CHAPTER 1

Several thousand years ago…

Ani’s arm hurt. Heart pounding in his chest, his tiny feet sprinted across the ground. 

“Hurry!” Web yanked Ani’s hand, propelling him to run faster, and pulling on an already exhausted arm. He breathed sharply and forced himself to run harder. 

Daring to look up, Ani could see the deadly storm clouds roil and electrify overhead, chasing the night sky with a viscous ferocity that only that man could command. There was no escape after all. There couldn’t be. There was nowhere to hide that he wouldn’t find them. 

Fighting back tears, he shut his eyes and immediately tripped on a jagged rock. His small body crashed into the sandy floor, rocks tearing into his hands and knees. Web stopped running and turning, kneeled down next to him. “Are you okay? Can you stand?” 

Ani sniffled back tears and nodded.

“Quick. Get on my back and hold tight.” Web glanced behind them and then quickly transformed into a beautiful silver-white wolf with burning amber eyes. As Web crouched down, Ani picked himself up and climbed onto his friend’s back. Laying down in the soft warmth, he grabbed a fistful of white fur in each hand and held on tight. The wind whipped past his face, drying his tears, as the two raced off down the coastline.

“Almost there, my lord. Just hold on a little longer.” Web sounded tired too. How long had they been running? 

“We should’ve just taken a boat.” Ani muttered into his friend’s coat. The river flowed along not fifty-cubits from the path they were on. 

“And get eaten by that giant snake? No thanks.”

“My father would protect us.”

“If your father were here, we wouldn’t need protection.”

Web was right and Ani knew it. That man had killed Ani’s father. He was born of an affair between his mother and the King. Fearing that her husband would find out, she abandoned her infant son in the reeds of the river near the Queen’s palace. When the Queen’s servants found him, she welcomed him with an open and loving heart, caring for him as if he were her own child. For ten years they lived together happily in the capital. Ani adored the King. He taught him about culture and language, about life and life after death, about honor,  responsibility, humility, and wisdom. He loved the Queen and vowed to grow up strong and protect her from all dangers.

And then one day, the King’s brother, that man, destroyed everything. The Queen had become pregnant and during one of their many parties, he had discovered the affair between his brother and his wife. In a rage, he killed his father and the kingdom erupted into chaos. The Queen, his mother, and Ani, along with a handful of trusted servants escaped into the desert.

But, he controlled the desert sands. The storms. The lightning. The darkness. Everywhere they went, he found them. The ground shaking thunder overhead reminded him of that.

Lightning split open the sky and exploded next to them sending shrapnel and dust into the air. Web dodged the first strike, but the second strike hit the ground just behind them. The rocks exploded and sent the two boys flying through the air. 

Mid-air, Web transformed back into his human form and wrapped himself around Ani to shield him. The boys slammed into the dirt as a third lightning strike split the ground nearby. 

Web’s breath was hot and his breathing was far too labored for a teenager. Ani’s face was wet. He looked up and saw the side of Web’s face glistening in the dark. Starlight reflected off the blood pouring from his head.

“Web!” Ani scrambled out from under Web’s protective hold and frantically looked around them. Nothing but rocks, sand, and reeds. Ani removed his tunic and quickly pressed it to Web’s head. He needed something to secure it, though. Racing over to the river’s edge, he grabbed a handful of river grass and raced back to his friend’s side. Using the grass, he quickly tied the crumpled tunic to Web’s head. Then, lifting his friend onto his shoulders, Ani tried to carry him down the road as the thunder grew louder.

“Leave me.” Web breathlessly tried to speak and push his master away.

“No. You’re coming with me.”

“He doesn’t want me. You can’t let him catch you. Go.” Web pushed himself off Ani and landed on the ground with a thud.

“No! You’re my best friend! I can’t leave you. I won’t!”

“You’re such a baby. Go.”

“No! I can’t do this without you.” Ani could barely hold in his tears any longer. His heart pounded in his ears and snot was already dripping out of his nose.

“You have to. I know you can. You are the strongest person I’ve ever known. One day, you’ll rid this kingdom of his plague and restore order to the throne. I believe in you. Trust the Queen. Protect the Prince. You’re the only who can.”

