I just prayed that that one day wasn’t tonight.
6
Keti
Of course I should have known better than to think the gods would hear my prayers. Well, one of them did, just not the right one. A cat never wanted to turn around in her own kitchen and find the dog-headed god of the Underworld staring back at her. But in all fairness, Anubis was the god of embalming, and I was the earth’s sole Cat’Hu mortician, so Dog Face showing up in my world was bound to happen at some time during my immortal life. Though I wished it wasn’t right when I was craving a good spanking from Horatio.
My claws came out. I rotated my shoulders, hunched them slightly, the posture being the closest I could get to an arched feline back without dropping on all fours. And prancing around at Anubis’s feet was so not on my list of things to do. Ever.
H pulled me back, shoved his bulky body between me and Fido.
Anubis snarled.
Really? Did the dog honestly think antagonizing an immortal Praetorian who could take on the form of a two-hundred-twenty-pound black panther and stood at almost eight feet tall while doing so, was a good thing? Anubis may be a god, but Horatio was one hell of an animal in his feline state. And once he got riled up, regardless of the reason—good or bad—he usually needed restraining.
I scooted in front of Horatio, placed my hand gently on his arm behind me. I liked my kitchen the way it was.
I stared directly into Anubis’s eyes. “What, pray tell, do I owe this visit to?”
The dog snickered. “I’ve come to inform you I’ll be inspecting the Reweighing of the Hearts in two days, when all the felines you’ve prepared for Duat, will be rejudged. Unless you can prove to me there is no reason for that event to take place.”
The biting little dude was siding with Ra. Of course that was no surprise, he was a god and I was not. “It isn’t like my grandfather to send someone to warn me first. He must be getting softhearted in his old age.”
Anubis stepped forward, closed the gap between the two of us. “Ra has no love for you. Don’t make the mistake thinking he does. I’m here merely because I must be here as vouching for morticians falls under my jurisdiction.” He licked his mouth with his long, sloppy dog tongue. “Osiris sent me, if you must know. He only wants what is fair. If you don’t show your scarab now, then the Reweighing of the Hearts will indeed take place in two days’ time.”
“I don’t have to show you diddly squat now. I still have those forty-eight hours.”
He sniffed me, came right up to me and stuck his wet snout into the crook of my neck.
H growled. It was a combination noise, the hiss of a black panther intermingled with its roar. In more than two thousand years, I’d only heard him get that angry a handful of times. And in all those instances, I was at the heart of those matters.
I did not need either of the two dudes currently taking up space in my kitchen to shift tonight. A massive supernatural panther going up against a preternatural dog with wolf elements and who probably had the upper hand magickally as he was also a god, would have blood, guts, and fur flying through the room. And while all three of us did have an animalistic side, this was still the space I ate in. Cats weren’t allowed on the table in my home. And dogs didn’t drink from the toilet bowl. Though I wouldn’t have minded flushing Anubis down one. “I think you two boys need to cool it.”
Anubis backed off.
As did Horatio, but not before firing a parting hiss.
“Fair warning, Keti,” Anubis said. “I won’t be cutting you slack come midnight, Thursday.” He vanished with a puff.
I rounded on H. “Did you really have to get that one last hiss in?”
He slid his arms around my waist. “I defend what is mine. So, yes.”
While I wasn’t a fan of the whole woman-owned-by-man thing, I did enjoy Horatio’s possessiveness, to a degree. He’d stop the world for me if he could. “I want that dagger. Now.”
H pulled me close, nuzzled my neck. “Are you sure you’re up for it?”
I’d never once said no to any of my guys. That was one of the beautiful things about our foursome, we were well suited. Or rather, I was well suited to each of them and vice versa. Yes, there had been a few instances when I’d gone a little crazy and allowed all three of them to take me at the same time. But that wasn’t the daily routine, as it was different with each of them. I supposed that’s why we hadn’t always play together. Each of my guys satisfied a different aspect of my cravings and H was the most dangerous of all. He was also the most magickally empowered, having been trained by his Egyptian mother to embrace Bastet’s magick, while also having been trained by his paternal Roman grandmother to master the energies of the Etruscan and Roman traditions.
When Horatio and I came together, the atmosphere literally crackled with magickal energy.
“Keti?”
“Of course I’m up for it. I’m always up for being with you.”
I snatched the portion of my scarab from the island and clutched it in my hand.
In an instant Horatio flashed us to the bedroom. And not his, but mine. I hadn’t even felt a thing. All I knew was one second I was half-dressed standing in the kitchen, Horatio at my back, and the next I was upstairs in my room, my bare toes scrunching the carpet. H had true a gift for manipulating molecular structure.
I placed the scarab fragment on the nightstand before Horatio took my hand and wandered to the center of the room.
He lifted my sweater over my head and then tossed it to the floor. “Moving an inanimate object like the dagger, especially since it’s cursed with your mother’s blood, takes a lot of focus, discipline, and energy. You are going to have to trust me on this, Keti.”
