The growl deepened.
Fingers dug into the sensitive spot under Luca’s jaw, and he bit back a cry.
Lightning backlit a void of light in the shape of a massive Anubis watching them from the edge of open space in front of the cave.
“Fuck.” The man holding Luca kept his back to the rock wall as he inched toward the opening.
A breath of rain sprinkled Luca’s cheek. Another flash illuminated the world. Nox stood naked. Rivulets of black liquid dripped from his skin.
“There are dozens of us, Nash. Leave now, and maybe they’ll let you live.”
The man holding Luca stepped closer to the woods. Warm wind pushed another hail of rain down on Luca. Thunder shook the air, and between a burst of lightning, Nox vanished.
The grip on Luca’s throat was ripped free, leaving him collapsed in a puddle. Energy pulsed through the air, pushing at his back. Tremors ran down Luca’s frame. He lifted his head.
A hard crunch was followed by a sucking sound.
Not sucking. Tearing.
A thump hit the ground in front of Luca, and the sky lit up again and glistened off the gore pulsing from a headless corpse. Nox stood with the man’s head in one hand.
Black sludge coated his chin and chest.
The Anubis watched Luca from Nox’s eyes.
Violence and chaos swirled through Luca, yanking away his breath. Flashes of broken bodies, severed limbs, and human screams rose up from memories that weren’t his.
They belonged to the Anubis.
And it wasn’t satisfied. The death of the other Anubis and the man on the ground did not quench its thirst.
The storm of rage and lust shoved Luca back. His movements jostled his head, agony rendered him blind.
But it didn’t stop him from crawling on hands and knees in an attempt to escape the avalanche of savagery tearing at his mind. He tried to stand, only to fall. He continued to drag himself toward the woods. He reached a tree and pulled himself to his feet. One step and he was heading for the ground again. Strong arms caught Luca, and he was trapped against a wall of muscle.
He shuddered.
“It’s okay.” A growl followed Nox’s words.
“No.” Luca tried to shake his head, but the broken glass grinding against his skull bit too deep.
“You’re safe, Luca.”
Was he really? Luca tried to push Nox away, but his strength was gone.
“It just wanted to protect you.” Nox held Luca tighter. His frigid skin drank the warmth radiating from Nox’s body.
“You… killed….” Luca made the mistake of opening his eyes. Flashes of lightning warped the trees, the man in front of him, causing the world to spin. Luca had just enough time to turn his head before he vomited up the blood he’d swallowed.
Nox shushed Luca and petted his back.
The pounding in Luca’s skull dimmed. “You killed him. You want to kill more of them. You….” Pleasure. What rushed through Luca was a pleasure so similar to what he felt when he came, it terrified him. “You liked doing it. You don’t want to stop doing it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? Why would it…?” Even now the thing in Nox stroked every nerve in Luca’s body.
“The Anubis will protect you at any cost. And killing is just another sensation for it.”