Hathor's Return (Eye of Ra Series Book 1)

by T. M. Grinsley

  The woman clicked her tongue a few times and after a few moments finally responded. “Oh dear, forgive me. My name is Cleo Skmet. Pleased to meet you.”

  CHAPTER 7

  ~Josephine~

  I didn’t know what it was about her, but Cleo put me on edge. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and goose bumps erupted across my skin. A part of me wanted to step back and hide behind Ari, and let him take care of me. I mentally shook my head at myself. I had never needed a man to take care of me, so why did I think that now?

  Cleo stared at me expectantly. I didn’t want to give her my name. I wanted nothing to do with her. Without realizing it, I had subconsciously gripped Ari’s arm and took a step closer to him. The glint in her eyes made me want to throw holy water on her to see if she would melt like a Vampire.

  “Come, ladies and gentlemen. We must get back with the group. Dr. Hawass feels that you have had enough time playing in the dirt.” She looked past me, at Kris. “My goodness, Kristina. Are you quite alright?”

  “She’s fine,” Malik snapped. He moved so he was blocking Cleo’s view of Kris.

  I frowned. “How do you know her name?”

  “I am helping Dr. Hawass, you know. I have the roster of all the tourists in the group. Now come, the group is getting ready to leave.”

  Cleo looked over us one last time, a weird look crossing her face, then she turned and walked away. I couldn’t stop it from happening, my tongue came out and middle finger shot up. She could go fuck herself.

  Ari chuckled at the reaction and watched Cleo walk back towards the bus. Making sure Cleo was a safe distance away, I turned and stared back at Malik, then pointed at him. “You will explain what the fuck happened back there.” Then I straightened my shoulders and changed my voice to a snooty British accent. “Come, we’ve had quite enough time playing in the dirt. Come, Come.”

  I heard Kris snicker as I turned and started to walk off with an exaggerated swing to my hips. Her laugh made me feel a little better about what had happened back there and I knew she would be okay

  I stared pointedly at the bruises on Kris’s head and winced at the marks covering her body. A few hours ago, she was covered in dirt from head to toe, but now her real injuries were starting to show. A dark purple bruise covered a large portion of her forehead, several scrapes covered her arms and legs, not to mention the large bruise on her ribs. She looked like hell. I wrapped some ice in a cloth napkin and gently held it to her head. She flinched slightly when the cold touched her forehead, but she sighed with relief all too soon. I was worried about her, and it was making me want to vomit. I had never seen Kris this guarded before. It felt like she was keeping some kind of cosmic secret from me. We never kept secrets from each other.

  I wondered if maybe she had figured out what was going on, and didn’t want me to know. Putting my worries aside, I carefully tended to her wounds after finally convincing the guys to leave. They had finally agreed to give us some space, after we found out that they were in the adjoining room.

  That wasn’t odd at all.

  “Kris, what is going on?” I asked her once her eyes were no longer glazed over.

  “I fell. That’s all.” She shrugged, yet she kept her eyes averted from mine.

  “Then why did we hear you screaming, why was Malik yelling, and why couldn’t we get back there?” I asked, all in one breath. The air whooshed out of me and I felt deflated. “I’m scared, Kris. I’ve never felt this scared before. Maybe we should just go home.”

  I knew as soon as I said it, that we weren’t going home for a while. A knot formed in my stomach and I wanted to cry. I blinked back the tears as I watched Kris. She looked almost as distraught as I felt.

  Finally, after a long, awkward silence, Kris spoke. “Maybe we should. I’ve dreamed of coming here since I was a kid, but this trip isn’t turning out how I imagined.”

  I hugged her tight, being cautious of her injuries, then kissed her on the temple. “I’ll call the airline and make arrangements. We will do this again soon, I promise. Next time, we will stick with the guide and follow all the rules. Okay?”

  I stood and pulled out my phone. When I called the airline, I was told that there were no flights headed back to the states for another week. We had to spend the rest of our trip in Egypt, as planned. I hung up trying to think of another way to get home, when an idea popped in my head. I called my mom and she answered on the first ring.

  “Mom,” I whispered, barely holding it together.

