Lord of the Desert

by Nina Bruhns

  He splayed the buttons of his trousers, letting his desire spring free, then urged her to her knees in the sand. She looked up at him, her eyes reflecting the glitter of the stars and moon above. Slowly, she moved closer, her lips parting and her tongue reaching for his rampant cock as their gazes met and locked.

  She painted his turgid flesh with hot, wet strokes while she wrapped her fingers around him and squeezed. He grunted, a harsh, animal sound that vibrated from deep in his lungs. Her lips opened wider and enveloped him, almost bringing him to his own knees.

  His voracious hunger exploded as she worked him. He shot his fingers through her hair and wound its length around his fist as though she were the horse and he the rider. When he couldn’t stand it a moment longer, he dragged her mouth off him, and dropped down in front of her. He took her lips, and tasted himself on her. Desire flamed through his body, his carnal flesh still feeling the echoes of his recent shift.

  Fist still in her hair, he quickly turned her, pushed her to her hands and knees, and with a mighty thrust, mounted her from behind.

  She cried out his name and arched her back, meeting his thrust with one of her own. Accepting his domination. Urging him to go faster, harder.

  The animal in him thrilled to his possession of her. As did the man. They rode their passion to the brink of ecstasy, faster, harder, deeper than ever before, then together they closed their eyes and left the world behind in a blinding explosion of hearts and bodies.

  In the dark desert night, with the stars and planets as witnesses, Rhys knew she had become his one true mate.

  “Why did you do it?”

  Rhys wasn’t sure to what Gillian was referring. It could be any number of things. “Do what?” he asked.

  “Join the per netjer of Set-Sutekh.”

  “Ah.”

  They were wrapped in his Bedouin cloak, lying in each other’s arms on the warm sand and gazing up at the vast blanket of stars that twinkled overhead in an obsidian sky. Neither was in any hurry to face what awaited them at Khepesh, so they pretended it didn’t exist. For now.

  “I mean, you were a British lord, a man of considerable wealth and privilege, with a life anyone would envy. What made you give it all up, for…for this?”

  He pushed out a breath, casting over the memories he carried of his birthplace. The cold images and feelings had softened with time, but none were particularly content or happy, even seen through the tempering lens of a century and a quarter.

  “I don’t see it so much as giving up anything, but as gaining something else. Something much better.”

  “What?” she asked. “What did you find here that you didn’t have before?”

  “A home. Family. People who understand me and need me.”

  She canted over his chest and rested her chin on her hands. “But your real family seems nice. The ones alive today, anyway. They care about what became of you.”

  He made a face. “They care about the Kilpatrick name,” he corrected. “Heaven forbid my legacy besmirch it. Which reminds me, you should send a report to them saying you didn’t find my grave. The last thing we need is some nosy Kilpatrick showing up looking for it, or you.”

  She nodded. “I will. But I still don’t understand what made you choose Khepesh as your home. You could have just run off to America or Australia and lived like a king. Why join a cult in an uncivilized country, serving a god you don’t believe in?”

  “Egypt is hardly uncivilized. It’s the very cradle of human civilization,” he reminded her.

  “Don’t tell that to the Mesopotamians,” she drawled.

  He chuckled and pressed a kiss onto her forehead. “And I never said I don’t believe in Set-Sutekh. To me, he’s just one aspect of the all-encompassing God of creation. His personification might appear primitive to us, but the meaning he carries is just as relevant today as it was when mankind first emerged from the caves.”

  “A message of darkness?”

  “Darkness is the natural state of the universe. Just look above us. All dark, except for an insignificant scattering of burning cosmic dust. Darkness is the glue that binds it all together. To hold it in awe is to pay homage to the mystery of creation.”

  She digested that for a moment. “But…doesn’t it follow then that Re-Horakhti, the God of Light and Sun, represents knowledge and the rise of consciousness?” she persisted. “Why not choose the god of reason and enlightenment?”

  “You’ve met Haru-Re, right?” he asked drily.