“I don’t want to! I want to stay here with you!”

“Stop acting like this is goodbye forever, idiot. I’ll find you again. That’s a promise.”

Ani stared at his best friend laying in the dirt with a hand pressed to the tunic tied to his head. With a loud, wet sniffle, Ani sucked in the fluids trying to escape his face and grit his teeth. He stood up and put his hands under Web’s shoulders. With all his might he managed to drag his friend over to the edge of the river and in the tall grass lining its banks.

“Promise me you won’t let him find you.” Ani tried to sound as stoic as he could.

Web looked up and smiled. “Promise me you won’t let him win.”

Ani smiled back defiantly and stuck out his hand. Web reached up and the two grasped each other’s forearms in solidarity. It was a promise.

As if on cue, lightning struck down the road and the most terrifying roar of anger echoed out from the resounding thunder. Ani’s heart leapt into his throat and suddenly he couldn’t breathe. With wide eyes, he searched the horizon for his chariot. 

There. Far closer than he thought possible, was a small cloud of dust approaching from the north. The lightning danced from cloud to cloud overhead with more furor and Ani knew this was his last chance. He felt a slight squeeze from Web’s hand on his forearm and looked down. 

Covered in dirt and blood, Web smiled at Ani softly. “Go.”

Ani nodded once. He released his hold on his friend and sprinted down the rocky road. 

He pushed every other thought out of his head and focused on reaching his goal: the Queen’s boat that would take him a short distance across the river to her temple island. He didn’t know what her plan was after that, but he trusted her with his life. He had to. There was no turning back. No going back to the life they once knew. No more parties. No more sneaking out of royal functions with Web. No more carefree nights under the stars. His father was dead. The world was in chaos and he would stop at nothing to place himself on the throne. Forever. 

As he reached the small dock, one of the Queen’s attendants was already in the boat waiting for him. The cloaked girl waved him over and with a quick leap, he jumped and landed safely in the tiny boat. She pushed them off the dock and silently rowed them across the black water. Ani climbed over the seat and looked in front of them. 

Boulders with smooth edges looked to be stacked one on top of the other, forming giant sleeping beasts which mystically rose from the dark waters. A few trees dotted the landscape, but no friendly shores or beaches welcomed them. Treacherous cliffs and silence. A shudder ran through Ani. He couldn’t hear any insects buzzing or fish splashing nearby. His stomach felt nauseous and he wanted to be anywhere else. 

The boat glided through a double colonnade that rose out from the river and led them towards the interior of a large island. The rising stone walls of a temple loomed before them as a single torch lit the location of the dock. Another one of the Queen’s attendants stood on the edge of the dock and as the boat carefully approached the edge, the attendant held out a hand to Ani. As soon as he reached out, the attendant grabbed on and yanked him out of the boat and onto the dock. 

“We must hurry, my lord. The ceremony is nearly ready.” He wished her voice sounded more reassuring, but there was a certain fear quavering in it. She grabbed his hand and the two quickly walked toward the temple. Ani glanced back and saw the first attendant secure the boat and douse the torch. 

The new attendant was much older than the first one he met. Her hand was soft on his skin and she didn’t pull him along like Web had done. Web. Ani hoped he would be alright and stay safe. He sniffled again as he forced himself to move forward and not think about what would happen if Web was caught.

“Are you alright, my lord?” Her gentle voice echoed against the cold stones.

Ani sniffled and nodded. What was there to say, really? No, my world’s just fallen apart and my father’s murderer wants me dead, too. He thought it best to keep those types of opinions to himself for now.

She led him into the main worship hall, through a side door, into a back chamber, through another door, and down a twisted staircase. Several small oil lamps lit the path, but he could barely see the walls around him. Occasionally, he caught glimpses of painted figures etched into the stone. Images of worshippers and offerings to their gods played in the darkness and he wondered if he would ever see the faces of the townspeople again. 

