The edges of my vision cleared even more, and I tipped my face to the left to find Silas’ body slack in a chair, sound asleep. Exhaustion was evident in the way the skin wrinkled around his closed eyes, even in rest, and intensified by the dark circles that rimmed them.
I fought through the fog in my head and, bit by bit, began to recall the series of events that transpired over the last couple of days. Finally getting Silas back, only to be ripped from him by Horus. Dropped from the sky into a holding cell fit for a zoo animal. My leg breaking in half and the gut wrenching sound of the bone snapping like a thick, wet branch. And then…a blade to my throat.
A sickening chill shivered through me and I carefully reached up to my neck. When my fingertips lightly brushed the texture of fresh linens, my eyes immediately filled with tears. He nearly killed me. A ball of nerves coiled in my throat and I let out a gurgled cough.
“Andie?” Silas croaked and blinked the sleep from his eyes as he bolted forward to the edge of the bed. “You’re not supposed to be awake yet. Your wounds are still healing.”
Instinctively, I chortled, but it just came out in a painful moan and I tried to shift in the bed. Just an inch to the side so I could partially turn towards him.
“So, what? They just keep everyone in a coma to heal?”
The space between his brows pinched together. “No. Only for wounds as serious as yours.” He lowered his gaze disapprovingly. “Don’t be stubborn.”
“Me? Stubborn?” I joked weakly, but he didn’t laugh.
He carefully took my hand in both of his and sighed as he held it to his face. The warmth of sleep seeped into my skin. “Not only did you snap your tibia completely in half, but your blood was filled with infection. You were severely dehydrated and suffering from alcohol poisoning.” A tangible pain entered his glossy stare and I had to look away. “What did my brother do to you?”
A flash of Horus with a thin blade to my throat bolted across my vision and my body raced with fresh fear. “I…I broke it when he dropped me from the sky.” The words came out in dry cracks. “My God. I-It…must have been thirty feet…”
Silas squeezed my hand and I let out a wince.
“Sorry!” He immediately loosened the hold and gently kissed my fingertips. “I’ll go get Eirik to put you under again.”
“No, please,” I begged. “It makes me feel funny. To come out of it, the darkness. I don’t want to go back, I want to stay here with you.”
Silas released my hands and settled back in his chair with a distant gaze that touched something beyond the space we occupied.
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Is everyone okay?”
He nodded solemnly, a weak attempt at a smile tugged at the sides of his mouth. “Everyone is just fine. Which is more than I can say for you.” He shifted and leaned forward on the bed. “Andie, I think–”
Footsteps echoed in the doorway and Eirik entered with a surprise. “You’re awake?” They glanced to Silas, but he just shrugged tiredly. My eyes followed them as they approached the other side of the bed and began examining the wounds. “I forgot how much of a tolerance you have for the sedation. You kept waking up before, too. When you first arrived.”
I guffawed. “No surprise there.”
I’d been heavily sedated for two years.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Silas asked me.
“Nothing,” I said, and tried to hide the panic in my tone.
Shadow stirred at my feet and perked his head up, blinking widely at me. He carefully stepped over my body and crawled up the side of the bed toward my face. A gentle stream of coos purred in his throat.
“I’m fine,” I assured him and scratched behind his ears. I flopped my head to the other side to find Eirik mixing things in a clay bowl with a pestle. “Come to use your magic healing powers on me?”
Eirik grinned as their slender white fingers worked the ingredients into a paste. “Hardly. Some would perceive it as a power, of sort, I suppose. But it’s simple what we do. Venuvians heal. But we only use your body’s natural ability to do so.” They leaned over me to check the bandage at my neck. “We just speed up the process. You’ll be good as new by morning.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
I tried to ignore the way Silas sat stiff and uncomfortably in the chair at my other side. I could see him in the corner of my eye, a hand over his mouth as he stared across the room, lost in thought. But I craned my neck to fully look at him.
