frightened.
“Yes?”
His voice rumbled through her body again. Her heart thudded as the pulsations reached there. That was disconcerting. Maybe she’d be better served sitting in a separate seat.
“I...don’t understand this.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“I learned of immortality a long time ago, habibi, but I still recall. I was disbelieving, too. Incredulous. Skeptical. Despite being desperate at the time.”
“Desperate?”
“I was near death. Murdered by the hand of my own brother.”
“Sokar. Please. I can’t bend reality that far. Okay? You are not a vampire. They don’t exist. It’s not possible.”
“Take your time, little one. We have that. Eons of it. Trust me.”
“You need to tell me what’s really going on. And be truthful this time. Okay?”
“Very well. What do you want to know?”
He ran a finger along her arm, starting at her elbow and moving upward. Geena’s shoulder lifted before he reached it. All kinds of reactions burst into being. She didn’t dare look up. Her breasts tightened. Her belly quivered. The area around her heart warmed rapidly and markedly. She didn’t know which sensation was the worst.
“Perhaps I...should move to another...seat.”
The words limped out. His finger stopped just beneath her chin.
“Is that what you wish?”
He held his breath, as if worried over her answer. And something was really odd here. She was holding her breath, too. Geena steeled herself and looked up. Sokar’s greenish-yellow eyes gleamed, as if polished by a patina of moisture.
“Who named you Sokar?”
“I did.”
“Not your parents?”
“My parents were long dead.”
“Okay. We need a ground rule. You answer truthfully, but without putting vampirism into the equation. Can you do that?”
“I shall try.”
He looked like he spoke truthfully. There wasn’t a shred of guile showing in his eyes. Geena was snagged. Gazing into Sokar’s eyes was addictive. Intoxicating. Mesmeric. She couldn’t seem to pull away. She must be weaker than she thought. She sighed audibly. His lips twitched, showing he heard it.
“Um. Why did you choose a name of a god of the dead?”
“Tombs were being robbed. Sacred mummies of kings and queens defiled. Unwrapped for their amulets and then burned. I moved my father’s tomb. I needed a curse to protect it and a name to back the curse. Sokar was a good one to choose.”
“What’s your real name?”
“Which one?”
“The real one.”
“Pharaohs have five names.”
Pharaohs have five names. He’d just said pharaohs. That really should bother her more.
“My birth name is Senusret. I picked out Horus Menkaure for my Horus name. Ahmose for my two-ladies name. My golden Horus name would have been Senusret the Fourth, as would my Son of Re —”
“Uh. Wait. Wait. Back up. What is a two-ladies name?”
“You have noted the vulture and cobra on the crown? They are on most statues. Right at the front.”
Had she?
Geena was having a hard time concentrating. And worse. She really didn’t want to. He took her expression to mean agreement and continued his explanation. Good thing. There was a light humming sound filling her ears. It didn’t come from the plane engines.
“These carvings represent Nekhbet and Wadjet , goddesses of the two lands, Upper and Lower Egypt. They are known as the two ladies. Every pharaoh has a name for their use.”
“Oh, Sokar. This is too unreal for me. I mean...”
Her voice trailed off. It had something to do with how he’d moved his hands. He had both of them at her back and shoulders and was massaging all kinds of pleasure into being with each stroke. It felt wonderful despite being utterly wrong. She yawned.
“Where...are we going?” The words were slurred. No. She clarified it mentally. They sounded more like they’d been purred.
“My compound.”
“You have a com...pound?”
“Yes. I have many of them.”
“You do?”
“I have lived a very long time, habibi . I have
“Yes?”
His voice rumbled through her body again. Her heart thudded as the pulsations reached there. That was disconcerting. Maybe she’d be better served sitting in a separate seat.
“I...don’t understand this.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“I learned of immortality a long time ago, habibi, but I still recall. I was disbelieving, too. Incredulous. Skeptical. Despite being desperate at the time.”
“Desperate?”
“I was near death. Murdered by the hand of my own brother.”
“Sokar. Please. I can’t bend reality that far. Okay? You are not a vampire. They don’t exist. It’s not possible.”
“Take your time, little one. We have that. Eons of it. Trust me.”
“You need to tell me what’s really going on. And be truthful this time. Okay?”
“Very well. What do you want to know?”
He ran a finger along her arm, starting at her elbow and moving upward. Geena’s shoulder lifted before he reached it. All kinds of reactions burst into being. She didn’t dare look up. Her breasts tightened. Her belly quivered. The area around her heart warmed rapidly and markedly. She didn’t know which sensation was the worst.
“Perhaps I...should move to another...seat.”
The words limped out. His finger stopped just beneath her chin.
“Is that what you wish?”
He held his breath, as if worried over her answer. And something was really odd here. She was holding her breath, too. Geena steeled herself and looked up. Sokar’s greenish-yellow eyes gleamed, as if polished by a patina of moisture.
“Who named you Sokar?”
“I did.”
“Not your parents?”
“My parents were long dead.”
“Okay. We need a ground rule. You answer truthfully, but without putting vampirism into the equation. Can you do that?”
“I shall try.”
He looked like he spoke truthfully. There wasn’t a shred of guile showing in his eyes. Geena was snagged. Gazing into Sokar’s eyes was addictive. Intoxicating. Mesmeric. She couldn’t seem to pull away. She must be weaker than she thought. She sighed audibly. His lips twitched, showing he heard it.
“Um. Why did you choose a name of a god of the dead?”
“Tombs were being robbed. Sacred mummies of kings and queens defiled. Unwrapped for their amulets and then burned. I moved my father’s tomb. I needed a curse to protect it and a name to back the curse. Sokar was a good one to choose.”
“What’s your real name?”
“Which one?”
“The real one.”
“Pharaohs have five names.”
Pharaohs have five names. He’d just said pharaohs. That really should bother her more.
“My birth name is Senusret. I picked out Horus Menkaure for my Horus name. Ahmose for my two-ladies name. My golden Horus name would have been Senusret the Fourth, as would my Son of Re —”
“Uh. Wait. Wait. Back up. What is a two-ladies name?”
“You have noted the vulture and cobra on the crown? They are on most statues. Right at the front.”
Had she?
Geena was having a hard time concentrating. And worse. She really didn’t want to. He took her expression to mean agreement and continued his explanation. Good thing. There was a light humming sound filling her ears. It didn’t come from the plane engines.
“These carvings represent Nekhbet and Wadjet , goddesses of the two lands, Upper and Lower Egypt. They are known as the two ladies. Every pharaoh has a name for their use.”
“Oh, Sokar. This is too unreal for me. I mean...”
Her voice trailed off. It had something to do with how he’d moved his hands. He had both of them at her back and shoulders and was massaging all kinds of pleasure into being with each stroke. It felt wonderful despite being utterly wrong. She yawned.
“Where...are we going?” The words were slurred. No. She clarified it mentally. They sounded more like they’d been purred.
“My compound.”
“You have a com...pound?”
“Yes. I have many of them.”
“You do?”
“I have lived a very long time, habibi . I have
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