The Love Game (Gods of the Universe: Book 1)

Twenty-Seven

I watch Anubis beat the holy shit out of Horus. The desire to touch him, familiarize myself with him and his hair again, grips me so tight it's hard to keep myself away as Horus is beaten into unconsciousness.

And I'm perfectly fine with that. I mean, I, too, would like to beat the holy shit out of him, but I need to let Anubis get it out of his system so he doesn't accidentally hurt someone.

Namely, me. He'd never forgive himself if he hurt me.

A minute after Horus is knocked unconscious, however, and Anubis hasn't let up. Panic sets in; Anubis could kill him, and then he really would never forgive himself. I see something shiny and gold begin to leak from Horus, and I know I have to stop him.

I dart forward and wrap my arms around Anubis' neck. It's only as I sink into the warmth of his back that I realise he's wearing no shirt. He gasps, pausing his destruction of Horus' face. "Anubis, stop," I murmur.

His hands grab mine, as if he's going to pry them away, but then he's clinging on to them for dear life. "Why?" He gasps, turning his head slightly. "I... I should kill him." But he sounds half-hearted as I burry my face in his neck.

His voice... oh, I don't remember it having this effect on me. "Come on," I say unsteadily, pulling him backwards, off of his cousin.

He turns around gently once he's away from Horus, placing his shaking hands on my waist as I stand us up. For a moment he simply stares at me, a hopelessly relieved expression in his eyes.

Then it breaks, and Anubis crushes me to his chest. He pushes his nose against my hair, right above my ear like he did in my dream, and I know he's familiarizing himself with my scent once more after a week and a half and a dream. "Lana," he says roughly, right in my ear. I shiver. "Spirits, are you... really here?" I curl my fingers into his and he groans. "You are," he whispers, pulling me closer and weaving his fingers through my hair, cupping my the back of my skull. "I missed you so much." he sounds on the edge of tears.

I smile into his shoulder. "I missed you too," I say quietly. "And it hurt so much."

"I know," Anubis says, rocking me slightly. "I know, believe me. But it's okay now, Lana, it's okay. I'm going to take you home, where it's safe, and you won't ever see him again." His words end on a growl, and I once again fear what killing Horus will do to him.

"Thank you," I say, on the verge of tears myself. "Thank you so much, Anubis, just..." I pause. Take a breath. He could very easily take this the wrong way. "Don't kill him, okay?" I whisper.

I was right. Anubis instantly tenses, removing his face from my hair. "Why?" He growls, positioning himself so I can see him at long last. His familiar face is a warm, long-awaited comfort, and I just want to sleep. "Lana, answer me." Anubis' brown eyes are filled with fear as he touches my face with one hand. "Why shouldn't I kill him?" He asks, his voice a sudden fearful whisper. "He... he kissed you. I saw that, and you... you didn't... why?"

I wince as his voice breaks. He won't like you for this. He'll hate you. I start to pull away from Anubis, in case he doesn't want to touch me anymore, but he keeps his arm firmly locked around my waist, holding me to his chest. I mean, okay. I won't complain. "I saw your sign," I begin uncertainly, unable to look away from his face. "And obviously, I was relieved. But I didn't know if you'd be okay, fighting an oriented Horus, so I had to... distract him." I tense and wait to be shoved away.

But Anubis is watching me, something unexpected gleaming in his eyes. "Lana," he says, "Did you seduce my cousin into kissing you?"

"Well," I say, grimacing, "When you put it like that... yeah, I kind of did."

A smile breaks out over Anubis' face, making me gasp. "Spirits above and souls below, Lana, you're a genius," he says, laughing slightly. His hand pushes my head back into his chest, breathing me in.

I tentatively place my hands on his shoulder. "You're not mad?" I question quietly.

Anubis' chest shakes with laughter, and it sounds so amazing. "No, I'm not mad," he says into my ear. "I'm a little pissed off that Horus didn't think I'd really beat his ass, but I'm not mad at you. Never you," he whispers, moving his lips to my cheekbone.

I sigh slightly as electricity short-circuits my nervous system. "What are you doing?" I gasp.

Anubis smiles against my jaw. The hand in my hair flexes, then moves down, lightly trailing over my spine. "I'm trying to get his imprint off of you," Anubis murmurs.

I can't concentrate, but I really, really try. "What imprint?" I gasp, arching my neck back as Anubis' lips trace over the skin.

"Horus' imprint," Anubis answers. I could listen to the sweet, deep sound of his voice all day, slowly invading my ears like honey. "He imprinted you so many times that your glow's gone weak and red. I'm trying to bring it back to life."

A short laugh is ripped from my throat as Anubis moves back up. "And you think kissing me will help?" I ask.

His hand tightens on my hip. His other hand is back in my hair, holding me in place. "Yes," Anubis growls, moving to kiss my lips at long last.

And once more, I'm being electrocuted. That god worked up a storm inside of me, and now he's releasing the lighting, striking every single organ in my entire body. The last of the pain vanishes as the taste of Anubis circles through my mouth, catching me on fire. His scent of honey and cinnamon waft through me, fanning the flames, and everything around us vanishes.

Then his teeth snag on my lip. Just a little, but it makes me shudder closer. That in turn makes Anubis groan, and then my hands are running over his bare back and his are cautiously slipping under the hem of my tank top, sliding higher and higher up my waist as his certainty grows. And believe me, that's fine. That's fine, this is fine, everything is fine because I am in heaven, I am in heaven with Anubis, the man I love.

My thoughts freeze.

I love him? I repeat to myself. I...love him? When did that happen?

Honey, you've loved him for a while now, a strong voice in me answers. My heart jumps higher than it already is...because I know that's true.

Anubis makes a deep sound in his throat, one that makes my shoulders tingle. But a loud screech sounds right after, startling me to my senses. I tear away from Anubis and press my face to his heaving chest. "I don't know what's happening," I gasp, "but we have to help."

Anubis groans, pressing his nose to my scalp. "No, we don't," he pleads, his voice low and shaky.

Glad to know I wasn't the only one affected.

I lift my head to look Anubis in the eyes, placing my hand on his cheek. "You know we do," I say softly.

He narrows his eyes at me. "The only thing we have to do is get out of here," he relents, loosening his hold on me just a bit.

That bit is enough. Foreign hands clamp around my hips and jerk me away from Anubis. Something cold and sharp touches my throat, and I see pure fear in Anubis' eyes.

"I don't think so," Horus says.

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