The Quest (34 page)

Swallowing, I gazed at Boss.

“I would’ve done the same thing,” he said.

Anubis shot a fierce gaze at him. Their eyes met, and Anubis rose. His body stiffened. Hostility perfumed from him and in a blink of an eye, he rushed toward Boss.

Anubis knocked Jonas sideways, onto the sofa, then shoved Boss into the far wall. The force of the hit broke through the drywall and created a horrible sound. Anubis moved fast and pinned Boss to the crumbling wall with his hands clasped around Boss’s throat.

“Stop!” I raced past everyone. Instantly, my head pounded as if it was ready to explode. Nausea rushed through me and my insides wanted to burst free. I ignored it all, gripped Anubis’s arm, and threw all my energy into tugging. “Release him, now!”

Anubis turned with Boss still in his grasp and tossed him across the room. Boss crashed into the recliner and knocked it backward. Jackson and Jonas stepped forward, side-by-side. Each held a gun aimed at Anubis.

“Enough,” Jonas said.

“Do you really believe your weapons can stop me?” Anubis snarled, showing his deadly fangs.

A shot fired and the loud blast ignited the bomb in my body. I fell to the ground and the dam holding back the bile finally broke. Thick, dark blood poured from my lips. I held myself up on my hands and knees like an animal and with my arms trembling. I’d lost control of my body. Blood spilled out of me along with an outpouring of sweat.

Anubis emerged in front of me. He clasped my face in his hands and lifted me upright on my knees. “Look at me. Focus.”

A shadow wrapped itself around me and tugged. Only this time, I didn’t want to go into the darkness.

“Shelley, look at me,” Anubis said louder.

I did. He appeared unscathed, but with a drop of blood in the center of his forehead.

“Look at me,” he repeated.

I stared deep into his eyes. Images of the two of us flashed in my head. There were so many of them, us meeting, talking, dancing, laughing, making love. All happy memories.

The pull on my soul disappeared as more and more memories played in my head. My body calmed, but the hunger within me grew. A result from the loss of blood, I suspected.

“Come back with me, and I will give you more.”

The sound of his voice stirred another desire. A memory of us together played in my mind. Candles flickered, casting dancing shadows on the walls. A layer of sweat covered my body. He fucked me hard, pumping into me and filling me with his thick cock. He smelled of incense and spice, and tasted of me, salty. A vibrant orgasm erupted from me, and I gasped in delight.

Heat rushed to my head as I returned to the here and now. I swallowed and shifted my gaze from him. I felt sick, hungry and aroused. What was wrong with me?

“Nothing is wrong,” he said. “Other than you need rest to adjust.”

I shouldn’t have felt such a strong attraction to him, but I did. We shared our hearts, our souls and our bodies. How could I turn away from him? How could I not feel something for the vampire who loved me so passionately and vowed to bring me back from the dead?

“You’ve been through a lot. Rest, and you will feel better soon.”

Movement nearby stole my attention. Anubis slid his hands slid from my face.

Jonas stood next to Boss. The two men had come to my aid countless times. Boss had taken me under his care with some resistance. He had supported me no matter how difficult I made life for him. Even now, with an ancient nearby who could put an end to their days, both men stood on guard by my side. True friends until the end.

I scrubbed the back of my hand across my chin and faced Anubis. “We need to talk.”

“We can talk later.”

“Anubis, I’m not the same person.” I sat back on my ankles. Feeling my stomach tighten, I placed my arm over my abdomen.

“You are the same person. You just don’t remember what you were. I’ll help you remember.”

“No, you don’t understand.” I gave a single shake of my head, and then looked up at the four men standing in the room. Arturo remained seated on the sofa. He watched me with a curious expression.

Anubis brushed the bangs away from my eye and grazed his fingers down the side of my face. “You care about them. I do understand.”

Cared, yes, but it was more than that. I had a bond, a special friendship with each one of them. My memories with them were real and reliable, not implanted. The ones Anubis had shown me were beyond blissful, but I couldn’t trust what I didn’t know to be true.

“I will help you remember. My love for you is endless. I will do anything to make you happy.”
His lips didn’t move, yet I heard his voice.

“I need time to think.”

