“Men are foolish with their lust.”
“Yes, our brains are in our cocks. I know.” Therion hefted himself to the closest chair. “But I am not like most men. I’m a fast healer.”
His large body launched toward her, but she easily avoided his reach, leaving him to crash into the liquor bar. She had expected a quick move. Even without his Anunnaki spirit to aid him, he was still the son of Apophis. Shaila would never underestimate him for that fact alone.
“You aren’t running away. You’re tough. But make no mistake. You will be mine. And for once, my mother will not interfere.”
The vehemence of that statement shocked her. Did the devoted son of Lilith resent his mother? Shaila did not have time to ponder that. Right now, running away from Therion was the best course of action. Time was growing short, and she needed to look for the hidden room that might hold the infant mummy.
Before Therion could readjust from the momentum of his hurled body, she was out the door and running down the long hallway that hopefully led to the staircase.
He was quick. She could feel him close behind her. His laughter heightened her resolve to escape him. She found a curved staircase, but it didn’t lead to the lower level. She hurled herself upward anyway, avoiding his hands as he tried to grab her ankles between the rails.
Desire for the mystery woman enflamed Therion, boosting his own natural rush of adrenaline. Like a wild cat, her body was taut and wired for flight, springing out of his reach time and time again. His predatory blood sang with the thrill of pursuit.
He couldn’t wait for those long legs to be wrapped around him. The next time she was breathing heavily, it would be from the intensity of his sex inside of her. Visions of taming and possessing refueled his muscles, giving him a surge of energy.
Shaila sprinted around a series of corners, finally out of her pursuer’s line of sight. She quickly dodged into a darkened room, waiting for her eyes to adjust and for her breathing to calm.
The lock on the door clicked, but she had not touched it. She tried to open the door, but it held fast. She was about to will it to unlock when he grabbed her from behind. There was obviously another way in.
In the darkness, he dragged her deeper into the room. She tried to slam the back of her head into his jaw, but all she could feel was his body shaking with wicked laughter. His arm wrapped around her too tightly for her to reach her weapon.
Hearing a small snapping sound, she felt a fire flicker to life. It sent an orange glow throughout the room.
“Ow.” The heat nearly scorched her leg. As he turned her into the room, she felt the blood drain from her face. She had escaped to a room with huge bed in it. “Oh goddess, no.”
“Oh, yes.” He laughed wickedly.
*
“Darius, darling. Where is my amulet?”
“I’ve been busy.”
“With your…girlfriend?” Lilith trailed a polished fingertip across Darius’ bare stomach.
He wished he’d picked a costume with more coverage to it, like maybe a suit of armor.
“I don’t have time for you to dally around with a woman.”
“Unless it’s you?” He cursed himself for his stupidity. Shaila had warned him about toying with this woman.
“You could say that.” She licked her polished lips. “Are you offering?”
“I’m only interested in one thing.”
Her eyes darkened with impatience. “Yes, and you seem to have forgotten about him.”
“Never.”
“Then you are choosing to ignore our deal?”
“Let me see. Is that the one where I sold my soul to the devil’s wife?” Damn. He felt the heat of the energy blast even before it slammed him against the wall.
“Maybe you have time for joking, but I do not. Follow me.” Lilith thought of the woman who’d accompanied Darius to the party. Her fists clenched involuntarily.
Sex was nothing to be jealous about, but jealousy pierced her when she saw the look between the two. It was a look that spoke volumes. It spoke of trust and companionship. That was a level of feeling that Lilith had never found her whole life. And it had been a very long life. The closest companion she’d had was her son, but deep down she didn’t trust him. He was the spawn of Apophis, and had his father’s deceitful nature.
She called the shots now, and she’d raised her son to adore her, for when the time would come that he was reunited with his dark astral spirit, she needed to be strong enough to control him. She could never truly rule without his full spirit at her command.
She brought Darius up the spiral staircase to the top floor.
Down the hallway, Darius could see the outline of a cat pacing in front of the last door. Lilith led him into the first room, which turned out to be another sitting room. But this one was attached to her bedroom, which he could clearly see through a columned archway.
“Yes, Darius. You have sold your soul to me. The deadline is now. Give me the amulet.”
“Why is this amulet so important? You spoke only of its value, not of its power. So, what does this amulet do exactly?”
He felt her sliding up behind him, drawing designs on his back with her fingernail. “There is an ancient power within the black diamond.”
“One that could be used to free Apophis?”
She actually snorted, as if he’d said something funny. “I am not that stupid, Darius. I have no wish to free that evil bastard.”
“But that is the prophecy, isn’t it?”
“So, your grandfather really does know about the amulet. I don’t believe in prophecies.”
He knew she was full of shit. “The power in the amulet belongs to the son of Apophis. Your son is the destroyer, isn’t he?”
“Inanna is the destroyer. She and her daughter. They destroyed my life.”
“Lilith. There is a lot of history to your name. An ancient Summarian goddess, consort of the Underworld.”
She looked like she wanted to claw his eyes out. He wondered if putting her on the defensive was a wise course of action.
