Immortal Dynasty by Lynda Haviland Page A

to the humans.
    She also noticed a larger machine pull out after him, following a short distance behind.
    Keep walking around naked like that and you’ll have more men under your control than you can count.
    She heard the words in her head, but they were not her own. Time had not faded her recognition of the voice. She spun around until she spied the cat sitting proudly on the counter again.
    “Bessie?”
    With only a whisper of sound, black fur smoothed into cream-colored skin. The cat’s form arched and stretched to form a full-grown woman with black spiky hair, a variety of colorful body paints, and jewelry piercings in interesting places. Leathery fabric spooled from thin air and wrapped itself around her body. The final touch appeared from her mouth with a tiny pop…some sweet treat on a stick.
    The woman launched from the counter. Shaila nearly fell over, but she welcomed the warm feeling of being totally enwrapped with arms and legs. Bessie was very dear to her. It hurt to realize that she had caused her sister pain by disappearing so suddenly and without saying goodbye. Shaila hugged her tight.
    “Sister, I’ve missed you.” Bessie wiped fat tears from her cheeks and popped the sweet back into her mouth.
    “I have missed you too. I am so glad to see you.” Shaila stumbled over to a chair, suddenly fatigued. “My body is slow in remembering how to move.”
    “Can’t you heal yourself?”
    Shaila shook her head. “I cannot seem to connect with my astral spirit.”
    Bessie poured water into a small metal machine. “You have to try this stuff. It’s called coffee. It might help perk you up. But it’s really addicting.”
    “Bessie, where is our mother?”
    The water burbled through the machine on the counter, the aroma filling the small kitchen. Bessie inhaled deeply. “I don’t really know. It’s been a couple thousand years since I last saw Inanna. She and Uncle Seth were dealing with a problem.”
    “What problem?”
    “Lilith. Need I say more?” The machine sputtered as the stream of liquid came to an end.
    “Tell me. What happened?”
    “Lilith was up to her usual tricks, trying to rule the world and all that. The humans loved her though. Queen Cleopatra. She’d finally become queen of something, but she screwed it all up again. Nearly exposed us all.”
    “How?”
    “By falling in love with a Roman named Marc Antony.” Bessie’s stomach growled. “She’d told her lover all about us. But of course, she told her side of it, making us sound like slave owners. In the end, good old Uncle Seth had to silence the womanizing idiot forever.”
    “What about Lilith?”
    “Uncle Seth took care of her too. He sealed her in a rock and sank it deep into a seabed. She shouldn’t have ever been found.” Bessie poured herself a second cup, smiling as she inhaled the aroma. “God, I love this stuff.”
    “Do you know how she escaped?”
    Bessie shook her head. “I guess we’ll need to find out. So we don’t make the same mistake twice.”
    Shaila poured herself a cup, eager to sample what her sister was enjoying. It smelled divine. Taking a small sip, she nearly gagged on the taste. She fanned the bitter burning sensation on her tongue.
    “Bessie, how did I come to be in Lilith’s possession? Where are the other items from the tomb? The child?”
    “I’ve been trying to find out, but it’s really hard avoiding that jerk son of hers.”
    “Therion?”
    “The one and only. He’s definitely the spawn of Apophis.” She shivered and brushed her arms as if to remove something disgusting.
    “Yes, but he is more like a human for now.”
    “Maybe not for long. Lilith has a plan to find the amulet.” Bessie paused. “Today, she hired Darius to find it for her.”
    “Darius works for her?” Shaila’s voice dropped just a fraction.
    “No. He hates her guts.” Bessie finished her coffee and dropped the cup into a washing area. “No, Darius is being forced to help Lilith. His grandfather