by Jean Murray
In her heart she made the right choice.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Bright red blood coated Bomani’s hands. Time hung as Kendra slumped forward against his chest and the gleam of Nebt’s vicious eyes bore into him. The distant roar of agony echoed in the small chamber. Small hands clutched his linen shirt. Bomani stared into Kendra’s terrified but knowing eyes.
The noise and shouts of his brother faded. Mortally wounded, the light dimmed and the yellow flecks faded in her eyes. Her knees buckled and Bomani knelt to catch her. Blood bubbled from her now pale blue lips.
Bakari staggered over with his hand clutched to his chest. His brother crashed to the floor, his strength diminishing with each waning pulse of her heart. The red stain on her shirt grew. Kendra had chosen him. Sacrificing not only her life, but the life of Bakari. Why, after all Bomani had done?
Bomani collapsed to his knees and cradled her against his chest. Bakari drew up on shaky hands and knees and dragged himself to them. It shocked Bomani to see the level of agony painted in his brother’s silver gaze. Not pain, but horror. Bomani gave no resistance when Bakari tugged Kendra’s slack body from his arms and slouched against the wall with her clutched to his chest.
Kendra reached up with bloodied fingers and caressed Bakari’s face. A cerise trail stained Bakari’s wet cheek. I’m sorry, she mouthed.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Parvana. I would not want to live in this life without you. We shall be together forever.” With tears spilling from his eyes, Bakari kissed her.
The terror faded in her beautiful face. A small smile formed on her soft lips before she closed her eyes, never to open them again.
Bomani clutched his head and slid to the floor. Not the words of the god whom he believed his brother to be—selfish and calculating. How had he been so blind? At no time did Bomani believe his brother’s words of repentance.
Another scream pierced the room. Bomani looked up to meet the mortified eyes of Lilly, as she looked upon her dying sister. Bakari’s eyes had closed and his arms hung limp at his sides. His face peaceful.
Despite Lilly’s power to heal, Bomani knew it was too late. Kendra’s heart beat its last. The glow of life in Bakari’s soul flickered faintly. He would soon follow with the blood-bond complete. Bomani should have listened to his brother. He should have listened to Kendra.
Kendra expelled her last breath and with it blackness descended upon Bomani’s soul. Hatred and loathing. This time it was for no one else but himself. Who had he become? Where was the honorable warrior he claimed himself to be? He betrayed Kendra’s trust, hurt her in the most despicable way. Despite all this, she was the one to give her life and that of his brother’s for someone she should hate. He did not deserve her mercy. Her death was his fault.
Bomani forced himself to look upon the lifeless body of the woman he destroyed. The pain of his errors seeped deep into his body. The loss and grief festered to the point his chest would collapse.
He shot to his feet. His hand smeared a bloody trail against the black stone. He staggered out of the room with the cries of sorrow and desperation chasing him into the darkness.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Long auburn curls sparkled in the bright light that bathed Kendra’s body. His beacon of hope. When death did not take him as quickly, Bakari feared he would never see her again. Worse, his sins may not allow him to make the journey with her.
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at him. The yellow flecks in her brown eyes glittered with the same ethereal illumination.
The long grass of the field shielded her nakedness. A warm breeze blew across his bare skin. Funny, coming and leaving in nothing other than what the Mother Goddess gave them.
He walked forward, parting the tall reeds that separated them. She turned and reached her arms out to him. No evidence of her wound remained. Even the scorpion mark over her soul was absent. A bitter sweet relief washed over him. He had prayed so many nights to release her from the bond that he had forced upon her, but this was not the way he intended. He was startled that she would sacrifice both their lives for his brother who did nothing to stop Nebt. He did not regret it and had meant what he had said, he would not live in a world where she was not present.
He hoped Bomani would make the most of the gift he was given. He did not blame his brother. He never would. Kendra had forgiven Bomani and so would he. Her selfless sacrifice accentuated the fact that she was stronger and braver than all of them.
