Sin Eaters: Devotion Book One Read online

  Miya nodded in agreement as she quieted down as well. Both women seemed to work in sync and in thought as if they knew everything and nothing at all and as if they knew they were right around the corner of the hospital. That had Khamun appraise them both. They were not fools or immature at all.

  “Do you think they will be okay?” Amara quietly asked as he turned the car into the hospital parking lot.

  He noticed Miya reaching to squeeze her hand.

  “Hey, sis, I think so. Your fine-ass brotha has your blood and all. He always bounces back hella fast. So, yeah, I think so. And Take is of my blood, so I know for damn sure he better be okay, or I will choke him.” Miya gave a lopsided smile, trying to lighten the mood.

  “I don’t know. This feels different . . . like everything is changing. Khamun, what do you think?” Amara’s golden-rimmed chocolate eyes focused on him as he turned off the car and slid a hand in his locks.

  “I think they’ll be okay, because they have a large healing support of family around them, baby girl.”

  Amara smiled then opened the door, hopping out with ease. She turned to check her makeup, reapplying bubblegum-pink lipgloss and fluffing her curly mane. “Okay, I can dig that.”

  Miya jumped out and stood next to her, adjusting her wavy hair over her shoulders as she gave Amara a “stank” look, face scrunched up, eyebrows raised. “Oh my gosh! Not dig that. I thought you were going to stop that truth! You know, that’s so nineteen seventies!”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I like it, though. Got it from Calvin.” Amara hooked arms with her bestie, and she and Miya both walked through the sliding doors of the hospital entrance at the same pace.

  Khamun just shook his head and checked his cell to see where the Steele and Satou families were in the hospital, as anxiety hit him. He was finally going to see her in person. Be near her. Inhale her sweet perfume and hopefully touch her. He had to close his eyes and inhale slowly just to calm his racing heart as he stood in the slow-moving elevator. Damn hospital had the nerve to have the muzak version of Prince’s “Diamonds and Pearls” playing.

  Inwardly chuckling, Khamun kept himself in check before he started nodding and singing along.

  “You okay, mister man?” Amara asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Miya gave a smiling chuckle, her green gold eyes flashing with power.

  “Ah, yeah.”

  How she asked him gave the feeling that she was peering into his soul, and that flash of power in Miya’s eyes had him wondering about her as well.

  The elevator dinged, letting them know they had reached the tenth floor. As the doors opened, Calvin came into view as he stood waiting for everyone, a big goofy smile plastered across his face.

  Khamun reached out, clasped hands with his boy, then pulled him into a shoulder bump as both men nodded, offering a masculine display of support.

  Peering over Khamun’s shoulder, Calvin grinned hard again. He stepped past his boy and scooped Amara up into his arms as she squealed.

  “Big bro! I’ve missed you! I need some of your cooking, so hook a sista up when we get home.”

  “You ain’t said nothing but a word, peanut. I’ve missed you much, and Kali is here. She ordered you some fabric from Bombay. Should get to you soon.”

  Amara’s sudden tug at his neck as she hugged him harder had Calvin chuckling while he hugged her back.

  Gently sitting her back on the ground, Calvin peered at a beaming Miya with a smirk. “And this must be Miya. Hey, doll.” He flashed a smile.

  Miya giggled bobbing her head up and down as she turned a pretty shade of red, equally cheesing hard.

  “He’s cute too. Why didn’t you ever tell me you had fineness around you, Truth?” Miya whispered as Calvin gave her a brotherly hug as well.

  “Because you’d never go home, and I’d be all alone in the A!”

  Amara pouted then laughed as Miya pinched her. “You know that’s a lie! I can’t do that. I’m stuck to you like glue! For now.”

  Miya sneered then walked up to Khamun. She stared up at him with her hands on her hips as he looked down at her, shaking his head. Flashing a mischievous grin, she hip-bumped him and hooked her arm through his. “Let’s go. I need to know if the fam is okay and Amara has been wanting to see her mom for a minute now.”

  Calvin became tense and slid his hands in his pocket. “Yeah, follow me. Everyone is in their room. Um, don’t trip, Mara, but Sanna had a serious migraine.”

