Son of Egypt - The Short Story

Part 17

Anhuren pulls me closer, pressing my body against him, so I feel the length of a powerful warrior's body; his lips move against mine in an enticing way. He knows what he's doing. He knows how to kiss a girl, and he is right, that wasn't a kiss.

I open my mouth giving his tongue permission to caress my lips and the recess of my mouth. It gives him confidence. He grasps my hair holding me firmly against his muscular body. His kisses become more demanding. I feel a revolution inside me.

My heart beats in an accelerated and erratic way, my breath... I don't know if I can breathe. My skin tingles where his hands touch. I sense his heart beating in the same rushed rhythm. My hair stands on end with every touch of his fingers, every movement of his lips.

As the kisses deepen, my knees buckle a little. I feel myself getting lost in his impressive body. He doesn't bother with this. He holds me tighter and continues to experience my lips, to taste my savor. I don't sense the ground under my feet.

I like his taste. Oh, I really do! His kisses meet my expectations. I never imagined it'd be so good, so magical.

As I sense the ground returning under my feet, the kisses become slow and calm. His lips brush mine—still tasting them—as if they don't want to stop but they do.

I take a mouthful of air when our lips part and open my eyes. We are back to the Valley of the Kings, we are at the top of the mountain.

"This is a kiss," Anhuren repeats.

"Yes, it is." I agree with him. What else can I do?

He holds my hand and guides me to the edge of the mountain. I see our camp, it's small from here. Anhuren helps me to sit and positions himself next to me. He lays an arm around my shoulders and pulls me against him.

A sigh escapes me. "Did we save the world?"

"For now." His hand tenses on my arm.

I turn to him. "For now?"

"Evil will always exist. We'll have to fight it again." He shifts his position, holds my shoulders, and looks straight in my eyes with a serious expression. "Thank you, Adele. You helped me very much."

Disappointment possesses me. I expected more than 'thank you', much more. Did he kiss me to pay for my help? Damn! I love this man! I expected anything else after that kiss but thank you.

I break visual contact in order to hide the tears that appear in my eyes. I'm afraid to start to cry at the moment I open my mouth and my voice fails. However, I must say something.

"I did what I had to do. After all, my mother and her assistants violated your tomb." I shrug as if it doesn't have any importance, as if I don't have a broken heart.

Anhuren is an embodiment of a god, he can't be cheated so easily. He holds my chin and turns my face to him. "I'm sorry, Adele."

I'm sorry? Again? In a fluid movement I push myself to my feet. "Stop saying 'I'm sorry' okay?" My voice is loud, full of anger.

He gets up and stops in front of me. "I can't meet your expectations."

I throw my hands up. "That's the problem! You meet my expectations, very much!" I can't hold the tears anymore, I can't hold my emotions. I've done it since my father's funeral. "I love you, Anhuren, but you don't have the same feelings for me."

He extends his arm toward me and narrows his eyebrows as I step backward. "It isn't what you think, Adele."

I smirk and cross my arms in front of my chest. "You just kissed me because I kissed you first."

"It's true."

My jaw drops open. "You just wanted to prove that I don't know how to kiss, and that kiss in the museum wasn't a kiss."

"It isn't true." He hesitates and moves his half-naked body toward me. "I wouldn't kiss you, Adele, but when you kissed me, I couldn't..." His voice fails. "I love you, Adele."

With one step he closes the gap between us. His arms wrap my body and his lips move against mine.

I intertwine my fingers on the nape of his neck. I tiptoe and respond to his kisses with much more enthusiasm. He loves me. He does! What comes next? I don't care. I just savor his mouth and let his warm body heats mine in the cold night.

The kiss is too short. Lifting his head, Anhuren looks to the sides and then to the bottom of the mountain. "Anubis is here. It is time," he says at last.

"What does it mean?" I ask as Anhuren holds my hand and walks to the edge of the mountain. He runs his hand across my waist, pulls me against him, steps forward, and floats in the air carrying me to the bottom of the mountain.

On the ground, he holds my face with both hands. "I have to go, Adele."

I shake my head. No. "No!" I protest. "Where are you going?"

"I don't belong to this place, to this era. Anubis is here to take me back to the afterlife." He touches his forehead to mine. "That's why I fought this love. I didn't want you to fall in love with me."

Tears blur my vision. I crush his muscles as if I can prevent him from leaving. "You can't do this! I love you. You love me."

His lips touch mine, they are shuddering. His entire body is shuddering against me. Stopping the kiss, he steps backward and releases me. "You are my goddess of war. I'll be always watching out for you."

At that moment, I understand that I can't do or say anything to keep Anhuren with me. He has to go. I grasp an arrow and walk toward him. "Keep it with you, it's a memento of our short time together."

He holds the arrow and studies it a little. "I don't need it to keep you alive in my heart, in my mind. But I'll keep it always with me."

He grasps a bracelet and hands it to me. "It'll protect you."

I tiptoe and press a short kiss on his lips.

"Bye, Adele." He walks to his tomb.

"Bye, my god of war," I whisper.

A knot forms in my throat as I watch Anhuren enter the mountain and head to his tomb. He is returning to the afterlife and leaving me here. Alone.