Goddess, Spellbound

by Masters, Cate

  She inhaled sharply. “Yes, you’re right. A small opening, but I can see a few stars too.”

  He searched their surrounding but only saw blackness. “Where?”

  Her hands against his cheeks tilted his head to the left. “Do you see it now?”

  A tiny glimmer caught his eye. He leaned forward. “All praise to Ra. Yes, bring me closer.” Only a true descendant of Bastet, The Sacred and All-Seeing Eye, could have located the portal, though he wished she hadn’t viewed his embarrassing stumble. Not at all warrior-like, and Iker wanted her to regard him as fearless, strong, manly. The last, he had no trouble reminding himself when he was with her. So much so, he had to remind himself instead that he acted as her guardian, nothing more.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sanura drew Iker nearer. “Watch the rock.”

  When she spoke, he turned stone-like too. What was up with that? Until a second earlier, he’d been surprisingly loose for a guy who had to trust someone to guide him in the dark. She tried to pass off his switched-on cool as nothing, but her heart welled up anyway. They might have been a couple taking a romantic stroll on a moonless night. His hand warm in hers, just the right amount of tightness in his grip.

  His boot jammed against the large stone she’d pointed out—or tried to—and he stumbled forward. “Thank you for the warning.”

  “Sorry. Guess I should have told you sooner.”

  Pausing, he kicked the stone again and moved his boot higher, then across.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Help me move this beneath the opening.”

  “Good idea. We can stand on it.” Should’ve thought of that. She might have, if she hadn’t been daydreaming. Note to self: Pay no attention to the man’s moods. Or his off-the-charts sexiness. It could pose a hazard to them both, and in more ways than one.

  She bent beside him to help him roll the miniature boulder against the wall. He stamped the top to balance its weight, and stepped up. When he stood on tiptoe, he could reach the hole. He began to dig.

  “Here, let me help.” She clawed at the rock. “Ow. I wish we had helpers on the outside.” Where were all the cats when she needed them?

  “Allow me.” He unfastened the dagger from his belt and jabbed around the bottom of the jagged circle, not yet large enough to accommodate an arm.

  Blessed, sweet air drifted through, and he hurried. Freedom awaited them, less than a foot away. Only a stone barrier held them back, crumbling away after centuries of decay.

  At the appearance of two small, bright eyes, she went still.

  “A spy,” he whispered, and jerked back the dagger to strike.

  She gripped his arm. “No.” Her desperate tone likewise halted him.

  Only if Egypt had four-legged spies. She reached out. “Hello baby.”

  Eyes closing as she scratched the head, the intruder purred.

  “A cat.” Iker expelled a hard breath. “We don’t have time to waste on such nonsense.”

  “You’re a sweetie. Are you lost?” She coo’d and pet it. “Oh, another one. You’re beautiful too.”

  “Goddess…”

  She laughed. “And two more. How many of you are out there?” She stood on tiptoe to peer out. “Oh!” A sea of furry bodies converged around the wall outside.

  He looked over her shoulder. “Perhaps your friends could move back. Unless they’ve come to help.”

  At his deep voice beside her ear, she closed her eyes and wanted to purr too. She turned, her face inches from his. “Yes, great idea.”

  He arched a dark brow, but his crystal eyes sparkled. She grew all too aware of his arms caging her body as he leaned his hands against the wall, his warmth like an electric vibe along her skin.

  Summoning her wits, she turned to the felines. “Dig.” She mimed the action with her hands.

  The cats swarmed up, covering the outside wall like a fur blanket.

  “Now I can’t use the dagger without risking harm to one.” He glanced over his shoulder. “The guards may search this tunnel soon.”

  The hurried scritch, scritch of hundreds of paws mingled with the sound of falling pebbles.

  She murmured encouragements. “Wonderful. Good kitties. Yes, keep going.”

  He strained to see past her. “What? I wouldn’t have believed.”

  Her smile turned sly. “Good thing you were here to see for yourself then.”

