Soul Unleashed (Key to the Cursed Book 4)

by Jean Murray

  His cock twitched with the image in his head. Not quite the response he should entertain. He forced his eyes away from the round curve of her bottom swaying in front of him. Maybe his control was not as solid has he thought. For the first time he was grateful for the Creation’s curse. It provided a strong, more painful deterrent. Among all the women in this building to arouse his libido, it had to be her. The only individual unintimidated, correction—down right annoyed by his presence.

  Despite what he was and the fear he instilled, there were a few females who had been brave enough to seduce him. He shuddered remembering the last attempt to have sex, millenniums ago. It had ended badly, enough he took a vow of celibacy. Not by choice, but by the shear fact the beast could not be control at high levels of carnal arousal. The thought alone extinguished the ache in his groin and set a chill to his soul.

  Ducking down into the narrow hallway, he trailed his quarry. He hated being unaware of Asar’s location. The threat was too great to leave his brother unprotected, but again Kamen’s orders were to stay at Kit’s side. Kit entered the door to the right. He palmed the stick outline of a women and followed her.

  “Is this really required?” She glared at him, standing before the stall door.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. Like he would take a chance on her bolting, or worse, some god or something nabbing her because she insisted on modesty. Ironic, since she had little of it.

  “I hate you,” she cursed and slammed the metal door.

  Silence filled the room, except for the drip of the sink. He diverted his eyes to the floor. Hearing the bathroom sounds was not the worst he had to live through. Although, Kit’s sex life had dwindled in the last few months. To say he was grateful was an understatement. He had to resist the urge of scaring the piss out of the human males. Not that he hadn’t taken advantage of that a few times.

  Kit exited and leaned over the sink. She pulled her black mane over her shoulder, exposing the long line of her back. She washed her hands and then splashed some water on her face. He met her gaze in the mirror. “Where were you last night?”

  Her question shocked him. It sounded accusatory, but also possessive.

  She pushed off the sink and walked towards him. “You need to know where I am at all times. I think it is only fair I know where you are,” she said, poking him in the chest with her long finger. The blue in her eyes twinkled with fierceness as her gaze wandered over his face.

  Her checking up on him was laughable. What would she do if she really knew what he was? Yes, she knew he was the devourer of souls, but the complexity of that curse was never explained to the sisters. Yet, last night he had no souls to consume, it was purely for her safety. The beast was too close to the surface and wanted more than evil to fill its gut.

  “I asked you a question. Don’t you dare just sit there and stare at me.”

  His skin prickled with her heat while goose bumps rose on her arms as she held her ground.

  “Worried about me?” he asked with a smirk.

  “Hardly. Just being a royal pain in your ass. Something you seem to have mastered in mine.”

  “Would you rather me be in my bed when you climbed into it?” He closed the distance between them to a mere foot, reveling in her soft audible gasp.

  “Don’t flatter yourself, you insufferable ox.” She stepped back and he followed until she bumped up against the sink countertop. Her heartbeat pounded in his ears. He paused, realizing it was not fear accelerating her pulse.

  A dangerous game he was playing, but the scent of her arousal was too tantalizing. “I am not like other gods, Kitten. Sometimes it is best to be alone, especially when you test my limits.”

  “I am not afraid of you,” she snapped.

  “You should be,” he said softly. The beast would not be so kind. He gently grasped her hips, careful not to touch the bare skin of her waist.

  Her hot panted breaths cascaded across his neck. He gritted his teeth as his pain became unbearable—her only saving grace, considering all he wanted to do was set her on the counter and plunge himself deep inside until she screamed his name.

  * * *

  Kit’s head swirled as the air was sucked from the room. The lights above dimmed and buzzed. She detected the small tremble in his grip as he kneaded her hips. Despite the chill against her skin, her body burned on the inside. This was not what she wanted. With Kamen this close, she was uncertain of the reasons for her resistance.

