The Arkana Mysteries Boxed Set

by N. S. Wikarski

  Flustered by the unexpected compliment, Cassie felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her yet again. When she could finally form a sentence, she said in a tiny voice, “Tens are usually six feet tall and anorexic. That’s not me.”

  The paladin chuckled. “If big and bony is all it takes to be a ten, then I’d be dating giraffes. There’s more to it than that.”

  Cassie changed the subject even though she was secretly pleased by his reply. “So, why is this all on me, Mr. Ladykiller? How come you never made a move?”

  He shrugged and came to sit next to her. “You’re not easy to read. I kept looking for signals, but you never gave me the green light.”

  Cassie hesitated before replying. “I learned a long time ago to keep my feelings to myself. It was safer that way. Jerks stop trying to hurt you when they can’t get a rise out of you. It takes all the fun out of it for them.”

  “That’s bleak.”

  “You know my story. Like you said before, it is what it is.” Defensively she added, “You might have just asked.”

  “Your poker face wasn’t the only thing that stopped me,” he demurred. “In the beginning when you started working for the Arkana, you were just a kid. No offense, but you were nineteen going on twelve.”

  Cassie winced slightly at the observation but didn’t contradict him. “Yeah, I know I came across as the worst case of arrested development ever. A lot of my attitude was sheer spite. Sybil had always treated me like an idiot child, and I worked hard to live down to her expectations.” She gave a short, bitter laugh. “I mean, she was footing the bill for my schooling and upkeep. I wanted her to get her money’s worth.”

  Erik cocked a dubious eyebrow.

  She continued. “Before you say anything, I know it wasn’t really her fault. It was mine. I kept looking for a reason to grow up, but I never found one. All of that changed when I crossed paths with the Arkana and struck the mother lode of reasons to get over myself. So, I did.”

  Erik nodded in agreement. “I know this job forced you to morph into an adult almost overnight but, as far as me coming on to you, I just didn’t think...” He paused, searching for the right word. “I just didn’t think you were ready yet.”

  She frowned. “Dude, I turned twenty last month. Do I look like an eight-minute egg to you?”

  He looked down at the floor and smiled. “No, but I mean this is probably your first time.”

  “As if!” Cassie snorted.

  “Really?” Erik asked in shocked disbelief. “What about all those years of being an outsider with a chip on your shoulder? You told me you didn’t have any friends. You said you were a loner your whole life.”

  “First off, I said I was a loner, not a nun,” she protested in exasperation. “And second, you don’t have to be friends with somebody to sleep with them.”

  “It helps,” Erik retorted.

  “It’s optional.”

  “So, I wouldn’t be your first?” Erik persisted cautiously. “Because honestly, I don’t think I could take the pressure. Most chicks want their first time to be special.”

  “No worries there. My first time wasn’t,” she said derisively. “In fact, the bar still isn’t set too high.”

  He turned to face her, regarding her with keen interest. “So, you’ve been around.”

  She blushed. “It’s not like I’m the kind of girl who cuts notches in her headboard but, yeah, I’ve been around the block a couple of times.”

  Erik moved a few inches closer. He slipped his arm around her waist. “So, what do you think we should do about this situation?”

  She darted a sideways glance in his direction followed by a mischievous smile. “You should start by hanging a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your door.”

  She didn’t protest when he bent his head down toward hers and kissed her lightly. In a small voice she added, “After that, we can make it up as we go along.”

  Chapter 26—Rude Awakening

  Cassie picked up her shoes and tiptoed toward the door. It was a little past seven and Erik was still sound asleep. She wanted to leave before he woke up. Going to bed with a guy was all well and good but waking up next to him without benefit of a comb or toothbrush wasn’t how she wanted to be remembered. First nights should be special.

  Opening the door noiselessly, she backed out into the hall. Smiling briefly at the “Do Not Disturb” sign still hanging on the knob, she removed it and placed it on the inside handle. Then she slid the door closed from outside as quietly as possible.

