It was to Markus that Nefertem led Kendra by the hand. He stuck out his free hand to the other man. “You must be Kendra's brother. I am Nefertem. Sorry our first meeting was not what it should have been."
Markus accepted Nefertem's hand and shook it. “Yes, I'm Markus. I am happy to finally meet the real Nefertem.” He turned his attention to Kendra. “Are you okay, sis?"
"I am perfectly fine."
Markus relaxed his stiff stance. Having to watch what had taken place between Nefertem and Kendra had done a lot more than slightly rattle his nerves. The fear he had felt for his sister's well being had been great. He did not know if he could have been brave enough to face what Kendra had done if the situation were reversed. But now that it was over he knew there was more pain to come for Kendra. There was one last thing he could do for her though, to make these last moments with Nefertem a little happier.
"Mahes said once the spell was completed you two would be considered mated. Is that correct?” Markus asked Nefertem.
The other man nodded. “Yes, that is right. Kendra is now mine."
Nodding in return, Markus began to fish around in his short's pocket. “Then you will need these."
Kendra felt her throat close up with emotion as Markus pulled his hand out of his pocket and revealed what he held in his now open palm. He held two plain gold wedding bands, one a man's and one a woman's.
Throwing herself into Markus's arms, Kendra hugged him. “Where did you get those?"
Markus hugged Kendra in return then released her. “I knew you would like to have them. So I went and bought them earlier today when you were napping. I know you always wanted a big, fancy wedding, Kendra. Since that is not to be, the least I could do is make sure you had a wedding ring to wear."
Taking the rings from Markus, Kendra turned back to Nefertem. “It is tradition when couples get married they exchange rings when they take their wedding vows. Will you do that with me now? Will you wear the ring I give you?"
At Nefertem's nod, Kendra slipped the larger gold wedding band onto his ring finger on his left hand. It was a perfect fit. Giving him the second band, she held out her left hand for Nefertem to slip it onto her finger.
"You may now kiss your bride.” Markus said with a smile.
Pulling Kendra into his arms, Nefertem kissed her while the others cheered. When the kiss ended the other people in the room gathered around them.
Mahes kissed Kendra's cheek. “Welcome to the family. I always wanted a sister.” He turned to Nefertem. His face grew serious. “I hate to bring this up, but time is running out."
Nefertem felt Kendra stiffen at his side. “How long do we have?"
"A half hour at the most, I think. Since this spell has never been done before I am not exactly sure what time frame we have left, but I think once dawn comes we leave."
"That is not enough time.” Kendra said, sadly.
Mahes caught Nefertem's eye. “We will give you both a little time alone.” He and the others quietly moved to the opposite side of the chamber.
"I just got you back; I can't let you go now."
Nefertem did not know what he could say to make Kendra feel better. His leave taking was beyond his control. For the first time since his mother had laid this punishment upon him, he cursed the hold it had over him. In the past, he could not wait to be free of the mortal world. Kendra had changed him in so many ways.
Trying to think of what to say to Kendra, it was then Nefertem realized she wore a dress and not the type she had usually worn when she went to work. The dress made him catch his breath. He wished they were alone so he could slowly strip her of it.
"You look beautiful in that dress, Kendra.” Nefertem let his gaze drift down the length of her body.
Kendra blushed. “I don't usually wear dresses like this, but I wasn't going to my wedding day in a pair of khaki shorts. You really like it?"
"Yes. I like it a little too much for being in the company of others."
At Nefertem's words, a thrill raced through Kendra's body. She in turn looked appreciatively at his bared chest. “I must say seeing you dressed only in your kilt is making me wish we were alone as well.” She let her eyes drop to the said garment. There was no mistaking what the bulge was that pushed out from the front of his kilt.
Nefertem groaned when he saw where Kendra's eyes had drifted down to. “If you do not stop staring at me like that I am likely to give our brothers and our friends much more to see than what they bargained for."
Kendra laughed. “We can't have that now can we?” She wrapped her arms around Nefertem's neck and looked lovingly up at him. “I think Markus would have a fit if you did what I think you want to do."