A sense of dread filled my veins. But not the type of fear that made me want to flee. This was the toe-curling anticipation that had my clit aching for a bare-handed slap. The type of punishment that would eventually throw me over the edge in orgasm and ignite the firestorm of energy I’d inherited from my bloodline of gods. It was the only way I could bring those powers to the surface. And H was the sole being who could take me that high. “I need the dagger.”
Horatio spun me around, so that I faced him. “No. You have to want it, not need it. There’s a difference. A want is something you do of your own free will and own desire.”
I had a race to save. A race I wanted to save. I nodded.
“Good. Because I’m not going to go easy on you. Selene, Maahes, Ra, Anubis, Ammit, all those gods are out to get you. And to best them, you have to want to win this war above all else.”
My heart raced.
My breath came in jagged little gasps and H hadn’t even touched me with so much as a frickin’ finger.
A silver chain materialized in his hands.
He handed me the length of metal links. “You know what to do.”
A pillar appeared out of thin air, a thick, metal pole filled with concrete that went straight through the center of my room, up through the ceiling and down through the floor. From past experiences, I knew it went all the way down to the bedrock beneath the townhouse. And it wasn’t meant for me, but rather for Horatio because once I achieved my magickal state, he’d be so wound up the panther in him would emerge and it would be too feral to tame. This wasn’t going to be a normal shift for him.
He tossed his boots and clothes, then lifted his wrists for me. His hands trembled slightly.
I knew tonight would take a lot from Horatio as he hated when the beastly side of him had to emerge. His normal feline aspect was a very tame panther, but the feral side…that part of him was dangerous.
Running my fingers along the edge of the leather cuff on his right hand, sparks shot off his skin. “Do you need me to remove this?”
He shook his head, the bracelet vanishing on its own. A metal cuff replaced it. A matching one also appeared on Horatio’s left wrist as both hands would need restraining. Small loops dangled from the center of each metal band.
I attached a chain to both, then se
cured the other end of the links to the pillar.
Horatio raised his hands and cupped my face. He ran his thumbs over my cheeks, then brushed his lips against mine.
I loved the tenderness of his kisses. They made me feel safe and secure in a world where magick ruled everything, from the living to the dead.
I parted for H.
He slid his tongue gently into my mouth.
Notes of orange teased my taste buds. I stood on my tiptoes. Even in human form H towered more than a good twelve inches over my five-foot-two-height. I had no choice but to push up to meet him.
He dropped his hands from my face to my breasts, the cool crush of the metal chains attached to his wrists, sliding over my body. One of the links looped over my protruding left nipple.
I whimpered.
H delved his tongue deeper into my mouth while he massaged the peaks of my breasts, my nipples responding to him instantly, both buds going fully erect to the point of pain.
I arched into his hands.
Memories of our first time together flooded my mind. I recalled the day’s sunrise, and how I’d gone on to the balcony outside my room in the abandoned hilltop villa we’d squatted in while still on the run from Selene’s warriors. Horatio claimed me from behind while I watched the city wake below. I hadn’t expected H that morning, but the second his body met with mine, the second his hard shaft rubbed against my backside, he was all I wanted.
Wanted.
I wanted that bloody dagger.
Horatio purred into my mouth.
He dropped his right hand lower and sought the vee between my legs.
I parted my thighs, my clit hungry for his touch.
I knew what was to come, as H had magick running through his veins. Not that I preferred one of my guys over the other, they were just each different and Horatio had a way with his hands and mouth that often put me on another plane, took me out of this world on both a physical and mental level.
He rubbed me with two of his fingers.
I moaned and pushed myself against his hand, twinges of pleasure teasing my clit.
Horatio broke our kiss, his normally blue eyes turning green, the first sign the panther in him was emerging. “This is your last chance to retreat, Keti, because once I cross the line, there is no turning back for me.”
“I’m aware of that. But I want to do this, it’s a must.”
He nodded.
I pulled away from his hand to rest flat on my feet, putting a bit of space between us. My clit still hungered for his touch, but my fingers itched to glide over his muscular torso. I satisfied that craving, but also leaned in to brush my lips against his right nipple, my tongue flicking the metal piercing he’d worn for years.
Horatio gave up a low purr.
I slid further down his body until I rested on my knees, my mouth level with his erect cock, my hands gripping his thighs. Opening my lips, I caressed his bulbous tip with a swirl of my tongue, a slightly salty essence stirring my taste buds.
Giving up a slightly louder purr, H ran his fingers through my hair.
I took him slowly, inching his long, thick member between my lips, then into my mouth and eventually to the back of my throat.
He pushed forward, growled, and grabbed my hair, his gentleness slipping.
I thought of the dagger, visualized it based on the photo H had shown me in the kitchen.
My right palm grew warm. I drew my hand forward and cupped him.
A second growl emitted from H, but this time it was more animalistic. His panther was slowly rising.
He gripped me by the shoulders and slid me off him, then urged me to my feet. “The bed,” he said, through gritted teeth.
He didn’t wait for me to move. With a single brace of his arm, he lifted me and carried me across the room. “Focus on the dagger.”
I tried, but the vision kept fading as the heat at my clit increased. “It won’t stay in my head.”
On the mattress, Horatio spread my legs and settled himself between my thighs. He buried his face at my vee, his tongue working harder than had his fingers minutes before.