  “Josephine. What’s wrong?”

  “We want to come home. There was an accident and Kris got injured.”

  “What? Is she okay? Was it- I mean what happened?”

  “She fell and hit her head. She’s okay, but we are tired and want to come home.”

  There was a long pause on the other side of the phone. “Sweetie, I’ll see what I can do, just bear with me until I can see about flights home.”

  “The airport said there were no flights back to the states until next week.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Just stay strong and true to yourself. Remember Jo, you are made of some tough stuff. You can handle anything that is thrown your way. Between you and Kris, you can overcome anything. Trust your heart, trust your instincts, they will never fail you.”

  I ended the call and stared at my cell phone for a long moment. That was the weirdest conversation I had ever had with my mother. She tended to be mysterious and cryptic at times, but not like this. It almost didn’t sound like her. Felt like she was telling me goodbye without actually saying the words.

  I looked over my shoulder at Kris. “We are going to be here a few more days. Mom is trying to get us home, but she said for now, we have to deal. So we might as well try to enjoy it. Let’s just stay with the tour guide tomorrow and lay low.”

  Kris nodded and laid down. I laid next to her, where I dreamed of temples, sacrifices, and a chant that echoed in my head.

  At 6 A.M. we stood in the lobby of the hotel, waiting for Dr. Hawass to tell us where we were going next. Instead of Dr. Hawass, Cleo walked up to the group with a clipboard in her hand. She looked around the group until her eyes landed on us, and she smiled. The smile was pleasant enough, but the goose bumps on my arms told me not to trust her. The look on her face made me want to spit on her, and I had never felt the urge to spit on anyone before.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder and my nerves soothed a bit. I glanced back to see Ari smiling down at me. I stepped back slightly, so my back was pressed against his chest. Moving his hand from my shoulder, he slid his arm around my waist and pulled me in tight. My body curved into his body and relaxed. Mother’s words echoed through my head. Trust your heart, trust your instincts, they will never fail you.

  “Sabah alkhyr. Good morning, everyone. After breakfast, we will travel to Dendera to see the temple dedicated to the goddess, Hathor. To this day, it is one of the best-preserved temples in all of Egypt. Then, after sightseeing in Dendera, we will then drive to Luxor to check in at our luxurious 5-star hotel. It is a three-hour drive, so make sure you have plenty of food and water with you. Dr. Hawass is preparing the bus for the trip, now. I hope you all enjoy the treasure that we have in store for you.” Cleo stared at me while she spoke, and I shivered.

  It felt like she had been staring directly into my soul when she talked about Hathor’s Temple. I didn’t like it.

  On our way to the bus, Kris and I grabbed a few snacks to eat on the drive. Ari and Malik insisted on carrying our bags to the bus, so we followed without saying a word. Kris looked better this morning, but her eyes told me she was somewhere else. This morning, we put as much makeup on her as we could, to hide the shiner on her forehead. We agreed this morning that we would stay low and only talk when spoken to.

  Once the guys loaded our bags, we took our seats. I made sure to sit next to Ari, and Kris settled in by Malik with nary a complaint.

  I stared out the window for the first part of the drive. I didn’t know what to
say. Things were getting stranger. I didn’t realize that Hathor’s Temple had been part of the tour, but then again, I never paid attention to the details when Kris told me about it. She had rambled on and I just agreed without a second thought. It didn’t matter where we were going, it was vacation, and I was planning on having a good time. However, this hadn’t been a good time. It had been stressful. My dreams were getting intense. Then Kris…

  I sighed, and felt Ari shift in his seat. “Are you okay, Malikati?”

  I swung around and looked at him. “What did you call me?”

  His cheeks turned a little red, like he was embarrassed. “Malikati. Sorry. It’s a nickname my dad always called my mum. I thought it was cute.”

  I smiled at him. “It is. It’s just–” I shook my head. “Never mind. I think I’m going crazy.”

  “You aren’t going crazy,” he said softly.

  I turned to him, tears building in my eyes. How embarrassing. I was going to cry in front of this big, tall beefcake. “Promise?”