“Speaking of superpowers.” His eyes met mine as if I’d just interrupted a conversation he was having. “What was with that flower? How did you…do that?”
He crossed one leg over the other and smoothed a hand through his bed hair. “Like most of my family, I do possess a certain power, yes.”
“Like Horus’ mind control ability?” I replied.
He only nodded.
“Can you…do that?” I asked. “Control minds? Have you…”
Silas stared at me unblinkingly. “If you’re asking whether I’ve ever controlled your mind, the answer is most certainly no.” I couldn’t ignore the hint of offense in his tone. “Not only is that a power I don’t possess, it’s also something I would never do to you.” He paused a beat and chewed at his lip. “Is that–did my brother find a way into your mind?”
I opened my mouth to answer but Eirik set the clay bowl down on the table with a loud clang. “Perhaps I’ll come back later and give you two some privacy.”
Silas pushed off from the chair and stretched his back. “No need. I have some things to tend to. Stay, treat Andie. I’ll come back later.”
“You’re leaving?” I asked with a little more desperation than I was comfortable with.
He smiled and leaned over my body to place a careful kiss on my forehead then hovered there, staring into my eyes. Searching. The golden flecks peppered in the mossy green reflected off the light in the room and flashed with…something. A sadness that touched my heart with a strange sense of familiarity.
“Just for a bit,” he promised. “I’ll be right back.”
He turned to leave as Shadow nudged at my hand for more head scratches and I waited until the sound of his retreating footsteps faded out before I turned to Eirik.
“Something’s wrong,” I said flatly. “I can feel it. But what are the chances he’ll actually tell me?”
Eirik began gingerly pulling at my neck bandages. “I’d wager the chances are as good as you telling him what truly happened during your time with his brother.”
I sighed and mindlessly scratched at Shadow’s ear. “So, slim, then.”
***
“Are you eating?” Dad asked me as he stirred a steaming cup of tea.
“Yes,” I assured him with a begruntled sigh akin to that of a narked teenager. “Eirik force fed me eggs this morning.”
I stood by the door to his room, eager to leave and get away from the prying questions. Was I eating? How did I feel? Was I tired? I’d had enough of that from both sides. And I knew they were only skirting around the real questions that they all itched to ask me.
About my time with Horus.
But I wasn’t ready to talk about that. And, honestly, I wasn’t sure if I ever would be. I woke up this morning good as new, just as Eirik had promised. But it still felt weird to be upright and walking on a leg that had been snapped in half just a day ago. Silas sat at the quaint table set with Anubis, waiting for me to be ready to leave. Aside from that first initial moment after I woke up in the infirmary, he hadn’t left my side since.
I motioned to the door with a cock of my head and he stood up, ready to go.
“Take it easy today, Peach,” Dad told me.
Anubis, in his jackal form, turned in his seat. “And, if you remember anything…from before. Any details that Horus may have about–”
“He knows nothing about the colony or the portal,” I said curtly and pursed my lips. “I swear.”
Anubis’ shoulders went slack with relief and he open
ed his mouth to pry further. But I spun around toward the door before he got the chance. “I’m heading back to my room.”
“Oh, yes, of course,” he replied, and I glanced over my shoulder to catch him exchange a look with my father before throwing me a toothy smile. “Feel better.”
I nodded and left Dad’s quarters with Silas in tow. Feel better. I laughed inside. Physically, I felt like I could run back to my room. The miracle work of the Venuvians was a wonder. As if my leg had never been broken to begin with. But mentally? Emotionally? I was beyond broken. My wounds may have healed overnight but the internal ones were still fresh and warm.
We turned a corner in silence and Silas tugged at my arm when the hallways divided into two paths.
“Shouldn’t we go the long way around?” he asked.
“Don’t be nervous about cutting through the Great Hall,” I told him. “Dad, Eirik, and Anubis all said they’d spread the word that you’re different now.” I took his hand in mine. “A new man.”
His returning smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Quite literally.”
