It didn’t matter? That was Ridley’s answer? Knife in one hand, Emeline made a fist with the other and debated which one would take the lead. “How do you know he doesn’t know about the Order?”
“Because we are all still breathing.” Ridley sounded proud, ready to climb Mount Everest and plant a flag. Even if the mountain was comprised of the stinking bodies of her enemies. “We need you to get him to the house on Riverside Drive.”
Emeline smelled a trap. “Why?” But was it for her or Avery?
“Need to know,” was Ridley’s crisp reply.
“Well, I need to know. He’s a mercenary. Trained in every way how to maim, kill, dismember, and conceal. And he’s a Nicolis! You don’t walk an immortal killer into a trap and expect to live long enough to pat yourself on the back.”
“We haven’t proven he’s immortal yet.”
“Worse, you attack one Nicolis, you attack them all.” Emeline continued as if Ridley hadn’t spoken. “So even if I succeed in this ‘mission impossible’ scenario, the rest of the family will hunt me down. How am I supposed to do what you want without signing my death warrant?”
Ridley’s gaze raked her. “Use what you got.”
A hiss started low in Emeline’s throat. Cold sweat leeched from her skin, causing her to tremble. “You want me to be your whore?”
Ridley laughed. “If that’s what’s necessary.”
She has lost her mind. “Get someone else. Or better, you do it!” Emeline shouted. Two bright spots bloomed on Ridley’s cheeks. Hmm? The thought must’ve crossed her mind.
“He’s made a point of finding and following you every time he’s in the city, not me. Do what I ask and you’re out. Don’t…”
The unspoken threat hung in the air. A thud echoed in the living room and Grand’s oxygen tank started beeping. A chill raced up Emeline’s spine. She rushed out of the kitchen to check on her grandfather. Ridley slammed into Emeline’s side. She flew into the wall and crashed in a heap in the hallway. Pinned on her stomach, Emeline struggled against the unseen bonds as Ridley chanted in a strange dialect.
Where did Ridley get this abnormal power?
Ridley’s footsteps whispered against the floor and her red Doc Martens came into view. She dropped to her haunches beside Emeline. “Your grandfather is all you have left. He’s only 92 years young. I’m sure he has another thirty left in him, or he may die in the next five minutes. Your choice.” She tsked.
Emeline struggled to rise, pushed with all her might, and failed. In other words, she had no choice. She met Ridley’s cold scrutiny. “I have no idea how to do what you want!”
Avery Nicolis had no obvious weaknesses. No vices. None of the Nicolis men did. The other brothers dallied with women, not Avery. A few one-night stands were noted in his files, but no girlfriends. He cared for no one but his family. And now she was supposed to seduce him to trap him for Ridley?
“I know you’re not smart enough to figure this out. That’s why I’ve figured it out for you. It’s actually very simple. In the end, Avery Nicolis is a security guard. He guards things. So, we just need to give him something to guard.”
“Eme?” Grand choked over the beeping tank.
“S-stay there, Grand.” The tank must’ve been damaged when it fell. She had to get him a new tank.
“Yes. Grand should stay…alive to live another day.” Ridley nodded.
“Emeline?” Grand called again. The recliner creaked. Feet shuffled for a moment then his cane clattered to the floor, followed by another thud.
“Grand!” The machine went into its death throes, screeching like a dying animal. Grand wasn’t strong enough to shut the valve off.
“Oops! That sounded painful, Emeline. I hope he hasn’t hurt himself. Old people are so fragile.”
“Eme.” Wheezing. Air rattled in his chest.
Ridley leaned closer until the gold oval locket around her neck dangled in front of Emeline’s eyes and her breath fanned Emeline’s face. “Help me out here, Eme. Don’t make me do something you will regret.”
Something flickered in the depth of Ridley’s eyes—remorse? Was that a flash of guilt? Emeline blinked and what she thought she saw was gone, replaced by determination. “No. I’m not gonna help you do this.”
“Why? He’s a killer and deserves what’s coming to him. And the Order will finally have the answers we desire about the elusive Nicolis men.”
Bullshit. The real prize was Roman Nicolis. The rest of the ‘brothers’ were small potatoes, capable, but not immortal. “Then capture Roman and leave Avery alone.”
Ridley grabbed Emeline’s head and slammed it into the floor.
How did she get so strong? Speed was Ridley’s skill, not strength, and not the power to pin her to the floor without even touching her.
“When I release you I’m going into the living room and introduce myself to your grandfather. Do you want me to do that, Emeline?”