  Her bitchiness only drew him closer. To say her plan backfired was an understatement in the most delicious way. His black eyes flickered with orange flames. There was a story in those black depths. One he obviously wanted to keep hidden. “Where were you?” she dared ask again.

  “A place no mortal should be.” The flames in his eyes died and he released her.

  “You know everything about me. Everything.” God, the things Kamen witnessed brought a blush even to her face. He knew more than any other man in her life. Not that they didn’t want to, she just didn’t keep them around long enough to find out. “I’m supposed to place my life in your hands, and I know nothing about you. Hell, you were standing in here while I took a piss. I think I deserve a little information.”

  “I am the devourer and your protector. What else is there to know?”

  “Do you guys really think we didn’t notice your disappearance a few nights ago? And don’t tell me you were just at the warrior tavern celebrating.” She scoffed at their bold faced lie. Asar, Kamen, Bomani and Bakari all going out at the same time. Whoever or whatever they had found must have been big.

  His dark eyes shifted over her face, but he kept his mouth clamped shut.

  She huffed out a breath, his silence infuriating her. He didn’t want to share—fine! She liked him better unstable. He tried to mask his pain yesterday and failed miserably. Mr. Control Freak lost his temper. For once he seemed real, not some god damn emotionless robot following orders.

  “Never mind, I have an initiation to oversee.” She moved around him and left him standing at the sink. They had little time to get the new initiates ready for battle. Each passing day drew them closer to the eclipse. Closer to the end.

  She needed to stay focused on her goal and forget the god who stirred an uncomfortable longing. Thirty days was not long enough to crack her imposing babysitter. She paused at the door, oddly hoping he would stop her, but he remained rooted at the sink.

  Why did she bother?

  Her hope to alter the future dwindled the closer she came to the truth. She had to hold out a little longer and maybe, just maybe, divert her vision’s course. She was not able to stop her father, but like hell would she succumb to her mother’s wishes. Her transition was the catalyst for the war, killing everything she loved dear.

  God, help her. She would die first before she ever let that happen. Kamen wouldn’t be able to save her.

  No one would.

  Her mood darkened with each step towards the temple. She didn’t bother looking over her shoulder. The chill against her back was enough. She let the heavy wooden door swing shut in his face.

  “Are the ladies ready?” Kit asked the sentry.

  “Yes, ma’am. Restrained and ready to go.”

  Kit looked through the glass etched with hieroglyphics. Eight women lay naked on their stomach on individual altars. Their arms and legs were restrained at the four corners. Five of the eight came from families who had lost brothers, sisters or parents to the reven curse. The women’s reasons for joining the Nehebkau varied from an overt sense of duty, penance or downright vengeance. All acceptable reasons in Kit’s mind. Not unlike these women, Kit wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Flashbacks to her initiation came to the forefront. She scratched the back of her neck, the scales detectable under her fingertips. Her skin burned where the serpent’s fangs plunged into the base of her neck.

  “Let me speak with them first,” Kit said to the blonde female dressed in the white rob
e with the incantation scroll in her hands.

  The priestess bowed and stepped to the side.

  Kit hated the adoration and reverence the women gave her and her sisters now that everyone knew their heritage to the Egyptian gods. Kit was a huntress, first and foremost. She wanted to earn the women’s respect and loyalty through hard work and mutual pain. She couldn’t do that stuffed away at the Underworld Palace.

  She stepped through the antechamber. The glass octagon structure had pillars at each of its corners. Kit paused at the arched entryway until the door sealed behind her. The vacuum lock engaged and the second door slid open. She took a deep breath and blew it out. The temple was a refuge, a place she could escape. A place Kamen couldn’t follow.

  The floor writhed and rippled with various venomous snakes wrapped in a tangled dance. Kit stepped forward and the snakes cleared before her boot hit the floor. She moved to the center of the room. The path she had taken sealed back over with a black, brown and green river of serpents.