Suddenly, the attendant opened the final door and they stepped into a large underground chamber. A large fire filled the center of the room surrounded by decorated columns that rose up to the ceiling high above. The ceiling arched in a dome and was painted to look like the night sky with the moon at the center which formed a hole that opened to the surface above. Altars set in alignment with each of the four directions of the cosmos featured various offerings and burned incense. Painted doorways were etched into the walls behind each altar and were flanked by priestesses who chanted in low tones.

“Anpu! Thank goodness you’re alright!” The Queen rushed over to him and swept him up in her arms. He loved her embraces. They were warm, and genuine, and smelled of the most fragrant lotus blossoms. Ani couldn’t hold it in any longer. Every emotion, every fear, every pain he had felt, he poured out in tears into the Queen’s shoulder as she carried him across the room and gently caressed his back. 

After several minutes of tears, Ani finally exhausted himself. He tried to sniffle his nose and wipe his eyes, but there was just too much. The Queen, ever patient, set him down on the ground as an attendant brought a linen over. She gently wiped his face dry and he blew his nose into the cloth. Then she kissed him on the forehead and stood up, wiping the excess off of her beautiful white gown.

“There. Feel better?”

Ani nodded. 

“Want to meet your new brother?”

Ani lit up as he nodded again. The Queen’s attendant gently handed the newborn over to his mother. The Queen knelt down next to Ani and let him see his new brother for the first time. The tiny olive-skinned baby seemed to radiate sunlight itself as he was wrapped in a gold-and-white swaddling cloth and slept in his mother’s arms. Seeing this new delicate, precious little life pushed all other thoughts of darkness and chaos out of Ani’s head. How could the world be so wrong if this little one was in it?

“What’s his name?”

A smile spread across the Queen’s face as she said, “Horus.”

The ground trembled and dust shook free from the walls. 

“My Lady,” A priestess urged from behind the Queen, “It’s time.” 

Ani watched the Queen’s face. Her eyes glistened and her smile faded as she looked at the nothingness behind him. “Lady I–?”

She looked down to Ani and smiled at him reassuringly as she placed the tiny baby in his arms. “Make sure to hold his head like this. There you go.”

“But, I–”

The Queen abruptly stood up, turned away, and strode over to one of the altars where a priestess bowed and conferred softly with her. The ground shook again. Ani looked up to the hole in the center of the ceiling and could see that the once clear night sky was now a tumultuous swirl of dark clouds and ravenous lightning. Another tremor went through the room and the priestess began to murmur louder. 

Ani pressed the baby to his chest and backed into an altar when two priestesses approached him with a special canopic jar and satchel. Silently, they knelt beside him and placed the jar in the satchel next to several other objects. Securing the satchel closed, they placed it across Ani’s shoulder and whispered an unknown chant before standing and walking away.

“Anpu, this way, quickly.” The Queen beckoned him to her side. He walked over to her and a different pair of priestesses began painting symbols on his face and his back. 

“What’s going on?”

“Do not worry, my love. These are enchantments that will protect you.”

The ground violently trembled as thunder boomed in the cavernous space. The older attendant from before stood breathless at the doorway and shouted, “My Lady. He is on the island!” 

The priestesses finished painting their enchantments on Ani and the baby and continued their chanting. The Queen knelt down next to Ani and placed a hand on each shoulder as she stared into his golden eyes. “You will be safe.”

“What’s happening?” Ani’s heart raced and his breath kept catching in his throat.

“Do not be afraid, my little Ani. Your father is with you and we will always watch over you. Now, listen carefully.” She paused as another tremor shook the room. One woman screamed as an oil lamp fell over and lit the ground on fire. The priestesses chant changed and grew louder. “We’re sending you somewhere that will keep you both safe. You must protect your brother and ensure that he grows up to be a strong, kind leader, like your father raised you. You must protect the contents of this satchel, as well. Keep it with you and keep it safe. My Daughters have added some trinkets in there that should help you along the way, as well. Anpu, never open the canopic jar. Inside it is something very precious that your uncle is desperately seeking to destroy. It is something that can help restore this world into balance, but only your brother can make use of it. So it must remain sealed until he is ready.”

“How will I know? Where are you sending us? Why aren’t you coming with us?”

