“Sure, I’ll just wait here.”
Laney and Tarrick didn’t talk for several minutes as he drove. Laney had spent the first few minutes of the drive staring out the window, hoping the scenery would jog her memory, but it wasn’t working. She glanced up at Tarrick and had seen that he was watching her in the rearview.
“Tarrick?”
“Yes, Miss?”
Laney paused a moment. Tarrick’s response felt a bit odd, as if calling her ‘miss’ was too awkward for him. Like it was unfamiliar. She stared at his honey-brown eyes and had a feeling that it was something that she had done often.
“Have you been my driver since I’ve been here?” she finally asked.
“Yes, Miss.” His response was delayed, and Laney began to grow suspicious. Something was going on, and she had a huge, sinking feeling that Tarrick knew what it was.
She cleared her throat as she stared at him in the rearview. His eyes glanced back to hers and Laney’s stomach turned as images of another pair of similar brown eyes stared back at her. She shook her head, trying to clear it and looked out the window.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Not really.” Her stomach was churning. Everything about the situation seemed off. Why couldn’t she remember anything from the day before? Had something awful happened? The ache between her legs … Jesus, had she been raped?
“Should I stop the car? You look ill.” Tarrick’s voice snapped her back into reality.
“Yes, maybe I just need everything to stop moving.” She laid her head back onto the seat and closed her eyes as she waited for Tarrick to find a place to pull over.
The car came to a stop and Laney hopped out without hesitation or waiting for a response from Tarrick. She walked along the side of the beaten sandstone road, putting space between her and the car, feeling grateful that Tarrick didn’t follow her. She stopped after several feet and stared out across the open field. Sand stretched out as far as the eye could see.
She directed her gaze to her feet and kicked a pile of sand with a sigh. Something felt off. She was here in Egypt after winning a contest, but why couldn’t she remember any of her time here so far? What happened to her that made her forget? Did she not come here with anyone? Surely, she would be smart enough to not travel alone. She would bring along her best friend Tina and her boyfriend Joe, but she was having a hard time trying to recall if they came with her or not. Did someone drug her? Was that why she couldn’t remember?
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. “Think, Laney, think.”
Images slowly faded in and out her mind. Images of her walking around King Tut’s tomb, of her walking through tight corridors, of her seeing the pyramids. They felt jumbled up and out of order somehow. Then, images of a man popped into her mind causing Laney to feel lightheaded. The sudden rush of memories flooded her mind, making her nauseous.
*****
Laney groggily opened her eyes and slowly sat up, her head feeling fuzzy. She was back in the car, as scenes of Cairo sped past. Tarrick was up front, driving the car faster than usual.
“What happened?”
“You passed out,” Tarrick answered shortly.
“Where are we going?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him.
“Back to your room, Miss.” His voice was unwavering, too casual for the situation at hand.
“No, we’re not and don’t ‘miss’ me. I remember everything.” Well, almost everything, but she wasn’t going to admit that to him. She needed him to start being more truthful. She remembered him leading her through dark corridors which lead to a particular room with an offering table.
Tarrick’s eyes darted up to catch her gaze in the rearview. “Pardon me?”
“I don’t know if I should pardon you. Whose idea was it to drug me and make me forget something like that? You know what, never mind, you’re going to take me back there.”
“Where?”
“You know where, Tarrick. To see Serkhet.” She massaged her temples as more of her memories came flooding back. The name was already tumbling out of her mouth before she even processed it. Her head was throbbing, and she was feeling dizzy again. It was all so unsettling to her.
“I cannot do that.” His eyes went wide as he glanced up at her in the rearview mirror.
“Why not? You were in a hurry to send us to meet him the first time.” She stopped talking for a moment, realizing that she said ‘us’. That was right, Joe and Tina did come to Egypt with her and all three of them had gone into that cave. She remembered the argument — her friends had wanted to find the treasure, and she was unsure. Wait, what happened to them? Why weren’t they in the car with her right now? “Where are Joe and Tina?”
