“Does that mean I get to feed off others besides yourself?”
It was a simple question meant to tease. At least that was what the logical side of him concluded. However, images of her feeding from another man and causing the sensations he had experienced activated a giant vat of jealousy he did not know he harbored. “You will only feed from me, Tessa.” The words came out rough and immediately she reacted, sitting up. “There is no negotiating this.” He rose from the bed as he strode across the room, trying to expend the jealous energy that was tearing through him.
“You don’t own me, Anubis. And certainly you don’t get to tell me what to do. I owe you my life, I concede that. But don’t use it to control me.”
He turned to her then. She could never be controlled, no more than he could be. As she stood there, naked, beautiful and defiant, he realized the fallacy of his thoughts. He was being controlled. Every time she smiled at him, spoke to him, moaned in pleasure for him, she controlled his heart, his moods. But did he affect her the same way? He began to have his doubts. “Fair enough. You may see whom you like. I will not interfere.” He willed his clothes onto his body.
“Anubis, don’t go. That’s not what I meant.”
Anubis chose to ignore her statement. “We are not far from Thoth’s residence. There is a car with a driver here at your disposal. He will take you back. I have business to attend to.” He was about to phase out of the room when her hand closed around his wrist.
“If you don’t want me running around next to you naked for all the world to see, I suggest you wait.” He looked at her in surprise. She had moved so much more silently. It was the second time she had caught him unaware. “I will let go when you promise me you will stay and hear me out.” Her foot tapped impatiently and he smiled despite himself. She was not one to be easily dismissed. He nodded and she let go. “Now, if you don’t mind doing that thing with the clothes. It’s kind of cool.” Anubis smiled and in seconds she was dressed again. “Thank you.” She walked over to the bed and patted the spaced next to her. Anubis hesitated, but eventually sat down.
“Now, I have no intention of feeding off anyone else. I could harm them, right?”
“Yes.”
“Besides that, I don’t want to.”
“Then why get upset when I forbade it?” Anubis looked at her curiously, wondering if all human women were this complicated.
“Because you forbade it,” she answered, as if that made all the sense in the world. “I don’t like being ordered about.”
It made little sense. If it was something she had no intention of doing anyway, what did it matter if he told her not to?
Would you like me to order you on what you can and cannot do?
Ah, I see you are grasping the use of speaking this way.
I like it.
I enjoy it as well.
Now, promise me two things.
Anubis looked at her and hesitated. That depends on what is asked of me. I cannot blindly promise.
Fair enough. Number one, don’t order me around.
I will have to work on that. He smirked, waiting for her second demand.
Number two, stop running away every time we have an argument. We’re going to argue, you know.
Anubis looked appalled. They could avoid arguments if she just listened to what he told her. Then again, thinking about it, he supposed that brought him back to promise number one. Anubis let out a faux-defeated breath. If this was only the beginning, he could only guess at the trouble that was in store for him. He looked forward to it. More than anything he wanted to explore a life with Tessa. Anubis nodded, garnering her approval. She leaned over and gave him a kiss, which immediately flared into a conflagration of desire.
Anubis, we’ve found him! Come quickly! Thoth’s voice cut into his mind. Anubis broke the kiss and by the look on Tessa’s face he knew she had heard Thoth’s call through his mind. He stood.
“I must go. Stay here.”
Tessa stood as well, her eyes pleading. “You promised not to order me around. Take me with you.”
“I don’t know what to expect. You could be put in danger.”
In his mind the case was settled as he began to phase out of the room. Too late, he felt Tessa’s hand snake around his wrist.
Chapter Sixteen
It was the smell of smoke that first assaulted her senses. Then it was Anubis’s anger at her for tagging along. “You should not be here,” he bit out as he looked around the room. He had brought them into the back room of the house, where laundry was done.
“I should be wherever you are,” Tessa threw back, wrinkling her nose at a foreign odor. “What’s that smell?”
“No doubt Thoth has been practicing the arts again,” Anubis murmured. “It’s mugwort and wormwood. I believe he has been scrying for the hybrid.”
