Darkness Unbound (25 page)

****

Astrid stumbled off the treadmill on jelly legs after ten miles mostly uphill at a body bruising pace. The run hadn’t resolved her self-directed disgust. Why hadn’t she detected Kane had been hurt? She wanted to crawl into a dark hole and bang her head until her brain would stop replaying every glorious second of touching Kane.

With her hands on him, everything clicked into the
just-right
category—a hundred times better than Zannis, even though the sex with Zannis had been amazing. With Kane she’d memorized his nuances long ago. She loved his protective, stubborn nature. Now she needed to know every contour of his toned body. But this new distance he’d placed between them was killing her. Would Kane ever be able to get over the idea of Zannis and now her pregnancy? He had to. They were on a collision course with catastrophe, if he didn’t.

She sat on a wooden slat bench and wiped away sweat with a towel. A pair of black leather-encased thighs the size of tree trunks appeared in her sightline. She removed the towel from her face, and double blinked upwards at the unfamiliar male. Long blond hair and swirling silver eyes met her gaze. He glowed.

Shit, not again.
She forced out through gritted teeth, “Are you another god?”

The being laughed, lyrical and low. He nodded.

“Am I some sort of lightning rod for god visits? I haven’t been at this very long. So, if I’m supposed to do some sort of special bow or prayer or greeting thing, you’d better tell me. No one gave me the one-oh-one on god greeting protocol.”

He smiled. “Bowing generally works.”

“Right.” She didn’t make any move to obeisance. “What if I don’t?”
Come on, kill me!
Hope flared in her brain.

He shook his head. “Amun-Ra placed a no-kill mandate on you. That is a first for him. You made quite an impression on him. I have never seen him this interested or protective of another beyond passing pleasure, and nothing about this is sexual for him.”

She forgot these guys could read thoughts
. Good. I’m not getting it on with a guy that has glowing blue hair
.

The god laughed.

She said, “I definitely didn’t make a good impression on him. I puked on him the first time we met.”

The deity settled his large frame next to her on the bench. “I believe you removed the dagger from his forearm.”

“Not a big deal. It looked like it must’ve hurt. He didn’t act as if its removal was a life-altering event.”

“I can see why he likes you. That action was significant. He had been under its effect for thousands of years. Only one with pure intentions, and…of god descent could remove it.”

“Thousands? The poor guy. I’m glad I could help. Who are you? What do you want with me?”
Honestly, I can’t handle any more drama.

“Most in your time call me Seth, but in ancient times it was pronounced Su-tah. Pronunciation matters not to me.”

“Seth? The god who…are you my father?”

“Yes.”

Her heart sped. “Well…I guess it’s nice to meet you.” She managed a weak smile. Her eyes drifted over his long wavy blond hair, down his black button-down shirt that veed open wide enough to show off several golden chains. “No offence, but you remind me of a vampire heavy metal rocker.”

Seth grinned. “That works.” He smoothed a hand over his leather-encased thighs. “I like this particular human fashion.”

“It’s a bit eighties, but it works. What are you god of? What are you in charge of?”

“War, chaos, storms.”

“That sounds…dark.”

He glanced around the room. “I am not here long. I have come to help you learn your ability.”

Her face heated. “I’m improving at the doorway opening thing. I don’t get
seichim
.”

He pushed off the bench. “Stand.”

She shot upright. That one-word dictate echoed in her head. Disobeying wasn’t an option.

A massive sword appeared in Seth’s hand. He threw a smaller version at her, which she caught two handed. Its heft almost dragged her to the ground. He chuckled. “I will help you the first time.”

“With what?”

“Your portal ability extends to time as well. With
seichim
most magi can slow down the fight a bit. You can actually halt time, and then move between it.”

“I don’t get that.”

He charged swinging a sword, which was on a direct path for decapitation. She ducked and whirled, barely missing the blade. She parried his next blow with a bone-jarring clash.

“Feel for the energy within you. Activate it, but do not open a door,” Seth instructed.

Energy revved inside her chest. “Now what?”

“Slow everything around you. Just do it.” He charged at her and emitted an ear-numbing yell.