Tarrick refrained from making eye contact with her this time. He swallowed. “I will take you to see him and surely he could explain. You weren’t supposed to remember any of this. I should just have taken you straight to the airport, made sure you had gotten on your plane a bit earlier than you were supposed to, but he insisted that I keep an eye on you, just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
“That his magic didn’t work, and it appears that it didn’t. It must be wearing off.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The use of his magic is limited after a certain hour or if he isn’t completely whole. It is much stronger when the moon is full, or if he had taken enough essence, or when it is late at night or in the early hours of the morning, such as the hours between ten at night and three in the morning. It was six in the morning when he cast his spell on you to forget him. You had fallen asleep and he thought that he had taken enough energy to cast the spell. He performed the spell and had me take you back to your room.”
Tears welled up in Laney’s eyes as she remembered the curse Serkhet had told her. She remembered the passion he had as they made love. To her, that’s what it felt like it was, love. He could’ve taken her more, had his way with her longer than he had, but he allowed her to rest.
A spark of electricity rushed through Laney’s body and straight to her core as she remembered every detail of that night she shared with Serkhet. Last night. She wasn’t angry at him for erasing her memories anymore, as now she understood why. And now that she remembered, she wanted to return to him. He was magnetic, something pulling her to him even after his magic was separated from her.
Chapter Four
They shined their flashlights around the room with the offering table and flashbacks of the last time she was there made her blush. The room was empty, only hollow echoes of what it once was- the room where Serkhet had revealed himself to her.
“Where is he?” Her brows knitted in frustration as she peeked into the next room. It was filled with treasure that glittered and glistened in the beam of her flashlight, but the only treasure she was seeking was not there.
Tarrick shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve never been here during the day.”
“I guess we’ll wait till the sun sets.” She set her shoulders stubbornly, ready for a fight.
“There is no need to wait that long,” said a deep rough voice from behind them.
Laney’s skin prickled with anxiousness at seeing Serkhet again. The sight before her was so unexpected that all thoughts of reprimanding him for her memory wipe had dissipated.
The torches in the room blazed to life once more as Serkhet made his entrance, although, it was in a much slower pace than it was the last time. He stopped several feet inside the doorway and scowled at Tarrick. Tarrick immediately went to his knees, bowing his head low in respect, but Laney stared at Serkhet with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Serkhet’s beautifully sculpted body only bore patches of his toffee-colored skin. The supposed life essence that he had taken was vanishing, turning him back into his undead likeness as a mummy. The only human-like features on him was his face.
Catching Laney’s shocked gaze, he gave a grimace and gestured his arms out wide. “Behold, my true form.”
“I thought … b
ut I had helped you … with my offering.”
“I didn’t take enough.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, taking a few steps closer. “Why not?”
Her response seemed to confuse him. “You were already drained of energy.”
“That’s because it was late at night and I was jet lagged. Not to mention, I had never had that many orgasms in one night.” She smiled proudly, feeling her body warm at the thought. “That would make anyone exhausted.”
A few moments of silence had passed before Serkhet spoke again. His brow was creased from thought. “I don’t understand how you were able to remember. The hour was late, and I did fear some memories would return to you, but I was uncertain if all of them would. I only hoped that I had enough energy to perform the spell. Clearly, I was wrong.”
Laney’s smile faltered. “Yeah, about that. At first everything was a bit fuzzy, but then my memories started to come back a little at a time. Though, I don’t appreciate your efforts to make me forget you. It was rather disconcerting.”
“My king, my god, I’m not sure what happened,” Tarrick began, glancing up briefly, but Serkhet waved him off to silence him.
