Moonlight Captivation [Moon Shadows Book 1] (7 page)

"You wanted the truth, so here goes. My title, although not important, was once Nanna, firstborn of Enlil, also known as Suen or Asim-babbar, Sumerian God of the Moon and Fertility."

Nessa stared at him, not sure if she should start running now, or wait till he was asleep to escape the madman. She drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “You're a Sumerian god?"

"Not anymore—I used to be."

"Just how old are you?"

"Six thousand, three hundred and seventy, give or take a few years."

Her jaw dropped. “Wow, talk about an age gap. I bet your mother has a hell of a time putting that many candles on your birthday cake. If you used to be a god, what are you now?"

"Technically, I still am a god, but at the moment, I hunt rogue demons."

She was slightly confused. She tapped her finger on her chin, thinking.

"So, you're an ex-Sumerian god turned rogue demon hunter. If you ask me, that's quite a downturn in your career.” Nessa noticed the dark scowl crossing his face.

He stood up and paced in front of her. “There's a whole world out there of creatures you think are only myth. Most are confined to Realms, which we call the Lower Realm and Outer Realm. Those who aren't confined to their own Realm live in the Human Realm, hidden among the human populace. Some are highly dangerous if not kept in check. I know you'll find it hard to believe, sweetness, but I was not born human."

He turned and knelt down before her, taking her hands into his, and looked into her eyes. Something radiated out from him, his golden eyes, the ethereal-looking skin, making Nessa think maybe he wasn't a madman after all, but really telling her the truth.

Nessa gasped as he stood suddenly, yanked the sheet from her body, and picked her up to lay her down gently on the center of the large bed. His hands skimmed over her skin and came to rest on her stomach. Nessa couldn't stop her body's reaction if she tried. Before his eyes, her nipples hardened and she felt wetness flood between her thighs. He drank her in.

"You are beautiful, Vanessa,” he said, his hands caressing her lower belly.

She loved the way he said her name, sounding more like
Varr-nessa.

"Do you know you carry my child?"

She gasped. How on earth did he know she was pregnant? “How do you know? I only just found out I was...and I thought Larry..."

He growled, disapprovingly. “Never mention his name again—the child is mine.” His arm tightened around her possessively and he looked down into her eyes. “The fates have anointed you to be mine. In a way, you have always belonged to me. And now, I have you."

As much as those words sent a chill down her body, her mind instantly rebelled with the thought of being a mere possession. She quickly rolled out from under him, then scrambled off the bed before turning and glaring at him.

"I don't care who or what you think you are. I'm not just some floozy you can pick up off the street to join your little cult. There is no way I could be pregnant by you—we only had sex three nights ago. And, for your information, I don't belong to anyone but me, so you can shove it up your drainpipe and choke.” She spun around, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To find an Australian Embassy and get my naked ass home."

"The demons that destroyed your apartment weren't sent to kill me, they were sent to kill you."

Her hand froze on the door handle.
What does he mean by
sent to kill me?

She turned around and her mouth went dry. After he removed his shirt, she gazed over his fine, muscled chest; he looked as decadent as sin laying casually on the bed, with his head propped up on his fist, the shoulder-length black hair falling over his strong, bronzed shoulders, as he watched with his alluring golden eyes.

He patted the bed next to him, trying to tempt her back. Oh yes, he was more tempting than her favorite double chocolate, strawberry liqueur ice cream. It then hit her, with full force.
He is a god, a real, live god.
I've been fucked by a deity! How many girls get to boast about that?

"There is much more you should know. If you still want to leave after you know all of it, I will take you home."

She was of two minds, for something told her once she knew it all, there would be no way to leave. But, if she left now, ignorant of the truth, maybe she could get on with her life. A life alone, as a single mother. Then there was Darren. Oh cripes, Darren—he must be frantic about her if he'd come to her apartment.

"I need to call Darren!” she blurted out. Neman sat up, and she could see an angry glare in his eyes.

"Another lover, Vanessa—how many boyfriends did you have?"

