The Pleasure Seekers 5: Anubis Amulet Michele Bardsley All rights reserved. Copyright ©2005 Michele Bardsley No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC. ISBN (10) 1-59596-222-0 ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-222-5 Formats Available: HTML, Adobe PDF, MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader Publisher: Changeling Press LLC PO Box 1561 Shepherdstown, WV 25443-1561 www.ChangelingPress.com Editor: Sheri Ross Carucci Cover Artist: Sahara Kelly This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers. The Legend of the Anubis Amulet Translated from the Book of Eane In the beginning, the Earth housed One Tribe. The people of the Tribe cared for the Earth, for its water and its terrain, for its harvest and its creatures. The Tribe honored its gods, those half-man, half-animal beings who walked the land and swam in the sea alongside the people. The gods appointed three brothers the leaders of the Tribe. For as long as the Tribe existed, it was ruled by the Tribunal of Three. The brothers were strong, wise, and fair, and their governing brought peace and prosperity to all the Earth. Each brother took many wives and had many children. And they were content… until she arrived. The woman was neither from the Tribe nor the gods. She called herself Eane. Her otherworldly beauty and grace outshone all females. Her merest smile stirred passion in the brothers, and soon they vied for the smallest crumb of her attention. Eane seduced the brothers away from their wives, their duties, and their Tribe. She brought forth the twin devils of avarice and jealousy from the brothers, playing one against the other until they felt nothing in their hearts but hate. By the time the gods realized that Earth’s Tribe was troubled, the brothers had declared war, each blinded by the powerful spells of Eane, each vowing to possess her only for himself. The Tribe split into three sects: Itumaniki, Utamaka, and Anubinake. Eane thrived in the destruction and terror created by her own desire for power. She urged each brother to kill the others, to shed blood in her name, to render sacrifice Michele Bardsley The Pleasure Seekers 5: Anubis Amulet -4 - to her. At night, she offered the delights of her body to the brother who won the day’s battles, and also took as her due a taste of blood from the victor’s neck. The gods tried to destroy Eane, but her power was nearly as great as theirs, and she always escaped their punishments. Time and again, the gods attempted to bring peace to the Tribe, to mend the hearts of the brothers --and could not. Afraid they might lose the people of the Earth whom they loved, the gods agreed to send one representative to each brother and try once more to rid the Tribe of Eane and her terrible influence. Only the half-jackal, half-man god succeeded; the leader of the Anubinake agreed to grant peace and forgiveness to his brothers. But in their rage and greed, the two brothers pierced their third sibling with poisoned swords and watched him die. They united the Itumaniki and Utamaka; together they hunted and destroyed the Anubinake, offering no mercy to even the smallest babe. To save those who survived the vicious attacks, the jackal god gifted them with the ability to turn into ferocious beasts at will. No animal of its kind had ever been seen on the Earth --a great, furred creature that walked on two legs. The jackal god wept for the Anubinake. One blood tear crystallized and the god gave it to a wise healer, one of the few people who still honored the One Tribe. Her name was Jantra. She promised to keep it safe and use its powers for good. And hence, her name was handed down from one healer to the next, as was the precious jewel created from a god’s grief. In honor of the people slaughtered by Eane, the jackal god took the name Anubis. He cared for the dying and the dead, guarding the souls of the good… and punishing the souls of the evil. Unable to stop Eane or the warring of the remaining two tribes, the gods withdrew from the Earth, leaving the people to work out their own miseries. And the gods waited… until they were needed once again.1 Michele Bardsley The Pleasure Seekers 5: Anubis Amulet -5 - 1 Researcher’s Note: This story was supposedly translated from stone tablets taken from Kom Ombo. The site dates from 30,000 - 10,000 B.C.E and it is located on the eastern bank of the Nile in Upper Egypt. Since