Unleashed (Guardians of Anubis - Book 1)

6 Chapter 4

Dage stood stock-still in a darkened corner, and watched out for any signs of demons. Dressed in all black he blended well with his surroundings. The sword strapped to his back was reassuring. His eyes scanned the surrounding area like a lion stalking its prey.     

The city of Brown bustled with life. When they reached its perimeters he and his brothers and sister had separated, deciding to guard the overpopulated spots in the city.

Dage’s eyes came back to the milling people in the busy street. The clubs hosted their rambunctious clients, in all state of inebriation. The neon lights bright and blinding, illuminated faces of men and scantily clothed women standing in line chasing a good time. The din of people speaking at the same time and gyrating to bumping music seemed to increase with the passing hour. It will be a while before they all decided to return to the safety of their homes. Dage leaned against the wall behind him getting comfortable. They’ll have to come up with a fail proof plan because if a demon did attack here there would be a lot of casualties. And for them to cover the whole City at once they would need more warriors. Otherwise Mafka had given them an impossible task. Dage stared hard at the crowd.

For a second the darkness thickened, making the night eerie.         

Dage watched the whores work the streets, joking and laughing at addicts scratching for their next fix. He stuck his nose up scenting the filth and that trace of weakness and sin - that usually meant that demons were operating in the area. His nostrils flared, taking it all in. Something had changed, but he didn’t know what. Dage breathed in the air again. There it was again, a scent so soft, sweet and alluring on the breeze. It wasn’t like anything he’d ever scented before. He felt his beast stir at the alluring touch of the scent. Dage breathed it in again, easily picking it up amongst the filth and other scents. His skin turned instantly black. Dage barely held his beast back.   

The power of the beast surged within him, filling him. They were on the hunt. Dage moved down the street, keeping to the shadows where human eyes couldn’t reach, following the scent. It was enticing and compelling to his senses as though he couldn’t help but be drawn to it.

Zaya knelt on a stiff, filthy mattress set on an equally filthy and dusty concrete floor of an abandoned basement under one of the many Indian shops in Brown. She had managed to sneak under there without anyone seeing her. The bumping music from the numerous clubs dotting Brown was muffled by the thick walls of the basement. A beam of yellow light filtered through low windows, chasing away some of the darkness. This was perfect; Zaya thought eyeing her blood spread on the floor to create a small circle, no one will know what was happening right beneath their feet. Zaya held her breath.

Any minute now a demon will appear to take her to Duat. Zaya hoped it will be one of the harmless and easily enthralled demons – like a Lowaku, who only seduced humans into committing deprave and shameful sins.       

Minutes past and nothing happened. Maybe she was doing something wrong. Zaya stared at the drop of blood, debating whether to release her lure again. She didn’t want to overdo it. There was no telling what would happen if she released too much of it.

 Suddenly there was movement behind her. Startled, Zaya jumped to her feet and turned, ready to enthral the demon.

Darkness wrapped her intruder as though he had been born in it as he walked towards her. Zaya could tell he was no demon; his massive body, his cautious advance on her said otherwise. The beam of neon light filtering through the low windows glided on his face. He lingered in the pool of light, giving Zaya a glimpse of his face.    

Her breath hitched at the sight of him. He was handsome and big; pro-football player big. Zaya couldn’t stop her eyes from crawling down his body, noting his exquisite body along the way. He was huge, tall, with massive shoulders that stretched the black biker jacket to distraction. His black denim encased thighs were thickly muscled and tapered to a narrow waist.

 A magnificent sword was held lightly in his right hand. A warrior. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. Her eyes lingered on his face. He was the handsomest man she’s ever seen. His skin was dark brown and smooth like the most decadent dark chocolate. Zaya groaned, tearing her eyes from him. She was practically drooling at the sight of a total stranger. What was wrong with her? She was here to take care of business. And he shouldn’t be here.

“What are you doing here?” she asked weakly, her voice not as firm as she would have liked it to be. He didn’t answer her. Instead he moved forward, leaving the light behind.

How easily he blended with the darkness, Zaya thought in awe. It was a trick every guardian warrior learned in order to survive in the human world.

His eyes glowed in the dark as they took her in. They blazed a trail of fire as they crawled down her body like a caress. Heat coiled in her stomach unleashing a desire she’d never allowed herself to experience before. Power was emblazoned in every muscle in his body.

For a moment they stared at each other.

Recognition and awareness hit her like a fist in the gut. It was him. Her mate. Shocked, Zaya backed up a step. This is not happening, Zaya thought not sure what to do. Fear paralysed her to one spot. Sweat beaded on her skin, causing her to shiver.

This is bad, Zaya thought swivelling in every direction to find an escape. There were no other exit points except the low windows and the door he had come through. And he was blocking that exit. He won’t let her go.

This is so bad.