Soul Unbound (Key to the Cursed Book 3) (14 page)

“Did you know this would happen?” Siya slammed her
palms into his chest and shoved him off.

“No. Fuck, I did not even think it was possible,”
he said and rolled onto his back.

“How can this happen? You are a warrior.” Her
voice resonated stronger, but the color had yet to come back to her face.

“I was born a warrior, just different from the
rest.” He looked away, feeling the brevity of his mistake. Asar’s blood ran
through his veins. One of the most powerful gods in the Pantheons. Bomani may
have lived his life as a warrior, never tapping into his powers, but it did not
dismiss the fact he was still a god or least half so. He stood and started to
pace. The fact he was still aroused did not help matters.

“What does that mean?
Isis
, did Bast put
you up to this?”

“No!”

“Gods, it would be just like her,” Siya groaned
and pressed her hand to her forehead.

“Bast does not know what I am.”

“I do not believe you.”

Bomani stalked forward and grabbed Siya by the
shoulders. “Bast does not know. No one does.” It had been a long held family
secret between Asar, Kamen and Bakari. Bomani himself had not been told until
he had assumed command of the legion.

“You are Asar’s son?” She closed her eyes and
swallowed a breath.

“Yes.”

She waivered on her feet, enough he moved to catch
her. “Do you realize what has happened?” She stared down at his mark on her
chest and dug her fingernails into her skin. “Why did you let it happen?”

“Me?” he snapped. “It takes two, and if I remember
correctly you did not stop it either.” Arousal stirred with the mere memory of
her legs wrapped around him, tightening and releasing with each stroke. “A bond
can only be established if both parties desire it,” he said. Apparently, it did
not take much
want.
He was not even thinking anything long term, just
the here and now. Mistake or not, he wanted to replay the encounter.

Her cheeks flushed red with her own arousal
communicating through the bond. She jerked back, breaking his hold, as if that
alone would sever their connection. She walked to the water’s edge and crossed
her arms over chest, effectively hiding his brand.

He never gave his symbol any thought. He had no
want of it. However, seeing it on her chest beckoned something deep inside. The
bonding went both ways. He searched his chest for her mark, but his dark
scarred skin revealed none of what he felt inside.

“Maybe the bond is only one way,” she said with a
catch of hope. She walked towards him and touched his legion brand. The static
charge penetrated deep into his heart. The mark may not be there, but he could
feel the connecting energies. As did she, based on the frown on her face.

She looked up with a pained gaze. “I will find a
way to release you from this.” Grimacing, she grabbed the back of her neck.

Her regret, sorrow and pain resonated through the
invisible pathway to his soul. After Kendra he closed off any possibility of
another relationship. Now he had one he had not asked for. The repercussions of
their carnal act seeped into his mind. What would Bast do to him? Or to Siya?

Suddenly overwhelmed he had incriminated himself
further, heat burned in his chest.
Isis, he had bound himself to a demon.
He hated himself the minute the thought entered his mind. Siya was so much
more. Even knowing her heritage, he wanted her. Craved her deep in his soul.

He may not have known Khalfani, but Bomani knew
upon his blood his predecessor would not have marked her, even out of infatuation
or some misguided love.

Khalfani had sworn his life blood to protect her,
committing not only himself, but all that followed him. Siya may not realize
the significance of the tattoo, but Khalfani marked her as a warrior, a
brother-in-arms. Something to protect and defend at all cost.

He grasped her hand and pulled her to him. She dug
her heels in the sand, but he cinched ahold of her waist. “Let us not make any
rash decisions.”

“We already have,” she said and looked down at the
mark. The skin had darkened even further.

He cupped her neck, covering her exiler mark. Cold
as ice, it had to be killing her. “Let us see where this goes, okay?”

“We both know how this will end.” She leaned her
forehead to his chest and pressed his hand harder against her neck. Her warm
breath skimmed down his chest and abdomen.

He absorbed her pain, as much as he could
tolerate. He had none of the answers, only more questions. What did Bast mean,
Siya
was a gift to the Underworld
? He feared the answer, so kept his mouth shut.
He was barely processing the fact his soul was bound to her, knowing would only
complicate his life more.

