can tell. The Eye of Horus showed me that you will come to love one another if you don’t already.”
I blinked and realized that he was right. Having Tia around was disconcerting, but I did care about her.
“I do. I mean, I’m happy that she’s alive. She…she’s special.” Tia’s consciousness spread out a bit further, and I felt the contented brush of her mind touch mine. It was almost as if she was curled up next to me, offering her supportive companionship. Licking my lips, I wiped my sweaty palms against my thighs and got to my feet, nervously pacing. “I guess I’ve just been wondering if I…if we…I mean, if you…could still love me this way.”
My back was to him, and I rubbed my hands along my arms. He didn’t answer. Why? Was he taking a moment to think about it? Was he unsure? I heard him get to his feet, and his palm grazed the crook of my elbow as he gently turned me around.
The expression on his face carried so much pain, so much confusion, that tears sprang to my eyes. “You…you don’t, then,” I sputtered. “You can’t. It…it’s okay. I understand.”
“No, Lily. You don’t,” he said as he grabbed hold of my upper arms.
Fat teardrops spilled down my cheeks, blurring my vision, but Amon’s warmth as he touched his thumbs to them dried them instantly. “It’s not a little thing,” he began, “to gift another with your heart, let alone a heart scarab.”
“Yes, but…”
“Please allow me to finish.” I nodded weakly and he went on. “When I first met you, there were certain things the Eye of Horus allowed me to see. I knew what kind of person you were, what motivated you, what things made you happy, and what things caused you sadness. Your qualities were what sustained me during my time on Earth. Our bond went beyond the physical. We were stronger together than we were apart.
“I don’t know what the future holds for us, exactly. Terrible dangers and struggle lie ahead, but I’ve also been given tiny glimpses of such exquisite happiness that I cannot feel anything other than hope. I’d do anything to make them come true. My heart is fused to yours, and there’s nothing in this universe that can divide us. Not Seth. Not the netherworld. Not death. And certainly not a lioness, especially one that kisses as well as she does.”
Amon winked and I laughed amid my sadness. “You knew it wasn’t me?”
“Let’s just say when a lioness kisses you, it’s unforgettable.”
“Hey!” I slapped him lightly on the chest as he wrapped his arms around me.
He sighed, pressing his cheek against mine as he murmured in my ear, “I love you, my sweet Young Lily. Nothing will ever change that.”
Hugging him tightly, I teased, “How’d you like an unforgettable Lily kiss?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Amon trailed his lips down my cheek until his mouth met mine. The warmth and heat of a thousand suns filled my frame. Amon’s kiss burned and teased and promised me things I never even knew were possible. Experiencing the real thing was so, so much better than reliving the memory. My fond recollections hadn’t given Amon the credit he deserved.
He traced a path with his fingertips down my spine to the small of my back, cupping my hips and tugging me closer. Everywhere he touched he left tingles of energy behind, reminders that he’d branded me his. When I sensed he was being careful with me, as if I were still a mere mortal girl, I returned his ardor with an intensity that surprised and delighted him. I’d just run my hands up his powerful arms and into his hair when, abruptly, the vision of Amon was wrenched away from me.
I cried out, just as Tia and I found ourselves in a dark enclosed place.
“Where are we?” I asked her. “Heliopolis?”
We are still in the world of dreams, I think.
Using my enhanced vision, I was able to make out the distant shape of stars above and behind me but they felt beyond my reach; I was bound in a thick nothingness like a black hole. Suddenly, I realized that I wasn’t alone. The huntress within me sensed another presence, a predator, and a dangerous one.
I spun in circles, trying to locate my enemy, but their scent or sound eluded me. They watched me, and the feeling was invasive, like they could see into the depths of my soul and could easily detect every weakness.