Authors: Jade Allen
****
Akusaa.
The
name reverberated through Liora's mind as the woman leapt gracefully down from
the boulder and approached her. Liora had heard the name before during her
studies. It meant "sunset", and as Akusaa grew closer Liora felt like
the name fit her perfectly. She was lovely and mysterious, her eyes a shade of
violet that reminded Liora of the streaks across an autumn sunset. There was
enough brightness in her to remind Liora of the sun, but she was soft around
the edges like the gently coming night.
"Come with
me," she said, reaching out her hand.
Liora took her hand
and allowed Akusaa to guide her away from the pyramid and toward the trees. She
could feel the man's eyes on her as they walked, but she didn't look back at
him. Akusaa didn't release her hand as they passed through the trees, but her
skin didn't have the heat of the man's and Liora found the touch comforting as
she moved away from the only connection to Earth and deeper into the unknown
planet.
"What is your
name?" Akusaa asked.
"Liora."
Akusaa nodded as if
pondering the name and determining if it was appropriate.
"You'll have to
forgive my brother. Amasis has a strong temper, especially when it comes to the
pyramids."
The name brought a
smile to Liora's lips.
"Why is
that?" she asked.
"He is very
serious about their history and our link with Earth. That is where you came
from."
She said it as a
statement rather than a question and Liora nodded.
"I don't know
how," she admitted.
"You were meant
to be here."
Liora didn't realize
they had approached another building until Akusaa released her hand and opened
a large wooden door. She followed the dark-haired woman into the building and
down a short hallway into a massive room that seemed to take up the entire
space of the building. Steam rose out of the center of the floor and Liora
walked toward it, letting out a sigh when she saw it came from a tub sunken
into the stone floor. Even though it got her clean, the outdoor shower at the
camp never felt like enough and the idea of a bath made her feel weak in the
knees.
"Go ahead,"
Akusaa said from the doorway as if she had read Liora's mind, "I thought
you might like to bathe."
Liora wanted to be
offended by the comment, but she knew that a fine film of dirt and sand covered
her skin, and her hair hung limply from sweat. Without hesitation she started
to undress, waiting until Akusaa stepped out of the room to remove all of her
clothing and step down into the tub.
The hot water rose
around her and Liora let out a long moan as she felt weeks of tension dissolve
from her muscles and her body relax into the tub. She let her head rest back
against the side of the tub and closed her eyes. The sound of light footsteps
behind her told her that Akusaa had returned, but she didn't lift her head.
Liora heard the soft sound of something pouring into the bath and a sweet,
powdery smell filled her nose. She opened her eyes and saw Akusaa tipping a
golden liquid from an intricate glass vial into the water. She should have felt
uncomfortable with a stranger standing beside her bath, but Akusaa's calming
presence made Liora relax even further into the water.
A moment later she
felt the woman kneel behind her and loosen the clips that held her hair in
place. Her long fingers combed through the blond strands, loosening them until
they spread out around Liora's head.
"Slide
down," Akusaa whispered, and Liora complied, easing her body off of the
step where she sat and onto the bottom of the tub.
Liora felt water
stream through her hair and then smelled something fresh and soothing. Akusaa
washed her hair carefully, then poured more water through it.
"My brother has
been waiting for you," Akusaa whispered.
Liora's eyes opened
sharply.
"What do you
mean?" she asked.
The lovely woman
touched her face gently, tracing it with her fingers.
"He said you
would come."
Akusaa placed a stack
of towels beside the tub and draped something white across a low bench. Without
another word, she walked out of the building, leaving Liora alone and confused.
Liora took a long
breath and reached beside her to pick up a sponge. She dipped it into the water
and trailed it along her skin, thinking about Akusaa's words and the feeling
they created low in her belly. It reminded her of the feeling that came from
touching the hieroglyphs and from the heat that radiated from Amasis's skin.
When she finished
bathing, Liora climbed reluctantly from the tub and dried herself on the soft
towels before picking up the cloth that Akusaa had placed on the bench. It felt
like fluid in her hands and when she unfolded it, she saw that it was a long
white dress. She dropped it over her head and let it flutter down her body so
that the fabric grazed her skin and touched her feet.
