Sin Eaters: Devotion Book One

by Kai Leakes

  Exhaling and folding her hands over her desk where the book once lay, Winter sat rigid, her mind quickly clicking and locking away everything that happened as her dark side came back out to play. She smoothed her hair back, filled up a turned-over coffee mug, and took a sip.

  A sly sneer spread across her face while she sat back and crossed her legs. She could feel the daggers she had hidden pressing around her thighs. Her plan had worked, and now her vengeance on the Dark was set in motion. She was going to enjoy every bit of the pain she inflicted on the Dark Houses.

  A loud knock and a quick click of her doorknob made her sapphire eyes flash in pent-up anger. If only these bastards had just witnessed what she did, they would now be ash at her feet. As she would kick and dance over with a smile.

  She tilted her head to the side, crossed her hands together, and remembered that all things occured in time. She calmly chimed, “You may come in.”

  A fleeting question hit her mind. She watched the nosy Cursed, who disguised herself as her secretary over the department, walk in. She wondered what the Oracle’s name was.

  Chapter 20

  Sleep felt so good, and so did her body. She woke up in Khamun’s bed again and she had to grin. The man just refused to drop her off in her own house, let alone her own bed. Stretching and running her legs over the soft warm sheets, she looked around as Darren came to mind. His touch seemed to amplify her visions, her power, her words, and it freaked her out as they joined minds.

  She remembered Darren repeating, “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” then “If this isn’t some tight-ass shit.”

  It made her laugh in her mind as words poured from both of their minds. Knowledge flooded them as they processed it all. She knew that her body was going to crash, so she pushed forward and held on as long as she could with Darren’s help. What they both learned was that the more they pushed, the faster they crashed and waned in strength. They both knew that the sensory overload needed to be said, but they couldn’t and the rest of it, entered them separately even as Darren let her go.

  She had to read that book and check on Amit. She had liked what she saw when she healed him completely. Kali matched him very well and vice versa. Talking with her cousin was also on the list.

  So she slid out of the bed, ran a hand over her purple romper and headed into the hallway. Khamun must have been busy, because he was nowhere to be seen, and the house seemed ultra-quiet but in a calming way. The scent of food made her stomach growl as she decided to walk through the halls barefoot, hunting down the source. She entered a kitchen that outdid her own restaurant.

  “You must be, Sanna. It is a blessing to see you well.”

  Turning, Sanna’s eyes locked on a beautiful older woman who stood cutting various herbs and vegetables. She looked around the same age as her mother. The welcoming woman wore her hair in braided red locks that sat on her head like a crown, and wore an Ankh that nestled squarely against her heart and accented her full, plush breasts in a tan sundress. Her grin was so bright that it seemed as if her skin hummed with a soft cinnamon glow.

  Sanna instantly knew who the woman was, and she almost slapped a hand to her forehead, a part of her mind flicking with awareness. This was Khamun’s mother and he had said she wanted to meet her.

  “Yes, ma’am. I am. Hello.” Sanna timidly smiled and blushed. She couldn’t believe he left her here without a warning. She almost felt embarrassed, as if she was displaying some intimate claim that didn’t even happen.

  Waving a knife holding hand around, Khamun’s mother winked and motioned for Sanna to come closer. “You can call me, Neffer. Please help me with this. My son wanted a chicken pot pie, so since this is the first time I’ve been able to cook for him in a very long time, that is what I am making him.”

  Cooking Sanna could do, so she reached for an extra knife that lay on the granite marble island in front of her and chopped, nerves hitting her hard. She wondered why Neffer hadn’t cooked for her son in a long time. She had to gather it was due to work.

  “My son told me everything in how you awakened. You are something powerful, sweetheart. This is good.”

  She couldn’t help but grin at the warmth directed her way and she glanced up while cooking. “I . . . I don’t know. I really haven’t figured out yet how to do what I’ve been doing.”

  “This is true. He told me that as well. Which is why I am here. I wanted to meet the woman I’ve been dreaming about for centuries. The woman who has helped bring my son back to me.”

