by Imogene Nix
Javed ran unsteady hands down her sides, his gentle caress leaving her arching beneath his ministrations. Down to her hips he slid, carefully skimming inward and back up to her ribs. Her skin was silky and smooth. He knew it tasted divine, and a flare of desire flashed within him again.
He slid his lips to hers, gentle and soft, while she parted to allow him access to the moist cavern of her mouth. He told her wordlessly of his passion before pulling away.
“Javed!” Her needy cry sounded breathless.
Once more he caressed her breasts.
Her exquisite nipples were tight buds that he needed to taste. Javed didn’t stint as he suckled, working them to tight beads.
Celina’s breath came in gasps as she writhed beneath his caress. “I need to feel you, Javed.”
He lifted his head and with a wordless movement shucked the shirt he wore and let it drop away.
She ran her fingers over the muscles of his chest, sliding over his sensitized flesh. For a moment or two he allowed it, before stopping her.
“Come with me.” In the silence, he held out his hand, and she glanced from it to his face.
With a silent nod, she accepted the touch and followed him to the bedroom.
They entered the room and Javed started to strip off his pants and underwear, his gaze on her.
Her heart thudded madly as she fumbled with the snap and zipper before she slipped her jeans over her hips.
The scene felt surreal as they shed their remaining clothing in silence. She sat on the side of the bed removing her boots and sockettes quickly, while she avoided glancing at his engorged cock.
His smoldering focus burned her as it roamed over her naked body. For an instant she wanted to cover her well-endowed flesh. He moved forward and her muscles weakened, loosening in readiness for his sensual assault. Deep within, she burned and melted. The need to touch and kiss him overwhelmed her.
“I want you, Javed. I have since the first moment I saw you.”
He smiled and she had to lick her now dry lips. The emotion in his eyes was pure hunger. Her senses were working overtime.
“As I have wanted you.”
She made to stand, but he shook his head, instead taking one foot in his hand and raising it to the bed with slow measured actions. Then he did the same with the other. But this time, instead of letting her go, he kneaded the flesh then kissed along the bared inches of skin, hot carnal kisses that scorched her.
Her breath fled. “What are you doing to me?”
Javed didn’t answer. He continued kneading and kissing, before moving onto her ankles. She discovered there were pleasure points she’d never before been aware of. Celina slumped back letting him explore while she twined her fingers in the sheets.
With great care and attention he found the backs of her legs. Celina opened for him.
Unable to concentrate, she let her eyes flutter shut as he wove his sensual spell. He whispered words she couldn’t understand. “La astatee’a an a’aeesh bedonak.” She heard the emotion in them, and trembled.
A warm breath whispered over her intimate skin, and she ached unconsciously as he touched her. He parted her folds.
“Javed? Please!” Her broken cry must have spurred him on. He dipped his finger within. “Oh please.”
He slid against her, tightening the spell he wove around her. The precipice of orgasm loomed. The thrill of his touch seeped deep into her pores. She moved wildly, ready for the flash of pleasure she knew was just out of reach. Then he stopped. “Not yet. Nhabek.” He watched her, taking control of her will. “Do you understand? I love you.”
Celina sat up, pulling him to her. “I love you. I always will.” Now as they kissed, there was desperation. They used their lips and he dipped his tongue within. He bit lightly while he worked his hands feverishly over slicked flesh.
She dug into his shoulders while he gripped her, lifting her in preparation before slumping to the mattress. Celina shifted, straddled him, more than ready for his penetration. She glanced at his heaving body lying before her, slid her hands down his pectorals to his trim waist. For an instant his stomach muscles clenched.
With a wicked grin she trailed her fingers down, found his cock and caressed it gently. Velvety softness covered his hard length. She shivered again.
“Ride me. Ride me fast and hard.”
She eyed him hungrily before crawling her way up his body. His gaze settled on her breasts as they swung to and fro. Feminine triumph bloomed within her. With slow and careful motions she positioned herself above him. Inch by glorious inch, she lowered herself down.
He slid in.
The sensation of fullness amazed and awed her.
Her breath caught.
She started to rock, undulating over him. He caught her hips, and he dug hard fingers into her flesh but she covered them. Let him guide her.
The heat that built deep inside roared to life.
“Oh God! Javed!”
The grip of his fingers at her hips tightened as his thrusts became deeper. Faster. Wilder.
The sound of slapping flesh and the scent of sex permeated the air.
She couldn’t breathe, her mind lost in the whirling vortex of sensation crashing around her.
Her body broke. She splintered and cried out.
He rocked faster, taking his pleasure as she held still, lost in the clasp of orgasm. Then he shouted in the near silence as he joined her.
She fell into his arms, which closed around her.
Chapter Ten
“You’ll come with me?” He couched the words carefully and was rewarded with her confused look.
“Where to?” She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, though her head was turned toward him. She appeared like a siren, with her billowing hair fanned out on his pillow. Her lips were still swollen from his kisses, and she’d tugged the sheet up to cover her nakedness in a very maidenly fashion. He fought and lost the urge to grin.