Darkness framed her vision and threatened to smother Emeline in a thick shroud. Light, sound, air, warmth quickly vanished, leaving a blanket of terror. A scream tore through her throat and erupted from her mouth, but she couldn’t hear it.
A void suffocated her until Ridley’s voice came through the darkness. “Do this and move on to the next task.” Ridley had reduced Emeline to a task. A box to check off and forget. A slap to her cheek cleared the fog clouding her mind and she sucked in a painful breath of sweet air.
Ridley released her. “Do you agree?”
No, Emeline didn’t. But ice clung to her heart. She’d never be warm again. And she had no choice. Her head bobbed up and down, the decision made.
“Good.” Ridley stood. “Sorry,” she whispered. “But I have to make you look like a victim. Someone who needs a strong man to rescue them.”
Emeline couldn’t avoid the kick to her ribs. Pain shot through her chest and fueled her hatred. Ridley would pay.
“That ought to be enough to get the ball rolling. More motivation will come at an appropriate time, just to make sure you have Avery’s undivided attention.”
“When?” Emeline said through the pain burning her insides.
“Timing is key. I’ll let you know. For now, I need to get the plan in motion.” Ridley picked up the house phone and dialed 911. “Help, police.” Then she hung up.
“What happens when it’s done?” Emeline wanted her gone.
Ridley’s voice hitched on an intake of air. She paused and Emeline waited, understanding how important the next words would be. “You’re free…forever.”
Free forever, as in dead and buried in an unmarked grave.
Ridley looked at the time on her cell. “Time to go. I have another appointment to keep.”
Emeline’s guest disappeared into the kitchen, her footsteps fading as she exited through the back door, leaving broken glass in her wake and two lives in the balance.
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Glossary
Anubis- Egyptian God of the Underworld. Son of SET and Nephythys
Anu-Ra- Sacred relics of power.
Avery Nicolis- Adopted member of the Nicolis family. Older brother of EJ Nicolis.
Duat- The Underworld.
Eidos- Race of Elementals conquered by the Egyptian.
EJ Nicolis- Adopted member of the Nicolis family. Younger brother of Avery Nicolis
Ember Walker- Human host of the Goddess Nu.
Flail and Crook- Egyptian royal symbols of power.
Hathor- Goddess of Love. Mother of Tyrone (Tau) Gregory.
Hathoria Gregory- Human host of the Goddess Hathor and mother to Tyrone Gregory.
Khuket- Eidos Goddess of Chaos.
Nephythys- Goddess of the Dead. She sits in judgment of dead souls. One of the five original Gods created Nu and Ra.
Nu- Goddess of Heaven and Sky. Matriarch of the Pantheon. Mother of Roman and Reign Nicolis.
Nulls- Descendants of the Eidos and slaves of the Egyptian gods. To touch them is to own them.
Osiris- God of the Underworld. Former lover of Nephythys. Husband of Isis. Imprisoned in the bowels of Duat.
Quin (Joaquin)- Adopted member of the Nicolis Family.
Quimaera- Hybrid beasts transformed from humans. Part man, crocodile, and cobra.
Roman Nicolis- Twin to Reign. Owner of Nicolis Security INT.
Reign Nicolis- Twin to Roman.
Sentinels- Keepers of the Egyptian Realm.
Serpent Bracelet Tirrika- Personal Anu’Ra of Nu.
SET- Egyptian God of all Evil. Son of Nu. Husband of Nephythys. Father of Anubis.
Sifting- the power to read a person’s mind.
Summoning- Calling a human to the Egyptian Realm.
Thane Nicolis- adopted member of the Nicolis family.
The Rising- When all the souls of the dead rise.
vis’Ra- power, energy. Your personal essence.
About The Author
Tmonique Stephens wrote her first novel about a reporter and a hockey player after the U.S. hockey team won gold in the 1980 Olympics. She loves writing flawed characters who reflect the emotional baggage we all carry. She writes complicated stories for complicated people. Paranormal romances and fantasy novels are her favorite genre.
Eternity and Everlasting are the first two novels in her Descendants of Ra series. Evermore, the third novel will be released in July 2014. Currently, she is working a contemporary revenge series and Encore, the fourth novel in the Descendants of Ra series. She will read anything about fairies, demons, or angels. She also enjoys Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Preston and Child.
She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing from City College of New York where she won an English Department Award for her play Tea with Salt in 1987.
Born in St. Thomas USVI, Tmonique Stephens grew up in The Bronx, New York one mile from Yankee Stadium. She loves SyFy, the History channels, and also Asian cuisine. But her heart and stomach longs for anything from the Caribbean.
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Everlasting (Descendants of Ra: Book 2) Page 38