“I wish I could, my love, but I must stay here and deal with that bastard.” A fire raced through the Queen’s face, an anger that Ani had never seen before. When she looked at him again, the anger had been replaced with sadness. “When you get there, my Daughters will take care of you. They’ll give you food and shelter, but you will have to find your own way in life now. I’m sorry, love, that I can’t do more for you, for my baby.” She leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to the child’s forehead. The baby squirmed in his arm. 

When she looked into his face again, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Reaching one small, dark hand to her golden cheek, he tried to wipe away one of her tears. She clasped his hand in hers and then kissed his palm before she stood.

Her priestesses gathered around the fire and chanted loudly. The Queen guided Ani over to the painted doorway at the northern cosmos direction and chanted a prayer in front of him. The doorway vibrated as tiny globes of light danced across its surface. Ani stared into it, but it was no longer painted stone. The globes of light traveled into the doorway and disappeared in the distance. He reached a hand toward the doorway and felt a bitter coldness rush out, stinging his fingertips.

Suddenly, an electric crack of lightning struck the open edge of the ceiling and a massive stone broke and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash. The cold doorway in front of Ani immediately turned back into painted stone as a crack worked its way down from the ceiling.

The Queen screamed as she covered the boys with her body to protect them. “Quickly, my Daughters, again! Use the western wall, this one is damaged.” The priestesses began chanting again and the Queen rushed the boys over to the western cosmos doorway. Just as the tiny globes of light began illuminating the paint, the door to the room burst open as it was flung off its hinges.

“Oh, I—-sis—-” 

Ani’s heart was in his throat and he pressed the baby to his chest, holding him with both arms. The Queen immediately stepped in between the intruder and Ani, hiding him from view. 

“How dare you enter my sacred temple, you loathsome creature.” The Queen’s voice was full of venom.

“Well, you didn’t exactly give me much of a choice, now did you? Where is he?” 

Ani looked back to the doorway. The paint was almost all gone and the tiny globes of light had just started to travel inward at the center. He needed the doorway to open now, though. He had no idea what awaited him on the other side, but it couldn’t be worse than facing him.

“You’ll never find him and the throne will never be yours.”

“Oh, it’s already mine, dear sister. I just need to get rid of that one last piece and there will be nothing standing in my way. Where’d you hide him? You know I’ll find him anyways.”

“Then you don’t need me to tell you.”

The Queen’s body shuddered as suddenly he was standing in front of her with his hand wrapped around her throat. “Don’t play with me.”

Ani gasped as the cold wind of the doorway brushed against him and stung his bare skin. He looked and saw that the doorway had finally finished opening. When he looked back, he saw the burning hatred of Seth’s eyes staring at him. 

He stood frozen, heart screaming in his ears, as he watched Seth slowly reach out a hand. Before he could grab him, though, he felt the delicate hand of the Queen push him backward and send him falling through the doorway, along the path of the globes of light, and away from his uncle. The echoing roar of his uncle’s scream trickled down into the void and was lost. 

Ani held onto the baby in his arms with all his might and shut his eyes, praying to any god that would listen to help them through this. Ice started to form on his skin and he could feel his toes go numb.

With a powerful exhale, he fell onto the ground.

As he slowly opened his eyes, Ani found himself lying on the ground in a dark wooden room, moonlight streaming in through the window, and a dark painted doorway behind him. The air smelled different. No desert or marsh or freshwater. He could smell salty sea air and farmland. Where were they?

A woman with porcelain skin who was wearing a strange outfit stood before him with a big smile. She stretched out her arm and held a metal symbol before her that glinted in the moonlight. Ani instantly recognized the icon. He’d seen it many times before and on all the priestesses at the Queen’s temple. The symbol of the Daughters of Isis, Queen of Egypt. 

“Welcome to America, my lord.”

CHAPTER 2

Mia’s bladder was going to explode. Why, why is the bathroom in the back corner? Between the impatient crowd surrounding the bar on the left each trying to flag the attention one of the three bartenders and the throng of mindless drunks dancing, sort of rhythmically throbbing, in front of the small stage where the DJ was bouncing up and down with the energy of a toddler after downing twenty energy drinks, it took Mia every ounce of control she had to wend her way back to the restroom. After finally squeezing her way through the two inch gap offered by the wall of patrons, she at last burst through the bathroom door. 