  She half smiled. “He’s just the priest, not the god.”

  Rhys sighed. “I suppose.” He thought for a moment. “I guess I was drawn to the darkness because of my dissolute lifestyle. Back then, I was a rake and a hellion, and thrived in the nightlife that supported my less-than-gentlemanly tendencies. But I’ve come to realize that darkness itself has nothing to do with wickedness. Wickedness resides solely in the man who exploits it.”

  She quietly digested that, too, then asked, “Then why the two gods? What is the true difference between darkness and light?”

  “There is none,” he said. “It’s what men make of them that counts. It doesn’t matter which aspect we serve. In the end, mankind needs both the darkness and the light to survive.”

  They watched the unfolding of the sky for several long minutes, content in their closeness, two matched souls in the vast solitude of the desert night.

  “So…” she said at length, drawing her finger lightly down his body. “How wicked were you, exactly? Back in the day?”

  He smiled, his body stirring at her touch. “Very wicked.”

  “What kind of sinful things did you do?” she asked.

  “Oh, all sorts of very naughty things.”

  “Tell me,” she whispered. “Tell me everything.”

  “Hmm,” he murmured, rolling her under him. “I’d much rather show you.”

  “She’s gone, my lady. I can’t find Miss Haliday anywhere.”

  Nephtys took the shemat’s news calmly. She hadn’t needed the Eye of Horus to predict this development. The girl was headstrong and willful. And head over heels in love. “And Lord Kilpatrick?”

  The shemat shuffled her feet. “Gone, as well. But he frequently visits his home aboveground. His absence may be unconnected.”

  Nephtys sent the acolyte a withering glance. “Perhaps.” But not terribly likely. “Thank you. I’ll take care of it.” She waved a hand in dismissal.

  She was sitting at her vanity, touching up her makeup after a much-needed nap. She hadn’t been sleeping well. She pushed out a sigh and met her own eyes in the mirror. Today she felt truly as old as her years on earth.

  What would she do about these two? They seemed determined to bring down the worst punishment upon themselves. All because of love.

  She made a face. Love. The most treacherous of all emotions! Like a spider it lured one into its web with sweet temptations, then poisoned one with its sting, devoured one’s body, finally to discard the empty shell of one’s heart without a second thought, moving on to its next hapless victim.

  She’d be doing the lovers a favor if she urged her brother simply to put them out of their wretched misery.

  Unbidden, thoughts of the man who still held her heart captive whispered through her body, raising goose bumps of long-banked passion. What would it feel like to have a man love her so much he was willing to risk all for a moment in her arms? To face death for a brush of her lips?

  She shivered with longing. Bringing to mind the taste of her lover’s kiss, the weight of his body, the thrust of his hard flesh as he took her.

  She let her head fall back as it had when he’d held her and kissed her and told her he’d never let her go. Her hand moved from the vanity to her knee, then trailed upward, seeking the moist warmth between her thighs. She touched herself, letting a soft sound of frustrated need slip past her lips.

  “Haru-Re,” she whispered. My love.

  And suddenly, he was there with her, her strong, princely lover
, and she was under him, clinging to the golden spindles of his bed as he sipped blood from her neck and slowly slayed her body with his awesome powers, robbing her of every thought but of pleasing him.

  “I have missed you, my only heart,” he murmured in her ear as his fangs grazed her lips, leaving thin trails of her own blood behind. Shivers of pleasure spilled over her, hot and intense. “Come back to me,” he whispered. “I need you. I want you here by my side.”

  His cock plunged deep into her, filling her, possessing her, until she screamed in exquisite pleasure. Yes, oh, yes!

  His hands found her breasts, his mouth following close behind. He tongued her nipples, then sucked deeply, one then the other, then back again. With each draw, she felt the prick of his fangs in her soft flesh, and with every pierce a climax swept through her, each more powerful than the last. His tongue lapped at the beads of blood and it was like aftershocks of the earthquake that was his sensual power.

