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would want to be center stage. Her
exiler mark burned hotter with the thought of her former guardian.
    Her father could be monitoring her movements. It
might explain his ability to locate her near the diner. Creation or Menthu, Siya
would see to the intruder’s end. She met her Second’s gaze. “I will not know
until I hunt it and kill it.”

Chapter Five
    Bomani shoved away loose boards and ducked inside
his makeshift dwelling in the bowels of a condemned building. He failed to keep
track of the goddess when she left the diner. He had skirted around the block,
but he had to divert his course to avoid the human authorities. They had
blocked off several streets. A body lay in the alley covered in a white sheet.
Based on the heavy scent of blood in the air, the human was on his way to the
gates of Aaru.
    By the time he got back to the diner the lights
were off and the goddess gone. He tracked her energy scent, a mix of lilacs and
vanilla. She had doubled back in several locations. Either the goddess was
being extremely careful, or she knew she was being followed. Either way, he’d
wasted too much time following her false trails. The sun’s awakening derailed
his hunt. He retreated to his current sleeping quarters, which were not far
from his last location. His search would have to wait until nightfall.
    He frowned at his current accommodations. The cold
damp cement chilled him, but not a sliver of light penetrated the small square
footage. The few rats that shared the room scattered out of the small holes in
the walls.
    He crouched against the hard biting stone and laid
his head in his hands. Bast could appear any minute and kick his ass back to
the Underworld. The thought of facing his father, let alone Kendra and his
brother, Bakari, churned his stomach. He had to buy more time. If he resumed
the hunt, he would have some information for when Bast came calling.
    His entire body ached. As of late, pain had been
his sole companion. A very annoying friend. He closed his eyes and focused his
attention away from the pang of hunger in his gut. Where were the days when he
would go without food for weeks? Fighting for the last scrap of leftovers on
the warrior table. From the moment of his birth, nothing had come easy. Not
without pain, blood and agony.
    Those days were but fading memories. He had grown
too accustomed to the privileges of leadership and the loneliness that came
with it. Stuck in a rut, he became restless. Unsettled with the feeling he was
missing something. Kendra had filled the void with warmth and kindness, however
briefly. His hope vanished along with her. His own stupidity to blame. Bomani
had underestimated his brother, never believing Bakari worthy enough to win
Kendra’s heart. Yet, he did.
    Bakari had lived a life of luxury and privilege
while Bomani slaved away in the warrior camp. The day of Bomani’s commissioning
to Commander, the rivalry began. One born of blood, one of seed, they could not
be any more different. Honor meant nothing to his brother to the point he had
betrayed their own father. Bomani did not grieve when Bakari was kidnapped by
the enemy. In fact, he thanked the gods for the blessing to be rid of his
treacherous sibling.
    However, the good fortune did not last long enough
as Bakari returned and threatened to uproot everything Bomani had worked to
gain. Kendra most of all. Vowing to protect her from Bakari at all cost, Bomani
had become the monster, he claimed his brother to be. A monster willing to kill
to keep her. He rubbed at the throb in his temple, refusing to think of it
further. Agony and bitterness were all too plentiful. The shame too much to
bear. He hung his head, willing sleep to overtake him. Time passed without
respite, but finally darkness draped over his eyes and Bomani drifted to sleep.
It was neither restful nor regenerative, but cursed by ancient dreams.
    Bomani shielded his eyes against the bright sun
high on the horizon. He had never laid eyes on the orange