Her gut clenched tight and her heart thudded heavily. Alexis glanced at Dalton, but she was focused on the diet drinks in the freezer. Alexis looked at the attendant. His gaze darted between the man in front of him and the one by the door.
Alexis’s fingers curled. In her time on the force, she’d drawn her weapon once. She’d never had to fire. Would that streak end tonight?
***
Reign’s blood simmered in his veins. All night he watched Alexis and fought to control his desire and rage. Her decadent attire tantalized him and worse, distracted him. She was a warrior, not a courtesan. Courtesans of his time dressed in more clothes than the average female of this present day. Men ogled her. They touched her and darkness so foul filled him until he trembled with the desire to destroy them. They talked to her about inappropriate things. They laughed with her over tasteless humor, and they laughed at her when she wasn’t within hearing. She wasn’t his to protect, he reminded himself every minute. He came here to save one person, Roman.
Repeating the statement kept him from shredding someone. He also ignored the part of him, which wanted to find the creature and eliminate it, for her. That meant returning to Nephythys. Not an option to consider. Once he found Roman, together they’d decide what to do. But first, he had to find a way to leave her. He must sever the link they shared without hurting Alexis.
For now, he’d traded one enslavement for another. He ground his teeth together and slowed his breathing. His anger fed the Vanquished and their agitated voices swirled in his head, churning his emotions into a toxic stew. It didn’t help that her lushness lured him closer.
She ignited a hunger of pleasure and need he had buried and thought forgotten. Alexis was danger wrapped in a silken package, carnal temptation to a man that had lived in a sensual vacuum. He couldn’t have her and just wanting her threatened her safety. He had to get away from her before lust led to blood and retribution.
A sudden sense of danger whipped him around. Mired in his thoughts, he had lost track of her. Only a few yards away, he found her rooted to the spot and staring right through him. Sweat beaded her brow and she panted through parted lips. Her eyes were wide and afraid, but her hand steadily crept to her weapon.
Why is she reaching for it?
***
Alexis didn’t have time to react. Without hesitation, one of the men pulled a gun out of his jacket pocket and rushed over to Dalton. A warning would’ve helped, but Alexis couldn’t find her voice. Head still in the freezer studying shelves of ice cream, Dalton didn’t notice him. And a half-stocked display of Corn Flakes blocked Alexis from running to Dalton’s aid.
In Alexis’s peripheral vision, she glimpsed two guys at the front of the store, one guarding the door. The other had his gun aimed at the attendant, who’d opened the cash register and was stuffing a paper bag with bills.
She heard a smack and a crunch. Dalton screamed.
Alexis pulled her weapon, thumbed the safety, and cocked it in one smooth motion. She pivoted. The gunman loomed over Dalton. The butt of his gun rose over his head, ready to strike her again. She lowered her chin to the microphone between her breasts and prayed they were still connected to the surveillance van. “Officer down.”
“Police! Drop your weapon.” Alexis shouted to the guy about to brain Dalton. She prayed his five seconds of hesitation was enough to allow Dalton to retrieve her weapon and level the playing field. Otherwise, the man on her right had a clean shot of her.
She may die. But she wouldn’t die alone. Alexis aimed for her target’s center mass. She slowed her breathing.
And blinked a final time.
A wall dressed in black stepped in front of her. The blare of gunshots drowned out everything but her blood pounding through her arteries. She looked up and up, and saw long, shoulder-length silky black hair that was more than familiar. Spasms choked her lungs. She backed up and brushed the display.
It couldn’t be! Just couldn’t!
She was awake. This wasn’t a dream.
Her hand reached up and threaded through his hair. A slight turn of his head and his blue eyes captured her. Vaguely, she heard the door open and the men run out.
Disbelief made her blink. Hard. “How are you here?” she whispered. A siren wailed and tires screeched outside the store.
“Where you go, I follow.” His lips curled into a wry smile.
“Huh?” She shook her head because she must’ve misunderstood. No criminal stalks his arresting officer and then saves her. He turned and faced her. “Are you hurt?” He had to be injured.
