Shadow of the Sheikh

by Nina Bruhns

  Seth leaned back on the divan, regarding her. “That all depends on you, Miss Haliday.”

  Without thinking, she rushed over and flung herself down on her knees before him. “Please, Lord Seth. Tell me what I must do and I will. I’ll do anything to help my mother.”

  “Anything?” he quietly asked.

  Her heart stalled and she realized what a stupid, stupid thing that had been to say. Except…she probably would do anything he asked, to get her mother back safely. “Almost anything,” she hedged, bowing her head respectfully.

  She didn’t see him smile—she was too busy studying the stone floor. But she could feel the triumph in the shift of the air in the room. A cool, tingling breeze of energy wafted over her. Shahin came to stand at her side, his hand returning to her shoulder.

  “You know what I want, Gemma,” Seth said.

  “No, I don’t,” she insisted.

  But her sinking heart told her she did. There was only one possibility.

  “Your sister,” he said softly. “I want Josslyn.”

  Her heart squeezed in torment.

  “Will you tell us where she is?” he asked.

  She swallowed heavily. Her mother or her sister. An impossible choice!

  Oh, God, what should she do?

  Seth might be an all-powerful demigod, but he didn’t know Gemma, thought Shahin. Seth believed he could intimidate her, but Shahin knew better.

  He was very afraid she would do something very foolish in response to the high priest’s not-so-subtle ploy. He held his breath as she rose to her feet with as much dignity as any mortal could muster.

  “Blackmail is unworthy of you and your god,” she announced to Seth unflinchingly. “As is forcing a cruel choice like that.” Ouch.

  But well played. Shahin had to stop himself from smiling.

  Nephtys did it for him. “I agree,” the priestess said approvingly, with a look of reprove for her brother. “You know very well you have every intention of rescuing Isobelle Haliday when we invade Petru. Why not simply tell the girl and win her over? She is much more likely to give you the information you seek if she trusts you.”

  Seth scowled, while Gemma looked nonplussed.

  “Is it true?” she asked. “You already have plans to rescue my mother?”

  “Yes,” Seth admitted grudgingly. “Along with all of Ray’s other captives. But it’s far from certain we’ll win this war or even invade Petru at all. In fact, it’s more likely we won’t. You shouldn’t get your hopes up.”

  Gemma blinked, apparently surprised speech less.

  Shahin said, “We will naturally do what we can to right the recent wrongs at Petru. As I said, here at Khepesh we have long abandoned the practice of taking mortals against their will.”

  “And yet you plan to do exactly that with my sister,” she pointed out.

  “We planned your capture as well, Gemma,” Shahin reminded her. “And yet here you are, by your own choice. Why do you think your sister will react any differently to us than you did? Or to the man who has chosen her for himself, as I did you?”

  She blinked again and a flush of pink stained her cheeks. Then her gaze darted to Seth and back again.

  “Because he is a vampire?” Shahin asked, reading her thoughts. It wasn’t difficult.

  She bit her lip, but before she could answer, Nephtys said, “I think, dear brother, you should give Miss Haliday a taste of what it’s like to be with a vampire. Then maybe she’ll understand that a small blood sacrifice is a small price to pay for the pleasures her sister will enjoy every night.”

  Shahin straightened like a shot. “My lord, I—”

  But Seth waved him off as he rose lithely from the divan and approached Gemma. “Would you like that?” he asked.

  “No!” she squeaked and slid behind Shahin’s back for protection, clinging to his arm. “Thank you,” she added belatedly. As if that was going to help.

  Shahin narrowed his eyes at Seth-Aziz. The beginnings of a temblor rumbled the floor under his feet. “She is mine. You gifted her to me.”

  “I have no intention of taking your woman,” Seth assured him. “But by keeping me from her sister she has delayed my feeding. I only seek remedy.” His face took on a look of calculation. “We could share magic. That way all three of us would see a benefit.”

  Shahin’s jaw dropped in stunned surprise. He met Nephtys’s rounded eyes and they exchanged a look of silent astonishment.