“And of course, there’s the story about a woman named Lilith who supposedly dumped Adam out of her bed.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear.” Flame sprang to life above her palm and she threw it violently into the fireplace. It flickered anxiously. “But it does sound like me, doesn’t it? I would have refused to be subservient to a man like him. Let all men like him go slinking off to find solace with petite and docile little creatures like Eve.”
“What does Inanna have to do with the prophecy?”
“As her handmaiden, I knew all about her true nature. How evil she was and how she had everyone fooled, especially the humans. She and that war goddess daughter of hers. They are the destroyers in the prophecy.”
“Where are they now?”
“I don’t know where Inanna is, but her daughter is dead. In the wrong hands, the power of the amulet could resurrect them. That is what the prophecy means. If I possess the amulet, the power will be mine to protect.”
The irony of that nearly blew his mind. He bit his lip to keep from smirking at her. It would be more enlightening to allow her to play out her little charade.
“How do I know I can trust you after I bring you the amulet?” He moved purposefully toward the tall mirror. “Show me my grandfather again…please.”
A new image of Papa Shadi shimmered in the mirror. This time he looked comfortable in a bed with many pillows under him.
“I’m sorry that my interest in your grandfather sounds so selfish. But it’s for the best interests of everyone, and possibly the world. Wouldn’t you like to be the savior of the world, Darius?”
He’d been so focused on the image in the mirror that he’d not been paying attention elsewhere. The fire was roaring with renewed vigor, and the Queen of the Nile was sauntering in his direction. Lust blazed openly in her eyes.
“I showed you mine.” Her lips parted invitingly as her hands rubbed up his arms. She leane
d her whole body against his. “Now, you show me yours.”
Darius held his tongue and tried to think of a way out of this room. He had nothing to subdue her with, and he’d be damned before doing…that.
Fortunately, he’d needed nothing at all to distract Lilith, because a war-like shriek echoed from down the hall.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Shaila struggled to free herself from Therion’s grip. Her futile attempts only seemed to inflame his lustful fury. Therion gripped her by the throat, lifting up until her toes barely held on to the floor. She managed to pull a small hiss of air through her nose.
“Now, woman. I will not be sidetracked from taking a good look at you.” He ripped the mask off of her face. She suffered a thorough inspection of her face. His black eyes darted across all of her features. She was ready to spit fire at him.
He laughed, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. “You look so familiar, like you really could have stepped out of my dreams.”
“Let. Me. Go.” Shaila enunciated each word slowly, her voice strained by his grip on her throat, but she knew he heard her.
“Make me.” His eyes blazed with the thrill of a challenge, but he lowered her solidly onto her feet. “Fight me. Fight me with all your strength. Kick. Hit. Whatever you’ve got.” He smiled wickedly. “But then, my little hellcat, it will be my turn.”
“You disgust me, Therion. Son of Lilith.” Shaila spit in his face, still being careful to hide her fangs inside. He laughed again. Then, he smacked her across her cheek. Not only did it sting, but it pushed one of her fangs into her lower lip. A trickle of blood slid from the corner of her mouth.
His pupils dilated with excitement. He leaned in and licked the dark red droplets away. She shivered with revulsion. She had to get away before she betrayed herself, which would ruin Darius’ opportunity to help her save Nefertiti’s child.
Well, if he wanted a fight, she would give it to him. But first, she needed to get over her disgust and let him in a bit. Shaila forced a moan from her lips as she lifted one leg to rub up and down his thigh. She couldn’t bring herself to kiss him on the mouth, but skirted around it with little nibbles. His beard scratched her lips. His costume armor cut into her ribs, but she ignored it.
Slowly, Therion took the bait, sliding his hand down to her thigh, but she stopped him before he reached her hidden dagger. Instead, she lifted his hand to her chest. With one free arm and one free leg, Shaila had all she needed to get the upper hand. In one quick motion, she swept his feet from under him and pinned his face down into the floor.
Whipping out her dagger from its sheath, she pierced him between the shoulder blades, letting him know she was in charge now.
“My little lioness has incredible speed and power. Mmm. That’s wonderful.” It was his turn to catch her unawares. He kicked out, tipping her sideways. The dagger slipped from her grasp momentarily.
She quickly recovered her grip on it, but with her attention shifted, Therion was up and in a fighting stance. He gave her no time. He launched at her with a kick to her head. She blocked with her forearm and swung the dagger with the other.
It slipped swiftly under his breastplate and cut a swath across his stomach. A trail of dark blood oozed through his costume.
“Bitch!” He spit at her.
“We are even.” Shaila touched the back of her hand to the corner of her mouth.
Therion grabbed a pillow from the chair and threw it at her. As she blocked it, he had followed the pillow’s path and was right there with a punch. Shaila had enough time to move slightly, but the blow grazed her temple and spun her off balance.
As he shoved her backwards, she felt the wall slam into her back. He used his weight to push her hard into the wall. Before he could readjust his stance, she bit into his neck and landed a quick punch to his bloodied stomach.
He shrieked with pain. She cringed from the very unmanly sound. Before he could gather his senses and run her down again, she managed to duck around a chair.
“You are the ass of a jack!” Shaila shouted at him. Someone came crashing through the door behind her.
