“This is insane,” I said, looking up at Marcus.
“That’s Emaleia,” he replied, grinning. He grabbed a red silk robe which hung on the back of the door and passed it to me. “You can wear that until you’re ready to get dressed. Your wraps are ready by the way.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the robe and standing back up. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
A wicked gleam shone in his eyes. “Do you need help getting the dress off?”
I giggled and shooed him out. “Nice try.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Chapter 25
Marcus was right about one thing—he did make mean chicken tikka wraps. Oh, they were delicious. Fresh crisp shredded iceberg lettuce, mayonnaise, and tender chicken tikka strips, I could have eaten fifty of them in one sitting. I ate four whilst Marcus devoured three.
“I have dessert for you, by the way,” Marcus said, giving me a mischievous grin.
“I like the sound of that.”
He opened a cupboard behind him to reveal it stuffed full of packets of Snaps.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you being serious?”
“Of course. Anything that helps the lady feel more comfortable.”
I grinned. “Thank you. That’s really sweet.”
“Before you go and get ready,” Marcus said, handing me a packet of Snaps. “I have to ask if you looked into the myth of Isis and Osiris.”
My heart froze. I felt like a schoolchild who hadn’t done their homework. “I haven’t. Sorry. It was all too much to take in last night. Couldn’t quite process it enough to remember to research it.”
“It’s ok, you don’t need to apologise. I just wanted you to have an understanding of our kind before this evening. The ball is going to be attended by my friends and family and there are a lot of us.”
I nodded. “That makes sense. Of course. My phone is upstairs.”
He smiled. “I won’t make you read it. I’ll just tell you the story. You’ll find fifty different versions on the internet anyway.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Osiris was the first King of Egypt and the brother and husband of Isis.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s gross.”
“It was an acceptable view all those years ago. Anyway, Osiris had a brother, Set, or Seth as some people know him as. Set was incredibly jealous about his brother being the King and strongly believed the throne belonged to him. Set was married to his sister, Nephthys, who of course was also the sister of Osiris and Isis.”
“Wow. Proper little family incest thing going on there.”
He smirked. “Yes. Anyway, Osiris had one true love—Isis. Nephthys also had one true love—Osiris. Jealous of the relationship between her brother and sister, Nephthys disguised herself as Isis one night and climbed into bed with Osiris. The result of their union was the God, Anubis.”
“Him I’ve heard of.”
Marcus nodded. “Isis couldn’t be mad at her husband. He had been tricked at the end of the day. Set, when he heard of his wife’s trickery, grew even more resentful towards his brother. Not only did he have the affections of his wife, he also still held the throne Set believed to be his. Set started to plan a fine celebration in honour of his fantastic brother. At this party, Set had a wooden chest lined with sheets of gold and highly decorated. He announced that whoever fit in the chest perfectly could keep it.”
“Oh dear. I think I know where this is going.”
“What no one knew was that Set had sneaked into his brothers bed chamber one night and measured his body as he lay sleeping. He’d then commissioned a carpenter to build the chest according to the measurements. Obviously when Osiris lay in the chest, it fit him like a glove. Set slammed the lid shut. Everyone at the party had been an accomplice of Set’s and they all carried the chest down to the river Nile and threw it in.”
I shuddered. I couldn’t imagine drowning in a coffin. What a horrible way to go.
“When Isis heard what had happened to her husband, she scoured the banks of the Nile for days until she finally found the chest stuck against a tamarisk tree. She removed her husband’s body from the chest and pushed the chest back into the river. She then hid the body amongst the river grass until she could return to perform the proper rituals to allow him to pass into the afterlife. However, that night Set returned to the river in search of the chest, making sure it hadn’t gotten stuck anywhere. Whilst searching, he stumbled across his brother’s body hidden in the river grass.”
I found myself entranced by this story. Or maybe it was the way Marcus told it. Either way, I wanted to find out how this tragic story ended.
“Oh no,” I said. “What happened?”
“Set was infuriated. He cut his brother’s body up into fourteen pieces and hurled them all over Egypt. When Isis returned the next morning with Nephthys and her friends to perform the rituals, she became desperate when she realised his body had gone. She transformed into a huge bird and using her gift of sharp eyesight, flew all over the land to spot the pieces of her husband. She returned to her sister and her friends and spent days sewing Osiris’ body back together. Once he was whole again, they wrapped his body from head to toe in linin strips.”
“A mummy!” I said, a little too loudly.
Marcus laughed. “Yes. On the night of the next full moon, Isis performed a dark spell and brought her husband back to life. The couple embraced, Osiris forever grateful to his wife for bringing him back to life. He explained that he wouldn’t be able to stay in the world of the living. Their grandfather, Ra, had given him the most important job of all—being the King of the Afterlife. Because he was dead, he could only exist in the world of the dead. However, he had been granted until the next full moon to stay with his wife.”
I put a hand over my heart. “Awww, that’s so romantic but so tragic.”