It seemed like an eternity for him to pass the distance that separated them. She stood before him within arm’s reach. Afraid, he hesitated touching her, not wanting her to disappear. She stepped forward and embraced him. Her warm flesh pressed against his body. He swallowed against the sob threatening to escape his throat. He dropped to his knees and hugged her tight to his chest. The sweet scent of honeysuckle ticked his senses.
“Thank the gods.”
She giggled with the joy he felt in his heart. “I didn’t get to tell you. I love you.”
He kissed her with all the heat he felt in his soul. His life as a god may be over, his arms bare, his powers gone, but he would never exchange it for this.
They flopped back and flattened the grass beneath them. He settled over her body and between her legs. Propping himself up on his elbows, he gazed into her beautiful face. “If we had more time,” he started but stopped himself of the what ifs. He needed to be free of his regrets. Forgive himself, as she had. Easier said than done.
“What?”
“Marry me,” he blurted. He knew how stupid it sounded considering the circumstances, but he wanted her to know, she owned more than his blood. She owned his entire soul.
Her grin spread all the way into her eyes. He caught a slight glimmer of grief, but she blinked it away. “Yes.” She caught his tear with her fingertip. “I would love to be your wife.” They cried in each other arms knowing they never could. In his heart he was married to her and that is what counted for him.
He sought out her mouth among the tears that fell from his eyes onto her cheeks. The sweetness of her tongue met his and spurred a heat in his chest and swirls of fire through his veins. In this moment, he opened his heart to her completely. Strangely, he felt his soul shift in his chest, righting itself within his heart.
Confidence and hunger infused her every flick and lick of her tongue. Truly beautiful. He had never known something so powerful could reside between two beings even in death. He was strong before, but with her a new kind of power consumed him.
She slid her leg up his side, seating him deeper within the delectable warmth between her legs. The same intense hunger consumed him, but it was not bloodlust. It was something much deeper and pure.
Were they really dead? He wondered because the sensations were so intense, he ought not to believe it.
Her hot palms swept the length of his back to his butt and tugged him gently. Her coaxing seated his arousal against her. He ground his hardened shaft against the heat between them. When she arched beneath him, he captured her taunt nipple with his mouth and flicked it with the tip of his tongue.
He had no intentions of stopping this time. She needed to know he desired her as a woman. Everything he wished he could have done before their lives had come to an end. He pulled her leg up over his hip. The tip of his cock met the heat of her arousal. So wet. So sweet.
He growled low in his chest.
He pressed into her, but hesitated when he felt the tightness of innocence. He gazed into her large eyes. “I do not want to hurt you.”
“You’ll never hurt me, Bakari. You never have.”
The last restraining thread of his sins snapped and with it the realization— he deserved to be happy. He penetrated in one smooth stroke and filled her completely. She gasped, as her body adjusted to the change. He brushed back the hair from her face and assessed her any signs of regret, but only found intense loving eyes staring at him. “Thank you,” he said and kissed her again.
He slowly withdrew and then slid into her. He ground out a curse as she wrapped him so tightly and so completely. She answered with a throaty laugh which he cut short with another thrust. Her eyes widened in surprise and her fingers dug into his shoulders. He flexed his hips in a slow rhythm and sought out that special place inside. “Bakari.” She arched and pushed him deeper inside. Her core tightened and tested his control.
He moaned. Her soft screams echoed across the field of grass. His whole body shook with her pleasure, like lightening zapping his senses. He knew this might be their last time together for the journey to the gates of afterlife was treacherous. Not wanting this moment to end, he paused and lay panting against her skin. “You are so beautiful,” he choked.
She pulled him to her lips and sucked his tongue into her mouth. With her legs cinched around his waist, she pulled him into her. He thrust deeper into her core with lustful urgency.