Nefertem smiled down at her. “And Mahes, well let's just say he would find it very entertaining and would be giving me suggestions."
Kendra laughed again. “Very true. Your brother really is a piece of work."
After she said what she had about Mahes, Kendra realized Nefertem did not know what she had meant by the confused look he wore on his face. She had to remember her husband was still not totally familiar with modern sayings such as that. She was about to explain what she had meant when a loud cat growl reverberated off the walls of the chamber. Nefertem instantly stiffened in her arms.
Quickly releasing Kendra, Nefertem turned and deliberately stood in front of her so his body shielded her. He looked at the woman who stood a few feet away. “Hello, mother.” He spoke in Egyptian.
Sekhmet growled with rage. “What have you done?"
"What needed to be done. You would not listen to me. I had to take matters into my own hands."
"You had no right to interfere with me. No one has ever been able to stop my coming."
"Well, this time you were."
Mahes came to stand beside his brother. His mother turned her hard eyes on him. “And you. Why did you not stop him? I did not send you to the mortal world to play at being one of them and go against me."
"It was not my decision to stay in the mortal world. Nefertem made that choice."
"And you then had to take his side?"
"Yes. Nefertem's decision to save the mortals was the right thing to do. There is much good here."
"The pair of you have grown weak."
Kendra did not understand what was being said, but she could easily tell from Sekhmet's tone of voice she was extremely angry. Kendra gladly stayed sheltered behind Nefertem, letting his greater height keep his mother from seeing her.
Sekhmet's sharp eyes had already found the three mortals cowering across the room. They did not interest her. They weren't the ones who had stopped her with Nefertem. The one she wanted was standing behind her traitorous son.
"Who is it that you seek to shield from my sight, Nefertem?"
"You will leave her alone, mother."
Sekhmet curled her lip at Nefertem. “I only wish to see the one who managed to thwart me.” When Nefertem made no move to step away from the mortal, Sekhmet pushed him away with her mind. Nefertem was instantly moved aside as if he had been pushed by an unseen hand.
Suddenly being out in the open, Kendra could only stand and stare at Sekhmet. She swallowed hard. Nefertem's mother was like no other being she had ever seen before. She was indeed half lioness and human woman. The sharp cat's eyes seemed to bore right into her.
Sekhmet moved so she stood in front of Kendra. She then walked around her until she once more stood before her. Sekhmet could see why Nefertem had fallen for this mortal woman. There was a strength about her, both physically and mentally. Sekhmet noticed Kendra's green eyes watched her with a mixture of fear and awe. If the mortal had been born an Egyptian during the time of the Pharaohs, Sekhmet would have chosen her to serve in her temple. But Kendra had not, and her actions only earned her the anger Sekhmet felt towards her.
"So you are the mortal who bears the pendant.” Sekhmet pointed to the said pendant that hung around Kendra's neck.
Kendra turned to look at Nefertem beseech
ingly. He tried to move back to her side, but he found his mother had frozen him to the spot where he now stood. He groaned in frustration. “It will be okay, Kendra.” He then said to his mother in Egyptian, “You have to speak to her in her own language if you want her to understand what you are saying."
Sekhmet curled her lip in disgust, but complied with Nefertem's request. “Do you understand me now, mortal?"
Kendra nodded. “Yes."
"Good. Before I leave this place, I have one thing to say to you, mortal. You may have won this simple victory, but in the end, it is I who has truly won. Nefertem will return to me. He always will be mine and do my bidding. He may have mated with you, but you will never again lie in his arms once he leaves you."
Nefertem felt nothing but anger as he saw how his mother's words hurt Kendra. Pulling the bow and quiver from his shoulder, he threw them a short distance away from him. They clattered loudly on the stone floor. “No more, mother. I will no longer do your dirty work. Release me so I can at least spend the remaining time I have left with my mate."
Sekhmet hid the rage she felt and calmly said, “So be it.” With a wave of her hand, she released Nefertem from the hold she had on him. She watched as he rushed over to Kendra and gathered her into his arms.