  “You have your reasons for joining the Nehebkau. As of today, your previous life will cease to exist. You will say goodbye to families left behind or lost. I’m not going to lie to you. Today will be the most painful day of your life.” She squatted down and stared each woman in the eyes. “The pain will bring you clarity and power beyond human comprehension. Bring you closer to avenging those you love. Tomorrow is a new day. A new family. My sisters in blood and venom.”

  Kit reached out and picked up the closest serpent with the distinctive hood and hourglass on its back. It coiled around her arm. “Your serpent will seek you out, bond with you. Lending you its powers.” She stood with the snake in hands. “Do not fight the pain. Embrace it.”

  She stared through the glass at Kamen. His eyes tracked her.

  Did he fear snakes, like other gods? Did he fear anything?

  She forced her eyes back to the female in front of her. The woman trembled against the stone altar. Kit moved towards her and stooped down. “You are stronger than you think.” Kit brushed the brown stands of the female’s hair off the back of her neck. “Think of all the reasons that brought you here. Are they worth it?”

  “Yes,” the woman said behind a veil of tears.

  Kit released the snake onto the initiate’s back. “Then we are already sisters.”

  Chapter Five

  Kamen paced the expanse of thick glass. Agitated, confused and pissed off were any number of emotions banging around in his head. Not to mention his skin was on fire and his entire body ached. It took all his restraint not to haul Kit back to the bathroom, and—what exactly? She had shredded his control within minutes. Shit, he was fooling himself to think a female like Kit would want him. Aroused or not, she used sex as a weapon. Maybe that was all she wanted from him.

  What did she want to know?

  In the end he was nothing but a traitor and murderer, condemned to die. The very god Kamen had betrayed was the one who begged the Council to spare his life and in exchange for the curse of the soul-eater. The Council had agreed to Asar’s punishment, fully expecting the beast to destroy Kamen. Every day Kamen spent outside the chamber proved those bastards wrong. Honestly, he gained dark pleasure seeing the disgust on the Creation gods’ faces and sensing their fear when he walked into the room at Asar’s side.

  That was until Kit Carrigan crashed into his life.

  Now he had spent more time in the chamber than out. He loathed the way Kit looked at him. A frown. A scowl from that pretty mouth left him all twisted inside. She was right, she did not fear him, which made her uncontrollable. The very state of his former life. No rules. No laws. He had learned those mistakes had dire consequences.

  He rubbed the back of his neck in hopes of lessening the ache between his shoulders. Even now the urge to run back to the chamber to escape her blue gaze overwhelmed him.

  His only reprieve, five inch thick glass separating them. One bite from any of the serpents would drain him of his power at least until the venom wore off. The enemy often dipped their blades to gain the advantage, leaving the god helpless to defend him or herself.

  A muffled scream came from the temple and drew his gaze upward. Kit moved among the women struggling against the altars. He diverted his eyes, hating to see women in pain. It stirred up all sorts of memories. The most prominent being the look on his mother’s face at his sentencing as she cast her vote to banish him.

  Growing more agitated he paced the length of the glass, willing the ceremony to move quickly. The sentries eyed him warily, giving him plenty of space. The priestess recited the final prayer, bonding the snake to its host. The very spell that embedded the rattlesnake along Kit’s spine, giving her abilities beyond normal human strength and agility. Similar to how the beast was bound to Kamen’s soul.

  Kit unhooked the straps of the first initiate and wrapped her in a black robe. One by one his huntress cared for the women with a reassuring smile and a soft touch, not unlike how she cared for Kendra during her sister’s transition. A softer side full of compassion and love. An emotion open to all but him, he realized, as she scowled at him through the glass.

  He rooted his legs, hating he was letting his agitation manifest. He needed a breath of fresh air or a good fight to calm himself. Sadly, it was daylight out at the moment, otherwise he would welcome a good hunt. With Theris out of the way, Menthu and Nebt were next on the list.

  The swish of the hydraulic doors shifted the air pressure in the room, along with the sour scent of venom. Huntresses filed into the temple and assisted the new initiates out of the chamber. Kit followed and went straight to the sink. Red serum dripped from her fingertips into the water as she scrubbed them with soap.

