Soul Reborn (Key to the Cursed Book 1) (5 page)

“You do realize
that
is the talisman Mother has been looking for, don’t you?” Kendra held her trembling
hand out to take the necklace.

“What?”

Kendra rubbed her
thumb across the gold medallion. “This is the artifact that was stolen from the
excavation site in South America. The site with the mass grave. The very one
Mother had me researching. The symbols are slightly different, but this is it.”

The hair on the
back of Lilly’s neck stood up. The dark revens were even closer to this curse
than she thought. Her father had discovered the South American site about the
same time he found the goddess’ tomb in Alexandria. It was just by coincidence
the paperwork on the Egyptian site had been approved before the South American
excavation. Lilly’s father had been in Egypt when the outbreak occurred. A year
later, a team of archeologist opened the South American site.

Lilly’s head spun with
the possibilities. “Okay, let’s walk through this.” She rubbed her forehead as
she paced back and forth in front of the statue of Underworld god. “This
necklace, which is Egyptian, was found in a Mayan temple? What are the chances
of that?”

“Looters, maybe?”
Kendra offered. “A multitude of Egyptian artifacts were stolen from the
pharaohs’ tombs and temples.”

Lilly stopped mid-step
to face her little sister. “Tell me about the mass grave at this site.”

Kendra smiled and
rubbed her palms together. “Well, here’s where it gets interesting. The archeology
team arrived at the site. It was perfectly undisturbed. No one had been there
for over a year. They were using ground penetrating equipment to see if there
were any buried chambers or artifacts. That’s when they found the bodies—twenty
of them. At first, they thought the grave contained Mayan remains, but when
they exhumed the mummified bodies, they were dressed in modern clothes. Most
were criminals from the local area. A forensics team was brought in, thinking
it was a homicide scene. A colleague of mine, Dr. Steven Jones, was assisting
at the site when he found the necklace. His notes stated he found it inside the
temple ruins, an area that was hidden with no entry or exit. He had to bust
through a six foot stone to even get into the chamber. The chamber appeared to
be inhabited, but there were no bones or skeleton to account for the scrolling
on the walls.”

Lilly looked from one
sister to the other. “Let me guess. Egyptian hieroglyphics.”

“Bingo. Mother was
interested in the glyphs that were scrolled repeatedly on the walls of that
chamber. She thought it was the key to the curse.” Kendra touched the medallion.
“Lions and moons.”

Lilly chewed on her
fingernail. “Where is Dr. Jones? Can we call him?”

“He’s dead.”

“How did I know you
were going to say that?” Kit scoffed. “See, back to dead and rotting.”

“How did he die?”
Lilly asked.

Kendra frowned. “He
died in his tent during the investigation. Coroner’s report said natural
causes, but the guy was a marathon runner.”

“And the necklace
ended up missing. Stolen.”

“Yep.”

Lilly turned to
look at the statue. Her sisters stood on either side of her. “How the hell does
a reven come to have an Egyptian necklace?”

Kendra gasped. “Lilly,
the sketches of the tattoos you gave me!” She dashed out of the room.

Lilly didn’t
hesitate to follow her, knowing she was onto something. She stopped once to
glance at the security panel and reengaged the motion detectors, ensuring they
were locked safely inside. By the time she got down to the basement, Kendra had
the safe open. Lilly took the pectoral necklace from her sister’s shaking hands.

Kendra opened their
father’s journal and turned it so that Lilly could see the entry. “I don’t know
why I didn’t think of it. The necklace, tattoos and the key from dad’s dig. They’re
connected.”

Lilly gasped. “The
symbols from the reven’s tattoos are on the key. And the necklace matches the
hieroglyphics on the Mayan temple.”

Kendra leafed
through a few more pages. “I remember Dad saying the symbols on the key seemed
out of place with everything else in that tomb. It was unique. The pectoral
necklace shares one of the symbols.”

“It was shortly
after that Dad got sick.” Kit’s face turned green and she dashed to the
bathroom.

“What does the key
symbolize?” Lilly asked.

“It’s the key to
the underworld,” she said. “It opens the gate between this world and the
afterlife.”

“Dad and I removed
that key from the goddess’ tomb.” Lilly rubbed at what was the beginning of a
raging headache. “What if we accidently opened the gates? Or maybe they are
permanently closed and the bodies can’t reunite with the souls.”

Kendra smiled and
shook her head. “Lil, that’s just an ancient culture’s religion. In all my
studies I have never found proof that we exist beyond the organic nature of
ourselves. These artifacts are only symbols not actual instruments.”

