Blood and Kisses - By Karin Shah Page 0,49
woman and opened the page to the prophecy. After Mina read it, Thalia told her about their visit to Ursula Grant.
Mina nodded slowly. “I’m afraid this just confirms my vision. I do think that it would be best for the community, if you were to step down.”
Thalia made a tiny sound she hoped Mina couldn’t hear. She felt as if she’d been eviscerated, her insides ripped from her body and spilled on the floor.
“Bullshit.”
Thalia and Mina swiveled to confront Gideon, who had come to his feet, leaving Spirit alone in the middle of the sofa.
“You people have no right to ask this of her. I’ve only known Thalia for a short time, but I’ve heard the stories. This isn’t the first time she’s put her life on the line for you. She’s given her all for your precious community and what do you give her in return? This—this betrayal? No. She should leave you to your fate. You don’t deserve her devotion, but it isn’t in her to abandon what she believes is her duty.”
Thalia bit her lip. She was both embarrassed and deeply grateful for his words. That he would defend her in the face of all evidence, warmed her, made her feel less isolated.
Mina drew herself up to her full height of barely five feet. “I have only Thalia’s best interests at heart.”
Gideon’s right eyebrow flew up, a raven slash in his saturnine face. “Prove it.”
Gideon awoke in his bed around mid-morning to a powerful sensation of danger.
Outside he could hear cars turning into his driveway. He gauged where the sun would be and pressed the button to lift the shutters, exposing his unexpected visitors.
Police.
Neferet stumbled, exhausted. The broad back of Pharaoh’s mysterious guest bobbed unwaveringly in front of her in the light of the full moon. The moon seemed to taunt her with its cool indifference, turning the vast undulating desert before her into an endless inland sea. She trudged ahead, her head hanging, concentrating on his back and putting one foot in front of the other.
They’d been walking all night. The stars near the horizon were beginning to disappear, yielding to the opaque gray of pre-dawn.
He spoke to her for the first time. “Stay here.” He held up a hand and she halted, lifting her head. They’d entered a small settlement, a cluster of mud-brick buildings nestled in a rocky outcropping.
He strode to the largest dwelling and disappeared inside. Several minutes later he returned, followed by a hastily dressed older man and a woman about the same age.
“This is Siamun and Ankhmutes. They have agreed to take you in as a favor to me.”
The woman came forward and took Neferet’s hands in hers. She had a wide friendly face, and her eyes shone like obsidian behind eyelids folded by the broadness of her smile. “You are free, my dear, and we are happy to have you. We were not blessed with children and truly it is a favor to us if you would stay.”
Reeling with fatigue, she smiled and nodded, unable to reconcile the sudden change in her fate. The stranger turned to go.
“Wait.” Neferet couldn’t stop herself from calling out. He paused and inclined his head toward her. “When will I see you again?”
“You won’t. I will not pass this way again.”
She didn’t want to hurt Siamun and Ankhmutes, but she felt a strange and powerful connection to this man. The thought of him leaving was suddenly unbearable. “Take me with you.”
His glorious voice was gentle, but unyielding. “I’m sorry. I walk a path no one can follow.” And with that, he left her.
Gideon woke Thalia with a gentle shake. “What is it?” She rubbed eyes that were oddly damp. “What’s going on?”
“The police are here to arrest me.”
“Arrest you?” She threw back the comforter, revealing a short nightgown made of some sort of silky lavender material. He took a deep breath as she slid out of bed. The hem rode up, exposing her smooth legs. Spaghetti straps highlighted the creamy skin of her bare shoulders. He swallowed and marshaled his thoughts.
“They think I attacked Cole and Poole.”
She gasped.
He turned, giving her privacy to dress.
“Can’t you convince them otherwise?” He heard the distinctive sound of denim as she pulled up a pair of jeans.
He shook his head. “There’s too many. At night I’d take the chance. But during the day I can’t risk it. They might somehow force me into the sun. For now, it’s better if we run.”
Downstairs, he heard the police lining up