Chapter 206: Chapter Twenty-Four

Timber

I made her laugh.

Bonus, she didn’t shy away from me.

Double bonus, she looked ready to lick me from head to toe.

And on top of that, she talked the entire way to Soul, about the trip to the past, about meeting Ra. I already respected her but hearing the story from her lips did something to me.

She’d risked her life for me.

When we were finally at Soul, I got out of the car and opened her side, helping her out and pressing a hand to the small of her back as we made our way to the entrance.

I knew something was off the minute my security did a double take.

It was late, around one a.m., so I knew the place would be crawling with demons feeding on humans. What I didn’t expect was to garner so much attention myself.

Tarek was behind the bar pouring drinks, and Kyra was like a statue next to me as all of the demons stopped feeding and dancing and turned their attention to me.

The music stopped.

It was like a bad movie.

I had no idea what to do.

I was still the Demon King. I had always lorded the underworld and kept that title even when I lost my soul.

But this was different.

This was fear. I could smell it, taste it like ash burning on my tongue.

They were petrified of me.

“So…” Kyra said with fake enthusiasm. “I think we should just act normal and go sit at the bar.”

“I am acting normal.”

“You’re glowing,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Shit.” The humans were hopefully too drugged to notice. I snapped my fingers at the vamps holding court at the door. Security would need to make sure all the humans’ memories were wiped so they didn’t report me to CNN. “All right, let’s go sit.”

Tarek slid two glasses of amber liquid toward us the minute we got to the bar. “So, that’s a neat trick, glowing like a Christmas tree. I think a demon shit himself and then puked for good measure.”

I sighed. “I didn’t realize.”

“Timber, you control shadows, darkness, death itself. You could take every remaining soul in this room with the snap of your fingers, send them to Heaven or Hell, you were given that job. Before, you were just creepy as hell and semi-powerful in your own right. Now, well, now you look like you could incinerate everyone with laser eyes.”

“Thanks, Tarek,” Kyra said through clenched teeth. “Super helpful!”

Tarek looked at her then back at me. “Well, things just took a turn for the worse. What the hell have you guys been doing? Painting each other’s nails?”

“Excuse me?” My voice boomed, a few demon shrieks followed. This would take getting used to.

“You…” Tarek pointed at me, “…are fully restored. She…” He pointed at Kyra. “…is still confused and the only way to un-confuse her is to…” He made an odd motion with his hands.

“Are you clapping?” I wondered out loud while Kyra gaped at him.

“Yes. No.” Tarek took a deep breath. “You…” More pointing, “…and you…” Repeated pointing. “Are two halves to a whole. You can’t be whole unless you’re…” He said it slowly, probably for my benefit. ~“Who-o-ole.”~

“You're talk in riddles.” I grabbed for the glass only to have him get there faster and replace it with something else. “Hey, I was going to drink that!”

“Nope, you both get this now. By the way, I’m not sorry.” He slid two new glasses in front of us. “Now, drink, and be… not too loud.”

“You’re being weird.” Kyra felt his forehead. “Are you sick? Drunk? Sad?”

He slapped her hand away. “No, I’m just frustrated. We risked everything for you two, and you’re at happy hour!”

“And that’s bad?” Kyra guessed.

Tarek looked ready to murder both of us. “I have customers, deal with this—now—or I’m tattling, and the last thing you need is Dad giving you the sex talk.”

Kyra looked absolutely horrified at the thought. Fantastic. Talk of me and her having sex made her look ready to run in front of oncoming traffic.

Cheers!

“The last thing this world needs is Cassius uttering the word sex, to you, in front of him,” He pointed to Timber. “It doesn’t get more awkward, Alex says he uses sock puppets.”

Kyra burst out laughing. “I doubt it.”

“Just the idea of it makes me want to break out in hives,” Tarek muttered. “Now, finish your drinks and go to the office.”

“The office?” I grinned. “Why would we go to the—”

Tarek shrugged while I stood and steadied myself by the bar.

“You okay?” Kyra asked, her eyes dilated, and then she reached out and grabbed my free hand. “Ohhh… You feel so good.”

“Your skin always feels like velvet to me.”

Her eyes grew hooded. “I can feel your heartbeat.”

“Office.” Tarek coughed. “Go. Now. I poured you strong drinks, enough to make you loosen up a bit, but the catch is this—your body sings to him and his to you, alcohol around you two? It’s like dousing a fire with kerosene, have fun kids! Off you go!”

“Great idea.” I was ready to haul her over my shoulder as we quickly abandoned Tarek and sprinted toward my office.

I barely got the door closed, the lock turned, when Kyra was on me, her fingers digging at my shirt, jerking it open as buttons went flying.

I groaned as I dipped my head and tasted her mouth, the whiskey on her tongue. Her soul shivered in her chest, mine copied.

This.

This was what we needed.

Each other, always each other.

I knew that. She knew that.

And suddenly there was no hesitation—maybe she just needed permission—I would love her forever.

Our tongues twisted together, our mouths sliding in a way that had me kissing down her neck and back up again as her nails dug into my skin. I threw my shirt to the floor and reached for hers.

We were a tangle of arms and legs, kisses, and heat.

I picked her up into my arms and set her on my desk. “You’re so beautiful.”

“So are you.” She wrapped her arms around my neck. I could taste her heartbeat through her kiss, could feel the way it beat for me, strained for me in a way that was otherworldly.

“Anubis…” She rasped my name. Mine!

The room shook, it transported me to a different time and place, to a hallway where I grabbed her dress and made her mine, feet from where my father slept.

“Yes.” With one hand, I jerked her jeans and underwear down tossing them to the floor as her head fell back, exposing her neck.

Visions flashed before my eyes.

Our hands joined as I deepened the kiss, spread her mouth wider with my tongue, drinking her while her soul chanted my name.

Thunder cracked in the distance as papers crashed to the floor followed by the phone.

I didn’t care.

I panted against her body, then spread her legs wide, my fingers digging into the sensitive skin of her thighs. I was delirious from her taste, from the way she clung to me like I was her everything.

“Kyra, I need you. I’ve always…” My voice deepened, took on a gravelly tone. “…needed you.”

“I’ve always been yours.” She bit down on my bottom lip and then bruised me with her kiss, her fingers dancing along my skin, driving me crazy. I couldn’t remember a time ever being so aroused.

“You are mine, Kyra, daughter of Apollo.”

“Yes.” She panted. “Yesss.”

I was out of control, almost feral as I gripped her hips and jerked her body closer. I was inside her in seconds.

One.

No longer a half.

A whole.

The sound of lightning cracking split through the room as I surged forward, unable to slow my thrusts or the screams of pleasure as darkness filled my line of vision.

Thousands of years.

I would wait more.

Yet for this, I would wait an eternity.

My soul wept, and then it was like being reborn—soul touching soul, hearts aligned, and bodies in perfect sync as I gripped her hips.

Kyra’s eyes opened, and what I saw there was perfection.

Golden. Perfection.

Because I was a part of her now, forever.

Her lips parted as she found her release, and I followed, not realizing that there was more to our story.

Not realizing, until in a haze of sex we looked around the room—and found every single object incinerated to dust.