Page 27 of Kuaket

“Yes?” There was something on her face that echoed how I was feeling inside, but I wasn’t sure I could put it into words.

“I...” I cleared my throat. “I really appreciate what you’re doing.”

A genuine smile spread over her face, but I couldn’t ignore the hint of disappointment in her eyes. “You’d do the same for me.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek.

I already knew I couldn’t give her up to the Sons of Seth, but this only went to make my resolve more certain. I didn’t care what they did to me, so long as she got to carry on living the life she wanted to.

CHAPTER12

Kuaket

I paced back and forth,trying not to feel too nervous about the ensuing conversation. Especially considering I’d been so dismissive of everyone trying to get me involved with the whole Sons of Seth issue before. But I guessed this time was different.

The doorbell rang and I hurried to get it, pulling open the door to find Kuk and Anise on the other side, accompanied by Seth and the goddess he was currently seeing.

“Come in,” I said.

“Kua,” Seth said with a nod of his head. “I don’t know if you’ve met Menhit before.” He gestured to the gorgeous woman beside him.

“I think we’ve met a few times.” I gave her what I hoped was a friendly smile.

“We have,” the Nubian war goddess responded.

“We’re through the door at the end. There are refreshments on the table.” I directed them to the living room, ignoring the unease settling within me.

I shut the door behind Menhit, clicking the key in the lock and making sure that it was secure. I’d never had a problem with break-ins, but considering what Abrax had said about the Sons of Seth knowing about the two of us, I didn’t want to take any chances.

Weird tension filled the living room the moment I stepped inside, and I started to wonder whether this was a good idea.

“This is Abrax,” I said, gesturing to the warlock. “Abrax, this is Seth and Menhit,” I introduced the two gods.

He gave them a tight smile and a nod of his head.

“And you might vaguely recall my brother, Kuk, and his girlfriend Anise,” I continued.

My brother glared from his position over by the window.

“Thank you for your assistance last night,” Abrax said to the witch.

“You’re welcome,” Anise responded with a sweet smile. It was probably a good thing she was here with Kuk even if she wasn’t exactly as involved with the situation as the rest of us.

“Why did you ask us here, Kuaket?” Seth asked.

It hadn’t escaped my notice that nobody had touched the drinks and snacks I’d put out. Which wasn’t surprising. I didn’t know what Kuk had told the other gods in regard to the situation, probably very little.

I resisted the urge to pace back and forth, knowing that I had to stay as calm as possible. “Abrax has been given four days to take me to the Sons of Seth headquarters.” There was no point waiting to tell them that part.

“What happens if he doesn’t?” Menhit asked.

“They weren’t precisely clear about that,” Abrax responded. “But given how important loyalty is to them, I’m guessing they’ll kill me.”

My stomach clenched hard at the response. I hated the idea that he was in so much danger.

“Why do they want her?” the war goddess asked.

Abrax looked visibly uncomfortable. “The core that provides the magic for the Sons of Seth comes from the soul of a dead god.”

“And they want another one,” I added, though it was probably unnecessary.