Encore (Descendants of Ra: Book 4) Read online

  “The bed’s all yours. I’m gonna take the couch. I want you to sleep, get some rest. Dream good dreams. Dream you never broke into the Order that night and never met me.” Her knuckles brushed his cheek, leaving a trail of desire he shouldn’t want in their wake.

  Against his will, his eyelids grew heavy and closed. Consciousness peeled away and a welcoming darkness surfaced. The weariness of the last week sloughed off. He slipped away, and in the final seconds, Ridley’s lips pressed lightly on the corner of his mouth. “I need a cold shower.” He heard her say, then she was gone.

  And so was he.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I want the Sijnruh.” Seated behind an antique mahogany and brass desk, in a chair that could double as a throne, Mrs. Kelly’s florid expression would’ve been comical if Avery still had a sense of humor.

  “The Soul Catchers,” he couldn’t pronounce their proper name, “are at RockGate stored in the vault for safety,” Avery said calmly, the opposite of what he currently felt.

  She frowned; lately, that was the only expression her countenance could muster. “As the director of the Order, it is my duty to safeguard the Order’s treasures. The Soul Catchers and the Key of Osiris are not the property of the Nicolis family. You will return the items immediately.”

  Diplomacy had never been his forte, but somehow Avery managed to swallow his sharp reply. It helped that he respected her impressive age and how, without fanfare, she had stepped in to reclaim the leadership of the Order. Though, to be fair, there were few members left to throw a parade.

  “Ma’am. The Order was breached, the Book and Scroll stolen. Imagine if the Soul Catchers were here. Those items are too dangerous to lose to the black market. That’s what will happen if they’re not protected.”

  “The Order has other secure facilities, which are better suited than RockGate.”

  Funny how she’d kept that a secret until now. Avery squared his shoulders. “Tell me where they are, and I’ll check them out.”

  A calculated gleam entered her eyes, and she sat back in her chair. “Not necessary. Their suitability has already been determined.”

  By whom? The members of the Order who weren’t under Khuket’s spell were now caretakers. Mrs. Kelly had many stragglers on secret missions, and she refused to share the details. Not that he didn’t understand. He’d do the same if he were in charge.

  She pushed back her chair and stood. It didn’t make much difference in her diminutive height. “The contractor Roman was kind enough to send over is assessing the damage in the gathering room. Bring the artifacts to me tonight.” She marched past him, headed for the door.

  Her imperial tone strafed him. “Ma’am.”

  Mrs. Kelly stopped and performed a slow pivot, her sensible heels squeaking on the tile, which told more of her annoyance than her demanding tone.

  “The Order is yours to rule with no interference from me.” He bowed his head in deference to her authority.

  She straightened, confidence glowing from her as if she’d won an important match. She hadn’t.

  “However, I am the God of Chaos. Only I can restore what was taken from your members and ensure it never happens again. The artifacts will remain with me, under my care, without further discussion.” He moved around her to the door.

  “Once they were your disciples. Since the beginning of time, we worshipped the fallen Gods of Eidos.”

  Avery caught her implied message. “I’m not one of them.”

  “Precisely. Granted, you are the embodiment of that extinct pantheon. With Khuket’s defeat, you hold the last of their power. As such, you’ll have the Order’s allegiance or enmity. You decide which.”

  Her shrewd assessment summed up Avery’s reality. He chuckled dryly, unwilling to be a pawn in her game. “You know that is not my decision to make but yours.”

  Mrs. Kelly gave a slight inclination of her salt-colored hair. “Free my ladies, and the allegiance is yours.”

  “I am a Nicolis, among other things. I need no other allegiance.”

  She tsked. A scowl aged her another thirty years. “How very shortsighted. You disappoint me, Avery Nicolis.” The elder swept out of the room, leaving him properly scolded.

  First, Emeline’s grandfather, and now, Mrs. Kelly. “What is it with me and old people?” Avery left the office and met with the architect Roman had sent over in the remains of the gathering room. Eventually, Mrs. Kelly joined them as they discussed zoning regulations, permits, and how to get the job done discreetly and as quickly as possible.

