She stirred uncomfortably unsure how to react to the revelation. She accepted another cloth-full of water without saying anything.
After several minutes of eating and drinking she groaned and turned her head from Bray’s proffered grape, “I need to relieve myself.” She could feel the sting of embarrassment stain her cheeks. Humiliating!
“Let me help you up.” Bray pulled Neomee’s body closer to the edge of the bed before swiveling her legs around to the edge. He grabbed both of her arms and slowly sat her up.
Instantly her vision blurred as the dizzying spin of the room overwhelmed her.
“Easy! Take it slow. You’ve been down for many days.”
Bray’s strong arms held her steady and once she stopped swaying, he slowly lifted her to her feet. He held her to his chest and looked down at her, “You okay?”
“Fine. Where?”
“That’s the chamber pot there in the corner. Come on…”
As he tried to lead Neomee to the pot, she froze in place. Her expression one of shock. “You’re not staying in here while I do this!”
“We’ve no choice. You can barely stand.” She could hear the smile in his voice, “Don’t worry my lily, you’ve nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Ugh, did he just say MY lily? She hated the addition of the word my, it was too intrusive, too assuming, and far too possessive.
“Look, I’m not doing this until you leave, so leave!”
A mocking raise of the brow was his response. “I’m not sure you’re strong enough to handle this on your own.”
“Again with the men around here not being sure what I can handle or what I’m capable of.” She turned her head to stare at him evenly, “Look, I truly appreciate all you’ve done for me, but when I say that I’m fine, I’m fine. Now if you don’t mind, I’m fine to handle this on my own.”
Bray led her over to the pot, and placed her hands on the wall, “You’re sure you don’t need me?”
“Positive.”
He shrugged and a look of sincere concern flashed across his features before he masked it then slowly exited the room.
Waiting for several moments to make sure he wasn’t returning Neomee exhaled trying to dispel her nerves as she slowly used one hand to lift her gown. Amon! With no strength how on earth was she going to be able to squat long enough for this?
Steadily, she used her bare foot to nudge the pot until it sat on the floor next to the bed. She wrapped her long gown around one wrist and eased her petite frame down onto the bed. Sitting on the bed, she slowly edged herself until she was using the strength of both her arms and her legs to hold her body in a quasi squat over the chamber pot. Relieving herself, she was distracted by the searing pain she felt in her back. The positioning of her arms was tearing her wounds open, but it could not be helped.
Pain or embarrassment…why was she always having to chose between the two lately? And why was she so damned determined to avoid embarrassment?
Using her legs and arms to push herself back into a standing position she couldn’t help but chide herself. Idiot! A little embarrassment couldn’t be as painful as that just was.
She nudged the pot back to its original position in the corner of the room then leaned her shoulder against the wall to catch her breath. Should she be this exhausted from such a simple task? Taking deep breaths, she could feel moisture slick down her back and knew it was blood. Ripped my back open. Just lovely!
She quickly scanned the room for a robe, or some other garment to throw over her back. If he sees what I’ve done, I’ll never get a moment of privacy again.
As if on cue, Bray questioned from the hall, “Finished?”
“Uhhh…”, think damn it, think!
Without waiting Bray came through the door carrying a huge empty copper basin.
Neomee quickly spun her back to the wall trying to ignore the handful of fellow slaves that followed Bray through the door, each carrying a large water jar, each never taking their eyes from the floor. In turn, the slaves each poured the contents of their jars into the basin Bray had set on the ground near the window, and left the room without ever looking up.
So submissive, Neomee thought, it’s no wonder I’m the world’s worst slave. I would have peeked at least once.
As the last slave exited the room, Bray turned to Neomee and smiled that I’m-up-to-something smile that she was coming to recognize and fear.
“Bath time. Let’s get your gown off.”
Shocked for the second time in less than fifteen minutes, Neomee backed away from Bray’s approach until her tender back hit the wall. Ughhhh! Hiding a grimace, she sidestepped Bray, “I don’t think so.” She had to sit down. Her too weak legs were threatening to buckle and she was drained from the two minutes she’s spent standing.
