Surrender (9 page)

Kira quickly stilled his hands. “Just sore, and if you keep doing that, we’re going to have another problem to take care of.” She dropped her hand to his knee and tiptoed her fingers over to his cock.

Jarek closed his eyes briefly and allowed himself to enjoy the delicious taunts of her fingertips. Then reality called him back. His eyes popped open, and he removed Kira’s hand. The disappointed look on her face made him grin.

“We have a situation.”

Kira sat up straight. “A situation?”

“A minor problem.”

“What type of minor problem? And don’t try to lie to me.”

Jarek frowned at the command. “I would never think of lying to you. It’s Set.”

She flopped back down against the sheets. “Why does that not surprise me? Where is he?”

“Outside Timara.”

In a flash, Kira leaped out of the bed, clothed herself, and yanked open the chamber door. Jarek caught up with her before she could put one foot into the hallway. He tugged her back inside the bedroom and slammed the door.

“Will you wait a second before you go running off to confront him?”

“He is here to confront me.”

“Actually, he is here to meet with you. At least, that’s what the note says.” That, and one more detail he wouldn’t mention at the moment.

Kira’s mouth fell open. “He must be crazy. Does he actually think I would go anywhere near him now? The next time I see him, I’ll run a blade through his heart.”

Jarek cleared his throat and earned a suspicious glance from Kira.

“What is it? There’s more you aren’t telling me.”

He steered her toward the bed and patted the mattress. “Sit down.”

“Don’t treat me like a child, Jarek. What are you trying to hide from me?”

Jarek gave in, but he held fast to Kira, knowing her first instinct would be to take flight once he relayed the information. “Set doesn’t just want a battle, Kira. He wants, in no particular order, to rule Timara, me dead, and you as his servant.” He winced inwardly. Servant wasn’t exactly the word Set had used, but Jarek wasn’t ready to cross that bridge yet.

“Has he gone completely insane?” Kira threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t even believe this is the same man who raised me. How could he be?” She stopped talking and clamped her hands on her hips. “Wait a second. If Set has demands, then he believes himself to be in control. So what is it? Does the note tell you what it is?”

Jarek didn’t even try to sugarcoat his words. “Remember those gods you almost destroyed? Well, they were all too eager to help Set when he came up with his plan to steal your mother’s soul.”

Kira jumped off the bed again. “My mother? How? That’s impossible! Ma’at said she was with her, that she was safely inside the gates of the Afterworld.”

“Set devours souls, Kira. I told you that. He has powers I’m sure we’re not even fully aware of. I only know what is written in the note.”

Emotions skated across Kira’s face—anger, fear, despair—and each one solidified Jarek’s decision to eliminate Set by any means necessary. The god had done enough to Kira, had taken everything away from her. Now it was time Set paid for his crimes.

“So if Set doesn’t get what he wants, what happens?” She spoke as though her own heart had been ripped to shreds and now lay bleeding on the ground at her feet.

Jarek walked toward her, though her stance told him she would not be comforted. “Your mother’s soul is to be destroyed at dusk tomorrow.”

Chapter Eight

As her panic gave way to fury, Kira resisted the urge to storm the palace gates and rip out Set’s throat. Jarek managed to convince her that Set waited for her to do just that. If she fell into his trap, Set won. They needed to plan, to prepare, but she hated waiting.

Jarek bumped her shoulder with his to alert her to his presence. “Can you contact Ma’at?”

Kira gnawed on her lower lip. “I don’t know. She always responded to my mother’s prayers, but I’ve never called out to her before.” She stared into the growing darkness. “Why hasn’t she called out to me?”

Jarek dropped his hand and caught hold of her pinkie finger. “She may not yet be aware that your mother’s soul did not arrive with her body.”

“How could she not? Her duty is to weigh the souls of the gods, to determine if they…” She broke off, drawing in a deep breath. “Our souls are in our hearts. That is what is weighed at the time of judgment. For my mother’s body to pass through to Ma’at, the soul must be intact. Ma’at should have known…unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Could it be a ruse?”

