Kahma

Egyptian Lover: Kahma Isabella Jordan All rights reserved. Copyright ©2005 Isabella Jordan No part of this e-book may be...

Author: Jordan Isabella

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Egyptian Lover: Kahma Isabella Jordan All rights reserved. Copyright ©2005 Isabella Jordan No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC. ISBN (10) 1-59596-263-8 ISBN (13) 978-1-59596-263-8 Formats Available: HTML, Adobe PDF, MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader Publisher: Changeling Press LLC PO Box 1561 Shepherdstown, WV 25443-1561 www.ChangelingPress.com Editor: Connie Alberts Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

Chapter 1 Abydos, Egypt November 1926 Emma Bonham moaned and writhed with Corey Dunham’s head between her thighs and his strong hands holding her against his busy mouth. His tongue speared deep into her moist opening, thrusting like a cock and she moaned again, but more for his benefit than from the pleasure she couldn’t focus on. Slurping, wet noises filled Emma’s small tent as she played along, trying to relax into a good fuck. She just couldn’t. Emma closed her eyes and sighed blissfully at what she hoped were believable intervals as Corey’s tongue fucked her. It was so hard to focus. Her mind had been spinning since they’d finally reached Abydos that evening, the most sacred site in all of Egypt. Abydos. Emma had spent much of her life longing to see the ancient necropolis and the famous tombs there. Tombs of ancient kings, temples of ancient gods. Her hips left the ground as Corey’s fingers played with her half-swollen clit. Corey did have nice hands and fingers and he knew just what to do with them. He’d been her lover for several months now. They’d met when he’d joined the expedition that her Aunt Elspeth coordinated back in London. Corey had been on a few expeditions to Egypt before, though his experience wasn’t vast. He had more than enough experience in bed for Emma, who’d had no experiences before Corey. Emma had been as curious about sex as everything else, perpetual student that she was and Corey more than satisfied her curiosity on a number of carnal acts. She was attracted to him, trusted him.

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Egyptian Lover: Kahma

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Emma wasn’t in love with Corey by any means. She liked him immensely. Corey was an attentive, considerate lover and Emma enjoyed their lovemaking. Normally. “You taste so damn good, Emma.” Corey slid a finger into her pussy to replace his darting tongue. “I want you to come for me.” The heavy canvas of the tent rippled as the strong winds whipped around it in the desert beyond. It was just one more thing to break Emma’s concentration. She began to wonder if a sandstorm was coming. Emma also wondered if she’d ever see a sandstorm. Emma could play along and fake it but she didn’t want to do that to Corey. Sighing, Emma pulled herself up, surprising Corey enough that he pulled his fingers from her sheath. Before she could say anything, a desperate cry ripped open the tranquility of the night. “Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” The frantic male cry had Corey, who was mostly dressed, on his feet and Emma scrambling to find her discarded robe. Pulling it on as fast as she could, Emma stayed right on Corey’s heels as he sped out of the tent. Naked beneath the robe she held tightly to herself and with her hair flying wildly about her, Emma struggled to keep up with him as he raced toward the tent of Alan Burns, the expedition leader and her friend. The rest of their group had already gathered there. Peering over the shoulder of Alice Henderson, one of the artists in their expedition, Emma spotted the group’s writer kneeling over Alan’s unmoving body in the sand. Frantically, Daniel Woods pressed his fingers to Alan’s throat, searching for signs of life. “He’s dead,” Daniel announced, his face stricken. A bolt of shock and fear shot through Emma. Alan was dead? How could that be? Emma was as fond of the kind older gentleman as her Aunt Elspeth. If not for him, Emma’s aunt would never have allowed her to go on the expedition. Her aunt’s confidence in Alan Burns and his vast knowledge of Egypt and all its sites had won out in the end. That and the man’s solemn promise to her aunt that he’d watch over Emma and keep her safe.

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Tears stung the back of Emma’s eyes. This is horrible. Alice started to sob quietly in front of Emma while Corey pushed his way past the others and into the tent. Emma watched as Corey joined Daniel in searching the fallen man’s body for any clues as to what had killed him. The wind ripped at Emma’s robe and hair from where she stood just outside the tent as tears slid down her face. Holding her breath just like the others, she waited. Corey’s features turned hard and he pointed to the older man’s ankle. “What is it?” Emma called out to Corey. Corey seemed not to hear her at first. He started searching the sand around him, his eyes round and filled with alarm. “A snake bite.” Corey’s green eyes met Emma’s. “It looks like an asp bite. What an asp is doing out here, I don’t know. They usually stick to the shrubs and hillsides. They are not desert dwellers.” “Perhaps it got into Alan’s bags in Cairo,” Daniel suggested. Corey nodded. “It’s possible.” “Dear God in Heaven.” Alice, with her stout little body, took a step back and bumped into Emma. “It could still be here.” All eyes flew to the ground, searching the sand in the dim light provided by the fires that burned inside the circle of their tents. “Watch your step.” Corey’s voice took on a more authoritative tone as he met the eyes of each of the remaining members of the group in turn. “Be mindful of this. Check your blankets before you go to sleep and check your clothing before you put it on. Reach into your bags with caution.” Dashing out of the tent and to her side, Corey gently took Emma’s arm. “I’ll see you to your tent.” With Alan gone, Corey had to take charge now. Emma easily read the tension in the hard set of his face, felt it in the hand that lightly gripped her arm. Corey was older than her, but still young, only in his late twenties. He’d never led an expedition before. He’d told her that he’d never been to Abydos before either. All that considered, he still had more experience in exploring Egypt than anyone else in the group.

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Corey gently turned her to face him when they reached her tent. With gentle fingers, he brushed at the tears on her face. “I am sorry about Alan.” Corey pulled her into his arms, holding her against his hard, warm body. “I wish I could stay here with you, but I can’t. I, at least, want to know where you are and that you’re safe. Emma, be careful and try to get some rest.” Emma was vaguely aware of his hands smoothing her hair, the warm kisses he dropped on her head. She didn’t even care that he was holding her in such a familiar way in plain sight of the others. Surely, they had to know Corey was her lover by now. Yet, so many emotions gripped her heart with a tightly closed fist. She’d just lost a dear friend. If that weren’t bad enough, they’d also lost the one person in the expedition who’d been to Abydos before and knew how to get back. How to survive here… What will become of us now? Corey pulled back to gaze down into her face, his expression grave. “Go to your tent now, Emma. Try to rest.” Emma nodded, not envying Corey the position in which he now found himself. Now he was responsible for the remaining six expedition members: three artists, a writer, an organizer and Emma. “What will we do now?” Emma gently brushed a lock of his brown hair from his creased forehead. “First we have to take care of Alan,” Corey explained. “We’ll talk about the rest in the morning.” Brushing her lips with the lightest of kisses, Corey turned and headed back to the dead man’s tent. Emma watched him, her heart heavy in her chest. An image of Alan Burns’ gentle smile flashed in her mind. When he smiled he had always reminded her of her father who’d died when she was just a child. He had taken on the role of father figure to Emma as she’d gotten to know him over the years. She was going to miss Alan, and Aunt Elspeth would be devastated when she learned of his death. Little chance she’d get any rest this night.

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A strong wind blew Emma off balance before she could enter her tent, stinging her skin lightly with grains of sand. She stumbled but didn’t fall as the air whistled around her body in the strangest way. Being a native of London, Emma was used to cold winds that chilled a person to their bones and made them shiver for hours. This was something else entirely. This wind was hot and moved across her skin like a lover’s hand, touching her. That was the only way to describe it. A warm rush of wind penetrated the thin fabric of her robe and blew between her thighs, causing her own intimate scent to rise up and fill the air around her. Emma gasped at the unexpected way her body responded as the wind moved all about her, the way her clit began to throb. Emma’s nipples beaded hard and her skin tingled all over her body. Then Emma heard a gentle voice on the wind as the air swirled around the sensitive flesh of her throat, blew through her hair. A deep male voice… Senin. As quickly as the wind had risen it was gone, leaving Emma standing there shaken and lost just outside of her tent. Had she just imagined that? Was her mind playing tricks on her in her grief? Or had the wind really coveted her body like a lover? Pulling the thin robe tightly about herself, Emma climbed into her tent and willed her limbs to stop shaking.

Chapter 2 “The celebration will go on for hours,” Kahma whispered in her ear. Senin didn’t hear him come up behind her. She couldn’t help smiling as her lover teased the sensitive flesh below her ear with his lips. His hands slid up her body to cup her breasts and he plumped them, making her nipples bead hard and fast. His erection pressed against her lower back, the heated ridge promising hours of pleasure. The passage between her thighs began to ache and weep in anticipation. “It should go on for hours,” Senin pointed out. “There is much to celebrate. The king is finally home.” Kahma turned her to face him and tilted her face up to the moonlight as they stood on the edge of the festivities. Kahma’s black eyes gleamed in the darkness, alight with desire. “I have not been inside you for a day.” Kahma’s lowered voice was a seductive purr. He was right. Senin wanted him inside her. Suddenly, desperately, she wanted him inside her that very moment. Kahma seemed to understand her need. Taking her by the hand he led her away from the swarm of people and back toward the village. Their pace was so brisk that they were nearly running by the time they reached the small mudbrick home closest to the river. “Who lives here?” Senin asked breathlessly as Kahma pulled her inside the darkness of the small building. “I do not care,” Kahma muttered as he closed the door and pulled her against him. Kahma was a Hem netjer, a high priest. He was the most attractive and dangerous man Senin had ever known and she loved him with every fiber of her being.

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Kahma thrilled her, inspired her. They’d been together for only a short period of time, but Senin couldn’t imagine a life without him. Kahma leaned down to press his lips to hers and Senin whimpered in her desire. He crushed her against his chest, the hot ridge of his cock pressing urgently against her belly. He became wild, tearing at her robes until she wore nothing but the beaded necklace he’d given her after they’d last made love. Her frenzy matched his as she pushed the black robes off his shoulders and ran her hands over his hard bronzed body. As if she weighed no more than a child, he lifted her in his heavily muscled arms and brought her before the single window of the room. The bright moon hanging in the sky beyond provided the room’s only light. “I love to see you bathed in moonlight.” Kahma’s voice was rough with desire. Senin’s heart raced with excitement and her skin heated when he set her on her feet, facing the moon and pulling her back against him with rough hands. His body burned into her back like flames. Kahma’s fingers slid down her belly to the bare, slick flesh of her pussy and Senin bucked to his touch the moment his fingers reached her. She just couldn’t control her body’s longing as the rough pads of his fingers delved into her folds, circling her opening. “Senin, you are so wet for me.” Kahma’s hot breath in her ear sent a thrill of excitement racing through her body. “Your desire flows like the Nile.” Kahma urged her forward slightly, the head of his cock poised at her opening, before thrusting slowly and fully into her. Senin shivered and sighed contentedly as she felt herself stretched to the fullest. Kahma’s cock was long and thick, his balls slapping against her with each thrust as he began to move in a delicious rhythm within her. Senin’s pussy was filled with Kahma’s cock, his penetration deep and stimulating all the secret places inside her that brought ecstasy. Her fingers gripped the gritty opening of the window as the sound of their bodies slapping together filled the room. Drops of sweat gathered and slid down her face and chest as Kahma filled her again and again.