Paleolithic peoples could not write, much less read, the tablets must have somehow worked their way down into the layers of that settlement. We may never know how such an extraordinary event occurred. The only other option is to believe that an advanced culture existed very early in human history, but somehow we lost that culture and had to start over. Unfortunately, the first translation we have from these tablets dates to the early 19th century. We do not have the original tablets. They are believed to be lost or destroyed, making it impossible to confirm the existence of the original “Book of Eane.” It is interesting to note that some pieces from the Dead Sea Scrolls which have recently been restored parallel some elements of this story. However, even if the legend of the Anubis Amulet is not a cleverly written hoax, the only reasonable conclusion is that it is an ancient Egyptian myth lost to the ages. From The Anubinake Scrolls of Prophecy Scroll 105, Paragraph 33: The Alpha who takes as his mate a human woman will lose his crown and his life. The usurper of the throne will rule justly and wisely, bringing peace to the Pack. Scroll 107, Paragraph 4: Three ancients will return to mortal lives and take unto themselves wives… The circle of six will be blessed by Anubis and they shall become protectors of the Anubinake. Scroll 108, Paragraph 6: The progeny of the usurper of the throne will take as his mate the daughter of the one de-throned. The son born of this happy union will end the old ways of the Anubinake. A new world will dawn with Skye above all. Scroll 108, Paragraph 7: Eane’s children despise the Alpha and his Pack. The birth of the Alpha’s son will signal the war to end all wars. Eane’s children will rise against the just, slaughter the innocent, and destroy the Pack. Chapter 1 The personal diary of Alpha Queen Kat Skye… The mansion in California has been destroyed by fire. Lanie and Tanin, the betrayers, and their followers hoped to catch us unawares. They struck in the hour before dawn, stealthy warriors penetrating the house without effort. We were prepared to be attacked, but still, we were lucky to make our escape. Months ago, we moved all the scrolls and other important Anubinake artifacts to a new location known only by a loyal few. My paintings were destroyed in the blaze. Rand tried to save them, but I told him I wanted him more than I wanted those dream-scapes. I live the dream… with him. Our pack members move every few days, hoping to shake off the betrayer assassins. I don’t know where we can go where we will be safe --at least long enough to implement our plans. We are in Las Vegas, all staying at different hotels, meeting at night and in secret. Tonight, the pleasure seekers complete the final rite in the Mohave Desert; they will receive their powers and become the protectors of the Pack. We have spent almost six months preparing the pleasure seekers for the ritual that will return their magic to them. When their powers return, I will be relieved. I want my husband and our unborn son safe. I will give birth, if all goes well, in three months. I feel the strength of my son, he kicks and moves all the time. He will bring our dark days to an end. I know it. I only hope that I am the one who finds and kills Lanie. I care not that she shared my bed or my confidences. I care only that she betrayed Rand and our Pack. What a little fool she is. And it will be my pleasure to rip out her throat. * “We are so totally screwed,” said Mia as she entered the hotel room. “We are out of our fucking minds, you know that?” She slammed shut the door, ran and leapt onto the bed. Zemna bounced about a half foot in the air. Michele Bardsley The Pleasure Seekers 5: Anubis Amulet -8 - Laughing, he rolled onto his side and gathered her into his arms. “You mentioned screwing and fucking. Are those Freudian slips?” “Yeah. Because you know, when I want to have sex with you, I’m real shy about saying so.” “Like when we made love in the pool,” he said, remembering last night’s midnight jaunt into the closed area. The memory brought with it a sense of naughty accomplishment. His hands coasted to her ass and he squeezed. “I liked the feel of the water around us.” “I liked the feel of you inside me.” He kissed her brow and chuckled. “I admit that was the best part.” Slowly, reality penetrated his happiness. “Is there news?” “Tonight’s the night, babe. The six of us