by Jean Murray
SOUL
UNleashed
KEY TO THE CURSED
BOOK 4
JEAN MURRAY
FATED PRESS
Table Of Contents
Table Of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Epilogue
Sneak Peek
Soul Avenged, Book 5
Acknowledgments
Author Bio
Copyright
Key To the Cursed – Book 4: Soul Unleashed
Jean Murray
ISBN: 978-1-943045-09-9
© Copyright Jean Murray 2016. All rights reserved
Cover Art: Robin Ludwig Design Inc.
www.gobookcoverdesign.com
Editor: Judy Roth
Fated Press LLC
PO Box 1914
Huntingtown, MD 20639
Ebooks/Books are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Fated Press LLC electronic publication/print publication: January 2016
FATED PRESS
www.fatedpress.com
Dedication
To my sisters whom have always stood by me.
Prologue
Two sides to every soul, one you see on the outside and the one hidden deep—kept close to the heart to protect against pain and hurt. Hidden not for his own safety, but the safety of others. If he lets it lose, pain and misery will come to those whose souls cross his path. He will consume them without a care.
The curse of the Devourer—forever wanting something he can never have or risk destroying it.
Forever alone.
Chapter One
Black dried blood coated Kamen’s face and chest, tightening his skin like a torturous vice. Shivering with the cold that had taken refuge in his tissues, he rolled onto all fours and pressed his forehead to the jagged stone.
Feeding quenched the hunger deep inside him, but the side effects left him miserable. It took his body several hours to days to process the evil he consumed. Some feedings cost him more than others.
The more evil, the more suffering. His burden. His curse as the Devourer of souls.
Last night’s took a punch. Theris, the god’s soul he consumed, had been touched by Apep, the Lord of Darkness himself. Evil in the most deprived sense. Fetid and rich with maleficence.
Acid burned through Kamen’s muscles, robbing him of his strength. His legs shook with the effort to stand. Despite how weak he was hours after waking, his power would multiply and carry for several days before he was forced to return to the chamber.
The beast inside had to be sated.
Disoriented, he staggered into the wall. Digging his fingertips into the claw marks scored in the stone, he gathered his strength. Gods, he despised this place. Despised what he had to become to pay penance for his sins. Yet, it was a just punishment for what he had done. His brother, Asar, had been far too merciful.
Kamen tracked along the stone, blind in the darkness. He traced the hieroglyphics, leading him to the narrow hole, just wide enough to fit his hand. The locking mechanism disengaged, shifting the counterweights and rolling the large boulder.
A chill brushed his bare skin and raised the hair on the back of his neck. He looked over his shoulder and scanned the dark chamber. Despite the emptiness, the chill stayed with him. For a moment he hesitated before releasing the lever. Last night had been worse than he thought.
Shaking it off, he climbed the crypt’s passageway. Each step jolted the bones in his body. Warm air filtered down but failed to heat his frigid skin. The stench of fetid blood churned his stomach. Exhaling a long breath, he released some of the tension in his shoulders.
He shifted the granite door and then pushed the slab back into place. Rubbing at his eyes, the detail of the elaborate black marble of his bathroom came into focus and then blurred again.
Kicking on the faucet, the scalding water of the shower pelted his already tender skin. He stood frozen underneath the spray, willing his body to warm. Temperature, unfortunately was not the cause of his hypothermic state. Contaminated with lust, envy, greed, gluttony and wrath, all the cold and desolate emotions left his soul absent of anything decent and warm.
After four thousand years, he forced himself not to think about the toll on what was left of his soul. He accepted his punishment and assumed the role of the Devourer, hoping to maintain some semblance of a normal life, but that had been short lived. Unstable, especially in the beginning when his control was less than adequate, the beast would zero in on the dark thoughts of other gods. More importantly, their fear.
Over the years he withdrew into the shadows, opting to exploit his role as Asar’s enforcer. It took Kamen awhile to realize instead of fighting his curse, he should embrace it. His acceptance of his fate made the isolation bearable.
Loud banging distracted him from his misery. He leaned his head against the shower wall, willing the unwelcome guest away. His head throbbed with each crack on the heavy wood.
No one dared question or cross him.
Except—his eyes gravitated towards the door. The energy on the other side stirred another craving in his chest, one that would just have to go hungry.
“Hey, wake up, lazy bones. I am not getting any younger out here,” Kit Carrigan yelled and battered the door. “Hey!”