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A low moan echoed through the room over and over and Senin realized that it was her. The sound was coming from her own lips. “Give up the life of acolyte,” Kahma demanded. “You are no longer a virgin servant of the gods. You are mine!” “Yes!” Senin promised before screaming as his thrusts gained in speed and strength. “Say it,” Kahma growled. “I am yours! Only yours!” The moment the vow passed her lips her pussy clamped around his cock like a fist. Kahma pounded into her harder, sharpening the exquisite pleasure ripping through her with spasm after spasm. Senin wailed as her body pulsed and shook, the orgasm consuming and possessing her. Kahma was far from done with her. He turned Senin toward him and went down on his knees before her. Her thighs trembled and she was grateful for the wall at her back that held her up. Senin slid her hands over Kahma’s smooth, shaven head as he buried his mouth in her slick cleft. Kahma was relentless as he licked her, tongue fucking her until she came all over again. Senin was barely coherent when Kahma pulled her onto the floor with him, pulled her over his body so that his magnificent cock slid into her hungry sheath once again. He filled her completely, touching her womb. His hands gripped Senin’s hips, lending her his strength as he worked her up and down on his cock. It was a good thing since she was shaking all over, nearly mindless from his loving. Kahma’s hips bucked beneath her, his hands gripping her flesh as he thrust into her wildly. His black eyes locked with hers, the hard features of his handsome face transformed by pleasure. Kahma’s moans matched hers; he called out an unfamiliar name. “Emma!” Emma? “Emma!”

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Emma sat up before she woke up. Blinking in the sunlight now filtering into her tent, she stared with sleepy eyes at Corey as he climbed inside with her. The dream fell away from her like grains of sand but her body still ached, and wetness seeped from between her thighs. “Are you well?” Corey’s brows knitted as he studied her. It all came back to her in a flash. Alan’s death last night, the decisions that lay ahead for the group about the expedition. “Of course, I’m fine.” Emma’s voice was scratchy from slumber. “I just awoke.” Corey nodded, his expression grim. “You have a few minutes to dress. I’m asking everyone to meet in my tent so we can form a plan for the rest of our time here.” “I’ll be there,” Emma assured him, scrubbing at her eyes with her knuckles. Without saying anything else, Corey backed out of her tent. Emma knew he had to be anxious about the meeting. She was. Would they go back to Cairo now? Was the expedition over now that they’d lost Alan? Or would they continue? Would they be able to continue? Before she could get dressed for the gathering in Corey’s tent, before she did anything else, Emma had to get herself together. She was an emotional wreck. First the excitement of being in Abydos, then the loss of Alan. Now vivid dreams about fucking a high priest in ancient times. What next? Her body still ached, throbbed with a carnal excitement she’d never felt before. Emma’s breasts tingled, and her nipples were still tight and sensitive. Her clit was swollen, her pussy craving the enormous cock of her dream lover. How bad was that? Emma had a real, flesh and blood lover here any time she wanted him. Only last night she hadn’t wanted Corey. Emma shook her head as she pulled herself up and got moving. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter 3 Emma didn’t realize how late in the morning it was when she joined the gathering in Corey’s tent. The meeting was a short one. The remaining members of the expedition were all greatly saddened by the loss of their leader. During the night Corey, Daniel Woods and Payne Holmwood, the organizer, had taken Alan’s body back to the barge they’d used for their travels. Apparently the trio had discussed the group’s options at some length on their way back from the barge. They had quick answers for every question the other four had and had anticipated any concerns raised. Corey felt that since they were in Abydos already, those who weren’t too bereaved might as well explore the region. It was the reason they all came to Egypt after all and he felt certain that Alan would have expected them to continue the expedition. Daniel Woods was quite sure that if they traveled on to Luxor, Ancient Thebes, they’d find Howard Carter. And that great expert in the field, busy as he was since the uncovering of the tomb of Tutankhamen four years before, might be able to recommend someone to help with the remainder of their expedition. In the end, the group decided to carry on, but Emma sensed each person’s reluctance to do so. Though, she still felt a tiny spark of excitement at the prospect of exploring the Temple of Seti I and the mysterious temple behind it known as the Osireion, she knew her enjoyment would be hollow somehow. She’d really been looking forward to seeing Egypt through Alan’s eyes, savoring his vast wisdom on each discovery. It just wasn’t going to be the same. In the late afternoon, Emma, Alice Henderson and Daniel Woods decided to explore the Temple of Seti I. Emma took a drawing pad with her and the tool kit that Alan had given her as a gift when she’d arrived in Cairo. She couldn’t draw to save her

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life and she hadn’t the faintest idea of how to use her tools, novice that she was. Somehow, having them made her feel better prepared. It helped keep her focused. Emma was more than a little relieved that Corey decided to stay and work out a plan for the continuation of their expedition with Payne Holmwood instead of going with her to the temple. Though she didn’t immediately realize it, she’d been purposefully avoiding him since the night before. Emma had somehow managed to keep her composure in the wake of Alan’s loss up to this point. Yet, she just knew that one kind-hearted look from Corey could unravel her in seconds. He was her friend and cared about her. He cared about her a good deal more than she was comfortable with. It wouldn’t take much. “Miss Bonham!” Daniel Woods called to her from the pylons at the main entrance of the temple. “Didn’t you say you studied hieroglyphics with Alan?” Saying that Emma studied with Alan was stretching it a bit. It was closer to the truth to say that her friend had shown her several of the most common characters used. She doubted that would be of much use. It wasn’t like she remembered them. “In a sense.” Emma walked by Alice who busily sketched her view of the temple. “Why?” The writer was on his hands and knees by one of the pylons, digging in the sand. “I have found something. I tripped on the bloody thing. Probably nothing, but let’s take a look while we are here, shall we? Stand back. I think I can get this.” Emma shaded him in the incredible heat that still bathed them though the sun was setting. He grunted and pulled at what appeared to be a very old and broken tablet in the sand. It was crazy that he worked so hard to dig out something that was probably useless and discarded by tomb raiders centuries ago. Just as crazy was her standing over him and watching him so intently. For whatever reason Emma couldn’t will her feet to move. No, she just stood there watching in fascination as he worked. As if he were going to unearth some great discovery. Anticipation hung thick in the air for Emma, though whether it was good or bad, she couldn’t say.

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“There!” With a great yank Daniel pulled it free of the sand, falling back on his ass with it. Emma was at his side in an instant helping him with the weight of the tablet as much as she could so he could get up. She was also dying for reasons she couldn’t explain to see what her companion had found. As if you could read it anyway, Emma. As Emma’s eyes scanned the unusual, worn characters on the stone, which didn’t appear to be a tablet at all but part of a wall, she found to her amazement that she could understand it. It was strangely familiar, as if she’d read it before. Had she seen the text before in Aunt Elspeth’s library or during her discussions with Alan? Emma sank to her knees in the sand to get a closer look. “It is the tale of the murder of Osiris,” Emma told Daniel as he helped her place the stone on the sand before them. “It explains how Set murdered his own brother, Osiris, so that he could take his place as king. It speaks of the grief of Isis, wife to Osiris, as she searched for his body. Eventually she found it. She hid her husband’s body in a marsh to keep it safe. It goes on to say that Set discovered the body before Isis could bury him properly. Set dismembered the body of Osiris, cutting it into fourteen pieces and scattering them about the marsh knowing they would be eaten by crocodiles.” Glancing at her companion, Emma caught him rolling his eyes. “That is one of the best known legends of ancient Egypt. Nothing new there.” While he was right, Emma read on. “Isis searched for the parts of her husband’s body accompanied by seven scorpions that helped and protected her. She collected each piece she and her companions found until --” “Scorpions?” Daniel interrupted her as she spoke. Emma nodded. There were many versions of the Osiris legend but she’d never heard of scorpions helping the grieving goddess. “That’s what it says.” “I’ve heard that before,” Alice muttered without taking her attention away from her sketch.

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Daniel said nothing to that, but nodded. Emma sensed the same curiosity in him that she felt. “Isis found thirteen of the fourteen pieces of his body,” Emma went on, still puzzled at how easy it was for her to interpret the ancient text. “The last piece was his… well… it was eaten by a crab so she fashioned one from gold and wax.” Alice did stop sketching to throw a smirk in Emma’s direction at the last bit about Osiris’ penis. Emma winked at her over the top of the stone. Gold and wax dick, indeed. “Then, through powerful magic, Isis brought her husband back to life and conceived a son with him, Horus.” “Then he grew and avenged his father and defeated Set and so on and so forth.” Daniel rose to his feet, obviously losing interest. That was how the legend went, more or less, regardless of the version, but that wasn’t what the stone before Emma went on to say. No, it was referencing the scorpions who’d helped Isis in the recovery of her husband. “Set hunted down each of the seven scorpions who had helped Isis,” Emma read aloud. “Set cursed them for all eternity, making them the…” Daniel frowned down at her from underneath his pith helmet. “The what?” It took Emma a moment to recognize the character. Undead. “Undead.” As she uttered the word, a horrible feeling of dread welled up inside her. Stop being so dramatic. It’s a legend, a story, that’s all. “Before he was defeated by Horus, Set cursed the scorpions for their treachery, making them the undead. Until the end of time they would dwell on the fringes of humanity as terrible creatures of the darkness. For all eternity they would long to partake of his glorious reign and the reign of his heirs, to return to the land of the living and be unable to.” Alice didn’t cease in her work this time. “I’ve never heard that.” “Tough luck,” Daniel muttered.

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“Indeed, that would be. It ends by saying that the scorpions, resigned to their fate, vowed to help Isis guard the secret tomb of Osiris which she protected with powerful spells.” Emma had reached the bottom of the stone, able to make out only half of the last sentence. “Aside from Isis, they were the only witnesses who knew the location of the tomb so Set created… something about a dark curse…” “Created what?” Alice had completely halted her sketch at this point and sat staring at Emma. Emma shook her head regretfully. “It is broken off there and worn. That’s all.” Daniel had returned to the pylons where he’d left his writing journal, kneeled in the sand and began writing. Alice continued to stare at Emma and the stone thoughtfully. “That may be of some value.” Alice nodded to the stone. “Perhaps we should take that with us.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Daniel said with authority. “That’s why we’re here. Artists, writers --” Emma heard the pounding sound a moment before Daniel stopped talking. Gently lowering the heavy stone to the sand, she looked all around for the source of the noise. Alice’s scream forced her attention to a small group of black clad men on horseback and they were right there on them. Daniel cried out as the great silver blade of one of the riders sliced through the air and into his shoulder, sending up a spray of blood. Another rider effortlessly snatched the terrified man from the ground and threw him across the back of the midnight black horse he rode. Daniel’s screams echoed over the endless stretch of sand as the rider took him away. Alice’s pencils and pad went flying as she jumped to her feet, screaming all the while. The artist began to run back toward the camp and Emma finally worked through her own shock enough to follow her. They’d only made it a few feet when another rider, his head completely concealed by the black hood he wore, yanked Alice from the

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ground and rode off with her at breakneck speed in the same direction that Daniel was taken. Emma’s heartbeat thundered in her ears as she spun around desperately to find herself completely surrounded by other riders, at least half a dozen of them. Their horses were black, their garb was black, and none of their faces were revealed. Who were they? What did they want? The largest rider of the group was an ominous figure who rode around from behind her on his enormous horse. Its rider spoke loudly in a guttural voice, his language completely unfamiliar to Emma. She didn’t have to know the words to feel the menace of them. Emma shuddered in fear as she waited for her fate. Her heart pounded so forcefully in her chest that she expected it to burst at any moment. Out of nowhere the wind forced its way past the circle of riders, swirling furiously around her. A dark shadow passed over her as sand rose in startling waves, lashing at the riders and forcing them back. The whinnies of the horses were angry and startled. Sand stung Emma’s eyes and fear had her gasping for breath. She wrapped her arms about her head as the strong, powerful wind forced her to her knees in the sand. From between her forearms, with her dry, stinging eyes, Emma watched in horror and amazement as the sand took form above her within the circle the black riders made. At first, it appeared to be a statue forming but as she tried to watch through the sandy storm all around her, she thought she saw light brown fur sprouting from the creature that roared loudly enough to be heard over the howling wind. Long limbs ending in great paws formed, but the creature stood upright like a man. Emma was only able to glance up briefly, but it was enough to see the creature had the head of a man with long hair, blowing wildly in the wind, and huge wings! It wasn’t possible. What the hell is that? The riders in unison drew their great silver swords, ready for battle against the fearsome beast. Emma didn’t know who to be more terrified of. The creature standing

