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

Twenty-Eight

Lana's eyes widen when she sees that I'm actually scared for her life.

Then they narrow when Horus speaks, and she doesn't look afraid at all.

I wish I had her courage, her confidence that she won't get hurt.

"Horus," I say, and I silently curse the quiver in my voice. Is it from Lana or Horus threatening her? "What are you doing?"

He snarls, and I see Lana tense. "Don't think you can come here and just take what's mine," he sneers.

"Seriously?" I scoff, all thoughts of Lana's safety leaving my mind as I'm reminded of Horus' utter ridiculousness. "You still think of her as something you can own? What is wrong with you?" I shout.

Lana's eyes harden. She agrees.

Horus laughs and presses the blade- my khopesh- against Lana's throat. "You still don't get it?" He asks. "How in the Duat could you be so dense?" Horus shakes his head. "Women need to protected, Anubis. They can't defend themselves. I treat them like possessions because that's what they are, and you should, too."

I glance at Lana and fill with alarm. Her beautiful, silver-grey eyes are glassy, and her entire body is slack. What have you done?

Horus laughs, drawing my attention away from her. "Maybe if you treated her like a woman should be treated, she would be in your arms instead of mine," he muses.

I narrow my eyes. Something is different about Horus. He doesn't seem... pulled to Lana like every cell in my body is. He isn't drawn to her anymore, I realize. "She said the words, didn't she?" I blurt.

Horus' entire being freezes. "What words?" He growls hoarsely.

But my body is already soaring with joy. "The words to eliminate," I say distantly. She eliminated Horus. That wood explain the fluttery feeling I'd had last week, the morning after she was taken. This means I'm the only one left.

Excitement grips me tight.

Lana's voice shocks me out of my daze. "Horus," she says softly, "would you release me, please?" I notice her hand creeps up and wraps around the hand Horus is using to hold my sword over her neck. Her other hand does the same to the one wrapped around her waist.

What...?

Horus laughs and dips his head low, right above her ear. I growl; that's my spot. It's one of the places her scent is strongest. "I think not, my dear," he says, matching her tone. "I like you just where you are."

Lana frowns. Then Horus smiles a horrible smile that makes my blood chill. He moves his hand down, fingering the hem of Lana's tank top, watching me, and shoves his hand under and up.

Groping her.

Lana stiffens, her eyes widening. My vision turns red, my muscles tense as I start towards them, rage boiling over in my chest. But Horus cuts me a glance as his hand roams over Lana's stomach. "Careful, cousin," he sneers. "Your mutt features are showing. Don't want to hurt Lana dearest, now do we?"

I stop cold, but Lana sets her jaw and her eyes harden. Then, quick as lightning, she jerks her head back, right into Horus' nose.

He doesn't have a chance.

He groans and drops my sword, which Lana kicks towards me. Then she grips the arm under her shirt and yanks it away, twisting away from Horus' torso. She twists him arm hard, with more force than I thought she could use, and kicks him in the joint. Then she kicks him where it counts, making his eyes pop wide. Relentless, Lana kicks him in the face as he falls forward, then in the stomach, throwing him backwards.

"If you ever touch me like that again," Lana hisses, leaning over a groaning Horus, "I will personally kill you."

Horus forces out a laugh. "Seemed fine when he did it," he wheezes, lifting a hand to gesture in my general vicinity.

She slams her heel into his ribs, and he lets out a cry. "Do not bring Anubis into this," she seeths, moving closer. "You have no right to talk about him to me! You have no right to even talk to him!" Suddenly she's shouting, and her voice is thick with unshed tears. She rears back her leg to hit Horus again.

I rush forward, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her away from Horus like she did for me. "Lana," I say softly as the sensations rush through me. I ignore the heat coming off her skin and the scent wafting from her hair for just a moment and pull her sobbing self to my chest. "Hey, hey, Lana, it's okay. It's okay." I move my hands over her back slowly to comfort her, and she clutches my neck like she's afraid I'll disappear like in our dream. I wince at the memory. "It's okay. I'm here now."

She takes in a shuddering breath. Releases it. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "He just really gets on my nerves."

I laugh, pressing my face into her hair. I take a deep breath, unable to help myself, before answering. "He's been getting on all of our nerves since the beginning of time. No big deal."

Lana laughs shakily, pressing her face to my chest. My skin tingles where it comes into contact with hers, and even though it's nothing new, it still shocks the sense out of me. I lean down to sniff her hair, growling when Horus' trace infects the sweet scent. "How could he have imprinted you in such a short time?" I mutter, kissing her jaw.

"He probably had practice," Lana gasps as I trail down her throat.

I wince, but I know she's right. From the way her glow was weak and dim when I got here, I'd have to guess he was imprinting her every day he had her, damping her essence every chance he got.

Well, I suppose I'll just have to take care of that.

"We have to go," she whispers as if reading my mind. "We have to leave. Now."

The urgency in her voice has me nodding, pulling her away from Horus' body. I'm absolutely certain he's still alive-takes a lot to kill a god-but I don't want Lana to see him and freak out. So I pull her out the doors and then we're running, down the hardwood floors, away from Lana's prison.

I don't notice the tightening in my lungs before it's too late.

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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