Dark Fates (A Paranormal Anthology)(22)

“Here, baby, hold your daughter. She wants you.”

North held out his arms, and Lexi placed Isabelle in his arms, brushing a kiss on her forehead before she leaned back. North shifted then looked down at the baby in his arms, his throat working as he swallowed hard.

“Isabelle…”

Emeline straightened as North blinked once, twice. Then threw his back and laughed.

“What?” Lexi asked, her hand on North’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“Our daughter looks just like you, Lexi.” Tears fell down his cheeks, and Lexi looked ready to pass out. Parker ran to his mom’s side and helped her sit on the edge of the bed.

“You can see?” she asked, and Emeline had to force herself not to run to the edge of the bed and join in their family moment.

“I can see,” North said in awe. “It’s fitting that my first sight is Isabelle, don’t you think? Daddy’s little girl is the most precious thing.”

Emeline burst into tears with the rest of the people in the room and turned into Noah’s arms. “We did it.”

He cupped her face, his eyes shimmering with tears as well. “We did, Em.”

“Thank you for being mine,” she whispered, her heart so full she could barely breathe.

“I would have hunted to the ends of the earth for you, Em.”

She kissed him then, her heart in her throat. Noah was hers, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.





Jackal’s Measure



A Story of Ludos Deorum



By Marie Harte





Jackal’s Measure



A member of Anubis’s Elite Guard, Tariq has spent several lifetimes serving a just god. He does his part to stay on the right path. There’s a darkness in him, a potential for great destruction should he ever let it loose. Helping the righteous dead and protecting Anubis fills him with purpose. Unfortunately, Set, the god of chaos, has wicked plans for Tariq’s power.

Centuries of torture at Set’s hands have numbed him to the pain, but lately Tariq is getting tired. Ludos Deorum, the Games of the Gods, has stuck him Portland of all places, protecting Anubis’s territory. Tariq is away from his home in the Egyptian Underworld, constantly bombarded by Set’s temptation. Then he sees her—a woman he knows, a woman he’s dreamed about for years.

Eden Dixon, a mortal, has denied Set, and what Set wants, Set gets. Enspelled to bring her to his tormenter, Tariq can do no other than obey. But even the god of chaos doesn’t know everything. Eden is much more than she seems. She makes his missing heart beat again. Tariq cannot—will not—turn her over to Set. Except Eden doesn’t know who she really is. Tariq’s salvation, or the tool of his destruction?





Chapter One


Portland, Oregon

Talk about a bad day about to get much, much worse. The damn god games. Ludos Deorum. Why the hell had the powers that be decided to play in this realm, anyway? It was so damp, so cold and wet here. Egypt would have been much more welcoming. The warm sand, the clear blue sky, his beloved ancients so close…

Tariq ignored the pain in his back, his ribs, hell, in every damn breath he took, and crossed his arms over his chest, appearing unconcerned. He leaned against the concrete wall marking the border of his god’s turf in this mortal city and eyed the *s dumb enough to even look his way.

Four bikers in leather chaps and jackets laughed and made rude gestures he was too tired to return. Any other day and he’d have crossed the street and shoved faces through walls. But after this morning, he wanted nothing more than to rest. Some days were harder than others, but the dreams he’d been having made it worse.

How long could this go on? Conceivably, for an eternity. He felt so tired, so ready to stop fighting and just let f*cking Set have what he wanted. Tariq had only to become that which a dark fate had prophesied. Insidious whispers promised eternal peace, a lasting position as the Eternal Guardian to the God of Chaos—to Set.

He blinked and shook off the temptation, knowing the dangers of opening his mind to that sinister voice. Every person had five parts to his soul. Unfortunately, he’d already lost his Ib—his heart. He couldn’t afford to lose another.

Come now. It’s not so hard. Be mine, give your loyalty to me. I’ll take good care of you. You can have everything you want. Everything you need.

Set’s damnable voice continued to hiss in his mind while the bikers across the street continued to grow louder, more insulting. Then Set hit him hard with a vision.

Tariq saw himself in bed next to a familiar woman, her face hidden by shadow. They lay together, loving and laughing, and the weight of such joy staggered him, echoing a need so fierce it stole his breath. Yet on the heels of that need, so much misery.

Tariq had no heart. But the woman… Set held her Ren—her name—binding her to him. Like Tariq, she would never be free, lost to the dark god’s anarchic whims. Tariq could protect her, make her world better. Show her there was more to the afterlife than hurt and despair—at the cost of his soul. And without that, he knew he’d become a monster to rival all others, a destructive weapon Set would use to conquer the world. More death, more pain, more grief.

So tired of it all.

Yet, instead of finding the nearest bed and sleeping off at least his physical pain, he was forced to deal with the Greeks across the street, who, no doubt, had trouble on their minds. As one of the Elite, a guardian of Anubis, he had a job to do. Should he ignore his duty, the stain of black on his soul would grow. It was what Set wanted, to wear him down.