Luxor, Egypt
As they walked outside the airport, they were greeted by Hatshepsut.
Senemut was instantly mesmerized by Hatshepsut’s attire.
She wore an oversized linen shirt that barely covered her shoulders with wide legged pants that flowed gracefully over her form and down to her ankles.
Her gold colored sandals peeked from underneath its edges.
Her hair hung loose and wavy.
Her ominous eye was uncovered but Hatshepsut’s raven locks covered it well.
Hatshepsut glanced up at Senemut as she helped with the bags.
She noticed that he was staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
“I didn’t realize how short you were,” Senemut said quickly.
“I am not wearing heels,” Hatshepsut said frowning.
“You forget that you were not that tall either in your human life.
Your ‘affliction’ made you the height you are now.”
“How right you are.”
“Was your flight pleasant?” Hatshepsut asked, trying to change the subject.
“It was a long one,” Senemut said.
Hatshepsut smiled as she led them to a large sand colored Hummer with big wheels.
Xander was spellbound by the shiny chrome rims and guard rails.
“How big are those rims?” Xander asked, no longer able to contain his excitement.
Hatshepsut just shrugged her shoulders.
“I am not sure.
I told the man I wanted the biggest tires that the truck could have, since I use it for off road driving.”
“How ‘off road’ are we going?” Raylin asked, putting her luggage in the back.
“Pardon?” Hatshepsut asked, confused.
“You will have to excuse Raylin,” Senemut said.
“She believes that you have led us all out here to kill us.”
Hatshepsut turned to look at Raylin with a raised eyebrow.
Raylin stared back with her own eyebrow raised with defiance.
Hatshepsut laughed.
“Let me assure you, if I had any intention of killing any of you,” Hatshepsut said, turning away and opening the driver side door, “You would already be dead.
So ease your mind.
My intentions are pure.”
“Pure evil,” Raylin said to herself as she got into the Hummer.
“Well, I feel assured,” Xander said, jumping into the truck.
“She could have a gun to your head and you’d still feel assured,” Xaria said, sliding in behind him.
Senemut threw the last of the bags into the back and shut the door.
“Here we go,” Hatshepsut said, starting the truck.
They began driving through the city.
The city was bustling with tourists and filled with ruins that Xaria marveled at as they passed by ancient temples.
Soon, the buildings became fewer and fewer until there was nothing but sand and rocks.
“She’s driving us out into the middle of nowhere,” Raylin muttered under her breath as she stared out the window at the passing scenery.
Hatshepsut glared at Raylin in the rearview mirror and then pulled out a remote.
Hatshepsut made a sharp turn towards a heap of rocks.
She pressed a button and the rocks began to part.
They drove through the opening and down a lit tunnel until it ended at a large garage containing other vehicles.
“We are here,” Hatshepsut said, pulling to a stop.
“We’re staying underground?” Xaria asked.
“I like my privacy,” Hatshepsut said.
“But do not worry.
There is running water and electricity.
Each bedroom has a television.
You will not be living in the Stone Ages while you are here.”
She walked across the garage to the opposite wall and placed her hand on one of the stones.
The stone lit up and scanned her hand.
After a beep, a section of the wall slid open revealing a hall.
Hatshepsut motioned for them to follow and they all went down the short hallway as the wall closed behind them.
They all stopped short as Hatshepsut suddenly turned around to the face them.
“I would like to welcome you to my home,” Hatshepsut said, waving her hand towards the open space ahead.
She smiled as she led them into the big room ahead.
There were gasps and ‘OMG’s’ from every mouth.
Even Raylin let out a small gasp of amazement as they walked in.
The space itself was the length of a football field with two rows of carved sand stone columns lined down the length of the room.
Balconies lined the upper floor of the room, divided only by a massive alabaster staircase.
The walls, upstairs and down, were carved with different Egyptian images that were painted in vibrant reds, browns, and gold.
In the very middle of the room was a large pool with fountains on each corner, filling it with crystal clear water.
On the end closest to them were plush couches and chairs with lavish coverings.
On the other end of the pool was a long solid ebony table lined with high-back chairs and behind that was an area that looked like a kitchen.
On the last side of the pool was a big wooden door.
The space was lit by numerous chandeliers and lamps that were dotted across the area.
Everyone was speechless.
“Hatshepsut,” Senemut began, overwhelmed, “how did you build this?”
“It’s amazing what you can do with ice and time,” Hatshepsut said.
“I am sure you all are hungry and tired.
The bedrooms are upstairs.
Each has its own balcony and a bathroom with a shower.
If you would like a bath, you will have to go across the hall for that.
Pick a room.
It does not matter which.
While you are doing that, I will cook something for you.”
“Cool,” Xander said, walking towards the stairs.
“I hope you cook better than Sen,” Xaria said following Xander.
Raylin left without saying a word.
Hatshepsut turned to Senemut and gave him an odd look.
“What?” he asked.
“How do you cook?
I thought conventional food made you ill.”
“I’ve learned to cope.”
“So does that mean you no longer have to consume raw flesh?”