A loud purr rose from his throat and vibrated against my nub.
I panted. And gripped the sheets. I licked my lips and bucked forward.
A small spasm rippled through my core. I moved against Horatio’s mouth.
In a flash the world spun, the clank of chains echoed through the room as metal links slapped against my flesh.
My skin stung.
I was now on all fours, Horatio’s left arm around my midriff, his right hand rubbing me from behind while the chains attached to his wrists draped my thigh. “What do you want, little Keti?” he asked dipping his head to my ear, the scent of me lingering on his breath.
“The cursed dagger.” I grounded into his hand.
“That’s not worded correctly. You’ll never get what you want thinking that way.” He withdrew his hand only to bring it back to slap me. The sound of flesh meeting flesh smacked the air.
I bit my bottom lip and fell forward. My clit wanted more. I sucked in a breath, my head rubbing against the padded headboard. “I want the cursed dagger.”
“Visualize it.”
I closed my eyes and focused.
Horatio went back to toying with my nub. He brought one of the heavy chain links up to smooth over my clit.
I gasped, the rub of cold metal against my sensitive button, pushing me closer to the edge.
My right palm grew warm again, but this time, the heat transformed into a solid piece of metal. I opened my eyelids. My fingers clutched a dagger’s hilt—a solid, physical object. A slight ‘oh’ escaped me.
The dagger vanished.
“No…” A whimper fell from my mouth.
“Focus, Keti.”
A second slap rocked my clit and ass, this one harder than the last but also more pleasurable.
“I can’t.”
“You have to.”
A beam of moonlight crossed the bed, killing the sun’s fire that had fueled my desire for the dagger. I shivered.
A third slap stung my ass, followed by a fourth that also kissed my clit.
“Concentrate on the damn blade,” H ordered.
He rubbed my bottom, soothed the sting on my cheeks, but heightened the craving at my nub.
With haste, H pulled me upward and positioned me to slide onto his cock. He sat me down in one swift move.
“In the name of the gods.” It was all I could get out as he’d rammed me, stretched me to the point my pussy felt his every inch.
I clenched around him.
He nipped my shoulder.
I dug my fingers into his thighs.
Horatio then reached for my nipples. He alternated between pinching the sensitive buds and pulling them as I rode him, his long length and thick girth rubbing against my slick walls.
I rolled my head against him and closed my eyes one more time.
I swallowed.
The image of the dagger returned to my thoughts, but this time it appeared clearer, crisper.
The heavy weight of solid metal filled my right hand. My fingers flexed.
The dagger. I opened my eyes. The blade was back and this time it hadn’t faded away.
Horatio rolled us forward and then flipped me onto my back.
My hand remained clutched around the cursed blade.
H came down on me as he settled once more between my legs and slid into me. He entwined his fingers with mine, the dagger resting between our palms.
He thrust.
I met his every move.
I lifted my legs high and wrapped them around his waist.
He stared into my eyes. “Don’t ever forget who you are, Keti. You can best them all.”
I couldn’t even nod as heat progressed through my body like a scorching solar flare burning up all my fears.
Then came the cold, the freezing kiss of the moon, filtering through my veins, stomping out the sun’s fiery trail.
I l
ooked up at H, sweat coated his chest and face, his black hair now slick around his face. He’d taken in some of my heat.
A spasm rocked my core. I untangled my left hand from his and brought my arm around his back, dug my fingers into his shoulder blades.
Horatio pounded forward one more time, the force of his move sending an orgasm exploding through me.
“Horatio.” I cried out.
He roared and bucked against me. And then pulled away, leaving me at a loss as he slid out of my body, the clank of sliding chains slinking off the mattress.
I sat half-way up, my free hand gripping the sheets.
My breath came fast and ragged.
Across the room, bound to the metal pole, stood a large black panther. The chains that had previously been long, now sat retracted, giving the animal nearly no space to move save for a few steps of which it took full advantage.
Horatio eyed me head on and roared a second time. He shook his head, then turned away.
My thighs ached, and my bottom stung slightly. But I had the dagger.
I reached over to the nightstand and retrieved the hunk of scarab and clenched it together with the cursed blade.
I had successfully materialized the weapon I needed to defeat the ghostly Praetorian and get my full scarab back. But under closer inspection, the blade wasn’t what I’d expected. It morphed in my hand, took on a newer form, this one oozing a crimson liquid.
My mother’s blood dripped from the dagger.
7
Keti
Apparently, there really was something sinister to messing with magick when you shouldn’t.
Lifting my gaze from the blade, I scanned the room only to find everything familiar to me had vanished, including Horatio’s steel pole and chains.
I’d returned to Bubastis. Ancient Bubastis, if me being dressed in the kalasiris I’d worn the day I’d fled the city, was any indication.
Of course the desert, with its oppressive heat and hot sand was also a clue. As were the blisters between my toes and the welts around my ankle made from the beaded hem of my dress.
But as much as this was my old home, it wasn’t. At least not in the exact way I’d remembered it. It was one of those things that was but wasn’t.
Realms and Rebels: A Paranormal and Fantasy Reverse Harem Collection Page 112