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over her with wings spread and claws ready seemed to be on her side, standing between her and the riders like a dark angel poised to protect her, so she cowered at his feet. With a roar that had her ears ringing, the creature sprang at the strange riders and great plumes of sand whipped all about him, all about Emma, stinging her skin. Closing her eyes tightly, she curled into a ball in the sand, listening to the roaring and shrieking while she waited for her life to end. The end came quickly…

Chapter 4 “I will do it, my love,” Senin whispered as they held each other in the shadows of the small stone house. “I will leave the temple and no longer be a servant of Hathor.” Kahma rose to his feet in the darkened room, urging her to stand with him. His black eyes met hers when she rose, his gaze filled with desire. There was something else. Something magical about that moment, about the serious set of his handsome face. This powerful man, this high priest, was humbling himself before her. It nearly stopped her heart in her chest. “I love you, Senin.” There was a light tremor in his voice, in the hand that rose to cup her cheek. “I will love you until the end of time.” Tears stung the backs of Senin’s eyes, tears of pure happiness. How long had she waited to hear these words? To have this man that she loved with all of her heart telling her that she had his heart and always would. Kahma caught the teardrop that rolled down her cheek with the large pad of his thumb. “I love you.” Senin’s voice broke on the last word. Neither of them noticing that the night had grown strangely quiet, Kahma crushed her against him and claimed her mouth with a kiss that was infinitely gentle. Before all the gods, all of Egypt, he claimed her with a kiss that had her blood heating like a river of fire. “Be my wife, Senin,” he spoke against her lips. “Stay with me. I cannot bear to be without you for another moment.” Nothing would make her happier. Her heart slammed in her chest. He had to have felt it, for he smiled in the instant before she whispered, “Yes.”

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“My Senin.” Kahma’s voice was guttural as his hand lifted to her breast, plumping it before he gripped the aching tip between his thumb and forefinger. Senin gasped in pleasure as she arched into his touch, squeezing her thighs together against the recurring ache in her center. When he bent over and took one peak into his mouth, Senin had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Kahma licked her with slow, seductive strokes that made her nipple tighten and turn hard as stone. He moved to capture her other nipple with his lips, tugging at it lightly with his teeth. The flicking of his thumb over the first point he’d assailed dried it quickly, making her knees too weak to hold her up. Pleasure consumed her and he wasn’t even close to her aching cunt. That quickly changed. His strong hand skimmed down her body to her sex, his fingers gently delving into the soft folds of her pussy. “Senin, you are always ready for me.” Kahma lightly growled as his mouth claimed hers in a fiery kiss. “Shall I take you again before we return?” “What if I take you?” Kneeling on the floor, she slid her hands up his hard thighs. His thick cock jutted out proudly before her and she wanted to taste him. Keeping her head tilted back so she could see his face too, Senin wrapped her lips around his shaft. Kahma’s dark eyes slid closed. His low moan filled the room. “Senin, by the gods, that is good.” Kahma sank his hands into her hair as he fed her his cock. She teased the head with her tongue, tasting the salty drops at the tip, and then she pulled him deeper into her mouth. When Senin cupped his balls in her hand, massaging them lightly, he groaned his approval above her. She pumped her mouth over his cock, letting him slide nearly out of her mouth before eagerly sucking him inside again. Her tongue laved every ridge, every bit of him. She savored the taste of her lover as his fingers at her scalp and his thrusting hips urged her on.

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Controlling his pleasure was thrilling to Senin. Every touch of her tongue and movement of her mouth and hands was rewarded with his sharp hissing breaths or his whispered endearments. How much he loved her. How much he needed her. “Enough!” Kahma growled above her. Dragging her to her feet, he pushed her back against the rough surface of the stone wall and pulled her leg high over his hip. The swollen head of his cock eagerly probed at her opening. “I need you now, Senin.” Kahma’s voice was rough with passion. Senin cried out at the sweet invasion, her juices easing his way as he drove hard inside her. The walls of her cunt quivered around him as his cock began a pounding rhythm within her. His lips claimed hers as she met each of his thrusts, his kiss a brand of possession. He’d never taken her this way before, so roughly. Senin relished it, moaned into his mouth as the light pain pushed her higher. She threw her head back and screamed as the intense orgasm shot through her. Her arms clenched around him tightly as wave after wave of pleasure robbed her body of its strength. Kahma pinned her to the wall, driving on relentlessly while the darkened room seemed to spin around her. Her thighs trembled when the second wave of ecstasy came. This time Kahma went with her, shooting his seed up into her body while his low growl echoed around them. Kahma shook in her arms until his passion was spent and then he collapsed against her. Senin was breathless. “Are you all right?” Kahma asked gently. Senin didn’t have the opportunity to answer. Male voices shouted outside in the distance, calling Kahma’s name. Kahma’s expression darkened at the sound of the shouts. He found Senin’s discarded robe and helped dress her quickly before he saw to his own attire. Taking her hand firmly in his, Kahma led her from the home they’d used for their liaison and back out into the night where the sound of merriment had oddly vanished. What had happened?

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A sense of foreboding had Senin’s heart hammering in her chest in dread. “Kahma! Kahma!” They saw Kahma’s priests before they saw him. The two slender men in robes similar to his looked all about them frantically as they raced through the village. “What is this about?” Kahma called to them. Both men halted at the sound of his voice then raced toward Kahma and Senin, hardly taking any notice of her in their haste. “The queen sent us to find you,” the taller of the two young priests managed when they reached Kahma. Kahma frowned. “What has happened?” “Set,” the man gasped, his expression terrible. “Set has murdered the king. He presented a sarcophagus at the celebration and challenged everyone to get in to see who could fit perfectly inside. It must have been fashioned for our king. Set trapped him in it the moment he climbed inside and threw him into the river. Set’s army waited in the shadows. They fought anyone who attempted to save him, even the Medjai. The Nile took our king away.” By the gods! Kahma turned to Senin, his expression grim. “We must go to the queen. Come!” Senin didn’t resist as Kahma pulled her behind him and out of the village. She held onto her beloved’s hand for dear life, shocked by what his priests had told them. Set murdered the king? It was no secret that there was no love between them, but to kill him? What would happen now? Numbly, Senin struggled to keep up with the men, staring at the scorpion marking Kahma had drawn on his forearm.

*** Emma awoke to perfect silence. No sand-filled wind or black riders. She was cold. She was alive anyway. Lifting her head, she scanned her surroundings quickly. It was night now and she was in a cave, lying on a colorful woven blanket in the sand and

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covered by another. A small fire burned nearby. So someone had been there with her very recently. Someone who had saved her. Saved her from what? Or rather who? Emma remembered the riders in black who had surprised Emma and her companions at the Temple of Seti I. She remembered thinking she saw a creature above her in the sand with a feline body and wings. That was impossible. Her mind playing tricks on her in the moments before she’d believed she would die. That was the only explanation. Two of the riders made off with Daniel Woods and Alice Henderson. What had happened to them? What of the others in the expedition? Was Corey safe? Sitting up, Emma looked herself over to find that she was still dressed as she was before in her white blouse and long khaki skirt. She half expected to be covered with sand from the winds that stirred when she’d been surrounded by the brigands who’d attacked them. Just a small amount of sand dusted her clothes, not much. All of her hairpins were gone and the unruly locks of her hair floated about her shoulders in a tangled mess. Otherwise, she was just fine. “How do you feel?” Emma looked toward the entrance of the cave at the sound of that deep male voice to find a man dressed in long, dark robes watching her. He was extraordinarily handsome, whoever he was, with his long, black hair and intent dark eyes. His features were hard, almost as hard as the statues carved in stone all over Egypt. Not too hard. No, his lower lip was full, sexy and seemed out of place in such a harsh face. That, combined with the black symbol tattooed under his right eye gave him an undeniable appeal. What is that symbol? He appeared to be Egyptian, though his complexion was fairer than most. His accent was definitely so. The man was incredibly tall with broad shoulders, and Emma idly wondered if the body under the flowing robes he wore was as hard as his face. His

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robes parted enough to reveal much of the wide expanse of his smooth, muscular chest. It gave her a very good idea of what the rest of him looked like. Oh, yes. What’s wrong with you? The rest of the expedition could be dead and you’re lusting after a man you only just laid eyes on? Frowning, the man entered the cave and headed toward Emma, crouching at her side. Concern was obvious in his black eyes. Emma could see the symbol on his right cheek better now. An ankh. The ancient symbol of eternal life. “Are you hurt?” Watching his every move, Emma’s heart began to thump in her chest. Why does he look so familiar? To answer his question, Emma shook her head and continued to stare at him. “You are certain?” His black eyes quickly scanned over her body. It wasn’t that kind of a once-over, but her body responded immediately, her nipples tightening into hard little points and a craving beginning between her thighs, powerful and gnawing. It was as if her body knew him. How could that be? Emma had never seen this man before in her life. In her waking life. Was her mind playing tricks on her or was she losing it? This man had long hair and a very short, well kept mustache and beard. Aside from that he looked just like the lover she’d dreamed of twice since Alan’s death. Exactly like him. The high priest in ancient Egypt who’d made love to her. It was insane. “Are you certain?” he spoke louder this time. “Ye-e-s,” Emma croaked, discovering as she tried to speak that her throat was as dry as the desert. Nodding, her companion rose and headed farther back into the cave to a small pile of belongings. Emma’s mouth would have watered if it could have at the sight of the large canteen he pulled from that pile. Emma reached for it even as he returned to her.

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The handsome stranger opened the container and held it for her as she drank as if she were a child. Emma gulped down the cool water as fast as she could until he pulled it away from her. “Too much at once will make you ill,” he explained. “I’ll take my chances,” Emma countered, trying to grab it back from him, but he pulled it back just out of her reach. A corner of his sensual mouth curved up into a half smile. His dark eyes glittered in amusement. “Trust my judgment. I have lived out in this emptiness for a very long time.” Emptiness. It was an interesting way to describe this land. Well, now that she was a little more hydrated, Emma wanted some answers. “Did you help me out there?” Emma’s gaze locked with his. The man’s expression grew stilled and serious. “What do you remember?” Well, hell. What do I remember? “I was with two companions from my expedition,” Emma explained. “We were visiting the Temple of Seti I.” “What exactly were you doing there?” Black eyes the color of polished obsidian held hers captive. Emma shrugged. “What one normally does on an expedition. Alice Henderson was sketching the pylons, Daniel Woods was writing in his journal.” “And you?” I would be better able to think if you weren’t looking at me like that. Damn, but talking to him was hard. Her skin felt alive under his intense gaze, her nipples hard little peaks beneath her blouse. The craving in her pussy grew with each moment. Damn. Was it because he reminded her of her dream lover? Or was it because he was looking at her like he was a starving man and she was an eight course meal? Was she just imagining the longing in his eyes? “I’m no artist or writer,” Emma answered finally. “I am here because my aunt funded this expedition and I have always been fascinated with Egyptology.”

