Immortal Dynasty (25 page)

He pulled her into a tight embrace, feeling her hot tears searing through his shirt. He should be angry. Yet, he wasn’t, and he suddenly knew exactly why. “Shaila, I trusted you enough not to ask for it.”

* * *

Darius picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to his bed. Lighting the fireplace, he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it absently to the floor.

“Do you trust me now, Shaila?”

“I love you.” She propped herself up on her elbows, eyeing him curiously.

“But do you trust me?”

“Completely.”

Darius crawled towards her from the foot of the bed until his lips hovered barely above hers. He could feel her breath mingling with his.

“I’ve heard others refer to you as
my goddess
.”

“Yes.”

“You are Shaila a’k’Hemet, of the Anunnaki. You are a goddess to the people of Earth. As a goddess, you deserve your full powers.” He gave her his most wicked smile, and teased her lower lip with his teeth.

“Yes, I do deserve my full powers.”

He captured her full lips with his in a brief but deep kiss. She moaned when he pulled up away from her.

“I know the way, Shaila.” He leaned in again to nibble an earlobe. “I am the way.”

“You are the way?”

He chuckled at her confused look. “I am the masculine. You are the feminine. My job is to
deliver
you to your astral spirit.”

Love.
That was the last word Shadiki said. Could it be that simple? She looked deep into those brilliant hazel eyes the color of the dunes at dusk. He was a pharaoh. He was
her
pharaoh.

But did he love her? The depth of Darius’ feelings would have to mirror her own. There was only one delicious way to find out. She moved to claim his mouth, but he held aloft.

“Shaila.” He whispered in her ear. “From now on, you are only
my
goddess.”

The possessive gleam in his eyes sent a shiver of delight all the way to her toes. “Yes, my pharaoh.” She would no longer be denied. She felt the rumble of laughter in his chest as she flipped him over with her powerful legs.

“Déjà vu,” he whispered. She too thought of the first time she had flipped him underneath her. The day she had that wonderful bath.

“I need to feel skin, Darius. I grow tired of all the clothing people wear in this time.” She willed away their clothes instantly.

She lowered her body over his, sliding up and down slowly. Nerve endings shot hot energy spikes across her skin. She withstood the pain, knowing what would come behind it. Her skin flushed, and then dampened with restrained need. It had been so very long. An eternity. Now, she wanted him desperately, but she held herself in check. She wanted this first time with him to last an eternity.

In the fireplace, flames licked and snapped furiously. His hands burned a path across her back as they slid downward. She purred with excitement when his palm smoothed around her thigh, cupping her center. Her muscles shivered as his fingertips explored her deep and slow. Her womb clenched as he teased a quick hot release.

Shaila pulled away from his fingers, and licked a path down his chest, laving each nipple in turn. His moans sent her further downward along his stomach. His muscles twitched with tightly controlled laughter as she found a ticklish spot. She licked along his inner thigh until he grabbed a hand full of her hair and guided her mouth in a different direction.

Darius nearly launched from the bed when she took him fully into her mouth. She could feel his energies warring with pleasure and pain, but he wasn’t there yet. With her lips and tongue, she massaged every inch of him. Until she felt it...

She looked up to see his face. He was mesmerizing as he balanced on the edge of bliss. A very faint blue glow enveloped him. He thought only that he was giving her the way to her full power, but he didn’t realize that she would be giving him the same path.

Damn, this woman doesn’t play around.
Agony and ecstasy warred within him as she slid long and slow back up his body. It was his turn to prowl. He flipped her back underneath him, where he could keep her under his control for a while. He felt warm and strangely powerful. Every cell tingled throughout his body, as if they were awakening for the first time. Shaila was smiling up at him, almost proudly.

Growling his desire, he grabbed her chin with his teeth. He rubbed her center with his erection, but denied her his entrance just yet. As he moved downward, he traced a lotus tattoo with his tongue and captured her nipple between his teeth. As she cried out her desires, he felt her nails clawing his back.

