Soul Reborn (Key to the Cursed Book 1) (14 page)

Asar materialized
into a maelstrom of revens. The fortress’ alarms blared at a deafening pitch. The
dungeon stood empty.

Lilly’s father was missing.

“Damn it!” He forged
his way out to the hallway. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of revens, Nehebkau
guards were in the process of being eaten alive. Asar cringed at the sound of
their cries, but charged past the carnage, driven by his panic to find Lilly. He
followed the most likely path back to her room. A large contingent of revens battered
themselves against the door. There had to be warm human body inside for them to
claw at it so ravenously.

He flashed into the
room, only to dodge a blade aimed at his neck. He grabbed Kit by the waist and
restrained her wrist. She struggled but was no match for his strength.

He hissed under the
burn of her skin. “Stop!”

She finally sagged
against his chest. He removed her weapon and handed it out to Kamen, who had
just appeared in the room, then turned her gently. Kit’s eyes reflected the
same panic as his own.

“Where is Lilly?”

“I don’t know. Everything
locks down as soon as the alarm is tripped. If she could be anywhere, it would
be in the dungeon.”

Asar raked his
hands through his hair. “She was not there. I already checked.” Where would she
go?

Of course!

He grabbed Kit by
the shoulders. “Where are they holding Kendra?”

“Mother wouldn’t
tell me, but my best guess is the administrative spaces. She wouldn’t let her
get far. She considers Kendra a high value asset.”

Asar turned to
leave, but felt the burn of Kit’s hand on his arm. “I’m going with you,” she
said, desperately. “Please.”

He nodded and
glanced at Kamen, who took up position behind Kit. Before he opened the door, she
grabbed his hand again. “I don’t think I need to tell you how difficult it
would be for revens to penetrate this compound. They don’t gather in mass
numbers like this. Nor do they have the capacity to coordinate an attack of
this magnitude. Unless…” Her alarmed voice trailed off.

“The goddess. She
is after Lilly.” Asar turned and erupted through the door, clearing a direct path
to their destination. Flash grenades exploded around them. Asar checked the
fallen Nehebkau bodies to ensure none were Lilly. He slowed seeing blood
streaked blonde hair beneath a horde of ravenous zombies. Biting back the
sourness rising to his tongue, he hit the revens with the force of explosive
black power.

Asar sucked in a
breath. It was not his Lilly, but some other unfortunate huntress to count
among the fallen.

“Thank god,” Kit
gasped.

“The revens are
pulling back,” Kamen warned.

The goddess found
what she was looking for. “Lilly.” He transported the trio immediately to
administrative offices just off the cafeteria area. Unlike the main building, an
eerie silence settled over this side of the compound.

Kit ran down the
hallway yanking open door after door, only to find empty offices. “Kamen and I
can finish checking here. Go save Lilly.”

He materialized at the
main entrance. Revens poured out of the facility under a hail of gunfire and
flame throwers. The goddess would never exit here. She created a diversion to
draw the Nehebkau hunters to this location, which meant she chose another escape
route. He quickly ran along the perimeter of the building.

Helicopter rotors
thudded overhead, plucking Nehebkau survivors off the roof line. The perimeter
guards secured the outer gates to trap the revens inside. The fortress would be
bombed, killing every last thing inside its borders.

He stopped in the
shadows and watched a pale reven disappear into the earth. No doubt this was the
breach. He moved toward the opening. The hatch had a lock on its upper side,
which meant it could only be opened from within the fortress.

Not giving it
another thought, he followed the reven inside.

The multiple
intersecting paths within the tunnel disoriented him until he sensed Lilly’s
energy floating on the stale air. She passed through here not long ago. He bolted
down one of the paths, overcoming several revens as he followed the trail of her
heat.

He halted a short
distance from where voices echoed in the tunnel, and peered around the corner. Lilly
knelt in front of the goddess. A very large reven held her by the hair, and
roughly ripped her head back so she was staring at Kepi.

Dressed in the body
of the young, black haired female, Kepi glared at Lilly with blood red eyes.
Lilly’s father stood next to the goddess.

“If you do not stop
fighting us, I am going to have to resort to hurting that beautiful body of
yours. And the last thing I want is to mark up the body I intend to take.”

If Asar’s face
could go pale, it would have. Kepi taking possession of Lilly’s demi-god form
would give her regenerative properties. The goddess would no longer need to
transfer her essence. And worse, the extent of Lilly’s powers was unknown,
especially since he had shared part of himself with her.