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He shook his head. “No, what exactly were you doing at the temple?” Emma sighed deeply, trying to think. “Just looking around. Mr. Woods found a bit of stone wall or something in the sand and we read that. That was just before the riders came.” The man’s black eyes narrowed dangerously. “We read that?” he asked. “Well, I did.” Emma’s heart began to thump in dread. What did her activities at the temple have to do with anything? Emma didn’t know enough to be an amateur Egyptologist, for crying out loud. “It told the story of Osiris and Set. That is all.” “What did it say?” His heavy accent, combined with the deep timbre of his voice, worked on Emma’s insides. Damn, he has a sexy voice. “Nothing much.” Emma smiled. “Although I must say, it was a take on the story I had never heard before. It mentioned seven scorpions that helped Isis in her search for her husband’s body. It said that Set cursed them for all eternity but then… Well, the stone was broken off.” The man’s eyes squeezed shut as she spoke, his expression grim as death. What? What had she said? “What became of the stone?” he demanded. Had Alice been right? Maybe it did have value. Damn. “It’s probably back there in the sand where we left it,” Emma explained. “You did not see the riders take it?” “I was about to die.” Emma folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “I wasn’t worried just then about an old piece of stone.” Running a large hand through the silky locks of his black hair, he exhaled. “It is more than an old piece of stone.” Abruptly, he rose and headed out of the cave. “Stay here,” he barked. What? Did he plan to just leave her? He couldn’t. He hadn’t told her anything yet.

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“Wait!” Emma cried, climbing clumsily to her feet and darting after him. “What about the others? Who were those riders!” Though she shouted as loudly as she could, by the time she reached the mouth of the cave, the mysterious stranger and her only source of information was gone.

Chapter 5 Leaving her at the cave, Kahma changed his form and flew across the sand in the direction of the Temple of Seti I as quickly as his wings would carry him. It was probably the first time in the thousands of years of his existence he was truly grateful for his curse, to be able to take the form of the powerful sphinx. Tonight, being a great winged, ancient beast served him well. What he had feared for ages, what all of the Scorpion Warriors feared, had finally happened. The woman back at the cave had begun reading the inscription and in doing so, had called forth the dark, ancient riders of his enemy. That was only the beginning. If Kahma didn’t act quickly, she would suffer the curse of Set’s dark army. Kahma had felt her presence the moment her feet touched Egyptian soil. For weeks he’d watched her from the shadows. She didn’t look exactly as she had as Senin; he hadn’t expected her to. Still she was beautiful to Kahma with her fair skin, her long dark hair and her curvy feminine body. The eyes were exactly the same, eyes of many colors framed by long, dark lashes. Eyes that had haunted him through the ages. Last night at the camp, he had finally touched her, though she’d thought him to be merely the wind. Kahma had smelled her, tasted her. The heart Kahma long thought useless ached with exquisite joy to know that she’d come back to him, her precious soul reborn in a beautiful, young body. Senin. After all this time, thousands of years, she’d been reincarnated. Kahma had long ago given up the hope of ever seeing her again. Now that Senin had been restored to him, Kahma would do whatever he had to do to make sure they were never parted again. This he vowed to all the gods.

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Never again would he smell another man on her. Never would another man touch her. Jealousy was unreasonable now because she had no idea yet who she really was. Kahma would remind her that she was Senin and that she belonged to him. He would remind her of their love and of her promise to love him forever. Then he would keep her in his bed until she lived and breathed only for him. First, he had a matter of some urgency to deal with. Kahma had to complete his task quickly. He couldn’t leave Senin alone in the cave for any length of time. His beloved was now in grave danger from the dark riders. Kahma didn’t think they would try anything tonight after their temporary defeat at his hands. He didn’t want to take any chances. Senin was too precious to him. If there was any chance he could find the other piece of the stone with the inscription, Set’s curse, he had to try. Surely it was the gods’ cruel sense of humor that she had found so easily what he and his companions had sought for thousands of years. More ironic still, that the writing on the stone used symbols known only to those close to the king and had long since been forgotten. No living person would know how to read them now. His Senin would have known how to read it. He had taught her and she had remembered though in her innocence she couldn’t have understood what she’d unleashed. Kahma had to find that stone. Set’s warriors couldn’t complete the ritual without it. The ritual to bring Set back from the dead. If Kahma managed to find the stone and destroy it, his love would be safe from the curse she’d unwittingly put in motion. If not, he had to get her out of Egypt with all haste. If she fell into the hands of the monsters she had resurrected, her fate would be worse than death and as endless as his own curse. Kahma landed on his rear paws, his gaze searched the darkness for any sign of another presence. There was someone there. Four men with torches walked around the temple, shouting.

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“Alice! Daniel!” “Emma!” Emma. That was the name his beloved had been given in this life. The anguish filled voice that had cried out her name drew his attention to a young man in the distance, looking all about him frantically. Was that her lover? Was he the man Kahma had smelled on her the night before? Kahma had always considered himself to be an honorable man in life. Even during the thousands of years he’d spent miserable and cursed, he’d done no harm to others, he’d never used the incredible powers the darkness gave him for evil of any kind. He’d lived as quietly as he could in such desperate loneliness, with only a few memories of his time with Senin etched in his brain to keep him company. On occasion, he saw the other Scorpion Warriors, but not often. The other cursed warriors were like him, keeping to themselves and to their own private misery. The embers of hope had faded centuries ago until Kahma wished for nothing more than to simply die. It was the one thing he couldn’t do. He’d lived on and on in despair, just as Set intended, an endless life without his love. A silent witness to an empty eternity. Everything had changed now. His beloved Senin was back, waiting in the cave for him. The man he watched in the darkness from where he stood at the pylons of the temple, this man who had intimately touched her, been inside her… Kahma just couldn’t control the anger pushing its way through him. She could have lived many lifetimes without him by now. She could have been any woman, anywhere. She could have taken many such men inside herself in those lives, just as she had this man in this lifetime. Perhaps bore them the children she’d not been able to bear for Kahma. Died an old woman at their side when she’d been plucked from him in heartbreaking youth. Kahma’s rational side told him that was not her fault, nor was it the fault of the man desperately searching for her at the temple. Kahma could almost empathize with

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him. He knew what it was like to lose her. Kahma had relived that nightmare moment of their parting a million times in his mind and in his blackest dreams. Jealousy and the old rage he’d carried with him for thousands of years had him roaring furiously as his body divided into thousands of grains of sand. With the fury of ages, he became a great storm, blasting toward the men searching at the temple and tearing up the smooth dunes of sand as he sought the stone with the inscription. The stone bearing Set’s curse. Kahma chased the four men who cowered in fear before running impotently back toward their camp. All the while, Kahma scoured the sand, his search revealing nothing, no sign of the stone. It fueled his anger. Kahma blasted through the camp where the men had fled, ripping tents from the ground and sending their belongings flying wildly all around. In the form of a violent wind, Kahma raged, taking his anger out on the group Emma had been a part of. Anger at her lover. Anger at the years he’d been robbed of Senin’s love and the life of a simple man. Anger at himself for not thinking to seek the stone when he’d rescued his love from Set’s minions. Kahma should have known their attack was not random and he cursed himself for that. Finally, he reached the tent where Emma had slept, ripped it off the sand. Delicate, unfamiliar things went flying all around him. A small golden chain with a heart shaped pendant caught his eye. Snatching that fine item, Kahma cut his way across the sand. Heading back in the direction of the temple, he decided to search for the stone once more. It would be much easier now with Emma’s companions out of the way. He felt their presence in the shadows just beyond what was left of their camp. They were not harmed. There was someone waiting for him when he returned to the pylons and reformed as the sphinx. One of Set’s dark riders stood under the bright light of the full moon, holding the missing piece of the stone high over his head triumphantly. Low, evil laughter rumbled

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through his chest as he leapt onto his horse and turned to ride hard toward the Nile. Other dark riders came out of the darkness to join him on the path the moon illuminated and Kahma’s heart sank as he watched them. Kahma was already flying after them when he heard a woman’s scream in the distance. It came from the direction of the cave. Senin! With a terror he hadn’t felt in centuries, Kahma flew back toward the cave, praying every prayer he knew that he wouldn’t be too late.

Chapter 6 “Oh, now you show up!” Emma glared at her enigmatic rescuer when he marched back into the cave. “Well, he’s gone now.” “Who is gone?” The man headed in her direction and didn’t stop until he stood in her personal space, forcing her to look up at him. Damn, he was tall. His dark eyes were clouded by concern and anger. He looked like a man ready for battle and it cooled Emma’s ire a little. “Well, the scorpion, that’s who,” Emma snapped, pointing at the blankets where she’d awakened. “He crawled right out from under there. I hate those things!” “That is all?” There was more than a little irritation in his voice. “That’s all?” Now she was really mad. Emma stretched up on her toes so she could glare at him better. “I will have you know that the leader of our expedition died just last night from a snake bite.” His eyes were sharp as they met hers. “You said this was a scorpion, not a snake.” “They are both poisonous,” Emma pointed out. “Did it sting you?” “No.” Damn him. “But it could have.” Some of the hardness went out of his face as he gazed at her, studying her. Emma didn’t realize until then how close his mouth was, that enticing full lower lip. Get a hold of yourself, Emma. Sinking back down on her heels to her customary height, she blew out her frustration. When she stole a glance back up at him, she saw the same annoyance that she felt.

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“You are angry with me because there was a scorpion under your blanket?” he asked. Emma folded her arms across her chest as he stood watching her. The intensity of his gaze made her more than a little self-conscious. Why did he have to look at her like that? With such longing… “I’m not angry with you about that. The scorpion, I mean. It’s not as if you put it there, after all.” “I would never let anything harm you.” Emma gazed up at him through her lashes. “Why would you say that? You don’t know me and I don’t know you.” Some strong emotion flashed in his dark eyes at that, his expression falling. She imagined that he’d look the same way if she’d slapped his face. Why? Did he think her ungrateful for his help when the dark riders came? Emma glanced at the sandy ground at her feet. “I’m grateful for your help. I didn’t mean to make you feel otherwise.” “But you are angry with me?” he pressed in that deep, smooth voice. It was unnerving the way he stood there so calmly, so still. Everything about him was dark, dangerous and exotic. Anger slowly began to give way to a myriad of other feelings. Fear, fascination… Desire. God help me. “Yes, I am. Was.” Emma again met his eyes. “You just ran off and left me. I have no idea where I am, who you are. I did not know if you ever meant to come back.” “I am sorry.” After a moment he stepped away, walking back toward the nearly extinguished fire. “I had something of great importance to deal with.” Emma watched him crouch in the sand to poke at the small fire with a stick he’d pulled from the edges of it. He’d seemed quite upset earlier when she’d told him about the stone with writing on it that Daniel Woods had found near the Temple of Seti I. “You went looking for the stone we found, didn’t you?”

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The fire reflected in his eyes as he glanced up at her. “Yes.” “Why?” Emma wanted to know why it was so important. “You said it was more than a piece of stone. What exactly is it then?” The man’s deep sigh echoed through the cave. “It is a curse.” Curse? Emma didn’t believe in superstitions even with all the controversy surrounding the supposed curse of the mummy of the boy-king, Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Supposedly, Howard Carter had found a tablet bearing a curse when he opened the tomb three years ago. Months later, his financer, Lord Carnarvon, had died suddenly and mysteriously from an insect bite that had become infected. Those who had later seen the mummy of Tutankhamen unwrapped claimed that there was a wound on the cheek of the ancient corpse in the same place as Lord Carnarvon’s fatal bite. Further, it was said when Lord Carnarvon died there was a short power failure and all the lights throughout Cairo went out. His son claimed that back on his estate in England his favorite dog howled and suddenly dropped dead. Nonsense and coincidence, all of it. Ancient Egyptians placed supposed curses on the tombs of their kings as a last resort to deter grave robbers. They were meaningless warnings. “I mean you no offense, but I don’t believe in curses, Mr. --” Emma paused, hoping he would volunteer a name. When he didn’t, she said, “You haven’t told me your name.” His eyes locked with hers. “Kahma.” Kahma! It was the name of the lover from her dreams! Emma’s heart raced in her chest as she stared at him mutely. Why was she dreaming about this man? Why was she dreaming about making love to him thousands of years ago? She knew the Egyptians believed strongly in reincarnation, but she didn’t. So why? What did this mean? “Do you know that name?” His voice was low, his eyes searching her face. Yes, I’ve been dreaming about fucking you thousands of years ago.

