More. Everything in me screamed for more.
When I pulled away, his dark hair fell into his eyes in a sexy disarray. Danger and barely restrained power emanated off his powerful body. Gold rolled over his irises. It terrified and excited me. I’d seen Grim’s death mask, I’d seen him transform into a beast, and I watched him rip the soul out of someone with a violence I’d never known existed.
I wasn’t sure if there was monster in this man, or a little man in the monster.
Either way, my demons wanted to dance with him.
“It appears as though I will be the one collecting any winnings here,” Grim said. There was an edge, or maybe a promise, in his words.
I did my best to rein my raging need back in. “Oh,thatwasn’t what I was talking about.”
He raised an eyebrow in question.
Then with a coy smile, I brushed my thumb over his full lower lip and said, “You’re it.” Then lifting my legs, I planted my feet on his chest underwater and launched myself away from him.
24
Vivien splashed away from me while laughing maniacally. Did she seriously just engage me in a game of tag?
I wondered what she would say if I told her I had played water games with Marco Polo himself? She would probably throw her head back and laugh, not caring how loud or who heard it.
Suddenly my only mission became to see if I could make her laugh with abandon. Sliding into a breaststroke, I sought to close the distance between us. While she could swim, she was not particularly elegant or fast, splashing heavily in her attempts to flee me. Even fully clothed, I’d easily overtake her.
Vivien glanced over her shoulder and caught sight of me. Her splashing doubled. My heart pounded with excitement, and it took a second to realize I was grinning from ear to ear. She squealed as I gained on her.
Diving under the water, I decided I would go for a sneak attack and avoid her splashing at the same time.
My fingers nearly brushed her bare back when something made impact with the water with a thunderous blast. I was about to start for the surface again when I saw a large, dark figure smash into Vivien’s form.
I shot forward, buoyed by my power, and grabbed the assailant. We tumbled underwater, away from Vivien. I was unable to see if she’d gotten out of the pool as I grappled with a muscular individual who not only matched me in strength but in speed.
When I realized the identity of my opponent, I disengaged and was up and out of the pool in little time. I found a dripping Vivien, pale as a ghost now, her eyes were wide, pupils dilated with fear. Water also sluiced off my fully clothed form as the other man stepped out of the pool. I kept myself in between them, my stance rigid and ready in case he went for her again.
Similar in height, the other man was slimmer than me, but packed in muscle. His features were lighter than mine, and his left eye, marred with a ghoulish slash of scar tissue, glowed blue. “Anu,” he said. “We must kill the sekhor.”
“Anu?” I heard Vivien repeat to herself quietly.
“I need her, brother,” I said, slightly bowing my head. If it came to blows, I would fight to keep him off her, but I prayed it wouldn’t.
“Anubis, we have no time for this,” he said, stalking forward.
My fingers elongated into demonic talons and my fangs lengthened. My skin turned black as silt as I stepped forward. I released my power as I broke out into my god-likeness that was over seven feet tall. Fabric audible ripped around my muscles form as I now resembled a hellish black dog beast on two legs. In my periphery, Vivien shivered. Some had described my power as standing next to oblivion. It was disorienting and chilled most to the marrow of their bones.
My voice was gravelly, monstrous. “I do not wish to fight you, brother. You are as powerful as I, and a collision between us would undoubtedly result in collateral damage.”
Straightening from his aggressive stance, my brother’s mouth parted but he had no response. I knew I’d bewildered him, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Anu, have you lost your mind?” he asked. “She is a sekhor. She cannot be permitted to live. If you won’t end her, I will.”
“I know what I’m saying does not make sense, but you must trust me, brother.”
Fallon’s gaze turned to Vivien, casting her in the glow of his blue light. I could tell he was debating whether or not to attack.
“So you don’t trust me?” Indignation filled me. My power whipped out around me like a hundred asps, snapping at the air with fury. My muscles swelled, ripping through my shirt and pants. “Then you will have to go through me to get to her.” My face cracked and changed into the full black muzzle of a monstrous jackal. I growled, showing off my teeth, eyes glowing. My voice became even more grizzled. “Is this what you want?”
Fallon straightened, and gritted his teeth. He pointed at Vivien. “You know what the others would do if they knew she was alive. They would not be so trusting.”
I roared. “I am handling the situation.”
