Chapter Nine

The size of the computer screen made it necessary for them to move even closer together. Her soft hair brushed against the bottom of his chin as the movie began, teasing him with its softness. Issa blinked back the unwanted wave of desire to wrap her in his arms.

A blurb filled the screen about the young at heart, and Muriah stopped it.

“Um. Do you need me to read it?”

A chuckle crept up on him as he shook his head. “I can read, write, and speak many languages.”

He could feel the flush of heat from her cheeks as she tipped her face up toward him. “I was just checking. I know you’re Mayan, so…”

She cleared her throat and started the movie again. Knowing this film was important to her, and wanting to understand her better, he did his best to pay close attention, but every time she shifted and settled her body even closer to his, concentration on the movie grew more difficult.

Dorothy sang about a world over the rainbow. A place with no troubles, and Muriah rested her head on his shoulder. He wished he could give her a world like that. Issa rested his arm around her shoulders, hoping she might accept the comfort.

She brought his hand down from her shoulder, along her ribcage, keeping her fingers over his at her waist, and he froze. Again, he longed to hear her thoughts. Either way, he was glad she couldn’t see his face. There was a better than average chance he might be beaming, unbecoming for a god.

But she made him feel like a man, like he could be more than simply his position in this world. Like he mattered.

Hearing Muriah softly singing along with the songs lightened his burden until he’d almost forgotten he sat miles off the ground in an airplane. This woman was her own brand of magic. His chin rested on the top of her head for a moment, and he forced himself back.

She made him forget his station.

The movie unfolded into a beautiful feast for his eyes and ears, so many colors and songs. On the tiny screen, Dorothy scolded the wizard and a chuckle rumbled in his chest. There were bits of his Muriah in this Dorothy from Kansas.

He stiffened. Not his.

He couldn’t allow himself to forget. Emotional distance was necessary armor. Caring, tenderness, love… It all led to madness, and that path was much shorter for him now than it had been centuries ago when he sacrificed Ch’en to save their people. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to keep his mind from wandering away from Dorothy and her little dog.

The End finally flashed on the screen and he waited for her to stop her computer. But Muriah didn’t move. Her weight still rested against him. Issa leaned forward to see her face and found her eyes closed. Muriah slept peacefully inside the same arms that sacrificed more lives than she could imagine.

Something twisted in his chest.

She fit perfectly against his body. While she rested, he allowed himself to study her face, memorizing every beautiful angle. Her dark hair framed her elegant features. He brought his other hand up to trace over the perfect arch of her brow and slowly down her cheek, along the smooth curve of her jaw. Her rose-colored lips parted slightly, and she nuzzled closer to him.

Issa swallowed hard and rested his head back against the sofa. Being this close to her tied him in knots. His thirst teased at the edge of his consciousness and mingled with his growing feelings for the woman who already admitted to him that she wasn’t offering her heart, not that he was capable of caring for it. He was the god of sacrifice, and taking life was much simpler if his emotions remained at a distance.

Closing his eyes, he took a breath and reminded himself she still wasn’t being honest with him about the moment they met. He’d seen her face when she first noticed him, the recognition in her eyes, and on this plane she told him she thought she’d gone to school with him. He’d watched her beautiful eyes, witnessed the hesitation, and when he called her on the lie, she didn’t deny it, she changed the subject. She was hiding something.

The plane jolted, and Muriah came to life beside him. “Did I fall asleep? Sorry about that…” She closed the laptop. “Here comes the quiz… What was your favorite part?”

He frowned, raising his head from the sofa. “Favorite part?”

“Yeah.” She pulled her dark hair back from her face. “It’s not a hard question. What made you laugh, sing, dance…you know…your favorite part.”

Issa shrugged, retrieving his arm from around her shoulders while he replayed the film in his mind. “The horse of a different color made me smile.”

Muriah’s laughter filled the cabin. “Ah. So somewhere under that ancient, tough exterior, you might have a sense of humor lurking.”

Humor? He’d never considered it before. Laughter seemed trivial when one spent eternity alone.

Muriah set her computer aside and frowned. “You don’t look so good.”

“I hate flying.”

She almost gave him a smile. “No, I mean your skin. You didn’t feed, did you?”

Again, he caught himself struggling to keep his jaw from dropping. He increased the distance between them. “I am fine.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Clearing her throat, she rose from the sofa, walking in front of him as she spoke. “We’ve got another hour before we land in New York, and we need you at full strength in case Apep is there to meet us… You could drink from me…”

If she had slapped him, he wouldn’t have been as surprised as he was by her offer. His brow creased. “You will not share how you recognized my face, but you trust me enough to drink from your veins? I could kill you.”