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“Not really.” Emma tried to sound bored. From the intent way he watched her, she knew her ruse hadn’t succeeded. She’d try something else. “Should I know that name? Are you famous? Notorious?” “I am no one.” Kahma stared into the fire now, unmoving and quiet. From where Emma stood several feet away, she sensed some inner turmoil within him. How she knew that about a man she’d known less than an hour, she had no idea. She had the curious urge to comfort him in some way. The least you can do is introduce yourself. “I am Emma Bonham.” Kahma’s gaze shifted her way only long enough for him to nod in acknowledgement. Emma walked toward the small fire and came to a halt on the other side of it, glancing down at him. “You said this stone bore a curse. Now, I should tell you that I simply don’t believe in such hokum, but I am curious. What is the curse supposedly?” Another sigh before he frowned up at her. “Did you see the riders who took away your friends?” What kind of question was that? “Yes.” “Do you believe they were real?” Emma met his gaze squarely. “Of course I do. I saw them with my own eyes.” “Then you had best start believing in curses because those riders are part of this one.” Rising to his feet again, with the flames before him, Kahma looked both menacing and incredibly tempting to Emma. “Know this. The inscription on the stone you read unleashed the ancient army of Set.” “The Set? The Set who according to legend murdered his brother Osiris?” “The story is not merely legend.” Black eyes rimmed in fire bored into her. “The stone has been missing for thousands of years. Whoever reads that inscription in its entirety will be taken by those riders and used as the vessel to bring Set back into this world.” This man has been out in the desert much too long. It was too bad, really.

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“How exactly would they accomplish that?” Emma couldn’t resist asking. “If the one to read the inscription were a man, they would simply sacrifice him on the altar during their ritual and Set would take possession of his body.” “And if it were a woman?” Emma didn’t really want to know the answer since she had in fact read what she could of the inscription. She couldn’t not ask, either. He didn’t immediately answer. When he did, his expression was grim. “For a woman, it is a fate so terrible it defies imagination.” Of course it does. It was just the way her luck had been running since she’d arrived in Egypt. “And that is?” Emma prompted him. A muscle twitched at the hard line of his jaw. “The dark riders would take her, over and over again, until she conceived. The child would be born the very next full moon and fully grown at birth.” Well, that was certainly ridiculous. Not to mention impossible. “So she would eventually die just as the man would,” Emma concluded. “If that were true, or possible, the woman would simply burst apart.” Kahma nodded. “That is true. She would not die however.” “Of course she would,” Emma pointed out. Why was she even arguing something so absurd? “How could she not?” “The curse says that every full moon she would bear a child of the dark riders, Set reborn each time.” So was Kahma insane? It was obvious he believed every word he said about the curse of the stone she’d read. It was a shame, as handsome as he was. “That seems a bit of a ridiculous notion, doesn’t it?” Emma stepped as close as she dared to the fading fire. “If he is already reborn into the world, why would he need to do it again?” “It was a popular notion of my -- that time period. That wife to the king was both consort and mother. He impregnates the consort to be born himself of her womb. The concept of rebirth.”

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Well, that sounded somewhat familiar from her studies. Emma had read nothing of what he said on that stone. “You said that this curse would befall someone who read the inscription in its entirety,” Emma pointed out. “But I didn’t. I couldn’t have. The stone was obviously broken off at the bottom.” “That is true.” Kahma stepped around the fire, moving in her direction. “However, the dark riders already had the missing piece of that stone you read from. Now they have the complete inscription. One of the riders came for the piece you found and rode off into the night before I could stop him. All they must do to bring their master back now is to obtain you and force you to complete the inscription.” Apprehension shot through her like a cold blast of wind. Get a hold of yourself, Emma. You don’t believe this. You can’t believe this. If the dark riders were real… What about the winged creature she thought she saw? Emma was certain of two things. She had seen the riders and she had seen them take Daniel Woods and Alice Henderson away. If that were true, Emma herself just might be in danger. “If what you say is true,” Emma reasoned aloud, “then perhaps I should return to Cairo.” “You must leave Egypt entirely.” There was no mistaking the determined set of his features. “If you do not, they will capture you and you will wish you were dead.” While Emma still didn’t believe in ancient curses, she had a damned uneasy feeling about everything. Returning to England sounded better all the time. First Alan had died, then the attack. Now this dangerous looking stranger telling her that an ancient army was coming for her because she’d read from a stone. Yes, going home before anything else could happen sounded like a good idea. “I need you to help me get back to the expedition,” Emma said. “What’s left of it. Perhaps they were able to rescue Daniel and Alice. Maybe --” Kahma shook his head. “Your friends are dead.”

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The absolute certainty of his tone was unnerving. “But what if --” “They are dead.” Emma swallowed hard. What if Alice and Daniel really were dead? What if there was any truth to what this man was saying? “You have to help me find the others in the expedition,” Emma pleaded. “They are my friends. Please.” “If they are truly your friends, you will not wish to endanger them.” Kahma took another step toward Emma, again, making her look up at him. His dark eyes flashed a warning. “The dark riders will come for you. They will not relent until they have you or you have escaped them across the sea. Not only will they capture you, they will kill all in your company.” While he made his point about protecting her friends in the expedition, one thing didn’t make sense. “Without them, how am I supposed to find my way back to Cairo? I have never been to Egypt before.” His face was a mask of steely determination. “I will help you. I will return you safely to Cairo.” So much emotion in his eyes. “Why would you risk yourself to protect me?” Emma wanted to know. “You don’t know me. Why would you help me?” Kahma’s eyes gleamed in the darkening cave as he gazed down at her. His lips parted slightly and Emma thought he meant to speak. He only stared at her, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know what or how. Emma wanted to smooth the creases from his brow, to brush back the lock of hair hanging by his left eye. She watched his throat work as he swallowed. “I will find more wood for the fire and something for us to eat,” Kahma said abruptly before turning his back on her and again heading out of the cave. “Stay here and be quiet.” Emma watched him go, but she didn’t want him to leave. Fear was the reason, she told herself.

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It wasn’t the only reason. Just before he disappeared into the night he turned back. “Tonight we will rest. When the sun sets tomorrow, we will travel all night and travel each night until you are safe.” Emma nodded and started to let him walk away. “Why travel by night?” she finally asked. Kahma had waited at the mouth of the cave as if he’d anticipated the question. “I will be better able to protect you at night and you will fare better without the full fury of the desert heat to contend with.” He had a point there. While Emma had adjusted to the heat over the last several weeks, the thought of trying to escape the dark riders in the scorching desert heat didn’t sound appealing at all. Again Emma nodded and Kahma walked out into the night. This time Emma reluctantly let him go.

Chapter 7 “Senin, you must leave this place.” Kahma caressed her cheek gently with the rough pads of his fingers. “I want to know that you are safe from harm.” Senin turned her face into his touch, pressing her lips to his fingers. “I do not want to leave you.” She didn’t. She’d never seen him this way and it worried her. There were dark shadows under his eyes. His cheeks had a hollowed appearance. She pulled the black covering from his head, ran her hands over the rough surface of his scalp where his hair was growing back. “Why are you dressed as a Medjai?” Senin whispered. Kahma answered her with a kiss, his taste wild and irresistible. The kiss quickly grew heated, full of passion and longing. Their tongues dueled and their breathing shook as they savored each other. The first kiss after days apart. Senin wrapped him in her arms, pulling him close to her. When Kahma pulled away from her, Senin was breathless. “Set is looking for me.” Kahma took a deep breath as he pulled away from her, gripping her shoulders and pushing her back until she was at arm’s length. His hands were shaking. “We have little time. You must leave this place, Senin. You will never be safe if we are together.” Senin struggled in his grip, trying to shove off his hands so she could return to his arms where she belonged. Where he wanted her. Why was he acting this way? Didn’t he know she loved him more than life itself? That she’d face any danger at his side?

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“I do not care,” Senin pleaded with him, but he wouldn’t release her. “Kahma, please! Let me stay with you. Let us leave together. We will go where Set will never find us.” “Listen to me.” Kahma’s voice was rough with emotion. “Set is cursing those who have helped our queen and their fates are dark and unnatural. If death were the only risk we faced, I would leave with you right now, this moment. I have seen what his dark magic can do, Senin. I am the last of those he seeks and he is coming for me. If he also found you…” His voice broke on the last word. Kahma hauled her against him and took her mouth with a passion that made her knees too weak to hold her up. He sensed this because in the next moment, he lifted her easily in his arms and carried her to the shady, well hidden cove by the river that they had used before for their liaisons. With great care, he gently lowered her to the ground as he came over her, his weight pressing her into the soft, damp ground at the water’s edge. Senin’s heart raced with excitement. She rushed to remove her shift, her hands shaking as though it were their first time together. The tearing sound drew her attention to Kahma who tore off the garments of a Medjai in his haste. His eyes were filled with ravenous desire as he lowered his mouth to press a kiss against her nipple. Gathering her to him, he buried his face between her breasts, breathing her scent in deeply. Kahma palmed her breasts in his hands, pushing up one of her nipples to his greedy mouth. His lips and tongue teased and caressed her before he nipped at her with his teeth. The tiny jolt of pain blended exquisitely with the pleasure racing through her limbs to gather at the heated flesh of her pussy. Senin writhed in pleasure as he suckled against her with a powerful hunger. When his mouth abandoned one breast to treat the other in kind, he drew a deep moan from her that she didn’t immediately recognize as her own. His black eyes watched her from over the swell of her breast and again he lightly bit her. Senin let her head fall back, pushing herself farther into his mouth. Her hands

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ran mindlessly over his head and broad shoulders while her lower body wrapped itself around him. The smooth wet flesh at the top of her thighs covered the aching flesh that craved him inside her. She rubbed her cunt against the smooth planes of stomach, hoping to urge him on. Her devilish lover would not be hurried as he teased her, tasted her. Kahma’s hands lightly shook as they skimmed down her body. He kissed a fiery trail over her stomach as he moved down the slight swell of her tummy. Senin’s heart pounded in anticipation and she trembled, waiting. “I have been dying for a taste of you, Senin,” Kahma whispered, sending a shot of pure excitement through her. His fingers were infinitely gentle as they parted her, his lips even more so, as they lightly brushed a kiss to the dark curls at the top of her thighs. Senin gasped when his tongue delved into the folds of her pussy. First he teased her opening before moving slowly up to her clit where he lingered, driving her mad with light flicks of his tongue. Over and over he licked her, stopping only to suckle her clit or her labia. Kahma gave her clit special attention using his lips, teeth and tongue, his kisses lingering and licks heated. Senin went wild above him, writhing and straining to push herself against his mouth and he rewarded her efforts. Kahma moaned against her, the vibration of it making her inner walls clench. She needed him inside her. Wanted it desperately. Sensing her need, Kahma began thrusting his amazingly long tongue into her aching passage like a cock. His tongue dove in and out, fucking her, as his fingers played with her throbbing clit. The flesh of her cunt was so swollen, so sensitive now. “Kahma!” Senin cried out as she came, spasm after spasm wracking her body. Senin’s hips were off the ground and she pushed herself at his mouth, unable to do anything else as heat and pleasure engulfed her. Before she even realized it, his large beautiful body came over hers and his mouth claimed hers for a kiss. Her own intimate taste filled her mouth as he went wild above her. It was like making love with a sand storm because his hands and mouth

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were all over her. Senin’s hands grabbed at his tight muscles desperately and he growled or sighed at each touch. Kahma pushed her legs apart with his thighs only a moment before his large cock sank into her, stretching and burning her with his hot flesh. He filled her as he never had before, not stopping until he was completely sheathed within her. “I love you,” Senin whispered, so quietly she didn’t know if he would hear her. Kahma moaned, pulled his head back to gaze at her with intense eyes. “I love you. You are my entire world, Senin. I would gladly meet death before I would let you come to any harm.” Senin stretched up to kiss his mouth as they began to rock against each other back and forth. “Do not make me leave,” she whispered into his mouth. “I will come for you.” Kahma thrust in and out of her with hard, quick strokes. “When the danger has passed, I will come for you and we will be together forever.” Senin’s heart shredded in her chest even as she gasped at the pleasure he gave her body. Why couldn’t she stay with him? Why couldn’t she go with him now? She was overcome with his claiming over her body. His cock seemed to thrust deeper within her with each stroke. Kahma caught her cries in his mouth as they moaned and gasped, moving together on the riverbank. Senin bucked beneath him, screaming as all the muscles of her body tightened and her pussy walls clenched. When the orgasm broke over her, Senin shook in wild ecstasy, hanging onto Kahma as he drove on above her. “Kahma!” a great and terrible voice called out in the darkness.