  This was an unheard of privilege.

  In Shahin’s lifetime, Seth had not shared magic with any man. There had been only two vampires left in existence by the time Shahin became an immortal, and neither one enjoyed bedplay with other men. Of course, Shahin didn’t either. Seth also tended to stick to one bed partner at a time. As did Shahin. To be honest, he wasn’t sure how he felt about sharing his woman, even with his lord and leader. No, he did. He would not countenance it.

  But sharing magic was different. Shahin would be making love with Gemma as Seth fed on her. In ancient times, it was a way for the demigod to bestow special favor upon a male subject. A man would be a fool to turn down such an honor and its attendant breath-stealing pleasures.

  Finally, Nephtys broke through her astonishment, smiled and said into the taut silence, “Sharing magic. Oh, what a lovely idea!”

  Gemma sidled out from behind Shahin’s back. “What is that?” she asked warily.

  All eyes turned to her. Shahin could feel the dark roil of erotic male power purl through the room as he and Seth contemplated the intriguing possibilities.

  He could also feel Gemma’s growing trepidation.

  Step by careful step, she started backing away from them, like a lamb from a trio of hungry wolves. She sought out each of their gazes, one by one. And finally whispered, “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Chapter 16

  “No.” Gemma shook her head vehemently after Shahin’s explanation of what it meant to share magic.

  Nephtys wondered what planet the men were living on to think Gemma would ever go along with this idea.

  “I’ll be the one making love with you,” Shahin said. “You’ll barely notice he’s there.”

  Nephtys watched Gemma’s expression run the gamut from incredulous to petrified and back again. The poor girl had no clue what would really happen. Or if she did, the idea scared her witless. Nephtys couldn’t really blame her. Gemma had only just earned of the existence of vampires. The idea took some getting used to. Let alone this.

  It was a long time ago, but Nephtys could still remember in vivid detail the full-body shock when she’d found out about vampires…and not in a theoretical way either, but as Haru-Re’s fangs descended and sank into her as he took her virginity. It had been equal parts thrilling and terrifying. Okay, a lot more terrifying. And not a first time a woman was ever likely to forget.

  The kind of introduction to a vampire’s kiss that the men were contemplating would be nearly as shocking and intimate as her own had been.

  “It wouldn’t be a full feeding,” Seth assured Gemma. He lifted a hand, beckoning her to take it. “Just a taste. So you can see what it’s like. For your sister.”

  “No!” She snatched both her hands behind her back.

  Nephtys spoke up. “The kiss of a vampire is something many women would pay much to experience,” she told her. “Immortals are used to the enhanced pleasures that love spells bring to physical encounters, but even immortals vie for the chance to be chosen as my brother’s sacrifice.”

  “Sacrifice?” Gemma squeaked, though Nephtys could tell that a small, unwilling part of her was beginning to become intrigued. But not enough to let herself be bitten. And she didn’t know the half of it.

  “Do you know what it’s like?” Nephtys ventured. It would be impossible for an ethnographer such as Gemma not to have heard the myriad stories and legends told by the local villagers.

  Gemma’s cheeks flooded with color. So she had.

  Nephtys hid a smile. It was
sweet how she kept blushing, especially when Shahin looked at her in a certain way. As he was doing now. A look filled with heat and stark want.

  “I understand it’s…pleasurable,” Gemma answered.

  Pleasurable was, indeed, the understatement of the century. Eating ice cream was pleasurable. Being bitten by a vampire was like being engulfed by a tsunami of sexual excitement, pleasure and satisfaction.

  Shahin was looking anticipatory—if a bit shaken—at the suggestion Seth had made to share magic with him. She assumed the latter was because of the intimacy of the act with another man.

  But Shahin didn’t actually have to touch Seth if he didn’t want to. Nor did Gemma, really, other than to let the vampire sink his fangs into some body part not in use by Shahin as they made love. The magic of doing the two simultaneously was that Seth would feel what Shahin’s body was feeling, and add his vampiric sexual powers to the mix, thereby amplifying everyone’s pleasure a hundredfold. For a straight man, it was the only way to experience the explosive sexuality of being a vampire, or being with a vampire.

