Under Wraps: An Urban Fantasy Adventure (Werewolves vs. Mummies Book 1) by J.A. Cipriano

we followed behind Anubis. It would have been a great place for a photoshoot or a picnic.
    Anubis’ huge, eight foot tall form chewed up the distance so quickly, I had to jog to keep up with him. The trip through his portal had been relatively uneventful. In fact, it was more like stepping through a doorway. One moment we were on the bank of the Nile, and the next we were here, wherever here was.
    “This looks a little strange to be the underworld,” I said, murmuring to myself. “Where are all the skulls and stuff?”
    “We’re not in the underworld,” Aziza snapped, elbowing me in the side. She was breathing hard, which was odd because I didn’t think mummies needed to breathe. “This is the Duat. Anubis isn’t powerful enough to take us directly to the underworld so he’s taking us through the spirit realm.”
    “Why does it seem like the two of you don’t really get along?” I asked when she wasn’t immediately stuck down by a bolt of lightning.
    She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. Was there some kind of history between her and the god of death? If there was, did I really want to know about it? Not really. Getting into the middle of a spat between anyone and Anubis seemed like a horrible idea.
    “We’ll be in the underworld shortly,” Anubis said, and just as the words left his mouth, a badly painted red door appeared in front of him. A small white-pawed tabby lay in front it napping. When it saw us, it stretched, paws reaching out toward us as its mouth opened into a yawn.
    Anubis stopped, standing stock still as he stared at the feline. It reminded me of a deer going stock still the moment before it bolted. Very slowly, the cat rose and sauntered forward, tail up in the air like a bent antenna. It rubbed its furry face against Anubis’ leg, all the while staring directly at Aziza. Anubis swallowed, glancing from the cat to Aziza and back again.
    “Hello, Bast,” Aziza said, words clipped and angry. “How are you?”
    “Purrfect,” the cat replied in a voice that made me think of rich cream and blood. It smirked, leaning back on its haunches and licking itself, tongue dragging along its fur in an almost obscene way.
    Aziza turned her glare from the cat to Anubis, her hands on her hips. “Seriously?”
    “I didn’t know she would be here,” Anubis said, voice very careful sounding. His arrogance seemed to have vanished into smoke. His head swiveled back and forth between Aziza and Bast, and for a moment, it was like watching a jackal-faced bobble head.
    “Um… is there a problem?” I asked, unsure of what to do.
    “No,” Anubis and Aziza said at the same time. The cat kept licking itself. The sound of its tongue on its fur was like sandpaper scraping on flesh, and while I wasn’t positive, it seemed like it was getting louder. But how was that possible?
    “Well, can we go through the door and kill mummies then? I have a soul to find,” and as I said the words a thought popped into my werewolf brain. “Speaking of which, I’m looking for the soul of my friend, Connor. I don’t suppose you know where it is? It came from the twenty-first century.” I looked at the floor sheepishly. “It’s sort of the reason I’m in Egypt to begin with.”
    Anubis looked at me for a long time before inclining his head very slightly in a gesture that seemed to say he was sorry.
    “No,” he said several seconds later. “But I’ll check around and let you know what I find.”
    “Sweet, thanks a lot,” I said, and a huge weight felt like it lifted from my shoulders. Admittedly, I’d felt a little bad because between fighting mummies and tracking down the Book of Thoth, I hadn’t spent even five seconds looking for my friend Connor’s soul. But this was Anubis, one of the rulers of the underworld. If he was going to look for it, the soul was as good as found, right?
    Once he found it, all I’d have to do was take it back home. Then I could wake Connor back up and forget this