Racked with
urgency, he looked around the cramped quarters. Lilly might get hurt if he
tried to battle in the confined space. His best choice— follow and wait for an
avenue to rescue his love, then escape. He could only watch and hope an
opportunity presented itself.

“If you are trying
to get to Asar, it is not going to work. He doesn’t want anything to do with me,”
Lilly growled at the goddess.

The goddess laughed
and stroked a finger across Lilly’s face. “Oh, sweetness. He has already done more
for me than I could have ever anticipated. He just could not keep his hands off
you, could he? Stuck his cock right into you without a thought of what you
might be. I cannot believe he actually shared his seed with you, a
human
.”
Kepi grabbed Lilly by the chin and leaned in. “He never felt me worthy enough,
but that does not matter now. I have taken everything he cares for, and this
will be another scarab in his sarcophagus.”

The goddess kissed
Lilly’s lips. “I knew the day you released me from Duat you would come in handy.
I just never imagined what a gift you would be.” Kepi stepped back and cackled.
“Is that not right dear old dad?” She caressed his face.

“Get your fucking
hands off of him,” Lilly hissed and strained under the reven’s grip.

Kepi grabbed Lilly
by the throat and constricted her grip. “Do not tempt me, bitch. I will not hesitate
to make him take a few bites out of you, just to see the horror in your pretty
green eyes.”

The goddess
signaled with her head. The reven ripped Lilly from the floor and pushed her down
the long winding tunnels.

Asar prowled a
short distance behind the group. With each passing minute more of his optimism
sank to the pit of his stomach. His only saving grace, Kepi’s body, devoid of
most of its senses, limited her ability to detect him. The undead passed
without giving him a glance.

The goddess and her
revens traveled most of the night and stopped at an abandoned underground
subway system. Most of the entry and exits had been blocked. Kepi placed Lilly
under guard and retired to another room.

In the darkness,
Lilly struggled against her bindings. Then, as if he’d absorbed the last of her
energy, she stopped fighting. She lay on her side, resting her head against a
rock with her eyes closed. A position of vulnerability Lilly would never put
herself in, he thought. She was giving up. The energy against her skin faded to
a dim glow, a reflection of her state of defeat.

Sinking into a crouch
against the wall, Asar turned his hatred inward. Her pain was his doing. He
would never forgive himself for hurting her.

The sensation of
wanting to save her overwhelmed his senses. Moving soundlessly, he closed enough
distance to feel her heat against his flesh. Her face constricted. Despite her
eyes being clenched shut, tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Go away,” she
whispered in between hitched breaths. Asar reached out to touch her and she
drew away. His chest burned with agony. He forced himself to push past the
rejection and move closer.

“I am sorry,” he
said, softly. His voice sounded foreign, even to him.

“It doesn’t matter.”
She shifted her position to be further away from him. “Just leave me alone. I’ll
get what I deserve soon enough. You should be happy.”

Asar flinched. He was
not use to being in this position, begging for someone’s forgiveness. “I was
unprepared for all of this. I have chewed on my need for vengeance for so long,
I was not able to see clearly and mistakenly included you in that hate. I am truly
sorry.”

The emotions were raw
and overwhelming. Without them for so long, it was difficult to manage. Lilly
had grown a portion of his soul back. And right now, it was aching with as much
vengeance as he held for the goddess.

“You’re apologizing
to me?” She shook her head. “I don’t deserve your pity.”

Asar growled.
Do
not stop until she gives in
, Nebt had said.
She was not going to
make this easy on him. “This is not pity. I behaved deplorably, and blamed this
situation on you. It is not your fault.” He paused, taking a breath his body
did not require, but his ego did. “It is mine.”

Lilly blinked a few
times and then sighed. “Leave now, before the goddess takes back your soul.”

“Damn it, Lilly.” His
voice rose, and the revens shifted. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying
to control the torrid of emotions threatening to blow his chance with her. “The
only thing she can take that matters to me is
you
.”

His voice strained under
the emotion. He grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her upright so he could
untie the bindings. The motion brought his face close to hers. Her unblinking eyes
watched him.

He stopped inches
from her face. The pain in his chest subsided under her warmth, despite the
burn of his skin. “I never want to lose you. I could not bear it. I…” He leaned
his head down to gather strength.