  Afterward, he climbed the stairs and swept the tapestry aside. Emeline, dressed in leggings and a cable sweater, which hugged her generous breasts that he probably shouldn’t have noticed as much as her hands braced on her hips and the frown on her face. Two days after the cave-in and she still hadn’t calmed. Not that she didn’t have a right to her anger, but unfocused rage was a waste of time and energy. He’d told her as much, but that conversation hadn’t helped either.

  He understood her frustration. As the God of Chaos, he couldn’t share in it. He had to stay calm because the cave-in wasn’t Ridley or EJ’s fault. It was Avery’s. He’d lost control. At all cost, he couldn’t let that happen again. If anything happened to Emeline, EJ, or anyone else because of him…

  “I thought you were going to rest? That’s what you told me when I left you in our bedroom.” Her voice was full of accusation.

  “I did. I’m as rested as I can be.” The two days he spent meditating in their bedroom gave him more insight into his present condition than anything else. The Ink wanted something. Power? Possibly. More knowledge? He doubted he could cram anything else into his brain. Good or evil, he had no clue which, but he had a choice. Discover what the Ink wanted and give in to IT or fight ITS wants every day for the rest of his life. Either decision could cost him everything he ever loved, beginning with the woman standing in front of him.

  She rushed to him and embraced him in a fierce hug. “Sorry. I’m being a bitch. I’m just…worried. I can’t lose you, too.” Her fingernails pierced the weave of his sweater and dug into his flesh.

  Avery cupped her face and brought her lips to his. “You will never lose me. On this I swear,” he whispered, praying his words were true. He kissed her slowly, savoring her taste and the feel of her in his arms. “Want to take a trip with me?” he asked when they came up for air.

  “Sure. I was helping Quin go through our records. I think I was in his way more than actually helping. He seemed annoyed and didn’t hide it well.”

  Not surprising since he had no luck locating William Chadwick. The man had vanished along with Daniel.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To pay a visit to someone with more knowledge than either of us, the only full god we have access to, Hathoria Gregory, host of Hathor, The Goddess of Love, and Tyrone’s mother. Time to let my secret out of the bag.” He hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Wakey, wakey.”

  EJ popped up, dazed. His confusion cleared the second Ridley sat beside him on the bed. Sunlight streamed through the open blinds of the bedroom window, bathing her in a golden shower. He lost himself in her purple eyes and pouty red lips. Then he noticed the ugly black wig.

  “Hungry? I know you don’t have to eat in your current state. After sleeping for forty-eight hours, I’m starved. Get dressed and join me.” She unfolded her legs and stood. “Your clothes are at the bottom of the bed.”

  He watched her leave. As usual, she was dressed in red and tartan. Why did she love that color? EJ whipped back the covers and climbed out of bed. His neatly folded clothes waited for him. Not something he would’ve expected from her, he thought dragging them on.

  Seven Styrofoam containers lined the breakfast bar. Ridley flipped open the lids as he crossed the room. “Sit,” she said and handed him a fork.

  Eggs, bacon, French toast, pancakes, corn beef hash, home fries, and rolls. The delectabl
e aroma cramped his empty stomach. Just because he didn’t have to eat, didn’t mean he didn’t want to eat.

  “There’s a diner a few blocks away.” She took the wig off and ran her fingers through her spiky hair, leaving it slightly askew and adorable. “Dig in.”

  He didn’t need further encouragement. The fork became a shovel and table manners were forgotten. She placed a mug of coffee and a glass of orange juice on his right side. Coffee first. The juice could wait.

  He took a gulp. It had too much sugar for his taste, but even if he could talk, he wouldn’t complain. One sip was one step closer to heaven.

  “Slow down or you’re gonna choke.” Ridley laughed as she dabbed at the coffee trickling down his chin. She snapped open another napkin and tucked it into his collar. “There. So you don’t make a mess.” She smoothed the napkin over his chest.

  An emotion he couldn’t name tightened his skin. One didn’t receive much coddling living in a household of men unless one severed a limb. And even then, you’d only get a few hours to grieve.