He realized he hadn’t shared the information about the page. It left him lightheaded. “Professor Junat met with Kharisma and me tonight. He believes the paper is a page from a book dealing with the Lost Queen’s Pyramids and was going back to the university to check. It seems as though I may have to pay a visit to Egypt.”
She frowned but remained quiet as he continued.
“I had Kharisma chasing down a Professor Anderson, who is an expert with hieroglyphs from the same area as the book. She is with the university on a limited tenure contract. Hopefully we should be on our way within a day or two. We’re running out of time.”
She looked thoughtful and bit her lip. “I’d love to, but I don’t have a passport or anything.”
He laughed, which drew a questioning glance from her.
“You don’t need a passport. As a member of a nest, we just need a letter of passage from me and Cressida. We can arrange that this evening.”
“Oh. Is that one of those ‘reciprocal government arrangement things’ vampires have with the human government?”
There is still so much she needs to learn about nests. It occurred to him that the basics of vampire government, their relationship with humans and rules were unknown to her. Perhaps, once things settled, he could ask someone to talk to her. School her in their ways. Maybe Kharisma. Or maybe Hope.
“Yeah something like that.” He cupped her face, marveling at the softness of her skin. She leaned into his caress, nuzzling against his hand. Satisfaction filled him. The woman of his dreams was here, in his arms. Perhaps the Gods are finally smiling on me. Maybe I can get this right.
Sleepiness was creeping like a fog through his body and he dragged her close against him, snuggling her in the crook of his arm. “Now sleep, houbi.”
A soft giggle filled the air. “What does that mean?”
He snickered, about all he could manage in his restful state. “It means we should sleep.”
“Not that. The other word. Hoobee?”
“It’s houbi, and means my love.”
“It is true. I do love you. Bahebek.”
She sighed, and he grimaced at the sound. “What’s wrong with that?”
Celina rolled onto her side. “Saying the words doesn’t fix this mess between us. All we can say for certain is at least one heart is likely to be broken.” The despair in her voice clawed at his insides, stripping away his sense of well-being.
“I’ll do anything to keep us together. You know that, don’t you, Celina? Anything.”
She nodded, snuffling a little, then yawned. He stroked her hair, realizing that nothing could be done right now. “Sleep. We need rest and to be honest, I don’t think we can fix any of this in one day. We have to find a way around it.”
He’d already considered the simplest way to move forward with their problem and examined it. He could turn her. But there wasn’t time to broach the subject, to explain everything. Not with them only having a week to find out the meaning of the prophecy. If they chose that option, it could only happen with her agreement.
Turning took time. Long nights and days for the transition to take place, planning. He would need to seek permission from the Council. She’d need to learn to deal with the hunger and training to feed without damaging a host, or killing them. No, it was better that he consider all the pitfalls, find a time when they could discuss it logically. Calmly. He had time to gain her acceptance and approval.
He congratulated himself on his plan as he dozed off.
* * * *
Professor Anderson turned out to be a wiry older woman, with a no-nonsense exterior. She was clad in an old-fashioned tweed suit and wore traditional metal-rimmed glasses. She felt vaguely familiar to Celina, though as hard as she thought, she couldn’t place her.
It could have been her turn of phrase or her piercing gaze. But even as she searched her memory, Javed ushered her up the stairs and into the private jet where it waited on the dark airstrip.
Celina shook her head as she took her seat. Who knew that the Council had a jet for just these types of situation?
She snorted at her private thoughts. As if she knew much about nests and the Council anyway. She still hadn’t even managed to get a handle on the Conclave Paramount and her responsibilities to them.
Her stomach wobbled a little as the young attendant came over to them and gave instructions about the belts, emergency situations and where to find all the amenities. She curled her fingers into the arms of her chair. The seats resembled large armchairs, but with seatbelts, as the whine of engines filled the air, keeping her mind busy.
Javed frowned at her. “Are you okay?”
She felt like a fool now. “I’ve never flown before.” She cringed at little, realizing her words must’ve surprised him.
He grinned at her, crinkling his eyes. Obviously he’d not thought of that, she assumed. Then he winked at her. “Then we’ll have to make it memorable.”
She chanced a look at Professor Anderson, but she was engrossed in some dry tome she’d brought with her. Celina blushed deeply, realizing what he meant.
“Uh, is it safe?” She leaned forward to whisper to Javed. “I mean… Can you actually do that on a plane? I’ve read about it.” Her skin burned hotter, and she gulped.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
She was both scandalized and intrigued. “But what about…?” She indicated with her head to the professor.
“I don’t think she’ll be too worried.”
“We shouldn’t.” Celina shook her head, and he beamed.
“Well, if you’re sure. Since we can now get up and walk about.”
Celina glanced out of the window. “We’re in the air? When did that happen?”
“While we were talking.” His tone was imbued with amusement.
She fumbled with the buckle and he reached over, placing his hand over hers. “Let me help.” Javed lifted the clip and it released.