The burn of her
hand against his jaw made him look up. Those emerald eyes melted him to the
bone. He leaned in and kissed her desperately until the pain was excruciating. He
cradled her warm face in his hands and whispered against her lips. “I want you
to be mine. Not because of some debt. Be with
me
.”

Surprisingly, the
pain in his chest began to disappear. He heard of binding of the souls between
mates, but he never thought it possible to happen between him and Lilly. When
she inhaled sharply, he thought her answer would be no, but her eyes had widened
with fear.

“How touching!” The
goddess stood in the doorway with her pale mottled arms on her hips. Her red
eyes glared at him. “You finally found the room for forgiveness in that rotten heart
of yours. The irony of this is just too much to digest.”

Asar stood and put
Lilly behind him. “You had your chance. More than your share of them, but you
never changed your ways.”

“How does that
black heart feel in your chest? It brought me great pleasure to use it to
entomb your son.”

“Where is he, Kepi?”
Asar took several steps forward.

The goddess moved
Lilly’s father in front of her. She sneered and cocked an eyebrow. “I do not
think you are in a position to make demands.” She pulled out a small dagger and
lunged at Asar.

He recognized the blade
immediately. The spell attached to the dagger made it dangerous—one of the only
weapons capable of killing a god by permanently separating the soul from a
god’s heart. Asar should know.

The daggers were
his, a gift he gave to his son.

Lilly yanked on his
tunic. “Asar!”

Asar transported them
to Aaru, but not before the dagger plunged into his chest. He landed on the
floor with a thud and Lilly tumbled across the stone.

Lilly scrambled
across the floor on her hands and knees. “No!”

Her hands trembled
around the handle of the dagger, uncertain whether to remove it. Tears streamed
down her face, as he lay motionless. They hadn’t come this far to have him die
now. She shook him. “Asar, wake up. Tell me what to do. I don’t know what to do.
Please!”

The palace lay silent.
She considered running for help, but time was of the essence. Needing to act,
she wrapped her fingers around the handle and yanked the dagger out of his
heart. She pressed her palm against his chest to the stop the bleeding, but
there wasn’t any. She too late. She leaned across his chest and began to cry. “Don’t
leave me. Please!”

White energy surged
from the center of her body, and the tattoos on her forearms glowed bright gold.
Lilly gasped and wiped the tears from her face. The cut on his chest had healed
completely with no sign of a scar.

Nebt and Inpu rushed
into the room, and Nebt’s hand went immediately to her mouth. “Oh, my gods.
Asar!” She dropped down on her knees and cradled his head in her lap.

Inpu kicked the
dagger across the floor, disgust blanketing his features. “Mevt.”

Desperate, Lilly searched
his eyes for an explanation. “Mevt?”

“Gods’ death
dagger.” Inpu knelt next to her. Without permission, he grabbed her hands and
placed them back onto Asar’s chest.

Lilly heaved as her
body responded to the connection with Asar’s skin. Tingling energy flowed from
her chest through her bones, shaking every cell. Asar’s body became rigid. She
tried to pull her hands back. “No, it’s hurting him.”

Inpu increased the
pressure on her hands, immobilizing her. A look of wonderment and reassurance
infused his brown eyes.

Her breath hitched
when Asar gasped and arched his back off the floor. Inpu release his grip and
sat back on his heels. Asar relaxed and lifted his heavy eyelids. After
blinking a few times, he focused on her face. Lilly's tears flowed again, not in
sorrow, but joy. Her heart swelled until she thought it would burst.

With little effort Asar
sat up and pulled her tremulous body against his chest. A strange sound escaped
his throat. Laughter. Honest and true, laughter. He grabbed Lilly’s face in his
hands and started kissing her. “My sweet Lilly. You saved me again.”

Pulling back from
his lips, she smiled and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure what I did.”

Inpu chuckled and
pulled Nebt into his side and kissed her cheek. “I think we know who Lilly’s
bloodline is?”

“I am so confused. I
don’t understand any of this.” Shaking her head, Lilly looked at the
hieroglyphics on her arms that still retained a gold glow. “I thought this was
something you passed to me?”

Asar smiled. “You
are a demi-god, a mixed bloodline of human and god. Your mother is a goddess,
Lilly.”

“What?”