Moving with a purpose, Sekhmet walked over to where Nefertem had thrown his bow. Picking it up, along with one of the arrows from the quiver, she notched it and pulled back on the string. She took aim and released it.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The arrow caught Kendra on the left side of her back, lodging itself just under her heart. At first, she didn't know what caused her to be thrown up hard against Nefertem or the sudden sharp, blinding pain in her back that followed. It was Nefertem's look of horror and Tory's cry of anguish that made her realize something was very wrong. As her legs gave out on her, Nefertem clutched her to him and slowly lowered her so they were both kneeling on the floor. He supported her with his body.
Gasping for breath, Kendra asked, “It's bad, isn't it?"
Having seen enough battle wounds, Nefertem knew Kendra's was mortal. He shut his eyes for a brief moment before he answered her question. “Yes. It is bad."
"You should not have disobeyed me, Nefertem. You only brought this on yourself.” Sekhmet snarled.
Nefertem turned a look of pure hatred on his mother. “Don't you think you have made me suffer enough? Just having to leave Kendra forever was punishment enough. You have gone too far this time. Do you think Re will not know what you have done? You have harmed the one who possesses the pendant."
The mention of Re being greatly displeased with her actions gave Sekhmet some pause, but she quickly recovered. “I will make Re see I am justified in what I have done."
Nefertem shook his head. “No, mother, you are wrong. You have broken his decree that the bearer of the pendant must not be harmed in any way. But maybe he will not be quite so hard on you if you fix this. In this form I don't have the power to heal Kendra, but you do. Do it now before it is too late."
"No, I will not. She will die and you will finally be free of her.” Not saying anything more, Sekhmet threw down the bow she still held and vanished from the chamber.
Growling with rage and the feeling of helplessness he felt so acutely, Nefertem looked down at Kendra. She had her eyes closed and her face was a sickly white. He gave her a gentle shake. “You must not sleep, Kendra. Stay with me. I am not going to let you go without a fight. Do you hear me?"
After Sekhmet's disappearance, the three others rushed over to Kendra's side. Markus wore a distraught expression as he looked at the arrow protruding out of Kendra's back. He turned a steely gaze on both Nefertem and Mahes.
"You two are gods! Do something to help her!"
Mahes sadly shook his head. “We cannot. Nefertem was right when he said we can't heal her in our mortal forms."
Kendra opened her eyes at the sound of her brother's voice. “It's okay, Markus. It's better this way.” She was now so weak her voice was barely above a whisper.
"No, it is not!” Markus bellowed. “Somebody do something."
Nefertem gently passed Kendra over to Markus and stood. “That is exactly what I intend to do. I haven't given up yet."
Gathering himself up to his full height, Nefertem yelled, “Ptah! Come to me now.” A split second later, his father stood before him.
"I have come, my son. What has caused you to call me so urgently?"
"Help her. She doesn't have much time left."
Taking Ptah by the arm, Nefertem pulled him over to where Markus held Kendra in his arms. Ptah's face clouded with anger when he saw the arrow in her back. “Who did this to your mate?"
"Mother.” That one simple word spoke volumes.
Ptah nodded in understanding. He knew Sekhmet would now have a lot to answer for. Re would not let her actions go by without confronting her about them. “I see. Let me take a look."
Kendra gathered her rapidly flagging strength to look at Ptah as he knelt down beside her. He smiled at her. She quickly realized it was their father that both Nefertem and Mahes took after in looks. Ptah did not look any older than his two sons. If she hadn't known Ptah was their father she would have thought he was their brother instead.
Giving the arrow a cursory inspection, Ptah gave a nod to his son. “I want you to hold her, Nefertem. The arrow has to come out first. Sorry to say I won't be able to save her from the pain of removing it.” After Markus gingerly handed Kendra to Nefertem who was now kneeling beside him, Ptah squeezed his shoulder. “Your sister will be all right."