  “I used to watch you. I mean, the Order assigned me as your Watcher.”

  Now that piqued his interest. When and where? He wanted details.

  Her hand lingered on his arm as she stared into his eyes. “You were in Brazil protecting a diplomat’s kid.”

  He remembered that assignment. The teenage son had been a spoiled dick.

  “You killed two men who had tried to kidnap him. Double tap between the eyes, fifty yards away before they got the kid in a van. No fuss. No mess. Easy clean-up.”

  EJ remembered. Then he went after the guy who had hired them. That had been messy. Took a few days for the bullet hole in his shoulder to heal. Took longer for his mother—aka Avery—to stop chewing his ass off.

  “The kid was a basket case, but the father couldn’t thank you enough. He gave you a pouch with loose uncut diamonds inside. You refused the gift. I always wondered why.”

  How could she know that? He remembered the meeting in the private office inside the embassy. Four people were in the room with him, the diplomat, two embassy guards, and a female aide serving coffee and sandwiches. He hadn’t paid the woman much attention other than a cursory glance. Now he wished he had. Maybe then, they wouldn’t be on this collision course.

  Her finger traced a pattern on his arm, which sent a shot of lust down his spine.

  “Boy, you’re easy to talk to…when you can’t answer back.” A dry laugh escaped and quickly dropped to a sigh. “Never thought I would miss the sound of someone’s voice.” The back of her hand stroked his cheek and slipped under his chin. She leaned closer. So close her breath fanned his lips. So close the silver glittering in her amethyst eyes was all he could see.

  Damn, he wanted to taste her, slide his tongue between her parted lips, and draw her breath into his lungs. Just once, to quiet the question, which suddenly needed an answer. He couldn’t move, not without her permission.

  The smaller, wiser, saner part of his brain raised a red flag and threw out a query. After the kiss, then what? Fuck her? Kill her? Both or neither, what’s the game plan? Exit strategy?

  Ridley closed her eyes, shook her head, and pulled away to move her food around her plate. He heard the word stupid mumbled under her breath and had to agree.

  From one to ten, them kissing had to be level fifteen stupid. Yet he’d never claimed to be a rocket scientist. The thought of being stupid with Ridley Cross had his blood humming. He watched as she chowed down her food in record time and pushed away from the breakfast bar.

  “I’m going to check out our loot while you finish eating.” She stomped away.

  EJ obeyed the order with gusto until a gasp came from the bedroom, then a strangled scream. “No! Noooo!”

  Protection mode flipped back on. EJ was on his feet and moving toward the room when she appeared in the door, the Book of Eidos open in her hand.

