In Love with a Jackal

6.

I let go of Anubis's hand when we reached the foyer. The big glass walls of the entrance bathed us both in the warm midday sun so characteristic of Greece. Usually it would make me smile, but today I didn't feel like smiling.

Instead I glared at the man standing across from me. Not wasting a second, Anubis immediately started talking,
"We have an emergency, your going to have to come with me right now. We're also going to have to retrieve that statue-"

"What the hell are you doing here? " I barked at him.

"I told you, we have an emer..."

"And where did you get real pants?" I interrupted him, pointing directly at his new shorts.

"... these questions are trivial.."

I raised both eyebrows and asked again,
"Where?"

He let out an exasperated breath, "Just like those two boys, your neighbor is very enamored with you. He lent me these bathing shorts. But this doesn't matter right now. I'll repeat it for a third time, we have an emergency!"

He waved his hands around in effort to show how grave the matter was but I just crossed my arms and replied all standoff-ish,

"Well what is this supposed emergency, then?"

"Some of my powers are missing. They were all there last night but now some of them are gone!"

"So what?"

I could tell he found my rebuttal absolutely ludicrous given his situation, whatever that situation may be, but after what had transpired with Antoine and Carlisle just now, I was not going to make this easy.

"I mean that I am apperently losing parts of my immortal powers." his nostrils flared as he grew more and more angry with me, "and if this trend continues, I'll be a tiger without claws, an injured animal in the savanna being followed by a pack of lions, a... A
a...poor little lamb waiting to be slaughtered.."

I cut him off, "Okay, okay I get it! But what does that have to do with me?"

His eyes nearly popped out of his head at my question and he positively hissed at me,

"I don't think you understand, we are tethered. If one of us dies so does the other!" he wildly gestured between us, "When I still had my powers all that could happen was that you died, but now I'm on the chopping block too!"

Despite the fact that I'd just learned he'd be content with the idea that his curse might cost me my life, an odd sense of joy crept across my face.

"I don't get it, how could this happen if you were who you said you were? How could death himself, fear dying?" I said innocently.

His expression froze and his lips became a thin straight line. He tried to keep his voice low, but it didn't work, his answer came out a strangled screech,

"I am Anpu! Anubis not death!"

This time, it was my turn to finally laugh in his face. He didn't like that reaction at all.

"You don't believe me? Fine, I'll prove it!" He snapped back at me.

And using the element of surprise perfectly, he then grabbed me by both forearms.

"Ugh, I don't want to do this," he grimaced before his lips puckered and his face began moving in my direction.

Startled at first, I didn't get what he was trying to do, but as he leaned in closer it dawned on me.

"What the actual fu..."

Is all I managed to say as I tried to get out of his grip. Sadly it was so iron tight, almost in-human, that all I could do was bend backwards as far as possible, trying to keep our lips from touching.

I made the mistake of bending back sofar that at some point I lost my balance and ended up at the mercy of Anubis who managed to catch me by the small of my back.

He didn't let the chance go to waste. Before I knew it, I was pulled in close and then it happened.

He kissed me and I felt my whole world tip.