Priestess of the Nile

by Veronica Scott

  I can’t tolerate much more of this cold. Shivering violently, going on instinct, he tried to move, to shove the white flakes aside, to crawl to a warmer patch of sand, anything. He lay helpless under the glistening shroud, his breath a mere puff, his vision gone to black. Merys, Merys, Merys, whispered a little voice inside his mind, the only lucid thought remaining to him.

  Isis clapped her hands and the clouds blew away in an instant. The sun’s rays stabbed down, focused on Sobek’s body. As the searing heat poured over him, he felt the life returning to his limbs inch by inch and his thoughts became coherent again. Water cascaded off his body and ran into the Nile. The queen knelt beside him, hand on his shoulder, staring into his eyes. “You won’t forsake your tasks again, will you?”

  “No, no, my lady.” He forced the words out past lips that were numb from cold.

  “If the Nile fails to inundate their fields when the appointed time comes, if I fail, then the humans will all perish.”

  “I know this. I won’t fail you again.”

  “See that you don’t.” Isis shook her finger in his face. “Whatever distractions you have been indulging in must not interfere with your role. If there ever is a next time, I will not have mercy. Do not test me on this.” Isis stood and vanished.

  With great effort, Sobek rolled over onto his back slowly and lay baking in the sun, regaining his strength and thinking bleak thoughts.

  Eventually in the course of his duties he found himself in the area of Merys’s village. Temptation tore at him. I could watch her from the temple, listen to her song and not let her know I’m there. Pleased with that idea, he nodded and redirected his journey to the old temple.

  As he walked out onto the cliff overlooking the beach, he did indeed hear her pure voice raised in a lilting melody. Many long weeks had passed since he had enjoyed the pleasure of hearing her sing. She stood in water to her knees. The rush of contentment that came over Bek at the mere sight of Merys amazed him and he paused on the trail, his jangled nerves soothed.

  The sweet high note Merys held came to an end as she put a hand to her throat, then bent over the tiny waves. She searched along the riverbed, no longer focused on her song.

  A movement to the right caught his eye. What is the name of Set’s horns is that crocodile in the shallows doing? Is it actually swimming to attack her? Enraged, Bek threw himself down the trail at a breakneck speed.

  Merys stood carefully in one spot. She pushed her hair out of her eyes roughly and sighed in frustration, checking her neck one more time, not quite accepting the loss of her necklace. The slithering sensation against her skin as the old leather thong parted and the amulet fell had been so startling, she had not grabbed for it in time. Peering uselessly into the murk of the Nile, Merys blinked back tears. The only possession of my great-grandmother’s I had left, the symbol of my being a priestess—gone. I’ll wait for the silt to settle and then hopefully I can find it. Taking a moment to enjoy the soaring flight of a flock of white ibis against the blue sky, she stood straighter, easing her muscles. I envy them their freedom.

  The sky tilted and vertigo assailed her as her feet were violently yanked out from under her. A crocodile closed its mighty jaws around her ankle, ripping a desperate scream from her throat. The bone-crushing force sent a sheet of hot pain up her leg and through her body until adrenaline pulsed in her system.

  The beast dragged her under the surface of the Nile, pulling her toward the center of the river. Cold water rushed over her face, into her open mouth. Merys gagged, tried to hold her breath, beating on the animal’s closed jaws with her fists, then trying to jab at the nearest eye. Her stomach heaved, nausea and weakness from the intensity of the pain in her leg spreading outward from her gut.

  The crocodile rolled her over and over, tossing her like Tyema’s puppy with a rag doll. Black spots danced before her eyes and she scrunched them tightly closed against the dizziness. What do I do to get away before I drown? I have to breathe. My chest is going to explode. I’ve got to have air. Just as her lungs were bursting, something huge flashed by her in the water and struck the crocodile with enough force to shove it sideways a few feet against the current. The predator opened its jaws to deal with the threat and Merys floated free.

