Apparently. And now common sense told me I needed to get away. I backed up a few steps and sidled a little closer to the open glass door. “What do you want from me, anyway? Why are you following me?”
“We are…connected, Lily.”
“Connected,” I repeated flatly.
“Yes. I have done a spell that has tied my ka to yours.”
“Your ka? What the heck is that?”
“Ka is like…” He slapped his palm against his head and walked away, his white skirt swishing around his muscular thighs.
With his back turned to me, I got a good view of his broad shoulders and his strong arms, which were only slightly less distracting than his wide chest and very nice abs. I shook my head to clear it. Was he really the most attractive guy I’d ever seen, or was he just manipulating me into believing that he was?
He spun around quickly and though he didn’t seem to notice my gaze redirecting from his body to his face, my cheeks burned. This time I didn’t get the sense that he was aware that I found him attractive. I frowned as I acknowledged that those feelings had come from my own head and not his.
“It’s like a life force,” he continued. “My life force is tied to yours.”
“I still don’t understand. Are you trying to say we’re soul mates?”
“Mates?” This time color stained his cheeks. “No. We are not coupled in that way.”
I couldn’t help it. I snickered. Biting my lip, I wondered if I should be glad or insulted that he didn’t like me like that.
Amon suddenly seemed nervous and dropped his eyes. “Your”—he gestured to my midsection—“inner workings, your viscera—the stomach, lungs, liver, intestines, even your heart—are linked to mine. This connection has caused you pain. I am sorry for this, but I was desperate. You see, I cannot survive long in this world without my jars of death, and since—”
I held up my hand. “Wait. A. Minute,” I said, punctuating each word. “Are you saying that you’re borrowing my ‘inner workings’ because you couldn’t find your canopic jars?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re serious?”
“Yes.”
There wasn’t even a hint on his face to say he was anything but sincere. All right. I decided to go along with the craziness for just a moment and try to figure out what exactly was getting lost in translation. At least I was now getting some answers.
“So you’re saying that I’ve been feeling sick because of this spell you cast.”
“Your thoughts are correct.”
“And so…you’re what, exactly? An organ vampire?” A mind-melding vampire was something I understood if not believed in.
“I do not understand ‘vampire.’ ”
“You know. A bloodsucker. A garlic hater. Turns into a bat. A sparkly demon that avoids sunlight. That sort of thing.”
“I do not avoid sunlight; the sun strengthens me. And I do not drink blood.”
“Uh-huh. So that makes you a…” I did the mom trick and waited for him to fill in the blank, but he just stood there looking at me.
“Okay,” I said, embracing my inner sarcasm. “Then choose the answer that best applies to you. ‘I am (a) crazy, (b) a tanning-slash-workout junkie, (c) an ax murderer looking for a place to put his organs, or (d) a figment of Lily’s very inventive imagination.’ ”
He frowned. “I am lucid of mind, Lily. I do not understand ‘tanning,’ and the only lives I have ever taken were those of evil men.”
I was about to ask a question about the killing of evil men when Amon strode boldly toward me. Again, I found I couldn’t move, though his increasing proximity was setting off alarms in my brain. He gently pressed his palm to my cheek and gazed at me with eyes greener than the grass in Ireland.
Instantly, I became aware of his unique scent—liquid amber with a kiss of cashmere and a hint of myrrh warmed in the sun. I liked it. A lot. I didn’t want to. My cheek burned where his palm rested, and I found I couldn’t turn away from him.
With the utmost earnestness, he asked, “Does my touch prove to you that I am a real man and not someone found only in your dreams?”
My throat had suddenly gone dry. I made an effort to swallow and reply, but instead I focused on his full lips and merely nodded, especially when I realized that I didn’t really know how to answer his question.
His hand slipped down my face to cup my chin, and he studied my expression for a moment before saying, “You do not need to fear me, Lily. You are hurting because of my actions. Please let me help.”