Everything around her slowed. Seth moved like a slow-play DVD with his blade on a trajectory to pierce her chest. Yeah, that would’ve killed her. Calmly she stepped out of the blade’s path. Wow. Then she took a deep breath and released. Everything resumed normal motion.

Seth stumbled past her, struggling to halt his momentum. He whirled. “Excellent.”

Astrid raised her sword, ready for another attack.

Seth cocked an eyebrow. “You have it. Practice on your own.”

Astrid sat on the bench. She traced the patterns on the borrowed sword’s golden blade. Then she held it out to him.

“Keep the weapon. ’Tis from Osiris’s Kingdom, which means it will serve its purpose for you as a magi. You need not forge another. Like Zannis’s blade, this will injure anyone not of pure god-blood descent who attempts to touch it.”

“Would you answer one question for me? I know it might be an imposition, but…”

Seth inclined his head. “One.”

“Why couldn’t I die as a human?”

“You are not human born.”

“What does that mean? I’m an alien?”

He smiled. The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Neither of your parents was human.”

“Janet Scarre wasn’t my mother?”

He screwed up his face. “I would never…not with that human. I am sorry that she was your designated human mother. She was a poor example of the human race.”

The weight of years of running from the inevitability of becoming a drug addict or failure lifted. “Then…” She chewed at her inside cheek. “Who was my mother?”

Seth sighed and perched at the opposite end of the wooden bench, resting his sword against the free weight rack. He pinched his nose. “Your mother is Taurt. The goddess.” He rocked back and stared at the ceiling. “Taurt and I were together just once.” His gaze darted to Astrid. “I do not regret you. You make me proud. Taurt was the stronger of the two of us to stand up to Nephthys—my wife. Nephthys did not handle your conception well. My union to Nephthys during its best moments has been contentious, and after many millennia we never saw each other. When Taurt stood up to her, it was a glorious moment. Taurt exists to protect women with child, and newborns. She would not allow Nephthys to destroy you as was her plan, but was powerless to prevent Nephthys from cursing you to the Human Realm and into human form.”

“Both my parents are Egyptian gods…and I was cursed by your goddess wife? What does that mean for me being here since I’m not exactly human?”

“I am not sure now that you are a magus. You have pure god blood in your veins, but must remain within the Human Realm. No human or human weapon can kill you. A god could perhaps kill you, but few would defy Amun-Ra.” He smiled wickedly. “Few seek conflict with me. There is but one way for you to die.”

“The way Amun-Ra prevented.”

Seth nodded.

“Do I have abilities other than those I know of?”

Seth slowly grinned. “You may be trapped human, Astrid, but all you need to do is reach within yourself to do just about anything you put your
mind
to.”

“Thank you.” She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

Color highlighted Seth’s cheeks. He shifted as if uncomfortable.

She scooted back to her side of the bench. “I know you didn’t need to help me or tell me all this. Why?”

He shrugged. “The god of war’s daughter cannot be anything less than kickass. I can see why Amun-Ra liked you.”

Astrid’s face heated. “This is just…no one will believe this. Maybe I can work on this new skill and prove to the guys that I can defend myself now. Then they won’t be hung up on me being the pregnant chick.”

“Your birth history must remain unknown to the magi. No magus need be concerned for your safety, but watch your weakness.” He paused and pointed at her when she smiled. “Do not let your ego get the better of you.”

“Will you come back? Can you visit again? Perhaps, just…visit.” Somehow, regardless of the fact he was a god, she needed to know her father.

He nodded. “I would like that.” And disappeared.

Chapter Eighteen

Astrid chose the seat at the formal dining table next to Julie.
Don’t look at him,
she ordered herself
.
War ensued in her brain between her will and desire. Kane had claimed a chair across from her a few people down. She sensed his gaze. The past forty-eight hours since she bumped into him had been torture. Even now, she shifted to alleviate the sudden uncomfortable heat causing sweat to break out between her shoulders. Involuntarily, her eyes darted his way. He met her glance before shifting focus to the pasta piled on his plate. The tension in his jaw suggested he was wound tight. She couldn’t get any read on him mentally.

She shared a conspiratorial smile with Julie. “How’d those shoes work?”

Julie closed her eyes. “Mmmm. Amazing. But
he
hasn’t seen them yet.” Her eyes darted to Eric seated next to her, who balanced their six month-old in the crook of his left arm.