“Scrying?”
“It’s a very natural way to find someone or something.” Anubis began to walk towards the front of the house to the meeting room. “He must have gotten hold of something to use as a magnet.”
Anubis briefly looked back at her as he took long strides. Tessa refused to let him out of her sight. He was not going to treat her as some sort of china doll to be set upon a shelf. Tessa stayed quiet as she followed him. She took the opportunity to watch him walk. He was sure, confident — lethal. In moments, they entered the room where Thoth conducted business and held his meetings.
Thoth stood at the table with a map spread out in the center. On both sides of the map, but well out of reach, two finger-length bundles wrapped in cord were burning. Tessa guessed this had to be the mugwort and wormwood Anubis spoke of. Ralabos, Rene, Thoth and Hathor were assembled around the table with a woman Tessa had never seen, and all were peering down at the map. Perhaps the hypnotizing small blue light that hovered over the map should have caught and held Tessa’s attention, but it was seriously outdone by the mystery woman.
She was tall, taller even than Tessa. Though her build was thin, it was still somehow very curvaceous. Her small waist belonged on a doll, her legs on a Vegas showgirl. Long, ink-black straight hair fell to the middle of her back and was blunt, but evenly cut. A small part of hair at her temple was braided, and secured somehow with a white feather at the end. When they entered the room, she looked up and smiled, revealing two very astonishing features: tawny eyes that almost matched the color of her skin and a smile that could stun anyone into worshipful silence. As her gaze fell upon them it lingered on Anubis, a little too long, in Tessa’s opinion.
“Anubis,” the woman breathed as she made her way towards him. Her exotic accent made his name sound sinful in itself. As she walked towards them, she oozed sensuality, reminding Tessa no human could pull off such beauty. “It’s been so long.” Her long arms locked around his neck and Tessa couldn’t help touching Anubis’s mind just a tad. She was miffed to find he had completely blocked her.
“Ma’at. Beautiful Ma’at. A pleasure as always,” Anubis responded giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Tessa cleared her throat; her jealousy was another matter altogether. “Oh, of course. You are the doctor Hathor has spoken of.” She unwound her arms from around Anubis and stretched out both hands in greeting. Tessa clasped hands with her, and participated in the very European tradition of kissing the air on both sides of the cheek. “You are most adorable,” the strange woman enthused warmly.
“Ma’at, this is Tessa.” Anubis threw the introduction over his shoulder as he made his way to the table.
Tessa smiled at the woman and instantly found it hard to dislike her. Ma’at, still holding one of her hands, led her to the table. “Hathor has told me very little about you. You are newly converted, yes?”
Tessa groaned inwardly. “Yes,” she replied stiffly. As she approached the table she now let her fascination be captured by the blue light. “What is that?” she asked no one in particular. It seemed to hover in one spot. Tessa looked over the map and found it to be a very detailed rendition of Cairo and it
s surroundings.
“Simply put, a locator,” Rene answered, smiling at her. “Thoth had the wonderful idea.”
“Really, it’s not that intricate.” Thoth gave her his movie-star smile. “Everything leaves some sort of print behind, an essence. The last victim we found was very fresh. I took samples and managed to use the residual markers of his power to locate him.” He pointed to the map. “He’s in this area. It makes sense, of course. The tricky part is finding him before he bolts.”
“I cannot go,” Ralabos stated, standing to his full impressive height.
“He reeks of energy, the hybrid will know,” Rene explained to Tessa, twining her fingers with her mate’s.
Tessa felt a slight pang of envy as she watched her friend. Truly she had found her soul mate. The way they acted towards one another was something to behold. It seemed they stayed within touching distance and almost always they seemed to touch one another. Tessa snuck a glance at Ma’at and noticed she was looking at Anubis rather oddly. “Then what is the plan?” Tessa asked trying to divert her own attention to the matter at hand and not the anger that was brewing at Anubis. He seemed open to Ma’at’s attention.
“Our Anubis is a Dark One,” Ma’at said with a little more than affection. “His power can be cloaked. The hybrid probably won’t be able to distinguish Anubis’s power from his own until it is too late.”
