to ask the question Shelly was sure was coming. If they shared one brain, surely she’d understand.
“Can the lord of the underworld smite someone?” Tara asked.
There goes the one brain theory. Shelly’s lips pursed. “I’ve got an already irritated mate over the mere mention of that man’s name, and you ask me something about him in front of Ra?”
Tara nodded slowly. “Um, yeah, I can see how that might not improve your situation, but I’m curious, and you’ve got experience with the devil.” Ra growled, and she glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Experience?” Shelly said as she shook her head and pressed her hand over her face. “That’s the word you had to use?”
“Okay, maybe that was a poor choice of description,” Tara admitted.
“I know nothing,” Shelly finally said as she cut her hand through the air like a blade. “I don’t know who you're talking about. Lord of the underworld who? I’ve never met the dude. If I had, he would be dead to me.” She paused and then laughed. “Dead to me. Get it? Because he’s in hell.”
“You were doing good until that comment,” Tara muttered.
“Damn,” Shelly huffed. “I swear my humor gets me in more trouble.”
“This is just getting weirder and weirder,” Shelly’s mom muttered. “Okay, for the sake of humoring those of us that are not quite as magnanimous as your father,” her mom said, “you said you could give us proof. What kind of proof?”
“I believe that means you’re up,” Shelly said as she looked at Ra.
Chapter 7
His intense eyes met hers. “What would you have me do, Mery?”
Shelly’s eyes widened at the suggestive tone in his voice. I’d have you not be doing that whole sexy, deep voice that makes me want to strip you down in my parent’s living room. Wow, I need to rein in my hormones. “You know, the fire stuff,” she said weakly. He’s looking at me like he wants to light my fire and not his own. HA! That almost made me laugh out loud. Light my fire, get it? Yes, it was lame. Lame is my go-to maneuver when I’m trying to keep my crap together.
“You want me to heat some food for them?” he asked.
Shelly smacked his chest. “You’re being intentionally obtuse.”
His lips twitched a little as if he was going to smile. “I would never be intentionally obtuse with you, beloved. "
“Oi.” Elias’s voice came from behind them. “In case you two have forgotten, her parents are literally sitting a foot away. Could you refrain from verbal foreplay, please?”
“Excellent point,” Shelly said as she kept her eyes on Ra. She knew if she looked at her parents she was going to need to dig a hole to crawl into.
Ra finally decided to cut her some slack, but not before he said, “There will be payback for the bunny with fangs comment, Mery.” Before she could respond, he held up his hand and a flame suddenly appeared. He said some words in the language that Shelly recognized as his ancestors’ native tongue, and the flame formed into the shape of a man. Then another flame appeared, and it took the shape of a… Shelly tilted her head to the side and frowned.
“Is that a rabbit?”
Ra didn’t respond as he continued to manipulate the fire. A flaming sword appeared in the man's hand, the rabbit rose up on its hind legs, and its mouth dropped open, revealing burning fangs. The sword-wielding man twirled in a circle, bringing his blade around with him, and sliced the fire rabbit’s head off.
Shelly released the breath she’d been holding. “Damn, dude, you really didn’t like me saying that about O, did you?”
“No nicknames, either,” Ra said as he closed his fist, and the flames were gone. His words weren’t harsh, but there was definitely that usual ring of authority in them. “Nicknames are for mates, not underworld lords who want to trap your soul.”
“And he doesn’t mean mates in the British sense,” Elias added.
“Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Shelly said dryly.
Shelly heard a throat clear. She leaned closer to Ra and whispered, “We’re going to talk about this later, mister.”
His eyes roamed over her face, and he gave her a single nod. “As you wish, mate.”
Shelly shook her head. His words might have sounded as if he was giving her some sort of concession, but she could feel his irritation through their bond. When he said, “as you wish,” what he was really saying was “damn straight we are, and your ass is getting