Life From Your Lips (Ruby Rose fanfic)

TWENTY-TWO (Iselen POV)

"Are these the copies of the pictures I took at the smugglers' party?" I ask walking in the drawing room and Ruby nods quietly, dropping the photos on the coffee table and flopping down on the couch next to the fireplace. She looks tired and anxious and I get closer slowly, kneeling down in front of her to be able to cradle her precious face with my hands. "Meri, we'll get the statue back, don't worry. Mr. Ellin and Miss Freedman will take good care of her because it's invaluable..."

"She could end up on the seafloor if the boat where they carry her has a problem," the princess replies shaking her head while putting her tattooed arms around my waist. "You don't understand it: I need her back, I don't want to see the statue in a museum or in the Interpol evidence lockup... I want her in my private sanctuary, here in my house, protected and safe." I stare at the beautiful woman in disbelief and she heaves a sigh, rubbing her forehead with her fingers like she's having a headache.

"Ruby Rose, you're talking about stealing artifact that belongs to the people of Egypt," I whisper with a serious tone of voice. "That's exactly what Lara, Farouk and Slitine are doing... That's wrong, the statue of Isis must go back to her country."

"She was mine first!" she growls angrily.

"Praa Sat! What will Miroslav think if he finds out? Or Khaled... Or Fischer... You're supposed to be like the directors of those museums or like professor Stephens: a scholar, a highly respected archaeologist, admired by young students all over the world. You carry out archaeological campaigns to understand the past and protect what you find, you send artifacts to museums all over the world so people can enjoy beautiful works of art... That's how it works. Babe, you're one of the good guys, you don't deal with stolen art."

"I only want to protect her," Ruby complains pouting and I can't help hugging her tight, whispering in her ear.

"I know, my love. Isis is very important to you..."

"No, I don't think you understand it." The princess pulls away and sighs again, looking at me right into my eyes. "She's the only real thing that connects me to my past, my dad, my mum, my childhood, the Jeneret House, the old temple and my aunt, who was the previous high priestess and taught me all I know... All this stuff..." her tattooed hand points at vases, papyri and other Egyptian pieces that embellish this room and that she bought legally to her friend Miroslav. "It wasn't mine, actually. Some of these are even reproductions, not original, and some others belonged to nobles that were born centuries after I died... The Isis knot was carved in Roman times."

"Baby..." I whisper looking at her sadly while she holds the carnelian pendant between her fingers. "I'm so sorry..."

"I'm torn, even if it seems ridiculous, because there're two Ruby inside me: one of them has lived in this house and remembers her parents, the birthday parties in the garden and the summers I spent on the beach. But there's other Ruby that remembers a different life: the smell of lotus and incense, the evenings I went fishing with the Pharaoh, the taste of pomegranate wine, the sun warming up the water of my pool in the palace patio, surrounded by sycamore trees... And you, so beautiful, dressed up in white linen and refusing to wear a wig." I smile amused and her tattooed fingers cup my cheek, her thumb rubs my skin gently. "That Ruby needs her goddess back, I don't know why but this is the way I feel. She must be in my sanctuary where I can take care of her."

"Okay... but I still think this is crazy. I don't know how we're going to steal a very heavy statue of Goddess Isis, snatching her from the hands of professional criminals, and moving her to this house without inspector Tréville and the police noticing it. And avoiding Lara at the same time so she doesn't shoot me..." I shake my head in resignation. "If professor Ikram finds out about this, I'll lose my scholarship, my professional career will be over... and yours too. We could end up in prison..."