  “Come back,” he whispered. “Come to Petru and I promise you pleasures such as you have never felt, power such as you have never possessed. Come back to me.”

  “Yes,” she moaned. “Yes, my love.”

  His cock expanded within her like a ghostly, ethereal presence, taking over her body, filling every inch of her flesh and blood with its chimerical manifestation. She released her will to him, as she had always done, and he took her over completely, making love to every cell of her being, rocking her universe, sending her to another plane of pleasure. It felt as though their very souls were joined as one. And when she came for him, it was like the sun breaking at dawn, filling her body with the electric life force of the cosmos, coming alive and transcending into pure, unending pleasure.

  She didn’t know when she’d lost consciousness, nor when she’d returned to herself and started to stir. Her breath still came fast and furious, her pulse pounding through her as if the armies of the pharaoh were chasing her.

  “Sweet Isis,” she murmured, squeezing her eyes even tighter in consternation. What had happened to her? This had not been a simple fantasy of self-pleasure.

  A vision?

  She had never before experienced one of such intensity. Or so disturbing. What could it mean?

  But no. If it was a vision, it had to have been a false prophecy. She would never give her betrayer a promise like that. A promise to a demigod was binding, on pain of death. And she would never go back to Haru-Re! Never.

  Just a dream. She was exhausted. She must have fallen asleep and had a nightmare.

  She took a deep, cleansing breath. Yes. That’s all it was, thank the merciful goddess! A vivid, up setting nightmare. And no one could be held to things they did or promises they made in the upside-down twilight world of sleep.

  She opened her eyes in relief.

  And instantly froze in horror.

  “No!” she cried in anguished disbelief.

  For there, glistening on her lips in stark accusation, lay twin tracks of blood trailing a path down her throat to two round, ragged punctures.

  Chapter 18

  Double doors swung open,

  The half-seen inner chambers—

  Out she’ll be soon,

  Furious I followed.

  —Papyrus Harris 500

  With his new certainty of their love so vividly imprinted on his mind and body, Rhys found the strength he needed to do what he knew he must. It wouldn’t be easy, and he was just as likely to end up headless as with the prize he sought, but the knowledge that Gillian felt as deeply for him as he did for her made the danger worth facing.

  But she wasn’t going to like this part.

  He didn’t bother taking her back in through the old tomb, but arrived at the Great Western Gate with his hand wrapped firmly around her wrist and the letter to her sisters tucked carefully into the folds of his robes.

  “What are you doing?” she protested, no doubt wondering at the abrupt change in him.

  “Just trust me.”

  “But Rhys—”

  “Follow my lead and we may have a chance.”

  “Don’t I get any say in this?”

  He tried not to hear the hurt in her voice and reminded himself he was doing it for her. “Not this time.”

  The doors swung open and he strode through them, towing her along behind, acting as though he hadn’t spent the last several hours in treasonous activity that should rightly earn him the edge of a blade on his neck.

  By the time they reached the audience chamber, Seth was there to greet them. Or perhaps he’d been waiting for them all along.

  Well. Greet might be too strong a word. The high priest stood in the center of the room with a furious expression, radiating waves of red-hot anger. Nephtys stood, strangely pale, a few paces behind him, and Shahin lounged with deceptive calm against a pillar on the side, looking swarthy and confident as ever, his blade at his side.

  The least hesitation and Rhys knew he’d be done for.

  “You should have a care with your possessions, my lord!” he said boldly to Seth, forcing Gillian to her knees before him with a spell and a quick touch on her shoulder. “It seems some of them are of a mind to stray.”

  His audacity bought him a brief reprieve. Seth’s eyes narrowed on Gillian for an instant, then lifted to bore through Rhys’s. His mouth thinned.

  “Strayed straight into your bed, I perceive,” he barked, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Her skin carries the smell of you, Englishman. You could at least make an attempt to conceal your treason.”

