by Clay, Verna
"The boy was useful," said Stella.
"Do you intend to explain what's going on?"
"And miss watching your efforts to protect my daughter and solve the mystery of Rainey?"
"Do you think I can solve it?"
"It's going to be interesting watching you try."
Roth was tired of playing word games. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm simply following orders."
"Orders from whom? How did you find me in Luxor?"
"You don't think I'd make it that easy for you, do you?"
"I was hoping."
"May I ask you something, Roth?"
He inclined his head.
"Would you protect my daughter to your own death?"
"Yes."
"Why? The co-Princes never require us to give our lives for humans. So—why? What is it about Rainey that would cause you to die for her? She's spoiled, obnoxious at times, and, according to my husband, despises you. I don't get it."
Roth remained silent.
"Well, it looks like we've reached an impasse. Just to let you know, it's okay to take Rainey back to the States. If we'd wanted to harm her, it could have been done long before your arrival. No, my daughter has another use. Maybe you'll figure it out someday. Ta ta, Roth."
Stella bowed her head and shifted. He watched her ascent as a vulture.
Chapter 17: Comfort
Roth returned to his hotel room and started to slip his keycard into the slot, then noticed a slight crack between the door and the frame. He pushed the door and it opened. His heart hammered as he stepped inside the room. "Rainey!" She didn't answer. He looked down and saw papers scattered on the floor. Bending to retrieve one, he stood and cursed profusely in his native tongue. Rainey had disobeyed his orders and sneaked out of the room.
Slamming the door, he stalked to the stairs and hastened to the lobby. After scanning the room, he approached the desk clerk and made a casual inquiry. The clerk explained he'd just come on duty.
Feeling frustrated and angrier by the second, he left the hotel and entered the hustle and bustle outside. After walking a few blocks, he ducked into an alley. Soaring above the buildings as Rainey's eagle, his keen eyesight searched the city. After an hour of canvassing he still hadn't located her. The thought that she'd been kidnapped lodged uncomfortably in his mind.
A bright color below captured his attention—a street vendor waving a royal blue cloth for a customer. Roth zoomed in on the customer—Rainey. Relief and anger vied for control of his emotions. Circling, he watched her haggle with the vendor. After much debate, she finally handed over a bill. From the smug expression on her face, she'd knocked a home run on the price of the scarf. Roth watched her drape it over her head and shoulders, tying it into a knot at the base of her neck. She looked upward and her mouth fell open. He continued circling and her gaze never strayed from him. He dove low so she could see him better and then streaked skyward, out of her sight. Banking and returning to the earth he landed behind a dumpster and shifted.
Running toward the bazaar, he reached it within minutes and brushed past vendors hawking their wares and customers looking for deals. He found the place he'd seen Rainey. Turning in a circle, he searched for a blue scarf. The second time he circled, he glimpsed a spot of blue disappearing into the crowd. He followed the color. When he came within twenty feet of the scarf, he saw Rainey still looking skyward and bumping into people.
He heard her repeat, "Excuse me. Excuse me."
Moving in an arc around the crowd he walked a few feet in front of her and then turned around. She bumped into his chest.
"Excuse m… Uh oh. Hi, Roth."
"Jeez, Rainey, imagine finding you shopping when you were given explicit instructions not to leave the hotel room!"
Rainey looked upward. "Roth, I don't have time to argue with you."
"Why do you keep looking at the sky?"
"I saw an eagle."
"Rainey, eagles do not fly in the city."
"I know, that's why it's so weird. I think it's my…"
"Your what?"
"Forget it. You wouldn't believe me."
Roth placed an arm around her shoulders and guided her through the throng. "We're going back to the hotel, now."
Back in their room, she walked to the window and drew open the drapes, gazing skyward.
"Will you please stop searching the sky!"
She closed the drapes. Turning around she said, "I wish you could understand…"
"What?" he prompted.
"Forget it."