  Silently inhaling, Sanna shook her head. “Oh, no, ma’am. I didn’t do anything. And you’ve been dreaming about me for centuries?”

  Neffer chuckled and studied the young woman. She was very beautiful. She was exactly the type her son had occasionally hunted for in Society as teen. She knew this was the woman he was looking for and that she was her son’s mate, which put her heart at ease.

  “Rule number one, sweetie. All Oracles are made different.” She quietly sat her knife down and reached out and lightly rested a hand on Sanna.

  Power knocked both women’s heads back, and Neffer quickly wheeled it in. She watched slack-jawed at the young woman who sat slumped over, her eyes closed. She dropped her hand quickly and stepped back.

  “Of all that is Holy. You are the Legend, a piece to the key of our history.”

  Sanna panted, a hand resting to her heart. She saw everything this woman had gone through with Khamun: the love of her son; the pain at her son not fitting into Society standards; the fights with her husband in trying to make him understand that their son did not want to step into his shoes as future Elder of all the Houses; the secret she held in protecting her beloved boy; the love and pride she felt as her son took his claim back and proved to Society and her husband that he was a force to be reckoned with.

  She saw and saw until the link broke, and she sat trying to keep herself from falling backwards. This woman was a Queen of some sort in Society. No. An Eldress. Her aura exuded regal, and it reminded her of Angela Basset. It only astounded her more that this woman was the only Oracle in the region.

  “I guess. Please. Don’t treat me differently. I really don’t know what I am or what my purpose is.” She wheezed, waving a hand in the air, and inhaled deeply.

  Neffer slid a hand over her back in a circular motion. “I am sorry. I knew a power link would happen, but now that is over, we will be able to move on, darling. I am here to help you. By the Light you have been hidden well, and by the Light . . . you sound like my son.”

  Sanna studied the woman. Her eyes undulated and scanned for darkness or lies within Neffer. She blinked.

  Neffer did the same.

  “Okay, I think Khamun needs to know that you’ve known what he is, even before his Council welcome him back.”

  Neffer dropped her hands and gazed at the young woman, a flash of protective warmth flowed from her before she cracked a smile. “You love him. This is good, and yes, child, now that you are here, I believe we have to have a talk.”

  Sanna agreed and reached out to grip Neffer’s hand. “I meant no disrespect. It’s just—”

  “He’s like you. Powerful and has been living alone in not knowing or having anyone to accept him outside of his own House. Except you. That I do know. And you do not dishonor me. It pleases me to hear these words from a fellow sister of the Valor.”

  “What is that?” Sanna asked, watching Neffer pick her knife back up and resume chopping.

  “It is the house you will now belong to, until you and my son hurry up and marry. Then you will be of both Royal Houses, but we will discuss that later. Society has been wondering who this new house is, that is already linked to the Royals. I am going to love seeing those snobs be put in their place yet again, when they learn that you, my dear, are the Key.”

  Neffer’s beaming face made Sanna relax.

  “They cannot know that yet. But it will be interesting to see the people that have caused your son, my cousins, and the rest of his family grief. I’
m not opposed to a little in-your-face mental smackdown.”

  Neffer’s laugh flowed through Sanna like wonderful chiming bells.

  Neffer glanced up and enjoyed the sweet smile on Sanna’s face. “I like you a lot, young lady, and not because I saw you and my son together. This is good. It is refreshing to have the old house open again and for me to teach.”

  Sanna was excited as Neffer spoke to her about current movies, music, shopping, and more. Neffer and her mother would get along great. She would definitely have to set up a luncheon for the pair to meet. Both could relate so much to the feeling of loneliness in the protection of their children.

  Khamun strolled in with her luggage. “Smells good in here, Momma.”

  Sanna quirked an eyebrow as Darren followed, twirling what she knew without a doubt were her house keys.

  “Sanna.” Khamun hugged and kissed his mother. He seamlessly strolled through and found a way to leave a lingering kiss on her plump lips, before his mother could see.

  “Slick,” Sanna muttered.

