Visions of Fire and Ice (The Petiri) (6 page)

The great beast surged ahead, not waiting for instruction, already one in purpose. Hooves pounded, nostrils flared, and every sinew tight, desperate to reach their destination. They turned east, the ground shaking in their wake; sweat foamed on the animal’s dark coat.

Palace walls were visible in the distance.
Almost there
. He clenched the soft leather pouch tight in his fist. A life depended on its contents. Only, it wasn’t his life he worked to save. It was for a lad, just nineteen years old. Without the medicine within, the boy would be dead by the end of the day.

Ramose’s heart kept beat with the great hooves which thundered across the Earth. How could Selket keep this from me? Why didn’t she tell he how sick he was?

It’s true they promised to hide who they were, but secrecy wasn’t worth the price of a young boy’s life. Not when what was needed to save him was so simple. The vial filled with the life saving liquid was clenched tight within Ramose’s fist. He would not let a simple infection take the life of the boy he loved like a nephew.

“Hurry, my friend! He cannot die!” The beast poured on speed at his urging. Horse and man flew around one last bend. They slid to a halt before the palace gates, sand spitting from the horse’s mighty hooves. He leapt down and gave the horse an automatic pat on one powerful shoulder before he stormed the palace door. The guards dropped their lances, crossing the staffs before him.

“Get out of my way,” he said.

“You cannot attend the king. He has not requested your presence,” the guard replied.

“He needs my aid. Move or die.” Ramose slid a blade from the sheath tied to his leg with a hiss of metal on leather. The sharp edge flashed in the light of the midday sun. “Stand aside.”

The door opened from within, and a priest stepped through, nodding to the guards. They withdrew the staffs in sharp salute before stepping away.

The priest put his hand upon Ramose’s shoulder. “It is too late. He is gone.”

Shock, then pain unlike anything he’d ever experienced, ripped at his heart. His head grew light, and he stumbled, unable to maintain his balance. His heart stuttered, skipping a beat. Fingers of dread gripped his lungs. “It is not possible,” he whispered. He stared at the priest.

“I am sorry, my friend. He died just moments ago.”

The pouch fell, its contents no longer required. The vial inside rolled across the limestone floor. Ramose dropped to his knees, oblivious of the hard surface, his hands covering his face.

“It cannot be” he said softly, defeated.

A boy king dethroned by death.

Chapter Eight

The desert’s morning rays filled the already warm hotel room. Tamara strode across the floor till she met the dresser then spun, heading in the opposite direction. Good thing this hotel had nice carpet, or she’d wear a hole in it before the end of this trip. She’d already made at least five trips across her room, testing her candles for softness. None were melted. The look on her cousin’s face, however, told her Julie was getting frustrated.

“He’s not going to bite you, Tamara.”

“And how do you know? Julie, I can’t take this! What if…what if I freak out or something? What if I forget and set fire to the museum? What if he’s not what he was in the dreams?”

“Why wouldn’t he be what he was in the dreams? You know how that works. You dream about your soul mate starting at puberty, and it continues until you are joined. What else could there be?”

“Damn it, Julie. Let me tell you what the problem is. Do you know what I dreamed last night? Do you want me to tell you?” Tamara halted in front of her cousin and propped her fists on her hips. “I dreamed he was living in Ancient Egypt, entering the palace, and someone close to him died. And, all through the dream, I knew he was hiding his identity. And I’m not talking about recently. I’m talking about thousands of years ago. It can’t be real. I’m seeing something that needs interpretation. Give me something I can use. Something to make me more comfortable about spending time alone with this man.”

She resumed her trek back and forth across the room, her fingers twisting in her hair. She shouldn’t be this nervous. Hell, she shouldn’t be nervous at all. Her dreams told of his past lives, but not about what he was today. And she couldn’t seem to stop the nagging feeling deep in the pit of her stomach which told her something big was about to happen. And not all of it good.

Her cousin sighed and shook her head. “Tamara, I wish I could. You’re going to have to face your inner demons, and you’re going to have to face him.”

Tamara stopped, spinning toward her cousin. “Face my inner demons? What makes you think that’s what my problem is? What is it you aren’t telling me?”

Julie’s face was pinched and her eyes wide. Tamara had never seen her look like this. Torn, maybe, wanting to tell her what she saw, and yet afraid to.