After he said that, I was able to focus once again on the throbbing at the base of my neck, the ache in my limbs, and the nauseating quiver in my stomach. I nodded, confused but trusting at that moment, despite the other half of my mind protesting to the contrary.
Amon took a step closer, miles of bare chest mere inches from me, and even without coming into full-body contact, I felt prickles of warmth sink into my frame like I’d been shot with little solar arrows.
Closing his eyes, Amon placed his hands on my neck and cupped it gently. The thought briefly occurred to me that I might soon be strangled, but he held me as carefully as a butterfly. He began murmuring and his hands burned in a VapoRub kind of way. My skin tingled as heat ran through my body, shutting off the pain and leaving a blessed numbness in its wake.
When Amon lifted his head and staggered back a few steps, I could see the cost of whatever it was he had done. His golden skin now had a gray, pasty tinge and his bright eyes looked tired, more brown than green.
Sinking on to the nearest piece of patio furniture, Amon buried his face in his hands, his chest rising and falling quickly, his breathing as shallow as if he had just run a race.
“What did you do?” I asked, trying to make sense of what had happened.
“I gave back some of the energy I stole. Unfortunately, it is only a temporary reprieve, Young Lily.”
“Temporary?”
“Yes. The pain will return, but I will share the burden of it for as long as I am able. You must believe that it was never my desire for you to share my fate.”
“Look, I’m not really following you, fate-wise. I’m just going to assume that you did some kind of hypnotherapy on me, and it worked. So thank you. I feel much better.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, I sank onto the cushion next to him. His emotions tasted bitter. Assuming he was telling the truth and we were connected, then what I was feeling now could, in theory, be coming from him. Pain. Weakness. And something else…something beneath the surface. It finally came to me: loneliness. As quickly as I made sense of it, the emotion was smothered.
“Do not delve too deeply, Young Lily.” Amon leaned his head back against the cushion and added softly, “You may not like what you find.”
He closed his eyes, long lashes casting shadows across his cheekbones. Tentatively, I pressed the back of my hand against his forehead. His skin, which had been full of heat a mere moment before, had turned as cold as ice. “You’re freezing,” I declared.
I rushed into my room and scooped up my down comforter, stopping to close and lock my bedroom door just in case a parental figure decided to check on me, and headed back to the veranda. After tucking the comforter around Amon, I asked, “Were you serious when you said the sun makes you stronger?”
“Yes, Lily,” he whispered.
“All right, then. Let’s get you back into the sun.” I didn’t understand what was happening between us, but his weakness had created an even stronger tangible pull. It was gentle but persistent. It came at me in little waves, slowly sapping my strength.
“Your thoughts are correct,” Amon said as I shuffled him to a bench bathed in sunlight. “But I will attempt to use as little of your energy as possible.”
“Can you read my thoughts?”
“I understand you in the way you understand me,” he explained cryptically. After he was settled, he mumbled, “Thank you, Lily.”
The sun really did revive him. The
difference was noticeable and undeniable. His draw on me lessened until I could barely feel it. After a few moments of observing him, I said, “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. You probably have a condition. Like one of those rare sun allergies, except you’re the opposite. You’ve got a problem with shade.” But if that was really the case, then how had Amon given his strange sun condition to me? “Amon? You mentioned sharing my energy.”
“Yes. That is right,” he replied.
“So yesterday when you were injured, you borrowed my energy to heal yourself. Is that correct?”
“Partly. You are my tie to this world. Like an anchor on a boat. I can draw all my power only when I am fully formed. Until I am in my proper frame, I must remain linked to you.”
This was getting weirder by the second. “Okay, let me see if I understand. Your body works like a solar panel, with the sun functioning as your own personal miracle cure, you’re in desperate need of an organ transplant, and for the time being you need me to be your Energizer Bunny.”
