Darkness Unbound
Page 26
Kane stared at the dead body before him. “No, they are not. Djoser confirmed.”
“Where the hell is Djoser?” Dakar yelled. “We need him.”
“Dead,” Kane said. “He suicided himself on my blade. I’ve never in all my years seen that move.”
“Oh, gods.” Dakar hit his knees.
Astrid walked to Dakar and gripped his shoulder. “We will find them. Whether they are here or another realm. We won’t stop looking. But for now, our job is done. Let us go home. Kane…”
“I’m texting Ashor right now.” Kane punched madly on his cell. “Damn it. Still won’t go through. No signal. They must be jamming signals here.” He glanced up. “We should try to find that other Arabic guy.”
Khyan said, “I saw someone speeding away in a car. But there’s no one else here. It’s a ghost town.”
“Shit,” Kane cursed. “That one who escaped will probably bring back Djoser. There was a daemon possessing that body.”
A portal opened close to Astrid. She pointed. “Go.”
Khyan and Dakar shuffled through.
Kane followed, but before he crossed the portal’s threshold, Astrid gripped his arm. The portal snapped shut. She wound her arms around his neck. “I love you. I think we earned at least twenty-four hours of a break.”
“A beach and you in a string bikini?” He smiled down at her.
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“With Shay and Cy missing, I don’t know if they’ll allow us or if we should.”
Astrid fingered the hair on his neck. “We’ve done all we can for today. Wherever those two are, I suspect it’ll be a long while before we find them. We will find them. But right now, it’s time for us. I did just kill a god.”
“No use arguing with a goddess.” Kane captured her lips. “I’ve got a hell of a lot of time to make up for.”
“You bet your ass you do, Langford.” She grinned, her heart full.
Glossary of Terms
AKHRIAN: A human who is gifted with innate preternatural healing power chosen to serve as doctor to the Scimitar magi. This sacred healer also serves a crucial role in identifying reincarnated magi.
BOCHNORI: Ensorcelled living tattoo bound to its master by god magik.
DAEMON: The cursed spirit of a human that practiced dark magic while alive, denied entry into heaven and hell, but left to wander forever in purgatory.
KEM-SEKI: Pronounced km-ski. An id-based darkness that slowly consumes a magus’s mind, the result of exposure to daemons’ corrosive evil.
ORDER OF ASSASSINS: A secretive Islamic cult, an offshoot of the Shiite Muslims, founded in the early eleventh century in Persia. The sect is divided into several groups, including the Dais (Initiated), Refiks (Students), and Fedavis (Devoted Ones). The word assassin comes from their nickname, Hashishin (hashish-eaters), originating from the rumored custom these cultists had of using drugs before their killings.
SCIMITAR MAGUS: Highly trained magus warrior who protects the world against daemons. Each possesses one distinct supernatural power and enhanced mental acuity as well as rapid healing ability.
SEICHIM: Pronounced say-keem. A mystical energy endowed to each magus that enhances a warrior’s natural physical and mental abilities to attain greater precision. With this energy, the magus can sense the living energies around him and move faster and stronger than any human.
SENARIAI: Pronounced see-nary-eye. The destined woman spiritually bonded to one magus.
A word about the author...
Zoe Forward writes adventure paranormal romances. She lives in the south with her family and an assortment of pets. A deep part of her wishes she’d pursued a career that would have her at a dig site in a hot, sandy country, but she’s a small animal veterinarian caring for everything from cats and dogs to chinchillas...and there was even a hermit crab in there. When she’s not being a vet, a mom, or sneaking out to a movie with her husband, she’s at her laptop writing.
You can learn more about Zoe and her writing at:
http://www.zoeforward.com
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After an unjustified two-century stint in purgatory, Scimitar Magus Dakar returns to the human realm, renewing his eons-old curse. Either he or the woman he loves must murder the other within days of meeting in each new lifetime. To break the vicious cycle, he must kill her before she strikes her deathblow, something he's never done in the past.
Archaeology grad student Shay McGinnis suffers a near-death attack in pursuit of a piece of Scimitar Magi lore. But did the magnificent warrior who pinned her to the wall injure her or the daemon he fought? In her search for answers, she draws the attention of both an ancient evil sorcerer and the warrior Dakar. The attraction between her and Dakar is instant, and for Shay confusing. She wants to be with him, but intuition equates him with death. Not random death. Hers.
Will this be the lifetime they break the curse before they are murdered by an age-old enemy or worse kill each other yet again?
Find out in Forgotten in Darkness by Zoe Forward
http://amzn.com/B00FDSLRIS
Celia Brian is a witch--and that's not the worst of her problems.
She's been in love with spell-catching Wraith warrior Jonas Grey her entire life. Sparring partner, friend, confidante--that's all she expects from Jonas. Beautiful golden gods aren't meant for mere mortals, even if she does entertain fantasies every once in a while.
After demons murder his wife, the only focus Jonas has is killing his enemies. He lost his Amorta, his soul mate, and doesn't deserve to be interested in another woman, especially not his good friend and boss's daughter.
When Celia unearths an ancient riddle that triggers a series of attempts on her life, Jonas's protective instincts are roused. Bound by a prophecy that could grant their deepest desires or take their lives, Jonas and Celia engage in the age-old battle between good and evil, life and death, and male and female.
Wraith Enchanted by Melissa Fox
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Praise for Zoe Forward’s
Dedication
Author’s Note:
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
A word about the author...
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