*** “Kahma!” The eroticism of the dream combined with the frightening and abrupt end had Emma’s heart racing as she sat in the darkness. Sweat dotted her forehead as she sat gasping for breath. Her dreams seemed so real. Sexual excitement still hummed through her body. Fear rushed through her, making her tremble fiercely.

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He was by her side in an instant. His strong arms closed around her and he pulled her against his chest, lending her strength. His heartbeat was steady and strong, soothing. Gentle hands smoothed her hair, stroked her back. Kahma. The man holding her bore the same name as the lover in her dreams. Looked exactly like him. What did that mean? “Are you all right?” he asked in his thick accent. Emma nodded in the dark. The only light in the cave was the small amount that came from the tiny orange embers remaining from the fire. So she said, “I’m fine, I think.” As soon as she said the words, Emma burst into tears. She just couldn’t hold them back any longer, especially not in the comfort of his arms. Like anything in her life, when Emma decided to do something, she didn’t do it in half-measures. Clutching the front of his robes, Emma hung on and sobbed out all of her sadness, fears and anxieties of the last two days. Alan Burns’ death, the loss of Alice and Daniel, the threat of the dark riders -- all of it.

Kahma held her as she cried, both worried about her and hopeful. Kahma never slept and so had been watching her twist and turn on the blanket in the grip of her dream. He’d watched her caress her breasts in her sleep, one slim hand slipping between her thighs. She’d caressed herself through her skirt and it had taken all of his will not to go to her, to make love to her as he’d been dying to since she arrived in Egypt. That she’d awakened with his name on her lips gave him hope, excited him. Her dream was of him and he was pretty sure he knew what they’d been doing. By the gods how he wanted her. Kahma wanted inside her body, inside her mind. Were her dreams of the past? Did she dream of them in that life they should have been able to share thousands of years ago?

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Kahma’s heart ached because it really didn’t matter now. He knew that in order to save her life, he must lose her again. Now that she’d set the curse in motion by reading the inscription, the only way she’d ever be safe would be to leave Egypt. The dark riders would never stop hunting her, even when she left this land. They only had one purpose, to resurrect their master. If Set ever returned to this world, his power would be too great and terrible to imagine. His desire for power would not have diminished. He would be a plague on mankind that wouldn’t cease until he controlled it. Kahma couldn’t leave Egypt with her because his own curse at the hands of Set prevented him from crossing the boundaries of the land as they existed thousands of years ago. Crossing the ocean wasn’t possible either -- he’d tried that long ago. Again, Kahma was destined to lose her. Did he really want to hurt himself even more, hurt her, by being selfish and loving her? By fulfilling the desires of his flesh when he couldn’t fulfill the desires of his heart? By the gods, he wanted to take her anyway, regardless of the consequences. His time with her now would be all he had unless their paths crossed yet again. Kahma was afraid to hope for that. No, if he truly loved her, he would protect her from the truth. The truth about that past life and their love that could never be in this lifetime. The truth about what he was. No matter the cost, he would protect her from the evil curse that threatened her. An eternity of knowing that he’d failed her this time, of her suffering for eternity as he had because of Set, would be unbearable. “Sorry.” Her tearful voice was muffled against his shirt. “The last two days have been very upsetting.” “I understand,” he whispered into her hair, tightening his arms around her little, shaking body.

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“Three people on the expedition have died.” Emma swiped at her tears with the back of her hand but they kept coming. “Alan was a dear friend and Daniel and Alice… are dead, as you said. I don’t know how, but I feel it.” “Yes,” was all Kahma said, listening to his beloved speak. He wanted to savor every moment of the short time he’d be with her. The memories would have to last a long, long time. “And the dreams I’ve been having.” You’re dreaming of me. Are you dreaming of us together as we were thousands of moons ago in this land and how you loved me? “I’m so tired.” Emma wrapped her arms around his waist, her soft body nestling against his. He could feel the firm mounds of her breasts burning into him like soft fire. Kahma was hard as a stone. How would he survive this? “I just want to go home.” You are home. In my arms. Kahma closed his eyes as his heart clenched painfully in his chest. “You will be home soon,” Kahma promised. He’d do anything he had to do to see it done. “Sleep now. You will need your rest.” Kahma felt her nod and waited for her to return to the blankets where she’d slept earlier. Instead she snuggled against him and was fast asleep again in moments. He knew when her breath slowed and deepened into the cadence of sleep. It was torture to hold her when his body was burning to be inside hers. Well, Kahma had endured thousands of years without her. He could endure the torment of his desire. Because holding Senin again was also paradise.

Chapter 8 Emma’s eyes scanned the endless stretch of desert illuminated only by the moon hanging high overhead. From atop the white camel Kahma had mysteriously produced for her to ride, she fancied that she could see far into the distance. She saw nothing but sand. Her anxiety was high. How long would it take to reach Cairo? Would they encounter the dark riders? Kahma’s tan camel lowed quietly as it walked beside hers. Emma admired the way he confidently sat atop the animal, riding in silence at her side. He was so quiet. Emma couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about. He’s probably thinking about what a silly ninny you are, Emma. Bursting into tears last night before crawling all over him and expecting him to comfort you? Comfort her he had. Emma had felt perfectly safe in his arms, sleeping there the rest of the night until the middle of the next day. There’d been no more dreams of the ancient lover who looked like him and had the same name. In fact, Emma had no other dreams that she could remember. Emma had no choice but to trust him. The more time she had to think about it, the more she began to consider that his explanation of the inscription she’d read having been a curse might have some truth to it. That the curse was that of Set, the Set of ancient Egyptian legend, was very difficult for Emma to believe. Common sense told her that the riders attacked for a specific purpose. They’d taken Daniel and Alice, but they hadn’t gone after any of their belongings. That told Emma that the three of them had been their target. They’d gotten two of the three people present when that inscription had been read. Emma was the last and if she were to believe the incredible tale Kahma told her, she’d begin to believe that she was the very one they were looking for.

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It was too quiet, there was too much in her head. So Emma did what she always did when she was nervous or scared. She started talking. “Do you think they will come for me tonight?” she asked, trying to keep the fear from her voice. Kahma kept on riding, his gaze straight ahead. “It is likely.” “What will we do?” “We will deal with them if the time comes.” His confident tone took her off guard. He was just one man and he’d described the riders as ancient, powerful. Did he realize that they would probably die and just wasn’t telling her? “They will capture me, won’t they?” Emma couldn’t help asking. The dark look the question earned her had Emma cringing on her camel. “Did they capture you before?” “No,” she admitted, ashamed that she’d injured his pride. He had saved her before. “They will not capture you this night.” “You never told me how you got rid of them yesterday. I only remember huddling in the sand.” Emma tried to laugh but it only came out a dry huff. “I was seeing things. I imagined I saw some mythical beast standing over me, protecting me. It had the body of a cat and great wings. I was expecting to die. So I guess that is why I might have seen it.” Kahma said nothing, just let her ramble. Why did she blurt that out? Nerves? Are you going to tell him about the sex dreams next? “What you described was the sphinx,” Kahma surprised her by saying. “The body of the lion, the head of a man. Wings for carrying the creature over the sand.” Emma nodded. “Yes, but they’re mythical creatures, not real. What I saw was the product of a hysterical mind.” Emma felt his eyes on her as they continued riding. “I do not think there is anything wrong with your mind.”

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Emma turned her head to meet his intent gaze. His eyes gleamed at her in the dark. “There is. There must be. I have had the strangest dreams the last two days,” Emma explained. “Vivid dreams of another place, another time.” Kahma’s gaze dropped and he looked ahead again, riding in silence for several moments. Emma could read into it that he didn’t care about her dreams, didn’t wish to talk about it. Did he find her conversation boring then? Emma’s heartbeat quickened when his hands tightened on the reins he held. Again, she sensed he was holding something back. Why? Why would her dreams matter to him? Why did she matter to him? Why was he helping her at all? “Do you believe in reincarnation, Kahma?” Emma heard his sharp intake of breath even though he didn’t move otherwise, didn’t acknowledge that she’d even spoken. “Yes.” His voice was tight. “Have you ever had dreams of a past life?” Emma wanted to know. “Dreamed of who you might have been before in another life?” “No. I only know this life.” “Then why --” The sound of pounding in the distance set Emma’s heart to hammering in her chest. She recognized the sound. The dark riders were coming. Kahma turned to look behind them, his eyes wild. “They are almost upon us.” Grabbing the reins of Emma’s camel, he brought the animal to a halt while Emma sat on its back paralyzed. “Wrap your arms around the camel’s neck and don’t let go, no matter what happens. It will make it much more difficult for them to try to grab you. Do it!” Emma did. Leaning forward, she had to drape her body over the camel’s back to do it as she wrapped her arms around the neck of the animal.

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The pounding of hooves, the dark riders’ horses, grew louder and louder. Kahma pulled a great silver sword free from its place at his side, holding it high. He looked ready for battle, his face a mask of steely determination. Frightened as she was, her heart shifted in her chest as she watched him, this incredible man ready to fight off the darkness to protect her. Kahma was an unlikely hero. He just didn’t seem like the type who defended witless English women in the desert. No, there was another reason he was ready to fight for her. She felt it. The riders came out of the dark like shadows moving with preternatural speed. Emma kept her head down as Kahma swung at each of them with his sword when they approached. Metal clanged against metal as he fought them, his movements precise and skilled. Riding a camel while the riders he fought were on swifter horses put Kahma at a distinct disadvantage and Emma watched in fear as he leapt from the camel’s back. What was he doing? If Kahma remained on the ground for long they’d cut him to ribbons! The wind stirred, the sand began to fly wildly, and Emma closed her eyes tightly against the grains that stung her eyes and face. More than once she tried to open her eyes as she listened to the shrieks of the riders. She couldn’t hear Kahma or the clanging of swords now. Was he still alive? What was happening? Her muscles ached as she hung onto the camel for dear life. Emma cried out when something grabbed the back of her blouse and gave a savage yank. Tightening her grip, Emma squeezed until the camel lowed and began to trot away from the madness. The grip on her clothing tightened and sharp points pierced the fabric, dug into the flesh of her back. Emma screamed when the points ripped her flesh. Then, they were gone. A great roar erupted behind her and she turned her head to the other side to see another man, his skin fair and his eyes glowing unnaturally, coming toward her. “No!” Emma cried as she buried her face against the camel. “No, please.”