It may not have been much quieter, but she could finally hear individual sounds again and it was a thousand times less crowded. She found the first empty stall, closed and locked the door behind her, spun around, pulled down her shorts and wriggled down the lace leggings as she sat on the cold black seat. People say that sex is one of the greatest feelings of euphoria you can experience as a human, but clearly they never considered the blessed feeling of release that Mia was consummately relishing at that very moment. 

Mia exhaled in relief. She hadn’t been that desperate to find a bathroom since college when she was stuck waiting to take her final and miserably drew the second-to-last performance slot. She checked her phone again and saw her best friend Bryan post a selfie on the dance floor, making out with some new boy. Great, guess I’m flying solo tonight. He always did this to her. He would beg Mia to go out with him to some hot, new club because he didn’t want to go alone, but then ended up hooking up with some PYT (pretty young thing), leaving Mia to find her own way home. If he wasn’t her best friend, she would’ve just stayed home and studied. 

After heart-ing his post, she cleaned herself up and put her outfit back together. Leggings on a sweaty body was not an easy thing to work with, as she had told Bryan earlier. But he insisted that she looked hot and had to wear them, so she did. She flushed and walked out of the stall to wash her hands and wipe down her face. The soap dispenser had seen better days, but thankfully it was still stocked. Looking in the mirror, she evaluated the state of her appearance. Her dark curls were still mostly pinned and tucked away from her forehead and flowed over her shoulders in a luscious waterfall of chestnut brown, but her eyeliner needed a little touch-up. Good thing she always came prepared. 

Just as Mia began to touch up the cat-eye wingtips of her left eye, the bathroom door opened and in slipped the most beautiful man Mia had ever seen. Standing just inside the doorway, his body tense, he kept the doorway just barely open and trained his eyes on whatever was on the outside of the door. 

“Hey! Ladies’ room.”

He looked up and caught her eye in the mirror with an amused surprised look. Bright golden eyes twinkled as he winked and held a finger up to his lips, “Shh.” He edged the door open a little more and craned his neck to see.

“What’re you–?”

“Shh! Geez.” Something outside caught his eye and a curse word escaped his lips. In one fluid movement, he sidestepped and pressed himself into the space between the wall and the door that was now opening. Two rather large brutish men, stood halfway inside the women’s restroom, holding the door open. The noise from the club spilled through and drowned out the small semblance of quiet that Mia had been enjoying.

“Where is he?” The first brute shouted over the roar of the partygoers.

Mia stood, leaning over the sink, eyeliner held at the ready to touch up her makeup, in somewhat stunned silence. Who the hell were all these people and why for the love of all things holy was it happening in the women’s restroom. 

“What?! Ladies’ room!”

The second brute finished stepping inside and let the door close behind him as the two approached Mia. This was definitely not the “let loose” party night that Bryan had promised her when he convinced her to check out the club. The first brute leaned into Mia with achingly hot breath that singed her nostrils.

“Where is he?”

Both of the men now faced her and Mia’s heart finally caught up with the scene before her. I’m gonna die, aren’t I? What the hell?! Her face flushed and her voice caught in her throat as the sink jammed into her back. The bass from the DJ reverberated through the walls and pounded in her ears and in the back of her skull. Where there should’ve been a snappy retort or quick knee to a sensitive area, was nothing. Her mind went blank. This ogre of a man reached a hand out towards her and Mia shut her eyes, hoping someone would save her.  

Screw this.

Mia opened her eyes and met his. Suddenly, his hand stopped.

She slapped his hand away and stood upright, forcing him to back up slightly. 

“Excuse, sir. This… is the ladies room. Unless you’re looking for a tampon, you should leave.” She forced herself to hold his gaze and not back away. Her fingertips tingled and she could feel the pulse of her heartbeat in her legs. Then, the ogre smiled. A deathly, disgusting smile that forced a small amount of bile to rise up in the back of Mia’s throat. His hand was like lightning as he reached for her neck when a voice broke through the tension.

“Alright, alright.” The two brutes stopped. “I have rules about how a woman should be touched and you, my friend, were about to break several.” 

