by Lisa Kessler
He took her hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “I have never been a normal person.”
She sighed and swallowed another bite of her food. “Fine. I’ll start. I think Apep might be able to find our hotel now that he has my name. Plus, he probably knows Foundation Arts is funding this trip. Is there someplace else we can go to lay low?”
“Lay low?”
She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. Issa was adorable when he sat beside her, the haughty ancient god, with no clue what she was talking about. “Hide. Is there a place we could stay so Apep doesn’t find us?”
He lowered his voice and leaned in closer to her. “I have lived under the sand of this desert for centuries. We will take any of the relics you need back to my home.”
Home. The word alone made her ache for her store back in Pacific Beach. “And since you don’t really…eat. I’ll need food.”
He nodded and pointed to the bag. “Now we are back where we started. Happy now?”
“Yes.” She popped the last piece of falafel into her mouth and smiled as she chewed and swallowed. “Next time, if you include me right from the beginning, we won’t have to backtrack to bring me up to speed.”
“If you would trust me and my reasons, discussion wouldn’t be necessary.”
“That’s not going to happen. I make my own choices whether you like them or not.”
Issa broke eye contact, shaking his head, but he didn’t go all stoic on her. It was a start. Keeping even footing with a guy who was also a god was challenging to say the least.
And she was a sucker for a challenge.
They were ten minutes early when they reached the shop that Hasani mentioned. Muriah browsed the turquoise scarabs without touching anything. The trinkets were probably new, but she didn’t want to take a chance that an older relic might be mixed in. All she needed was to get trapped in a weak-kneed vision before a negotiation for an artifact that could potentially stop Apep.
“Madame La Deaux.”
“Hasani. Good to see you again.” Issa was instantly at her side. “This is my client, Senor Issa.” An image of Issa in a big sombrero filled her head, nearly breaking her cover. She cleared her throat and added, “He only speaks Spanish.”
Hasani nodded. “Please tell him welcome.”
She translated, and they followed him into a back room. The tiny space was lined with boxes on all four walls. They probably made for great soundproofing. Muriah pulled out a pair of latex gloves from her purse while Hasani unwrapped the items.
The first was a bowl with a serpent representing Apep. The snake wound all the way around the outside. Most of the color was still intact, including the red eyes. Just like his living tattoos. Carefully, she lifted the pottery, checking the bottom for any markings. Perhaps this was an offering bowl. Leaving fresh dates out for the God of Chaos might spare your family while he was making mischief.
She glanced at Issa, muttering in Spanish about the ornamentation. He agreed with her assessment. She didn’t need to remove her gloves and use her psychometry on this one to know it was a dead end. It did mention Apep, but it wouldn’t help them trap him.
She handed the bowl back to Hasani. The next item was a tablet that looked much older than the pottery. Most of the color had faded, but the carvings showed light from the sky coming down and a serpent writhing on the desert sand. Her pulse thrummed.
The Banishment of Apep.
She took a closer look, gliding her gloved finger over the carvings. She sighed and glanced at Issa. This was the story of how Apep came to earth, not how they trapped his spirit. She took a breath, reminding herself to be patient. Rushing led to mistakes, and they couldn’t afford to make any with Apep on their trail.
They passed on the tablet, and Hasani presented the final item. A dagger. A carved serpent coiled up the serpentine blade and became a man on the handle. Apep. Muriah raised the piece up toward the dim lighting, trying to read the carvings.
Issa gestured for the item. “Por favor?”
She handed him the dagger. His eyes narrowed, and she wondered if he could read the carvings. Finally, he leaned in close and whispered in Spanish, “Una cuchilla para silenciar el caos.”
The blade to silence chaos. This might be a tool in the ritual the Egyptian priests used to stop Apep once before. She nodded to Hasani. “I’ll need this one.” They bartered for a fair price and shook hands. “If it proves to be authentic, I’ll bring the money tomorrow.”
Most of her contacts in Egypt would never agree to let anyone take the pieces without paying first, but she’d proven herself trustworthy in all of their dealings. Her reputation was spotless, and her prices were fair.
Hasani wrapped up the blade in fabric and put the dagger into a bag for her. “See you tomorrow night. Same time.”
She nodded and Issa followed her out of the room. When they’d walked farther through the alleyways, she stopped him. “I think the dagger is a good start.” A smile crept up on her. “You handled yourself really well back there.”
His Spanish was flawless, even the accent. When he’d mentioned that he spoke and read many languages, she hadn’t really believed it. She was a believer now.
He tipped his head in a slight bow. “As did you.” His hand rested at the small of her back, guiding her around the thinning crowds. “When is our next appointment?”
“We’ve got a half hour to kill.”
Issa nodded and continued toward a shop with fabrics, scarves, and blankets. She stood back and watched him speak Arabic like a native. He bartered for a large blanket, a silk dress, and two scarves. He also got them for a damned fine price, nothing close to what the tourists would hope to pay. He even pulled money from his pocket, no mind games to make them think he’d paid or convincing them to give him the items for free.
