Touch of the Fire God [Scions of the Ankh 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free PDF

gorgeous sitting room.
    “She’s here,” a throaty female voice called out as Jonathan made sure Rene was comfortably seated on a sofa that had more pillows on it than Bed Bath & Beyond had in its entire store.
    Rene looked toward the door through which she had just entered and saw a tall, statuesque woman with the blackest, glossiest, most meticulously plaited hair hanging down and swinging wildly side-to-side as she rushed into the room.
    She was dressed in a simple, floral, form-fitting sundress that showed off her perfect, voluptuous figure. Her mouth, with just a touch of lip gloss, was in a perfect moue as she stared at Rene.
    “Oh Jonathan, she is beautiful, isn’t she?” the woman cooed. Rene blushed; coming from this gorgeous creature who barely wore a lick of makeup, this was quite the compliment.
    “Rene, this is my wife, Anaise Hathor.” Jonathan would, of course, have a wife that looked like she had stepped off the same magazine page that he had.
    “Hello, Anaise.” Rene smiled as she was about to stand to formally shake the hand of her hostess. Anaise looked appalled.
    “Please, no, really, that’s not necessary. You have had a long trip. Is there anything I can get for you?”
    Rene shook her head as Anaise sat on the sofa next to her, a trace of sweet perfume following her movements. She adjusted a few pillows until she was comfortable, then pointedly stared at Rene.
    “It is uncanny,” Anaise seemed to murmur to herself.
    “Excuse me?” Rene questioned, not sure she had heard her.
    “I didn’t know what to expect when I found out you were coming, but I never expected you to look so ...” She let the word dangle while she searched.
    “Beautiful,” Jonathan supplied graciously. “Excuse Anaise, she sometimes speaks without thinking.” Rene detected a note of reprimand in Jonathan’s voice.
    “Please remember, dear, Rene is here to take care of arrangements for Franklin Summit.”
    “Yes, that’s right,” Anaise quickly acknowledged. “I am sorry about your loss. He was a kind man. We’ve known him a long time.”
    Of course, it did not go unnoticed that she looked about the same age as Jonathan. Franklin would have never had friends so young. Rene made a point to question them about that later.
    “Jonathan, your brother has returned.” Anaise smiled. It only made her more gorgeous; the woman looked like a goddess.
    “Has he now?” Jonathan smirked openly. “And not a second wasted, I’d be willing to bet.”
    “You have a brother?” Rene asked. The information only reminded her that she knew so little about these people, and yet she had jumped on a plane and come halfway across the world to be a guest in their home.
    “Yes, he’s actually a lifelong friend to us, but we call him brother.”
    “What is his name?” Rene asked, trying to learn more about the people she would be visiting with for the next few days.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure move. Rene was certain no one was there before, or perhaps she was just too tired to have noticed. But it came out of the farthest shadows in the room, where light did not penetrate as much.
    It was a tall, imposing figure, with catlike grace. Then he made it into the soft light of the room. His long, white, plaited hair looked like a thick rope as it swayed side to side when he walked.
    He wore a gray tunic with short sleeves and matching gray linen pants that fit loosely, but with every step, the outline of his muscled legs could be seen. She stared into the breathtaking face, and the stormy gray eyes pinned her where she sat.
    “Ralabos,” he said simply.
    The jet lag, the apprehension, the sleepless nights, and now her dream man standing in the flesh. Rene briefly wondered if the other occupants in the room saw him too, before darkness claimed her.

Chapter 4

     
    “Are you trying to kill her?” Jonathan mused as he poured himself a few fingers of brandy. While his kind did not need sustenance, on occasion