Chapter One
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Shara stood looking out the window of his penthouse at the top of the Luxor Hotel. It was a bright June day, which were his worst days. Even though the sun didn't burn him, because he was an old Sumerian god, he still hated the sun. It brought about another day of pain and hurt and betrayal, all to which he could live without. He'd been living for centuries upon centuries, never once having a break from the betrayal. Sometimes he thought it was a curse placed on him since he was born, or coated in his DNA or something.
He turned away from the window and headed to his bedroom. He was going to take a nice long bath. Hopefully let the day fly right by him, even though it was only noon and the water would be damn cold by then. He crossed his bedroom to his bathroom and turned the water on. He stripped his clothes off and let them fall to the white tile flooring. He looked at his complexion in the mirror. His tan darkened skin contrasted beautifully with the white all around him. His once light green eyes, filled with life, now looked as dark as they could be from the betrayal and hurt all around him. He had a few whiskers starting to poke through the skin on his chin and they matched the blonde tousled hair that set just above his collar on his head. His beautifully sculpted body was broad and long.
He tested the temperature of the water with his finger, feeling the water being so hot it would scold any human, but just right for his sore muscles. The bath was almost filled, so he turned the water off and slipped himself in. He leaned back against the cold linoleum tub, letting the scolding hot water soothe him past the point of relaxation. He'd been fighting Demon's all night long and his flesh on his chest and back proved that. He healed too quickly for them to be of any bother to him, though. Only a few of the deeper ones left permanent scars, of which he had very few. It wasn't long until he fell into a dream-like state. The past four centuries played out in his mind, over and over again. It seemed like only minutes of pain plaguing his memories. Little did he know hours had gone by.
He woke up at the sound of a knock on his penthouse door. The water was freezing, so he must've been asleep for at least four hours. He got out of the tub and wrapped a crimson red towel around his waist and went to answer the door. He glanced outside and saw that the sun was starting to set. Only a few more hours…
He opened the door to find Mindle, the front desk clerk, standing there. What could he possibly want? "Yes, Mindle? What can I help you with?"
Mindle looked Shara over before speaking. "I didn't disturb you, did I, Shara?"
Shara smirked at Mindle's cautiousness. He knew better then to disturb Shara while he was busy, unless it was a real emergency. "No, Mindle. I was just getting out of a bath."
"I can see that. Do you want me to come back another time?" He went to turn and leave.
"It's okay. Really. Now what can I help you with?"
Mindle thought before answering. "There's someone downstairs who needs to talk to you. She says it's urgent."
She? Shara's breath caught in his throat. No female had ever come to visit him in a century. His thoughts roamed to the thought of last having a female come visit him at his penthouse. It was his ex-fiancé Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty. She was arranged into a forced marriage with Hephaestus, even though she loved Ares more than anyone. That was the last betrayal he'd had. Aphrodite, his love, who he'd thought loved him back, but he was just another one of her toys. Shaking the memory out of his head, he looked at Mindle, who hadn't moved from his spot. "I'll be down in a minute. Let me get dressed."
Mindle turned and left. Shara closed his door and headed towards his bedroom. All he could think about was who the woman could be. He threw the towel off his waist as he snapped his fingers and clothes appeared on his body. Dressed in black leather pants and a white beater, he headed downstairs. His heart skipped a beat as he saw who had come to see him. Sirara had shoulder length jet black hair that shone like the sun. Her slim and slender body as dark as his. The black jeans she was wearing hugged her every curve, magnifying the beauty of her body. As she turned and looked at him, her perfect lips curved up into a smile. Her pearly white teeth could make a guy blind if he looked at them too long. He could see the life and happiness awake in her luminescent blue eyes as she ran to him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. He was a little hesitant, but he finally wrapped his arms around her as well. Then he pulled back. "What are you doing here?" he asked, a hint of anger in his deep voice.
She looked at him with questioning eyes. "Don't tell me you're still mad about our last visit together?"
He thought back to their last visit. She kept him locked in a cage like a wild animal, forcing him to stay in her temple for a whole year. Even though years aren't any amount of time for an immortal, it still pissed him off. And the worst part was that she hadn't even given a reason for keeping him prison. She just locked him up and let him go after a year without so much as a hello, goodbye, kiss my ass, nothing.