She eased herself onto the bed and turned to see Bray still facing the wall with his back to her. When he finally turned his expression was full of anger.
Shaking her head as her mouth dropped to form the silent question, she was honestly at a loss for Bray’s sudden change of temperament.
He stalked forward and Neomee could see the smear of her blood on the opposite wall. Damn! “Look, I just…” her words were cut off as Bray interrupted.
“Never again!”
“What?”
“I’ll not leave you to your own devices again. Don’t waste your time asking.” He approached her and grabbed the straps of her gown as if to pull it down.
“Stop!” Neomee crossed her arms in front of her chest, the sudden movement searing her back. “What are you doing?”
“Bath time!” he growled evenly without taking his eyes from hers or his hands from the straps of her gown.
“I can handle this…if you’d jus..”
“I just said don’t ask.” Without another word, he picked her up gown and all and slowly eased her into the basin. Kneeling with her cradled in his arms, he was more gentle than Neomee would have thought possible for such a large masculine brute, especially one that was so angry.
She knew better than to protest and was simply happy to have the thin sheer gown as some form of barrier between Bray’s eyes and her otherwise naked body.
It stung where the water lapped at her lower back, but the pain lessened with each passing moment. Bray used a ceramic jar to pour warm water over her dusty parched skin and she hissed when he cautiously poured a jar over her injuries.
Goose bumps speckled her flesh as the warm water on her skin was cooled by the summer breeze wafting in through the window. Sitting erect, her muscles whined at her tense posture as she made a concerted effort to try and relax. She’d never sat in a basin before. Slaves were only permitted to bathe with small bowls in the slave bathing quarters.
Bray pulled the thong from her long dark braid and unwove her hair. He gently swept it over her shoulder then silently moved to pour more water down her still bleeding back. At the feel of the water, Neomee exhaled deeply, willing herself to relax and enjoy the pleasure of being given a warm bath. Such an extravagance was unheard of for a slave and she knew it.
With her eyes closed, her lips twitched in a smile as she listened to the wagtails and pipits sing outside the window. Another breeze wafted in cooling her fevered flesh. On the light gust she could smell the perfumed scent of the white lotus that grew prominently around the temple’s in Egypt. It made her think of the water lily that was also prominent, which in turn made her think of the name he’d given her.
She bit her sore lip as she looked up at Bray, “So, what happens now?”
“You get your bath.”
“You know what I mean.”
He sighed as he sat back on his heels and stared out the window. “We have been bound. It cannot be undone. It is as the Priest said, we must mate or you must die.”
She turned to stare at Bray and he met her eyes, “Mate?” She felt crimson singe her cheeks.
“Yes.”
Amon! “Will the Priest know if we do not?”
&nb
sp; Bray chuckled, “Yes. He too is a Cat. You see when a Cat has mated his scent will forever mark his territory. Every Cat will know if we do not, and every Cat will know when we do.”
Neomee shuddered at Bray’s unveiled statement, ‘if we do not and when we do’. He’d made it clear that there was little choice for her. She gritted her teeth. Mark his territory! Territory? Is that what he thinks of me? Annoyed, she began scrubbing her legs, “Then what? Do I live here with you happily ever after? Do I go back to the slave quarters? Do you even want to do this for me?”
“Do this for you?” Bray’s puzzled look infuriated her.
“You saved my life in the catacombs, I presume out of guilt because well let’s be honest, it was your fault I was caught. Then you forced the Priest to spare my life by telling him that we were bound. Another favor. So if you don’t want to mark me, I understand. I probably wouldn’t be willing to go that far for a slave either.”
A low warning growl emitted from him as he turned and paced the room. An angry hand plowed through his hair as he turned to glare down at her, “It was my fault? Favors? Mark you? What is wrong with you, you can’t truly be this simple.”
Now it was Neomee’s turn to glare as she stood in the bath and faced Bray, “It was your fault. If you would have let me be as I asked you to…begged you to, I’d be half way to Karnak right now!”
