forest floor, resting his arms on his knees and pressing his head against them.
“Amon?” I called. The sprite didn’t react to my voice, but I sensed someone else was there watching me while I dreamed. “Amon?” I cried again.
“I’m here,” a voice behind me answered.
“Amon!” I spun around and was in his arms before another second passed. I took his face in my hands and kissed his lips, his cheeks, never wanting to let him go.
He laughed and then groaned. “Lily, you’re crushing me.”
“Oh! I’m sorry.” I took an awkward step back, but he offered me a sweet smile as he took hold of my shoulders and drew me close again.
Tilting his head, he studied me, the happy expression mixed together with one of curiosity. “You’re stronger,” he said. “Different.”
“I know, I—”
“Wait.” Amon ran his fingertip down my cheek. “Let me look at you first.”
As Amon peered into my eyes, I got the sense he was looking for something specific. There was no sense of romance in his gaze.
“Are you using the Eye of Horus?”
“Yes,” he murmured distractedly.
“What do you see?” I whispered, almost afraid of the answer.
He opened his mouth but paused, his eyes widening. “There’s…there’s too much.” His glazed eyes focused on me once again, and the corners of his mouth turned up. “I’m just glad you’re here,” he said finally.
“Amon.” Gripping his hand, I looked around and pulled him back to the tree where his sleeping body rested. Biting my lip, I purposely moved to the other side of the trunk and sank down to the thick grass at its base, pulling him along with me. “We need to talk.”
He nodded and stretched up to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered there briefly, and then he captured both of my hands in his, as if afraid that if he let go, I’d disappear.
“First of all, you should know that I’m currently in Heliopolis.”
Amon started. “You’ve made it that far already?”
“Haven’t you been watching me when you dream?”
He shook his head. “Not in the last few days. I haven’t been able to sleep as often as I’d like. Besides, I don’t need sleep as much as a mortal, and this place affords very few safe places to rest.”
I let out a breath, half relieved that he hadn’t seen Horus’s advances. “Right. Well, I’ve asked Amun-Ra for help, but so far he’s not too interested. Horus, on the other hand…”
“Horus’s hands will be tied if Amun-Ra refuses aid.”
“Oh.”
“It’s still a long way to the netherworld, Lily. You should go back. You’ll be safe. Nebu will take you.”
“I can’t. Not when we’re so close.”
Amon cupped my face in his hands. “This is enough, Nehabet,” he said, gazing into my eyes. “What you’ve achieved is more than I could wish for. Being able to touch you, to hold you in my dreams, will carry me through endless torments.”
Grasping his hands, I pulled them to my lips and kissed his palms tenderly. “It’s not enough for me,” I said softly. “I’m coming for you, Amon, whether you wish it or not.”
He sighed softly and collapsed against the tree trunk. “I suppose I’m not surprised. You always were stubborn.”
“Not stubborn,” I said. “Determined.”
His mouth twitched. “A determined sphinx. The gods must be shaking on their golden thrones.”
“Not all of them,” I sighed, tracing the lines on his palms. I glanced up at his handsome face through lowered lashes to find him watching me. “What is it?” I asked.
“Are we going to talk about it?” he murmured.
“About what? There are a lot of things we could talk about.”
“Yes. But there’s one thing in particular you’re avoiding.”
“There is,” I whispered, and couldn’t help feeling a swell of emotion. A small stir in my mind told me Tia was listening. She’d been so quiet that I’d barely remembered she was there. It was likely she was giving me time to be with Amon.
Amon waited patiently, slowly rubbing my hand between his palms.
I sucked in a breath. “There’s sort of someone in here with me,” I said.
“The lioness?” he asked.
Nodding, I removed my hand from his and tugged at the grass, yanking it out and making a little pile next to me.
“I couldn’t let her die. She knew I didn’t want it and now we’re both in here and…”
“What is really bothering you?”
“What do you mean?” I said, keeping my eyes locked on his for the first time since the topic came up.