His panting and groans came more rapidly, as the urge to mark her filled his senses. The honey scent of her drew his balls tight. He worshiped every inch of her body with his hands. Her softness tightened on his head and shaft which unraveled his control. When her orgasm broke she arched and drove him deeper into her core. From the base of his spine, his orgasm shot through his entire being and spilled his seed into her in a long contracted wave of pure glory. He cried out at the intensity of their union.
He buried his face into her neck and took long shuddering breaths. “My soul is forever yours.”
“And mine, yours.”
He rolled onto his back and pulled her across his waist, careful not to break the connection he so desperately wanted to keep. She rested her head against his chest and her hair spilled out over his shoulder. “Now I understand,” she said.
He stroked her hair. “What is it?”
“When Asar looked at Lilly, there was always this glint in his eye.” She pulled back enough to meet his gaze. “The same look I see in yours now.”
Bakari never understood it either until this moment. The raw need to covet something so beautiful. Always protect her and love her. Unable to exist without her. The blood-bond paled in comparison to the need he felt toward Kendra. She was part of him now on a level that even death could not separate.
“What do we do now?” she asked with a sniffle. Her warm tears dropped silently on his skin.
He hugged her tighter to his chest. He knew the answer, as did she, but didn’t want to break this moment. The draw to go tugged at his soul. He sat up with her still cradled against his chest.
Her breath hitched. He pulled her closer and trailed his hand along her spine. “It will be okay.”
“Someone’s here.”
Bakari stiffened. He did not sense anyone. Then again, he had no powers in death. He shifted into a crouched position. Annoyed at the intrusion, he scanned across the sea of waving grass toward the location that beckoned his soul. A man stood at the edge of the field between two large palm trees. The Underworld River winded off into the distance behind the stranger.
His heart began to drum in his chest. Strange to feel that sensation, since his heart had never beat a day in his life and the undeniable fact that he was dead.
“Oh my god,” she gasped. “It’s my father.” Kendra jerked up and called out his name before Bakari cautioned her. He pulled her down, but not before the man zeroed in on their location.
“We need to be careful. Duat is treacherous with demons intent on dissuading our passage. They feed off our suffering.” He did not mean to scare her, but it was the truth. Many a soul would not make it to the gates of the afterlife. The journey was the final test of one’s soul.
“You must leave.”
Kendra yelped. Bakari pushed her behind him and faced off their intruder who had appeared not twenty feet from them. The man’s panicked eyes shot over to the edge of the field where he had come. “Go back.”
“Father.” Kendra leaned around Bakari. “We can help.” She reached for her father, but Bakari restrained her.
Kendra’s father raised his hands, warning her off as well. Shaking his head, he said again, “Leave now.”
“We cannot. Nor do we know the way. We shall proceed to the gates.”
Tears shimmered in the man eyes, when he looked at Kendra. “It is not time. Not your time.”
“That may be,” Bakari argued. “But yet we are still here.”
Tears slipped down the man’s face. He glanced toward the palm trees. Without warning he seized Bakari and Kendra by the shoulders and with surprising strength shoved them away from the awaiting river. “Run.”
“Bakari,” Kendra’s voice spiked. He followed her eyes and found numerous people gather at the edge of the field. A sudden sense of dread descended upon him.
“Run,” Kendra’s father cried.
Bakari grabbed Kendra’s hand and sprinted through the tall grass. The long golden threads slashed and cut his bare skin. He picked up speed knowing the mob was coming by the prickling dark energy at the base of his neck and the wave of nausea. Kendra tripped. He yanked her hard to her feet. He kept running to where he had no idea. He knew he had to or something very bad would transpire. Kendra’s father had come to warn them.
He shot a look over his shoulder and he was sorry he had. Multiple hands reached out for Kendra’s arm. She screamed.
A flash of brilliant light blinded him. Kendra slipped from his grasp.
He lost his Parvana.
Chapter Sixty
Hot explosions of energy arced off the walls of her white prison and slammed into her chest. Kendra toppled backward. She reached out for Bakari, but met nothing but air and unending white.