  A tiny hope of survival bloomed within her. A spurt of energy sizzled through her nerves, giving her new strength. Kicking as hard as she could with the injured leg, heart pounding, Merys clawed her way to the surface. The water in her vicinity churned bright red. Something solid rose from the murky depths. Merys screamed and flailed, too weak to swim. A hard surface lay under her, lifting her completely out of the water, supporting her as if she were stretched out on a board or a raft. Thank the gods for helping me. Nausea and dizziness overwhelmed her and the world faded from her view.

  When Merys regained consciousness, she was held safe in Bek’s muscular arms, nestled against his broad chest. Too exhausted to question the miracle of his presence she curled closer to him in relief while he strode across the beach toward her favorite spot under the palm trees. Tenderly he laid her in the softest spot, then bent to examine her leg.

  Blood gushed from a long series of deep, serrated slashes, staining her dress as well as his hands and kilt. The crocodile’s teeth had shredded her lower leg from ankle to knee. The bone showed through. The pain was excruciating.

  Merys leaned to the side and vomited river water that burned her throat while Bek held her hair out of the way. As she wiped her mouth, exhausted, he pushed her gently to a reclining position. Chanting something, he proceeded to run his hands over her legs. The pain spiked, then receded.

  What is he doing? Some kind of healing, but how? Green light shone from his hands, radiating from his palms in a cold, numbing rush. The light brought blessed relief, mending her skin and bones in front of her eyes. Thank the gods.

  When he finished, Bek sat on his haunches, resting his hands on his thighs, and scrutinized her. His face was lined, his eyes shadowed. He was dripping wet.

  Another time I would have appreciated this view. But right now I need to understand what happened. “You saved me? How? How could you defeat a crocodile? And what did you do to my leg?” Wriggling her toes, Merys touched her shin hesitantly with the tips of her fingers. I’m safe in his arms. Her pulse slowed. The weakness ebbed away as she relaxed.

  Bek gathered her in for a hug and she breathed deeply of his clean masculine scent. Crooning her name over and over, he buried his face in her hair. Then he pulled back, framing her face with both of his broad hands, and met her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  She put a trembling hand on his cheek. “Who are you, Bek?”

  “Sobek.” He cleared his throat as he stroked her back with one hand. She realized her soaked dress must be clinging to her as tightly as his wet tunic was plastered to his body. She leaned into the shelter of his mighty arms. Bek rested his lips next to her ear and whispered, “I am Sobek.”

  New adrenaline pumped through her, making her heart pound and sending a hot pulse along her nerves. “The Crocodile God?” I’ve been sitting and talking to the Great One all this time, treating him like a human man? I fell in love with him. How could I have been so blind? So stupid? “The Crocodile God himself?”

  “Yes.” He nodded, watching her closely, his green eyes steady on her face, his brows slightly raised. “I’m sorry I misled you.”

  “My apologies, Great One.” Merys struggled and he released her immediately. She tried to get her legs under her so she could kneel to him, to show him the proper deference, now that she knew who he truly was.

  Apparently realizing her intent, he caught her to his chest again, kissed her forehead. “No. Don’t fall on your knees to me, Merys. For you I’m just Bek, a man hopelessly in love with his woman.”

  She glanced past him to the river, where the gigantic ripped and torn carcass of the Nile crocodile floated belly up. Merys shuddered at the thought of how close to death she had come.

  He turned to
see what had her attention and frowned. “I don’t understand how my crocodile could attack you. I bespelled your amulet the first day we met, so my creatures would know you were under my protection.”

  She laid a trembling hand at the base of her throat. “I lost the pendant today, there in the river. The leather thong was old and frayed, and it finally parted. I was looking for the necklace when the crocodile dragged me under.”

  “I’ll make you another. I can’t believe how close I came to losing you.” He lowered his head, hesitated a moment, gazing into her eyes, before taking possession of her lips.

  She kissed him, twining her hands in his glossy black hair. His tongue slipped past her lips, exploring her mouth, engaging her tongue in an erotic dance. Her pulse pounded. I’d long ago gotten over the fantasy he might be a rich merchant, might want to marry me even without a dowry. I hoped he’d want me as a concubine, because I could sing for him. But what can a mortal offer a Great One, save for easy pleasure? My heart is so confused. He wants me, I ache for him, but we can’t have a future together.