“Your sisters
probably have the same lineage.” He rubbed his thumb across the markings on her
pale skin. “You, three, are the descendants of the Creation Pantheon. Quite
ironic if you think about it, considering I am the God of Death.”

Nebt placed a hand
on Lilly’s shoulder. “It certainly explains a lot. With some training, you
should be able to control your powers, especially since they are full
strength.”

“I have powers?”

She had sensed the
change when she awoke from her illness, but couldn’t quite grasp it. The
physical changes, the markings, and self-healing were the least shocking of all.
A seductive energy ebbed and flowed underneath her skin and surrounded every organic
object. A corporal connection existed between her and every living, breathing
thing, pulsing like a neon sign. Only the Underworld gods had no signs of life,
with exception of a small aura that emanated from the center of their sternums.
Lilly touched her fingertips lightly over the energy in Asar’s chest. His soul
looked dim in comparison.

The three gods grinned.
Asar brushed her hair from her face. “You have always had the power inside of you.
They needed to be released to gain their full potential. You exude the energy
of life. You saved my life by just the mere thought of it.”

Lilly touched his
face. With the revelation came a flood of memories. “It was you.” She blushed
as she said it, realizing their lovemaking transformed her. He chuckled and
kissed her warm cheeks.

Pulling back, she
placed her palm over his chest. “Your soul? Is everything okay?” His soul
faintly flickered in his chest.

Asar’s eyes soften
to a golden brown. “I never replaced it. I do not need it. I do not want it.”

Lilly frowned and
shook her head. “I don’t understand. You need your soul to judge. Your heart
was the reason you pursued the goddess. You don’t want it?” She looked at his
chest again. Something didn’t make sense. If he didn’t replace his soul, what flickered
in his chest? She looked at one god to the next. “But, if you never replaced your
heart, what is it I see glowing?”

Asar covered her
hand and pressed it to his bare chest. “The soul I have now is a gift from
you.”

“What?” Did he just
suggest she had given him a new soul? “How? I did that just now?”

Nebt pressed her
hand to her lips to suppress a smile. “I think that is our cue to leave.” The Underworld
goddess bowed. She laced her arm through Inpu’s and guided him out the door.

Asar lifted her in
his arms, then gently set her on her feet. The ground felt oddly soft
underneath. She looked down and found sand between her toes. He'd transported
her to the beach where they lay the last night of their stay together in Aaru.

Lilly frowned as he
knelt down in front of her. To her knowledge no god ever kneeled before
another, especially him. It was a sign of submission. “Asar?”

Taking her by the
hands, he looked up with the most humble expression. “You have given me a new
life and soul I would never want to replace with something that has brought me
nothing but suffering. My soul is at your mercy. I want you to be my mate
because you want to be with me. Not out of obligation or debt.”

Lilly stood stunned.
He offered his soul, the very soul she had created, putting his life into her
hands. She dropped to her knees and looked into his eyes. They were filled with
emotion,
his
emotion. Not a reflection of her own.

“Does this mean you
forgive me?”

He laughed. “Yes, I
forgive you, if you can ever forgive me.” He leaned in to kiss her. “I want you
to be mine.”

She gasped for
breath in between his kisses. Her head swirled with the euphoria of his
proposal—a far leap from where they had just been, but she didn’t care. “No
conditions?”

“None,” he said
against her lips. He stopped mid-kiss and frowned. “Unless
you
want
them.”

The concern in his
voice melted her heart. He looked like he might pass out. She smiled and shook
her head. “The answer is yes, then,” she said with a smile that made her cheeks
hurt.

He placed her hand
over his new soul. She pressed his over her slowly pounding heart. He kissed
her gently, then recited the words. “From this moment our souls are bound
together.”

An electrified
pulse traveled straight to her soul. His once still heart thumped against her
palm, and his body flushed with heat. She laughed at his startled expression.
“I don’t suppose that happens often.”

Asar snorted and
smiled. “No, never. If raising the dead is one of your many talents, I cannot
wait to see what else you can do.”

“This is all so
sudden.” Lilly shook her head.
She never felt so wild and scared in her
life. She spent most of last five years trying to maintain control. It felt
good to be impulsive and reckless.

He broke her line
of thought with a soft touch. His dark eyes were heavy with insecurity. “I am
far from perfect and it has been awhile since I have been able to process this
level of emotion.”

She smiled and put
her fingers to his lips. “What’s important is they are yours.”