Tessa immediately became irritated. This was just the sort of thing Anubis had spoken of earlier. He was the one called upon to do the dark deeds. Tessa even wondered if anyone considered the possible danger they were putting him in. She looked at Anubis, but his face was shuttered, giving away no emotion. He no doubt was used to this. “Wouldn’t it be dangerous to send him alone?” Tessa asked the room.
“Anubis is the best choice,” Hathor offered. “He will not be alone. As soon as he has the hybrid trapped like before we will aid him.”
“But he is to face him alone?” Tessa persisted.
“I am capable,” Anubis said tonelessly. “There is no need for concern.”
“You said yourself you have no idea what his powers could be. Am I the only one concerned for his welfare?” Tessa glanced around the room at the occupants. Yes, these beings had known him much longer, but did they really know him? “I want to go with him.”
“You’ll be in danger. I cannot allow that.” This time Anubis’s voice held conviction as his dark eyes peered at her.
“It’s my choice,” Tessa replied through gritted teeth.
“You will never change.” Ma’at laughed as she sauntered over to Anubis. “Still ordering people around I see.”
Tessa ignored the familiar way Ma’at laid her hand on his shoulder as she playfully pushed him. “It did not work with me, and I get the feeling it will not work with Tessa. You are more than capable of protecting her.”
This time Tessa noticed the flicker of emotion that skittered across his handsome face. She knew what he was thinking. The last time he had encountered the killer, Tessa had died. He had to know it wasn’t his fault. Just like they suspected the other hybrid found it hard to detect Anubis, it went the other way around. But now Anubis was wiser and so was she. Not to mention she was no longer human. That evened the odds just a bit.
“If you don’t take me, I will go looking on my own.” Tessa watched the anger as it flared in his eyes. Good, let him know he couldn’t order her about. When Anubis said nothing, Tessa continued. “Okay, so say we find him. Then what?”
“That was our next topic of discussion,” Hathor said. “If Anubis can secure him temporarily, then Thoth must find a way to imprison him permanently.”
“I’ve thought of that,” Thoth said triumphantly. “Last time Anubis told me he had to drain some of the dark traveler’s power in order to imprison him. Why not keep part of the dark traveler’s original plan?”
“I do not understand.” Ralabos frowned as he pulled Rene in front of him and hugged her close.
“Once Anubis secures him, the rest of us will tear a hole in the veil that separates us. We can contain him just as we did his sire. We can only hope to get him through before Apep uses the tear to escape.”
“We have the element of surprise,” Anubis said thoughtfully.
“Sounds simple enough,” Rene offered.
“Why not just destroy him?” Tessa asked. It sounded crazy to leave something so dangerous alive. All eyes turned to her and Tessa felt like the outsider that she was. They obviously knew something she did not.
“He is connected to Apep,” Rene explained. “Apep is very powerful indeed. One of the strongest of us all, besides Ralabos. Destroying his offspring could cause harm to him and upset the balance between the travelers of light and dark. If it were a traveler with lesser power, we would not hesitate in order to protect the humans, but to kill him …” Rene shook her head. “We have no idea the impact that could have.”
There it was, the balance that Anubis spoke of. “Understood. When do we do this?” Tessa asked. They all looked at Anubis. Tessa couldn’t help but notice that Ma’at, although no longer touching Anubis, was standing close enough that her shoulder had definite contact with him. She bit her tongue to keep from making a fool out of herself.
“I need to speak with Ma’at — alone. Then we will proceed.” Before anyone could respond, he and Ma’at were gone, leaving Tessa to deal with the biting jealousy that threatened to boil over.
“Perhaps you and I can have a word as well?” Rene offered. She appeared to rather reluctantly untangle herself from her mate’s hold. After a lingering kiss on the lips, Rene motioned for her to follow. Tessa huffed, knowing she was merely being dealt with.
* * * *
“You have no reason to worry.” The words poured out of Rene as soon as the door closed behind them. Tessa recognized the room as the one assigned to her, the one she hardly slept in.