I playfully pushed at his arm, but he yanked me close and I leaned against hist chest as he wrapped me in a tight embrace. I tipped my face up, taking a moment to admire his raw beauty before touching my lips to his.
“For the record,” I whispered against his mouth. “I’d take you in any form. Amun, Silas, whatever your name is.”
His hand cupped the back of my head and pulled me in for another kiss. This one slow and lingering, jogging my pulse.
“A name means nothing,” Silas replied quietly. “Just know that I am yours. That’s all that matters.”
I searched his troubled eyes and my stomach toiled with unease. “Forever?”
Silas pressed his forehead to mine. “Always.”
That burn of agitation never settled in my gut, but I ignored it as we strolled back to my room hand in hand. I was away from Horus. Safe and alive. I had my father and Silas back in my life and new friendships growing, which was a new experience for me. But I liked it.
So why couldn’t I shake this sense of something…looming?
We entered my room to find Shadow perched on my table with some dried meat held in his tiny, clawed hands. He growled at Silas’ outreached arm and chomped his teeth at the air between them.
I laughed. “He’ll learn to love you in time.”
Silas looked away and stood in the middle of the room, seemingly unsure what to do with himself. I opened the door again and pointed into the hall for Shadow. “Go see if there’s anything left from supper,” I told the creature. He hopped down to the floor and scampered out the door before I closed it.
In the silence of my room I could hear the heartbeat I felt thrumming rapidly in my chest with worry. But I closed my eyes as two arms slipped over my waist and wrapped around me from behind. He kissed my neck, dragging his lips over the exposed skin. The feel of his body against mine was enough to calm my rampant heart, but then the vague memory of a lucid dream seeped into my mind’s eye.
I turned in his arms and saw a sadness in his eyes. “Hey,” I said and cupped his cheek. Just like in my dream, he leaned into it. “Why the long face? I’m here, I’m fine. Alive. I’m not going anywhere.” His expression tightened. “Silas, what the hell is wrong? Tell me.”
“Nothing. I just–” His eyes flitted back and forth, as if searching mine for a safe place to let down his words. “I just can’t get the thought of my brother’s hands on you out of my head.”
That’s what was bothering him? Aside from torturous intent, Horus never laid a finger on me in that manner, the way Silas clearly worried about. But I got it, now that I could look at it from another angle. My physical wounds were evident, Silas could see that much. Anyone could. But the unknowing, the inability to see what truly transpired in that cell must have been killing him.
“He didn’t touch me,” I said. “Not like that. I swear.”
There was no relief in his stoic expression. “That doesn’t help.”
“Well,” I replied cheekily and lifted my arms to wrap around his neck, pulling his mouth closer to mine. “Let’s just replace it with a new image, then. How about my hands on your body?”
From his neck, I dragged my fingertips slowly down across his chest, to the hem of his linen tunic and lifted it over his head. Silas’ lean muscles gleamed in the heavy candlelight of my room and I wasted no time in smoothing my palms over the soft ridges of his body.
He seemed hesitant at first, but within seconds I felt him soften in my arms and he reached around to cup my bottom in his hands before giving it a squeeze. Crushing me against him. A low rumble in his chest vibrated through mine and a warmth spread out from my center. I loved the way his body always reacted to mine, matched by my own desire.
His face nuzzled my ear, his breath tickling the skin. “You’ll have to do better than that,” Silas whispered, and a hot shiver ran down my spine.
A devilish grin smeared across my face and I pushed him down on the bed where he settled with a bounce. He peered up at me from under a lowered brow, heavy with want. He watched me peel the clothing from my body, slow and seductive, revealing my naked shape. I delighted in the sight of his manhood growing, his mouth gaping as wanting breaths spilled over his lips.
My bare legs touched his which dangled over the edge of the bed and I slowly crawled over him and rolled my hips forward. It drove a deep moan from Silas’ chest, and I leaned down to whisper in his ear, “Challenge accepted.”