  His hand moved to caress her breast, cupping the weight through her wet dress, stroking the nipple in lazy circles. She moaned a little and pressed closer to him. Kissing her tenderly, he laid her on the sand. The pressure of his massive erection pushed against her stomach as he maneuvered himself to lie on top of her. He nudged her legs apart and his cock jostled the layers of wet cloth separating them. Merys rotated her hips, pushing her sensitive cleft against his hard manhood. The motion satisfied an ache inside her, but it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. She wanted him to claim her, to teach her the mysteries between a man and a woman. Merys wrapped her arms hugged his shoulders more firmly and licked his lips with her tongue, trying to entice him into a deeper embrace.

  Bek broke off the kiss and took his weight on his own elbows, focusing on her with heavy-lidded eyes. “Merys, I want you. My body has ached for yours since we first met. But are you sure you want to give yourself to me like this? Here, on a beach? I can’t promise you any of the things you said you wanted, certainly none of what you deserve, nothing beyond the moments we steal in this place. Marriage, children, a home—these are forbidden for a god and a mortal to share. There are rules I must obey. There are obligations I have to fulfill.”

  “I love you.” She kissed his jaw, his throat, his lips. “I just want to be with you. I want to give myself to you.”

  He stroked her hair, gazing into her face. “You just escaped death. Perhaps you aren’t thinking clearly. Emotions run high at such times. You need to be very sure about this. Humans value virginity so highly. Don’t give it yourself to me lightly. There’s no undoing such a decision, sweetheart.”

  “I don’t care. What if I had died there in the river? What if the crocodile had killed me? I never would have known what it would be like to lie with a man, to lie with you.” She buried her face against his muscular chest. “I’m so tired of being unloved, unfulfilled. I’ve wanted you for so long, I won’t change my mind. Please, Sobek.”

  He took a deep breath, nodded and reached to tug and pull at the rags of her simple linen dress, working it off over her head, admiring every inch of her body as he did so. “You are so beautiful, Merys, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He hooked his fingers in her simple loincloth, drew the flimsy garment from her body and threw it aside. Stroking her inner thighs, Bek exerted gentle pressure to move them apart and give him access. He caressed the soft curls at the vee of her body, inserted one finger into her folds. Unexpected, unfamiliar sensations flooded Merys’s body.

  “Do you never pleasure yourself, my love?” His voice was soft, tender.

  She shook her head. Her cheeks were hot.

  “The first time with a man is painful for a woman, and I’m sorry. I’ll do my best to ensure you’re ready for me, ready to take as much pleasure from our joining as I can give.” He reclined, pillowing his head on her thigh. He inserted two fingers into her slowly, massaging, stretching her channel. Merys’s hips moved in spite of herself, trying to force him deeper.

  Bek laughed. He withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his tongue, licking, exploring, teasing.

  Little ripples of warm sensation flooded Merys, relaxing her tense muscles. She shivered in pleasure. “Don’t—do not stop. Please, Bek.”

  “No fear of that.” He again worked his fingers into her channel. Merys felt wet, slick and aching. She watched Bek’s face he penetrated her in a steady rhythm, in and out. He cupped her breast, kneading the nipple until it was pebbled and sensitive. Her hips moved in sync with the pace he set until suddenly heat and amazing sensation swept over Merys, igniting where his fingers played, suffusing her entire body. She writhed, clenching her inner muscles against the pressure of his fingers, moaning his name.

  Breathing hard, limp, Merys collapsed, bringing a soft satisfied laugh from Bek. She watched from barely open eyes as he cast aside his kilt. His long, thick manhood stood out proud from his body, the heavy sac below drawn up tight, a pearl of moisture beading the heavy plum-shaped head. Watching her face, he fisted himself once, root to tip.

  “Are you sure it’s possible to—to—” Merys stammered to a halt. “You are so large.”

  He came to lie on top of her, his cock nudging at her folds. He kissed her, nipping at her lips, then caressing every inch of her neck and softly clamping his teeth on her shoulder.

  “You’re giving me goose bumps.” Merys shivered as they spread across her body in a wave.