The mask! She couldn’t let anyone else see her. She spotted it on the floor beside the fake fireplace.
“Mother!” Therion growled angrily, obviously displeased at having his mother interfere.
Shaila stayed behind the chair and willed the mask back onto her face. Strong hands gripped her shoulders, and she whipped around to strike.
“No, it’s me.”
Shaila fought the urge to throw her arms around Darius, but she hoped her eyes showed how grateful she was for his timing.
“Therion!” Lilith looked disgusted, her eyes darting from her son to her guest. “How dare you do this? What part of your body do you think with?”
“She’s mine. You will not spoil this one, so don’t you dare touch her.”
The argument between mother and son seemed to swell from deep within them, like a fight that had been a long time in the making. Completely engrossed in their fury, they did not seem aware that Darius and Shaila slipped quietly from the room.
*
Darius chuckled softly as they quietly made their way down the long dark hallway.
“What are you laughing at?”
“You’re right. He is a jackass.” He gave her a lopsided smile.
Bessie paced frantically as they dashed around the last corner. Her eyes brightened with anxious excitement.
Opening the door, Darius flipped on the lights. Startled, the gray doorman stood up from a chair next to the bed. The demon barely had time to flicker his forked tongue before a small knife sliced deeply into its forehead. Darius smiled for the first time that night. “I’ve been dying to do that.”
As the demon disintegrated on the floor, Darius ran to the bed and scooped up his grandfather’s unconscious body. Shaila retrieved his knife from the floor and raced out of the room behind him.
Bessie darted quickly down the staircase to the gallery level. A small group of party guests lingered in nearby rooms. A set of large clay pots prevented guests from entering the darkened gallery rooms at the far end of the house.
As they followed the cat, Darius nodded toward the empty platform. “That is where you stood for many years, Shaila.”
Shaila smirked at the idea that she had been there all that time, right under Lilith’s nose.
Darius shifted his hips, adjusting to the extra weight he carried. “Hurry, we don’t have much time. Her hidden room should be behind this wall. How do we open it?”
Bessie paced nervously at the foot of the staircase. Her ears pinned back and her tail flicked back and forth in jerky movements. I don’t know.
Shaila would move the universe if it could help her find the infant. Squaring her shoulders, she concentrated on the wall. Sending a pulse of energy toward it, she sighed with relief as it cracked open slightly in the middle. Pulling in a huge breath, she pushed two energy pulses at the door until it slid open.
Stepping into the room brought back intense emotions and vivid memory. It was the tomb in which she had spent an eternity guarding the hiding place of Nefertiti’s son. The walls still showed the prophecy in bright colors. The limestone felt cool to the touch.
But only one thing really interested her. The sarcophagus carved with her name on it. Reverently, she lifted the lid and slid it over to the side.
“Oh Goddess.” White hot pain zinged through her chest and pricked the backs of her eyes. A large tear blurred her vision briefly, before slipping down her cheek. Two mummies lay inside of it in eternal rest. The adult woman was the wet nurse chosen to wean the child after his rebirth. She still cradled the infant, but both were black as soot. Shaila reached toward one of the woman’s tiny blackened toes. She had barely touched it when it shattered into a cloud of charred dust.
Now, her failure was complete. Her hopes shattered into gray ashes. But her sorrow quickly turned to anger. Her fangs slid out as she roared out her despair. “How dare she? H
ow dare she keep these poor souls like trophies?”
“Shaila, she doesn’t have their souls, only their bodies. Their souls are free in the Afterlife.”
He was wrong. Their souls weren’t free. Without their bodies to return to, they were trapped forever in the thin veil between life and death.
Sister, she is coming! Bessie warned from the gallery door, crouched in the shadows.
The witch was near. They didn’t have time to dwell on anything else. “Lilith is coming.” Shaila sent another energy pulse to slide the door shut, trapping them inside. They could hear muffled sounds of footsteps on the other side of the wall. “We have to get out of here, Darius. I am too weak to fight her now.”
She was also scared and riddled with guilt. Two feelings a warrior should never admit to.
“Okay then. Time for our backup plan. Pull out your phone and push that green button like I showed you.”
“I will not leave you. I will stand with you.”
“Get out of here, Shaila. Press the damn button.”
They could hear Lilith and Therion yelling and beating on the door. Shaila’s spell would not hold the door closed for long.
She pressed the button. “Oh Goddess, hurry up!” The phone rang a second time with no response.
The wall began to rumble sideways.
On the third ring, Marcus answered. Shaila wrapped her arms around Darius and his grandfather, and used the last of her energy to move all three of them through the satellite signal. She screamed from the effort. The movement through the signal seemed to go on endlessly. At first, it was a cold darkness. Then, colorless vibrations and excruciating sounds attacked her senses, nearly caving in her conscious mind. Feeling the soft velvet seat of the limousine underneath her, she finally allowed the darkness to consume her.
*
“She was right. You are a jackass.” Lilith stood proud, regally staring her son down. She realized that Darius and his woman were no longer in the room, but she could still feel them present in the building. “I know you hate Darius, but to rape his date in my home is unthinkably stupid.”
Immortal Dynasty Page 17