“How can you hold
onto scientific arguments when we have zombies roaming our streets and dark
revens that have no physical means to support life?”

“Asar isn’t a reven.
He is an Egyptian d—”

“Deity,” a deep voice
finished from behind Lilly’s back.

Lilly’s face tightened.
In a defensive posture in front of the small pixie of a human, the huntress looked
like a mother protecting her child.

The young female
had to be important for his blonde huntress to guard her so fiercely.

Asar tilted his
head. “I think you have something of mine.” He did not even look when the other
sister stumbled in from the bathroom and cursed.

Lilly’s quivering hand
turned slowly, revealing the gold necklace. His eyes narrowed when he followed
her line of sight to her weapons belt.

“There will be no
need for those.”

The black-headed
sister lurched for the weapons only to run into Kamen. His brother growled when
her warm hands hit his chest, burning his skin instantly, but the big brut did not
budge.

“Come forward,”
Asar commanded.

Lilly shrank in on
herself as she approached — all confidence with which she killed conspicuously absent.
This was the response to which he was accustomed.

His skin tingled
with her warmth.

“Now, return what
you have taken.” He inclined his head, indicating for her to replace the
pectoral necklace to its rightful place around his neck. A light flickered in her
eyes as she raised her arms and leaned into his body.

A painful heat
rippled across his skin where her hands brushed his neck. Instead of releasing
the thick gold cord, she pulled it down taut so her mouth was a millimeter from
his ear. His muscles tightened.

“You hurt them, and
I will tear your heart out,” she hissed, and then backed away.

Asar bared his
teeth, partly because of the pain her touch caused, but also because she had put
space between them. Her eyes glowed with fierce anger and hatred—an emotion he
was all too familiar with. “Tell me what you know about the gate key.”

The small pixie of
a woman stepped around Lilly. “We don’t have it, if that’s what you’re looking
for. It was stolen from a dig over five years ago.”

Lilly stepped to
the right blocking Asar’s view of the young girl. His gaze came to rest on her
intense green eyes.

“Are you
responsible for the revens? For the outbreaks?”

Her accusation bit
deep, and bitterness boiled in his chest. He looked away briefly to remind
himself that this fair human was not the one responsible for his situation. He
was saving his fury for those who released the goddess, and more importantly
the goddess, herself. She had betrayed him in the most heinous way, stripping
him of his soul, his gate key and his son. He had nothing left but a hollow chest
filled with hatred and the taste of vengeance.

Lilly stepped
closer. “I asked you a question.”

Kamen moved on
Lilly. “You will not address him in that manner, human.”

Asar raised his
hand. “She has a right to know.” His eyes locked onto her. “Humans are
responsible for the unleashing the curse when they unearthed a tomb and
released a malevolent goddess from her prison. My key is now in the hands of my
enemy because of your kind.”

His words had the
desired effect. Lilly’s already pale skin lightened in color. She swallowed
before she spoke again. This time in a more humble tone. “Will returning the
key stop the spread of the revens?”

“No,” Asar barked.

The pixie stepped
forward out of the office. “If it follows Egyptian belief, the goddess must be
returned to the tomb and a ritual binding performed. That’s if you believe in curses.”

He narrowed his
eyes. “How do you know that little one?”

She straightened
her spine before she spoke. “My doctorate focused on ancient Egyptian burial
rituals and curses. I debunked some of the more prevalent theories and pissed
off several highly regarded scholars, I might add.”

He smiled. She was
exactly what they needed for their mission. He stepped forward only to be
blocked by his beautiful huntress. Her scent and heat hit him unexpectedly.

“Don’t even think
about it, Asar.” Lilly pushed Kendra further back into the office. The black-haired
female moved in to reinforce their protection.

The sound of his
name slipping past her silken lips stopped him cold. His eyes were fixated on
her mouth that was slightly open. Damn if he did not want to kiss her right
there. Obviously, this was not the time or the place to be having those
thoughts. He had not even opened the connection between them, and yet somehow
he tasted the sweetness on his tongue. She shifted uncomfortably under the
length of his stare. He shifted his gaze up to her troubled, but fierce green
eyes. She would not give up the little human without a fight, of that he was
certain. Only a familial bond could garner this type of response.

“I think we need to
talk.” Lilly tilted her head toward the hallway. “Privately.”