  His mouth pulled to one side in a brief frown. “We should keep digging from inside.”

  “You’re right. We can’t let them do all the work.” She clawed at the opening. This will take hours. Someone, either outside or within, was bound to notice the unusual animal phenomenon. Even if they’d escaped to Baubastis, where worshippers of the goddess Bastet lived, villagers might think the large congregation of cats strange enough to warrant investigation. Then she and Iker would be discovered, and she preferred to avoid that scenario. The thought of User’s men storming in and seizing them urged her to work faster.

  The cats scratched away at the portal relentlessly. When the opening had widened enough that Sanura might squeeze through, he dug harder.

  Distant shouting echoed and he paused. “Listen.”

  “Are they outside?” The dread creeping over her served as instinct. A gut warning that men with weapons approached. Fast. A flicker of shadows meant they also carried fiery torches.

  Her breath left her as he pulled her against his hard chest. The electric vibe rippled through her in a thrill.

  “You must go.” His deep voice rumbled.

  Fear cleared the haze in her head. “Not yet. It’s still too small for you to fit through.”

  He bent to lock his arms around her thighs and lifted. “Go. Now.”

  To steady herself, she gripped his head. “I’m not leaving you behind.” Surprisingly, balance came easily. She took hold of the rim of the portal and positioned herself beneath its center.

  “I have no intention of staying behind.” With a grunt, he pushed her upward. “Once you’re out, you can pull me through.”

  She lurched through the opening, and clung over its top. A section gave way and she fell backward. The noise would surely draw the guards there more quickly.

  “Hurry, Sanura.”

  “I’m trying.” One more boost from him sent her up and over. Mostly. She kicked, scrambling for leverage. He grabbed both feet and pushed.

  A yelp escaped as she landed on the hillside atop the clattering stones. And a few wiggling small bodies. “Ow. Oh sorry, kitties.” She scrambled upward.

  The sight of the city immobilized her for an instant. Though mostly dark, steady glimmers of light marked certain points. Electric light. Underground, with the Anubis guards and User in ancient dress, time had grown distorted. Disoriented, she’d half believed they’d traveled back in time. Learning they’d stayed in her own time came as both a relief and a disappointment.

  “Sanura?” Iker called from within.

  Oops, better hurry. “Sorry, I need to practice that landing-on-your-feet thing. Stand back, cats.” They scattered as she reached into the opening for him.

  Trudging steps halted below. “There!”

  The vizier’s men had spotted him. Iker popped through the opening. She wished she could kiss him. Not great timing, the way he grappled for purchase. Taking a firm grasp beneath Iker’s arms, she threw her weight backward. Enough of a boost to get his torso out, and he dragged one knee over. He’d cleared the portal just as the guards swarmed beneath, swords clanging. Iker scrambled away, but one guard slashed his blade across Iker’s calf before he could escape. A cry, and he hobbled faster.

  “No.” Sanura looped his arm over her shoulder and dragged him clear of their reach.

  “Wait, let me draw my blade to keep them at bay.”

  “You’re not fighting. You already have one wound.” A nasty one, from the looks of the dark wetness flowing to his ankle.

  He winced. “Help me get my shirt off.”

 
Had he read her mind? “What? Now?” Again, not the greatest timing.

  “I’ll use it as a tourniquet to staunch the bleeding. Then I can fight long enough so you can escape.”

  “No, you won’t. Cats,” she called and pointed to the wall, where one man’s helmet shone. “Stop them. Attack.”

  Yowling, the feline swarm concentrated around the portal, then flowed inside. Men yelled in surprise. The dull clangs brought to mind guards butting helmeted heads in the confusion.

  Her fingers flew down his buttons and she snatched his shirt off. “That should hold them awhile.” With an efficient twist, she wrapped the shirt around his leg, pulled tight and tied the ends together. “We need to find a doctor.” She extended a hand.

  He grasped hard, and his eyes flew wide as she pulled him up. “First, a hiding place.”

  So stubborn! He had to be in pain. Too proud to admit it? “Your wound needs stitches.” She supported his weight as they walked.