  Khamun flashed a coy smile before pausing. “I took it upon myself to hijack you, baby. Momma wants to get this training going. So the sooner the better.”

  “Yup, and Kali’s going to house-sit. She said she’ll take care of your home and that she loves you.” Darren held a bantering smile on his face.

  Sanna rolled her eyes at him. “If I have to train, so do you, Dare.”

  Darren picked up an apple. Taking a bite and resting an elbow on Sanna’s shoulder, he said, “Yup. Lenox, and Khamun got me, oh and his Pops. They want to run some tests at what exactly I can do, due to yesterday.”

  “Good.”

  “We’re going to leave you ladies to it, since I’m not allowed to cook when the mother is in the house. Some of the staff are on their off-day, baby, but I have one that, if you need anything, you can ring her.”

  Sanna blushed and shook her head. “No, that’s too much. I can figure my way around here and take care of myself.”

  Khamun stared her down.

  Sanna swiveled in her chair and raised an eyebrow. “If I have to have one due to the rules of things, baby, you have to have one too. It’s up to you if you utilize her is all. Not changing a thing. Oh, and baby . . . Kyo will be over soon as well. She’s visiting her Pops with Take.”

  With a sigh, she turned back to prepping the food. She knew she needed to check her cellphone as she watched her brother and Khamun disappear.

  Neffer’s grumbles interrupted her thoughts. “That boy is stubborn just like his daddy.”

  “My Light. Really I am not all that difficult. Hmm?” A tall, ninety-nine percent cocoa-dark-chocolate man walked in, sheathing a set of guns, his arms crossed over his barrel of a chest.

  Sanna almost fell out of her chair.

  “You must be Miss Steele. My beautiful wife has been talking nonstop about you.”

  He held out a giant hand that seemed to swallow her own, and she felt like passing out once again. The visions hit her quick, leaving her breathless while she sat up straight, keeping all knowledge to herself. This man was literally a King.

  He was born and bred from the womb of Africa, and though he held a slight lilt in his accented voice, his bone structure said Zulu and Nubian. She could taste his past lives, with a hint of something more to him, something she was not meant to decode yet. Whatever that hidden truth was, it made her quickly look away.

  Not only did he look like an older Khamun, but he looked like his own blend of Idris Elba with a walk that could threaten Denzel. Sanna’s eye twitched with taking in this man’s visage. He was powerful and could snap her in two if she did wrong.

  Having a male in her presence like him made her nervous because immediately, with that handshake, she felt his claim on her as daughter. She saw how much knowledge he held about all of Society, many he kept private to protect his people.

  His deep, silky voice pulled her out of her zone. She saw where Khamun got his swag from, “Sanna? I stand corrected wife. I apologize for not greeting you via your first name. I am Khamun’s father, Omri V’ance or to you of the human world, Omri Cross, High Elder, and Region King of the Eastern, Central, and Southern Nephilim Societies, as well as Ambassador to the Motherland Africa region.”

  Sanna’s mouth dropped. This man controlled half of the US and was a major political power in Chicago. My damn! echoed in her mind, and she slowly flashed her pearly whites.

  Omri’s dark eyes glowed as he slowly presented a beautiful warm smile.

  “I see you crushing my Pops, huh?” Khamun’s sensual low voice with a hint of humor ebbed in her mind.

  She jumped then fell backwards onto the kitchen floor.

  Khamun was at her side in a flash. He helped her stand as she held his shoulders, and laughter lit his eyes as his shoulders began to shake. He laughed so hard, her body vibrated with him.

  “Hey, Pops. I see you scaring women again.”

  Khamun helped her stand up. His hands naturally fell to her waist. With a smooth embrace they shifted to rest on her hips while holding her from behind.

  Sanna flushed a thousand shades of red.

  Omri walked up to Khamun to clasp a hand on his son’s shoulders, and both men exchanged a silent, strained look.

  A moment after, Momma Neffer pushed everyone out of the kitchen to finish prepping as she talked with Sanna more.

  Everything seemed to go well at dinner.