He kissed her
deeply. Despite his restraint, Asar's dark energy ebbed and flowed erratically
as it washed over her, a reflection of his struggle to keep himself constrained
for her benefit. Conversely, all she wanted to do was throw him down on the
sand and have her way with him. She wasn’t sure where the thought came from, as
it was so out of character for her.

“Ack, I feel like
I’m watching a chick flick!”

Lilly’s heart
stuttered a beat. She thought they were alone.

“Kit!”

“Don’t let
me
interrupt. I’m just trying to save the world here.”

Lilly scowled but
then embraced her sister. Kamen stood a few feet behind. She mouthed the words,
thank you
.

Kit hugged her back.
“I thought I lost you.”

“It will take more
than a goddess and a few revens to break up the Carrigan sisters.” Lilly
finally pulled back but didn’t release her sister. “The goddess has dad.”

Kit shrugged as if
it didn’t bother her, but Lilly knew better. “At least Kendra is safe. Mother
put her on the first helicopter out of the compound.”

“Mother won’t give
her up easily, and I’m sure we won’t be welcomed back.”

“I don’t think I
want to, anyway. After all the work we did for her, Mother was sure quick to
turn her back on us.”

Lilly’s stomach
dropped. It would be the two of them against thousands of undead with little to
no resources, except the weapons that hung from their hips. “It won’t be easy
fighting the revens without her help.”

“When have we done
anything the easy way? If I remember correctly, our odds are always balanced in
favor of the enemy.” Kit’s eyes darkened. “How the hell did the goddess get
into the compound?”

Asar placed his
hand on Lilly’s shoulder. “She was let in by someone on the inside. The hatch
in the rear of the building was open. It was how they came in and went out.”

She let go of Kit
and grasped Asar’s arm. “He’s right. It was open even before we reached it. The
goddess took me directly to the underground tunnels. She knew exactly where she
was going.”

“A Nehebkau? One of
our own? Why?”

Asar rubbed Lilly’s
lower back. His voice was solemn. “In my experience, it is usually those
jealous of individuals that have power and are desperate to accumulate it for
themselves.”

Lilly sighed. She
knew all too well who could be responsible. “Rebecca.”

“Oh, it would be
just like the bitch. She would stab her own grandmother in the back!”

“The problem is,
what to do about it? The goddess will use our father to get to us. Mother may
not know of the mole inside her organization, which puts Kendra at risk. We
need to get her back. It is the only way to keep her safe.” Lilly turned to
Asar. “I hate to ask, but…”

“You and Kendra
will stay here.” Asar grasped her hands. “Lilly, you will not be able to pursue
the goddess until you have control of your powers. You might inadvertently feed
her life without intending to do so.”

“I need to see this
through.” She didn’t like to be told what to do, especially when her sister’s
safety was concerned.

“Kit is more than
capable of retrieving your sister and collecting recon on the goddess. Kamen
will be there to watch her back. You need time to adjust to the changes in your
body. There is much you need to learn. Kit has not transitioned yet, so her
powers will be muted in comparison to yours.”

Kit perked up.
“Powers?”

Kamen’s eyes
narrowed on Asar and then on the black haired beauty.

“Do you want the
honor?”

Lilly smiled
slightly and then turned to her sister. “Seems our long lost mother was a goddess.”

“Yeah, right!” When
Lilly’s face remained serious, her sister’s expression fell flat. “Dad got
frisky with a goddess? Is that what you are telling me?”

“Yes," Lilly
said, laughing. "Apparently at least three times.”

“No, fucking way. So
how is it you have changed? I know it has to do with Captain Underworld over
there but—”

Lilly’s face
flushed even hotter. She grabbed Kit by the arm and dragged her down the beach,
leaving the two deities standing by themselves.

* * *

Kamen glanced down
the beach. “So they are here to stay then?”

Asar slapped his
brother on the back. “Get used to it, brother. Our family is growing.”

“You forgot to ask
my permission.”

Asar laughed. This
was
his
domain. “Yeah, well. I had to grow up sometime.”

“They are going to
be nothing but trouble. They have no respect for our traditions or way of doing
things.” Kamen shook his head when Lilly threw Kit into the water.

Asar laughed and
then looked at his feet. “It will be interesting times.”

“I did not sign on
to be a babysitter. Especially for a woman so self-assured, all other opinions
be damned.”