Timber smiled and then grabbed my other hand. Slowly and surely every immortal in that room had joined hands against Set. Their power surged as the house shook. A dark mist started filling up the room as the light from the rest of us blinded Set’s face. He crumpled to the ground, screaming in agony. Alex was glowing orange and red while Serenity’s eyes had gone a scary looking blue.
Set gripped his throat with both hands as sores appeared up and down his arms. At this point, I wasn’t sure who was doing what, just that he was getting quickly stripped of everything that made him a god.
More ash and smoke wrapped itself around Set’s feet, pulling him into the floor like he was getting drawn into the depths of Hell or maybe being trapped between two planes for an eternity.
Timber jerked him back to his feet and slammed his fist into his chest, pulling his still beating heart from his body as he held it in his hand.
“Cassius,” Timber growled. “A feather, if you don’t mind.”
“No!” Set screamed. “You can’t!”
“My pleasure.” Cassius chuckled and handed Timber one purple feather.
“King Set…” Timber’s body shook and then morphed into the jackal, all sleek black fur, pointy ears and nose. “The truth of your heart is black. I condemn you to death.”
“I am a god!” He wailed in pain as something lifted from the dark mist.
A woman in all black with razor sharp teeth, green skin, and red hair. “Anubis, it has been an age.” She winked.
“Mania.” He nodded. “I brought you a snack.”
“Like I said…” Mania grinned seductively at Set. “I knew I would be entertained when I gave you that borrowed soul. Worth every penny.” She pressed a claw against Set’s head. “You ready for a feast, King Set? Because I’ve been watching you for centuries.”
“No.” Set shrieked. “No!”
“Be gone, goddess of death,” Cassius snapped. “And take your pathetic snack with you.”
“Angels,” she huffed. “So demanding. Do put in a good word upstairs.”
With that, the dark mist consumed them both leaving nothing but a mark of ash where they stood and a black stone heart in Timber’s hand.
I exhaled in relief and threw my arms around his neck. “You did it!”
“Who knew I’d grow up and become a team player?” Timber shrugged.
“Literally none of us.” Alex yawned. “Literally.”
“Alex.” My father went over to him and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m curious, how did you find your travels?”
“Boring.” Alex grinned and then shrugged. “Kidding, I was quite entertained by Kyra here and the way she spoke to Set, though it nearly got us killed it was worth it, because now dipshit’s back, yay!”
He was pointing at Timber, who just rolled his eyes and held me close.
Horus slumped against one of the barstools. “Tell me every Tuesday night isn’t always like this.”
Complete silence and then…
“Never!”
“Totally boring.”
“We garden!”
“Look, my tomatoes are coming in.” Mason started moving to the window while a quiet Tarek sat town next to Horus and grinned.
Horus narrowed his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that? Why is he looking at me like that?”
“He likes to make friends.” Timber laughed. “He’s your problem now, brother.”
“I’ll grow on you.” Tarek slapped him on the back. “Plus I see some very interesting times in your future, Prince of Light. How do you feel about cougars?”
“The animal?”
“The woman.” Tarek nodded slowly. “You better bring your A game. She’s feisty.”
“Fantastic, just what I wanted,” Horus said dryly. “Feisty.”
I turned in Timber’s arms and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Worth it, it was worth it, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.” His eyes glowed a warm gold. “It was.”
I suddenly didn’t want to be in that room anymore, or anywhere near other people. I was already imagining clawing his clothes from his body.
He growled low in his throat and pulled me against his chest, kissing me soundly. “Bathroom.”
“But I don’t have to—ohhhh, yes, bathroom, now, to er, clean up the…” We both eyed the black heart still in his hands. “Ash?”
“Let’s just go with ash,” he agreed as we snuck away from everyone, even though they had to know what was happening. My own father blushed and looked away.
I didn’t care.
He was mine.
I was his.
And our moment had finally arrived.
After centuries of searching.
Our journey had led us home.
TIMBER
“I have searched for you for thousands of years,” I rasped, my voice heavy with emotion. “Don’t make me wait any longer to be inside you again, to feel your legs wrapped around me. I don’t think I could survive it.”
“That,” Kyra said, pulling my shirt over my head, “makes two of us.”
Our mouths collided as she pulled open the button to my jeans, freeing me.
I hooked her legs around my waist, grabbing her at the knees to angle deeper. “One day there will be a bed.”
Her head fell back against the glass as she laughed. “As long as I have you, I don’t really care.”
“Good answer.” I slid my mouth across hers and bit down on her lower lip, swirling my tongue across the swollen pieces of skin that I couldn’t stop sucking and tasting.