  Amara stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening with concern. “Is she okay? Is my sis okay?”

  “Yes, yes. They gave her a shot and checked her out. She’s chilling in a wheelchair—doctor’s orders, since she won’t go lay down.”

  Both Amara and Khamun tensed up. Though Calvin saw that his bro also became rigid though he tried to hide it. Everything was still swirling in his mind after Tamar had laid that bombshell of information on him and Kali. Blown away and spiritually moved was an understatement. Shifting his mental gears, moving on, he knew this was going to be some intel Khamun would definitely trip over.

  Time seemed to stand still for Khamun as he rounded the corner and walked into room seven. He could see the back of her thick hair. It was partially pulled back, leaving the back spilling over her shoulders in a thick, wavy, well-kept cloud. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair as he watched her slide her head to the side in weariness. He glanced around as he saw the two males of this tight-knit family hooked up to monitors, resting asleep, their bodies covered in partially bloody bandages.

  “Amara! Miya!” Sanna yelled, happiness flowing over her sister and her friend as they both honed in on her.

  Tamar and Kyo both chimed in unison, and both women headed across the room.

  Dr. Satou smiled, greeting Miya with a fatherly hug as Kyo joined in on the family embrace. Amara broke down in tears, while her mother cradled her in a rocking hug.

  Khamun couldn’t help notice Sanna’s eyes go to her sister in happiness and surprise as she looked over her shoulder. Her stunning eyes hesitated briefly as she glanced over at him and then looked away. As he slowly exhaled the breath of air he was holding onto, he noticed her stare quickly returned as she gaped at him in confusion. Her intoxicating gaze stayed on him as she tried to turn her wheelchair to get a better view.

  The blood rushed to his ears as everything seemed to get silent. Nothing but the monitors chiming and beeping as he stared at the woman he’d always watched from afar. His eyes trailed over her sensual face, soaking her image in.

  She licked her lush lips, and that made his groin tighten as her pupils dilated. He watched her swallow as her hands clutched the arm of her chair and she began to breathe ever so slightly faster, the swell of her breasts rising like a gentle wave just for him. He watched her skin softly flush ruddy, making her skin glow with a toffee-glazed hue as he stepped closer.

  Amara’s squeal broke the trance as she rushed her sister and hugged her tight, before looking up and breaking down in tears at the sight of her twin brother’s battered sleeping form. Rushing to his side, she held his hand.

  Everyone in the room felt a sudden shift of energy as she cried.

  Calvin’s eyes widened as he noticed the energy shift, and the scene. Now that Amara was near her brother, she stood in the middle of Darren and Takeshi as Sanna made a point at the foot of each man’s bed. A triad.

  Very interesting, he thought as he noticed his cousin’s body go taunt.

  Spasms overtook Sanna as she gripped the sides of her head then fell out of her chair. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as her body shook.

  Everything moved in slow motion as Khamun dropped down on his knees. He pulled Sanna into his arms as the wheelchair rolled off.

  Dr. Satou, Dr. Toure, and Mrs. Steele all stopped in their tracks as they watched Khamun cradle Sanna, holding her tight against his chest as he brushed her thick hair out of her face.

  Calvin quickly and covertly created a magic barrier that maintained the ener
gy in the room, kept it from spreading, as the monitors beeped and both comatose men started to shake in unison.

  A thud signaled Amara’s sudden loss of her balance as she slumped down over her jerking brother, her body seizing in sync. It was as if the three were hit by an invisible electric current.

  Kyo and Miya screamed. Tendrils of energy wrapping around them both and brought them to their feet as they scratched at the floor, sweat sprinkling their brows.

  The Priming was fast and unbreakable. The spell that held the Steele children together suddenly dissolved and absorbed into them, waking up the overdue maturation. Everyone in the room stood shell-shocked.

  Dr. Toure quickly entered the room and shut the hospital door. His locked ’fro stood up with the charge as his hands shook against the door’s surface. He too seemed very affected by the surge.