* * *
Roth stared into the darkness above his head. His mission to protect Rainey had taken a shocking twist. Since Rainey's mother was a shapeling, it meant Rainey was half-shapeling. Roth had never experienced the "knowing" around Rainey or her father that alerted him to the presence of another of his kind. Perhaps her father had once been a shapeling and chosen to change his genetics, like Endesha. Whether natural human or changed, why would Stella marry him? Was it for love or something more? Did Rainey have latent shapeling abilities?
He heard Rainey's bed squeak and watched her dark figure move toward the window. She cracked the drapes and stood gazing upward. He listened to her soft breathing. He heard a sniff and then a strangled cry.
"Rainey?" he said softly.
She didn't answer.
He rose from his bed and walked to stand beside her. He whispered her name again, "Rainey?"
She sniffed again.
Gently palming her chin, he turned her to face him. Tears glistened on her cheeks and fell in a steady stream. The loneliness in her eyes touched his heart in ways he'd never felt. Unable to stop himself, he said, "Soiuer," and gently lowered his mouth to hers. She didn't pull away. He moved his hand to cup the back of her head and she moved closer to him. Feathering his lips over hers, he offered comfort. Little by little she accepted his comfort and allowed him more access to her mouth.
She lifted her hands to his bare chest, stroking him. Moving her hands outward, she grasped his shoulders. His hands strayed to her sides, her back. Pulling her tightly against his body, he captured her mouth and invaded it. She reached to cup his face and then the back of his head, pulling him closer. Her moan sent his blood to boiling. Passion took hold of him: body, soul, and spirit; leaving nothing of his existence untouched. He whispered the same word over and over in her ear. "Soiuer…Soiuer…Soiuer"
Walking her backward, he gently lowered her to the bed.
* * *
Rainey felt wonderful. Not yet fully awake, she stretched and allowed visions of her dream to replay itself like a movie: Roth standing beside her at the window, Roth touching his lips to hers, Roth holding her, Roth doing delicious things to her body.
Her eyes shot open! Roth sat bare-chested across the room watching her. She turned scarlet. It wasn't a dream. Oh. My. God..
He continued staring at her. Finally, he said, "I'm taking you back to the U.S. for reasons I can't explain. I think it's for the best."
Rainey's mind couldn't grasp his words because the visions in her mind wouldn't stop.
"Rainey, did you hear me? I'm taking you home."
She nodded like an automaton; her voice wouldn't work. Just when she got the silent "X-rated" movie in her mind under control, the audio kicked in. What she heard made the color of her skin change from scarlet to fuchsia.
Roth stood wearing only low riding Levis. Rainey couldn't remove her eyes from his body. She wanted a repeat of the night before.
When he walked to the foot of her bed and sat on it, she had a sudden inclination to thank God for making wishes come true.
Far from granting her wish, however, he took a deep breath and broke her heart. "Rainey, last night was a mistake. When I heard you crying, I just wanted to offer comfort. I didn't mean for things to get out of control. There can never be anything between us, so I don't want you to think there's a possibility. I'm sorry about last night."
Rainey blinked quickly to keep tea
rs from falling. She would not become a victim of her own heart.
Roth stood and walked to retrieve his shirt. She held the bed sheet around her naked body and slipped out of bed. Quickly grabbing clothing from her bureau drawer, she entered the bathroom and allowed her tears to stream along with the water from the shower. She would permit herself one good cry for what might have been, and then harden her heart against her bodyguard. Turning off the shower, she stepped out, ready to return to the United States and continue her work.
* * *
The Lear flew high above dark clouds while a storm raged below. A storm also raged in Roth's heart. Hank had sounded thrilled to have his daughter returning home and immediately chartered a private jet from one of his companies based in France. From Cairo they'd flown to London to refuel and begin the long flight back to the States. He glanced down the aisle at the back of Rainey's seat. She'd only spoken to him in monosyllables since his apology, and she rarely looked directly at him.
Again, Roth wondered for the thousandth time if he had made the right decision in bringing her home. However, if a rogue shapeling had wanted to harm or kidnap her, it could have been accomplished long ago. Also, Rainey's escape from the hotel had solidified the fact that she would do it again. Cairo was not the place for her to test her freedom, and staying with her 24/7 was not an option for him. He might not be able to keep his hands off her, even though he'd promised. Back in the States, he could return to shift work with the other bodyguards.