Shaking her wet hair
around her shoulders, she walked out of the building and back toward the
pyramid.
****
"Child of the
moon."
Amasis turned from the
pyramid and she saw his eyes travel along her body where she stood on the
boulder at the edge of the trees.
"That's what your
name means," she said.
"I know," he
said, approaching her slowly.
"Your sister is
older than you?"
"Yes. First comes
the sunset, then comes the moon."
Liora smiled as he
came closer. The height of the boulder made it so that his face aligned with
her belly and she could feel the heat radiating off of him again.
"She said that
you knew I would come. What did she mean by that?"
Amasis leaned forward
and brushed his face across her stomach, touching it just enough that the thin
fabric of the dress moved across her skin. She drew in a breath, startled by
the touch but craving more.
"Can I show you
something?" he asked.
Liora nodded and he
placed his hands on her waist, lifting her with the ease of a doll and placing
her on her feet on the ground beside him. His fingers intertwined with hers as
he led her toward the pyramid. The touch was not calming like Akusaa's, but hot
and electrifying, making her hand tingle and her body respond as though it
already knew him.
Amasis led her around
the pyramid, walking close along its side until the passed it and stepped out
onto a stretch of tall grass. She looked out in front of her, gasping at the
sight of more than a dozen pyramids scattered across the bottom of what looked
like a massive quarry dug deeply into the ground of the jungle.
"What is
this?" she asked.
"Ruins," he
replied.
The tone of his voice
was reverent, holding the same deep respect and shade of awe that she knew hers
had when she spoke of the ancient buildings in Egypt.
"Ruins of
what?" she asked.
"Come see."
Amasis guided her
along an overgrown path that led down into the quarry. She walked carefully,
the ground beneath her pressing painfully into her bare feet, but the lure of
his hand kept her from stopping.
"We visited Earth
thousands of years ago," he said, walking up to one of the pyramids and
resting his hand against its slowly crumbling side.
"Egypt," she
said.
He looked back at her
and nodded, then guided her further into the eerily silent empty city of
pyramids.
"We taught the
humans there about our culture and helped them raise their own pyramids just
like ours. My ancestor was there."
Liora watched as he
ran his hand along a symbol embedded in the side of another of the pyramids and
when he moved it she saw that it was the circles she had seen on the wall in
the pyramid she studied.
"This is his name
in our ancient language. Seker. It means the night sun."
"The moon."
Liora's mind was
spinning. She had felt such an intense connection to that symbol, but now she
was realizing that it was not that symbol, but the man in front of her, the
descendant who had been named for the extraterrestrial visitor who had engraved
that hieroglyph into the stone when the pyramid was still new, that drew her
toward it.
"He wanted so
much for our people and the humans to cooperate, to learn from one another, and
to exist together civilly."
"He engraved that
into the pyramid. I found that inscription this morning."
"Yes.
Unfortunately, the humans were not as open to the relationship. It wasn't long
before our people decided that the Earth was a desolate place and the humans
there could never be tamed enough for an allegiance to benefit our kind. The
ambassadors returned and they sealed the portals that connected our
worlds."
"Then how did I
get here?"
"I don't know. No
one has passed through that portal since they returned. I have been studying
these pyramids my entire life and I have no explanation for it."
Amasis pulled her
closer so that the front of her body touched his and she felt the searing heat
building again.
"Your skin feels
so hot," she said, wanting at the same time to pull away from the heat and
to press closer to him.
"It's because of
you," he whispered back, "It's how the men of my kind react to our
mates."
Her eyes raised to his
and she felt like she was falling into them, suddenly recognizing the color as
the rare shade of the sky when the moon is full and the glow reflects from the
clouds, illuminating the area just around it.
"How did you know
I was coming?" she asked.
Without responding,
Amasis guided her toward another pyramid and ducked inside. The cool, dark
interior was a welcome relief from the bright sunlight outside, but being in
the small building made her even more aware of Amasis's body.
"This is the
portal my ancestor used. When he engraved the pyramid on Earth, the message
appeared here," he touched the wall to show the section of hieroglyphics,
"These," he said, pointing to a much newer set of engravings,
"are mine."