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A rough voice spoke in her ear. “Do not fear me. I am not one of them.” Emma didn’t understand why she let go of the camel at this strange man’s command. Allowing him to pull her into his arms, Emma clung to this man while all around them the riders howled and the sand flew. The man who held her didn’t flinch, didn’t appear bothered by the sand that stung her unmercifully. He stood stoically, watching the scene all around them. Emma looked in that direction just in time to see the riders retreating into the night the way they came. The sand blew in a tall, slender column on the other side of Kahma’s camel before slowing, widening and then stopping all together. Emma’s heart pounded in relief when Kahma stepped out from behind that camel where the column of wind had been. Kahma winced as he walked toward them, obviously wounded from his fight. “Kahma!” Emma cried, struggling in the strange man’s grip until he set her on her feet in the sand. Running to him, Emma wrapped her arms around him, felt at home when his arms closed about her. “Thank you, my friend,” Kahma spoke to the man behind her over her head, “for your help.” “I have been searching for you all night, Kahma. So is she the one who read the inscription?” “Only the part from the lost stone,” Kahma explained, releasing Emma just enough so that she could turn around. “The dark riders now have it as well.” “You are running out of time, Kahma.” The man was incredibly handsome with his long black hair, his exotic pale features. He was slightly taller than Kahma and looked altogether menacing with his green eyes glowing in an unnatural way. “You have to get her out of here.” Kahma’s tone was grave. “I will.” “Stop wasting time with these camels,” the man pointed out. “Fly with her to Cairo. Put her on a ship.” Emma’s eyes flew to Kahma and quickly back to the stranger. Fly?

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“How can we fly to Cairo?” she wanted to know. “He is the sphinx,” the other man said. Emma noticed the man’s teeth for the first time as he spoke. Were those fangs? “He has it in his power to fly you to Cairo this night.” Emma’s mind was a crazy buzz of fears and images. The winged creature that saved her at the Temple of Seti I? The sandy funnel that had been present both then and now? Was that him? “Sopdet!” Kahma barked at him. The other man’s glowing eyes moved from Kahma to Emma curiously. “She does not know, does she?” Oh my God! Emma struggled in Kahma’s arms. Growling at the other man in what Emma believed to be Egyptian, Kahma reluctantly let her go. He kept walking toward her as she backed away. “I will tell you everything once we get to Cairo.” Kahma’s tone was calm. It didn’t help. Emma was on the edge of hysterics. “What are you?” “Senin, please. You must trust me.” Senin! Did she just imagine he called her that? “What did you call me?” Emma whispered. The world went black before he could answer her.

Chapter 9 “Senin,” his voice pleaded in the darkness. “Do not leave me.” Senin opened her eyes, saw her beloved’s face above her, Kahma cradling her on his lap. “Kahma, I love you.” Kahma hauled her roughly up into his arms, claiming her mouth with his own. His kiss was tender, filled with unshed tears. Great sadness loomed all around them like the shadows of the cave that would be her tomb. She was dying. Senin could barely remember the last few days now. Set capturing them both by the river that night, the terrible curse he’d uttered at her beloved Kahma. Set had cursed Kahma to be the undead. To live for all eternity and stand witness to Set’s reign as king and the reign of his heirs that would stretch through all eternity. In that moment, even with Set’s ominous voice, the words seemed to be just that, words that had no power. While Senin had read the fear in Kahma’s eyes at the curse, she read uncertainty there too. Then, Set’s soldiers had beaten Kahma savagely, a beating to demonstrate to him that he really couldn’t die. When he fell to the ground Senin had crawled to him, tried to shield him with her own body so they’d beaten her too. She had feared the soldiers meant to do worse to her, but Set stopped them. He’d said that he had something else in mind for Senin. Set had sealed them alive in the cave days ago. Senin had lost count of the days. While Kahma’s bruises began to fade, Senin weakened from having no food, no water. Like a man possessed, Kahma had searched every inch of the cave, trying to find a way

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out. There was none. The great stone Set had placed at the mouth of the cave was more than twenty men could have moved. Now, her time had finally come. It broke Senin’s heart to leave him but her body was too weak to go on. Kahma only suffered from the injuries he’d received at the hands of Set’s soldiers. He wasn’t as weakened as she was but seemed to gain strength. Kahma would live on. If Set’s terrible curse was true, he’d live on forever in this world. Did that mean they would be separated for eternity? One look in his dark eyes told her that Kahma’s suffering was great. It broke her heart. She was going to die, nothing could stop that now. “Kahma,” Senin whispered. The cave had grown darker. “Keep holding me.” “I will never let you go.” His voice shook. “Never.” Senin’s eyes roamed over his beloved face. She wanted to carry the image of his face with her into the afterlife, to never forget it. As her mind began to shut down, one single thought of hope filled it. “For a while you must let me go, my love,” Senin told him, though her strength was failing. “I will come back to you. I promise. Set has placed his curse on you but he cannot stop me from returning to this world, Kahma. We will be together again. We will.” A tear spilled from his eye, splashed on her lips. The salty taste of it filled her mouth as she glanced up at him for the last time. “I love you. Always remember that.” “I love you,” Kahma whispered, gently pressing his mouth to hers. Senin took her last dying breath in that kiss.

*** The stripes of pain running down her back pulled Emma from the despair of the dream. The flesh of her back stung in the open air, soothed only by something warm and wet that pressed against each wound slowly and with infinite care. When Emma opened her eyes she saw the edge of the bed she was lying face down upon, the simple pattern of the rug on the wooden floor below. Where was she?

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She started to push up on the bed, but a gentle, warm hand pressed her back down. “Let me tend your back.” Kahma’s voice was a low murmur. “Kahma.” Emma didn’t know where to begin. “Yes?” he asked, pausing in his work at her back. “I had another dream.” Emma could barely get the words out as her eyes filled up with tears. “I dreamed that I died in a cave. You were there.” Nothing. Silence. The dripping of water and then, the warm press of a cloth at her back. “Kahma, I’ve been dreaming of you. I have been dreaming of us together in another lifetime, long, long ago.” Still he said nothing. Finally Emma struggled to pull herself up and Kahma let her. He’d removed her clothes to tend to her wounds so she pulled a blanket from the bed up to cover her breasts and lower body as she turned to face him. Emma met his gaze squarely. “What’s going on? You know. You must tell me.” “You know most of it, Senin,” Kahma whispered. “What does your heart tell you?” “We were lovers in another lifetime.” Emma knew it to be true. “I was called Senin.” Kahma’s hands tightened on the bloody cloth he’d been using to clean her back. Now she knew why he’d done everything he had. Now she began to understand. “Yes.” “I always dreamed of coming to Egypt, even as a little girl,” Emma explained. “From the moment I was first told about it, it fascinated me. Now I know why.” Kahma nodded, his gaze unwavering. “When I came here and went to the temple, I knew next to nothing about how to read hieroglyphics. It seemed impossible that I would be able to read the stone Daniel found, but I was able to, wasn’t I? I must have recognized the characters from my past in that other life.”

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“I believe so,” Kahma muttered. “The characters used were not known to many. They were used for the king’s sensitive correspondence. Only his priests and close personal servants knew how to read it. I taught you as well.” Emma swallowed hard. “You remember that?” “As if it were yesterday.” The sound of her heart beating filled her ears. “I thought you said you had no memories of any life except for this one. That is what you told me in the desert.” Setting the cloth back into the bowl of water on the table by the bed, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. It reminded her of the way he’d touched her by the river long, long ago. “I did not lie,” Kahma spoke gently. “Senin, I am still a victim of Set’s curse. I never died.” Tears filled Emma’s eyes. The logic of her current life broke down, the barrier of reason breached as she thought about what he was saying. That would mean he’d lived on for thousands of years, unable to die. It was a fate too horrible to imagine. “Kahma, I --” He silenced her with a gentle kiss, one hand sliding down her arms to hold hers. “Do you remember what the stone said?” he asked. “It mentioned seven scorpions that helped Isis to retrieve her husband’s body. That was a reference to seven Scorpion Warriors. There were seven of us. Most of us were the king’s priests, though a couple of us were his personal servants. We were his private council on all things and he trusted us to help keep him safe. We failed him.” Emma’s fingers locked with his, her heart going out to him as she read the pain in his eyes. “We did help our queen to locate the body and Set came after us, Senin. The other six he found and cursed very quickly. In disguise, I was able to avoid him for days.” “Dressed as a Medjai,” Emma whispered.

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Kahma nodded. “What you dreamed was the truth. He found us together and he sealed us in the cave at Philae.” I will never let you go. Never. “He knew I would have to watch you die.” Kahma’s voice shook with emotion. “He knew it was the thing that would hurt me most and it did. Only you defeated his curse. You did as you promised, Senin. You came back to me. I have had to wait thousands of years, but you came back.” Oh, God, did she really believe all this? That she was Senin reincarnated? That this was her lover who had survived through the ages because of an ancient curse? There was only one way to find out. Hesitantly Emma leaned toward him, brushing his lips with hers. His lips opened to hers and his tongue slid into her mouth and Emma tasted him. Oh God, his taste. It was so familiar, so tantalizing. Emma’s mind whirled with sensation as he stroked his lips over hers, gently claiming her mouth as he hadn’t for thousands of years. Being mindful of her back, Kahma pulled her across the bed and held her tightly against him. The heat of his arousal nudged against her sex as he tugged the blanket out of her grip and away from her breasts. The juices gathered within her pussy as it began to ache for him. He was the lover from her dreams. Her heart and body knew it to be true. She was Senin. She wanted him with a passion that defied time. “Love me,” Emma whispered against his lips. Kahma hesitated, the motion of his hands on her body ceasing. Then with a low moan, he crushed her to him. His lips burned a path across her cheek to the sensitive shell of her ear. Kahma’s tongue darted out, tracing her ear before his teeth closed over her lobe. Emma shivered in his arms. “You came back to me.”

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Emma’s body came to life in his arms, demanding the pleasure her soul remembered but that she had never experienced in this lifetime. In seconds, she’d fallen into a storm of uncontrollable sensations where all common sense was abandoned, the rules of her current life left behind. His fingers skimmed over her lower back and into the cleft of her ass. Emma gasped as she felt his fingers delve into her wet folds, a finger circling her weeping opening. “I remember you liked that.” His breath was hot in her ear. “I will give you more. So much more, my love.” He shrugged out of his robes, treating to the sight of his broad, muscular chest. His chest was hairless, as it had been in her dreams and it trailed down into a taut abdomen, just above the nest of black curls and the hard, rigid length of his enormous cock jutting proudly forward. “I dream of this every day,” he murmured, returning his mouth to hers. “Every night.” Kahma’s hands slid up to cup her breasts, his thumbs sliding lightly over her nipples. Emma bit her lip to keep from screaming from the sheer joy of knowing her lover’s touch again. When Kahma dove for one peak with his mouth and licked her like candy, Emma thought she might faint again. He began by laving her leisurely, but soon the seductive glide of his mouth turned harder. Kahma caught the bud between his teeth -- she’d always loved that -- before capturing it firmly with his lips. Emma felt like expiring from all the delicious sensations threatening to send her over the edge before he even got to her pussy. Kahma released her nipple with a wet sucking sound before taking the other in his mouth. Emma threw her head back, trusting him to hold her up as he pleasured her. When Kahma lifted his head, his black eyes were glazed with passion. His hands skimmed back down her body to her sex. “I want to taste you, but I do not want to hurt you.” Emma tried to glance at her own back over her shoulder. “What happened to my back?”

