Soul Hunger

Though the word vampire had been used to describe them, they were nothing of the kind. The Chosen could not be affected by garlic or icons from the one god. They did not need to sleep in coffins or fear the sunlight. Only the enemies of Ra had to fear the sun god’s rays of light. For he and his men, the sun strengthened them when injured or weak

The warriors usually fed once a week, taking only what they needed. But they did not subsist on blood alone. Being very much alive, they needed food as well

He absentmindedly ran his tongue across the sharp fangs inside his mouth. Just as the demons they fought, Ra’s Chosen needed to feed off humans. But instead of souls, they needed their blood to keep them strong. Unlike the undead, the Chosen didn’t kill the ones they drank from. The donors found the experience pleasurable, to the point of orgasm. It affected both parties that way, which had the warriors only seeking out women

Before the conversation could go any further, Takan interrupted. “I think something is brewing, Mehen. I can feel it. We tracked Sek and Mot here from Egypt all those years ago, and we have yet to find their lair. And it’s been too quiet. They have to make a major move soon

Their eyes that had been dark brown at birth had transmuted to a very pale brown, verging on the color of gold. The change had taken place after each man had been accepted as one of Ra’s chosen and received the god’s gift

And each bore the mark of Ra across the back of their shoulders just as Mehen and Set did—a winged sun with the eye of Ra in its center

demons Sek and Mot into the world, the first creators of the undead and the ones Ra’s Chosen had not yet been able to destroy

. For the undead, bronze was their greatest enemy. It took only one cut from such a blade to end their unnatural existence. The sword was so much a part of him, Mehen sometimes felt naked without it strapped to his back.
Placing the sword on the table, Mehen’s gaze touched on each of the five men who he’d led into countless battles over the ages. As their leader, he felt responsible for each and every one of them.
The first to meet his gaze was Set, his second-in-command. Mehen had a much longer history with Set than he had with the rest of the warriors. He trusted Set with his life and couldn’t picture not having him fight by his side. They both knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and supported each other in times of need. Both he and Set had been the first of Ra’s Chosen

. The walls had been painted to match the color of the stone used for the Temple of Amon Ra at Karnak in Egypt. On top of that, in bright jewel tones, hieroglyphs and pictures of many of Ra’s exploits had been painstakingly hand painted. It had all been done by Takan, one of his fellow warriors

He had now entered the inner sanctum of Ra’s Chosen. The security system could not be triggered by the mind alone at any of the doors that led inside their headquarters. The stone, a gift from Ra himself, had been their one and only safeguard in the past. Only the blood of the six warriors of Ra’s Chosen could unlock the stone’s protection. The advent of modern technology had meant they could now employ even greater security measures