She skimmed his body, searching for blood and lurched to a halt when she saw the sword gripped in his hand. Alexis jerked back. She raised her weapon and pointed it at his chest. Was it contempt that spread across his features before he spun away and charged toward the front door?
“Don't!” she screamed and he halted.
He whipped around. His muscles bulged. His face twisted in fury. “They would have killed you. For that, they die.”
“You’re under arrest.” The words were thick in her throat.
“You would punish me for protecting you?” he snarled, baring his teeth.
She remembered the mic clicked between her breasts and slapped her hand over it. “You're an escaped criminal and my prisoner.” Though her insides trembled, the gun didn’t waver from his chest.
His eyes turned flinty. A vein in his neck pulsed ominously in time with the glowing crimson blade gripped in his palm. “Truer words have never been said,” he sneered. “But neither you nor anyone else in this realm will ever chain me.” Reign faded before her eyes.
The door burst open. The bell above it was discordant as officers poured in.
Blood drained from her brain. Her muscles surrendered to gravity and Alexis fainted into a display of Corn Flakes.
***
Alexis woke to muffled sounds and strobing red and blue lights. An EMT crouched on one side of her. On the other side, a detective from Vice’s lips moved, but she couldn’t process his words. Someone had placed her in a vacuum, a protective cocoon where she could see, but not hear a thing. Or maybe she had turned deaf, and dumb and blind was planning an ambush around the next corner.
A part of her registered that she should be afraid. Too busy studying the crowd scurrying around her; she didn’t have time for fear. The EMT beside her waved his hands in front of her face. She tracked the movement. He snapped his fingers, breaking the protection bubble surrounding her. A cacophony of noise assailed her. Confused, she pushed away from the EMT.
“Lever.” Someone shouted. Hands pinned her to the ground. “It’s okay.”
Her senses realigned and the confusion faded. A quick mental check confirmed she had all her body parts and there were no bullet holes ventilating her chest. Cold penetrated through the back of her denim jacket.
I’m on the floor. Her gaze darted around the room. She didn’t have a chance to question ‘Where am I?’ Memories flooded her system.
“Where’s Dalton?” Mouth dry, tongue heavy, her words came thick and slow.
“She’s fine. The EMT’s are taking care of her. What happened here, Lever?” He gripped her shoulders hard. His face filled her vision. Detective Michael Cavaugn, one of McCabe’s cronies.
Alexis wrenched free and pushed herself up into a seated position. The room tilted and her stomach heaved. She gritted her teeth. Blowing chunks at another crime scene was not an option. The first time was humiliating enough.
“Lever, can you tell me what happened here?” Cavaugn pressed her.
Sure, I can tell you everything that happened. “Did you catch the guys that did this?”
He shook his head. “No. We’re canvassing the area.”
Lever climbed to her feet. Cornflake boxes littered the floor along with shell casings.
Shit! It really did happen. What could she tell them that would be close to the truth? “Dalton and I came in to get something to drink. Three armed men, one black, two white, w
alked in. Two had .38’s one had a sawed-off shotgun. Dalton had her head in the freezer and didn’t see them enter. One grabbed her and knocked her on the side of the head. I pulled my weapon and trained it on him. Two had their weapons on me and…” Reign appeared.
Bigger than life. Taking a chest full of bullets meant for her.
Then walked away.
No. Vanished.
“That’s all I remember,” Alexis mumbled while the scene continued to unfold in her mind.
“Did you fire a shot?”
“Huh?” Lost in thought, she hadn’t heard him.
“Did you discharge your weapon?”
Almost, but Reign appeared. “No, I didn’t.”
“So they fired at close range and neither of you were hit. I’d say that’s an unexplainable miracle.”
She was about to agree when she spotted a camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling facing her. Her blood went cold. This miracle wouldn’t be unexplainable for long.
“Their surveillance equipment doesn’t work. Been out of order for months the clerk said.” The detective pointed to the camera.