I didn’t realize I’d been gesturing until Amon took my hands in his. “Lily, your words are confusing to me. Though I do get power from the sun, it is not enough to do the things I must do in the time allotted. Without the jars that hold the remainder of my essence, I will soon die.”
“You’re dying?”
He nodded. “It is not the right time. I need to remain in this world until I have accomplished my purpose.”
Oh.
My half-realized attempts at minimalizing his symptoms vanished, tamped down by the seriousness of his condition. Common sense and practical Lilliana took over. I squeezed his hand. “Of course you do. You are far too young to die.”
Everything suddenly fit into place. He was still lost, but now I knew that he was also terminally ill.
The organ business was likely because he was in organ failure, and he must have been put on heavy medication, which made him a little loopy.
Testing alternative healing methods would explain his obsession with healing and energy transfer. Someone probably hadn’t kept an eye on him, and he had wandered off wearing nothing but a white sheet, which had likely come from his hospital bed. That also explained the bare feet and the hair loss for a guy so young. I wondered if he had gone to the museum as a dying wish.
“Lily?”
His simple utterance of my name made the spinning wheels in my mind come to a complete stop. “Yes, Amon?” I replied softly, with an apologetic sort of smile.
“I sense your thoughts. Though it is true that my body is weakened, there is no sickness in my mind. I do not have much time in your world, and the ceremony must be completed while I have strength. If I can raise my brothers, they will help me finish what I must do, but to do that I need your help finding them.”
“You want me to help you find your brothers?”
“Yes.”
Relief flooded through me. “Of course. I’ll do whatever I can. Were they at the museum with you?”
He shook his head. “They are lost like me.”
So he wanted to reconnect with his brothers. Well, if he needed help with his bucket list, then that was something I could do. Leaving him in the sun, I headed back into my room and returned with a pad of paper and my trusty mechanical pencil.
“Okay, let’s start with names.”
He nodded. “One is named Asten.”
I penciled in Asten.
“He is the son of Khalfani.”
“Right. Last name Khalfani.”
“No. His father’s name is Khalfani.”
“Okay, good. That’s very good, Amon.” I smiled brightly. “What’s his last name?” I asked slowly.
Amon’s eyes narrowed, but he answered my question. “He is known only as Asten, but sometimes he is also called the Celestial Magician or the Cosmic Dreamer.”
“Um…okay.” I jotted down possible magician/check Vegas, and then asked about his other brother.
“He is named Ahmose, and he was once the prince of Waset.”
“Waset. Is that a country?”
“It was once a great city.”
“I see. Go on,” I said as I wrote possible politician.
“He is the Great Healer, and the Master of both Beast and Storm.”
“Gotcha.” I adjusted my notes. Crossing off possible politician, I wrote veterinarian or perhaps weatherman.
“When was the last time you saw either of them?”
“It’s been a millennium.”
“Uh-huh.” For a moment the only noise was the scratching of my pencil.
Closing my book with a pop, I said, “I think I have a good place to start.” I put my hand on Amon’s bare shoulder and squeezed gently. “I promise I’ll do my best to find your brothers and get you where you need to be.”
“Thank you, Young Lily.”
“You’re welcome. Now, how about some sustenance?” Pausing briefly, I added, “Can you eat solid food?” I should never have fed a cancer patient a hot dog. What was I thinking?
“Do you have a hot dog?” he asked, as if reading my mind.
“Hot dogs aren’t very nutritious, and it’s unlikely there’d be any here, but I’ll order something for you. Something soft that will be easy on the stomach.”
“My teeth are sound. I do not require mush. My arrival is often celebrated with feasting and song, but you can sing for me at another time. I confess that at the moment I am hungrier than an outcast jackal and would not put off a feast for any entertainment, no matter how riveting.”
“Right. I’ll hold off on the riveting singing. A feast, though, I can arrange. You just stay right here in the sun until I get back.”
He nodded, the fatigue on his face obvious.