She could tell he was remembering their last visit and it made her smirk. "Come on. No need to discuss why I'm here in front of all these mortals. Shall we?" she gestured toward the stairs. She started walking towards the steps.
He sighed and followed her up the steps, stepping in front of her at the top of the steps, leading her to his penthouse. He opened the door the door and let her step in. She walked in and placed her bags on his floor and turned as he walked in and turned and closed the door. He stared at her with questioning eyes.
She finally broke the silence. "It's been a long time, Shara. I missed you." She started walking toward him. But he took a step back.
"Stop, Sirara. I don't need problems right now. Tell me what you want and leave." He turned and walked to the window, pulling his beater off over his head and letting it fall to the ground.
She forgot how open he was, except for his feelings. Anything else he was an open book. She slowly walked over behind him and laid a soft hand on his shoulder.
His breath caught in his throat. He hadn't felt a women's touch in centuries. It felt so good. He could hardly breathe. He could feel his groin start to harden. He started to shrug her hand off his shoulder when she slowly turned him. He looked down into her light blue eyes, her vanilla smell filling his nostrils and making his cock harden even more. He couldn't stand it. He wanted to just claim her lips as his, taste the magnificent taste that was Sirara. He almost couldn't stand it. As soon as he went to bend down to kiss her, she moved.
"Guess I should tell you why I'm here, huh?"
"That would be a good start. I haven't seen you in over five thousand years. What makes you just pop up and decide to visit me in Las Vegas? There must be a problem." He looked at her, his green eyes penetrating to her very core. He didn't know how right he was.
"There is a problem, Shara. Aphrodite sent me here to protect you." She looked at him and found his gaze burning fire into her soul. She could see the anger, betrayal, and hurt well up in his eyes. "I know you hate her, Shara, but she still loves you."
He gave a half-hearted laugh. "Don't try to butter me up, Sirara. We both know she could care less what happens to me. She left me for Hephaestus and she loves Ares on top of that."
"No. Her marriage to Hephaestus was forced. She wanted to stay with you."
"Even if that's so, she still loves Ares. What about him? That precious Greek god of war. He does anything she asks him to. But, let's just say for curiosity sake, why did she send you here to protect me? Protect me from what, exactly?"
"Hephaestus and Ares. They both want to kill you. She sent me here to protect you from Hephaestus. He can't stand the fact that she still loves you when she's married to him. She was extremely desperate when she asked me. I've never seen her like that before. Begging me to come."
Shara couldn't imagine Aphrodite begging anyone for anything. She was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Anything she wanted was at her beck and call. Sirara had to be making this up. "You're lying. Aphrodite wouldn't beg anyone for anything. It's not in her nature."
"That's what I thought until last night." She could tell he still didn't believe her. "You want proof don't you?"
"I've spent my whole life being lied to. A little proof wouldn't hurt, no."
She sighed and looked at him. "Shara, I'm the Sumerian goddess of the water, to which you know." He nodded his head slightly. "I can control all water, including rain and snow. If I'm lying, let it start to blizzard in the middle of June.
Shara looked outside and watched as the sun remained in the sky, but not for long, but it was due to it being close to five now, not because of a blizzard. He guessed he had no choice but to believe her. "Alright. I guess I can believe you. But why would Aphrodite send you to protect me? I mean, I'm as powerful as you are."
She remembered saying those exact words to Aphrodite. But she knew they were a lie. Shara didn't even know about her power. She sighed, wondering whether or not she should tell him. Thinking it was the only way he might consider her staying there and letting her help him, she decided to tell him. "Shara, I have a power no one knows about. Well, I thought no one knew about. Aphrodite knows about it, even though I don't know how. But, I have the power to destroy any god I chose. Not killing him, but just stopping him. That's why Aphrodite came to me." She stared at him while his green eyes showed no emotion whatsoever.
After awhile, he started walking towards her. She stared up at him. "How can I trust what you're telling me is true?"