“I have plenty of time.” He gave me a crooked grin that prompted a smile from me. “Now, what do you want to do? Your investigation is over. These men can handle the rest of the details.”

My mind went blank. The need for justice for the dead and to reveal Galluzzi’s evil to the world drove me. Now that we had all the evidence needed, I couldn’t think of the next steps.

I glanced at Tom, Jackson, Jonas and Boss. They’d helped with investigation and risked their lives for me. A gut feeling told me they would support any decision I made, even if it involved a little argument.

Arturo stood and approached. “I can solve this problem and inform the council immediately about your findings.”

Tom took a step forward. “The council should know first. They can ask her to step down immediately whereas the courts take time to review and act. The media will convict her in the public eye, but again, that will take time.”

A public conviction would bring me some peace, but what I really wanted was to deliver the news to her face. I longed to see her expression after I told her we had evidence to convict her of the murders.

Slowly, I stood. Anubis grabbed my arm and helped me steady myself. “Give me until one in the morning tomorrow,” I said.

“What?” Anubis asked. “Why wait? You don’t–”

“Because I want to confront her with the news.”

They stared at me as if I were crazy. Maybe I was since demon blood ran through my veins or had. What was I now? I’d ponder the thought later.

I faced Tom and Jackson. “Can you set up a meeting with her and invite my father? Make it private, just the three of us.”

“A private meeting is not a good idea,” Boss said.

Anubis grazed his fingers down my arm, giving me a chill. “Nothing you can say will sway me from leaving your side.”

Given the firmness in his voice, I didn’t believe I could change his mind. And he thought I was stubborn. He should look in the mirror. “Okay, fine.”

“She murdered my Alpha. I have a right to confront the Senator as much as you do,” Jackson said.

“Hold on,” Jonas said. “If he’s going, so are we.”

Arturo slipped his hands inside his pockets. “I’d prefer not to join the party.”

While I understood Jackson wanted to meet face-to-face with Galluzzi, I feared he might not walk away from the meeting alive. The woman was pure evil. She would stop at nothing to see me wiped off the face of the Earth, which meant everyone with me was in danger too. Oh, how I couldn’t wait to confront her.

“She will expect me to show up with people and will prepare for it. I don’t want anyone put in harm’s way. We don’t need more deaths like the scene at the dump.”

They grumbled in protest.

“I’ll set up the meeting and work out the details,” Tom said loudly, and they hushed. “Odds are she will welcome a private meeting.”

I concurred with a nod. “Thank you, Tom.” Feeling light-headed, I leaned on the nearest object, which happened to be Anubis.

“Will you rest now?” He asked as he slid his arm around me.

“I need to clean up first.”

Anubis scooped me into his arms. “I will take care of you.”

My intestines twisted and the nausea returned in full force as he walked down the hall, carrying me in his arms. I didn’t have a chance to say anything else to the others. Within a matter of seconds, Anubis strode into the bedroom and laid me on the bed.

He kissed my forehead. “I shall return.”

After he left, I scooted to the center part of the bed and wedged the pillow under my head. Anubis returned fast. Holding a cloth in his hand, he crawled onto the bed and lay next to me. I felt uncomfortable lying next to him in Boss’s bed, which brought up a subject I needed to address soon. Somehow, I had to tell Anubis I’d slept with Boss.

Anubis gently wiped my chin.

“I want you to know that I care about those men.”

He smiled and rubbed the cloth over my throat. “You mentioned that earlier.” His fingers brushed over my arms, scattering chills throughout my body.

“Boss and I…” I swallowed. How did I tell my old lover, the God of the Underworld, I’d slept with other men? “We–”

Anubis pressed his lips to mine. His kiss was powerful and dominating. He stroked and sucked on my tongue so forcefully my nipples hardened and my sex became wet within seconds. I didn’t know if I still loved the man, but I knew I couldn’t resist him.

He ended the kiss. “You needed him to satisfy your urges, but you don’t love him.” He kissed my nose. “It’s common with our kind to have such deep longings, and because you have angel DNA, you are a magnet for every vampire. I feared this might happen. In my opinion, he took advantage of you since you don’t have any memories, but since you
care
about him, I will allow him to continue to walk. However, if he touches you again…”

As he groped one of my breasts, I realized the power he held. He had no fears and could take whatever he wanted, when he wanted. Why was I attracted to him?

