He might carry himself like a pharaoh, but her palms ached to slap his face. A human with that kind of audacity could taunt the gods of the Underworld, heedless of the consequences.
Goddess, how will I control such a man?
His kiss came to mind again, and this time she allowed the memory to linger. While Shaila was not the magnet of male attention that her mother was, she understood the power given to women. She just wondered if she knew how to wield it.
Startled by a thunderous roar, she ran to the window, and watched in fascination as Darius rode off on a strange looking machine, like a chariot with no horses. The world she’d left behind had no such self-moving devices. At least, not any that were accessible to the humans.
She also noticed a larger machine pull out after him, following a short distance behind.
Keep walking around naked like that and you’ll have more men under your control than you can count.
She heard the words in her head, but they were not her own. Time had not faded her recognition of the voice. She spun around until she spied the cat sitting proudly on the counter again.
“Bessie?”
With only a whisper of sound, black fur smoothed into cream-colored skin. The cat’s form arched and stretched to form a full-grown woman with black spiky hair, a variety of colorful body paints, and jewelry piercings in interesting places. Leathery fabric spooled from thin air and wrapped itself around her body. The final touch appeared from her mouth with a tiny pop…some sweet treat on a stick.
The woman launched from the counter. Shaila nearly fell over, but she welcomed the warm feeling of being totally enwrapped with arms and legs. Bessie was very dear to her. It hurt to realize that she had caused her sister pain by disappearing so suddenly and without saying goodbye. Shaila hugged her tight.
“Sister, I’ve missed you.” Bessie wiped fat tears from her cheeks and popped the sweet back into her mouth.
“I have missed you too. I am so glad to see you.” Shaila stumbled over to a chair, suddenly fatigued. “My body is slow in remembering how to move.”
“Can’t you heal yourself?”
Shaila shook her head. “I cannot seem to connect with my astral spirit.”
Bessie poured water into a small metal machine. “You have to try this stuff. It’s called coffee. It might help perk you up. But it’s really addicting.”
“Bessie, where is our mother?”
The water burbled through the machine on the counter, the aroma filling the small kitchen. Bessie inhaled deeply. “I don’t really know. It’s been a couple thousand years since I last saw Inanna. She and Uncle Seth were dealing with a problem.”
“What problem?”
“Lilith. Need I say more?” The machine sputtered as the stream of liquid came to an end.
“Tell me. What happened?”
“Lilith was up to her usual tricks, trying to rule the world and all that. The humans loved her though. Queen Cleopatra. She’d finally become queen of something, but she screwed it all up again. Nearly exposed us all.”
“How?”
“By falling in love with a Roman named Marc Antony.” Bessie’s stomach growled. “She’d told her lover all about us. But of course, she told her side of it, making us sound like slave owners. In the end, good old Uncle Seth had to silence the womanizing idiot forever.”
“What about Lilith?”
“Uncle Seth took care of her too. He sealed her in a rock and sank it deep into a seabed. She shouldn’t have ever been found.” Bessie poured herself a second cup, smiling as she inhaled the aroma. “God, I love this stuff.”
“Do you know how she escaped?”
Bessie shook her head. “I guess we’ll need to find out. So we don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Shaila poured herself a cup, eager to sample what her sister was enjoying. It smelled divine. Taking a small sip, she nearly gagged on the taste. She fanned the bitter burning sensation on her tongue.
“Bessie, how did I come to be in Lilith’s possession? Where are the other items from the tomb? The child?”
“I’ve been trying to find out, but it’s really hard avoiding that jerk son of hers.”
“Therion?”
“The one and only. He’s definitely the spawn of Apophis.” She shivered and brushed her arms as if to remove something disgusting.
“Yes, but he is more like a human for now.”
“Maybe not for long. Lilith has a plan to find the amulet.” Bessie paused. “Today, she hired Darius to find it for her.”
“Darius works for her?” Shaila’s voice dropped just a fraction.
“No. He hates her guts.” Bessie finished her coffee and dropped the cup into a washing area. “No, Darius is being forced to help Lilith. His grandfather in exchange for the amulet.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“I’m a house cat.” Bessie shrugged her shoulders. “I get around. I hear things.”