Chapter Five
I rolled over onto my back and stretched my achy limbs; stiff from the deep, comfortable sleep I’d fallen into the night before. It was the most pleasant sleep I’d had since my arrival to this place. Free of worry. Free of pain or the sickening withdrawals of alcohol. I fell off my tiny wagon during my time with Horus, but the heavy dose of wine I’d had just days ago had no presence in my blood for some reason. The fact that I didn’t lie in a puddle of sweat told me as much. But also, the new ability to take a deep breath, fill my lungs without protest. Or the fact that my hands no longer trembled. I still wanted a drink. Mentally. But physically…I felt renewed.
Perhaps Eirik added something to my treatment. I’d have to ask them when I got the chance.
I smiled up at the ceiling, drenched in this new sensation. Happiness. It had been too long since I genuinely felt it. I rolled over to wrap my arm around Silas but only the chill of empty bedding met my embrace, and I swatted the sudden rush of panic that entered my chest. He was probably just getting food.
I inched toward the foot of the bed and slipped out, suddenly hyper aware that I was stark naked and definitely grateful for the gift of a door. I hauled on my newly mended pants and rifled through my bag for the tank top I knew was in there. I was thankful I’d stuffed a couple in my bag before catching my flight, but if I were staying here, I’d need new clothes soon. I’d also been meaning to restock my supplies with rations for a while now, so I threw on my backpack before heading out through the colony in search of Silas.
I followed the scent of breakfast until the sounds of early risers echoed through the halls. I emerged in the Great Hall to find it bustling with the morning crowd. The feline Mau people gathered around a group of tables while a few Nuvi worked behind the long counter near the front of the massive space. God, their dark skin and gilded veins were simply stunning. Like works of art.
I stood near the mouth of the opening and admired the way the gold caught the natural light that filtered down from the ceiling. I crossed my arms as I scanned the room, noting other beings other than the Mau and the tall, pale Venuvians. Creatures that took on human-like qualities but were clearly not of this planet. Skin of various shades of green, blue, even red. Some with hair that looked like copper wires while others had no hair at all. Pointed ears and toothy grins. This was a colony, a safe haven, but also a home. A hub for beings of every walk of life, living in harmony. But they shouldn’t be forced to stay down here. They all had a
right to the world above, just as much as the people of Earth.
Horus had to be stopped.
I let out a sigh, still tired and yearning for the comforts of my warm bed, curious as to where Silas had run off to. But I approached the stone counter that divided the Nuvi cooks from the rest of the Great Hall and smiled when one of them turned to look at me.
“Good morning,” they said. A tall man with wide set eyes. “Hungry?”
“I think I’ll just get a tea for now,” I replied. He nodded and spun around to fetch a clean mug for me. “You guys are wonderful cooks,” I added, surprised at myself for the sudden desire to strike up a conversation. “To prepare food for all the different people down here, food they all like.”
He set the clay mug down in front of me and smiled. “You should see the farm. One of our goats just had a calf and fifty new chicks hatched yesterday morning. Our corn harvest is going to be great this year, too.”
He grabbed a large metal tea pot and began to fill my mug.
“How do you grow crops down here?” I asked him. “Without the sun.”
He pointed up at the ceiling where the sunlight mirrored through periscopes shone down and lit up the room. “Just like that. Only bigger.”
I took my steaming mug. “I’ll have to come see it sometime,” I said.
He brightened. “Yes, please do.”
I held out a hand. “I’m Andie, by the way.”
The man shook it firmly. “Darius. And I know who you are.” He grinned. “Everyone down here in the colony knows who you are.”
My cheeks filled with heat and I stepped back. “Oh, really? Is that…good or bad?”
Darius chuckled and tossed a small towel onto his shoulder. “It’s good. Don’t worry.”
Tempest Minds: A Time Travel Fantasy Romance (Kingdom of Sand & Stars Book 2) Page 3