“In the period that Osiris and Isis were together again, they conceived a child, Horus. He was the result of a union between the Queen of the living and the King of the Dead. The stories of Horus have been changed over the years to hide our existence and the truth of our origins, but he was the first vampire child. Fresh blood kept him alive and his inability to die kept him from living.”
“Wow. That’s amazing. I literally don’t know what to say. I honestly thought vampires could only be made.”
“Even if made vampires were the only kind, they would have had an origin. Everything starts somewhere.”
“How does it work? The whole making vampires thing?”
“Only a born vampire can create another vampire. Isis, essentially, was a powerful witch. She was a Goddess, she had all the power she ever needed. When she brought Osiris back to life and conceived Horus, the magic that ran through Osiris’ body passed into Horus. Born vampires are born of magic in theory.”
“Ahhh ok. So then magic is needed to make a vampire.”
He nodded. “If a made vampire tries to make another vampire, the subject will die a horrible, excruciating death. There is a lot of unrest between us and them. They feel it unfair that they can’t create but we can’t help the rules of magic and nature.”
“But doesn’t your magic pass into them when you turn them?”
“Yes, but it’s a miniscule amount.” He turned around and grabbed three glasses from the cupboards, then filled one to the brim with water. “Imagine this is Horus. Horus turns his friend, Bob.” I laughed. He poured some of the water from the first glass into the second glass. “Bob then turns his friend, Bill.” He poured some of the water from the second glass into the third glass. “The magic diminishes the further down the line you get. At this point, with Bill, there isn’t enough magic to sustain his body in a vampire form, but there’s also too many toxins in the blood for the human body to handle. The result is a war between the two blood types until the inevitable happens.”
“That’s really fascinating. This is a whole new world I want to learn so much abo
ut.”
Marcus looked at his watch. “Well, we need to be leaving in an hour.”
“Ok, point taken. Can I ask one more question?”
He nodded.
“Does wood kill you?”
A broad grin spread over his face. “Are you talking about born vampires or made vampires?”
“Is there a difference between what kills you both?”
“Oh yes. A very stark difference. Made vampires can be killed by all the ways you know from fiction—sunlight, wood, fire, being torn apart. Born vampires are completely different. We can only die from those things which afflicted Osiris into his death.”
I frowned as I thought back over the story. “So wood and water?”
“And gold. But the wood has to be specific. It has to be from a tamarisk tree. And yes, water. We can drown, surprisingly.”
I laughed. “Like, really?”
He nodded. “Water, as in huge bodies of it such as the sea, saps the magic out of us leaving us at best, little more than a regular human.”
“Wow. I never would have guessed that. Why gold?”
“Because the chest had been covered with gold. It weighed so much, that’s what caused the chest to take on water. Small amounts won’t kill us, just incapacitate, however it does have to enter the bloodstream. Large quantities could kill us but you’re talking about several pounds worth.”
“That’s so cool.”
“Finding things that can kill me?”
I giggled. “No, just how it all interlinks and is so different from anything movies and TV shows tell us.”
“I hate to be an old drill sergeant, but time is ticking. You should go and get ready.”
I stood up and nodded. “Oh, one last thing.”
A knowing smirk tweaked at his lips. “Yes?”
“That’s you in the oil painting, isn’t it?”
“In my younger days, yes.”
“When was it done?”
“Just before my mother went missing so around two hundred years ago, give or take a few.”
A heavy silence hung in the air making me feel bad for asking. I wanted to ask more questions but with the pain flooding his eyes, I decided to keep my wonderings to myself. There would be endless opportunities to talk to him.
“I’m going to...” I pointed upstairs “...go. I might need your help to tighten the dress.”
“That’s fine. Just call me when you need me.”
I ran out of there like the coward I was, hoping I hadn't dragged him down into a pitiful sorrow regarding his missing mother. I even left my Snaps behind. Faced with the task of searching through Emaleia’s drawers for the correct makeup, I soon forgot about the awkward situation I'd left in the kitchen.
Taking another look at the dress, I decided to go a little daring with my makeup. I liked the natural look, but that dress demanded attention so my makeup would have to suit. Smokey eyes would be the way to go.
After applying primer and foundation, I carefully followed a YouTube tutorial to give my smokey eyes the best shot of being what they should be. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t recognise myself. I’d never looked so...womanly. I applied rose pink lipstick and a sweeping brush of blusher over my cheeks. A quick dash of bronzer over the T area and I couldn’t believe my transformation. It made me curious what a professional would be able to do.
My hair had been left in its natural state since my shower this morning, so I decided to highlight my curls. I found bottles of frizz ease and hairspray in another drawer and scrunched my hair using my fingers.
So impressed with my own handiwork, I took a selfie and sent it to Hannah. Within thirty seconds, she had me on a video call.
“OH. EM. GEE. No way you did that yourself!”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Cat, you thought my eyeliner pencil was a colouring crayon last summer.”
I laughed. “They look exactly the same.”
She squinted and looked behind me. “Where are you?”
“At Marcus’. This is his sister’s bedroom. You should see some of her stuff. You would never leave.”
“Show me.”
“I can’t. It’s not mine to show.”