  He nodded and pulled me into his arms. I cuddled up against his chest, and felt a gentle kiss against my hair. I looked up, sliding my hand up his chest to the back of his neck. Pulling him towards me, I pressed my lips against his. Heat swept through my body and I had an insatiable wave of desire overcome me. I wanted to straddle his lap right then, and would have, if his arms hadn’t kept me in place.

  I groaned in protest as he broke the kiss. He brought his lips to my ear and whispered, “Not here. Not yet, Malikati.”

  His breath on my ear caused a shiver to run through me. I tilted my head so he could have access to my neck. He placed a gentle kiss behind my ear, then pulled me closer, so my back was against his chest. His arms tightened against me, which told me how much he was struggling to be a gentleman.

  I didn’t know why, but the need to confess that I tried leaving last night came over me. “I called my mom last night.”

  His arms tensed for a second, then relaxed. “Oh yeah?”

  “I begged her to help us go home.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m scared. I don’t like being scared.”

  “Don’t be scared, Josephine. I’ll protect you.”

  Sitting up faster than humanly possible, I pushed off his chest and moved as far away from him as I could. My back was firmly pressed against the metal wall of the bus, looking for a way to escape. Fear, distrust, and betrayal swept through me in a cold gust.

  “How did you know my full name?”

  “What?” His brows drew together.

  “You called me Josephine. No one calls me that, but my parents and Kris when I piss her off. She hasn’t called me that, so how did you know my name is Josephine? It’s not even on the paperwork for the tour.”

  “I just assumed that was your name, I guess. I mean, who names their daughter just Jo?”

  “No, I’m not buying it. You don’t just assume someone’s name is different than what they tell you. How did you know my name?”

  “I don’t know.” His eyes begged me not to cause a scene, but I was having a hard time trying to keep my shit together.

  This was too much. I shook my head no and pushed further away from him. Ari went to grab my hand, but I slapped it away before he even touched me. Ignoring my protests, his hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me towards him. When his hand touched the inside of my wrist, my necklace began to warm up. Reaching for my necklace, I wrapped my hand around the pendant and I felt my body regain control of its senses. Warmth spread up my arm, flowed through my shoulder, and into my chest. My momentary freak out, was no more. I took a deep breath and sighed.

  “What are you hiding from me, Ari?” I was confident he was hiding something.

  He opened his mouth to say something, when Malik interrupted our conversation. “Is everything okay over there?”

  I peeked around Ari to see both Malik and Kris staring at us. Her eyes were wide with worry.

  “Yeah, sorry. We just had a little misunderstanding.” A look passed between Ari and Malik, almost like they were communicating silently.

  “Jo?” Kris asked.

  “We’re fine.” I said, keeping my tone neutral. Ignoring the look Kris was giving me, I settled back in my seat and waited for this trip to be over.

  The rest of the ride was uneventful. I sat on my side of the seat, staring out the window, watching historical monuments and endless amounts of sand pass by. I could feel the warmth of Ari’s body against my back, causing me to glance over to see that he’d been scooting closer to me the last few minutes. I smiled at his attempts to touch me and moved back a little, so I was leaning against his arm.

  I felt his fingers lightly trail my spine, causing goose bumps to form in their wake. His fingers continued their torturous path, and I felt his body pressed against my back as he whispered in my ear, “There is so much I need to tell you, but the time isn’t right. Please, bear with me a little longer until I can tell you. Then all will be explained. Trust me. Your instincts will know what I say is true.”

  I nodded. My instincts told me to trust Ari. It struck me as odd that my mother had said almost the same thing in our phone call about going home. The thoughts left my mind as quickly as they came when I saw the temple. It was truly magnificent. Large pillars with carvings covering every surface, and fresh offerings littering the steps, made this feel like a sacred place. At the same time, a feeling of dread washed over me and I didn’t want to get off the bus.

  We unloaded from the bus, and I looped my arm through Kris’, making sure we were not separated. Her arm tightened around mine, telling me she felt the same way. Ari and Malik soon joined us, each standing on either side of us.