“Well, we can’t have you draining the pilot so…” She rubbed her hands up her arms and looked his way. “You haven’t killed me yet.”

He held her gaze, but he didn’t reassure her. In his current state of mind, he wasn’t certain he could guarantee her safety.

“Okay fine. I’m curious. I admit it.” Her hands fell to her sides as she blew out a puff of air. “Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve wondered what it would be like, but I couldn’t talk to Lukas about it. He would’ve freaked, plus he’s family…sort of.” She winced. “It just felt wrong, but now…” She gestured from herself to him, “I’m here, you’re thirsty…”

His fangs lengthened in his mouth. He was beyond tempted. And she was willing.

He rose from the sofa. “You trust me with your life? This is not a game.”

…

The rational part of her brain agreed with him wholeheartedly and screamed at her to wake up and rescind her offer, but after a lifetime of bad boy adrenaline rushes, this was too hard to resist. Ever since she’d been old enough to understand what Lukas was, that there really were blood-drinkers in the world, she’d been fascinated.

Here was a chance to experience it with a sexy Night Walker…whom she’d just met.

She muzzled the mental voice spouting off reason and dove head first into the familiar pool of no-strings-attached sensation. “You gave me your word that you’d bring me back to The Dimension’s Den.” Muriah held eye contact, refusing to retreat from her request. “If I can’t trust the word of a Mayan god, who can I trust?”

Issa’s entire body tensed. His muscles contracted like it took every ounce of his self-control not to touch her. She watched him, willing him to come closer.

“The silence is making me nervous.” She wet her lips, taking a step closer to him. “Talk to me. Tell me how it all works.”

Issa stared down into her eyes. “Usually, you would be mesmerized by now, eager to follow my commands.”

“I’m not much of a ‘command’ follower.” Her heart pounded so hard, Muriah could almost hear it in her ears. “Will it hurt?”

His strong hand cupped her cheek, and even though his skin was cool, the touch comforted her. “Perhaps for a moment, but I promise you, I can ease the pain.” His voice was deep and soft, sensual. Heat bloomed in her abdomen, radiating through her body.

She swallowed the wave of desire, struggling to keep her thoughts straight. “Can I see them?” A crease marred his perfect brow, and she added, “Your fangs. Can I see them?”

He remained silent, and for a second, she thought he might give her one of his holier-than-thou-Gods-don’t-perform-to-impress-mortals speeches. Instead, he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, his dark eyes locked on hers, and as he lowered her hand slowly, his lips remained parted enough for her to see the sharp tips of his fangs.

Her knees went weak. Dangerous and sexy all at the same time. She forced air into her lungs and rested her hand against his chest. Mistake. If she hoped to catch her breath, touching him wasn’t the way to do it. His body was chiseled through the thin fabric of his button-down shirt, like a statue of masculine perfection.

His eyes changed, lightening until they glowed crimson. What was left of the rational part of her brain begged her to put some distance between them, but her body was way beyond listening.

“Your eyes…” She whispered, breathless.

He leaned in closer to her, his mouth hovering over hers while his gaze demanded her attention, claiming her on a primal level. “They burn when I hunger for blood…or flesh.”

She tipped her head up, her lips nearly brushing his. “Which do you want right now?”

“Both.” He closed the distance between them, kissing her as he wrapped her in a tight embrace.

Muriah opened her mouth, her tongue exploring, her senses heightened, knowing sharp fangs were close by. He moaned against her, one hand tightening in her hair. Her fingers skimmed the sinewy muscles of his back, making her ache to take off his shirt.

He gradually lightened the kiss and trailed his lips along her jaw to the soft spot just below her ear. “Muriah.”

Hearing him whisper her name, feeling his desire breathed onto her skin, set her body on fire. Yearning and want colored his voice. She clung to him, tilting her head to open herself to his attention. “I’m ready.”

His lips and tongue teased the pulse in her neck. “Not yet.”

Closing her eyes, she surrendered to the fire he stoked inside her as his teeth slid along her tender skin, pushing her desire even higher. His free hand wandered up her body, crushing her breasts against his chest and making the rest of her ache for his attention. Her legs wobbled and just when she thought she couldn’t take any more teasing, a stab of pain made her gasp.