Seeing him interact with the world around him, instead of observing and protecting it from the shadows, warmed her.
Bag in hand, he approached with a questioning expression. “You look surprised.”
Muriah nodded. “I’m impressed. Not bad for an ancient Mayan.”
“Thank you.” That playful crooked grin lit up his features and made her wish they were someplace more private. “I may be Mayan, but I have lived in Egypt longer than any of these people have been alive.”
Issa kept searching the shadows, watching for red eyes, for Apep’s serpents. He’d given him a serious wound in New York. Apep’s injury would take time to heal, but the God of Chaos was even older than Issa. No doubt Apep healed even more rapidly.
They reached Muriah’s next contact right on time. He was a slender, middle-aged Egyptian man named Khai. The man reeked of hookah smoke, and the tips of his fingers were stained. Issa slipped back into his role as a Spanish collector while Muriah pulled on her latex gloves, explaining that Issa only spoke Spanish.
Khai produced a well-made forgery of a tablet depicting the Egyptian priests attacking the serpent of Apep. Muriah began her inspection.
Issa noticed the remains of a seam on one end as Muriah returned the item.
“Come on Khai. Don’t give me the fake shit. You know me better than that.”
The man glanced at Issa. “Your customer may not. We both make more money, and no one is the wiser, right?”
She put her hand on her hip. “I’m not interested. My reputation is worth more than that.”
“Fine. I understand.” Khai produced another item, carefully unfolding the fabric to reveal a mounted papyrus inside a metal 11” x 14” frame. The colors were still vivid. The piece had obviously been well cared for. Issa reached into the man’s mind and discovered he had a friend inside the Museum of Antiquities.
The man also fantasized about bedding Muriah.
Issa bristled, grinding his teeth, and forced himself to focus on the papyrus. It appeared to be authentic and a page from the The Books of Overthrowing Apep. Combined with the dagger, they could be close to finding the key to trapping him.
Pointing to the papyrus, Issa said, “Éste me interesa.” His voice dropped to a menacing growl. “Y si te toca te arrancaré los brazos fuera.”
Muriah sputtered and cleared her throat to keep from laughing. Apparently, she didn’t take his threat to rip off Khai’s arms if he touched her seriously.
“What does he say?” Khai frowned. “He does not like this one? I assure you the piece is authentic.”
She shook her head. “I need to run a couple of tests first, but I’m sure we can decide on a fair price, right?”
Muriah and Khai bartered for another ten minutes before she finally wrapped the artifact and placed it in the bag with the dagger.
Many of the stalls in the marketplace were closed now, the carts packed up and gone. The scents lingered, but their assault on his heightened senses had weakened. Muriah’s small hand slipped into his, breaking his concentration on their surroundings.
“So where is your place?”
“In the desert.” He had to tell her about the ruins far from the city, but he hesitated. He’d enjoyed working with her tonight, watching her in her element. Fascinating, intelligent, and savvy didn’t begin to describe the woman beside him.
“I guess you didn’t notice, but we’re already in the desert.” She grinned.
“It is far from Cairo.”
“Do we need to get a taxi or…” Her voice trailed off, and he didn’t need to hear her thoughts to know that she’d just figured out how they were going to travel to his desert oasis. “No.” She shook her head. “I told you I hate the Night Walker super speed thing. There’s gotta be another way to get there.”
“We can stand here and argue, or we could already be there.”
“Wait a minute.” She stopped walking. “You just made arguing with me a choice.” The corners of her mouth lifted. “You didn’t just scoop me up and take off without my consent.”
“I am many things. Stupid is not one of them.” He lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of hers. “Your wrath is impressive for a mortal.”
She laughed, and his heart swelled. “I’m glad to see you can be taught.” She sighed and stared out into the darkness. “There’s no other way?”
“Perhaps there is a compromise.”
She looked up at him. “What compromise?”
“I will take us most of the way there, and then I will stop, and we can walk the final length. You can catch your breath and regain your footing.”
She squeezed his hand. “I like that.”
Before she could change her mind, he had her safely in his arms and moving out of the city faster than anyone could see. Past the Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza and deep into the Sahara he ran. Gradually, he slowed to a jog and finally stilled.
He brushed a kiss to her forehead. “Muriah?”
She groaned. “Put me down. Please.” He lowered her to her feet, and she bent over, pulling in long, slow breaths. “I will never get used to that.”
The wind pulled at his hair, freeing tendrils from the tie that held it back. “If there had been another way, I would have taken it.”
She finally stood upright and looked around. “Wow. There’s nothing out here. How can you tell we’re almost there?”
“I know every inch of this wasteland.” He took her hand, walking toward the underground ruins. “I took shelter here when I first arrived in Egypt a thousand years ago.”
“I can’t even imagine being around for that long. You’ve seen so much.”
“This was not an adventure I yearned for. I landed on this continent and found a long-forgotten pharaoh’s tomb. The contents had already been pillaged, but the empty ruins became my shelter in a desert that seemed like another planet.”
She took his hand. “You missed the jungle.”
“I still do.”