  Turning around toward her room, she collided with Griffin. He must have been walking head down texting a message because he practically tripped over her, dropping his phone in the process.

  Diving to retrieve it, he said, “Good morning. I was going to wake Erik to let him know our flight doesn’t leave until eleven.” Straightening up to look at her, he apparently realized that Cassie had just emerged from Erik’s room. Noticing that she still wore yesterday’s outfit and was carrying her shoes, he went dead pale as the implication struck him.

  “Um...” Cassie trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

  “Yes, well, um...” Griffin echoed. He glanced around wildly as if trying to figure out a way to disappear into the wallpaper.

  “Well, this is embarrassing.” Cassie offered lamely, hopping on one foot as she slipped her shoes back on.

  “Not at all. Not at all.” The scrivener hastened to reassure her though there was an expression on his face that she couldn’t quite read. He looked lost and a little sad. “It’s none of my business how you spend your off-hours.”

  “No, let me explain.” She reached out to grasp his arm. “We didn’t plan for this to happen. It just sort of...” She hesitated. “Sort of happened.”

  Griffin gave a deep sigh and patted her hand reassuringly. “Cassie, you don’t need to defend your behavior to me.”

  “But I don’t want things to get weird between us.”

  “Weird?” he echoed.

  “I mean, if Erik and I are involved, I don’t want you to feel left out.”

  “What are you suggesting?” His voice sounded alarmed.

  “Oh, good goddess, I didn’t mean that!” Cassie exclaimed. “I just meant to say, we’re still a team, right?”

  “Oh, I see.” He laughed faintly with relief. “Of course, we are.” Then he peered at her face earnestly. “Just answer me one question. Being with Erik—does that make you happy?”

  She smiled up at him. “Absolutely.”

  That unreadable expression flitted across his face for a second time then it was gone, replaced by a forced smile. “That’s all that matters,” he said, trying to sound cheerful. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

  Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. “Griffin, you’ll always be my friend. I want you to know that.”

  She couldn’t see his face, but there seemed to be a catch in his voice when he replied, “And I yours. As long as I draw breath, I shall always be your friend.”

  Chapter 27—Polygamous Perversity

  Daniel paced nervously around the study room in the compound. It was the Nephilim version of a library in name only. There were bookcases lining the walls, and those cases were clogged with books, but the room was hardly devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. All the volumes were tracts preaching the doctrine of the brotherhood. He was the only person who ever came here because everyone preferred to get their sermons straight from the diviner’s mouth rather than in written form. He eyed his current surroundings dubiously. He had hoped that meeting here would give him some kind of psychological advantage. The butterflies in his stomach told him it hadn’t. This conversation was going to be unpleasant, and nothing would change that. Still, this venue was better than any other alternative. Meeting in private chambers could lead to physical intimacy which he wanted to avoid at all costs.

  The door opened noiselessly and a pale face poked around the corne
r. “May I come in, Daniel?”

  The scion cleared his throat. “Yes, of course. Come in, Annabeth.”

  Daniel’s third wife shut the door behind her and came to stand dutifully in front of her husband. He noticed that she had tied her white apron unnecessarily tight around her middle in an effort to accentuate her pregnant belly. It was a source of unending pride to her because the delivery of a second child would mean she had produced more offspring than the scion’s other wives. According to the rules of the Nephilim, she would become his principal wife with dominion over her sister-wives.

  She blinked her colorless eyes a few times. “You wanted to see me?”

  Daniel tried to stand up straight and look authoritative. How would his father act if he were faced with a situation such as this? In an intentionally brusque voice, Daniel said, “Sit down, Annabeth. I need to speak to you about something important.”

  She lowered herself awkwardly into a chair, all the while keeping her eyes fastened on her husband’s face. “What’s wrong? Have I done something wrong?”