“CAT!!!” she wailed. “Come on, show me around. Then get dressed so I can see the finished product.”
“I don’t have time for that.”
A light chuckle sounded from behind me. “Indulge her. It’s fine.”
I turned around to see Marcus stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame with his shoulder.
“Who is that?” Hannah whispered.
“Marcus. I kept forgetting to send you the pictures my dad took of us.” I went and stood next to him, smiling at her.
“Get out. No way. He’s not real.”
Marcus laughed. “Unfortunately, I am.” He turned to me and kissed the side of my head. “You look absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you.”
“Get a room,” Hannah said, rolling her eyes.
“Speaking of rooms,” Marcus said. “Shall I show you around?”
I looked up at him, shocked. “What?”
“You finish getting ready and I'll take your friend here on a virtual tour.”
Hannah squealed.
My jaw dropped. “Really?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
I handed him my phone, not quite believing how cool he was with showing a stranger around his home. He gave her a tour of Emaleia’s room first as I picked my way through her boxes of jewellery. I found a pair of silver heart shaped drop earrings that held deep blue sapphires. I fell in love with them instantly, primarily because they reminded me of Marcus’ eyes.
I put them on and then removed the silk dressing gown. My heart started beating when I picked up the dress to put it back on. This time felt even more amazing than the last, mostly because I knew I now looked enough of the part to justify the dress.
As I waited for Marcus to come back, I picked through Emaleia’s shoe collection, finding a pair of slip on silver heels that were only a couple of inches high. More than enough for me or I'd topple over and break my ankle.
Marcus soon returned, with a very quiet Hannah on the other end of the phone.
“What have you done to her?” I asked, giggling.
He smirked. “Not guilty.”
I took my phone back from him to see a very ashen faced Hannah. “You ok?”
“Please tell me he’s got a single brother.”
I laughed. “Sorry.”
“Dad?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m ending the call now, Hannah. I’ll send you a picture of the finished product.”
“Caitlyn!”
I grinned and hung up on her.
“Quite a friend you have there,” Marcus said, smiling.
“She’s unique,” I said. “But she’s always been there for me.”
“They’re the best kind.”
I nodded. “Could you do me up please?”
“Of course.”
We fell silent as he tugged and pulled at the ribbons on the corset. At one point I thought he was trying to crush my rib cage. Then I realised if anyone knew how these things were supposed to be, it would be him.
When he’d finished, he turned me around and took a step back. “Wow. You really do look sensational, Caitlyn. You’re certainly going to make an impression this evening.”
Feeling cheeky, I gave him a mischievous smile and asked, “Do I look good enough to eat?”
His glittering eyes clouded over with a feral haze. He slipped his tongue out and licked his lips. “That’s a very daring question to ask me.”
I closed the gap between us and stared deep into his eyes. “You won’t hurt me.”
“You bring me to the very edge of temptation, Miss Snaps. Even the tamest of beasts loses its mind every now and again.”
I lowered my voice to a whisper and said, “I hope you lose all restraint with me.”
He closed
his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “Caitlyn...”
I put my hands on his hard chest and whispered, “Kiss me.”
Cupping my face in both of his hands, he kissed me, hard. He pressed his tongue against my lips and as soon as I opened my mouth, he ravaged me with such urgency, it took my breath away. Our tongues twisted around each other in a fast dance, consuming me with desire.
A small moan escaped me and in the blink of an eye, I found myself up against the wall with Marcus’ soft lips trailing down my neck. I ran my hands through his hair and fought against the want to tell him to bite me.
His breathing matched mine, short and erratic, and as his kisses slowed down to a diabolical tease, covering me in goose bumps, I gradually steadied my breaths.
“That was quite the kiss, Mr Davenport,” I whispered.
“I aim to please,” he whispered back, skimming his lips against my ear lobe.
“Maybe we can pick up where we left off the other night,” I said, my heart launching into a gallop.
“When we come home, of course.”
I laughed. “Of course. We couldn’t have you being late to anything.”
He lifted his head from my neck and touched his nose against mine. “I would be late to my own funeral for you.”
He ran his hands up my bare arms, tickling his fingers against my bare skin. I shivered under his touch. With his index finger, he traced the back of it along my neck and down my chest, coming to a stop at the plunge of the sweetheart neckline.
“I think you should undress me later,” I said, licking my lips.
“I think I would like that very much.”
He gave me a peck on the lips and then stepped back. “I’ll meet you downstairs in two minutes.”
Leaving little more than a slight breeze behind him, he disappeared. I ran to the mirror to check my makeup and sighed with relief when I saw nothing had smudged.
By the time I made it down the stairs in Emaleia’s high heels, Marcus was already waiting for me by the door.
“Let’s go, my lady.”
I grinned at him and grabbed his outstretched hand. Every time we touched, I wanted more. It was as if our bodies were magnets, some invisible force pulling us together. The longer we stayed connected, the harder it became to separate.
Love, Lies and Immortal Ties: A young adult paranormal romance (Love, Lies and Ties Book 1) Page 23