Chapter 18: Welcome Home
Rainey removed the meager items from her backpack. She gently unwrapped the crystal shard she'd taken from Crystal Mountain. Its beauty mocked her misery, forever a reminder of her adventure. Next, she picked up the trashy novel the clerk had shoved in her face in Bawiti and smoothed her fingers over the title, TAMING THE BEAST. She chucked the book at her nightstand. It missed and fell on the floor. A paper slipped from between the pages. She reached to retrieve it. It was the fishing trip email from Endesha. Roth had shown her how to decode it. She lay back on the bed and pieced the words together again.
Amun, Lord of silence, without mother, without father, being everything, creates nothing. Mut, Lady of Heaven, without mother, without father, balances everything with a feather. Khonsu, great snake, son of Amun and Mut, fertilizes the cosmic egg with disharmony to create.
Frustrated with the nonsensical words, she stuffed the paper back in the cheap novel. Exhaustion soon claimed her body and she dreamed.
Surrounded by a void, she heard only silence; deafening and penetrating. She longed for movement, sound, anything but the lightless void. Who was she? What was she? Where was she? Unanswered questions trickled at first and then gained speed. Did she exist? Did anything exist? How could she exist? The questions accelerated inside her mind but never touched the void. Her mind wanted to explode!
Panting, she opened her eyes and bolted upright, every impression and feeling in the dream shrouding her in a garment of expectation.
Slowly, her mind and emotions reeled in. What a strange dream!
She glanced at the clock; almost six. Her father had welcomed her with a hug and kiss and then insisted she and Roth rest after their long flight. He'd said they would meet for dinner. Rainey groaned and entered the bathroom to freshen up. She hoped Roth would oversleep. She despised him for taking advantage of her at a low point, but hated him for apologizing for what had happened between them. His apology had lodged like a spear in her heart she couldn't pull out.
She brushed her hair to the nape of her neck and secured it with a clip. To think she'd even considered going to a spa and getting a makeover made her cringe. She would not change herself for Roth.
Pulling on a fresh pair of slacks that now hung on her because of the weight she'd lost during her forced adventure, she looked in the mirror and shrugged. So I'm thinner, so what; doesn't change who I am. She buttoned the last button on her plain grey blouse and left her bedroom.
In the dining room, her father stood at the fireplace mantle. Roth leaned against it, his legs crossed and his lean body the image of perfection. His blue gaze traveled from her head to her feet. Her heart whacked her chest. She quickly glanced away.
"Rainey, did you rest well?" asked her father.
"Yes, thanks Dad."
"Come on, let's dine. I want to hear what happened in Egypt. You're not still angry with me, are you? I only sent you away because I wanted to protect you."
Roth drew her chair out. She sat to the right of her father. Roth sat across from her.
Before she could answer her father's question, he lifted a bell and rang it once. Immediately, two servants brought dinner out on carts.
Laughing, Hank said, "I asked Beth to prepare your favorite meal." He looked at Roth. "Of all the exotic dishes in the world, Rainey's favorite is the unoriginal macaroni and cheese with breadcrumb topping. Did you know that Roth?"
Unoriginal like me, thought Rainey.
Roth replied, "No, sir, I didn't"
"What's your favorite food, Roth?" asked Hank.
"I like the Egyptian dish kurshari." He looked at Rainey.
She remembered the restaurant near Luxor.
Roth continued, "It sounds exotic, but it's actually quite common in Egypt."
"So, you're both simple, down-to-earth folks." Her father laughed and winked. He kept the dinner lighthearted. Moving to the drawing room for dessert, Beth served coffee and cheesecake. She gave Rainey a pat on the head. "We've missed you. Your father moped around until he had me worried about his health."
Hank cleared his throat. "Thanks for that tidbit of information, Beth."
The cook looked at him and shrugged, "Well, it's true."