“The only way we’ll get an answer to that question is if you can contact Ma’at. She and your mother were close, yes?”

“Very.”

“Then she will recognize the sound of your voice. She will want to help, Kira. Give it a try.”

Kira closed her eyes, squeezed them tight, and called out to Ma’at from deep within her heart. For several long minutes, she did nothing but reach out to the Goddess of Truth. Silence was the only answer.

Her hands clenching into fists, Kira opened her eyes and fixed her glistening eyes on Jarek’s face. “I don’t understand this.”

Jarek gripped her shoulders and turned her around in his arms. “There is a reason why she isn’t responding, and I’m guessing that reason has everything to do with Set.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “But it doesn’t matter. We’re going to figure this out. This is one battle he will not win, Kira. I promise you.”

She ducked her head to hide the sheen of tears. “How can you make that promise? If Set really does have my mother’s heart, he can control her afterlife. Once her heart is destroyed, there is nothing for Ma’at to weigh, no way for her to pronounce judgment. My mother will be forever trapped between this life and the afterlife.”

“Set hasn’t won yet, even if he does possess your mother’s heart. Devlin will let us know something soon.”

“What does Devlin have to do with it?”

Jarek smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears. “While you were calling for Ma’at, I sent Devlin on a mission. He can come and go as he pleases without being traced or followed. By now, he should be just inside the gates of your Afterworld.”

Kira clutched his forearms. “How did he get past the guards?”

His smile softened. “I can see you weren’t listening to me.” He touched a finger to the tip of her nose. “Devlin has the powers of invisibility. He goes where he wants to go.”

Kira’s shoulders slumped. “That’s why you said I couldn’t kill him.”

“Partly.”

She peeked up at him from beneath her lashes. “What’s the other part?”

“I wouldn’t have let you kill him.”

“Just like you’re not going to let Set condemn my mother’s soul?”

“Now you’re catching on. I like that in a woman.”

She rested her forehead against the wall of his chest. “I feel like I should be doing something.”

“You are. Set is going crazy out there wondering what we’re doing in here. No doubt he’s prepared to track us should we leave here. Apparently, he’s the one who taught you how to assess your enemies.”

Kira frowned. “What does that mean?”

“Neither one of you did a very good job of it.”

She squirmed out of his arms. “Doesn’t your arm ever hurt from patting your own back?”

He grinned unabashedly. “Nope.” Then he held out one hand, and Kira didn’t think twice about taking it. As much as she loathed admitting it, even to herself, she needed Jarek. He calmed her, gave her strength, and restored her faith in the gods. No one had ever done that for her.

“When this is over, remind me to show you what I think about your comments.” She tried to follow Jarek’s lead and keep the tone light, but in her heart, she screamed. She cried while her soul fought the overwhelming grief that clawed at her arteries.

The mere thought of her mother’s destiny in Set’s hands made her cringe inside. She’d seen the god’s true colors, and now she had no doubt he would do whatever it took to achieve his goals. He wanted Timara, and if it meant destroying Nephrytys’ soul, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it.

The chamber lit up with a shower of sparks, and the bony god Kira recognized as Devlin landed in the center of the room with a sweep of his royal blue cloak.

“Still like to make an entrance, I see,” Jarek grumbled. “Tell us what you know.”

Devlin tugged his tunic into place and dragged one hand through his scraggly hair. Kira’s frustration climbed. “It wasn’t easy getting inside those gates, you know. I’m sure I tore my tunic and—”

Kira’s control snapped, and she took a threatening step forward. “Just tell us what you know before I choke it out of you.” The thought held promise anyway. She hated this feeling of helplessness choking her.

Devlin stepped back behind Jarek’s wide shoulders. “You can’t kill me,” he reminded her.

“I didn’t say I’d kill you, but even immortal gods can feel pain.”

Jarek raised a hand to silence them both. “Devlin, just tell us what happened. Kira is concerned about her mother.”