“Can you help me get around too? I do not think I have the energy to transform, and I suspect I would not blend in around here in beast form.”
Bessie giggled. “Yeah, well you wouldn’t blend in the way you’re dressed right now either. Darius was right. You need a new wardrobe.”
“The styles in my memory are too old, and the styles I saw today were forgettable.”
A devious gleam sparkled in Bessie’s gold eyes. She reached up and opened a cubby door above the machine that made coffee. She withdrew a metal ring with something that looked like a key.
“I have a great idea. We’re going to my apartment. With your exotic looks, I don’t think you can pull off the steam punk look like I can. But even when you can flash on anything at will…like we can…you still need to dress with style. And I have a closet full of style.”
Shaila barely restrained a grin. Darius had commanded her to stay. What was that phrase he’d used?
Hell, no.
Darius was glad he’d taken his motorcycle, even though the ride to his lab was very short. The bite in the air helped clear his mind.
Papa Shadi’s return was his first priority. Darius could see only two courses of action to attain that goal. One would be to sneak back into the Troy estate and try to rescue his grandfather again. Not the best choice now that Darius no longer had the element of surprise. The other option was to find the amulet and trade it for his grandfather -- a difficult task, and one with no real guarantee that Lilith would honor her end of the bargain.
Darius chose the second option, but he needed more information to make it work. He needed to research the discovery of Shaila’s tomb. Then he should be able to track the movements of the items catalogued during the excavation. Since Lilith had provided nothing to go on, the next best starting point was Mr. Artie Johnson. He could go through Artie’s satchel at home, but only from the lab could he tap into the government man’s computer and email accounts. That was going to take some stealth work by ALICE.
Shaila was the factor that aggravated him the most. He’d taken a huge risk, leaving her at his house alone. But she was part of the reason he’d needed to get out of there. His simple life was gone. Well designed plans failed. His solitude invaded.
Darius remembered her kiss and the way she’d crawled up his body. His blood responded to the memory with an unexpected rush. He shifted his weight in the seat to control the pressure building. The sudden movement nearly sent his bike off the road.
How in hell am I going to control a stubborn, unpredictable goddess?
Even though he needed her, he knew that he could never hold her captive. Part of him hoped she’d be gone when he returned. The other part prayed that she’d chosen to stay.
* * *
The sun hung low between the buildings. He’d been gone longer than he’d planned. With a sigh, Darius rolled the Harley into the garage.
The first thing that hit him upon entering the kitchen door was the rich smell of fresh brewed coffee. His houseguest was there, sipping from a mug of hot, black coffee. With each swallow she shook her head and grimaced.
The second thing took a bit longer to register in his brain. He smelled leather. And Shaila was covered in it: from halter-top to pants. Every inch fit like a second skin. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until it came out in a whoosh.
“Where did you…” He licked his lips indecisively. “How did…”
Shaila put her coffee down and held her arms out. In seconds, the leather melted away. For the barest of moments, she wore nothing at all. Then, fabric appeared out of nowhere, sliding across her body and wrapping into place. A simple black dress, but again it hugged every curve of her body with custom-fit precision. She did the whole thing again, bringing back the leather outfit.
Reality check!
Demons? Sure. Prophecy? Yep. Shape-shifting goddess? “Okay, now that we got that cleared up.” He carved another notch on the mental tab he was running on Shaila’s unpredictability chart.
His grandfather’s cat sat on the counter, flipping her tail. Her bright yellow eyes seemed to look up at him with annoyance. Darius put her down on the ground, ignoring her whines of protest.
He found a cup of coffee on the counter, still warm. Shaila moved closer, watching him add sugar and cream to it. He lifted his brows appreciatively. “That’s excellent. Did Marcus show you how to work the coffee maker?”
She shrugged, and then reached for the sugar spoon. This time she didn’t grimace as she swallowed her coffee. She laughed. “That’s much better.”
“Glad I could help.”
“Do you plan to return me to Lilith?” She didn’t make small talk, just went straight to the heavy stuff. He admired that.