Good. The last thing she needed was digital proof she cooperated with a fugitive. The mic! Her fingers dipped into her cleavage and pulled the microphone from between her breasts.
“What did the clerk say?” she asked.
“He hit the floor after the first shot. Says he didn’t see anything. We collected the microphones from both of you. The techs already checked and they didn’t pick up anything after you called for help.”
This was more than a miracle. Alexis opted for the precinct over a ride to the hospital. She had a report to file and she knew others were waiting to grill her.
Several uniformed officers stopped her and asked about her welfare as she walked into the building. But as she made her way through Homicide to her desk in Vice, the snickers started. Whether real or imagined, their mumbled words reached her.
Incompetent, foolish, out of her depth, rookie. The last word summed it all up. No matter how long she stayed on the force, they’d treat her as a rookie.
Why? “Because some liberal got the detective test thrown out on the grounds of discrimination!” McCabe’s voice screamed in her head. No one respected her. She was too young to be a detective. Too inexperienced. Lousy shot. Slow as hell. She couldn’t keep up. Didn’t know enough. And worst of all, she was nice. That's what they thought of her. Incompetent and nice. The words should be synonyms.
Exhaustion dragged her down until her knuckles scraped the linoleum. Punchdrunk from too many events happening too close together, Alexis plopped herself in her rolling chair. The box containing her belongings from her desk in Homicide blocked her computer screen. She pushed it to the side and logged onto the secure website.
Five minutes later, she sat back, pressed print, and listened to the quiet whine of the printer as it spit out a single sheet of paper.
“Lever.” The captain’s bellow jerked her around.
She would’ve liked a chance to reread it, edit it a bit, but she folded the sheet once and rose. Still dressed in hoe stroll best, Alexis crossed the room, swept past her captain, and placed the sheet on his desk. She didn’t bother to sit.
He walked around his desk and snatched the paper up. “Good. I’ll approve it immediately,” he said after reading it. “Time off is exactly what you need. This is the smartest thing you’ve done in a while.”
She wouldn’t thank him for the insult. Purse, keys, badge, no gun because they confiscated it, no matter. She had another one at both her apartment and granny’s. She collected her things and made her way to the exit, her car, and home.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Free! Khuket’s essence floated on the heat radiating from the lava pits and the smoky updrafts from the smoldering pyres. All of her dormant senses surged and expanded outward in a glorious explosion of energy. Chaos. Its shadowy presence surrounded and throbbed inside her, bringing her back to life. So long denied, she basked in the dissonance, absorbing the frenetic energy chaos created. There were infinite threads in Duat, none she could use to fulfill the contract she had made with SET. She continued on, moving through each layer of the Underworld until she entered the greeting room of a palace.
The presence of her benefactor touched every aspect of the home. But this wasn’t where he dwelled. Evil—like chaos—preferred gloom and this cathedral so near the surface of the world wasn’t dark enough for him to rest. She actually favored her desolate cell. This could be the reason she survived while other members of her Pantheon had withered and died.
The Egyptians had descended from the night skies in overwhelming numbers, dividing the planet amongst them as if none called this land home. They stole The Eidos’ powers, crippled and enslaved them. Those who succumbed lived. Those who fought died. She was all that was left of the Elementals.
Anger rippled through her, but she’d learned to let none show on her features. Imprisonment taught her the value of hiding one’s true emotions. Though she projected chaos, violence didn’t dwell within her. After so many years of solitude and meditation, she conquered the emotion what once was her foundation.
She moved through the palace, exploring the pristine rooms, touching the cool marble. Traces of SET lingered, but this edifice was too clean and smooth. The God of Evil would decry perfection in all things, living or inanimate. This monument was built for someone else.
A woman perhaps. Hmmm?