She growled and hissed when he finally dipped his head even lower, tasting her. She was swollen with desire. He flicked her gently with his tongue, and she bucked and tensed frantically. He looked up to see her face glowing. She was so beautiful, and she was his. His goddess. His woman.

Firelight flickered in her eyes. Her body stilled, but her skin burned as if it were aflame.
My lady of flame,
he thought. He suddenly brought himself back up to her, capturing her lush mouth in a deep kiss. Then he clenched her jaw with his teeth again, but more gently this time. Her long legs wrapped around his waist.

He plunged into her. With deep thrusts and slow withdrawals, he pushed them both into heaven. He could feel them rising above the bed. Shaila was urging him for more. “Please, Darius. Oh goddess. Darius, I need you with me.”

He felt like he was in a dream. Floating. Little wispy white lights drifted toward them. Quickly at first, but then their pace slowed. He wondered what they were and why they hesitated.

“Darius.” He heard her voice calling out to him urgently. “Darius?” He looked down at her, his beloved immortal goddess. She was reaching for him, but he felt like something was pulling him away, tearing him from her embrace. Growling viciously, he vowed that nothing would take her from him.

Shaila was wrapping herself tighter to him, and he felt earthbound once again. He was still inside her, and still painfully full. Gritting his teeth, he withdrew. She started to moan desperately, but in one swift move, he flipped her over onto her stomach and entered her from behind.

Rubbing her inside with his erection and outside with his fingers, he sent her just where she needed to go. A feline scream burst from deep inside her, and her skin flamed with the blue light of pure energy. He felt his own skin burn with a bright light as he released inside her.

Utterly spent, they lay together motionless. Breathing. The blue glow slowly faded.

“Darius.” She sounded gloriously tired. “It came to me. I did not have to go looking for it. My spirit came to
me
. It found
me
.”

Darius felt a strange vibration through her skin. He slowly drew her back around to face him. “Are you…purring?”

She laughed as she nodded sleepily.

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

Shaila responded by snuggling into his chest and fingering one of his nipples. “I feel like a hot, bubbly bath.”

“I always thought cats hated water.”

“Wherever would you get that idea? I love water.” Her emerald eyes darkened with renewed mischievous energy. “Let me show you what a cat can do in water.”

He let out a long, tired sigh. “Okay, if I must.”

Hell,
he would let her show him anything. Anytime.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Barely a few miles away, demons gathered by the dozens in a basement deep beneath the Troy Estate. Once used in aiding fugitive slaves and later in trafficking booze, the estate now served a new darker purpose. Stone floors lay bare and dusty from years of neglect, but the walls had been given an eerie makeover.

On three of the walls, hieroglyphs had been painted in bold colors accented with gold. The pictures depicted the darkest part of the prophecy, the
Age of Awakening
. The frightening imagery showed the resurrection of millions of souls who would serve the dark lord as his demon army. Other scenes depicted horrific battlefields and bloody rituals of sacrifice.

On the fourth wall hung a massive black tapestry. Strange alien symbols were stitched into it with gold thread. In front of the tapestry, the floor was raised a couple of feet higher. The right side of platform held a white granite altar already stained with the blood of sacrifices. The next victim lay motionless under a dark red blanket.

 
A massive black granite throne loomed in the center of the dais. Currently, it was occupied by a large figure cloaked in a blood red silk robe. The robe shimmered as if blood actually flowed through its threads. From underneath a large hood, bright red eyes glowed with malice. Fury radiated from the form.

Gathered in front of the dais, the small force of demons stood waiting for the next sacrifice or mission. From somewhere in their midst, twelve sharp beeps announced the arrival of the midnight hour.

The dark figure on the throne grew agitated at the sound. Bony, gray fingers snapped angrily, followed by an anguished cry from one in the crowd -- a demon in preppy college clothes who still wore a new Fossil watch on his wrist.

Until now. The watch imploded on his wrist, sending his hand skittering across the dirty floor. Looking up at the evil one on the throne, the demon wisely held back further screams.

Shivery darkness seeped into the room. Demons scattered to the sides to give a wide berth to the eerie figures that entered from the outer corridor. Five malevolent beasts slithered up to the cloaked leader. Robes of black fog cloaked their forms, but torchlight reflected off of shiny talons and teeth.

