dark braid and unwove her hair. He gently swept it over her shoulder then silently moved to pour more water down her still bleeding back. At the feel of the water, Neomee exhaled deeply, willing herself to relax and enjoy the pleasure of being given a warm bath. Such an extravagance was unheard of for a slave and she knew it.
With her eyes closed, her lips twitched in a smile as she listened to the wagtails and pipits sing outside the window. Another breeze wafted in cooling her fevered flesh . On the light gust she could smell the per fumed scent of the white lotus that grew prominently around the temple’s in Egypt . It made her think of the water lily that was also prominent, which in turn made her think of the name he’d given her .
She bit her sore li p as she looked up at Bray, “So, what happens now?”
“You get your bath.”
“You know what I mean.”
He sighed as he sat back on his heels and stared out the window . “We have been bound . It cannot be undone. It is as the Priest said, we must mate or you must die.”
She turned to stare at Bray and he met her eyes, “Mate?” She felt crimson singe her cheeks.
“Yes.”
Amon! “Will the Priest know if we do not?”
Bray chuckled, “Yes. He too is a Cat. You see when a Cat has mated his scent will forever mark his territory. Every Cat will know if we do not, and every Cat will know when we do .”
Neomee shuddered at Bray’s unveiled statement, ‘ if we do not and when we do’. He’d made it clear that th ere was little choice for her. She gritted her teeth. Mark his territory ! Territory ? Is that what he thinks of me? Annoyed, she began scrubbing her legs, “Then what? Do I live her e with you happily ever after? Do I go back to the slave quarters? Do you even want to do this for me?”
“Do this for you?” Bray ’s puzzled look infuriated her .
“You saved my life in the catacomb s, I presume out of guilt because well let’s be honest, it was your fault I was caught . Then you forced the Priest to spare my life by telling him that we were bound. Another favor. So if you don’t want to mark me, I understand. I probably wouldn’t be willing to go that far for a slave either. ”
A low warning growl emitted from him as he turned and paced the room. An angry hand plowed through his hair as he turne d to glare down at her , “It was my fault? Favors? Mark you? What is wrong with you, you can’t truly be this simple.”
Now it was Neomee’s turn to glare as she stood in the bath and faced Bray, “It was your fault. If you would have let me be as I asked you to… begged you to, I’d be half way to Karnak right now ! ”
“You’d be dead!” Bray barked, “If I hadn’t caught you another Cat would have and he wouldn’t have wasted a second severing your pretty little head from your pretty little body. This is of course after he’d put you on display for the rest of the Cats or mounted your right there in the catacombs . And as for favors, I do favors for no one .”
Neomee turned her back on him as she glared out the window. She didn’t see the pain cross his face as he eyed her back, “Then why? Why would you spare my life in the tunnels and why lie to the Priest?” Neomee shook her head and added in a whisper, “I don’t know what you want.”
“ Because i t wasn’t a lie,” Bray growled .
Neomee turned to stare at him in disbelief, mouth agape.
“Make no mistake about it my lily , we are bound and you will be my mate.”
Her hand went to the collar at her throat as she bit out angrily , “You mean I . I have been bound. I see no shackles on you!”
He closed the dista nce between them as he glared down at her, “ It is not a shack le. I t is a sign for all to see that you belong to a Cat and are never to be touched. I t will keep you safe when I can not.”
Neomee tried to rip the collar from her neck, but it
With her eyes closed, her lips twitched in a smile as she listened to the wagtails and pipits sing outside the window. Another breeze wafted in cooling her fevered flesh . On the light gust she could smell the per fumed scent of the white lotus that grew prominently around the temple’s in Egypt . It made her think of the water lily that was also prominent, which in turn made her think of the name he’d given her .
She bit her sore li p as she looked up at Bray, “So, what happens now?”
“You get your bath.”
“You know what I mean.”
He sighed as he sat back on his heels and stared out the window . “We have been bound . It cannot be undone. It is as the Priest said, we must mate or you must die.”
She turned to stare at Bray and he met her eyes, “Mate?” She felt crimson singe her cheeks.
“Yes.”
Amon! “Will the Priest know if we do not?”
Bray chuckled, “Yes. He too is a Cat. You see when a Cat has mated his scent will forever mark his territory. Every Cat will know if we do not, and every Cat will know when we do .”
Neomee shuddered at Bray’s unveiled statement, ‘ if we do not and when we do’. He’d made it clear that th ere was little choice for her. She gritted her teeth. Mark his territory ! Territory ? Is that what he thinks of me? Annoyed, she began scrubbing her legs, “Then what? Do I live her e with you happily ever after? Do I go back to the slave quarters? Do you even want to do this for me?”
“Do this for you?” Bray ’s puzzled look infuriated her .
“You saved my life in the catacomb s, I presume out of guilt because well let’s be honest, it was your fault I was caught . Then you forced the Priest to spare my life by telling him that we were bound. Another favor. So if you don’t want to mark me, I understand. I probably wouldn’t be willing to go that far for a slave either. ”
A low warning growl emitted from him as he turned and paced the room. An angry hand plowed through his hair as he turne d to glare down at her , “It was my fault? Favors? Mark you? What is wrong with you, you can’t truly be this simple.”
Now it was Neomee’s turn to glare as she stood in the bath and faced Bray, “It was your fault. If you would have let me be as I asked you to… begged you to, I’d be half way to Karnak right now ! ”
“You’d be dead!” Bray barked, “If I hadn’t caught you another Cat would have and he wouldn’t have wasted a second severing your pretty little head from your pretty little body. This is of course after he’d put you on display for the rest of the Cats or mounted your right there in the catacombs . And as for favors, I do favors for no one .”
Neomee turned her back on him as she glared out the window. She didn’t see the pain cross his face as he eyed her back, “Then why? Why would you spare my life in the tunnels and why lie to the Priest?” Neomee shook her head and added in a whisper, “I don’t know what you want.”
“ Because i t wasn’t a lie,” Bray growled .
Neomee turned to stare at him in disbelief, mouth agape.
“Make no mistake about it my lily , we are bound and you will be my mate.”
Her hand went to the collar at her throat as she bit out angrily , “You mean I . I have been bound. I see no shackles on you!”
He closed the dista nce between them as he glared down at her, “ It is not a shack le. I t is a sign for all to see that you belong to a Cat and are never to be touched. I t will keep you safe when I can not.”
Neomee tried to rip the collar from her neck, but it
Similar Books