“No. I can’t do that.” He studied her features intently. “Actually, Lilith doesn’t seem to want you back.” He smirked at her over the rim of the cup.
“Is this true?” Her shock was easy to read.
“How are you related to Lilith?” He grabbed the chair and turned it around, sitting in it backwards. “My grandfather said something about her being the Dragon Queen. What does that mean?”
Shaila burst out laughing. He liked the deep, rich sound. It took her a few moments to compose herself, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes.
“She might
have the title, but she will never have the true power that comes with it. Queenship is a birthright, and Lilith has no blood ties to it. Tia’Mat is our queen. If something has happened to her, then the power passes to my mother, Inanna. Then, it would pass on to me.”
“Well, lucky for you she had no idea you were in the statue.” He smiled at the irony of it. “You were right there under her nose the whole time.”
“That was fortunate for me.”
“I never meant to take you. I was there to rescue my grandfather.” Guilt stabbed at his heart. If only he’d kept with the plan. Logically, the statue didn’t step in front of his path. But she’d distracted him. He wanted to blame her for that.
“Why did Lilith take him?”
Darius held his tongue for a moment, still trying to subdue the rise of anger and guilt. “The short answer is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Reaching for the medallion, he rubbed it between his thumb and finger. By now, he’d memorized every ridge and relief on it.
“And now that she has him, she is using him to manipulate you.”
“You catch on quick. She wants that black diamond amulet. When I bring that to her, I get my grandfather back. It’s pretty clear what I have to do.”
“Marcus told me what you do. You find artifacts and bring them back to their rightful owners. If those who govern Egypt can trust you, then I should trust you.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t decided if I can trust
you
.” How could he trust her? She withheld things from him. Like that shape-shifting skill. What else could she do?
“I have lost something, too. It was in the tomb with me. It is imperative that I find it.” She leaned in closer, the scent of musk soap still clung to her dark hair. The leather halter created a deep, dark valley between her breasts. “Will you help me find it?”
He hung his head down and sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t need any more pressure. “I don’t have time.”
“You know the words of the prophecy. I heard you quote it to Marcus.”
“I’d like to shove that prophecy up…” He cut himself off before he said something really stupid.
“The gift to man.”
“Okay, I’ll bite.” He rubbed the back of his head. Life was getting messier by the moment. “What is this
gift
you need me to find?”
“An infant.”
“A
what
?”
“An infant. He would be in a state of preservation, much like I was, but wrapped.”
“You mean, a mummy? You need me to help you find a baby mummy?”
“Yes.”
“And who is he?”
“He is the one destined to deliver the world from the evil power of Apophis. He is also the heir to the throne of Egypt. He is the messiah of my people, or what may be left of them in this world.”
Darius rubbed the back of his head and sucked in his cheeks. “Please don’t tell me that I have to resurrect this kid?”
She nodded.
“Yeah. Sure thing. What the hell.” He stomped out of the kitchen, needing to put some space between them…again. “Last week, I didn’t even believe in demons. Now I get to resurrect a kid who’s supposed the save the world. What with…his rattle? Oh, God. That’s rich.”
* * *
Shaila was getting tired of listening to the both of them: Darius and Bessie.
She plugged her ears to mute the sounds of Darius’ tongue-lashing. She might not understand it all, but she knew a curse when she heard one. His profanity was punctuated with a lot of door slamming.
Bessie’s complaints, however, telegraphed straight into Shaila’s mind.
He drank my coffee!
Much more difficult to tune out.
A beautiful man, but horrible timing. I swear my life is cursed.
“Hush, Bessie. You are giving me an ache in the head.”
Bessie hushed, but continued to thump her tail to show her displeasure.
“In case he does not agree to help me, I need a plan.”
Shaila noticed a brown leather bag on the floor by the chair Darius had recently vacated. Drawing it closer, she pried it open and found a stack of unrolled papyrus. She marveled at how white it was. She leafed through many sheets covered with writing that she could not decipher. Finally, she came across a few coated with a cool, slick sheen. On them were images so lifelike she would swear that she could lift them off of the papyrus.