The pain instantly blossomed into pleasure. He groaned against her skin, drinking her in while his hands worshipped her body through her clothes, their hips pressing together until she could feel his erection. She’d never shied away from her sexuality, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this sensual in her entire life, like her blood was liquid fire. Her body craved his dangerous attention as he pulled at her veins.

Her fingers slid into the back of his hair, clutching and holding him against her. She clung to him with her other hand, her arm tight around his trim waist.

This was swooning. It had to be. All at once, she found herself on the edge of an orgasm with all her clothes on. And just as suddenly, the jungle filled her mind. Issa stood beside her. Holding her hand, he walked with her toward a pyramid. The one from her vision. Blood stained the altar and dripped from the fingers of his right hand.

It felt like one of her visions, without the pain in her head.

He scooped her feet off the floor, cradling her in his arms as he pulled gently at her veins. She welcomed the weightlessness and the scenery around her changed. Now she was back in her kitchen with the codex. Issa stood beside her as she reached to touch the ancient book and the visions began.

Muriah opened her eyes, breaking their sensual connection. She tugged at Issa’s hair, pulling him free from her neck. The feeding ended abruptly, although he kissed her wound tenderly a few more times. He drew back, concern lining his face.

“Are you hurt?”

His skin seemed darker, healthier. Her life, giving him life. She shook off the sentiment. “You didn’t tell me there would be visions. Did you see what I did?”

“Because your mind is closed to mine, I did not think the blood connection would bring our minds together.” He tucked a lock of her hair back behind her ear.

“Are you saying minds usually come together when you feed?”

He nodded slowly, and she shoved his hand away and got up, escaping the comfort of his arms. “So the short answer is, you did see what I saw.” Oh God, did he see what happened when I touched that codex? Vulnerability festered inside of her, stoking a smoldering ember of rage. “You bastard, you dug around in my head without my permission. You didn’t even warn me that might happen. You tricked me.”

She spun on her heel, unable to look at him. She’d never shared her curse with anyone, not even her own mother. Every time she held an ancient item, she was transported into the past, and the price she paid for that trip left her weak.

A weakness she had no intention of sharing with Issa, or anyone else for that matter.

“That is how you recognized my face.” His deep voice reached for her. “You saw me, as I once was, the moment you touched that codex.”

“Shut up!” She wheeled around, wishing she could run away, but being trapped in an airplane made that impossible. “You had no right. If I had known there was even a possibility you’d be in my head, I never would have agreed to let you drink from me.”

He crossed his arms. “You were going to help me find a spell to trap Apep without telling me about your gift?”

“Let’s get something straight. This isn’t a gift.” Hot tears threatened, and she fought them back. “This is a curse. I hate it, but I use it when I have to.”

“What did you see when you touched the prophecy?”

“I’m through talking about this.” Muriah started for the reclining chairs in the front of the cabin, but Issa caught her elbow.

“Please.” The tenderness in his tone brought her gaze up to meet his, and the knot in her belly loosened just a little. His voice remained deep and soft. “What did you see when you held the codex?”

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, blinking back tears. Her throat tightened, clamping down on secrets she’d never shared with another soul. To be fair, he hadn’t given her his consent to see his past. But at the time, she didn’t even know who he was. She didn’t realize he’d still be alive. It wasn’t like she got to choose what an item might show her.

“You were at the top of a pyramid in the rain with blood on your hand. You turned and looked right at me. It’s never happened like that before, like you could see me.” Her throat ached, raw. She swallowed hard. “When you walked into Calisto’s house, I recognized you were the Night Walker from the vision.”

Issa nodded and released her. Quietly, he went back to the sofa and sat down. For a second, she almost followed. She wanted to understand her vision. She wanted to ease his pain.

But reality slammed her between the eyes. He was exactly what she didn’t need in her life. She’d turned thirty alone because she kept wasting time with men she could never share a future with. Issa was another classic example. A perfect imperfection for her usual relationship.

She’d promised herself she’d make new choices. It was time to grow up. If she wanted the store and her family line to continue, she needed to break away from the mold of wrong guys she usually picked. If she was going to allow someone into her heart, it needed to be a man she could count on.

Issa wasn’t even a man.

And now he knew way too much about her. Once they got Apep out of the picture, Issa would go back to the jungle and she could put all this behind her. She sat in the reclining seat and called over her shoulder. “Just so we understand each other, Lukas doesn’t need to know about the visions. In fact, no one does.”

“You have my word.”

The sound of his voice wrapped around her wounded heart, but she denied her urge to go to him. Whatever was bothering him was his problem. She reclined the chair and prayed they’d land in New York soon.