Chapter Twenty
The wind picked up, blowing the sand until it stung her face. Issa stopped and took the scarves he purchased out of the bag. He took one and gave the other to her. They turned their backs to the wind, quickly wrapping the fabric around their heads to protect their exposed skin.
Moonlight reflected off the dunes, giving the desert an otherworldly appearance, casting their eerie shadows out before them. When they reached a crease in the sand, Issa handed her the bags and bent down. He ran his fingers down the side, brushing the sand away until he could grip the sides of the large stone block. He squatted down and pulled. The scraping sounded like thunder, and the ground shook beneath her feet as he moved the stone aside. She covered her ears, unable to protect herself from the loud noise. Finally, the opening was wide enough for them to get through. Issa released the stone and straightened.
She stared down into the dark cavern. He’d opened the tomb alone, without tools or help. Impossible, but she’d seen it with her own eyes.
“I need earplugs if we ever come back here.” She rubbed her ears. “Not a very subtle entrance for a secret hideout.”
“There are no humans for miles in any direction. Noise is not an issue.” He held out his hand. “Come.”
She took his hand and stepped inside the opening. Torches hung on the wall, illuminating a staircase leading deep under the sand. Issa growled, summoning the strength of an industrial crane as he dragged the stone back into place. Sealing them inside the tomb.
Her pulse pounded.
Issa glanced her way. “There is plenty of air inside for you for many days. We will be leaving at sunset tomorrow. You are not in danger.”
“You can hear my heart racing like a rabbit, can’t you?”
He nodded. “You are safe here. There is no need to be afraid.”
She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the torchlight. “Tell that to my instincts. Being trapped inside a tomb definitely falls under the panic column.”
He smiled, distracting her for a moment. “My rooms are at the base. My tastes may not be modern, but I assure you it is nothing like a tomb.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Issa lit another torch, illuminating an opulent room. Tapestries covered the floor, a painting of a Mayan headdress hung on the wall, and a plush mattress lay in the corner, along with pillows and two bookshelves stuffed with spines she couldn’t wait to scan.
“I have never had a companion here with me. Will this suit you?”
She nodded and met his eyes. “I’m your first tomb guest?”
Issa laughed, his deep voice echoing through the cavern. “I suppose you are.” He caressed her cheek. “You are so beautiful, Muriah, so full of life and passion. The world came alive for me from the moment I saw your face. I am not ready to go back to being a spectator.”
“I wish…” She nuzzled into his touch, her pulse pounding again, but for a very different reason. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?”
She opened her eyes, her gaze locking on his. “Care about someone.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “No one has ever cared about me.”
The honesty in his eyes made her heart clench in her chest. “You deserve to be cared for.”
His lips claimed hers. Their tongues swirled in a slow, sensual exploration. Her hands slid under his shirt, moving up the smooth curves of his muscular back. He lifted her into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, humming into the kiss. He held her up with one arm around her hips, burying his other hand in the back of her hair.
This man moved a stone that easily outweighed a diesel truck, and yet when he held her in his arms, she’d never felt safer. He carried her across the room and laid her onto the bed, his body resting over hers. Issa’s lips lingered on hers, and she shivered when the tips of his fangs teased her lower lip.
He pulled back. His irises were ringed in crimson, this time from arousal instead of frustration like she’d witnessed in the museum. It was a minute difference, but she recognized more details about him with each passing night.
“Do not move.”
She smiled, sliding her legs down from around hi
s waist. Issa got up and pulled the new blanket out of the bag. He carried it over to the bed and laid it out over her before getting underneath it with her.
“I wondered why you bought a blanket.”
He kissed her lips. “I do not notice the cold, but I thought you might.”
A wave of unexpected emotion swelled inside her. She’d never been with a man who put her needs ahead of his own. She had always been careful not to depend on anyone. That way, she was never disappointed when they walked away and forgot about her.
She struggled to contain unwanted tears.
Issa frowned. “Have I done something to upset you?”
“No.” She shook her head slowly. “No one’s ever cared about me, either… Not since my mom.”
“I will right that wrong if you allow it.”
“How did the god of sacrifice get to be so sweet?”
His devilish grin melted her from the inside out, heat coiling deep inside her.
“Sweet is something I have never been accused of.” He bent to kiss her neck, his teeth grazing her skin until she gasped with desire. He murmured. “I need you.”
She shivered, her hands sliding lower down his back and firmly caressing the curve of his perfect buttocks. His hips pressed forward until his erection rubbed against her jeans, making her ache for their clothes to vanish.
“You can carry me to the desert in the blink of an eye…” She moaned as his hand slipped underneath her shirt to cup her breast. “…How fast can you ditch these clothes?”
He smiled and kissed her again. “I have never experimented.”
“I think we owe it to science to find out.”
Issa laughed and wrapped his arms around her, unclasping her bra.
She kissed his neck. “Is that cheating?”
“That is being prepared so I do not ruin anything.”
“Good thinking.”
He rested his forehead to hers. “Ready?”
“Go for—” The air swooshed from her lungs, and she realized they were skin to skin. She grinned up at him. “Finally.”