"What other reason would I have to come here?" She had him on that question. They both knew there would be no reason why she'd come to see him, even though she'd wanted to come and visit him for over five thousand years. "You know I'm telling the truth, Shara. I know deep down inside I wouldn't lie to you." And she was right. She'd been one of the only few people who had never lied to him.
Sighing in defeat, he turned and walked to the bar. He pulled out a glass for him and another for her. "What'll you have, Sirara?"
"Whiskey. Thank you." She gladly accepted the glass off him and drank her whiskey down within a second. She poured herself another glass. She looked at him with sincere eyes and he returned the gaze. She was surprised his eyes could even look sincere anymore. She wanted so much to reach across the bar and place a deep kiss on those soft lips. She'd been in love with him for a long time. Since the beginning of their lives it seemed like. Instead, she just placed her hand on his cheek, and she moved the small piece of hair back from his face.
He was glad he was behind the bar because the swift and gently motion of her hand made his cock harden with pleasure. He couldn't remember a time when any women ever did this to him. The last was Aphrodite…He placed his hand over top of hers and moved it away from his face, kissing her hand ever so lightly. He saw the faintest of blush appear on her cheeks and the corner of his lips worked into a small smile. Oh how it took all his strength, physically and mentally, not to just kiss her right now. As he looked over her slim body he could just feel their bare skin entwined together in his bed, the feel of him inside her body, her pleasure.
Before he could think, he leaned over the bar and kissed her lips. Her breath caught in her throat from his movement. She could hardly breathe as her fingers tangled in his hair and their tongues danced with each other. She was in heaven for the moment, but how long would it last? She was afraid to find out. She didn't want the moment to end. She wished she could just freeze time and stay in this moment with Shara.
As he deepened the kiss he could feel his cock harden even more. It was painful, throbbing for release. He just continued kissing her because he didn't want to scare her off. That was the last thing he wanted. He could feel her need flowing into him. He could sense how much she wanted him. He knew Sirara had loved him for an extremely long time.
Shara didn't want the moment to end anymore then she did, but before she knew what she was doing, she pulled back from him. "Sorry. I've wanted to do that a long time."
"I sensed that," he said with a smirk. "So," Shara said, leaning across the counter, "how exactly are you going to protect me from Hephaestus?"
She just looked at him. She couldn't fathom how he made such a pose look so sexy, but it might also help that his shirt was still lying on the floor and his muscles were bulging from every inch of him. Gazing into his green eyes, that had, at some point, picked up some life and turned lighter, she began to speak. "Like I told you before, I have the power to destroy any god I chose. Aphrodite wants me to stop Hephaestus when he comes here looking for you. Luckily for us Greek gods can't search Sumerian gods, or any other gods for that matter."
He knew that, but hearing it come out of her sweet mouth made it all the better. He'd never been able to trust anyone in his life, and when he tried, they stabbed in the back, repeatedly. It fucking sucked. There was a part of him that actually wanted to trust her, but the other half held onto the past couple centuries. You can't let someone else in so they can stab you in the back, too. He wanted to listen to that, but he didn't know if he could around Sirara. She had been one of the few people to always be truthful to him…
"What are you thinking about?" Her words penetrated his thoughts. He looked up at her, his gaze burning. After a few seconds of silence she cupped his face in her hands. "It's ok, Shara. You can trust me. You know I've never hurt you before."
"Except for our last visit."
She froze at his response. "But I never betrayed you. All I did was capture you and put you in a cage for a year and released you with no explanation of why I captured you." Her lips formed a sweet smile that melted his insides. "Do you want to know why I captured you?" He never answered her. She sighed before she answered him. "I captured you because I wanted to be with you, well, wanted you to be with me. And the reason I didn't let you out was because I thought you'd leave if I did, but I decided to let you go after a year."
He kept looking at her, his gaze burning. He finally made the first motion since he became silent and motionless more then a few minutes ago. He back away from her touch. "Thank you, Sirara."
Her eyes questioned him. "For what?"
"For telling me the truth. For always being there for me through everything. And for coming to protect me." He said the word 'protect' with such feeling it seemed to her it was disgust.
She smiled because she knew it was hard for Shara to thank anyone for anything. "You're welcome, Shara. Now, do you want to go over my sleeping arrangements?"