Once Nefertem had Kendra firmly held in his arms with her head cushioned on his chest, he gave a curt nod to his father. Taking hold of the arrow, Ptah pulled it free of Kendra's body. Her cry of pain filled the chamber.
Acting quickly, Ptah placed his hand over the now gushing wound. A glowing light appeared beneath his hand. He closed his eyes as he focused his powers on healing the gaping hole in Kendra's back. After a few minutes, the glowing stopped and he removed his hand.
Kendra fought the blackness that rose up to claim her after the arrow was pulled out. The pain of it had been unbearable. She would have lost the battle if it hadn't been for Ptah. He helped her to push back the darkness even as he worked to repair the damage done to her body by the arrowhead. In a semiconscious state, she heard him speak to her inside her head. “You and the new life you carry inside you are safe.” Afterwards, she didn't know if what Ptah had said only to her was real or her mind playing tricks.
Once his father moved away, Nefertem looked where the wound had been on Kendra's back. It was completely healed. The only sign that it had been there at all was the tell tale blood that had soaked into the material of her dress. Turning his eyes onto Kendra's face he saw that the sickly, grey pallor was gone, replaced with a natural and healthy glow.
"Kendra?"
She smiled up at him. “I think I'm okay now, Nefertem."
Claiming her lips in a searing kiss, Nefertem poured all the love he felt for her into it. Dawn was fast approaching and he could feel the pull of it. His time in the mortal world was at an end. Breaking the kiss, he stood while he still held Kendra in his arms. He looked desperately at his father.
Ptah sadly shook his head at Nefertem. “I cannot change your fate, my son."
Just as suddenly as Ptah had appeared in the chamber, he now disappeared.
Mahes was the next to speak. “You have all come to mean a lot to me. I shall miss our times together.” Stepping over to Kendra, he gave her a hug and a kiss. “I will miss you the most of all. If you still wish it, I will come to visit, but not right away I think."
Kendra nodded. She knew Mahes was going to give her the time to grieve over losing Nefertem before she would see him again. She just hoped he didn't stay away too long. “I would like you to."
Mahes then turned to Scott and Markus and shook each of their hands. To Tory he gave a kiss. Then he too disappeared leaving Nefertem behind.
Nefertem held her hands just as tightly. “I wish I could stay, but I can't. I will love you forever. Try to be happy, Kendra.” He then disappeared, leaving Kendra to hold nothing but air.
The four remaining people in the chamber were brought back to the surface before they had time to even wonder how they were going to leave it. One minute they were in the chamber and the next they stood outside in front of the Sphinx.
Where Kendra stood, she could see the sun just breaking over the horizon. He was gone. She would never see him again. At that moment, it hit her and it hit her hard. With tears streaming down her face, Kendra could no longer keep them at bay. All the hurt and pain she was feeling spilled out of her.
When her body became wracked with heart wrenching sobs, Markus gathered her close to him and let her wet the front of his shirt with her tears. Kendra had earned the right. He still could not believe how close he had come to losing her. The sight of having to see her with that arrow sticking out of her back would be one memory he would not soon forget.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Kendra by slow degrees pulled herself back under control. Once she managed to stem the flow of tears, she felt utterly spent. Leaning heavily on Markus, she allowed him to lead her away from the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids. Scott and Troy fell in beside them.
The taxi ride back to the hotel was a quiet one. They were all lost in their own thoughts, replaying the scenes from the night over again in their heads. Kendra's abject misery only added to their individual introspection.
It was still the early morning hours when they reached the hotel, so they were able to slip up to their rooms without attracting undo notice. This was something they had hoped to accomplish. The back of Kendra's dress would have compelled them to answer some questions that they could in no way answer with any kind of truth.
Knowing Kendra would be unable to stand being in the room she had shared with Nefertem, Markus took her to his own. After telling Scott and Tory they would meet up with them once they all got some sleep, he let Kendra into the room. Turning back from locking the door after they stepped through it, he found Kendra standing in the middle of the room staring at nothing.
The Blue Lotus Page 21