  Without an acknowledgement, she turned and stalked off down the hallway. Kamen ground his teeth and followed, tracking the sway of her slim hips. She forearmed the door to the situation room. The blare of radios and monitors hissed in his ears.

  “Please tell me we have intel,” Kit said, looking around the room.

  He narrowed his gaze on the multitude of monitors and satellite images spanning curved screens. Cairo. London. Paris. Bangkok. Dubai. Every major city in the world.

  The lead huntress grabbed the clipboard and remote off the desk and pointed it at the screen. The image refreshed and zoomed in on the barren ice wasteland. Kamen had searched this particular site himself, immediately after Bomani and Bakari rescued Siya from Menthu and Nebt’s torture chamber.

  “The bunker in Siberia still is showing no activity. We have scanned several other similar locations in the country, as well as China and India. If Menthu and Nebt relocated, they are using some other type of facility.” She clicked the hand held device.

  Kit shook her head. “Menthu is expecting us to search similar locations. He knows the fifty caliber gunships can kill his army of siravants. He’ll want to scatter them or hide in a location heavily populated with civilians. Similar to the warehouse in New York. A place we wouldn’t dare use force or risk killing innocents. Have we investigated the list Siya gave us?”

  “Lilly, Asar and an Underworld platoon are searching the last location as we speak.”

  “They’re what?” Kit glared at Kamen. “Did you know they were going there?”

  Kamen fisted his hands, realizing Asar had left him behind. If his brother was on the mission, there was credible intelligence of siravant activity. A risk to both Lilly and Asar. “No, I did not.”

  “Damn it. Pull it up on the screen,” Kit commanded the tech at the console.

  “Already up. Monitor ten.” The tech nodded to the largest monitor in the center while her fingers tapped furiously on the keyboard.

  “What location?” Kamen asked, tracking the red and green heat signatures highlighted on the screen.

  “Chicago.”

  He pulled his energy inward but paused, unwilling to leave Kit unprotected. “I need to take you back to Aaru.”

  “Like hell you do. I’m going with you.” She grabbed a katana from th
e wall.

  “This is not negotiable.” He snagged her wrist and dematerialized to Aaru. As soon as they appeared on solid sandstone, he released her.

  “God damn you,” Kit yelled and latched onto his arm. “I need to be with my sister.”

  “No, you need to stay safe. And, this…” he knocked the sword out of her hand, “is useless against a siravant. These demons are not some mindless reven, Kit. Siravants kill gods. Infect them with the slightest touch.”

  “All the more reason to watch Lilly’s back.”

  Kamen shook his head. Lilly was not the one whom needed watching. He admired Kit’s bravery, however her demi-god blood and powers unlike her sister had not yet been released. Until then she was human. Not even her advance Nehebkau abilities would save her from being picked off by a siravant. “Lilly’s powers are more than adequate to defend herself. You are not ready to face them. And, I cannot fight and protect you at the same time.”

  “I hate you.”

  Her statement stung more than he would like. He was just trying to protect her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the hall towards the library before she did anything stupid. She assaulted him with a folly of expletives with each step. He yanked open the door, frustrated he was wasting his time fighting with her.

  Bomani, Siya and Kendra looked up from a stack a books they had been sorting.

  “Uncle.” Bomani rose from his seat.

  “Watch her. I am going to check up on the mission.” Kamen released Kit to Bomani and stepped back.

  Fury burned in Kit’s sapphire glare, her face flushing red.

  It mattered not that she hated him or that he was less than sympathetic to her plea to protect her sister. More important was the fact that she was safe. And, far away from him.

  Chapter Six

  “Asshole,” Kit mumbled at the now empty space. The pressure in her head threatened to explode, she was so furious. Kamen all but said she was useless. Sure, she wasn’t as strong as Lilly, but she damn well could hold her own. She hadn’t gone through the pain of her Nehebkau initiation just to sit on the sidelines and do nothing.