When Beth left the room, Hank said, "She's incorrigible. Always says whatever she wants. I'd have fired her years ago if she wasn't such a damn good cook." He laughed. "Seriously, she took Rainey under her wing from a young age. Do you remember how old you were when she started working for us, Rainey?"
"I think I was about three."
Roth smiled at Rainey. "So, she helped your mom keep you out of trouble. With your inquisitive mind, I imagine they both had their hands full."
She was saved from having to respond when her father answered for her. "Rainey's mother is not what you would call the typical soccer mom."
Roth looked at Hank with an expression encouraging him to continue.
"I've always called Stella my butterfly. She flits from place to place. We've been married a long time because I knew the only way to stay married was not to net that butterfly. I've never wanted any woman but Stella, and she's made me very happy and blessed me with Rainey." He paused and studied his daughter. "I've tried to explain Stella to Rainey, but she harbors resentment for her mother's absence."
"Father, I don't think Roth needs to know all this."
"I disagree. He's your bodyguard and needs to know everything in order to do his job well."
Although Rainey did not counter her father's assessment, she stood to leave. "I'm still recovering from jet lag. I'll see you in the morning, Father." She walked to his chair and kissed his forehead. Moving past Roth, she ignored his presence.
* * *
Back in the kitchen, Beth dried a plate and put it in the cupboard. As fine a specimen as Roth was as a human, she could only imagine him as a shapeling. He would be—she searched for words—resplendent, imposing, magnificent, glorious. Would Stella's revelation—confided to Beth in a moment of weakness years ago—come to pass? The thought sent shivers down her spine.
* * *
Rainey dreamed again. She was back in the void, only this time her arms were stretched out from her body, palms upward. In each palm rested a feather. Again, thoughts raced through her mind, slowly at first, and then speeding up until they blurred together. The void allowed no release of the thoughts trapped within her.
She snapped her eyes open. The soft glow of the nightlight brought her back to reality. What is this crazy dream? The translation of
the hieroglyphs has planted something in my mind.
Rising from bed, she opened the door to her balcony and stepped into deep night. Cricket sounds greeted her and a warm breeze blew her gown against her body, caressing it. Not wanting to, but unable to prevent it, she remembered Roth's caresses.
Looking skyward, she searched for her eagle. Muted illumination from a half moon played lover to the tops of trees while a gentle wind bent leaves and branches to its will.
She did not see her eagle. Disappointed, she returned to bed and dreamed again. Only this time, Roth haunted her night visions. Roth above her, Roth trailing kisses from her temple to her neck, and lower. Rainey moaned and tears leaked from her eyes, following the same path as Roth's dream kisses.
Chapter 19: Polite Conversation
Rainey sat in the Hummer with Roth beside her, and Johnson driving. She'd relegated her time in Egypt to a corner of her mind and rarely accessed it. Determined to lock the memories behind a barrier of resentment towards Roth, she'd mentally tossed the key.
"How does it feel to be returning to your lab?" asked Roth.
The resentment she harbored bubbled to the surface. She bit her tongue to stop a scathing reply and turned her head to look out the passenger window.
"Rainey, I'm trying to make the best of our situation. A little help on your part would be appreciated."
"You'll receive no help from me."
"Have it your way."
"Oh, I intend to."
She glanced toward Johnson to see him watching her in the rearview mirror, a puzzled expression on his face. She gave him the evil eye and turned back to her window, trying unsuccessfully to focus on the countryside whizzing past.
They passed through the guard station at Childress Enterprises and Johnson pulled to the curb in front of the laboratories' building. Rainey opened her door and hastened toward the check-in counter. Ignoring the welcome back greetings from the guards, she scanned her card and walked toward the bank of elevators. Hastily entering one, she pushed the UP button. Just before the door slid shut, a hand shot through the opening. The elevator door automatically retreated, allowing Roth to enter. The door closed. Alone, he suddenly turned and pinned her against the back wall placing his arms on either side of her, and his body between hers and the camera. Bending in front of her face, his sizzling gaze fell to her lips and then back to her eyes. He whispered, "I'm sick and tired of your attitude. I've done my best to make up for what happened. What you need is an attitude adjustment."