Celina breathed deeply, pushing away the ever present arousal. “Maybe you could show me about?” Breathlessness overtook her, but she was keen to see everything possible. He took her hand and indicated toward the back of the plane. The two bedrooms were comfortable but by no means luxurious. “I thought they’d be bigger.”
He snorted “No. This isn’t a status ride. It’s more about getting us to places quickly and safely.”
She understood what he meant. After all, they wouldn’t want to be flying a commercial airline during the day. He’d burn to death, from what she understood.
A small meeting room sat at the very back. She noticed there was room for ten. “How do you fit that many in here?”
“We use it on the tarmac for meetings when we are visiting other zones. It gives us a neutral venue.” Celina pondered his words as they headed back to the main sitting area. The hostess was placing a platter of nibbles on the table for the humans and decanting a drink for Javed from a bottle.
“How long should the flight take?” She popped a small canapé into her mouth, savoring the taste. “Hmm. We should do this more often.”
“Fly?”
“No. Get the food catered in.”
Javed snickered at her comment as Professor Anderson wandered over to join them.
“I do hope I don’t seem rude. I was doing some research on the site we will be visiting. It seems the tomb of a younger pharaoh’s sister might be the one you are searching for. It’s a little out of the way but has the most fascinating hieroglyphs.”
She held the book out and Javed inspected the color plates. “I don’t—”
“Not to worry, when we get there I can explain what you are seeing.” Her tone was absent as she glanced back at the pictures.
Celina frowned. Something about the whole situation was skewed. A sense of uneasiness filled her, but she shrugged it away.
The flight wasn’t long. They touched down several hours before dawn.
“Do we go straight there?” Celina’s voice sounded strained, as they climbed into a waiting car.
Javed shook his head. “No. We don’t have enough time. We’re to be met by a guard from a local nest and they have arranged secure accommodation for us.”
Celina stared at Professor Anderson. “Will she be staying with us?”
“Yes. But she will remain with the nestlings.” She frowned but he smiled again. “I gave orders that you were to stay with me.”
* * * *
The evening air was redolent with scents and sounds that called to Celina while Javed ushered her into the waiting vehicle. “We must hurry, the helicopter is waiting to take us to the location. We can be back on the plane and heading home before sunrise.” His words were terse, and Celina noted the concern and worry on his face.
His meeting with the master of the local nest had imparted information he wasn’t happy about.
Celina shrugged. Not for the first time, she was glad she’d packed jeans and a cool shirt. The air was close, with heavy clouds building. If she didn’t know better, a storm was brewing. It wasn’t something she looked forward to in a helicopter.
“What if… What if there’s a storm?”
Javed glanced out over the horizon. “Not yet. It’s coming but a few hours away.”
Their transport was dark and sleek, carrying a body of guards who immediately ushered the three into the center. The engines whined and whipped up the sand into the air. They donned the helmets as they’d been instructed. Before she had even strapped in, the helicopter was lifting off the ground and moving over the desert sands.
“Javed, is everything okay?” She placed her hand on his, as he watched her. Fine lines of strain were evident around his mouth and eyes.
“Everything will be fine. There’ve just been some strangers seen around the pyramid in the last week. Abdullah had his people guarding it since we made contact.”
His tone was dismissive, but after the intimacies she had shared with him, she knew there was more to the story. It was clear he wasn’t going to share his concerns with her. Whether it was because they were surrounded by others or another reason, she didn’t want to consider.
So she waited in silence, twining her fingers around his as the Egyptian nestling brought the chopper down. She marveled at the sites. The view illuminated by strong lighting awed her. She couldn’t contain her gasp of wonder. “It’s amazing.”
He smiled at her. “Yes, I guess it is. I’ve been here before. Long ago.”
She stared at him, surprised. “You’ve been here before? How long ago?”
This time his grin held little warmth. “Three hundred years, give or take.”
She gulped. Way to make a girl remember his age.
Javed gripped her hands and they followed the professor and guards to a small entrance at the rear of the pyramid site. “We will go in this way. It’s more private and it will take us directly to the room where Professor Anderson thinks we’ll find the information we need.”
Celina kept pace. They descended down a narrow stone stairway. She breathed deeply, staring at the walls that were marked here and there with what she assumed was a mix of ancient and more recent graffiti.
Once underground, the passage became a long corridor. It was well lit but unmarked, yet the professor strode along the passage quickly. Her actions calmed some of Celina’s nerves. She’d seen the amount of stone and sand above and thoughts of them crashing down on her head nearly overwhelmed her. What would it be like to be buried in here? She couldn’t contain a shudder, but though Javed queried her convulsive movement silently with a raised eyebrow, he said nothing.
They came to an entrance and the professor stopped. “In here.”
They entered a small, but ornately carved and painted room. The colors on the wall were still vibrant and Celina marveled at the tones. When she gasped, the sound echoed.
Professor Anderson laughed out loud, the sound reverberating. “Yes. Just as I remembered.” She started with the north side first, scrutinizing everything carefully before shaking her head. “Not this one.” She inspected the next surface just as carefully but, as before, she turned away. The third side stopped her.