Kamen grimaced. The female had the patience of a starved lion with a fresh kill. With no more than a towel wrapped at his waist, he stumbled to the entry and yanked the door open. He met the sapphire depths of Kit’s radiant gaze. Black brows arched over her brilliant blue eyes as they drifted down his wet
torso to the floor. Water dripped onto the sandstone, forming small puddles at her feet.
Her red full lips parted slightly. A warm exhaled breath tickled the skin of his bare chest. He forced himself to ignore the press of her round breasts against the small leather top and the shadow dipping low between them. Her flat abdomen taunted him from the gap of her halter to the low rise of her leather pants. Shit, he hated the fact she flaunted her flesh in front of him so freely. Worse, he found it unbearable when other males took notice.
Kamen forced the uncomfortable need into a dark recess of his soul. Taking advantage of her distraction, he turned his back and forced his legs back to the bathroom. His craving for the woman was manifesting into something more than want. The growing ache in his groin was a stark reminder he had gone on with nothing for a very, very long time. Gods help Kit if he ever set it free. Controlling the beast was all or nothing.
“Hey, where are you going? I need to go back to the human realm to receive the weapons’ shipment,” Kit broke her stunned silence.
“It can wait.” He shoved his legs into his pants. Thankfully, his arousal waned in favor of the tremors threatening to buckle his legs. The fact she could stimulate him even in his miserable state confounded him. Movement in the mirror drew his attention upward.
She had pursued him into the bathroom. Feet spread and hands on her hips, she looked like a dam against a Tsunami.
This Tsunami unfortunately came with teeth and claws.
A warm breeze followed her from the hall, bringing her scent to his raw senses. He hissed out his clenched teeth, her obstinacy whittling his patience.
“Another time, Kit,” he growled and pulled a fresh shirt over his head. The confrontation only awakened the beast further.
Her full red lips puckered into a pout, and she cocked her head to the side. Her long black mane slid over her shoulder. He tracked the black blue river of hair clinging to her soft white skin.
“Lilly wants me to receive the shipment and oversee the initiation. Give the new girls reassurance or some shit like that. Honest, I’d rather sleep the afternoon away, but orders are orders.” She blew out a bubble from the gum she was chewing and popped it in his face.
“Asar has called for me. When I am done, I will take you.” The growing ache in his chest announced Asar’s summons and impatience at Kamen’s delayed arrival. He shifted around her, continued out the door and down the hall.
“Do you have to do everything he says?” Kit snapped, rounding the door.
Kamen stopped and glared at her over his shoulder. “Yes and I suggest you do the same.”
“I’m stuck here like some god’s damn prisoner,” she muttered under her breath.
Anger rushed up his spine. Infuriated, he pivoted and in one stride loomed over her. “Asar has provided you and your sisters protection. Broken the law to do so. Your presence has put Aaru at risk, yet Asar has welcomed you as one of his own and you dare question his generosity.” Unable to temper his response, his voice boomed in the space between them.
Kit flinched, a frown creasing her lips. Being this close to her, the shadow of her eyes seemed darker than usual, the blueness dimmer. Her skin paler.
“Fine.” She jerked back and stormed off down the hallway.
He cursed. Whether still raw from his feeding, Kit’s behavior had finally broken his control. Even if it was slight, it did not take much to raise the beast inside. He could not afford to lose his focus after all this time, especially on a human female who hated him.
Dizziness slamming into him, he wavered on his feet and grabbed for the veranda wall. Closing his eyes, he struggled to hold his strength. The door at the end of the hall opened and Asar stepped out. His brother’s curse carried down the stone corridor. Kamen shoved himself off the wall and walked stiff-legged to the door Asar held open.
“Sorry, brother. I would not have called you if it was not important.”
Kamen nodded, although Asar owed him no explanation. Following his brother into the office, he slowed when an ache settled between his shoulder blades. The beast stirred, summoned by the demon blood in the room. He locked eyes on the source, the Goddess of War, a half breed. Creation and demon, Siya was a recent addition to their growing Underworld family.
Fed by a force of both light and dark, she met Kamen’s stare without blinking. Not many dared to look him in the eye. Despite her fortitude in meeting his gaze, she slid a protective hand across her protruding belly. Bomani, her mate, moved closer and placed his palm on the small of her back.
Bonded males, all of them were overly protective of their females. Family or not, Kamen was a threat. Forcing his eyes away from the couple, Kamen looked down at the map at the center of Asar’s desk.
Bomani left Siya’s side and held out his hand. “Uncle.”