“Why are you here?” Serkhet asked her. It wasn’t odd for a woman to return to him back in the day, before he used his magic to make them forget, but he always refused them. But, this time, his heart panged as he stood there watching Laney as she inched closer toward him. He wanted her. That hurt. It was painfully transparent that he could not find love, at least not the kind that would be reciprocated. The sorcerer had bid it so, and besides that, his situation was rather unfortunate. He knew deep down that she wouldn’t or couldn’t fall in love with a man that was cursed to walk for eternity as a mummy.
“I wanted to offer myself to you … again.” Her voice was soft and sensual, sending warm tingles down the back of his spine. “I felt it was cut short with me being worn out and all and you clearly need more of my essence, do you not?”
He regarded her for a moment. She was then within arm’s length, could easily be snatched up and pulled close. His current state made that rather impossible, however. He could hear her heart pounding and smell a hint of fear, though he knew it was because she was also excited. He could also smell her arousal as she stood there, staring at him with a longing in her eyes. His body was begging to reach out and grab her, already.
He couldn’t bear to wait for another response from her. Serkhet was upon her within seconds, shoving her up against the nearest wall. She let out a breath as her body hit the wall and his mouth was pressed against hers, kissing her roughly. Her heart sped up as a rush of arousal flooded her body as his tongue thrusted into her mouth to dance along with hers.
Within a blurring movement, Serkhet had Laney sitting on top of the offering table, the offending garment covering her upper body thrown away. His fingers were rough against her skin as he lightly trailed them up her arms and across her breast. She moaned as he brushed his fingertips against her nipples. They peaked and hardened, and he knew that he was making her even wetter.
Serkhet looked down to see Laney watching him with lust filled eyes. He was finding it odd that she was enjoying this with him looking the way he did. He didn’t want to disappoint her. He had a few ideas.
“Would you be willing to allow Tarrick to please you? I want you, but not while I’m like this.” He waved a hand over his body. It was distracting, the way her perfect mouth fell open in a surprised pout. He simply couldn’t wait to get those lips wrapped around his cock — but in time. Not just yet, he chided himself.
For the first time, he found his appearance far too ghastly and was surprised that Laney had not. He had been certain when she arrived that the state of him would scare her, but her body’s reaction to him proved something else. She had been willing to look past his outward appearance. It only made him want her even more, but he could not will himself to take her in this form.
He looked down at Laney and watched her nod her approval, then turned to see Tarrick still kneeling on the floor. Serkhet had never released him from his reverent bow.
“Tarrick,” he called out calmly.
“Yes, my lord?” Tarrick replied, bowing even lower so that his forehead was then touching the ground. Serkhet jutted out his chin, reminiscent of how he would look at subjects in his court.
“You may rise and assist me.”
Tarrick stood and turned toward Serkhet yet kept his eyes from meeting Serkhet’s in a continued show of respect.
“I need you to take my place in pleasing Laney for me. Taking her for myself is not an option just yet. I will have to take both yours and her essence.”
Tarrick looked at Serkhet, bewildered at such a request, seeing as Serkhet had never asked such a favor of him before, nor had he asked for Tarrick to take a woman for himself.
“Of course, my lord.”
Tarrick stood up and approached Laney cautiously, swallowing. He was nervous, afraid of letting Serkhet down. Sensing his anguish and hearing Tarrick’s thoughts, Serkhet walked over and placed a hand on Tarrick’s shoulder.
“You’ve been my faithful servant for many years now, Tarrick. You have never failed me, and I know that you would not do so now.” He could glean Tarrick’s thoughts easily and could see that he had desired Laney when they first met but kept his distance once she was brought to Serkhet. Serkhet smiled, knowing that Tarrick would not touch Laney as long as he was feeling that it would cross Serkhet. With both of their permission, however.
Tarrick’s skin prickled and suddenly he appeared to be relaxed. Serkhet had used some of his magic to soothe him, but at a cost. Tarrick couldn’t help but see that the patches of mummified flesh across Serkhet’s chest had grown in size. Serkhet needed them to begin, and quickly.