“Finally decided to face us, brat?!”

“Brat? Rude,” he scoffed. “Hey, green eyes, you okay over there?”

Her hand shot behind her to grab hold of the sink so that she wouldn’t collapse. She forced a smile and gave him an “I’m okay” hand gesture, to which he gave her an awkward “are you sure?” look. 

“Return the ring and beg for our Master’s forgiveness.”

“You know, I would, really, but I make it a rule to avoid conversing with the dead when possible.”

“What?!” The brute closest to him lunged, but he deftly stepped to his right and landed an elbow on the ogre’s head. The other threw a punch, but he effortlessly ducked and grabbed the man by the collar, shoving him into the wall. Somehow, in two steps, he was standing in front of Mia, taking her free hand and bringing it to his lips.

“You sure you’re alright?” His aura glowed with such a warm light that Mia forgot everything else. Standing this close to him, his lips delicately touching the back of her hand, she felt safe, happy, and free, as if standing in an open field basking in the sunlight. The golden radiance of his touch filled her hand with hope and sent shivers throughout her body. The only response she could utter was a slight head nod. His smile filled her soul with light. “Good.”

Letting her hand go, he turned around and faced the two men who had just finished picking themselves up again. “Now what to do about these two idiots.” His hand reached to the back of his shirt and slowly slid out a knife that was tucked away under it. 

Mia reached out and grabbed his wrist. He can’t be serious? Is he planning to kill these guys? 

He looked back over his shoulder at her and smiled. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. They’re not actually human.”

What?

In the blink of an eye, he stepped forward, spun around the first ogre and landed his dagger in the second one’s chest. As the second one fell to his knees, he withdrew the dagger, turned, and slashed the first one’s neck clean through. Both men collapsed onto the floor, gurgling in the throes of death, as the golden man stood in the center watching. With a look of disgust, he stepped over one of the bodies and turned on the tap to wash off his knife. 

“Honestly, these guys are so disgusting. I mean look at this,” he held up the knife which was dripping a strange greenish slime, “No amount of cleansing is going to get rid of the smell of three dead ogres from this knife.” Holding it under the soap dispenser, he pressed the button, but nothing came out. He moved closer to Mia to use the one near her, but Mia stood frozen. “Excuse me.” Gently, he nudged her out of the way. 

“What–? Who–?” The English language was failing her. “What–?”

He stopped trying to clean the knife and looked at her with narrowed eyes. Using a few paper towels, he wiped the blade dry and returned it to its sheath under his shirt. How could he be so calm? He just murdered two men in front of her! Phone. Call 9-1-1. Call the police. Somebody. She fumbled with her purse and grabbed her phone with trembling hands. 

His hand was on hers, pushing the phone back into her purse. She looked up to meet his eyes and that was when she lost. His hand reached for her cheek and pulled her into a long, deep kiss. Sunlight burst through the darkness of her mind, her hand relaxed and his fingers found hers. 

Either her heart stopped or the universe did. It didn’t matter anymore. Mia found the place she wanted to be. Needed to be. His lips gently parted hers and let his tongue explore. Eagerly, she reached her other hand up and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. Stumbling backwards a few steps, he pushed her up against the wall of the nearest stall. Her heart had definitely started to beat again because now it was racing, pounded in her ears. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, soaring too close to the sun itself. His hand explored down her side as he pressed himself into her slightly and his lips worked their way down her neck. Nothing else mattered, but him. Only him and his sunlight.

“Ahem.” A voice broke through and Mia’s heart stopped again. His lips stopped and he held his breath. The spell was broken. Wait. What just happened? Mia’s cheeks flushed as her heart pounded in her eyeballs. Oh my god! Her hand shot up to her mouth.

Still pressed up against her, his head nuzzled next to her neck, the man let out a small laugh and then pushed himself off. “You couldn’t give me like five more minutes?” 

“Sorry to interrupt.”