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“One of the riders tried to grab you,” Kahma explained, his fingers busy stroking her swollen clit. “Sopdet saved you.” Emma gasped at his teasing touch. “Is he a Scorpion Warrior too?” “Yes.” “Are you truly a sphinx?” “Later.” Kahma rolled onto his back on the bed and lifted Emma until her thighs straddled his head. Emma’s aching pussy hovered right over his mouth. When the tip of his tongue touched her clit and then slid lower, she screamed, nearly coming then and there. With his tongue he traced the soft folds of her pussy, circling her opening with devastating slowness. “I love your taste, Senin.” His voice was low, tight. “I have longed for it. Craved it.” Emma couldn’t take much more. She’d been ready for orgasm since the moment he touched her. Now his face was buried between her thighs, doing wicked and wonderful things to her. Emma sank her hands into his black hair and rode his mouth, working toward the release she was ready for. “Not yet, Senin.” Not yet? How much did he expect her to take? His head was buried between her legs and the lapping sounds he made drove her mad. His hot tongue, sliding in and out of her sheath as she wanted his cock to do, sent her finally spiraling over the edge. Emma’s thighs trembled from the power of the orgasm. Her hands clutched in his hair as wave after wave of pleasure engulfed her. The hotel room spun away while she struggled for breath, shaking.

Chapter 10 Kahma stared up at the woman he’d loved for thousands of years, mesmerized by her beauty as she writhed and cried out above him. Her pale flesh was colored by passion and it was dewy and hot under his fingers. So hot. He needed her to touch him now, to take him inside her. “Senin, ride my cock now.” Eagerly she moved down his body until he felt the wet heat of her cunt sliding against his cock. Kahma’s blood stirred, racing through his veins to center on the nerve endings in his cock. “I want to be inside you.” The gliding of her wet pussy back and forth across his aching shaft was driving him insane. “Now.” Emma’s fingers wrapped around him and poised him at her opening. So wet for him, so sweet. He couldn’t wait. Kahma thrust up inside her, growling in ecstasy at the easy way her pussy closed itself around him, squeezing him. He partially withdrew, then pushed up with more force. “Kahma!” she cried, her fingers twining in his hair. “Yes!” Kahma resisted the urge to pound into her with everything he had. He’d always liked to fuck a little hard, a little rough. He didn’t want to hurt her. The flesh of her back was already torn. He didn’t think he would frighten her. His love remembered who she was now. Emma, Senin. It didn’t matter. She was the same woman. His woman. Kahma concentrated on the feel of her wet flesh surrounding his cock, the breathy little cries she gave as he bucked beneath her, driving straight up to her womb. Her nails dug into his scalp just as his fingers gripped her hips. He lifted her up and pushed her back down on him, lending her his strength.

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She tried to grind her clit against him with each thrust. Wetting his fingers with the juices from her cunt, he found her clit and teased the aching nub until he felt the spasms surrounding his cock. Kahma thrust with more force, more speed. Emma screamed above him, her climax a warm wash on his shaft. Her orgasm was so intense that it was hard for Kahma not to let go with her. Emma worked her tight cunt up and down on him, crying out his name. Kahma was relentless, teasing her clit until the tension built in her body once again. Emma gasped in pleasure, the long dark strands of her hair wet against the sides of her beautiful face. When her body tensed again, Kahma knew she was close, relishing the sound of her frantic little cries. Kahma thrust wildly into her, pulling her mouth down to his so he could take her cries into his mouth as spasms of pleasure shook her body. Kahma pumped his come into her, going with her, the pleasure and peace of his release bliss after thousands of years. Emma collapsed on top of him, fitting perfectly against his body, her hair a damp length of silk across his shoulder. He tried to avoid touching the long gouges on her back, stroking instead her shoulders, her arms. As much as he wanted to relax and treasure this moment, he knew he could not. “They will find us,” he whispered. “You cannot stay here, my love.” Emma pushed up onto her elbows so she could gaze at him. Her eyes were a beautiful blend of color, dominated at the moment by vivid green. “Why must I leave?” Emma demanded. “Look at what happened the last time you wanted me to leave.” Kahma shook his head. “They will never stop pursuing you as long as you are in this land. They need you to complete the inscription, to bring their master back into this world.” Her eyes searched his face. “I know what would happen to me if they caught me. What happens when they bring Set back?” “Set will then come after us, the seven Scorpion Warriors,” Kahma explained. “We are the only ones who know the secret location of the tomb of Osiris.” “And?”

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“Osiris rules the underworld. If Set can find his tomb, he will gain control over his brother and release the souls from the underworld on earth. At Set’s command they will destroy mankind.” Kahma watched hope fade from her beautiful face, felt the whisper of her deep sigh against his chest. “Come with me to London,” Emma entreated him. “We’ll leave this place together.” Whispers from the past lingered in his mind. Let me stay with you. Let us leave together. We will go where Set will never find us. “I cannot cross the boundaries of this land as they were in the time of Set and Osiris.” Kahma watched the tears gather in her eyes. “I have tried. I am sorry.” Catching one gleaming drop with the pad of his thumb, he waited for the breaking point. When his love would realize that their parting would be the only way to save her in this life. Emma surprised him with eyes filled with determination. “Kahma, you were a high priest.” She fought the tears as she spoke. “Tell me something. If you had been the one to read the inscription, would you be in the same danger as I?” Kahma shook his head. “I am not a living man. I am undead, Senin. They could not use me for their ritual. Only the living.” “If I were cursed,” Emma went on, “they could no longer hunt me?” Kahma’s heart began a terrible rhythm in his chest. How often in his darker moments had he wished that Set had cursed them both? So they could at least be together in darkness? It was selfish of Kahma to think that way. He wouldn’t have wanted her to be cursed as he was, damned. “If Set had also cursed you,” Kahma fought for control, “that would be true. You would be just as I am now, the undead for all eternity. You were not cursed. You’re mortal.”

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Emma cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look into her desperate eyes. “You can curse me, Kahma. Curse me. Condemn me to your own fate. Save me from Set. We can be together. I can stay here.” Tears began to sting the back of Kahma’s eyes. It was in his power to do it. How could she ask this of him? To doom her as he was doomed? “You do not know what you are asking of me.” Kahma sat up in the bed, grabbing her shoulders. “Do you know what you will become? Do you want to see?”

Emma leapt off the bed, crying out as she watched his body disintegrate before her eyes, becoming the funnel of sand-filled wind that she’d seen before. Slowly the sand began to reform, just as it had when she cowered at his feet at the Temple of Seti I. The body of a lion with golden fur, immense wings that would fill the room if he spread them wide. His head remained the same, the face of her beloved. The sphinx. “This is my curse,” Kahma growled at her in a deep, preternatural voice. “This is what you will be whenever you are threatened in any way. Is this what you want, Senin?” Emma’s gaze moved over his impossible form, her mind spinning. She’d never see England or Aunt Elspeth again. She’d never be able to return to the world of the living and she’d never die. This man would be her companion until the world ended, if it ever did. Is this what you want? While Emma watched, the sphinx blew apart into a sandy blast of wind, reforming before her as Kahma, the man she loved. His human body was beautiful, just as she remembered from her dreams. Even with his curse, he could still make love. That would mean she could also make love if she accepted his curse.

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She loved him. Emma knew in her heart that she loved him in this life as she did in the one long ago. She had promised him that she would come back and she’d fulfilled that promise. She wouldn’t back out now. Ignoring the pain in her back, Emma wrapped her arms around the man who’d held onto his love for her for thousands of years. “I want to be with you, Kahma.” Emma stretched up to kiss his mouth. He opened his lips to her, their tongues twining as he pulled her tightly against him. “I will be what you are. I love you. I promised you that I would come back and I have.” Kahma pressed her face against his shoulder, his breath shuddering in her hair. “Senin, please, I want you to be certain. I --” Emma pulled back to press her fingers to his lips. Her decision was made. “I am certain.” She wanted to be with this man forever. “Love me.” Kahma’s mouth slammed down onto hers, hard and demanding. His hands began to roam all over her body as he pushed her back onto the bed and his mouth soon followed. His long black hair tickled her skin as he made love to her, being so careful because of her back. Hauling her up so that she straddled him where he sat on the bed, Kahma pressed his cock to her aching cunt. Emma giggled when he began to rock them back and forth, but the exquisite friction the movement created soon had her gasping for breath. When he ducked his head to suckle her breasts, Emma moaned in longing. She held his head to her, savoring the wet heat of his mouth. Emma couldn’t take any more. She grabbed the rock hard shaft of his cock and held him so that she could ease herself down on it. His beautiful smile told her that he was more than happy to let her do it. His fingers dug into her hips as she worked herself on him, his breath ragged and heated. Pulling her down at the same moment he pushed up, Kahma filled her, buried to his balls in her sheath. “I love you,” Kahma whispered, holding her still. “I told you before. I will tell you now. I will love you until the end of time.”

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Emma smiled, her love for him filling her heart as surely as his cock filled her pussy. She’d always loved him. “That is good,” Emma pointed out, gasping. “Because that is how long we will have.” Kahma pressed a kiss to her mouth and began to move her up and down on him. At first his movements within her were a gradual slide but his thrusts quickly gained speed and strength. Finally his cock pushed up into her with a force that should have hurt her but only made her crave more. When they came, they came together, rocking against each other until the pleasure began to fade and all that was left was the pounding of their hearts and their labored breaths. Once she’d found the breath to speak, Emma had to ask him something. “We don’t have to live in a cave, do we?” Kahma threw his head back and laughed, shaking his head -- she hoped that meant no -- before pulling her against his heart.

Epilogue Emma folded the letter to her Aunt Elspeth and stuffed it into the envelope. It would be the last thing she would ever do in the world of the living. The only regret she had was that she would never again see the kind woman who’d raised her. Shaking her head, she began to seal the envelope. “What?” Kahma asked from where he watched her on the bed, dressed once again in his black robes. “My poor aunt will be so upset when she gets this.” Emma smiled at him sadly over her shoulder. “She didn’t want me to come to Egypt at all.” “Send her this also.” Kahma rose from the bed and pulled a piece of jewelry from his robes. It was the golden locket that Elspeth had given her for her tenth birthday. She’d placed photographs of Emma’s parents in it to help her remember her good memories of them. “Where did you find that?” Emma wanted to know. “I found it in your camp,” Kahma explained. “When I went looking for the stone you had found. I thought it might be the only thing I would get to keep of you in this lifetime.” Emma took the locket from him and tucked it with its chain into the envelope with her letter. “I’m glad you were wrong.” Emma sealed the letter and left it on the desk of the hotel room. Turning into his arms, she pulled him to her. “I am ready.”

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Kahma leaned down to kiss her and she returned his kiss with all the love she felt for him, her heart about to burst from her chest in her excitement. She was destined to be with this man. Nothing, not even time, would part them again. Stepping out onto the balcony of the hotel, Kahma’s body split apart into a sandy storm, reforming before her as the sphinx. Emma went to him, allowed her beloved to clutch her to his body with his great front paws. His wings began to stir and they rose into the air, high into the night sky, and then they were off, flying into eternity together.

The End

Isabella Jordan Isabella Jordan is a lucky lady who spends her days with her family, doing volunteer work and writing. She loves creating new stories of all kinds and chatting with readers and friends. Isabella would love to hear from readers! Visit her on the web at www.isabellajordan.com.

Kahma

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