  “My babies, what is happening?” Tamar cried. Her hands cradled her face while power flowed like a breeze over her glowing skin.

  “Old magic. Ancient magic. I can’t identify the specifics of it, but its ending. They are coming into a large amount of their power right now,” Khamun said as he held Sanna’s shaking form.

  His face was stern and caring as he watched his former Guide’s features soften as her eyes slowly flickered opened, pure white light emitting from them like water. He licked his lips. His pulse was dancing within his body at the sudden brush of Sanna’s light buttery-sweet scent. His fangs instantly descended as she evolved in front of his eyes.

  The “Priming, or Evolution,” as Society called it, was when a Nephilim matured into their gifts. Usually if a Nephilim is paired with a “life friend,” usually a Gargoyle, they too mature at the same time due to the soul link of the duo.

  Kyo had started going through her change fast, while Sanna’s Priming was muted or slowed by the spell he was feeling in the air.

  Khamun had to rock as he held her in his arms. The strength of the power had him on edge and had him ready to go into mating mode over his charge, and that freaked him out to no end. He had never had that feeling before. Like many men in Society at the age of maturity, picking a mate either happened fast or stalled, so the male could “sew his oats,” as they say, and Khamun was in the “sew-his-oats” phase.

  The power surge waxed and waned like a wave suddenly stopping as everyone in the room gained their breath. Tamar teetered forward as she tried to stand.

  Dr. Toure suddenly appeared at her side, offering his arm as support.

  “We . . . we . . . wait on the discussion of this.” She unevenly paused to take a breath.

  “I will tell them who and what they are soon, but I want to make sure they are okay. I want . . . I want them to have some normalcy before its time.” She had to lick her dry lips before she could shakily continue. “My babies will need protection. So you all are their Guardians. Stay that way. But you have the right to now be in their face, be it . . . discreet or otherwise. You do not tell them your true purpose until I talk to them.”

  Emi Satou placed a loving hand on Tamar’s shoulder as she gently stepped forward. Her delicate features flushed with power. “Yes, we as a family need to sit down and tell our children of their history. It will take time, but we will do it, before the Dark ever tries to touch our children again.”

  Khamun looked up, agreeing as he felt Sanna’s erratic breathing stall and stabilize, his fingers finding a way to trace her sleeping face. “Yes, ma’ams. We will do that. Ease them slowly into our world so they do not panic. We can do that. Come around a little at a time . . . as you’ve both requested.”

  Tamar nodded. “Good. In the meantime, I guess I will need to be trained in my role as an Immortal and Prophetess.”

  Calvin walked up to Tamar and held her in his embrace.

  She silently held in her tears as he spoke.

  “Because of what happened, Auntie, you are a Disciple now and will live a long life with the chance of being reborn if ever something happens to you. I will help you, and so will Lenox. You will be part of our House as we secretly draw up the paperwork.”

  She dipped her head, and everyone fell silent as the energy finally disappeared.

  Mr. Satou, with the help of Calvin, moved Kyo and Miya into chairs. “With these new changes, I believe we are ready for our paperwork to become active, my boy.” Mr. Satou smoothed his daughter’s matted hair as he stood behind her chair. “It has been our family’s long history to protect the royal lineages in Society, and when chaos broke, we went into hiding. With our children and Miya being forever linked to our godchildren, it is time for them to be acknowledged and given their rightful place in Society.” Mr. Satou’s eyes glowed with power as his wife came to his side.

  “Are you sure, honey? We’ve been in hiding for so long.” Emi slid her hand over Hideo’s while she kissed his cheek.

  “Yes, I am considered an Elder of the family now. Miya’s family would be happy at us finally being acknowledged, and you know this has been something they fought with the old Elders for. For her and our children, to regain their history.” Hideo exhaled and gave a wary smile.

  Tamar smiled at her old friends. “I know this transition is something we’ve been preparing for, for a while now, and now that it’s here, we want nothing more but to turn the clock back and get some stability, but . . . we can do this.”

  Turning to face Calvin, she rested a hand against his jaw. She continued, “As long as we keep smart and keep this unit close-knit as we have, and trust in these young men and my nephew, my son, we will all be okay.”