  “It would be of no use, my lord,” he answered unflinchingly. “She will always smell of me. You can kill me and take her for the next thousand years, and she will still smell of me. For she is mine now, and mine alone.”

  Gillian let out a gasp. “I’m not!” she cried. “I swear I’m not! I know I’m to be yours, Seth-Aziz. I just… It was my fault. We’d been together before and I…I was bespelled by him. I wanted him again. He didn’t want to touch me, but I seduced him. I—”

  Rhys’s rapid heartbeat skipped in anxiety at her brave defense of him. But before he could open his mouth to deny it, Seth slashed a hand up.

  “Enough!” Seth jetted out a virulent oath. “Your lies are transparent, woman! Do you take me for a complete fool?”

  Nephtys moved forward and put a calming hand on his arm. “Hadu,” she said. “Remember, a woman’s actions are ruled by her heart, not her reason. You must show Gillian mercy in her blindness.”

  Seth shook her off, stalked a few paces, then spun back on a toe. Again he scorched them with a look, taking several angry breaths. “Your loyalty is commendable, Miss Haliday. I only hope one day you’ll feel such devoted allegiance to your lord and master.”

  She swallowed heavily. “I—I’m sure I w-will,” she stammered unconvincingly.

  Rhys eased a layer of tension from his shoulders. They might yet live through the day.

  Seth’s jaw clenched. He motioned jerkily to Shahin and Nephtys. “Get them out of here before I truly lose my temper. You are both confined to your quarters until I decide what to do with you.”

  “As you command, my lord.” Rhys inclined his head. “But before you judge the woman, there’s something you should see.” He produced her envelope from his robes. “She was not trying to flee Khepesh. She was only trying to deliver this.”

  Gillian cried out and leaped up from her knees, feeling her pocket and trying to grab it from him all at the same time. “No! How did you get that? You have no right to take it!”

  Seth’s hand made a slight wave and Gillian halted in her tracks. Her eyes widened. Rhys handed him the envelope. He was sorry to hurt her, but one day she would understand why he had to do it. He could see that Seth was also taken aback by his unexpected actions. It wounded him that his friend was surprised. Although he’d given Seth ample reason to doubt him concerning Gillian, he would never compromise the safety of Khepesh.

  Wordlessly, Seth slid open the envelope, extracted the paper inside and read it.
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  The high priest frowned, cleared his throat and glanced at Gillian. With a quick gesture, he reversed the spell and let her move. She sucked in a breath, opened her mouth to protest, but wisely kept her peace when Seth glowered at her.

  “Have you read this?” he asked Rhys.

  “No. I assume it’s addressed to her sisters.”

  “It is.” He passed the missive.

  Rhys read the neatly inked letter.

  My Dear Loving Sisters,

  I hope this note finds you well and happy. OMG! I’m in love! He is a wonderful man who has already given me the stars and the moon. There is talk of a wedding soon. Be thrilled for me!

  Incredible news—our beloved mother may still be alive. I am following every clue to find out the truth about her disappearance. Speaking of which, don’t worry, I have not disappeared. Am spending time with my new man and playing detective. I promise to be in touch soon.

  Love and hugs, Jelly Bean

  Rhys had prayed with all his heart Gillian had not been foolish enough to tell her sisters anything about Khepesh or the things she’d seen there, and was gratified—and very relieved—to see his faith in her had been upheld.

  “Fairly convincing proof that Gillian intended to return to Khepesh,” he stated, sending her a smile as he returned the letter to Seth. She refused to meet his gaze.

  “What is this about your mother?” Seth asked her sharply.

  She hesitated long enough that Rhys supplied the relevant information, and explained about the photo and the proof they’d discovered in the library that Isobelle Haliday had been taken to Petru. “I promised I’d help her discover her mother’s fate since her abduction by our enemy.”

  Shahin suddenly looked like he wanted to kill something, but Seth’s gaze softened a fraction. Behind him, Nephtys swayed, looking stricken at the mention of her former captor. Maybe she could be persuaded to seek a vision on the matter, after all.