  He chuckled against her ear, his breath warm. “I shall give you something better, sweetling. We’ll go slowly and we’ll fit together, I promise.” He moved one hand lower, long fingers probing at the soft entrance to her most secret place. “See. You’re wet, ready for me now.”

  He positioned himself and in a slow, careful motion, the god’s cock penetrated her. Merys gasped and tried to relax her muscles, to take him. As she unclenched herself, Bek slipped farther inside, stretching her channel wide to take his full girth. He pulled himself nearly all the way out of her body and then pushed forward again, establishing a rhythm Merys tried to match. His robust passion set her nerves on fire, but in a good way. Don’t let him stop. Don’t let him be disappointed in me. Thinking became difficult as Bek continued his inexorable invasion, kissing her, caressing her, whispering sweet words. The stimuli coming from all directions overwhelmed Merys until she only concentrated on his shaft buried deep inside her and the pleasure pulsing from him.

  Waves of delicious sensation built and rippled outward from her innermost core in response to every movement of Bek’s cock. Merys tried to tense her muscles, to pleasure him as she climaxed. Bek shuddered and buried his shaft so deep inside her Merys cried out. Instinctively she locked her ankles behind him to hold him in place more tightly. His hot seed jetted into her as he shouted her name.

  Bek collapsed, their slick, sweaty bodies locked together. He kissed her cheek tenderly. “I didn’t hurt you too much, did I?”

  Merys smiled tremulously. “No, the discomfort was fleeting and the rest was wonderful.”

  Rolling over onto his side, bringing her with him, he laughed in delight, hugging her hard. His cock twitched inside her body. “Truly you are a rare woman, my little priestess. I bless the day your song ensnared me.”

  He made love to her again, more slowly, after which they lay together on the soft pallet he had conjured out of thin air, a blanket over them and wine close at hand. Feeding her grapes and cradling her head on his strong shoulder, he paused in their lovemaking to watch the moon rise out over the river.

  She turned her head to kiss his cheek and ran a hand over the hard planes of his chest. “Bek, I want to see you.”

  “You have seen me, sweetling. And you gave ample evidence of being pleased.” He leered at her, head tilted, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes showing he was teasing.

  She gave him a tiny frown at being thwarted in her request and pushed at his ribs. “I want to see you as you
r other self, as the Crocodile God.”

  He regarded her with a grave face, all amusement gone from his green eyes. He seemed surprised. “Why?”

  “Because I love you.” Merys feathered a kiss on his lips. “The crocodile is part of you. I want to see you in all your manifestations.” Can’t he understand that this is a last test of my worthiness to be his priestess? I don’t want him to have any doubts of me.

  He looked away from her, blinking. “I’m fearsome to humans in my other form.”

  She stroked his semierect shaft, which lengthened at her caress. “You’re fearsome in other ways, my lord, even in human form.”

  He caught her hand, lifting it away from him and kissing her fingers. “Wretch! Consider carefully what you ask. Egyptians respect and fear me for good reason. If I appear in all my glory, complete with the plumed crown and the disk of the sun on my head, I will frighten you. I don’t want you to be frightened of me, Merys. It would break my heart.” He gestured across the river, where the Nile crocodiles slumbered in the moonlight. “They’re far smaller than I.”

  Merys assumed a cross-legged position, hands folded in her lap. “I want to behold you. I won’t be scared, trust me. I told you, I’m of the priestess blood. A high priestess of the Crocodile God can’t fear his creatures or the Great One himself. Not in any form he might take, no matter what he might find it necessary to do.”

  Leaning back on his elbows, Sobek grinned. “Perhaps I could just become half human, half crocodile for you, would that suffice?”

  Merys shook her head. “No, I can see such a depiction in any wall painting in the temple. I want to see you, as the crocodile.” Dimples flashed in her cheeks. “I will grant you reprieve from wearing the crown with plumes and sun disk.”

  Apparently unconcerned about his nakedness, he stood, dusted the sand from his hands and strode away from her, then glanced over his shoulder. His eyes gleamed golden in the moonlight.