The god sniffed. “As well she should be. The lovely goddess did arrive in the afterlife without benefit of her own soul.” He winced and wrapped his thin arms around himself. “Seems she did have use of another heart, though, unfortunately for the donor.”

“By the gods! He replaced my mother’s heart. That’s how he managed to fool Ma’at. She would have no reason to suspect the heart in my mother’s body wasn’t her own.”

His sparse hair standing on end from the ravage of his fingers, Devlin poked his head around from behind Jarek’s left shoulder. “Exactly. By the time I arrived, the goddess Ma’at had already ascertained the deception, and I don’t think I need to tell you she is beside herself with fury. There is talk of an uprising against Set.”

Kira closed her eyes. It hurt too much to think, to feel. She wanted, no, needed, to shut out the pain somehow. But it kept coming in waves. “It will be too late by then.”

Jarek took hold of her hand, linking his fingers with hers. “Did Ma’at tell you how to get the heart back?”

Devlin tipped his face upwards and studied the ceiling. “Not exactly.”

Her eyes popped open, and Kira glared at the scrawny god. “So what exactly did she say, or did you miss something?” A part of her wanted to apologize. Taking her anger out on the god would serve no purpose. But another part of her needed to strike out, to inflict pain upon something, someone.

The god wore an expression of extreme affront. “I don’t miss information. Jarek will tell you that. I was merely trying to formulate my words to cause the least amount of distress. Now that I see that won’t be appreciated—”

“Devlin.” The quiet reprimand in Jarek’s voice made Devlin sniff and look away. “I don’t need to tell you what Kira is going through right now.”

Even with a slight frown on his face, Devlin managed to look appropriately chastised. “Unfortunately, even if you were to return the heart to Ma’at now, it is too late.”

Her heartbeat slowed, and Kira felt the blood draining from her face. “What do you mean too late? It can’t be. We can return my mother’s heart to Ma’at.” The words tinged with hysteria, Kira looked at Jarek’s face, reading the pain on his own. “Jarek?” Trembling, she tried to quell the threatening nausea. Could Devlin’s words really be true? Was her mother really lost, trapped between two worlds?

“Devlin speaks the truth, Kira. He would have no reason to lie to you, and I gather Ma’at would have no reason to deceive you.”

“Then there must be some mistake. Maybe it wasn’t Ma’at you talked to,” Kira challenged Devlin, denying the inevitable truth. “That’s it. You made a mistake. I’ll just go to Ma’at myself. I’ve found her before.”

She tried to shut out the voice telling her Devlin hadn’t made a mistake. Deep down inside, she’d already known her mother was lost to her. She felt the separation, the loss. Inside there was an emptiness where her mother’s love use to be.

Devlin shook his head almost violently. “That’s not possible. Ma’at has sealed the gates to the afterlife as this is a battle to be fought amongst the living. Her words, not mine.”

“But, she was my mother’s friend.” Kira stared straight ahead, not really seeing anything but the empty space. The trembling intensified, and she thought about pulling away from Jarek and racing toward the bed. If she could just get warm… “She would want to help her.”

Jarek’s fingers tightened around hers. “No god has limitless power, Kira. Sometimes it’s impossible to right the wrongs of evil.” He jerked his head toward the door, and Devlin took that as his cue to leave.

Once they were alone, Jarek pulled Kira into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. “I’m sorry, my love.”

She pushed away, swiped at the tears on her cheeks, and ran her fingers through her hair. “No. I can’t break down. This isn’t over. Set has to pay for what he has done. If my mother can’t rest in peace, neither will he.”

Jarek didn’t try to embrace her again. “Do you have a plan?”

“No, but I do know that Set still thinks he has the upper hand.”

“That’s a start, and I think I might have an idea.” He took her hand again. “Let’s see what we can do about contacting Isis.”

