Sett and his King (Demon Gods #3)

27. Drew

Drew

T he door led through to the kitchen and as soon as we entered, Gene jumped at me with both arms and knocked the wind out of me.

"Ohmygod Drew! You're okay," he mumbled in my neck.

I hugged him tighter. "I should be asking you that question."

It felt like forever ago since Horus had taken him. It felt as if I'd lost him for so much longer and I'd missed his presence, his voice, his smile.

"Did he hurt you?" I pushed back and checked his body as if it could give me any clue to the damage that monster could inflict.

"He didn't." Gene shook his head. "I swear he didn't."

"Are you sure? He's very persuasive," I said.

Although was knowing worse than knowing? If he had hurt him and made him forget would that be so terrible? Either way there was no way to be sure. The only thing I could do was be there for my brother and never, ever again, let him get in danger's way.

"He didn't touch him. I promise," Anubis said and he took a step forward to put his arm on my brother's shoulder as if they were old pals.

"How do you know? Do you remember?" Sett asked him.

Anubis nodded. "Things are getting clearer by the second. The haze of his control is almost off me and I can remember all the time we spent in that basement. He didn't do anything to us. He didn't want us. He just needed us to get to you."

I wasn't so convinced. Maybe Horus didn't want them in that way, but he'd said it himself. He abused to assume power. I found it hard to believe he wouldn't want to exert his power over them both.

Anubis turned to me. "I promise. I'll even ask my dad to clear my head if you want to be sure."

I looked from my brother to him and took a deep breath. "I…I believe you," I said. It wasn't entirely true, but even if he was lying it wasn't out of his own volition. Hopefully, Sett could clear his head and we'd know, although at this point I was ready to treat both men as if they'd been harmed by Horus anyway.

"I don't believe we've officially met." He extended his hand and I stared at it for a moment or two before I shook it. "I'm Anubis, but you can call me Ani."

"Drew," I mumbled.

"Oh I know your name," he said. "You're the man that stole my father's heart."

I couldn't quite detect his tone or read his face. Was he mad at me?

It was only now hitting me that I was face-to-face with Sett's son. My potential boyfriend's son, who as it happened was also a god. The god of the underworld.

"I….I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—" I stuttered before I even knew what I was apologizing for. Was it for falling in love with his dad or summoning him only to trick him? Because neither things had been a choice.

"Didn't mean to? Didn't mean to what? Seduce him? Reduce him to a bumbling fool? Turn him into a lovesick puppy?"

It felt like I shrunk several inches with each accusation before Ani raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile.

"I love to see it," he said.

"Huh?"

Ani grabbed me by the shoulders and snuck a glance at Sett.

"I've been trying to get him to live again for thousands of years. He's been so depressed since Father passed away he hasn't even left the bedroom they used to share in so long."

I frowned. Was that true? Had Sett been locked up in a bedroom for thousands of years before he’d met me?

I turned to him too and he averted his gaze to the floor, which gave me the answer I was looking for.

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't understand. I knew I'd given him very little choice in helping me but he didn't act like a depressed man. I knew he was still heartbroken for the husband he'd lost but I would never have guessed he'd stopped living when Ra died.

"Thank you," Ani said. "For showing him there's still something worth living for."

I slipped out of Ani's reach and cupped Sett's face, getting him to look up at me.

"Thank you. For showing me not all gods are the same. For making me love you." My heart could’ve melted from the way his cheeks flushed.

"You…you love me?" Goddess, even the way he stuttered made me all tingly inside.

"Of course I do, silly," I said. "But if you don't that’s totally okay. I know it's probably hard to love me after everything I've—" I started to turn my back on him when he pulled me back onto him and kissed me, setting off the butterflies in my stomach again but they took over my entire body giving me goosebumps.

He took a deep breath and touched his forehead to mine, burning me with his gaze. "Of course I love you, Drew. With all my heart."

"Awww," I heard someone behind me.

I leaned closer to Sett and craned my neck to find Gene looking at us and cooing.

Everyone was staring at us. Yaya and Ani too. And even though I'd never been one to express myself so publicly, despite what Horus had made me do, this time I didn't mind. I didn't think I'd ever mind where Sett was concerned. After everything I'd been through, if anyone had a problem with my love for my god they could go join Horus for all I cared.

Ani squeezed his father's shoulder before he turned to me and smiled.