Liora stepped forward
and squinted in the faint light of the chamber at the engravings. They looked
like the ones from the tiny chamber she entered behind the false wall.
"You made
those?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes. Every time
you touched my Seker's mark, I could feel it. I knew you belonged here with me
and I wanted to connect with you, so I started making carvings. It wasn't until
today that I knew you found them. I never imagined that they would bring you
here."
"Why didn't I
come to this pyramid, then? Why did I end up in the other one?"
Amasis shook his head.
"I don't
know."
He took a step
forward, the increased pressure of his body causing her to step back. She
pressed against the wall just as she had when he guided her up against the
first pyramid, but this time he flattened his hands to the wall on either side
of her.
"What does your
name mean?" he said, the sound of the impending storm rolling through her
body and sending a shiver into her core.
"It means 'my
light'."
Amasis rested one hand
against her cheek and she tilted her face to brush her lips across his palm.
"Yes," he
said so softly she barely heard him, "That is exactly what you are."
His lips touched hers
gently, cautiously as if he gauging her reaction. The burn of his skin
intensified until she worried she couldn't stand touching him any longer. He
could sense her discomfort and tucked his head into the curve of her neck and
shoulder.
"Only you can
feel the heat," he said into her skin.
He touched a kiss to
her neck and she shivered.
"Will you always
feel this way to me?"
"No. Only for
now."
Liora raised her lips
to his and he caught them, letting his mouth nurture hers patiently until it
opened and he could glide his tongue inside. She whimpered against his mouth,
sighing at the feel of his mouth and the taste of his kiss. Her hands grazed
across his back, the ever-increasing temperature of his skin stinging on her
palms but she didn't care as she reveled in the curves and planes of his
muscles.
Amasis deepened their
kiss and Liora gave in to the temptation that had been driving her to the brink
of her control since the moment she laid eyes on his stunning body. She ran her
hands along his hips to the front of the tan pants that were his only garment.
Slim brown strings tied them in place and her fingers worked quickly over the
knot, releasing it so that she could ease the pants off of his hips and off of
him.
"Does anyone else
ever come here?" she asked, kissing the middle of his chest.
"No," he
replied through labored breath.
"Good," she
said, running her fingertips along the hard length of the erection she had
revealed.
Amasis gasped and his
elbows bent, bringing his body closer to hers. She lifted her mouth to his and
continued her slow torment, tracing her fingers along the ridges of his veins
and the edge of the head, pausing to swirl into the most sensitive place on the
underside. His breath came in ragged pants as if he was struggling to control
himself. Liora touched one fingertip to the very tip of his erection, making it
slick with the droplet of fluid that had formed there, and then ran it back
down to the base.
Suddenly Amasis tore
his mouth away from hers and looked down at her, his eyes flashing and his jaw
set.
"If you are going
to touch me," he said, reaching down and wrapping her hand tightly around
his shaft, "Then touch me."
Liora gasped as he
pressed her palm even more firmly against his cock and guided it to stroke him.
She used her free hand to push his chest until he stepped back, forcing him
against the small chamber until it was his back that was against the wall. He
groaned as she held him still and stroked him with a fast, smooth rhythm that
belied the patience she had maintained only moments before. His hands came
forward to grip her hips and his eyes closed.
The sounds pouring
from Amasis's chest grew desperate and she could feel his shaft hardening even
more as he rushed toward climax. He made a gasping sound that told her he was
right on the brink and she lowered to her knees, bringing him into her mouth
just as her name came from him in a strangled gasp and he began to pulse
against her tongue. She swallowed deeply, milking him until his loud cries
quieted and his body relaxed. Even as she climbed to her feet she noticed the
temperature of his skin dropping.
Her heart swelled as
he drew her close to him. She suddenly felt whole for the first time in her
life and she knew exactly what Amasis meant when he called her his mate.
"So that's all it
took to cool you off?" she asked.
He gave a short laugh
through breaths that were still trying to normalize.
"That's
all," he confirmed, "We are bonded now. You belong to me now."
"Oh,
really?"
He nodded and kissed
her.
"And I belong to
you."
Liora ran one hand
along his chest and nuzzled against him.
"Well, if that's
the case," she lifted her head and bit his bottom lip playfully,
"Then come cool me off."