“I can’t help you, Tamara.” Julie slid into the chair by the window, her hands rubbing her head. “I don’t understand what I’m seeing enough to do any good. I can’t even put it into words. I just know… I know he’s the one for you, and I know he brings with him danger, and change.” She spread her hands out in front of her.

Guilt washed over Tamara, and she sighed. Her cousin, the one who knew everything, was confused. Lost. Tears teased at the corner of her cousin’s eyes.

Tamara dropped in front of her, brushing the sandy blonde hair from her face. “It’s not your fault, Julie,” she said, cupping her cousin’s chin in her hand. “I’ll figure it out. I’ve done it before. I’ve grown used to your input on my life is all. It’s time I learned to deal with things on my own.”

And she had. For most of their lives, Julie had been the shining beacon in the family, sharing her ideas of the future to keep everyone out of trouble. The one time she herself had failed to listen, her life had changed. Drastically.

Scooting back to rest on her feet, Tamara laughed. “I can’t believe we are both so upset over this. We know the future is always in flux anyway, so the chances of you interpreting things right when you don’t know Ramose, well, it’s probably pretty slim. Besides,” she motioned with her hand, “this is your honeymoon, so you need to go get Jeff. Ramose will be here soon.” She smiled, hoping to shake the morose mood she’d shoved her cousin into head first.

Julie gave her a wan smile. “Jeff and I are going to stay here, at the hotel. Once he wakes up, we’ll hang out at the pool and let you come back and tell us how things were.”

Tamara bit her lip to hide the panic surging in her throat. “I understand,” she croaked. It wasn’t just that the two J’s wanted to hang out by the pool. Something in the flashes of the future Julie had seen meant Tamara should go to the museum alone.

“Don’t worry,” said Julie, standing and walking to the door. “You’ll be fine.”

“So you say.”

A sharp double rap on the door sent Tamara’s already nervous heart straight into her throat. He was here. She shot a look toward Julie.

“Don’t just stand there. Your future awaits.”

The conspiratorial grin on Julie’s face gave Tamara the last boost she needed for her confidence. Tamara stuck her tongue out. “Gee, thanks.”

Her palm was moist and her fingers stiff when she reached for the door lever.

Ramose stood on the other side, once again dressed in all black. His sleeves were long, but rolled up mid forearm exposing powerful muscles beneath a golden brown tan. His dark shirt opened at the neck, revealing a strong rope of sinew stretching into powerful shoulders. There was a smile on his full lips, but when she raised her eyes to meet his, what she saw was not pleasure or amusement. What she saw was surprise.

His scent rolled through her body. So edgy and masculine it took her breath away. The urge to step forward and bury her nose in his neck was almost overwhelming. Now
that
was something not in the dreams.

Refusing to be taken in, she stepped back.

“Good morning, Ramose.” She smiled, and, following Julie, the two sidestepped him into the hallway.

“You remember my cousin? Her name is Julie. Julie, this is Ramose.”

* * * *

Ramose took in the woman he’d barely glimpsed the night before. She was no taller than Tamara, with both women just over five feet. That’s where the resemblance ended. Where Tamara’s hair was dark, Julie’s was a sandy, almost dirty blonde. Where Tamara’s figure held rounded feminine curves, Julie was slender and pencil thin. Tamara was definitely the more attractive of the two humans.

Even after a night’s rest, he still experienced a powerful attraction to a human. Odd. Swallowing the urge to rush toward Tamara, he took Julie’s hand. “The pleasure is mine.”

Her palm tingled against his skin, as though reaching into his cells, searching for…what? There was no way to know how deep her magick could go, and that meant he needed to be careful. He let go and fought the urge to flex his palm to shake loose whatever energy her body contained.

“Will you be accompanying us?”

Julie shook her head and walked backwards down the hall, a grin on her face. “Nope, not me. I’m just gonna,” she motioned toward the next suite’s door, “spend some time here, at the hotel. You two have fun now.” She giggled and ducked in her room.

Curious, Ramose glanced at Tamara who shrugged.

“What can I say, she’s on her honeymoon.”

“Ahh, yes, I understand.” These two women were different than most humans. They felt almost like…Petiri. He shrugged off the thought then turned to Tamara. “Are you ready?”