  “So shall it have them. After we’re secured in a hidden location.” He clenched his jaw and leaned less of his weight on her.

  Some act, but he didn’t fool her. “Are you always argumentative and stubborn?”

  “I am dedicated to my purpose, goddess.”

  “Of being argumentative and stubborn?” She’d have laughed, but didn’t want to add insult to injury.

  “Of protecting you.”

  “No you don’t. You’re not using me as an excuse not to take care of yourself.” She wanted no pain of a martyr on her conscience.

  “Sanura—”

  “I’m not listening anymore. You’re going to let me find a doctor or nurse or a midwife if no one else is available.” If necessary, she’d request extra painkillers to mellow him out.

  He grimaced. “And you accuse me of stubbornness? I’ve ridden camels more willing to listen than you.”

  “Because even camels understand it’s useless to bother arguing with you.” Her cheeks flamed hot. So why couldn’t she stop? If his wound became infected and festered in this heat, he could fall seriously ill. “I wonder what time the market opens.”

  “Soon after daybreak, most likely. Why?”

  “One of the vendors is sure to have some healing herbs or ointments.” She might be able to mix a little something herself.

  “We cannot risk showing ourselves.”

  “You can’t. That hobble would be a dead giveaway.” Wrong word choice. She shuddered.

  “They will search every street. Watch every home. Besides, they would recognize you by the way cats follow you everywhere.”

  True, dammit. “Then let’s find a cave.” She scanned the rocky hillside.

  “Trackers would find us as soon as we entered.”

  At a flap of fabric and footfalls light as a cat’s, she stilled. Apparently, someone had already found them.

  Under the pretense of shifting herself under Iker’s weight, she patted his hip. The hilt of a dagger pressed against her arm. She unsnapped its fastener. “You’re right.”

  “What?” He turned in surprise.

  “Back up.” She drew the blade and whipped around, ready to lunge at the stalker.

  Shielded by black hooded capes over black shirts, pants and boots, a half dozen men crouched like tigers before pouncing on prey.

  “Who are you?” she demanded in her fiercest voice. Wayward ninjas?

  “Sanura, no.” Iker spoke in a hushed tone.

  “Kitten?” The man closest leered with a smile.

  Way to confirm her identity to the strangers. “One with the nastiest scratch you’ll ever know.” With the knife between both hands, she sliced the blade slowly through the air like a snake dance.

  Iker touched her arm. “Sanura, wait.”

  “Stay back. I’ll protect you.” With a catlike screech, she lunged.

  Silent as a shadow, the man slipped to the side. The move threw off her balance and she fell forward. Right into his arms.

  The hilt of her blade already in his hand, he twisted her in front of him. “Kitten needs to learn how to land on her feet.”

  She jerked and hissed but couldn’t break free. “Next time. I promise.”

  His chuckle had a strange sincerity to it. “A feisty one, eh? Perhaps more lioness than cat.” He released his hold.

  She twirled and crouched, ready to defend Iker to the last. Some sort of weapon would help. “Iker. Toss me your scabbard.” She wiggled her fingers behind her.

  A sigh was all Iker gave her. “Will you not listen?”

  Her captor smiled, held out the knife in both palms, and bowed low. “Forgive me, Sanura.”

  “What?” She couldn’t wait for answers. She snatched the weapon from him, sure he was only toying with her before he leapt into some ninja flip and split her skull.

  Iker limped to her side. “These men are friends to our cause.”

  She waved the blade. “Friends don’t sneak up and attack one another. Who are you?”

  The man’s ingratiating smile irked her. “We are descendants of the Medjai, and our purpose remains the same as ever.”

  “Which is?” She kept the blade aimed at him.

  “To protect the tombs of the great kings.”

  Sanura didn’t quite buy his story, and any friendship with her had to be earned. So far, these guys hadn’t racked up brownie points in their favor. “Maybe you could prove it by helping us out instead of attacking us?” Only then did she lower the weapon.