SET fascinated her with his bluster, no joy. He didn’t delight in his true nature as she did. The joy she received in the subtle machination of the chaos she wrought, satisfied her as nothing else could. She sank onto a cushioned marble bench. Velvety softness surrounded her. Too long, she’d been denied any ease. Her hand trembled as she smoothed the aged, once tattered fabric instead of ripping the cloth from her body. With her restored powers, she could array herself as she pleased. Khuket refrained. No comfort or raiment would she seek until she fulfilled her oath. The cloth served to remind her of her precarious freedom. And though she had her powers, she was still enslaved.
If given a choice, she would stay here in Duat. Maybe, afterwards, she’d return and conquer the powerful SET. After all, there was an unoccupied cell.
Khuket halted. Awareness shrieked across her senses, leaving her quivering. She raced to find the source and paused in front of a barrier of energy. Intricately woven ethereal weaving pulsed, blocking her way.
Cursed, Egyptian magic. It surrounded her. Caged her. Her cold core swelled in anger. Her nails lengthened, SET’s vis’Ra collected in her palms. She grabbed the barrier. At first, the weaves resisted, but SET’s donated power mixed with her fury allowing her to force her way through and into a room. Chaos pulsed from the trapped souls lining the walls in canopic jars. Some were dense and multicolored; others were thin, erratic tendrils fluttering inside the funerary ceremonial containers.
She was no prophet. The future remained a mystery to her, but she was certain these jars held the key to her goal. And her revenge.
“Who are you?”
Khuket spun, ready to flee. Freedom tasted too sweet to have it snatched away so soon. A woman’s wide eyes met her stare. She gasped and quickly lowered her eyes. “Never did I think I would meet one of my own deities again.” She sunk to the floor and bowed low.
Khuket scrutinized the woman. She was an Eidos, but from a lower caste. Stripped of all her energy, she now existed as a slave. Fury whipped through Khuket, causing jars to dance on the marble shelves. Fear leeched from the woman cowering on the cold marble.
“Stand and come to me.” The goddess demanded. The woman crossed the barrier and waited inches away. “What is your name?” Khuket asked.
“I’m a null. I have no name other than what my master Anubis chooses to call me and he calls me null.” Hands folded meekly in front, her chin rested on her chest.
Khuket reached for her, but the woman backed away smoothly.
“Don’t touch me. It’s fo
rbidden. Once touched, we can be owned, and we’re no longer trusted by our masters. The punishment is severe. You must leave, Goddess. Anubis will be here to see who breached his barrier.” Her hands never parted and her chin never rose.
Khuket grabbed the Eidos’s bare shoulder. Memories flowed from the slave into her mind as she ruthlessly mined for knowledge to start her revenge. “I am your new master. I shall call you Neith because you and I come from the same place.” She transformed into her essence—a turbulent mist—and forced her new servant to do the same.
A god materialized in the room. He jerked to a halt. Shock twisted his sharp features. Neith trembled next to her.
Khuket glided in front of her subject. She wasn’t strong enough to fight, but an impressive display could cover a necessary retreat.
SET loped into the room in his Typhon form. The unknown god dropped to his knees in front of SET and bowed low.
SET’s gaze swept over her and then seemed to dismiss her. “Did you know of my wife’s betrayal?” SET rasped.
“No, father.” Anubis shook his head. His chalky face flushed.
SET’s barbed tail smashed into the marble next to his son. The boy yelped. SET clucked and hooked his enormous head. “I can smell the lie in your words.”
Khuket smiled. Family dramas were always exciting. “SET, come see what endeavors your seed has been up too.” She reformed and moved aside.
“My son seeks to build an army. He thinks to overthrow me and rule in my place. I allowed him his foolish dreams for a few centuries. Now it is time for my child to learn his place in the world.” A glee glowed from SET’s canine eyes. His tail wrapped around Anubis’s neck and dragged him. SET stopped before he left the room.
Do not forget our deal, goddess. His voice filled her head. Then he was gone.
“Quickly, take everything,” Khuket said to Neith. She didn’t have time to speculate why The God of Evil left the souls unguarded. She needed to take what she could and leave.
Everlasting (Descendants of Ra: Book 2) Page 6