  Daniel didn’t answer immediately. He drew up a chair and sat down opposite her, trying to mold his face into a stern expression. He couldn’t quite carry it off and imagined he must appear mildly dyspeptic. “Your sister-wives are concerned about your behavior toward them.” He paused, waiting to see what defense she would present.

  “Me? What could I possibly have done to upset them?” Her face was the very portrait of injured innocence.

  “They say you no longer treat them as equals. That you want them to give way to you in all things.”

  Annabeth’s mouth drew itself up into a tense little line. She gripped the arms of the chair until her knuckles were white. “So, they go behind my back to tattle to you?”

  Daniel patted one of her hands awkwardly. “It’s nothing to be upset about. They were right to come to me. We’re all one family, Annabeth. They aren’t your servants.”

  She glared at him with ill-concealed irritation. “And I’m not theirs anymore either!”

  The scion was taken aback by her words. “What are you saying? That they’ve treated you badly in the past?”

  His wife gave a short bark of a laugh. “Why else would I hate them so? I can still hear their taunts echoing in my head. Silly little Annabeth. Nervous little Annabeth. Timid little Annabeth.” Her voice grew shriller with each sentence. “I’ve been forced to listen to their gibes for years.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me?” Daniel asked, now finding himself on the defensive.

  For once in her life, Annabeth didn’t back down. “Because they would have denied it, that’s why! Would you have believed me? Of course not! Your father never believes me, why should you? Nobody ever takes my side.” Annabeth gave a petulant sigh. “I knew there was only one sure way to silence them. And now I’ve succeeded.” She patted her swollen abdomen with an air of satisfaction. “Even you can’t take their side now. I know the laws of the brotherhood. The principal wife must receive her due from her sister-wives.”

  “Respect is one thing,” Daniel shot back, somewhat flustered by her unexpected defiance. “You’re taking advantage of the situation.”

  At those words of disapproval, her expression changed. The glint of spite in her eyes melted into a puddle of tears. “Daniel, don’t be angry with me,” she pleaded. She raised her apron to her face and dabbed pathetically at the rivulets trickling down her cheeks.

  Daniel felt guilty and completely out of his depth as to how to deal with her. “There, there, Annabeth.” He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. “Don’t cry. I didn’t mean to sound so severe.”

  “You must speak to them, Daniel. You have to explain to them that I will have my due. I’m not only your principal wife but the principal wife of the scion. I carry the offspring of the future diviner. Just as you have been elevated in the hierarchy, so have I. I must have my due.”

  The scion didn’t answer her. He was mentally weighing which confrontation would be worse. The one he was having now or the one yet to come with his other two wives. He found himself inwardly cursing the fool who first invented polygamy. He deserved to be burning in hell at this very moment. To a man of Daniel’s temperament, one wife was bad enough. Three was a number which no husband should be forced to endure.

  He transferred his attention back to his weeping wife. “There’s no need for you to carry on so,” he wheedled.

  She looked at him and sniffed pitiably. “You shouldn’t make me so upset, Daniel. It’s not good for the baby if I get upset—especially if it’s a boy. Your father wouldn’t like it.”

  He winced at her transparent manipulation but felt compelled to humor it. “I’ll speak to your sister-wives. I’ll tell them they must be more patient while you’re in this condition.”

  She gave a fleeting smile. Daniel imagined he saw a flash of triumphant malice in it.

  He helped her to her feet and assisted her to the door. After she was gone, he sat back down, sank his head into his hands and groaned. He prayed Chris would help him solve the next riddle soon because Annabeth had just given him one more reason to wish himself gone from this place.

  Chapter 28—Dunes Day

  The sun was just beginning to glimmer over the horizon. Cassie stood in the hotel courtyard and breathed the cool morning air. She thought regretfully that this might be the last cool air she would feel for many hours to come. They were heading into the desert today to find the calendar circle known as Nabta Playa.