  The leader ducked his head. “Our apologies. We weren’t certain of your identity until I heard your name.”

  Not funny. “Enough with the feline jokes. Unless you want to hear a kitten roar.”

  Another nod, this time toward the broken wall. “Not unlike the sound of cats in battle, I imagine.”

  Oh those poor kitties. “Can you help them? And Iker needs medical attention.”

  The man turned to his team and spoke three short commands. They surged toward the wall like black clouds in a roiling storm, silent and deadly.

  He scowled at Iker’s leg. “Are you able to walk?”

  “Yes.” Iker pulled himself taller, and grimaced against even that small effort.

  Not hardly, and brave faces led to worse leg wounds, not to mention infections and blood loss. She pursed her lips, but protesting would result in more time lost. “How far do we need to travel?”

  “To the home of a friend several streets away. We should hurry, before day fully breaks.”

  He had a valid point. Light already edged the horizon, stars dimming overhead. She ducked under Iker’s arm. “Let’s go.” Surprisingly, her strength hadn’t faded. She was ready to drag him there on a litter if needed.

  Binding him to it might be the best part.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dawn brought Iker a clearer glimpse of his beloved city. Before daybreak, the modern structures resembled those of his own time. As he hobbled beside Sanura, more daylight revealed many more buildings, crowded as a marketplace, what little grandeur they had obscured by the sheer number of them. Not drab brown like those in Philadelphia, at least. Here, the creams and faded yellows reflected the sun to shower light upon the streets.

  His heart yearned to visit his mansion. No, former mansion. If it still existed, surely others lived there now, and must have since his final act of devotion to Hapshetsut—the ultimate gift of his life to guard her soul. For that, he’d been rewarded with a return to life in this new time, one with strange and unforeseen ways. Like any good warrior, he’d soldier through and assume command of these new ways. How else could he complete his mission?

  His arm slung around her shoulder, Sanura looked up at him. “How are you holding up?”

  “I thought you were holding me up.” Why did she always speak in riddles?

  Her smile was strained. “You’re a real comedian.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “A joker. Someone who lives for puns and laughs.”

  “Then you’re mistaken. I am not a
comedian.” At one time, he’d wished for more laughter in his life. Since meeting Sanura, he had at least smiled more often.

  In releasing a breath, she seemed to release all good humor, her mouth set in the grim line of a hieroglyphic character carved in stone. “Yes, so I gathered.” To the man striding just ahead of them, she asked, “How much farther?”

  How had he upset her? Because he was not a joker? Navigating the female mind would prove another challenge, even more so now during his former lifetime.

  The black-hooded man barely turned. “The next block. We should hurry before we’re seen. Keep to the walls, heads down but remain watchful.”

  Calf numbing against the tourniquet, Iker did his best to walk without a limp. By the time they neared a sand-colored building twelve storeys high, he longed to rest, foot propped, cool drink in hand.

  The man held open the door. “To the fifth floor.”

  Five? Iker doubted he could climb so many steps. A groan escaped.

  Sanura guided him to smooth brass doors displaying no handles, and pushed a button. The glowing arrow pointed up. “Don’t worry, we’re taking the elevator.”

  A ding, and the doors slowly parted. He’d seen these same small rooms at the hospital during Sanura’s stay. People entered and never returned. When she tugged at him, he balked. “Is it safe?”

  “Safer in there than out here.” The man stepped past them and turned. “Get on.”

  “I’m sure it’s up to code.” Sanura dragged him in.

  His internal alert on high, he stopped resisting to appease her. The doors slid together. His heart leapt when the box jerked upward. Knees locked, he braced against the wall. Sanura and their guide complacently stared at the glowing numbers as they climbed, so he understood by their lack of panic that nothing was wrong. Good. Iker had no idea how to protect the goddess from these unknown threats, or even what constituted a threat in this new world until it fell upon them.

  At five, the box glided to a stop and the doors parted again.

  The man slipped out. “This way.” Halfway down the hall, he paused to rap. Softly, he called a name.