Kira froze, the blood turning cold in her veins. “Isis is the most powerful goddess in all of Egypt, Jarek.” He couldn’t actually be serious, but one look at his face told her he was beyond serious.

“I know.” He smiled. “And, unless I wasn’t paying attention when studying your gods, she is capable of taking and giving life.”

He’d just erased what bit of doubt had been lingering in her mind. Kira angled her body so she could face Jarek fully. “You want me to summon Isis?”

He waved a hand to dismiss the idea. “Of course not. I’ll do it.”

Could her heart beat any faster? No god summoned Isis. She came and went as she pleased. She didn’t answer to anyone’s beck and call, and yet, Jarek didn’t even hesitate to make the suggestion. Apparently, he didn’t know as much as he thought he did about their gods.

“And what makes you so sure she’d be willing to help us?” Kira studied him, trying to decide if this was just a futile effort on his part to offer some reassurance to her.

“Didn’t Set kill her husband a long time ago? I doubt a woman, be she mortal or goddess, gets over that kind of grief, even if she did bring her husband back to life.”

Kira covered her mouth with one hand. “We’ve already had this conversation. Everyone believed it to be a myth.”

“Really? Everyone?”

She looked away. “Okay, so not everyone believed it. I didn’t want to believe that Set was capable of killing his own brother-in-law.” And now that she was actually thinking clearly, she was starting to believe Jarek’s crazy idea might work, especially if Isis still carried a grudge against Set.

Jarek kissed the top of her head. “And I believe Egypt’s most powerful goddess will be all too eager to help us when she realizes that Set’s destructive ways have continued.”

Resting her head on Jarek’s chest, Kira breathed in his scent and allowed herself, even for a brief moment, to rest in his strength. She’d never been a weak goddess, but this fight wasn’t about weakness versus strength. And she couldn’t deny her need for Jarek, not when he’d opened her eyes to the truth and given her so much more.

“How has this snake managed to continue breathing?” Isis’s spout of anger had been going on for over five minutes, from the moment she’d learned of Set’s newest form of torture. “I should have eliminated him just as I did Ra. We don’t need him in the hierarchy. All he brings is death and destruction.”

“Which is why I asked you to join us,” Jarek interrupted smoothly, one arm around Kira’s waist. She’d grown paler since the goddess’s arrival, and he was concerned the loss of her mother’s soul would be too much for her. It would be too much for an ordinary woman, to be sure, and though Kira was a strong goddess, not many managed to survive that kind of pain.

Isis blinked eyes the color of a fall sunset, studying Jarek with a long look before responding. “Your heart beats for Kira.”

“It does.”

“You wish you could kill Set for her.” As Isis issued the statement, she began to pace, or glide rather, for the goddess didn’t actually walk.

“I do.” Jarek wouldn’t deny his own desires.

“But if Kira is to find her own peace, she must take back what Set has taken from her. Because he was my brother, I did not kill him. Foolishly, I thought he could be redeemed. My error has cost many lives, and Nephrytys has paid an even bigger price.”

Isis came to stand before Kira, taking hold of her shoulders. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Kira?”

Jarek’s arm fell away from Kira’s waist. “No. You can’t ask her to kill the man she has known as her father for so many years.”

Kira held up one hand. “It’s okay, Jarek. He deserves to die.”

That he knew, but Jarek couldn’t help but wonder if Kira could actually end Set’s life. Could she look into the eyes of the man who raised her and kill him? Wouldn’t the price of revenge be too much for even Kira to pay?

Isis nodded, her long, milk-white hair swaying with the movement. “Take this.” She removed an engraved athame from the pleats of her skirt and held it out on open palms. “It is all you will need.”

Jarek’s glance flicked from the dagger to Kira’s face before he shook his head and reached out for the weapon. “No. I’ll do it.”

Kira’s fingers curled around the braided handle. “No, you won’t.” Some of the spark had returned to her eyes. “Isis is right. This is something I have to do.”

“You’ll need to get close enough to draw blood first. Once the blood touches the blade, the poison will unite with it.”