorite room. Tessa laughed. I’m dreaming. This is a dream.

  The walls were covered in long, flowing fabrics made of silk. The windows held no dressing save a billowy panel that ran across the tops. The floors were made of black, gray and white marble. A large bed with dark red pillows was pushed against one wall. A fireplace was directly across from the bed. One large golden candle stand next to the bed, with a burning red candle giving the room a romantic ambiance. Wrought-iron sconces were on every wall.

  Yes, Tessa, it is a dream. Anubis hated telling her that small lie. Right now was not the time to tell her she had died at the hands of a murderous madman. She wouldn’t believe he was saving her. No, this was no dream. What happened in this plane was real.

  Well, if this is a dream, I can do what I want with you. She turned to and traced the outline of his jaw with light, caressing fingers. I’ve wanted to touch you, Torian. Something about you draws me.

  Do what you want with me, Tessa. I am not going anywhere. Anubis pulled her close, loving the feel of her body against his. Yes, in this plane, everything was real. The spirit was just as corporeal as a body. She molded against him without hesitation. Her soft, firm body fit perfectly with his. He lowered his head for a kiss that was eagerly met by her hungry mouth. She gave him total abandon in the kiss. She swirled her tongue around his with an expertise that was only rivaled by her exotic taste.

  She pressed her body closer, grinding her hips against his. One hand grabbed his ass and pulled him even closer as her other hand pulled the tie from his hair and ran her fingers through the loose tresses. You’re so damn sexy, she purred against his lips as she turned her attention to taking off his shirt. Impatient, Anubis mentally willed their clothes away.

  Tessa let out a sexy laugh as she ste
pped back and studied him. I wondered what you looked like completely naked. She stalked around him, oblivious to her own nakedness. Anubis knew that if she were aware this was no dream she wouldn’t be half so bold. He had three days before the ritual was complete, not to mention he had to make sure the sweet song of death didn’t seduce her. He had to keep her distracted. He would be sure to tell her before their time here ended. He wouldn’t do anything that she seemed uncomfortable with. He would make sure she was in total control. And right now she seemed to covet being in total control of what she thought was a dream. Far be it from Anubis to take that away from her.

  She continued her slow perusal of his naked body. He really liked this side of Tessa, the dominating, controlling Tessa. She stood behind him and ran her hands over his naked backside. Mmmhmm, she hummed in approval. Very nice. Anubis was taken by surprise when she spanked him on his backside and squeezed. She walked around him and faced him. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Her breasts were perfect. His eyes drank in the narrow waist and toned belly. However, it was her slightly flaring hips and long, gorgeous legs that made him swallow hard more than once. With a thought, he tweaked her lack of attire a bit.

  Tessa looked down at the red pumps he had put on her feet, then she looked up at him and a sexy smirk surfaced. I like that. Anubis figured she would. She was really a temptress, inhibited by a hurt she had experienced at the hands of a cruel lover. Right now she was in her element and he could tell she was enjoying it. She took a step forward and boldly wrapped her hand around his cock. Anubis no longer had the control to hide the reaction in his eyes. He knew his power surfaced in his eyes.

  Well, would you look at that. I could have sworn I’ve seen that in your eyes before. She brought her face closer to his and Anubis knew she was staring at the small funnels churning inside. How beautiful, she breathed, then planted her lips against his, not in the least afraid of him. Anubis was trying very hard to let her have control, but she was pushing the limits of his control. He had not desired a human — or anyone, for that matter — in a long time. Now his desire was full-blown and he wasn’t sure she could handle him.