  A thought flitted through my head that I couldn’t help but chuckle at. When Kris gave me her questioning glance, I told her what I found funny. “It looks almost like they are our body guards, the way they are looming over us, looking all tough and scrumptious.”

  I saw the smile falter on Malik’s face for a second. He recovered himself fast enough, I almost didn’t catch it. I shrugged it off. He didn’t seem to have as much of a sense of humor as Ari did. That was probably why Ari and I got along so well. He would actually laugh at my corny jokes.

  We gathered around Dr. Hawass and Cleo. They began to explain how this tour was going to go. Dr. Hawass seemed quieter than normal, but after yesterday who wouldn’t be.

  Cleo took charge of the group and told us the plan for while we were here. “We are going to split into two groups. That way, we can cover ground a little faster, so you will have more time to explore.”

  She started counting us out like a teacher did to split us up in groups. I noticed that she managed to put me in a group separate from Kris and the others. I didn’t have a chance to object because Ari spoke up first.

  “Jo is coming with us, so someone else needs to go to the other group.” Ari gave her a look that dared her to challenge him.

  Cleo gaped. “I split you up evenly. There is no reason to switch groups.”

  “It’s not a request. I am telling you that Jo is coming with me. She is staying in this group.” Ari glowered at her.

  She finally nodded. “Okay, come with me. The other group will go with Dr. Hawass. We will give him a break from being schooled by an amateur.”

  The group chuckled. I didn’t find the humor in it. “If you insist. And Dr. Hawass wouldn’t have his ass handed to him all the time, if he were schooled in what he was actually supposed to know and didn’t make up shit that didn’t make sense. I’m nowhere near an expert and I can tell that he doesn’t know his shit.”

  I remembered the comment about Malik being his nephew and I glanced at him and shrugged. “Sorry.”

  He smiled and his eyes glinted, obviously enjoying that his uncle was being raked over the coals. We turned and followed Cleo. Making our way to the entrance, we started up the stairs to the temple. Goose bumps raised up the hairs on my arms and I didn’t want to cross the threshold. I wondered if
I could change my mind and wait in the bus during this tour.

  Ari put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into the crook of his arm. We crossed the threshold, and I felt a wind pick up speed and heard a low growl off in the distance. I jumped, causing Ari to pull me in closer.

  Looking over, I saw the fifth person in our group peering inside the temple. She was a quiet redhead named Amy, who had listened with amusement over the shit we gave Dr. Hawass. Now, her eyes were wide. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she looked scared.

  We walked through the temple, entering the main room. Cleo had us stop so she could tell us the story of Hathor, but I tuned her out, feeling the need to explore. Amy was staring at some hieroglyphics, Malik and Kris were arguing over something from a book or whatever, while Ari and I looked around. Cleo leaned against the wall, watching Kris and Malik with enjoyment, sipping on a bottle of water, unaware of what I was planning.

  Grabbing Ari, I pulled us back up the path to look at something I saw when we were heading to the main room. There was a little nook in the far wall, and I pulled him in, so we were shielded from everyone else’s view.

  “You are going to tell me everything as soon as we get out of here.” I demanded.

  He nodded slightly, and his brown eyes seemed darker than normal. Standing on my tiptoes, I ran my hands over his chest and kissed him. He hesitated at first, but his arms soon wrapped around my waist, pressing me firmly against him. The kiss started off slow, but quickly turned to raw passion. Moving his hands along my ass, he gripped me hard, and lifted with ease, pushing me against the wall. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling his hard erected cock against my folds. Glad I wore a skirt today, I hitched it up higher around my waist, giving him easy access.

  I moaned against his lips, as he trailed kisses from my jaw down to my breasts. My nipples strained against my bra, waiting to be ravaged. Feeling myself lose control, I leaned my head back on the wall, his hands teasing my clit, causing my orgasm to strengthen. My vagina was soaked, waiting for him to take me, here and now. Nipping his shoulder, he growled, keeping on arm around me while the other unbuckled his pants. Kissing me hard on the lips, I opened my mouth, inviting him in. Our tongues clashed against one another. His cock teased my folds, causing my thighs to spread, giving him my full invitation.