She cracked a smile at the jealous sound in Neman's voice and in his expression. He looked as if he were about to murder any man who came within six feet of her. How sweet, how very macho, how very wrong—no, not wrong, this was something none of her previous boyfriends had ever done. Neman wasn't her boyfriend just because they'd fucked a few times. She was pregnant, yes, but it was all there was to it, wasn't it? Nessa tried to clear her head. Now wasn't the time to ponder such things. She stalked back to the bed, launching herself up and landing on top of him. She pushed him back on the bed, straddling his chest, then placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes.

"Now, listen here, bozo, I don't have time for your archaic jealousy. Darren is a near and dear friend to me. He was supposed to visit me tonight to make sure I was all right after the shock of finding out I'm pregnant. So, either get me to a phone, or go back and make sure he's all right. I don't want those things, demons or whatever they are, to harm him—got that?"

A smile split his handsome face and a mobile phone suddenly appeared out of thin air.

He gave it to her. “I thought dealing with demons was difficult.” He chuckled.

"Neat trick. Can you magic some Tim-Tams for me as well? I'm starving."

"Doesn't work like that. I can only teleport objects from where I know they are. Just dial the direct number."

He looked in no hurry for her to move off him, as she sat on his chest, dialing Darren's number. She tried his home number, got his voicemail and became worried. Neman's hands snaked their way up her hips. Calloused fingertips rubbed against her skin, raising her internal temperature.

She slapped at his hands, but he only slid them up to cup her breasts. “I'm not getting any answer—you sure this thing is working?” She looked at the phone.

"It's working.” He took the phone from her, glanced at it, before it vanished from his hand.

She could still see the jealousy in his eyes. “You don't have to look at me like that. Darren is gayer than a Hawaiian shirt, and he's been my best friend for the better part of six years."

Only then did he seem to relax. “I'll send someone to check on him, but right now there are more important things to talk about."

Neman shifted, and, in one swift move, she was flipped over and pinned beneath him. Nessa sighed, figuring if she stuck around this man or god or whatever he was she'd be here a lot.

Her blue eyes glared up at him, reminding Neman of the morning blue of a summer sky.

"All right, Mr. I'm-a-God-but-not, spill the beans. Let's start with why you think I'm having
your
baby."

Even when pinned beneath him, naked and vulnerable, she had the audacity to make demands of him, her strength of spirit shining through.

"When a god gets a mortal with child, the child is known as a Nephilim. The pregnancy advances more swiftly than a normal human pregnancy."

Panic flashed through her expression. “Um, how swiftly?"

"Our son will be born six months from now."

She seemed to relax at the news. “So, by normal standards, I'm already three months pregnant. I guess that's not so bad, but how do you know it's a boy? A little lady could be swimming around in there for all you know—or do you have some godly power to detect its gender?"

He shook his head. “I know it's a boy, because all this was no mere accident. Believe it or not, Vanessa, you have been chosen to bear my child—a very special child."

She frowned. “Chosen by whom? And what would make him so special, apart from you claiming he's yours?"

"There are gods of fate and destiny who have preordained things long before even the heavens were set in place. Sometimes, these things leak, like drips of water, down to earth and are known as prophecies, declared by those who catch the right drops and splash them across pages in written form. Some are harmless and helpful—others not."

"Do you have any idea how weird this sounds to me?"

"I know what I'm talking about, Vanessa. What's the saying? ‘Been there, done that.’ Four thousand years ago, it was prophesied a special child would be born. He would heal the fracture between Realms, and stop the demons from leaking out. Being a great ‘prince,’ he would bring an end to the warring in the Lower Realms and Outer Realms. As I explained before, there are four different Realms. This one, the here and now, is the Human Realm. There is also the Heavenly Realm, the Lower Realm and the Outer Realm."

Neman watched her process the information, enjoying the animated way her face lit up and pondered a question. The little lines creasing her forehead when she was confused. The stubborn way she set her jaw when her temper flared, and especially the way she made him laugh—a feat not accomplished in a very long time. There was so much depth to this woman. He was beginning to realize he could happily spend years, decades, even centuries exploring those depths.