  It had taken days to get this far even though Egypt wasn’t a huge country—only a little bigger than Texas back home. The flight from Rabat to Cairo had been a breeze. However, getting from Cairo to southern Egypt was another matter entirely because commercial airports were scarce in this part of the world. After a long layover in Cairo, they’d caught a flight to Aswan. Then they’d had an even longer layover in Aswan to get to their final destination of Abu Simbel. It was only a forty-five-minute flight, but an eight-hour wait between planes. The alternative would have been even worse. A pre-dawn bus ride in a police-escorted convoy through the desert. Not surprisingly, the Arkana team opted to go airborne instead.

  The small town of Abu Simbel existed primarily as a destination for tourists who wanted to visit the temples of Pharaoh Ramses the Second and his principal wife, Nefertari. Cassie wanted to see the ruins, but Griffin sniffed that they were on a tight schedule which didn’t allow time to view a narcissistic dead overlord’s monuments to himself.

  Cassie comforted herself with the notion that they were going to see something far rarer than the ruins at Abu Simbel. Most tourists had never heard of the place they were going—a calendar circle sixty miles west of the temples in the heart of the desert.

  “You ready, toots?” Erik came up beside her.

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  The couple walked to the Land Rover that had been provided for the expedition. Getting to Nabta Playa was such a big deal that it required a government permit. Thankfully, Michel Khatabi had called in some favors and gotten them the paperwork they needed in record time. They had also been provided with a government-issued vehicle and driver since tourists weren’t allowed to wander the desert unaccompanied. This wasn’t the sort of trip they wanted to tackle under the radar. None of them had any experience navigating through sand.

  Their driver was a young Arab in his early twenties named Bakri. Even though he wore jeans and a cotton shirt, his head was wrapped in a white turban. It made his thick horn-rimmed glasses seem anachronistic.

  As Cassie and Erik walked up to the vehicle, Bakri greeted them and climbed into the driver’s seat. Griffin claimed the passenger side leaving the back seat for the other two.

  The Brit turned to explain, “I’ll need to act as co-pilot.”

  “Fine by me,” Erik agreed.

  Cassie secretly suspected the paladin wanted to sit with her for a change. In fact, his whole attitude had changed since the night they’d
spent together in Rabat. He’d stopped treating her like a bratty kid sister. For her part, Cassie felt less defensive and sarcastic which made her more pleasant to be around. An unexpected harmony had developed between them. The only one who seemed disoriented by the change was Griffin. In order to minimize the scrivener’s discomfort, Cassie and Erik privately agreed to keep their relationship strictly professional, at least during work hours.

  “So, what does that gizmo do?” Cassie leaned forward over the front seat and directed her question to Griffin. He was frowning at the digital display of an electronic device in his hand.

  “This little object is how we’ll find Nabta Playa.”

  “So, it’s a digital map?”

  The scrivener smiled ruefully. “There is no map because there is no road which leads to Nabta Playa. We’ll need to rely on this GPS receiver to find the spot. The readout tells me our current latitude and longitude. Since we know the calendar circle’s geographical coordinates, by comparing our coordinates to those of Nabta Playa I can tell if we’re on course or off.”

  Their conversation ended when the Land Rover shivered to life and sped out of the little town. It took only minutes before its tires were no longer riding on asphalt but on sand.

  Cassie looked out through the windshield to see a narrow ribbon of black cutting across the dunes. In many places, it was completely buried beneath them. “So, there’s no road at all?” she asked Griffin in disbelief.

  Bakri answered. “There is a road part of the way, but the wind sweeps the sand back and forth. Once a dune starts to form, it keeps getting bigger.”

  Cassie slid back into her seat and looked out the side window. There were no trees. Just endless stretches of desert. Occasionally there were low ridges of rock against the horizon but nothing else to use as a landmark to find their way. She didn’t see how anybody could find a destination over this wasteland.

  “How far away is Nabta Playa?” Cassie raised her voice to be heard over the sound of the motor.