will go out into the desert, do the voodoo, and wham-o, we will zap those house-burning bastards the minute we find ’em.” “And your reference to ‘being screwed’?” “Oh that. Because we’re doing this gig for these werewolves. Don’t you ever wonder if we made the right decision? If we should back out and go try to live a nonweird life somewhere else?” “We are mortal,” he said, still in wonderment that he would one day die, hopefully of old age. “Our destiny lies with the Pack. You’ve read the scrolls numerous times. Seen the evidence in the woodcuts.” “Yeah. I really like Rand and Kat. And the other woofers.” “I don’t think they like to be called ‘woofers’.” “That’s why I do it.” She kissed him on the lips, dipping her tongue for a quick taste. That little gesture sent a spear of desire to his groin. It seemed he had a perpetual hard-on for Mia. His cock wedged tightly against his jeans and he groaned. Pressing his mouth to hers, Zemna kissed her deeply, his tongue warring with hers. Michele Bardsley The Pleasure Seekers 5: Anubis Amulet -9 - Her playfulness disappeared in an instant. She dragged off his shirt and spread her palms on his ribcage, her fingers dancing a familiar path to his jeans. Seconds later, his pants were off and so were the smiley face boxers she’d bought him. He reciprocated the clothing removal --and she was naked before him. “You are so beautiful,” he said, rolling her responsive nipple between his fingers. He sucked the peak, flicking the tip with his tongue. Mia’s low moan wound through him, encouraging him to devote attention to her other breast. “You’re a breast man, definitely,” she murmured, dragging his face up to hers for a kiss. “No,” he said against her lips, “I’m a Mia man.” She laughed and he caught the sound, inhaled it. Mia. His hands strayed into her red hair, threading through the thick strands. As he nibbled the soft skin of her neck, he felt her slim fingers wrap around his hard cock. She stroked it, her little pants sending desirous zings straight to his groin. Then she whispered, “Fuck me.” Guiding his penis to her juicy cunt, she urged him inside. “Mia…” He pressed his cock at the entrance, shuddering at the pleasurable contact and hesitating. He wanted to worship Mia some more, to taste every inch of her pearlescent skin, and bring her to orgasm before plunging his cock into her pussy. Yet, he sensed the harshness of her need. She’s worried about tonight. The pleasure seekers and their wives would receive the magical gifts bestowed by Anubis, the god of the Anubinake, but Mia would have an additional burden - -she would become the Jantra, the healer for Rand and Kat’s Pack. Giving in to Mia’s whispered commands, Zemna plunged inside her warm heat. God, she felt so tight, so wet. Mia wrapped her legs around him, urging him deeper. Her hot breath fanned the underside of his jaw as she said again, “Fuck me, baby. Fuck me hard.” Michele Bardsley The Pleasure Seekers 5: Anubis Amulet -10 - Zemna slammed into her again and again, his eyes closed, his groans harsh. Her hands slid down to his ass and she grabbed his buttocks. Her caresses tortured; the slow drag of her nails against his flesh offered a raw pleasure. Mia’s cries were low, guttural. He stroked harder, faster, knowing she was close. Her cunt pulsated around his cock… then she was arching, screaming, and coming, her nails digging into his ass. Her pleasure drove him over the edge. He thrust hard and emptied his seed, his own cry of joy mingling with the echoes of Mia’s screams. Later, they cuddled on the bed, still naked, a cotton sheet pulled up to their waists. They tried to watch TV, but neither the sitcoms nor the pay-per-view movies were interesting enough to take their minds off their worries. The final ritual would be performed in a few hours. And then, their lives would be changed. For the better… or the worse? “Are you nervous about becoming Jantra?” asked Zemna. He pointed the remote at the television and turned it off. The hum of the air conditioner filtered into the silence. The murmur of traffic inching down Las Vegas Boulevard invaded the room, too. “A little. I mean… why me? Charron’s more patient and she’s got the kid so she’s, you know, nurturing and all that shit. Plus, she’s the wife of Dake and he’s like the leader.” “You are worthy of Jantra. You are strong, Mia. You are courageous and kind and loyal.” “Either I’m a Jantra or a new puppy.”