“We need to go back.” Siya slipped out of his
grasp.

“No, I do not think that wise.” Bomani intercepted
her mid-stride.

“We need to collect the book. I do not know how my
father came across it.”

Bomani narrowed his gaze on her. “Book?”

“One of three ancient texts, written at the
beginning of time. Spells of our creation. Based on what we saw we need to get
it back now.”

“Black with gold hieroglyphics?”

“Yes, you know of these texts?”

“There are more of these books?” Bomani asked,
suddenly sickened.

“Our creators had the foresight to see the spells
were too powerful to be kept together. They divided them into three books and
hid them.”

He sat down in the sand. His life rewound to the
dungeon in Aaru.
Kendra reciting the spell from a black book with a metal
buckle. Nebt thrusting the dagger into Kendra’s back and running off with the text.
Colored by his own hatred, Bomani did nothing to stop Nebt. Menthu obtained the
book because Bomani failed to protect the one thing he loved most. His home,
the Underworld.

“If Apep gets ahold of these books, will he be
able to break free?” Bomani squeezed his throbbing head.

“He does not need all of the books to escape. He
just needs the right one.” Siya knelt in front of him. “This book might have
the right spell to nullify what happened
here
,” she said.

Nullify, a fancy word for forget. One of many mistakes
he would like to erase. “All the more important to go back,” he said with
renewed emptiness in his chest.

Siya forced her gaze to the window of her quarters
while Bomani dressed in a new set of clothes. He had not said much since
leaving the beach. She commended him for wanting to protect her, but the stark
reality was no one could. He, on the other hand, was savable.

“Let us go.” Siya slapped his short sword in his
hand without looking him in the eyes. “We will be lucky if the book is still
there.” She turned and pulled on a new coat.

“And the siravants?”

His sudden break in silence drew her gaze up. His
eyes were black again and a chill set against her skin. His wound had healed incredibly
fast. The blade was meant for her. Had it not been for Bomani, it would have
been.

“A serious threat. Do not let them bite you,” she
said, remembering the pure malice reflected in the beast’s black eyes. She had
not seen them in their true form since the war, feeding off the dead on the
battlefield and infecting those with weaker constitutions.

Her time with humans
had
weakened her,
giving her father the perfect target. Her father exploited the one thing he
knew would push her over the edge. Her mind strayed to the Fay and Earl, the
younglings and Bomani. She had far more to lose if her father ever found out.

If she could just turn back time and erase the
damage she had done. If she had only known for all of their sakes. She only
wanted to silence the pain, and being with them provided relief from her
worries and burdens. As for Bomani, she zeroed in on the one thing that would
quiet the demon inside. Sex with Bomani still haunted her and probably would
forever. Powerful and possessive. She should have known by the incredible essence,
he was not just a warrior.

If she kept him at a distance, maybe the bond
could be minimized. She prayed for it. “Ready?” A good fight would expend the
pent up energy stirring in her belly.

“Yes, goddess.”

His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine. Gods,
part of her was not sorry it happened and wanted more. She diverted her gaze
and forced the warmth from her soul. The scarab on her neck burned hotter. He
could never be hers. “The book is in the room by the stairs,” she said. “Take
us there.”

He grasped her hand. His energy pulled on her soul
until it floated lighter than the air around them. Her vision blackened with
only smells, energies and sounds to orient herself. Like being submersed in the
island’s water, she buoyed in Bomani’s embrace.

Flying. Floating. Free.

Such a different sensation from the way she
traveled. For the first time, she was completely under the control of someone
else, down to the very molecules of her body. Despite her uneasiness, she gave
in to him.

The energy shifted, becoming heavier. The scent of
death filled her nose first, then the blackness lifted, her body becoming
heavier until the weight consolidated in her feet and legs. Bomani’s hand
rested against her abdomen, steadying her from behind. Her eyes adjusted to the
light of the room.

The ingredients were toppled and strewn across the
floor. The table lay empty. Cursing under her breath, Siya stooped and scanned
underneath. They were too late.