  The powerful magic could also potentially bind a woman’s affections. Whether it was Seth or another, she could be bound to the man making love to her during the vampire’s bite. If Gemma released her will and succumbed to the magic, as many women did in the heat of the moment, she would never want any other man than Shahin. She would be loyal and true to him alone, and he would never have to worry about her betraying him. He was surely thinking about that part, too.

  However, it was all academic. If Nephtys was reading Gemma correctly, sensual tsunami or no, she would not go for it.

  Seth stepped closer to her and she took a step backward. Shahin blocked her retreat. Her back collided with his chest and he stood his ground, slipping his arms around her waist from behind, holding her loosely in place.

  Seth smiled at her. “Don’t be afraid, my pet. Nothing will happen if you don’t want it to. You must give your permission for a blood sacrifice.”

  “I won’t,” Gemma said. But her voice was soft and breathy and no longer quite so adamant. Fine trembles sifted visibly through her body.

  Nephtys was sure she was still too frightened to consent. It didn’t help that the men were acting like Apis bulls, when the situation called for the delicate feline touch of Bastet.

  “Never mind,” Nephtys interjected briskly, salvaging the situation from potential disaster. She rose from the divan, grasped Gemma’s hands and pulled her away from the men. “You can all discuss this later. It’s time we ladies got ready for the banquet.”

  The two men frowned at her, annoyed that their attempt at seduction was interrupted before it could even get off the ground.

  Gemma looked taken aback. “Banquet?”

  “In your honor,” Shahin said, recovering first. He picked up his wine goblet and lifted it in a toast. “The immortals want to welcome Khepesh’s newest initiate into the per netjer.”

  Gemma’s lips parted. “But how did they know? I agreed to enter the palace less than an hour ago.”

  “There were quite a few witnesses.” He shrugged boyishly. “Any excuse for a party, which can be organized in mere minutes when called for. A new follower is the best reason of all to celebrate.”

  “Oh, that’s…um, very nice.” But she still looked unsure.

  “Let’s see…” Nephtys made a whirling motion with her finger for Gemma to twirl around, and surveyed her critically. The emerald dress she had on was beautiful but not nearly formal enough for her official welcome. “Come with me. We’ll go to the temple and find something more suitable for you to wear.”

  Gemma shot a worried glance at Shahin. “Oh, but—”

  “Go,” he urged. “Nephtys will take good care of you. I’ll see you in a little while at the feast. I promise.”

  The young woman’s face paled a bit, but after a short hesitation, she let Nephtys lead her to the door. There, Nephtys paused and glanced back at the men. What she saw made her smile. The look on Shahin’s face as he watched Gemma leave the room said everything she wanted to know.

  Thank Isis. At long last, the man was clearly in love.

  “She’s pretty,” Seth said as the door closed behind the two women. “And spirited. I like her.”

  A spike of jealousy shot through Shahin. He’d seen Gemma weakening as Seth had poured on the charm. Was it honest, or had the vampire used glamour to try and influence her decision?

  No, his friend wouldn’t do that. Seth was not interested in Gemma. He was only using this as a way to get to Josslyn, his true desire.

  “Yes, she is,” Shahin agreed politely. “Almost as pretty as Nephtys.”

  Seth smiled. “They do make quite the striking pair of bookends with all that wild red hair. They could be sisters.”

  Shahin grunted. “Which is one reason I want to keep her as far away from Haru-Re as possible.”

  “Yes, it would get awkward if he took a fancy to her.” Seth strolled over to the sideboard and topped up his wine. “But you’re okay sharing her with me, yes?” He raised an enquiring brow.

  “Her blood, you mean?” Shahin inclined his head in a nod. “With her consent. Just as long as it goes no further.” But he was torn and his voice must have betrayed him.

  Seth’s lip curled. “Afraid she’ll be vamp-struck?”

  Hell, as long as it was out there on the table… “Most women are, after being with you,” Shahin pointed out. “But be warned, I have no intention of giving her up.”