"Are you trying to tell me I'm some kind of Virgin Mary and I'm going to deliver the savior of the world, of these Realms?"

He shook his head. The smell of her skin made his mouth water again. Unable to stop himself, he bent his head and tasted the hollow of her throat, swirling his tongue around and down, between the valley of her glorious breasts, breasts which were created for him. She could deny it, but she did belong to him.

"You know it's hard to concentrate when you're doing that."

He could feel the rapid beat of her heart, could sense her breathing quicken, her soft skin rising in little goose bumps when he blew gently on the skin he'd just tasted. She moaned, softly. He raised his head. She was too tempting like this. His cock was painfully hard and aching to be imbedded deep inside her wet heat again. He vowed to take better care of her. Although it tore at him to do it, Neman pulled away from her, climbing up and off the bed. The look of confusion crossing her face hurt him more than his painful cock.

"My apologies, sweetness. I find it hard to control my urges around you."

She raised an eyebrow, rolled over and sat up.

"Good to know. Can we get back to this Chosen One bit now?"

"It has been declared that there would be a woman chosen to bear this prince, and we would know her by the mark—that tattoo you do not remember getting."

She looked down to her hip, tracing the pattern.

"It was probably always there, on you from birth, only appearing after we had sex the other night."

"So let me get this straight—I'm having your baby, I'm only going to be pregnant for six months, and I'm some kind of Chosen One because the baby is going to bring peace or mend something in some Lower or Outer Realm."

"I'm glad you understand.” Neman liked how quick she was on the uptake.

"Yup, that bit I get. What about the bit where you said those demons are out to kill me? I would have thought having some sort of prince to fix the Realms was a good thing."

"This is where it gets complicated and very dangerous. I won't lie to you. The Lower Realm has been fractured for thousands of years. Demon warlords, demon queens and kings have been fighting to break out of the Lower Realm. The other supernatural creatures in the Outer Realm have been barely holding them at bay.

"These demons will not give up their power easily; they do want not the fracture sealed. This baby is a threat to them and their power-hungry ways. They will be out to kill you and the child.” Neman watched while the news sank in and some of the color drained from her face. Cursing silently, he went back to the bed and pulled her into his arms. “Do not fear—I will protect you and the baby. We'll get through this together, I vow this to you. As a god, any vow I make I cannot break."

"Did you know this was going to happen to me?” she asked quietly, putting her head against his chest so he could not see her face.

"I didn't know, until after it was too late. I knew of the prophecy, but not my role in it, until yesterday evening when an informant brought me news of it. It was then that I realized what happened and why, when I saw you, I could not resist you. An anointing is something even a god cannot deny."

"I don't understand the term ‘anointing.’”

Neman thought of how to best explain it. “The Greeks have Cupid. Although a rather annoying man, he has a special arrow which makes one attracted to another. The Gods of Sumeria and Ur call it anointing. They place a special scent on the victim, and the rest, as you say, is history."

"So it makes you fall in love?” She raised her head.

"No, nothing can make you fall in love—not even Cupid's arrow can do that. It makes you fall in lust, not love,” he said, in all truth.

"Oh, okay.” She drew in a breath before looking up at him with troubled and tired eyes. “Neman, would you mind if I rested? I'm suddenly not feeling too good—morning sickness and all that stuff."

He didn't blame her for wanting some time alone. He kissed the top of her head, scooped her up off the bed and pulled back the covers, then placed her back into it. Her lovely long hair fanned out along the satin pillow.

"Set your mind at ease, sweetness. I promised to take care of you and I will.” Brushing his lips gently across hers, he turned and walked away, quietly exiting the room. Neman looked down at the bulge in his pants. Right now, he needed to take care of his own needs before heading downstairs. Neman needed to start planning and preparing. As long as he could keep her hidden, he had some time, but he knew it wouldn't be for long.