“Don’t lie.” He slowly turned away from Mia and walked a few steps away, as if the past few moments hadn’t just happened. They did, though, right? Mia touched the spot on her neck that his lips had just been and could feel the slight slick saliva that remained. What would’ve happened if they hadn’t been interrupted? At the thought, Mia’s body went numb. She turned and leaned over the nearest sink. Turning the water on, she splashed her face and wiped down her neck. Mia had never before in her life done something so… so… categorically reckless. 

“That was fast.”

“Hey, green eyes, you okay?”

Seriously, men are disgusting! How can he be so nonchalant? He just killed two men and then they started making out and then, who knows what…! Mia’s horror at herself turned to anger as she spun around to face the two figures. “NO! Of course I’m not alright! You just–” Wait. Where were the bodies on the floor? The two men he just killed. There was nothing. Just Mia, the man she had been kissing, and another man. The three of them were standing in the middle of the women’s restroom, the sound of the DJ reverberating through the walls, but there were no large dead or otherwise stabbed men. Was she losing her mind?

“What happened to the–” Mia staggered forward, pointing at the floor. 

He sighed. “I told you they weren’t human, right?”

Now her head really was spinning. I’ve been drugged, haven’t I. Yeah, that’s the only thing that makes sense. And down she went. 

CHAPTER 3

The two men stepped outside the nightclub and into the sticky night air. The city always had a particular suffocating feel to it, and tonight the humidity just added to it.

“Before I ask what happened in there… Do you at least have it?” Skylos held out his hand to Ravi. It was always business with him. His brother never learned how to relax and enjoy himself, something that Ravi devoted plenty of his time to experiencing. 

“Of course.” Ravi fished a small velvet bag out of his pocket and tossed it to Sky. “Now if you don’t mind, I think I earned a little me time.” Sky held up the small metal object up to the light before putting it back in the bag and placing it inside his jacket. 

“Me time? Isn’t every day a you day?” He wasn’t wrong. “We need to get this back to Hattie and you need to be more careful.”

“Come on. You don’t need me for that!” Why was Sky always trying to be the antithesis of a good time? “All work and no play makes Ravi a very frustrated boy. You can even come with me! It’s been ages since you let loose and got laid.”

Sky did what he always did when Ravi was trying to entice him to enjoy himself. He closed his eyes, breathed in, and muttered some ancient prayer under his breath. Ravi knew the routine almost as well as he knew his brother. Next, he’d make up some excuse and then he’d tell Ravi he could do whatever he wanted as long as he promised to keep himself in check. 

“Fine. Go. I’ll check in with Hattie and see if she has any new jobs for us.” Ok, so today it’s do-whatever-you-want first… and excuse second. “And Ravi,” Sky caught his eye, “promise me you’ll be careful.”

A wide smile spread across his lips. “Always!” Sky stopped and stared at his brother. “Ok, one time! You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you.”

“You know, I would, but it’s just more fun to watch you squirm every time you hear the word–”

“Stop! Gah! What is wrong with you?” Sky always knew what buttons to push. 

His brother laughed and waved as he walked away. “Don’t stay out too late.”

“Yes, mom!” Ravi watched his brother turn the corner and disappear from sight. Pulling out his cell phone, Ravi hit up some of his usual entourage and set out towards their favorite club. After his brief encounter with green eyes, he was brimming with energy and needed a release. Thankfully, New York City, the city that never sleeps, was full of the seductive, freeing, escapism that Ravi was in search of. Lately, he’d been too busy working and he chided himself for not indulging himself earlier. 

Heading down to the subway, he ran his hand through his hair and tousled it back into perfect place. Smiling, he thought back to the way that green eyes had eagerly grasped at him. The way her breath hitched in her throat as he nibbled on her neck. Sometimes, it just wasn’t fair to them. Mortals were so easily swayed. Even just letting out a fraction of his light, his aura enchanted humans. They were driven to crave him, love him, consume him. He walked onto the subway car and found a seat. Staring at all the people around him, Ravi’s heart dropped. Alone in a sea of strangers. With one smile, he could be the center of attention, the life of the party, but that’s not really what he wanted, was it? Green eyes flashed into his mind again. Shaking his head, he let out an aggrieved sigh. That’s enough of that. Introspection was not his favorite pastime and always ended with him drinking alone in his room and he didn’t want to be alone tonight.