“Your Grace,” a screechy voice echoed indignantly. “There is new light in our dark world.”

“How did you not stop her?”

“The spell on the house prevents our entry. We regret the failure.”

“You regret nothing.”

“As you wish, your Grace.”

“She will fight to the death to protect the humans.” The cloaked leader paced across the dais. “But we can still control the prophecy if we have her under our command.”

“Yes, your Grace.”

The skeletal fingers appeared again, pointing toward an alcove. “Bring me the box.”

A demon appeared from the alcove carrying a gold pyramid the size of a lampshade. His progress slowed until he was dragging his feet. His hands carrying the item sagged downward with each step.

“Come quickly, you idiot. We haven’t got all night.” Bony fingers reached up and tossed the hood back. The demon with the box nearly stumbled at the true sight of their leader. Gray skin barely stretched over the bones of the skull. Jagged teeth and four glistening fangs protruded from a lipless mouth. The blood red eyes glittered under translucent eyelids. Black ears hugged the skull, pointing back like arrows.

A hush spread through the demon horde as their leader transformed in front of them. The skin grew soft and supple, and took on a more golden glow. A beautiful mane of blonde hair grew out of the skull. Malice still glittered but now in tawny colored eyes. Pearl white teeth flashed from behind full, luscious lips. Lilith smiled at her minions.

“If I want something done right, I apparently have to do it myself.” She snatched the pyramid box out of the demon’s hands. Removing the lid, she held up a very delicate pair of golden wrist cuffs. The torchlight flickered in her eyes. She laughed bitterly, before smashing the box on the floor.

She faced the five stygian souls in front of her. “I have an important task for you, and you will not fail me. Go to the astral plane and find the old man’s soul. Make sure Shadiki Aria never awakens. Go.”

“As you wish, your Grace.” They disappeared through the back corridor from whence they arrived, as she turned to face her small army.

“I have promised Apophis an Anunnaki soul.” She thrust the golden cuffs in the air above her head. “Tomorrow night, we celebrate the birth of a new age.”

Cheers hissed and growled from the demon horde. “All hail, the Great Dragon Queen!” The crowd took up the chant, while the object of their cheer retreated into the hallway behind the tapestry.

Nervously, Bessie slunk from her spot in the shadows. Her ears pricked back in annoyance from the bloodthirsty din in the room, she leapt on to the altar. Nostrils flared, she gathered the scent of the victim hidden under the blanket. Silently, she retreated through the same hallway behind the tapestry.

* * *

Shaila smiled as the fresh aroma of creamy coffee wafted under her nose. She had to put some effort into prying open one eyelid and attempting to sit up. From the open window, the frosty morning air chased her back under the thick cover.

“I hate being cold.” She moved to curl up next to Darius as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I think I was cold inside that statue.”

“Papa Shadi loves the snow, although he hates the wicked winter storms. They can be pretty nasty.”

She finally braved the chill to reach for her cup of coffee. She had to. Darius made no move to hand it to her, the big tease. And, he showed no sign of being bothered by the cold. She stubbornly refused to show weakness of any kind.

Snatching her cup from the tray, she noticed that it was accompanied by a bowl of fruit and slightly burned omelets. “What is this?”

“It’s called breakfast in bed.”

“It is burnt.”

“If you’re going to criticize,” he started to pull the plate away from her, but she held on tight.

“I meant no affront, Darius.” She leaned forward and kissed him soundly on the mouth. He generously released the omelet for her enjoyment. She had a mouthful of egg when she continued. “I think you might want to consider taking some cooking lessons from Marcus.”

Darius made as if to pounce on her, causing her to laugh, nearly dropping the eggs.

Instead, he leaned in and nibbled her neck. Shaila moaned as little goose bumps spread across her arms.
Oh, goddess, to hell with the eggs.

She reached around his waist and drew him down on top of her. Even through the thick down covers, she could feel his desire pressing against her. A familiar sensation vibrated against her hip. She planned to ignore it, when it happened again.