A searing fire pierced her chest. The sounds of her screams filled her ears. Agony like no other. The pain before death had been fleeting. This was unending. The beings, whatever they were, captured her for sure. And what of Bakari? In the midst of her agony she called out to him. He was her strength.
She clawed at her chest to remove the source of her misery, but the flames only grew hotter to the point her throat closed and no more screams breached her mouth.
Bakari had been tortured in darkness, now she was being tortured in light. Her arms and legs stiffened and jerked wildly of their own will. Her jaw tightened and snared her tongue between her teeth and spilled blood into her mouth. Her muscles locked into prolonged and painful contractions.
A black curtain fell over her eyes, despite them being open. The pain in her chest consolidated and her heart stuttered and then thumped on the inside of her rib cage. Erratic at first, it began to beat rhythmically and then accelerated into a gallop.
Flashes of yellow spots bombarded her eyes. She blinked several times trying to clear her vision. To her surprise she was met by two sets of glowing green eyes, surrounded by brilliant golden hair.
Lilly and… her mother?
Each breath scalded like boiling water poured down her throat. Kendra mouthed the words, Bakari.
Her mother placed a hot hand to her forehead. “Easy, little one. He is right beside you.” Mut lifted Kendra’s hand and placed it on Bakari’s arm. Kendra expelled an agonizing breath. Her chest and back ached with a vengeance.
“He’s waking,” Asar’s voice boomed in the small room. Where were they? Kendra looked around and found white alabaster arches and pictures of the gods reaching toward the heavens. An enormous white statue resembling her mother stretched floor to ceiling. They were in the Mother Goddess’ temple, lying on the alter in the inner most chamber. Bakari’s arm moved under her palm. She turned her head to meet his silver eyes. His normally olive skin looked ashen. He rolled up on his side and reached for her, but stopped, his eyes widening. In fact, everyone in the room stared at her. Her chest to be specific. She followed their gazes to find a gaping wound in her chest. Lilly quickly covered it with her palm.
Kendra squeezed her eyes shut, realizing what they had done. Somehow with her mother’s help, they brought her and Bakari back from the dead. Kendra didn’t know w
hat was worse—the pain in her chest, being chased by shadows in the field of reeds, or the loss of peace she felt lying in Bakari’s arms. She sobbed uncontrollably. Her hitched breaths sent jolts of hot pain through her chest.
A trembling hand gripped hers. She knew by the large size and shape it was Bakari’s. She opened her eyes and sought his gaze. She needed his strength to ride this agony out.
“Where is Inpu? He can take her pain away,” Bakari begged the crowd.
Silence fell over the group. Kendra and Bakari hadn’t found Inpu in their search of the palace and warrior village. By the anguished looks on everyone’s faces, the outcome couldn’t have been good.
Asar moved into sight. “He is unavailable. I can draw some of it away, but not all.” Asar raised his hand to touch Kendra’s forehead. Bakari growled at his father. The possessive tone shocked everyone in the room. All but the Mother Goddess backed off.
A cold jet of air shot out from Asar. “Watch your tone with me, son.”
Lilly placed a restraining hand on her mate. “He has been through quite enough.”
Asar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am sorry. I still cannot believe Nebt would do this.”
Her mother’s beautiful face framed in long curly blonde hair came into view. She smiled at Kendra, unfazed by the tension around her. “Welcome back.” She brushed a fingertip over Kendra’s forehead. A soothing wave of warmth penetrated her head and cascaded throughout her body. The burn in her chest lessened. Such a loving feeling, Kendra closed her eyes.
“I saw him,” Kendra rasped and then met her mother’s gaze.
Tears welled in her mother’s green eyes and she pressed her fingers to her lips. A choked sob escaped her mother’s chest. Lilly wrapped her arm around their mother’s shoulder. Mut swiped away the tears that cascaded along her pristine white cheek bones. “Is he well?”
Kendra frowned remembering the fleeting moment she had seen him. Her father had been lucid enough to warn them. Was it his hand that almost grasped hers?