“You’d be dead!” Bray barked, “If I hadn’t caught you another Cat would have and he wouldn’t have wasted a second severing your pretty little head from your pretty little body. This is of course after he’d put you on display for the rest of the Cats or mounted your right there in the catacombs. And as for favors, I do favors for no one.”
Neomee turned her back on him as she glared out the window. She didn’t see the pain cross his face as he eyed her back, “Then why? Why would you spare my life in the tunnels and why lie to the Priest?” Neomee shook her head and added in a whisper, “I don’t know what you want.”
“Because it wasn’t a lie,” Bray growled.
Neomee turned to stare at him in disbelief, mouth agape.
“Make no mistake about it my lily, we are bound and you will be my mate.”
Her hand went to the collar at her throat as she bit out angrily, “You mean I. I have been bound. I see no shackles on you!”
He closed the distance between them as he glared down at her, “It is not a shackle. It is a sign for all to see that you belong to a Cat and are never to be touched. It will keep you safe when I cannot.”
Neomee tried to rip the collar from her neck, but it did not budge, “Yeah, I get it. Territory.”
“Not territory and not yet marked either! We are bound and we will mate.” He bent and scooped Neomee into his arms carrying her still dripping wet to the bed.
She struggled in his arms as he dropped her on the bed and ripped her wet gown from her. He stood over her staring down at her beautiful lithe body. She made to scoot away, but Bray caught her ankle and pulled her to him.
Dropping to the bed, he inhaled deeply as he licked Neomee’s trembling lips before his kiss crushed her mouth, his hands moving freely over her glistening body. His mouth assaulted hers, forcing her lips to part and accept his tongue. When he finally pulled back from his kiss, Neomee turned her head to the side.
“Please,” she whispered, “you’re hurting me...Master.”
Bray pulled back and stared down at her as if he’d been slapped. Seeing the smear of blood her re-opened back left on the bed, he growled and bent to roughly grab her chin, “Never call me that again! You may call me Bray or mate.” Then he stormed from the room as Neomee lay terrified, exhausted, and wet on the bed.
Chapter 15
What in the hell is wrong with me? He’d gone too far with Neomee and he knew it. He’d been so determined to claim her that he hadn’t even realized he’d hurt her. It was more than foolish, it was selfish. His teeth gnashed as he roamed the halls. He needed an outlet for his anger and sex was obviously out. He wouldn’t find relief in the training arena either.
On the night Neomee was punished he’d carried her to his quarters, ensured the healer was doing his best to care for her, and then he’d gone hunting. He’d shifted and scoured the temple searching out his brethren Cats that had held him down, the ones who’d prevented him from protecting his mate.
A mirthless smile tweaked his lips at the memory. He’d earned the title Prince of Cats because after Sanura had died he’d only wanted to join her. His life was so insignificant to him that he was willing to risk losing it and he had risked it daily. The other Cats quickly realized that Bray didn’t care whether he lived or died. It was reflected in his fighting skill and in his willingness to go to war, to protect the temple from her enemies, and to seek out any who would challenge their way of life. But when he’d hunted the night of Neomee’s ma’at it had been different. He hadn’t fought because he didn’t care whether he lived or died. He fought for vengeance and for her protection. He’d killed that night. Many of his brothers had bled out by his hands and even now he couldn’t bring himself to regret his actions.
It was a strange feeling for him. Typically when he was in the throes of battle somewhere deep inside he always hoped that he wouldn’t survive. He prayed that his life flame would finally be extinguished so that he could once again be with Sanura, but it wasn’t the same anymore. Now he wanted to live. He wanted to best his enemies and be done with the task quickly so that he could get back to Neomee. She needed him.
Unfortunately, as a result of what he’d done the remaining Cats now avoided him as if he had been cursed with the plague. Madu had come to see him and to tell him that there were rumors in the temple that Bray had lost his mind. Madu was worried for not only his friend’s sanity, but his life as well.
“There are whispers of revolt among the Cats my friend. They fear you have designs of wiping us out then claiming the place of the Priest.”