Carefully closing the sliding door behind me and drawing the curtains, I grabbed my robe and headed toward the kitchen, stopping to check my reflection in the mirror. My dark hair hung down my back in thick, messy waves. The blue eyes looking back at me were bright, and my cheeks sun-kissed.
I was definitely not looking like the poised, elegant, controlled girl I usually was. I appeared excited, wild, and a little frenzied. Making a deliberate effort to calm myself and smooth my hair, I proceeded slowly to the kitchen. It was empty. My parents must have left early. Then it hit me that it was Marcella’s day off, too. Perfect.
I called room service and placed my order, then headed back to the veranda.
“Have you soaked up enough sun?” I asked.
“I have taken in all I can for the moment.”
“Great. Let’s get you inside, then.”
He followed me into my room and watched with interest as I hastily grabbed a lacy black bra from the back of a chair and tossed it and my comforter in a wrinkled heap on the bed.
“So, your breakfast is coming, but that will take a half hour or so. I’m going to raid my father’s closet for some clothes for you. In the meantime, do you want to take a shower?”
“A shower?”
“Unless you prefer a bath?”
“Ah. Yes, I would enjoy a good scrubbing.”
“Great. So I’ll get the clothes, and the bathroom is just through there.”
Amon gave me a quizzical look before heading into the bathroom. I left him to his own devices while I scrounged up something for him to wear.
My parents’ bedroom and bathroom were even bigger than mine, and their closet was ginormous. I knew that Father had some old T-shirts and jeans in drawers in the back. I dug up a pair of sneakers, socks, a workout tee, sweatpants, and a lightweight jacket, and was headed back into my parents’ room when the thought occurred to me that Amon might need underwear.
Going through my father’s underwear drawer was not something I ever thought I’d have to do, but I was even more out of sorts when I considered which pair would best fit Amon. Finally, I settled on some generic boxers and headed to my bathroom.
When I returned, it sounded like Niagara Falls was thundering over a cliff in my room. All the fixtures were streamin
g water at full force. Amon stood by the sink staring at his reflection with fascination.
“This bathroom”—he tested out the word—“is unique.”
I turned off the water in the sink. “I suppose it is. Here are your clothes. Did you decide on a bath or a shower?”
“Which is the shower?” he asked.
When I pointed to the spa-style shower, which was currently pounding water from every one of its multiple body sprays and jets, Amon glanced in that direction but turned to the tub instead, reaching for his man skirt. He began playing with a tie on one side.
I held up my hands, spinning around, and involuntarily squeaked when I could still see him in the mirror attempting to disrobe. Quickly shutting my eyes, I said, “Whoa, there. Could you at least wait until I leave?”
“Why would you leave?”
“Um…a little thing called modesty?”
“Mod…esty?”
“Yeah. You know. Not showing what the Egyptian gods gave you. That sort of thing.”
“I do not understand. Then who will wash me?”
A burst of laughter came out before I could stifle it. “Uh, yourself?” With eyes still shut, I felt my way over to the sink and then from there to the door. “Amon, I realize you probably had nurses in the hospital giving you sponge baths and all, but I am just not prepared to take that step with you. Okay?”
I heard the unmistakable sound of clothing hitting the floor and then the swoosh of water as he sank into the tub. “Very well, Lily. You may keep your mod…esty.”
“Thanks.” I backed far enough away so that the only thing I would be able to see was his head and then opened my eyes.
“Here.” I tossed him a washcloth and a bar of soap. “If you want the jets on, push that button on the side. Over on the left, by your hand.”
The look of amazement on his face when the jets came on was priceless.
“Towels are on the heated rack on the left side of the tub. Food will be here in twenty minutes.” I shut the door behind me and then added, shouting, “And make sure you come out dressed!”
I quickly straightened up my room, and not long after the phone rang, indicating that the food was ready. I met the server by the elevator, signed the form, and took the cart from him. “I’ll call when you can come pick it up, okay?”
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