“Now, Anubis.”
“You keep calling me that.” I didn’t admit that I liked it more.
“Because…” Her eyes flashed gold. “In this world, Timber was my boss, my friend, the demon who protected me even though he had no reason to. But Anubis? He’s the other half of my soul. And since you’re one person I figured, in this moment, when I’m baring body and soul to you—you deserve to be called, not Timber, but my Anubis, Prince of Darkness, Keeper of Souls—mine!”
“Say it!” I thrust into her, slamming my hand against the glass behind her head as it cracked beneath my fingertips. “Say it again!’
“Anubis, Keeper of Souls.” She panted in my arms as I strained to keep focus. “Mine.”
“Yes!” I growled as our bodies slammed together and hit the glass again and again until nothing but shards remained around our feet. “Seeing your pleasure is everything to me, holding you—even better.”
“Mmm,” She drew a small circle around my chest and then a tiny blue tentacle reached out and grabbed her finger. “I think you like me.”
“No. I love you. With every part of me.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry for not trusting you, for not remembering.”
“Shhh.” I cupped her chin with both hands and winked. “At least now we have time.”
“No. No you don’t,” Ethan growled from the other side of the door. “If you break anything, I swear I’ll—”
I snapped my fingers as a dark mist curled beneath the door.
“Son of a bitch, Timber! Why am I seeing my worst nightmare come to life? Horus! Horus!”
I shrugged and kissed Kyra again.
“We owe him a mirror,” she pointed out.
“He’s rich, he’ll be okay.” I sighed in contentment. “But if it makes you happy, we’ll go to Home Depot and find him a stupid mirror. Damn vampire likes to look at himself too much.”
She laughed as I slowly helped her put her clothes back on. Kyra was just reaching for my jeans when she gave me her back and turned on the shower, then looked over her should
er. “Can’t break much in here.”
I took her word for it.
Our bill at Home Depot was twelve hundred dollars.
And as I handed over my card, all I kept thinking was… worth it.
Worth it all.
“How do you feel about kids?” She asked as we climbed into my Maserati.
“I think they better have more light than dark or those toddlers are going to be a nightmare.” I tried to keep the excitement out of my voice.
And as we drove off, literally toward my house and the sunset, I heard a familiar chuckle.
“So, bloody entertaining, Anubis. I’ll be back for your brother.”
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times Bestselling, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 80 books ranging from contemporary romance to paranormal. With over four million copies sold, she's been featured in Forbes, US Weekly, and USA Today. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of the reader experience. She keeps her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, adorable son, naked cat, and two dogs. For more information about her books and upcoming events, visit www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com.
Kathy Ireland & Rachel Van Dyken
Fashion Jungle
Eagle Elite
Elite
Elect
Entice
Elicit
Bang Bang
Enforce
Ember
Elude
Empire
Enrage
Eulogy
Exposed
Envy
Elite Bratva Brotherhood
RIP
Debase
The Bet Series
The Bet
The Wager
The Dare
Seaside Series
Tear
Pull
Shatter
Forever
Fall
Strung
Eternal
Seaside Pictures
Capture
Keep
Steal
All Stars Fall
Abandon
Waltzing With The Wallflower
Waltzing with the Wallflower
Beguiling Bridget
Taming Wilde
London Fairy Tales
Upon a Midnight Dream
Whispered Music
The Wolf's Pursuit
When Ash Falls
Renwick House
The Ugly Duckling Debutante
The Seduction of Sebastian St. James
The Redemption of Lord Rawlings
An Unlikely Alliance
The Devil Duke Takes a Bride
Ruin Series
Ruin
Toxic
Fearless
Shame
The Consequence Series
The Consequence of Loving Colton
The Consequence of Revenge
The Consequence of Seduction
The Consequence of Rejection
The Dark Ones Series
The Dark Ones
Untouchable Darkness
Dark Surrender
Darkest Temptation
Darkest Sinner
Wingmen Inc.
The Matchmaker’s Playbook
The Matchmaker’s Replacement
The Bachelors of Arizona
The Bachelor Auction
The Playboy Bachelor
The Bachelor Contract
Curious Liaisons
Cheater
Cheater’s Regret
Players Game
Fraternize
Infraction
M.V.P.
Liars, Inc
Dirty Exes
Dangerous Exes
Cruel Summer
Summer Heat
Summer Seduction
Summer Nights
Red Card
Risky Play
Kickin’ It
Covet
Stealing Her
Other Titles
The Parting Gift
Compromising Kessen
Savage Winter
Divine Uprising
Every Girl Does It
Co-Ed
A Crown for Christmas
www.rachelvandykenauthor.com