“No,” Senemut said, looking down.
“I still crave human flesh.”
“Hmmm,” Hatshepsut said walking to the other end of the room towards the kitchen.
“I haven’t been partaking, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Senemut said, walking behind her.
“Are the woodland animals enough for you?”
“They have been so far.”
Hatshepsut shook her head and began grabbing bowls from the cabinets.
Senemut looked at her expression.
It was one of confusion and amusement at the same time.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked her.
Hatshepsut looked up at him.
“Why do you put yourself at risk?
Being in close quarters with humans when you know that if for one moment you lose control that you would massacre them all?
Playing parent and teacher could very well get you into trouble.
Are your wards aware that you would prefer them over wildlife?”
I haven’t had a slip up since that time we ran into each other in London.
It still haunts me.”
“I suppose that means that you are still in touch with your humanity.
Guilt is very human.”
Senemut smiled at her words.
He watched her as she mixed her ingredients into the bowl.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Senemut asked.
“Because I do not have to eat does not mean I do not know how to cook,” Hatshepsut said, glaring at Senemut.
“If you followed me in here only to ridicule, then you may leave.”
“I didn’t come in here to poke fun,” Senemut said, leaning against the counter.
“I actually want to discuss something with you.”
“Discuss what?”
“I would like to resume what we were talking about the other day.
You mentioned that you thought that you may have been deceived into killing some guardians.”
“Yes.”
“One of them didn’t happen to be Ochiru Tenshi?”
He watched Hatshepsut as she stopped stirring and looked up at him.
“Where did you hear that name?”
“From Geisha.”
Hatshepsut put her bowl down.
“How do you know her?”
“I’ve known the Tenshi for quite some time.
Maybe you should get out more and get to know the other immortals.”
“You still did not tell me how you know Geisha,” Hatshepsut said as she continued her stirring.
“You still haven’t told me whether or not you killed Ochiru.”
“You answer my question and I will answer yours,” Hatshepsut said, playfully.
“You think you’re clever don’t you?”
“I do not think,” Hatshepsut said smiling.
“I know.”
Senemut chuckled.
“Geisha and I were an item once upon a time.”
“Hmm, interesting.”
“I answered yours.
Now answer mine.”
“Perhaps I am responsible for his disappearance.
Are you happy now?”
“No,” Senemut snapped concerned.
“I’m far from it.
Hatshepsut, do you realize what you have brought down upon yourself?”
“You make it sound as if I brought the wrath of the gods upon me.”
“You might as well have.
They’re not human.
The Tenshi consist of half gods and demons.
Ochiru was once a god that decided to dwell among man.
He has four children, two sons, Touch and Reaper, and two daughters, Geisha and Requiem.
Believe me when I say that they are nothing to take lightly and now they’re looking for you.”
“Did Geisha tell you that?” Hatshepsut asked with sarcasm.
“What is the big deal about this family?
It seems they bring fear to everyone around them.
What makes them so ‘bad-ass’ anyway?
Please, regale me.”
“They are guardians like you and I, but they pose as a crime family, smuggling antiques and what not.
They have been around longer than we have.
I think they’re about four or five hundred years older than us.”
“So their age is what makes them so feared.”
“No, it’s their abilities.
The oldest, Touch, is pretty easy to identify.
His head is shaven and he has two long scars on the left side of his face.
They extend from his head to his chin.
He had once been a monk and believed that demons could be dealt with in a more humane way.
He found out the hard way that there is no humane way to deal with evil.
He possesses great power, as they all do.
Touch has the ability to heal or kill simply by touch.”
“If he has the power to heal, why does he not do something about his face?”
“He keeps the scars as a reminder of his previous mistake.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then there’s Geisha.
She also has a distinctive look.
She wears her makeup similar to how the geishas of old wore theirs.
She has the ability to create weapons from her body.
She can conjure anything from anywhere.
Swords can come from her hands, bullets from her mouth.
She has this extremely long red hair which she can harden and use as a weapon as well.
I’ve seen her use it as a flail.
It wasn’t pretty.
Actually, you two have a lot in common.
If you hadn’t killed her father, you two could have been very good friends.”
“I think not.”
Hatshepsut’s expression made him smile.
Her full lips had curled up in one corner in an odd smirk that made her nose wrinkle.
Senemut wanted to take his finger and trace her lips.
He wanted to feel their softness against his.
How long had it been since he kissed those lips?
“Did you not say there were four siblings?” Hatshepsut asked, looking up.
“Ah .
.
.
yea,” Senemut said, snapping out of his daze.
“Let’s see .
.
.
I mentioned Touch and Geisha.
Next is Reaper.
He has the ability to reach into a being and snatch out their soul.
He takes great pleasure in doing it.
Then, if he feels so inclined, he consumes it.”
Hatshepsut set her bowl down and looked up at Senemut.
“He eats souls?” Hatshepsut asked.
“I thought he was supposed to be a ‘good’ guy.”
“He is.
He only eats the worst souls so that they won’t be recycled.