He unbuttoned my shirt, or rather, Boss’s shirt. “You were attracted to me because of my knowledge, and what I had to offer you. You asked me to teach you the ancient ways, and I did. When you needed love, I gave it to you and showed you more pleasure than you ever imagined. When you wanted to fight, I showed you how to fight, which you learned rather quickly. I’d like to think my charm attracted you, but the truth is you despised me until your nineteenth birthday.”

My mind filled with questions. He said he’d known me since I was sixteen. How did we meet? And why did I hate him until my nineteenth birthday? First, I needed to know how he heard my thoughts. “You answered my question without me asking. How?”

“You can’t shield your thoughts from me with only my blood in your veins, not now anyway. When your body has accepted the change, you will be able to block me out, if I teach you.” He slipped his hand under the shirt and squeezed one of my breasts, pinching my nipple between his fingers.

I placed my hand over his and lifted it away from me. “I’m grateful you saved my life, but the only memories I have of us are the ones you gave me out there. I can’t deny that I enjoy your touch, but it’s not right. I can’t do this.”

The man made me yearn for sex, but damn it, I couldn’t jump into another man’s bed with him.

He grazed his fingers around my eye and along the side of my face. “I have never forced you to do something against your will, and I never will. I will not take advantage of you either. I have too much respect for you.”

The God of the Underworld respected me. The one person who could take and do whatever he wanted without fear. He earned points for likability.

I took the damp rag and wiped the smudge of blood from his forehead. “Did the bullet hit you?”

He took the rag from my hand and tossed it onto the floor. “Of course, but it didn’t hurt and it couldn’t stop me like he thought it would. I have felt pain only twice that I can recall–when I died and when I couldn’t find you.”

I swallowed hard. The fact he’d felt pain twice over the course of thousands of years astounded and frightened me. I didn’t want to hurt him or the others, but I had a choice to make soon. Anubis loved me deeply and wanted me to leave with him. Yet, my heart encouraged me to stay with the ones who cared for me and my mind advised me to stick close to those I could trust. No matter what I decided, heartache and anger would follow.

Chapter 24

I stood on the deck, leaning my elbows on the wood rail. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, hiding the sinking sun. Heat lightning flashed followed by the rumbling roar of thunder. The scent of fresh air and rain filled my lungs. Though I no longer needed to breathe, I still enjoyed such enlivening aromas. As I watched the anger and beauty in the sky, a strong wind whipped my hair across my face. I snatched the loose strands and curled them behind my ear. Annoyance blossomed within me by the tenth time of repeating the step.

The swish of the patio door behind stole my attention from the approaching storm. I spun around as Jonas stepped onto the deck. He smiled as he studied me from feet to chest.

“Now that is a new look for you.”

I leaned my back on the rail and crossed my arms. “I look slutty.”

All my clothes were at the new site, leaving me little options. I searched the house and found a few of Tabby’s dresses, jeans and shirts she’d left behind. Since I couldn’t fit into her jeans, I settled with one of her knee-length sundresses. The lavender garment fit snuggly over my breasts, but I didn’t need to breathe anyway. Add my boots and I looked a bit like a hooker.

He stopped in front of me. “No, wickedly seductive would suit you better.” His grin grew wider.

I chuckled. “You’re staring at my breasts.”

“Kind of difficult not to.” He ran his hand over his head. “My, my…”

“Okay, Mr. Horny.” I turned so he wouldn’t feel the pressure to look at my chest. “What brings you out here?”

He stood next to me and leaned his hands on the rail. “Anubis wanted me to check and see how you were feeling.”

“Excuse me?” I asked, surprised. “I thought you only followed Boss’s orders.”

He gave a light shrug. “Anubis thought you might need to feed. I’m the only human around currently.”

“Did he tell you to come up here?” Anger made the words come out fast.

“I offered.”

I shifted my gaze to the sky. Anubis shouldn’t have asked Jonas to voluntarily donate his blood. His status didn’t give him the right to ask any of my friends to do anything, especially concerning blood donations.