She nodded.

Her
Napshua
glinted at him from her right bicep.

He tried to analyze the strange play of emotions at the sight. He liked that it was important to her. Yet, on another level, seeing her wear the piece reminded him of his task. It would be easier to drill her for information if she was wearing the object of his desire.

His gaze roved over and up her delectable body, taking in the tight American jeans, the soft, cotton blouse, before settling on her full, sensuous lips.

Make that one of the objects of his desire.

Jemy Bah
. The Petiri curse twisted in his mind. She was human. And female. And fire. If ever there was a time to be on his guard, it was now. First, the
Napshua
then she’d caught Amunkha’s attention. It was almost like the man could sense Ramose’s own attraction where none belonged.

If luck worked on his side, he would be fine. She was on vacation, probably going home in a week. He had to move fast if he wanted to find out how she came to own a Petiri
Napshua
.

He held out his hand. “Let us go, then.”

She gave him a small smile, her eyes fluttering closed, and then she placed her hand in his. The instant they made contact, a sizzle of heat shot through his blood. Ramose sucked fresh oxygen into his suddenly squeezed lungs. He clenched his teeth to keep from hissing in a shocked breath. The ice inside him steamed at the contact and then settled.

Not good.
What if she were to touch more of him? Would he lose his power? He released her hand, using the excuse to press the elevator button before shoving his hand into his pocket to hide the flexing of warmed fingers.

Silence echoed off the brass walls of the elevator. She stood beside him and toyed with her strange waist pack. As the floors passed, Ramose struggled to keep from copying her, his own brain searching for something to do. After mere seconds in this human female’s presence, he struggled to keep from fidgeting. The premonition from the night before still pounded at his brain, and he knew this woman was the key.

But where to start?

“So, do you like Egypt?” he blurted.

“Are you Egyptian?” she asked.

They looked at one another surprised, and she laughed. Embarrassment, followed by amusement bubbled through his chest, and he couldn’t help but join her. Twice, she’d made him laugh in just as many days. It was nice to laugh again.

“You first,” he said, still smiling.

She chuckled then began. “Are you Egyptian? Your eyes kinda look different. Most of the locals I’ve met so far have brown eyes, and, last night, you said Arabic wasn’t your native language.”

He shook his head. “No, though I have lived here a great deal of my life. It is my home.” The elevator doors slid open, and they strode across the marble floor, their shoes clicking softly on the square tiles.

“Really? So where are you originally from? Your last name is definitely not Egyptian. British, isn’t it?

He nodded, his eyes appraising her. Either she’d done her homework last night, or she was intelligent. Either way, he was going to need to be careful. “Yes, it is.”

“So, you’re a misplaced Brit?”

“You could say that,” he said, holding open the glass door in the foyer, and they stepped out into the sun. There were a lot of ‘misplaced Brit’s’ in Egypt. A black Mercedes pulled up to the curb, and Ramose opened the rear passenger door. “After you,” he said, motioning her inside with the wave of one elegant arm.

“You’re very own driver?” she asked with a grin.

He shrugged. “A friend. He likes to drive, and I don’t.” She arched a brow and then climbed into the automobile.

Her eyes were different than most human’s. Blue. Ringed with gold. He’d noticed them last night. In his world, that meant something very special. Royalty. In this world, a Petiri of such eyes would be considered a goddess as her talents developed, overshadowing all others.

She slid across to the far side of the seat. With a light shake of his head, he stepped into the car. The perfume of lilies washed over him as though he’d stepped into a blooming garden. The scent slammed into him, rolling like a desert khamsin, stealing his breath, filled his lungs, and seeping into his blood.
By the gods!
Heat rushed from his lungs, surging low, his body hardening to the point of pain. Ramose hid his grimace of discomfort as he settled into the backseat

and closed the door.

“Are you all right?”

Ramose nodded. He couldn’t explain his reaction. Even he didn’t understand it. His body ached with the desire to touch her, and he gripped the edges of the seat, determined to overcome. Lilies. Why, by all the gods, did she have to smell like lilies? He’d always thought his
Kha-Ib
, the heart of his soul, would carry that scent. A scent as powerful and strong as the woman he’d once hoped to find. A woman he’d left behind on Petiri when he’d volunteered for this forsaken mission.