Asar regarded her a
moment before walking out the long corridor with his blonde maiden in tow. He
turned and stood silently with his eyes closed as she approached. The sensation
of her heat was addictive, and to be alone at her request was something he
could not pass up. Only when she stood directly in front of him did he open his
eyes. She scanned his body and her gaze finally came to rest on his lips. He
detected a small flush of heat in her face before she turned away.

“I know what you’re
thinking, so don’t even try to deny it.”

“Your sister will
be valuable to my search. She will be coming with us,” Asar said flatly.

With a flash of speed,
she grabbed him by his tunic. “Over my dead body.”

Amused that she
dared to challenge him, he smirked. “You will not be able to stop me, Lilly.”

She leaned in
closer to his face, staring directly into his eyes. “Watch me.”

As she pulled down
tighter on his shirt, her forearms pressed into his chest. He tightened his
chest muscles to brace against the pain of her heat seeping through his shirt. The
temperature of her body forced color changes in his skin, and it was not
pleasant. Playtime was over.

Asar seized her
waist with his large hands and slammed her back against the wall. She gasped as
he pressed his cold body forcefully against hers. Her once clasped hands now spread
out over his chest, contracting his muscles through the thin linen material.

“Do not test me,
woman,” Asar growled. The burning grew the longer he was in contact with her,
but he wanted to show he was in charge, despite whatever pain she might cause
him.

“Kit and I go
anywhere our sister goes. It’s a package deal,” Lilly said breathlessly. “We
both want the same thing. You want your key, and I want to stop the spread of
revens.”

Asar grimaced, but
not because of the pain. She was so damn desirable. Worse, she seemed to be
just as affected by their closeness. Her skin flushed. His cock tightened
against her hips, a reaction he could not contain or hide. Her breath hitched
as he grew in size against her.

Yes, they did want
the same thing on some level, although he could not care less what happen after
he retrieved his key. The humans had brought the curse upon themselves. It was
their burden to resolve. He just wanted what was stolen from him and to have
the satisfaction of killing the goddess and those responsible for releasing her.

The fair female
made a tempting offer, though. He pulled away and dropped her to the floor. “There
will be a price.”

She smoothed down her
small leather top and stood straighter to meet his eyes. “Fine, but you must
promise no harm will come to my sisters.”

He nodded. That
would be easy enough. He needed the youngest sister alive, anyway. Curious that
she did not include herself in that statement.

She crossed her
arms over her chest. “What do you want?”

He looked at her
intently. “You.”

“Me? What do you
want with me? Certainly, there’s something else.”

“You will return
with me once the key is recovered. Your sisters will remain here. I will only
guarantee their security up until the moment the key is in my possession, after
that, my hands are washed of them.”

He waited for her
refusal. Certainly a woman of her character would not sacrifice her freedom.

She glanced down
the hallway to the room where her sisters were. “You
will
close the
gate?”

“Yes.”

The frown deepened
on her face. Lilly took several steps down the hallway with her back turned to
him. With a pained glance over her shoulder, she spoke in a strained voice,
“They’re all I have.”

“A fair price for
what you get in return.”

Anger lit her eyes.
“Fair? This is far from fair.”

He shrugged. “None
the less, it is the price.”

The heat flushed
off her skin with an intensity matching the fury he saw in her face. “Go fuck
yourself.” Her fists clenched, as she stalked toward him.

Asar stood stunned,
as she readied herself to hit him. There were only a hand full of gods brazen
enough to try, but here was a human—a female no less—challenging him. He would
have laughed in amusement if not for the stirring in his groin. His desire for
her increased exponentially. Her left fist lead followed by her right. With her
attack fueled not by logic but desperation, he easily caught both wrists in his
crushing grasp. Tethered to him, she yanked to free her hands and then slammed
her palms into his chest. “Bastard.”

“I will take that
as a
no
.” He pushed her to the side and strode toward the office,
leaving the huntress behind.

“Stop.”

Never one to take
commands, he kept walking.

“Stop!” The
crescendo pitch of her voice made him halt and look over his shoulder. He
should feel guilty for her tortured features, but he did not. It was a means to
an end. Everything he wanted and needed. Lilly and her sister. He took several
strides back to her location.

“Do you agree to
the terms?”

Despite the
defiance he saw in her eyes, she nodded.

“I need to hear you
say it,” he demanded.

Her reply came by
forced breath and hate-filled eyes. “Yes. I will return with you.”

Asar sneered
triumphantly. She sold her body and soul to him, the God of the Underworld.