bind it in the first place. Asar had obtained the blood of a female mule. She didn’t ask where or how, because she didn’t want to know. Never a fan of it, she passed out every time it was medically required to be drawn. Looking into the cup containing the congealed dark red matter, she swallowed back the bile that crawled up the back of her throat.
She had everything she needed, or did she?
Kendra raised her two fingers on her right hand with her thumb across her palm. She recited the Catalepsy incantation from memory, “I invoke thee who art in the void air, terrible, invisible, almighty, god of gods dealing destruction and making desolate. He that destroyeth all and is unconquered. I perform thy ceremonies of divination, for I invoke thee by thy powerful name in which thou canst not refuse to hear entirely come to me and approach and strike down him with frost and fire.”
She held her breath and waited for the lid to release, but yet again the crypt lay silent. Irritated, she huffed. “Kepi had to of modified the spell, that is the only explanation.” She jerked up too quickly. Her slipper hooked on the edge of the stack of books. Not again. She threw her hands out and crashed into the gold chalice. The gelatinous mule blood spilled across the stone floor.
“Shoot.” Could this day get any worse? She sat back on her heels and stared at the red serum that dripped from her fingertips. The blood glistened against her palms.
“Oh, my God!”
“Are you okay, Madame?”
Startled, she looked up into Ari’s eyes. “Kepi didn’t use animal blood. She used her own.” Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? Kendra was the key. Special. The complete opposite of the evil goddess.
Kendra wiped her hands against the soft terry cloth. Taking a hard swallow, she reached her hand out to the warrior. “Give me your blade.”
Chapter Nine
In the beginning, it was the pain that kept Bakari hoping.
Now, the taste for blood consumed him.
Fresh on his tongue, Bakari leaned over a large male. Yes, the energy fed the dark chasm, but he searched for something much sweeter. He licked his lips. Sweeter than nectar. The enticing fragrance floated so close. Sniffing the air he followed the trail of his desire.
His bare skin burned with the exposure to the air. Despite the shallow casts of the wall torches, the light seared his eyes. None of that would stop him from sating the hunger raging in his chest. He stumbled erratically and knocked into the stone wall.
A small gasp shot his gaze wildly around the room. He wasn’t alone. Movement to his lower left stopped his progress. He squinted his eyes to focus on the blurred outline. A female—a very unlucky female.
Bakari sneered. In uneven and staggered strides, he seized his prize. Sweet nectar and a soft familiar energy soaked into his skin. The thumping of the human’s heart clashed like harsh brass cymbals in his ears. Feed.
He leaned, so he was at eyelevel with his prey. A pair of wide brown eyes stared at him. His mouth watered with the thought of consuming something so innocent.
“I did it.” The woman’s voice resonated a significant amount of astonishment and surprise, followed by a nervous giggle. “I really did it.”
Bakari shook his head. This woman was foolishly unafraid at the moment, when her life was about to be sucked from her soul. Her tiny fingers wrapped around his hand that was clenched on her shoulder. The scent of nectar overwhelmed him. He zeroed in on her palm with a large laceration into the delicate flesh. Fresh blood trickled from her wrist to her elbow. The source of his siren scent.
“Your hair and eyes?” Her small hand reached out and caressed a long strand of white hair. Her eyes narrowed. “You have a small resemblance to your father.”
Bakari scoured a palm over his face. His memories were muddled and wrapped in a fog. Nothing made sense. He surveyed the room under the strong glare of light.
His tomb. Blood on the floor.
She had everything she needed, or did she?
Kendra raised her two fingers on her right hand with her thumb across her palm. She recited the Catalepsy incantation from memory, “I invoke thee who art in the void air, terrible, invisible, almighty, god of gods dealing destruction and making desolate. He that destroyeth all and is unconquered. I perform thy ceremonies of divination, for I invoke thee by thy powerful name in which thou canst not refuse to hear entirely come to me and approach and strike down him with frost and fire.”
She held her breath and waited for the lid to release, but yet again the crypt lay silent. Irritated, she huffed. “Kepi had to of modified the spell, that is the only explanation.” She jerked up too quickly. Her slipper hooked on the edge of the stack of books. Not again. She threw her hands out and crashed into the gold chalice. The gelatinous mule blood spilled across the stone floor.
“Shoot.” Could this day get any worse? She sat back on her heels and stared at the red serum that dripped from her fingertips. The blood glistened against her palms.
“Oh, my God!”
“Are you okay, Madame?”
Startled, she looked up into Ari’s eyes. “Kepi didn’t use animal blood. She used her own.” Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? Kendra was the key. Special. The complete opposite of the evil goddess.
Kendra wiped her hands against the soft terry cloth. Taking a hard swallow, she reached her hand out to the warrior. “Give me your blade.”
Chapter Nine
In the beginning, it was the pain that kept Bakari hoping.
Now, the taste for blood consumed him.
Fresh on his tongue, Bakari leaned over a large male. Yes, the energy fed the dark chasm, but he searched for something much sweeter. He licked his lips. Sweeter than nectar. The enticing fragrance floated so close. Sniffing the air he followed the trail of his desire.
His bare skin burned with the exposure to the air. Despite the shallow casts of the wall torches, the light seared his eyes. None of that would stop him from sating the hunger raging in his chest. He stumbled erratically and knocked into the stone wall.
A small gasp shot his gaze wildly around the room. He wasn’t alone. Movement to his lower left stopped his progress. He squinted his eyes to focus on the blurred outline. A female—a very unlucky female.
Bakari sneered. In uneven and staggered strides, he seized his prize. Sweet nectar and a soft familiar energy soaked into his skin. The thumping of the human’s heart clashed like harsh brass cymbals in his ears. Feed.
He leaned, so he was at eyelevel with his prey. A pair of wide brown eyes stared at him. His mouth watered with the thought of consuming something so innocent.
“I did it.” The woman’s voice resonated a significant amount of astonishment and surprise, followed by a nervous giggle. “I really did it.”
Bakari shook his head. This woman was foolishly unafraid at the moment, when her life was about to be sucked from her soul. Her tiny fingers wrapped around his hand that was clenched on her shoulder. The scent of nectar overwhelmed him. He zeroed in on her palm with a large laceration into the delicate flesh. Fresh blood trickled from her wrist to her elbow. The source of his siren scent.
“Your hair and eyes?” Her small hand reached out and caressed a long strand of white hair. Her eyes narrowed. “You have a small resemblance to your father.”
Bakari scoured a palm over his face. His memories were muddled and wrapped in a fog. Nothing made sense. He surveyed the room under the strong glare of light.
His tomb. Blood on the floor.
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