  Darren dipped out sometime after dessert. After Neffer kept hinting to him about a godniece coming to visit from the West Societies, and how pretty she was.

  Sanna was loving it and smiling, thinking karma was a bitch, every time he glanced her way with a pleading look in his eyes. She definitely was going to find that niece and mess with her beloved brother some more.

  Looking Khamun’s way, she studied his rigid posture at the table. There was a hidden undertone that had her worried for him. When she touched both parents, she saw that tension was the reason why Khamun kept his family at a distance.

  She frowned and reached over to slide her hand over his. His glance from the side of his stern face made her heart reach out to him. They definitely needed to talk about it all, and not through some easy mind-lock.

  Dinner couldn’t have been over fast enough, Khamun thought as he cleaned up the kitchen. His mother had wanted to stay around and tidy up, but his father had other plans and quickly snatched her up and took her home. Part of him knew his father did that on his behalf, to help him spend time with a napping Sanna.

  He smiled thinking about her. Through her shyness, she connected well with his parents, and even though he knew she had picked up a lot of hidden dialog between him and his parents, she rode with it like a soldier. It made him sit proud at that table, that he had his own queen to have his back in this all.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her. She lay mouth open, eyes closed, and passed out hard. He chuckled as her hand sleepily ran over her belly while she turned on her side. His eyes instantly rested on her plump rear as he smiled. He could watch her sleep for a lifetime. Hell, he did just that over her lifetime, but now it was different. No cloaking, no following protocol. No. Everything was now out in the open, and she was his.

  With a quiet ease, he picked her up and carried her to his room. She had her own rooms, but he didn’t want to tell her that just yet. He wanted her scent all through his sheets for those nights when he needed to feel her next to him and she wasn’t there.

  “Khamun?”

  He looked down as he held her. Sanna shifted in his arms, making him hold her tighter. “Yeah? I’m sorry I woke you.” He paused and pushed open his bedroom door before walking in, kicking lights on with his mind.

  “It’s okay. Just had a little bit of the itis. That potpie was so good.” She flashed him a sleepy smile.

  As she watched him, she became more alert, and his stomach clenched with sudden anticipation and the need to kiss her. “Yeah, Sanna?” Khamun closed his eyes.
He felt her fingers strum through his braided locks, loosening each braid.

  She played with the ends of his locks as she muttered, “Hmm?”

  Her body seemed to shimmer and he ran his tongue over his fangs. He could feel them threatening to drop, and his body shook with need. He had been neglecting his feedings still. By now he should have been sick, sweating with a fever, but ever since he had that taste of her blood due to Kali, he had been ignoring his huntings to feed.

  His last feeding was when fighting against the demons that were chasing Amit. Yet, weeks later, he was functioning fine, but now, with her near to him, that seemed to have changed.

  As he gently sat her down, he felt his hands shaking. “I have to go out tonight,” slipped cautiously from his lips, and he inwardly cursed. He had other plans, such as seducing her, but now his body seemed to crave something else, and he wasn’t about to drink from her without her consent.

  So, the idea of hunting shot out of his mouth before asking her, and the look in her eyes had him burning with heat mixed with a need to feed. His Craving was taking over, and he knew he’d fuck her up if she didn’t stop looking so damn good.

  “Why?” Her pleading voice wafted across his senses.

  It made his sight go hazy as he gazed at her pulsing aortic vein and he growled. “I thirst. I need to go, baby.” He pulled up and her hand cupped his face.

  She pulled him back down, and her lips suddenly brushed against his.

  A moan stirred in his belly and worked its way up through his slightly parted lips. As it escaped from it, it spilled out and filled the room as he gripped her.

  “Drink from me. I saw you had already before,” she calmly coaxed. Her fingertips traced his jawline, and he tilted his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, because right now I want to fuck you. No soft, slow lovemaking, but straight take your throat and go so deep into you that I black out.” His voice was so low and primal, it rumbled. He was taken aback because that was the last thing he wanted to say. His eyes roamed over her hazy face, and he swore he saw her smile while she shifted under him.