  “It’s empty.” She cried and tossed the Book across the room. “It’s fucking empty.”

  ~~~~~~~

  The Book tumbled from Ridley’s hand and cartwheeled to the floor. The pages fluttered, like a butterfly struggling to fly. The abbreviated flight ended when it crashed to the floor, spine first, then the front and back flaps, leaving the Book open.

  Blank pages mocked her.

  She stumbled to her knees next to it, dazed by the obvious. Still, her trembling hand reached and turned a page.

  Blank.

  Turned another.

  Blank

  Another…blank.

  Dumbstruck, she glanced at EJ who stood beside her.

  “It was all for nothing. The break-in, the cave-in, almost losing your brother, all of it was for nothing!” She pounded her fist into the carpet rattling the knick-knacks on the shelves lining the wall.

  “Who would do this? Why destroy it? Why?” She slumped and curled in on herself and cried into the carpet, “What do I do now? How do I save Josie?”

  Everything Ridley needed was in the Book. She’d bet the farm, rolled the dice, and come up snake eyes.

  Think, Ridley!

  Right now, thinking had taken a vacation. Sobbing was all she could muster. She flinched when brawny arms scooped her off the carpet and settled her against a solid chest. He carried her to the taupe loveseat and sat with her in his lap.

  “W-what are you doing?” Ridley tensed, ready to bolt.

  Warmth seeped from EJ’s hand on her on the center of her back to her chest and from his abs pressed along her side. His heat surrounded her and quelled her mounting panic.

  Finally, she scrubbed a hand over her wet cheeks and looked at EJ. God, how she hated his vacant expression. His flat, pale blue eyes and smooth features mocked her turmoil. She was about to ask why’d he done it, picked her up, and cradled her? But she already knew the answer.

  She had ordered him to. This random act of kindness was nothing more than him fulfilling the pre-programmed set of instructions she’d given him days before they entered the vault. Protect her. Guess that meant even from herself. God, she needed the comfort. It had been so long, too long since anyone had held her. Touched her.

  Cared.

  She was to blame. Letting someone close when you only had weeks to live? Why do that when you had nothing to give? Why let them into her inner circle, spend the energy getting to know them, love them, when death awaited her? Yet, EJ was different. Stripped of all thought and emotion, her heart and secrets were safe in his care.

  “Can you hold me tighter? Please,” she whispered more to herself than him.

  His arms closed around her and enveloped her in his masculine scent. She savored it, snuggled closer to get more. His chin rested on the top of her head, and her face lay inches away from his neck. For a moment, Ridley pretended she hadn’t ordered him to care.

  For a moment, it was enough to sit and bask in his arms. Pretend he was here for her, not because Khuket had stolen his will. Not because Ridley was using him.

  She pressed a kiss to his throat, felt the warmth of his flesh against her lips, and the faint trace of a pulse buried beneath the corded muscles. He was alive, vital, while she was on the fast track to the grave.

  Ridley steeled her resolve and pushed away from EJ. She removed herself from his lap and shifted to the seat beside him, bereft of his warmth and more depressed than ever.

  TICK.TICK.TICK.

  Her internal clock boomed.

  Though she’d like nothing better than to wallow in her personal misery, Josie couldn't wait.

  Tick…Tick…Tick…

  Heart rate slowing, Ridley picked up the Book of Eidos. She grabbed the two halves and ripped. Then repeated the process until nothing was left between the leather covers. Suddenly exhausted, she forced herself to her feet and retrieved the Scroll of Heka from the closet. She unraveled and examined the papyrus.

  Despite millennia of trying, no one in the Order had managed to decipher the Scroll or the Book. One artifact was lost to her. She gripped the Scroll tighte
r, crushing the delicate papyrus.

  Could one of the Nicolis read it? Once, she asked Mrs. Kelly that question only to be lectured about trusting those they stalked. Ridley understood, but they were Egyptian. Maybe they could decipher it.

  “Maybe doesn’t pay the bills, Ridley.” And talking to yourself is a sign of insanity.

  Ridley glanced over her shoulder at EJ. No conversation happening over there. She unclenched her hand and cringed at the damage she’d caused the ancient text. However, the papyrus was still intact and still valuable. How much could she get for it? Sell the scroll and…and…then what?

  “Can’t leave the country. All the money in the world can’t cure me. Can’t save Josie.” She zoomed back and forth over the same six feet of carpet, determined to find a way, if necessary, make a way.

  Chadwick! He believed he could decipher the Book of Eidos with the tablet he’d discovered in Libya. Similar to the Rosetta Stone, he said. That stone unlocked the mysteries of hieroglyphics. Could whatever he uncovered in Libya crack the secrets of the Scroll?

  Foot tapping, she whipped out her phone and called him. The phone rang twice. “The office of William Chadwick, how may I help you?” A female answered.

  “I need to speak to Mr. Chadwick. It’s vital.” Ridley didn’t have time for lackeys.

  “Mr. Chadwick is unavailable.”

  What the—“For how long will he be unavailable?” If he went on vacation when he was supposed to be working for her, she’d wring his damn neck.

  “Umm, indefinitely is the best answer I can give. I’m his assistant, Simona LaRochelle. Can I assist you?”

  Ridley pressed end. Heart racing, head searching for an exit, get out of jail card, spare parachute, anything to escape the vise inexorably ending her life. A plan formed out of her mounting desperation. The most repugnant thing she could do … For Josie, she’d sink to the lowest depth.

  Ridley reached for her cell phone again and searched through her contacts until she found the one she needed. Her thumb hesitated over the ten digits. In the end, what choice did she have?