"You're good for him. I hope you make each other as happy as you look," he said. "And I hope you'll allow me to try and make Eugene just as happy."

I frowned and turned to my brother.

"Uhm….what?" I asked.

"That was my way of asking your permission to court your brother and grandson," Ani said and turned to Yaya.

I kept glaring at my brother.

"I'm not his owner to give permission. And neither is Yaya. But good luck with it. Gene only ever cares about his art."

Gene pouted at me. "That's not true."

"Hey I'm happy to be proven wrong, but I've never heard you talk about boys, girls or anyone in between."

Gene shrugged. "Well, yeah, no one was worth my time," he said.

"And Ani is?" I asked, barely able to hold back from smirking.

"Maybe. I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Gene was trying to brush it off, to appear nonchalant but I could tell he cared about the subject. About Ani. It was in his tone and the way his eyes attempted to glance at Ani but kept staring at me instead. It was in the way he fiddled with his fingers or the way he chewed his lip.

"Okay. Like I said, I'm not anyone's boss. As long as you kids are safe, it's nothing to do with me."

Gene rolled his eyes with a groan. "Goddess, Drew. Ani is not a kid. He's an ancient god."

"Hey!" Ani exclaimed. "Who are you calling ancient?"

Both Gene and Ani smiled and my heart grew bigger in my chest.

"Come," Gene said and offered his hand to Ani. "I'll show you my art."

Ani followed Gene and I dry-coughed.

"Is that what we call it now?" I said.

Yaya slapped my chest but she smirked too.

"That hurt you know," I told her.

"Oh shut up. It didn't." She took a deep breath and her expression turned more serious. "I'm so glad you're back. All of you. And the house is full of people again. It's been so long."

I glanced at Sett. "I like that too."

Sett smiled and moved his arms to the small of my back and pulled me closer to him.

"I'm still mad at you, you know," Yaya said.

I turned to her. "What? Why?"

"For not telling me what was going on all this time."

"Uhm…Yaya. I thought we'd established I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to."

Yaya's frown deepened. "Yeah, but you didn't want to. That's why I'm mad."

She had a point. I didn't know how she knew but yeah, even if I hadn't been compelled to keep the truth from her, I still wouldn't have told her. How could I have possibly told her I was being abused by a god and the same god had taken my brother captive and threatened to do the same to him? If that didn't kill her, the worry of trying to rescue him alone would.

Although, after everything that had happened today, something told me she was made of far stronger stuff than either me or Sett.

"I'm sorry. You're right. But thank you. If it weren't for you I don't think we'd have made it out alive."

Yaya approached us both and tapped my cheek then did the same to Sett. "You don't need to thank me. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. All of you, huh? Welcome to the family, Sett."

Sett thanked her and then she pushed us toward the door.

"Go on. Get out of my kitchen now. I've got a feast for kings to prepare. And I'm sure you'd love to…debrief."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were calling it ‘showing him my art’ now," I said.

"Well, since you're no artist you can call it debriefing. Or defilement. Either works."

"Yaya!"

"Out. Go on. Get."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Sett slipped me his hand and took me out of the kitchen and straight into the bedroom.

I shut the door and leaned against it, holding on to Sett for dear life and studying his face as if it was a work of art.

Well, it was to me.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." I sighed.

"You're clearly thinking something."

I shrugged. "Your son said I'm good for you."

He smiled and pressed his body against me. "You are good for me. Am I good for you?"

I took a breath and forgot to exhale because the question knocked the wind out of me. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Without a shadow of a doubt."

"Good," he said and kissed my lips.

When I didn't reciprocate he pulled back and stared at me. "You all right?"

"Does that mean you'll stay?"

I bit my lip, my cheek, my tongue, everything because I dreaded the answer to my question.

"What? How are you even doubting that?"

I shrugged. "Because I'm insecure and need constant validation?"

Sett raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Then let me oblige you," he said and kissed my cheek. "I'm here." He kissed my neck. "To stay." He kissed the other side of my neck. "If you'll have me. There's no place I'd rather be than by your side, always and forever, my king. Is that better?"

A frog formed in my throat and I swallowed it away. "Yes. Yes. That's all I want. You, forever after."

"Well…" he said and proceeded to kiss my clavicle, my chest and slowly made his way down to his knees and looked up at me. "I'm glad we're in agreement."

He looked so divine there I could barely breathe and something told me he was about to steal every ounce of oxygen in my body.

And for a change, I want it with all my being.