The Priest. He’d hunted the false prophet as well only to discover that he’d taken a sabbatical from the temple. It was rare, but it did happen. The Priest would be making pilgrimage to see the Vizier, the highest official in Egypt to serve the Pharaoh. Coward!
“I have no desire to be Priest of the temple,” Bray spat. “I just want his head.”
“No brother,” concern laced Madu’s tone. “Without a Priest the temple would fall. We need a leader, an advisor.”
“We can lead ourselves!” Bray saw it then. Just a brief flicker in Madu’s gaze that was quickly hidden, but it was there. Madu also believed that Bray was losing his mind and the fact that his most trusted friend now doubted him gave him pause. What is wrong with me? He knew the answer though. Neomee. She’d bewitched him body and soul. He started again, this time with a little more control. “Madu don’t you see? We don’t need the Priest. We can govern ourselves. There exists a hierarchy among us. Why bow to another when we are the guardian Cats of Thebes?”
“But...the Priest is a Cat.”
“Not like us,” Bray growled. “He’s never trained, never hunted, never killed. He’s only ever given orders. He may carry the ability to shift, but no one has ever seen it done. He is not one of us. He is not a guardian Cat!”
When Madu visibly paled Bray actually felt bad. He knew his friend had sought him out in hopes of dispelling the rumors of Bray’s fractured sanity. Instead he was only confirming that the rumors could be true. He was speaking of revolt, of overthrow, of blasphemy. All were crimes punishable by death.
“And what of the Vizier.” Madu’s eyes saucered, “What of the Pharaoh? They will not tolerate our self-governance.”
“They cannot stop us!” It was the truth. Only the guardian Cats of Thebes had been blessed by the Gods with the power to shift. It had to have meant something. “We should take orders from no man. We have been sanctified by the Gods. Is it not then a desecration of their gift to fail to recognize it?”
The corner of Madu’s eye crinkled as he studied his friend warily. “Whe
re is all this coming from? Is it the slave?”
“Her name is Neomee.” He hadn’t intended for the correction to come out as harshly as it had.
“I heard what the Priest had done to her. It was unfortunate, but are you certain she is worth all this?”
“All this?” Bray snarled. “Don’t you want to be free of their rule? To come and go as you please? To hunt and shift as you see fit? To choose our own battles and defend our own beliefs instead of protecting theirs? The only thing Neomee has done is to make me realize that we are all slaves!”
Madu shrugged, “I don’t know what to tell you my friend. I would rather battle alongside you than live in peace alone, but right now the men do not trust you. You’ve killed several in the past few days. It would be near impossible to get them to follow you in this right now.”
Bray growled with the knowledge that Madu had been right. He was irrational at the moment and it was the result of his protective instincts where Neomee was concerned. He’d killed nearly every Cat that had aided in her ma’at and he still had intentions of killing the Priest, the Vizier be damned.
Finding himself in the garden Bray looked up to frown at the Cats that guarded the wall. Two of the guardians ignored him, one slipped back into the temple, and the third stared at him for long moments before nodding his head in silent acknowledgment. They’re not all angry. It was a start.
Chapter 16
The weeks passed as Neomee’s back healed. Bray checked in on her often, brought her food and water, and returned to their quarters at night, and while they slept together, Bray made no attempt to mate with her again. Nor did he speak of what had happened between them. As a matter of fact, he no longer spoke to her at all.
Frequently, he would escort her out to the flower garden where they would sit silently in the afternoon sun. On one visit to the garden, they approached a group of three Cats in a tunnel corridor. As he passed, one Cat sniffed the air, “Haven’t claimed your mate yet? If you need instruction Bray, I’d be happy to assist.”
The other Cats’ laughter was cut short as Bray turned and attacked the heckler. The other Cats pulled Bray off the bleeding and quickly retreating Cat. Bray said nothing as he grabbed Neomee’s hand and led her to the flower garden. Once there he’d disappeared only to return some long minutes later. There was blood on his chest and a look of cold, lethal satisfaction in his eyes.
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