Page 32 of Vampire's Promise
He shoved his fingers into his hair. Opened his mouth to respond when he was interrupted by an arrow buzzing past his head. When he followed its trajectory, he and Hades both watched it dig its point into the ground at Hades’ feet. Before either could react, a piece of cream-colored paper appeared beneath it. With a snarl, Hades plucked out the arrow and snatched the paper from the ground. Unfolding it, he scanned the paper, then shoved it at Kian.
“This is for you.”
Dearest Kian,
I have your mate and in 24 hours, she will be dead if you do not show your face. Let the war between us begin.
Regards,
Apep
As the paper fell from his hand, it burst into flames and was ash by the time it landed back on the black ground beneath his feet.
The stone wallbeneath her fingertips was warm even though cold air brushed across her skin. Gwen swallowed as she took another step forward and closer to the enemy. She shouldn’t be here right now. Both she and Kian were supposed to have Leria fold time so they could go back to when Apep was still slow from sleep. Instead, she found herself suddenly jerked from Bourbon Street as she made her way to let Roxie know she wouldn’t be back to work for a while. If ever. Of course, she and Kian hadn’t even had time to discuss their future. Hell, they’d only mated last night, and to the surprise of both of them.Neither had expected it to happen so quickly, but it felt right, and Gwen couldn’t help the smile that lifted her lips every time she thought of the sexy demigod. Now, if only they could win the battle with Apep and put this nightmare behind them.
She took another step, wishing she had a weapon, but wasn’t able to call one to her. None of her guardian powers worked. Not that it really mattered. Kian was destined to take the god of chaos out. Her destiny was to make sure his darkness was in full swing, then bring him back after Apep was dead. The only problem was, Kian was reluctant to embrace his darker side. Ra had shared with her Kian’s battle with it when he was younger, and she understood why he feared it. Had it not been for Netasis, Kian might have been lost to it, much like his grandfather had been. She was grateful to the goddess of destruction for having saved her mate as a young man. Hell, she was thankful the goddess had raised such a fine man and hoped to get the chance to thank her. No one had seen Netasis, however, and she had not responded to the summons. Gwen prayed Netasis was simply too far away or otherwise engaged to hear the call. Otherwise, the alternative meant the goddess had vanished like some of the others. Gone to dust with no one to worship her. Even though she wasn’t Kian’s blood mother, she was the only one he had ever known, and it would devastate him to learn of her demise.
“Stop stalling, child, and make your way to me.”
Gwen shivered at the deep, dark voice. With every word he spoke, the chaos he evoked sent a chill down her spine. It darkened her mind, and she wanted to vomit but swallowed down her fears. The god would play upon them. It was what he did, and Ra had warned her to keep a level head. Even though this wasn’t supposed to be how this battle went down, she had to believe that the one gift Ra had given her would still work. Taking a slow, deep breath, she pulled back her shoulders and marched forward.
When she reached the end of the corridor, it expanded into a large room warmed by the lit torches that hung on the wall every few feet. The walls were also covered with the colorful hieroglyphs she had seen many times in her life. But it was what was in the center of one wall that caught her attention. Towering over her and sitting on a throne of gold sat Apep. His head smooth except for the gold serpent he wore wrapped around it, the snake’s head poised to strike, and she had to wonder if it was real.
The god’s black eyes were lined with heavy kohl. His cheeks razor sharp and his jaw set into a hard line. He was certainly a sight that caused her to wonder what the hell she’d gotten into now.
“You are not what I expected.” His voice only slightly quieter and less chaotic than before.
Steeling her shoulders, she spoke. “What were you expecting?”
“A goddess. Not some slip of a female.” He laughed. “Shows how desperate Cera really was.”
Her gaze narrowed at his harsh words, and she felt the need to defend the sleeping goddess more than she did herself. “I may not be a goddess, but I am Cera’s choice. You should show some respect to the sovereign goddess.”
This time, he tipped his head back and laughed. “You are entertaining.” His gaze leveled and turned ice cold. “Cera chose her fate and look at what she has received for it. Thedos was the god of death and pain, and that is exactly what he left her with. I warned her, but she would not listen.”
A sudden realization came to her. “You wanted her for yourself, didn’t you? That’s what this is all about. You want to hurt those closest to her because your ego was crushed.”
His lip curled, revealing a hint of fang. “Everything she holds dear will be gone when she wakes. Tis a pity.”
It would have been nice if Ra had filled her in on this lovers spat, but then again, would it have made a difference? Not likely. Apep was hell-bent on his plan. “So if you are the only one left standing when the dust settles and she wakes, then she will have to choose you.”
“It would stand to reason she and I will create a new world and rule together as husband and wife.”
Gwen didn’t know what kind of goddess Cera was but judging by the fact she hadn’t chosen Apep the first time said a lot. Also, she killed her own mate rather than let him destroy the universe, and that was a huge indicator of the type of ruler Cera had been. Gwen couldn’t even imagine the pain if she had to take Kian out. They may have only been together for a short time, but it felt like forever. Her soul was already connected to his and losing him would devastate her. It wasn’t something she wanted to think further on.
“So what is your plan, then?” She knew hers was to create a new one, and she’d best get to it quickly.
“A note has been sent to your mate giving him twenty-four hours until your demise.”
“But you plan to kill us both, anyway.” She hoped Kian brought the dagger of Embara with him because she couldn’t access it, no matter how hard she tried. Besides, it wasn’t her fate to kill Apep. She had another path she was required to walk and had to trust that no matter what, somehow, she came out the other side. Even if she didn’t make it, knowing that Kian was safe, that her family and everyone she loved were alive and safe was all that really mattered.
Apep lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug. “I have no desire to kill you, but someone else does.”
Someone stepped out from behind the seated god and gave Gwen a wicked smile.
“You!” Nothing had been mentioned about this monkey wrench being tossed into the mix.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