*****
Clearing his throat, Tarrick directed his gaze to Laney, who was now staring at him and nibbling on her lower lip. He closed the distance between them, steeling himself before pulling her into him and kissing her gently. Her gasp and attentive returning kiss brought his semi-erect cock fully to life. Her lips parted and Tarrick dipped his tongue inside her mouth to taste her.
Laney licked her own tongue inside Tarrick’s mouth easily, as he wasn’t interested in battling her for dominance. Their kiss was causing his hardened shaft to twitch and press hard against the seam of his pants. Their breathing picked up and soon their kissing became a matter of need, a rush of urgency to claim the other. Tarrick’s hands grabbed onto Laney’s rounded hips and pulled her into him roughly, dragging her across the offering table. With a few thrusts of his hips, his hardened member hit right on her sensitive nub through both layers of their clothes and she moaned into his mouth in response.
Tarrick moved his hips, rubbing his sex against hers. The movement also rubbed Tarrick’s chest across Laney’s bare nipples which were now sensitive, tight little peaks. Sparks of pleasure shot through her, from her nipples down to her core and she found that she was enjoying being with Tarrick. He knew she must be soaked. He could feel the heat radiating from the apex of her things. He wanted more, craved more. As if sensing Tarrick’s own need, Laney wrapped her legs around Tarrick, pulling him into her and began rocking against him.
It wouldn’t be too much longer before either of them came — and Tarrick hadn’t even been inside her yet — but Serkhet stopped them, receiving a whimper from both amped up parties. He stared at them from under dark lashes, eyes half lidded from arousal. His own arousal was evident, hard and aching and almost as breathless as Tarrick and Laney.
“Disrobe each other.” Serkhet’s voice was rough, hoarse. The patches of normal, sun-kissed skin across his chest was growing. The sexual energy from Tarrick and Laney was helping feed him, but it was clear that Serkhet needed more. As soon as Serkhet was back to his full energy, Tarrick wondered how much longer he would be allowed to pleasure Laney. He was enjoying himself too much to stop now.
Tarrick felt a gentle hand on his shoulder as Serkhet spok
e softly to him. “Don’t worry yourself. You have earned this. Now, disrobe each other.”
Chapter Five
Serkhet watched as Laney and Tarrick undressed, staring at one another all the while with hungry eyes.
“Laney, my pet, lay down on the offering table. Tarrick, I want you to sit up on the table on your knees and have her suck on your cock.”
Serkhet watched as they obeyed, never once tearing their gazes off one another. Serkhet was using his magic to keep them from being distracted in anything except each other. As long as they didn’t get distracted, they could provide more of their sexual energy to him. It was working, as he continued to feed off their sensual essence.
Serkhet approached the offering table and gently pulled Laney closer to the edge. Tarrick moved up onto the table as well, knees touching her shoulders as his straddled Laney’s head to feed her his cock.
Spreading her legs to reveal her sweet spot, Serkhet’s cock hardened to an almost painful point. She had been truly enjoying herself at that moment, seeing as she was so soaked that her own juices were now running down her legs.
Serkhet knelt to his knees before her and leaned in to lap it up, tracing the tip of his tongue across the inside of each of her thighs, then around the outside of her sex. With a thumb and forefinger, he pulled her folds apart to reveal her sensitive swollen bud and moaned at the sight of her slickness. He was fortunate for her to come back to him and stubbornly asked to see him, too. Her body was so beautiful, desperate and aching for him.
“Tarrick, pinch and pull on her nipples for me.” Serkhet’s voice was deeper and more commanding. Tarrick reached down to do as he was told as Serkhet watched Laney’s sex grow slicker with more of her glistening wetness.
Serkhet dipped his tongue inside her tight channel and slipped it up her rosy folds, drinking up her juices. He sighed, yes, he was most definitely happy that she came back. She tasted heavenly the first time and was even more so the second time.
The Mummy's Curse: A Paranormal Romance Page 4
