Serpentine Love by Sabine A.Reed Page B

will kill him once they find
out that you’ve escaped. Go,” she urged him. “Your presence here
will only slow me down.”
    Isaac squeezed her hand. “May the
Goddess be with you,” he said, blessing her with the ancient prayer
the inagimi used. “I’ll wait for you at Illion’s pub.” He referred
to his friend’s pub in the nearby town. It would serve as a
suitable hiding place until Archan and his men left
town.
    Maya nodded. She changed shapes and
glided back towards the main area of the warehouse. The air tasted
musty. Dust coated the floor. It was easy for her to identify the
paths where men had trooped in and out. She trailed the footprints
to a room at the back of the warehouse.
    She coiled herself into a tight ring
behind a carton and surveyed the door, searching for a crack she
could slide through.
    The guard she had left behind came
running. He burst into the room and left the door open. Now, she
could see and hear everything.
    He fell in front of Archan. “The
inagimi…she took the old man.”
    “ What?”
    “ There was a girl…she…she…”
The guard stuttered. Clearly the experience of seeing Maya change
from a snake into a woman had left him shaken.
    “ Speak up!” Archan
ordered.
    The guard shook with fear. “A cobra
entered the room and changed into a beautiful woman in front of my
eyes. She took the old man with her.”
    “ And you let her go?” Archan
kicked the man on his chest. “Do you know how long I’ve searched
for that prize? How dare you let her slip out of your
hands?”
    “ She took the gun.” The
guard clutched his chest with both his hands, whimpering in
pain.
    In one quick movement, Archan let loose
two fireballs that hit the man on the chest. The guard screamed in
pain. He withered on the floor as the magical fire consumed his
body with red-blue flames. Within moments he was dead.
    “ Let this be a lesson to you
all.” Archan looked around the room, his voice taut with temper.
“If you fail me, you’ll die. I want that inagimi, alive! And I want
her now! Go and find her.”
    The three men left. Clearly, they were
more scared of the retribution their boss would demand if they
failed to capture the inagimi than they were of facing the
snake-woman.
    “ You and I are going to have
a talk.” Archan beckoned Arya forward. “You’re going to tell me
everything. Who is this woman? And where’s she?”
    “ I don’t know where she
is.”
    “ Do you really wish to
sacrifice your life in order to protect a snake?”
    “ She is more human than you
ever will be.”
    “ Ah!” Archan’s voice turned
oily. “You’ve been charmed by an inagimi.” He laughed. “This I
didn’t see coming. Really, Arya. How disappointing of you. Oh,
well…”
    He raised both his hands, palms
up.
    Maya changed shapes and stepped
forward. “Stop!”
    “ Well, hello…” Archan
lowered his hands, a sinful grin slashing across his face. “I was
hoping you would join us.”
    Maya stood shoulder to shoulder with
Arya. “Leave him alone. I’m the one you want. Let him go and take
me instead.”
    “ Well, well, Arya you lucky
dog! Your lady love is willing to give up her life for you. What
more could a man ask for?”
    Arya turned to face her. “Why didn’t
you leave with Isaac?”
    Maya gripped his hand. She stared into
his eyes. It was hard for her to admit it, but she loved him. He
was a good man. How could she leave him at the mercy of a mad
man?
    “ I couldn’t leave you here
alone,” she said.
    Arya squeezed her hand. He turned to
face Archan. “Do whatever you want with me…but let her
go.”
    “ Let her go? Let go of an
inagimi. It’s taken me a lifetime to find one. She is the key to my
ultimate destiny.”
    “ What do you want?” Maya
asked, as she brushed her fingers lightly against Arya. She needed
him to be strong, to trust her and not to do anything foolish that
would lead into any trouble.
    It didn’t matter what happened to her.
She was scared, but for