“Seeing as that is the first thing you said, I feel comforted now.”
“Ma’at is, well…” Rene searched for words. Tessa had plenty.
“Gorgeous? Graceful? Sexy? An old lover?”
“It’s true they had a sort of liaison in the past,” Rene hedged. “But that was so very long ago.”
“How long is long ago?”
“At least a hundred years or more.”
“How do you know so much about these people?” Tessa thought it was a good idea to pounce upon the opportunity while she could. “You are different, just as I am. What did they do to you?”
“Saved me,” Rene said, sitting on the bed. “As for the other question, that will take a longer explanation. When we have time, I promise to tell you everything.”
“Fine.” Tessa sat down next to her. “What happened between them?”
“Anubis didn’t speak much of it. He has never grown attached to any female.”
“Including me,” Tessa muttered, remembering the way his face had lit up the moment he laid eyes on the tall vixen.
“Not true.”
“Don’t defend him. I have eyes.” Tessa sprang up. “I don’t even know why I’m getting all dramatic over this. We made no promises to each other. He saved me and I gave him, well, nothing I guess. Yes, I’ll be dependent on him for a while. Once I figure something out I’ll leave him to his Ma’at.” Tessa knew she was being unfair and acting like a brat. What had she expected from Anubis? Did she think just because he wasn’t human he was different? He was a man regardless. Roarden’s handsome face surfaced. It was happening again. Falling for a man who couldn’t commit to her. This time she would be smarter.
“You really care for him, don’t you?” Rene whispered as she watched her.
“What difference does it make, Rene? I am not enough for him. I could never be Ma’at, or any of the thousands of other women he probably lusts after.”
“Has he asked you to change?”
“Well, no.” Tessa faltered. “But I can’t do this again. I can’t turn a blind eye to what’s right in front of me. Right now as we sp
eak he’s probably given her a third orgasm.” Her heart squeezed at the thought.
“He is a man of honor, Tessa. You don’t give him his due. Give him a–”
“Chance?” Tessa barked. “Been there done that.”
Rene sighed. “All right, friend, you have your mind made up. I can only pray to Osiris that you see your way clear. Meanwhile, I shouldn’t have to tell you to stay safe. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Tessa looked at Rene and smiled. “I won’t. Dying once was more than enough for me. I just didn’t want him to go alone.” Tessa felt her voice break. She was an idiot, pining after a man who panted after other women. Even knowing that, she still wanted no harm to come to him. She still didn’t want him to be alone. Apparently she was still an idiot when it came to men.
“Let’s join the others,” Rene suggested.
As they made their way back to the meeting room, Anubis and Ma’at entered just a second behind them. Her once-perfect hair was now slightly mussed and her cheeks flushed. Anubis was giving her a peculiar smile and Tessa’s heart fell onto the floor. She looked away as tears stung her eyes. She felt a gentle push against her mind, but Tessa slammed down her barriers. It didn’t take long to learn to do that.
Anubis consulted the map once more and reached out a hand to her. Tessa stared at it, her mind in disarray, her feelings bottlenecked in her throat, threatening to erupt. Had he used this same hand to caress the golden flesh of Ma’at? A vision of them making love flashed in her mind and Tessa winced.
“Are you feeling well?” Anubis looked down at her and Tessa could hear the false concern in his voice.
“Fine,” She retorted.
How odd, Tessa thought to herself. She was going to face the man who murdered her, with the man who was strangling her heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Anubis looked at Tessa again before he reached for her. She hesitated and there was no mistaking the cold anger roiling around her. So she was jealous. Anubis could barely keep the smile from his face. “Is there something you would like to speak to me about?” He found it hard to keep the amusement from his tone. She looked at him with her exquisite brown eyes and cut them away just as quickly, letting out a sharp breath of air. “You must focus, Tessa. Right now we are both putting ourselves in a dangerous position. We have no room for error, it could cost us.” He could see the slight slump in Tessa’s shoulder as she took a deep breath.
Caress The Dark God [Scions of the Ankh 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 12