  Calvin was pleased at that. He loved when Tamar called him son because he felt even more connected to her. Tamar filled that void left from never having his birth mother around. She’d died birthing him. So when Tamar called him son, he knew she meant it and knew he’d put his life on the line for his family.

  Dr. Toure bowed his head and headed to the door. “We have two Society notaries here. Liz or Ashley can draw up the necessary paperwork and move this along. Also, due to the fact that we are a House Garrison, we have a notary here. They will not need to send for one. I will contact Paulette, and I will also bring in an extra bed for Sanna.”

  Kali stood from her spot near Darren and quickly followed Dr. Toure. “I am the House’s notary and keeper of knowledge. I will work with her on quietly processing the notary, especially since this is a royal HG.”

  Dr. Toure stopped in his tracks at that and looked closely at the young woman in front of him, a dark eyebrow slowly rising. “Excuse me?”

  Kali knowingly smirked as the door slowly closed in front of her. She dropped her voice as she addressed the doctor. “Yes, Ms. Steele’s Guardian is the Royal Prince of V’ance y A’lor.”

  To the human ear, what was said in the old tongue of Society sounded like vengeance and valor.

  Tamar glanced at Calvin as everyone took a seat, eyes focused on the sleeping bodies in front of them. “What does that mean for us, Calvin?

  “It means you have the best of the best protecting you, Ma, and the fact that your soon-to-be house of minor value to others in Society is aligned with a Royal Garrison means that you and your children have a contact that many beg to have with the Royal family. It also means that your minor house will be included in top Society functions, and when the snobs of Society find out your family produced a surviving Oracle and Vessel, whose own personal Guardian happens to be the Prince, your minor house will no longer be so unimportant. Ya heard meh?”

  Khamun chuckled at the raised eyebrow Tamar gave as he cut in and continued on, carrying Sanna as if she were a feather. “Yes, ma’am. Calvin spoke truth. But this also means right now you are minor, due to us just finding you. But the fact that Calvin is part of this Royal house himself, making him like what your world would call a Duke, provides the means of going into your history and setting you up right.”

  Studying Sanna’s sleeping face, Khamun sat her in a reclining chair that Calvin had dropped into the room. Khmaun held Sanna’s soft hand as he sp
oke. “Kali has already found your husband’s Societal will. Once she reads over that and submits it, I can guarantee that your minor house does not stay so minor and that you, Mrs. Tamar, will have higher ranking then the average newling house. I know you will, because you are the mother of an Oracle-Vessel, and you have a royal order of Dragons watching your children.”

  Pausing, Khamun reined in all of the sensual and caring emotions he wanted to unleash on Sanna as he watched her. He knew when the time was right that she would be more than what they were currently speaking. He knew she would not only be Oracle and Vessel, but if she would have him, she would be Princess and his wife.

  “Your house is not so minor, and you will have funding. I can vouch for that.”

  Tamar sat astounded, a tear sliding down her face. “My husband took care of us?”

  Khamun agreed in inclination. “Yes, ma’am, and now I am going to take care of you. You will have royal Society papers and rights, as well as additional funding from the royal houses. You now have familial allowance, thanks to Calvin. That is my word.”

  Tamar shook her head in awe. “I mean, sweetheart, that is wonderful, but we don’t need all of this money, ranks, and whatnot. We just need to be protected and made sure me and my children can function as normally as possible.”

  Khamun’s head tilted in respect as he offered a dimpled smile of support. “I can understand that, but in this world, you need as much protection as you can get. Unfortunately, this means you need as many networking houses to back you, which provides you with Societal protection and a hell of a lot of money.”

  “I don’t understand the importance,” Tamar said, her eyes glowing as she processed the information.

  “If anytime your family needs to go back into hiding, with the houses, it is easier to move through and find shelter. Your husband used such backing to have you and your family protected by the House of Satou, a very smart choice as we’ve found out. But now that you have to be made known to Society, you need more protection. Without this, you will be left without options of future protection and future alliances.”