Anubis gripped the steering wheel, wondering what Sobek had offered Azazel. The man might’ve been his friend, but every deity had ulterior motives, and everything came with a price tag. And when it came to business, friendship was off the table. For instance, although Anubis had free rein to direct and produce anything he wanted for and on the Valleywood Studios lot, Azazel was an After Life board member with five percent of the company's shares, and he was certain the man wanted more.
“You still don’t get it, even after what I said earlier. Anubis, you have never seen me the way others have. I’m known as the god of anger and destruction, yet I yearn to be dominated by someone stronger than me. While some look down on me for that, others fear the darkness that lurks inside me and what I could unleash into the universe. Before you took me under your wing, even my mother and father didn’t want to be around me. At one time, I thought of moving to another world and living out my existence alone because I didn’t think I could let go of my rage. But you have never treated me any differently. You give me a purpose. I’m not afraid to crumble in front of you. Knowing that you have my back, I’m not ashamed to be me. A submissive who needs a dominant alpha to tame me.”
Some deities believed it was beneath them to bend a knee to anyone. Even to the higher gods. Sobek was the son of darkness and chaos, and there were two sides to him, one that was pure as light and the other so dark it made all the universes shudder.
“What would be the sense for me to walk away from you? We like what we like, Bek,” Anubis said. “But don’t tell me that’s why you’ve stuck by my side?”
“No,” Sobek answered. “As crazy as it sounds, I stayed by your side because I’m selfish for wanting to finish what you started. But more importantly, I enjoy what I’m doing with After Life and plan to take it far. And to ease your worry, I offered to babysit for Azazel occasionally.”
Damn, Cousin, you are a terrible liar,Anubis thought but didn’t call him out on it. He planned on dealing with Azazel on his own. “What the hell, Sobek? You gave me fucking ulcers, when all you agreed to do for him is babysit?”
Sobek chuckled. “Well, yeah—oh, and become an expert for his business news segment.”
“Holy shit,” Anubis said. “You’re willing to show your face to the world?” Except for when Sobek took his place as the pharaoh, he had refused to show the world his true face and wore a glamor. Anubis guessed something had happened during his absence, but Sobek refused to discuss it.
“I’m not willing, but like you, it’s time to step from behind the veil and just live my life the way I should.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yeah,” Sobek answered.
“Then if that is what you want to do, I will support any decision you make with the company. I trust you, Sobek.”
“Thank you, Cousin,” Sobek answered softly.
“Good.” Anubis started his car and returned to the traffic flow, feeling better. “I’m heading to meet with Azazel. I’ll stop by the office when I’m done talking with him. We’ll have dinner tonight; how’s that?”
“Sounds good.”
Anubis was about to disconnect their call when Sobek spoke again. “Anpu, wait, have you seen Thor lately? We were supposed to go golfing, but I ended up going out of town. I feel like he’s been avoiding me lately.”
Anubis nodded. “Yeah, last night. But only late in the night. He’s been really busy renovating the club. Don’t take it to heart, you know how single minded he gets when he’s focused on something. You should go and see him. Maybe give him some pointers on how to retrain his submissives.”
“That last part makes me think something happened.”
Anubis rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I haven’t been to the club in a while, so I might drop by when I get a break in my schedule.”
“Okay, I’m at the studio; I’ll see you in a few hours.” Anubis hung up the call as he parked his car in the parking spot for Michael Schultz. Anubis got out of the car, whistling a catchy tune as he strolled to the elevator and got on it when the doors opened, feeling relieved that he was the only person. He didn’t feel like being cordial at the moment. Pressing the button to his desired floor, he leaned back on the wall, lazily crossed his arms, and enjoyed the ride.
Anubis couldn’t deny that he enjoyed the extra perks from being associated with Valleywood Studios. He had a public relations company, a personal assistant, a manager, and a few others at his disposal that he never used. But he felt things would change when he signed on with Abandon Entertainment. Other than those who had been by his side for years and could understand his vision, Anubis had difficulty trusting newcomers. However, he would change that in the future and start letting others into his world. The elevator dinged when it stopped on the top floor, and Anubis got off when the doors opened, heading straight for Azazel’s office.
No one stopped him because they knew who and what he was, since most of the top-floor office workers were low-level demons. However, he knew that Azazel had a human assistant who was quite competent, though he was not sitting in his usual spot guarding the door against others who didn’t have an appointment to see his boss. Anubis had considered convincing the guy to work for him a time or two but decided against it. He’d rather find his own guard-dog assistant. Anubis entered Azazel’s office without knocking and wasn’t surprised to see Uriel sitting on one of the couches, flipping through a magazine, and Azazel sitting next to him. Since the two got back together, they’d been attached at the hip.
“Anubis!” Uriel stood with a warm smile on his face as he walked over to greet him. “How are you, old friend.”
Anubis had always liked Uriel and thought he was too good for the red-eyed devil. “I’m doing great,” he said, taking off his fedora and placing it on the conference table, and he was going to pull the blond man into a friendly embrace but stopped himself. Anubis knew how possessive he was when he had a lover and gathered Azazel was the same. Seeing another person hugging their mate could result in someone's limbs being chopped off. It didn’t matter if they were friends or not. Instead, he gave a slight nod and carried on the conversation. “I’m sorry I missed Lilith’s first birthday party, but I hope she liked her gift.”
“She loves it,” Uriel said. “It’s hard to pry it from her, so sometimes she sleeps with it.”
“Couldn’t you have found a less noisy toy?” Azazel said, joining the conversation.
“Does it annoy you?” Anubis asked, quirking a brow and getting a scowl from Azazel in response. “Good, then it’s done its job.”
“Just remember, payback is a bitch, asshole,” Azazel griped.
“I’m not worried.” Anubis rolled his eyes.