  “Nor I of taking her,” Seth assured him. “I know enough of my destiny that she isn’t an intimate part of it. My sole interest at this point is Josslyn. Nephtys thinks her vision was probably of her and not Gillian.”

  Shahin nodded. “Which would make sense, all things considered.”

  “I just wish we could convince Gemma I mean her sister no harm. It would be a great relief to have my future consort here in my care and not somewhere out there hiding from things she doesn’t understand.”

  “Hopefully tonight will do it.”

  Seth made a noise of agreement, then regarded him thoughtfully. “What does it feel like?”

  Shahin shot him a puzzled look. “What?”

  “Being in love.”

  His mouth dropped open in surprise. “I couldn’t possibly say.”

  “Indeed?”

  Just then, there was a knock at the door and a messenger appeared. “My lord, the Lord High Council requests a quick word before the festivities.”

  “Tell him I’ll be there in a moment.” The messenger disappeared, and Seth turned back to Shahin. “In any case, we’re agreed on our course of action tonight?”

  Shahin met the high priest’s eyes in an exchange of perfect understanding. They would work their magic on Gemma together, and each would gain what he wanted.

  “Yes,” Shahin said. “In complete agreement.”

  Shahin left the audience chamber still startled by Seth’s question. Why in Hades would he ask him about being in love?

  Surely, he didn’t think Shahin was in love with Gemma?

  In love? Him?

  The idea was completely absurd.

  Dismissing the thought, he strode to his apartments in the residential wing that was reserved for Khepesh’s leaders. He was a man of simple needs and his rooms weren’t as lavish as many others, but they were a good deal more luxurious than his Bedouin tent at the oasis.

  His furnishings were simple but elegant, the decor understated, the magic powerful. The apartment consisted of a generous living room and dining room, a minimalist kitchen and a large bedroom with a walk-in closet and an opulent en suite bath. The focal point of the bedroom was a tall, massive bed—the place he did most of his entertaining.

  Tonight would be no exception.

  But for the first time, there would be three people in the bed. If Gemma consented. At the thought of her, his heart quickened. A feeling of elation flooded through him.

  He wanted this. Not just for the immens
e pleasure, or for the honor it bestowed upon him, or even to convince Gemma to help Seth find Josslyn. But because of the possibility that Gemma could be bound to him forever through the act. The idea filled him with an acute possessiveness. He wanted to own her affections with an unbreakable certainty. To know without question she would be loyal to him alone and would never betray him.

  Only then would he feel safe enough to allow himself to fall in love. That was his fantasy.

  He went to his closet and chose his favorite robes, those in deep scarlet and black, the colors favored by Set-Sutekh. Normally on festive occasions, the men of Khepesh wore colorful breeches, boots and tunics fashioned in the style of the desert nomad, along with a floor-length, flowing bisht of the finest silk. This evening, Shahin decided to dispense with the tunic. His bare chest would be prominently displayed under the open cloak, a statement to all that he was out to impress his chosen lady. The immortals of Khepesh were a randy lot and would appreciate such a blatantly erotic gesture. Their speculation would raise the level of sensual energy flowing through the room, which would already be high in celebration. It couldn’t help but have a seductive effect on Gemma.

  He wanted her in his bed tonight. And not alone.

  He wondered what she would wear to the feast. Nephtys had heard their plans for tonight and given her blessing to the sharing of magic. She would no doubt dress Gemma in something provocative. With any luck, she would also cast a spell of physical awareness over the garment. All to enhance the mood and their chances of success.

  After making sure the bedroom was well prepared for his guests, Shahin bathed and dressed and headed for the grand hall.

  As always, the pure darkness of the midnight-black banquet hall was pierced by the sparkle of ten thousand tiny candles placed on the long tables, and reflected by the million glittering diamonds that spangled the void of the ceiling above in a pattern of the stars of the Milky Way. Set-Sutekh was the Lord of the Night Sky, Guardian of the Dark Universe, and this room did him true homage.