Eric scowled. “Haven’t shown me what?”

“Astrid took me shopping this afternoon. Brief trip. No danger. We went to New York for about two hours. I found these fabulous heels.” Julie rubbed his forearm. Her tone dropped to a husky whisper. “I know how much you like heels.”

Eric leaned in to kiss her. He pulled back and asked Ashor, “How long is this dinner going to take?”

Ashor’s gaze narrowed.

Kira replied, “Until after dessert. Rick has been slaving all day. We’re
all
going to enjoy it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Eric shoveled a forkful of fettuccini into his mouth.

“You went shopping? Where?” Christian asked.

“I needed clothing,” Astrid explained. “Julie helped me practice opening a doorway. I proved I can go somewhere the other person wants.” She discovered she could travel to a place the other person envisioned.

“Please tell me you didn’t purchase any new uni-bras,” Christian replied with a disdainful sigh.

“As much as I appreciate the items you selected, I needed training clothes. I prefer not to flash my boobs at Javen all the time.”

Do what?
Kane’s growl entered her mind.

You mind that he looked?
Astrid met his hot gaze across the table.

Kane glowered at Javen.

Astrid bit back a smile, pleased that Kane accepted their mental pathway. And that he cared.

Javen toasted his red wine glass toward Kane and winked.

“Boob flashing can be a useful distraction during fights, or so I’ve heard,” Christian said.

Astrid bit back a
fuck you
.

Christian threw back his head and laughed.

Julie smiled at Shay. “We went to the city. You’ve got to come next time.”

“You didn’t end up in hell again?” Shay asked.

Julie shook her head. “I think she’s got it figured out. Maybe we can catch a show in the city next time.”

“Tomorrow?” Shay’s eyes danced with excitement. “I’m desperate for a change of scenery.”

“We’ll see,” said Astrid as she heaped tomato and mozzarella salad onto her plate.

“You will be safe,” Dakar growled.

Javen added, “If Astrid’s going with them, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” He met Ashor’s gaze. “She’s ready for the Trial.”

“What?” Nate sputtered. “She’s been at this like what? A month?”

“She could send your ass into your next incarnation. You’re still not ready,” Javen said. “Ashor, she can do it. I can’t teach her any more. She’s…uh…she’s got it.” His gaze met Astrid’s.

Don’t you dare mention Seth’s visit to anyone. He wouldn’t like that,
she thought hard to Javen. She hadn’t told Javen everything, but he had wrangled from her how she’d learned to stop time.

Javen nodded.

“Tomorrow morning,” Ashor declared. “If you’re not ready, Astrid, then let’s not. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’ll be fine,” Astrid said before taking a bite of tomato salad. She closed her eyes, in love with the tangy balsamic dressing. “Wonderful dressing.”

Kira beamed and winked toward Rick, the housekeeper, cook, butler, and general everything caretaker who flitted around in the shadows.

“What’s this Trial thing?” Kane asked, concern lacing his tone.

Ashor finished chewing and wiped his mouth. “It’s a rite of passage. The final step to prove you could face a daemon solo.”

“What exactly does she have to do?” Kane’s jaw clinched tight.

“Kick my ass,” Ashor replied.

“Sounds like fun,” Astrid murmured.

****

“We’re doing this thing outside?” Astrid stomped behind Javen. She shouldn’t have worn the new tactical boots she’d purchased in New York yesterday. The way her big toe rubbed guaranteed a mega blister.

“Ashor likes big spaces for this,” Javen replied. He led to the open pasture beyond the manicured back yard.

“It’s hot enough out here to fry an egg.” She wiped sweat off her forehead and bit her tongue against another complaint. Damn, she was bitchy. She hadn’t slept. Overnight fantasies of Kane had tortured her mind whenever she dropped into light sleep. So, she’d avoided sleep by watching reality TV reruns all night. Exhausted, she’d choked down decaf coffee and toast a half hour ago, which incited a heave-feast.

Javen halted next to the congregation of the other magi. He whispered, “You sure you’re up to this. You look…”

“What? I look what?” She was pissy enough to punch him just for the pointing out she looked like crap.