Kamen grabbed Bomani’s forearm in a warrior’s handshake. His gaze gravitated to the balcony. His other nephew, Bakari, stood with arms crossed over his chest, just below the Mevt daggers sheathed in his holsters. Bakari nodded and stepped into the cavernous office.
“Thank you all for coming,” Asar said and walked to the large gold chair behind the grand desk. “Siya has identified weaknesses in our defenses, significant enough I want them addressed now. It goes without saying, we have too much at stake.”
Kamen’s gaze gravitated to the growing baby in Siya’s belly. Asar’s first grandchild. The first offspring of the Underworld in over four thousand years, but his brother’s statement had far more meaning. The daughters of the Mother Goddess, each having a power that would aid them in the war were under their protection. Lilly, the eldest, had married Asar. Kendra, the petite redhead, had conquered Bakari’s soul. Kit—well, that had yet to be determined.
Kamen shook off the uncomfortable thought and focused back on the group.
“No one has ever breached our walls,” Bakari said, drawing closer to the desk.
“So we thought until Nebt,” Bomani countered.
“Still, she created the breach from the inside, not out.”
The conversation sent an ache of guilt through Kamen’s chest. Nebt, the Goddess of the Underworld and cousin to both Kamen and Asar, had been beloved by all.
Family turned traitor schemed to overthrow Asar’s reign by bringing the enemy into their home. Not to mention, what Nebt had done to her own husband—staking him to the wall.
How could he have missed Nebt’s betrayal?
Kamen’s powers were fed by evil, and yet he failed to sense it in Nebt. She had almost succeeded, if not for Kendra and Bakari. Sadly, Nebt had escaped before justice could be served. Kamen counted the days until her judgment.
He looked around the room, wondering who else was tainted by the Dark Lord. Would he sense it if they were?
“Let Siya speak, then reserve your judgments,” Asar stated.
Siya nodded and leaned over the map. “We all know Apep wants to breach the human realm. The Dark Lord knows the Creation Pantheon cannot win the war without the Underworld legions leading the charge. As each of you are aware, Apep has targeted the attacks on you while leaving the Creations essentially untouched.”
“Creations think this is all some joke. They sat idle while the revens overran the human cities. Even after the siravants slaughtered the Creation Protectors, they still do not see the threat. What are they waiting for?” Bomani’s warrior voice echoed in the room.
“Apep to march across their rainbow bridge,” Asar said with a shake of his head.
“Kendra believes Apep will wait for the lunar eclipse, when the forces that separate the realms are at their weakest,” Bakari said.
“That is only a month away, the same day the baby is due.” Siya turned to her mate.
No one commented, but Siya’s absence from the battle would be a huge loss to their side. A force to be reckoned with, she had led the charge in the first war. A bloody battle to the end, the Underworld had lost thousands before victory was declared.
“Unfortunately, we can
not wait on our cousins to act. We have an obligation to protect the humans at all cost.” Asar sealed his statement by meeting every gaze in the room.
“And, Aaru?” Bomani asked. “What of our home?”
“No way. The gates are unbreachable. Nothing passes.” Bakari palmed the gods’ death dagger at his chest.
“Nothing is impenetrable, Bakari. Everything has its breaking point. We just need to figure out what that is before Apep does,” Siya countered.
“If he has not already. Apep has become far too bold, using one of our own blood to attack us. I would have never thought Nebt could be turned against us.” Asar rubbed his temple.
Siya tapped the map. “We make a stand in the motherland of Egypt. The window to the realms will open there. The lunar forces will change the flow of the Nile for only an hour, plenty of time for Apep to escape. He will need to control all three realms, Creation, Human and Underworld, to succeed. The Dark Lord will not risk defeat again.”
“Why are you so certain?” Kamen asked, suddenly compelled to speak. He leveled his stare at the Goddess of War, still suspicious of the daughter of the enemy, Menthu. If anyone was a risk, it was her.
“The Underworld River connects all three realms.” She traced the snake like river with her fingertip. “Human, Duat and Aaru. It is what I would do. My father would advise Apep to do the same. Attacking from two points is much harder to defend. Extends our resources, weakens the main battle.”
“And you think Apep will breach the gates,” Bakari asked, his previous conviction wavering.
“You and Kendra both confirmed the dead were stagnant on the banks of the river. Apep is keeping them from passing into the afterlife. He will grow stronger on the deads’ misery. The question is, what will he do with it?”
“The boat,” Kamen whispered to himself. There was one thing that could get through the gates. The souls of the dead had to navigate Duat via the river to the gates of the Afterlife, ferried by no other than Set.