You know, reincarnated.”
“How lovely.”
“Then there is the youngest, Requiem.”
The tone of Senemut’s voice made Hatshepsut look up again.
It was full of dread. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
He didn’t like to think about her.
“Senemut?” Hatshepsut said, becoming concerned.
“Requiem is something special,” he continued.
“She is the most dangerous of them all.
She is a very skilled witch but that isn’t the talent she was born with.
Her singing is her most potent gift.
Her song brings death upon those who have spilled the blood of the innocent.
Her singing brings extreme pain to its listener and it works quickly.
It begins in the head.
It feels as if your brain is on fire.
It stops you in your tracks instantly.
Soon, it spreads throughout your whole body like a wildfire.
You can’t fight back.
You can’t run away.
You just have to endure it until it finally takes your life.”
Senemut felt a chill.
He came back to reality and realized that Hatshepsut had her cool hands on his face.
He was shaking slightly, but he found great comfort in Hatshepsut’s touch.
He placed his hand on hers and gazed into her eye.
He could see her concern looking back at him.
“All is well,” Hatshepsut said, soothingly.
“You need not speak of it anymore.”
“No.
I must make you understand.
They are the last people that you should’ve angered.
They have been vanquishing evil for millennia after millennia, and they are quite good at it.”
“You obviously survived them.”
“Thanks to their father.
He saw that I was more than what I appeared.”
“This is my worry,” Hatshepsut said, taking her hands away from his face.
“Not yours.”
“Wrong,” Senemut said pulling her back.
He wanted her to keep touching him.
He wanted her close.
How long had it been since he felt her touch?
Smell her scent?
But he needed to focus.
He needed to make her understand.
“You can’t handle them alone.
Even though their powers are impressive, it is not their powers you should worry about.
It is their skill.
Each has been trained in the way of the ninja since birth.
If war was a woman, it would be Geisha.
She is quite fluent in many fighting styles.
And weapons?
I don’t think man has created one that she is not an expert in its use not to mention she is very familiar with the human body.
That is how she kills so effectively.
That is what makes her dangerous.
Their mystical energy is probably not enough to hurt you badly, but if she amplifies it and applies it in the right place, she could easily kill you.
You will need help.
I don’t think you understand that.”
“I will be fine,” Hatshepsut said looking up at Senemut.
He could see her discomfort.
“As you said, Geisha’s mystical energy is weak.
She would have to put her blade in me to have any hope of killing me.”
“This is not a time for your arrogance!” Senemut said taking hold of
her shoulders.
He gently shook her.
“I need you to understand the risk Geisha presents.
If you don’t, you could very well get yourself killed.
I can’t let you die.”
Senemut slowly slid his hands from her shoulders and up her neck until he was caressing her face.
He brushed the hair out of her face so that he could gaze into her eyes.
He didn’t realize how his own words would affect him.
The thought of something happening to Hatshepsut was unbearable.
He could feel despair creeping into his thoughts.
“Senemut,” Hatshepsut said softly.
“I can’t let you die,” he repeated.
“I can’t live in a world where you don’t exist.
If you die, I die.” Senemut could feel the weight of his words.
The thought of a world where Hatshepsut didn’t exist crushed Senemut.
He couldn’t allow that to happen.
He wouldn’t.
As he looked at Hatshepsut, feelings he never knew he had flooded him.
Tremendous love and desire rushed forth like a tidal wave.
He bent his head down and kissed her.
It began gently.
He could taste Hatshepsut’s resistance.
It inflamed him even more.
Soon the taste of Hatshepsut’s resistance melted away to passion.
He felt Hatshepsut arms encircle his neck and hold him tightly.
Her lips moved in tune with his.
She tastes so sweet.
Have you always tasted this sweet?
Senemut held her tightly against him.
He wanted her body to be one with his.
He wanted to slip back to a time he wished he remembered where they were each other’s world and nothing else mattered.
Senemut picked Hatshepsut up and sat her on the counter.
He grabbed one of her legs behind the knee and put it around his waist.
He could feel the bulge in his pants becoming harder as his groin pressed hard between Hatshepsut’s legs.
He felt Hatshepsut’s body tense.
It was followed by a searing pain in his back where Hatshepsut had placed her hand.
Senemut broke free from Hatshepsut and began cursing in Egyptian.
“What tha—!” Senemut exclaimed.
“What was that about?”
“You took advantage of my pity,” she said, sliding down off the counter.
“I was only diverting your attention elsewhere.”
“You could have just said no,” Senemut said bracing himself against the counter.
“What if I had spit venom as a reaction to your ‘diversion’?
Roman isn’t here to cure you and I don’t think that I could convince Raylin to do so.”
“I like to live on the edge,” Hatshepsut said sarcastically as she went back to fixing dinner.
“Go find something to do with yourself instead of hindering me.”
“Reckless woman,” Senemut grumbled as he walked out of the kitchen.
He took one look back and saw Hatshepsut touch her lips with a bemused expression.
Then she began to smile faintly as she went about her work.
Senemut smiled as he walked out.