“Where are the bodies?” Bomani asked, staring out
the door.

She moved to his side. The once knotted chains
hung loose. She freed her broad sword and walked into the room. The blood
remained undisturbed in the large collection basin. As for the bodies, nothing
was left. She would have expected pieces of bone or flesh if the siravants
dined on the corpses. “They took the bodies?”

“Possessed them.” He moved to the far corner. “The
pile of clothes are gone.”

She turned on her heels and headed for the room
next to the stairs. The room still contained the maggot riddled bodies. These
humans served a different purpose or were too decomposed for a siravant to
possess.

“Siya,” Bomani called out from the main room.

She returned and followed his gaze. Hieroglyphics
surrounded the platform from which the bodies hung. She had been too overcome
before to notice.

“Spells from the book?” Bomani asked.

“The book’s pages were blank, unless someone broke
the protection spell.” She shook her head. “Menthu is no priest.”

Bomani looked to the floor and remained silent. He
did not even glance her way. “Menthu has the book because I gave it to him.”

Siya stopped breathing, long enough to make her
head swim. “What?” Her mind flew with the possibilities. She could not believe
it. “No.”

His sad golden eyes met hers. “I did nothing to
stop her from taking it.”

“Her who? You said yourself, Kepi was dead.”

“I did not listen. I let her use me to…” He shook
his head and looked away.

“Bomani,” she said and laid her hand on his chest.
A sharp twinge echoed in her soul. Pain not her own. Gods, this was no place to
talk, but she feared he would close up again. “Who are you talking about?”

“Have you ever been so sure of something, only to
find out you were wrong?”

“I have,” she said, thinking back to her
relationship with Khalfani. She had thought they could overcome all the barriers—love
would win out.

Love only served to get Khalfani killed.

Bomani laughed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Now, I have gone and done the same damn thing.”

Siya shook her head. His jumbled words confused
her. She grabbed his jaw and forced him to look at her. “What are you talking
about?”

“I marked you without your permission.”

“What does that have to do with the book?”

“Nebt betrayed the Underworld and I helped her.
She took the book.”

“Nebt is working with Menthu?” Siya knew of the
goddess. Asar’s Second in Command of the Underworld with the power to read souls
with the touch of her hand.

Powerful. Capable. Feared.

Kepi was nothing more than a master of deceit and
manipulation. Nebt was on a whole other level. Was Nebt the reason for the
dread chasing Siya over the last several months? “How did you help her,
Bomani?”

His chest rose and fell heavily. “I did not stop
her.”

Siya analyzed him. He spoke the truth, but his
explanation lacked the details to match the agony deep in those golden eyes.
“Is that why you are in the human realm?”

“Nebt is part of the reason.” He shook his head.
“I did not see it coming. The clues were there, I just did not see it.”

“I imagine Nebt is pretty skilled at hiding her
true feelings when all others are like open books to her.” Until recently Siya
was a master at hiding her own emotions. Although, she would love to be able to
read Bomani’s soul and know what he meant by,
I have gone and done the same
damn thing
. He said he had not asked her permission. Had it happened
before? To someone he knew?

In reality she was afraid to hear his answer.
Unless it was related to war, it was of no use to her. Simply a distraction.
Some things were best left unspoken.

“I need to get back to base.” With this new threat
of Nebt, she feared they would have to move and very soon too. She looked at
the chains hanging from the ceiling. How far did Menthu’s surveillance of her
extend? Did he know of the base? How many siravants did he have under his
control?

Their problems were mounting. She could not do
this alone. The younglings would be picked off easily or possessed. What
happened if an infected youngling matured?

“Let’s get out of here.” She grabbed his hand,
intent on pulling him out of this place. He did not budge.

“I will meet you there.”

She released his hand and stepped back. “Yes, of
course.” Part of her needed the distance from him. Her head was a jumbled mess.
Things could not have gotten more complicated.

“Be careful,” she said, taking another step back.
“Do not try to find—”

Without giving her a second glance, Bomani
vanished into a cold mist.

“Nebt,” Siya finished on a sigh.

“Not yet.”