Another hour passed as Gerald continued to push the horse into the night. Emma was beginning to think that maybe Ardeth Bay wasn't going to rescue her after all. If he was, he was certainly taking his sweet time about it. So far there had been no hint what so ever that he was even in the vicinity. With nothing to do but think, Emma brought her thoughts around to the Med-jai leader.
When Rick had told her about their time in Hamanaptra, he had included their dealings with the mysterious leader of the Med-jai. He had told her about the hostility and the eventual respect and friendship that had developed between him and Ardeth Bay from the near disaster. What he had not told her, however, was how devastating handsome the warrior was. But of course, leave it to a guy to leave something like that out. Emma had expected an older man to be leading the Med-jai, not a young, tall, dark and handsome type. Evie would have told her had she been there when Rick told her the story. Women are good at those kinds of details.
"What did he say to you?" Gerald suddenly asked, snapping Emma out of her thoughts.
"What?" Emma asked confused.
"What did that Med-jai warrior say to you before we left Hamanaptra?" Gerald repeated, reining in the horse to stop.
Uh-oh, Emma thought to herself. Now I could be in trouble.
"I don't know what you mean, Gerald." Emma decided to play dumb. It was the wrong thing to say. Gerald pushed Emma off the horse and she landed on the ground with a thud. With the wind knocked out of her, she sat there trying to get her bearings.
"What the hell was that for?" She asked when she found she could speak.
Gerald climbed off the horse and grabbed Emma by the arm and pulled her roughly to her feet. He turned her to face him then slapped her hard across the face. Emma's head exploded as stars literally popped before her eyes. She landed in a heap on the ground unable to move.
"You play stupid with me again and you will regret the day you met me." Gerald spat.
"I already regret the day I met you, Gerald." Emma croaked as she held her hands to her stinging face, her eyes watering.
"He spoke to you in Arabic and I know you understood him. Now what the hell did he say to you?" He demanded ready to strike her again.
"I told her I would come for her." A cold, hard, familiar voice came from behind Gerald.
Gerald spun around only to have Ardeth's fist meet his face. Gerald was flung back and he tripped over Emma. Loosing his balance, he fell over and hit his head against a rock. He lay still, unmoving. Ardeth then immediately went to Emma.
"Are you alright, Emma?" He asked softly, squatting down next to her.
Emma's face hurt and she was angry that Gerald had caught her off guard and she was doubly angry that Ardeth had taken so long to rescue her.
So, like a woman, she took it out on him, "Just where the hell have you been?" She snapped sitting up. "We left Hamanaptra over 4 hours ago."
Ardeth was taken back by her anger and wasn't sure how to respond, so he shifted into his leadership role. "You have not been out of my sight since you left." He stood up and turned to walk away. "And by-the-way," He turned back to her, "I didn't have to come for you at all. I don't care if you are Rick O'Connell's sister." Which was really a lie, but he wasn't going to tell her that.
"Maybe not, but I still saved your life. You owed me that much." Emma replied haughtily.
Ardeth gave her a cool look, "And I just saved yours." He turned and disappeared into the dark.
Emma hurriedly stood up, wincing at the pain that shot through her head, "Where are you going?" She yelled. Looking back at Gerald, who lay so still, she called out to Ardeth, "Hey, is he dead?"
Ardeth reappeared sitting astride his horse. "I am heading back to Hamanaptra. As for him, I could care less if he is dead or not."
"Are you going to just leave me here?" Emma asked incredulously.
Ardeth sighed. He didn't know whether to strangle her or kiss her. "Come." He commanded. Leaning over he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up across his lap, while uttering a few choice words in Arabic.
Suddenly coming face to face with the handsome warrior left Emma a bit breathless, "You forget I can understand you." She reminded him.
"I forget nothing." Ardeth responded agitated.
They traveled in silence for a short time. Emma was very aware of his arms surrounding her. He smelled of the desert and of horse. And for the first time in several days, Emma felt safe. But at the same time she felt afraid. It was a different kind of fear than what she felt with Gerald. Gerald was a wild card; you never knew what he might do or what might set him off. But with Ardeth everything was controlled, his emotions, everything. He commanded respect and though he might kill you, at least you knew he was going to. It angered Emma that she was allowing him to intimidate her like this. She had to tell him what she had found and why Gerald and his crew had kidnapped her, but his face was closed off and invited no conversation. The tattoo on each check gave him a dangerous look and Emma had to chide herself for being afraid of Ardeth and told herself to just tell him.
"I've got some very important information I need to share with you." She finally said.
Ardeth didn't say anything, just kept looking ahead.
"It has to do with why I was kidnapped." He still ignored her.
"Oh for heaven sakes! It has to do with Imhotep." She finally said exasperated.
That got his attention. He dark eyes bore into her. "What about Imhotep?" His voice was low and gravelly.
Emma suddenly found it hard to breath. She trembled, as she took a deep breath.
"It would be easier if I started from the beginning." She finally stammered.
Emma told Ardeth about the book that had arrived at the library. She carefully explained what it had said about the hom-dai and that Evy had only read the first incantation. As a result Imhotep would rise from the grave one year later. The only way to destroy him for good was for Evy to finish the last two incantations, which meant they had to find the book of Amun-Ra. Emma also explained the bad news, the reason why she had been kidnapped. When she was finished, Emma noticed that Ardeth still had the same expression on his face as he had when she had started. The only change was that he was no longer looking at her, but straight ahead.
"You do understand what I just told you, right?" Emma asked.
"Yes." He simply answered, thinking that what she'd just told him explained the sudden blowing of the sand and wind at Hamanaptra.
Emma sighed. He wasn't going to make it easy for her. "Look, I'm sorry about before. I know I really sounded ungrateful back there, but I was scared to death. When I'm scared I go on the defense."
Ardeth looked down at Emma again, seeing her sincerity, his expression finally softened. "And I am sorry I didn't get to you before he hit you." Ardeth raised his hand to gently caress the cheek Gerald had slapped. "I was up on the ridge following. I tried to get to you as quickly as I could when I saw him push you off the horse."
Emma smiled, revealing her dimples. "It's not your fault. I know you did your best."
"Does it still hurt?" He asked, his long fingers still stroking her cheek. By Allah, he wanted to kiss those dimples.
"It still stings a little, but otherwise it's alright." Emma's heart was pounding in her chest. His full lips were mere inches from hers. All's he would have to do is bend slightly and he could kiss her. Emma swallowed hard.
"Get some rest." He said softly. "It will be a couple of hours before we reach Hamanaptra."
Emma nodded, resting her head against his chest. Ardeth slid his left arm around her waist, holding her safely against him.
"Thank you." Emma whispered softly. "For coming for me."
Ardeth smiled, but kept his gaze straight ahead. "Your welcome." He answered as Emma closed her eyes. "My little lilith." He added once he knew she had gone to sleep.
Chapter 8
Ardeth held her close as he allowed his horse to pick his way through the darkness. He had called her his lilith, his night demon, for she was like no other woman he had ever met. Few women could endure what she'd been through the last several days. She had been brave and when the Med-jai had attacked Gerald and his men, she had kept her wits about her and even saved his life. Ardeth smiled as he also now knew she had a temper. Although he had been angered by her ungrateful outburst earlier, he had understood it. He had taken longer than was necessary and he blamed himself for allowing Gerald to hurt her. He had almost kissed her a moment ago. She had been looking up at him and he had almost lost himself in her deep blue eyes, they were like sapphires and with the light of the moon shinning down, they had captured him. He had had to exercise every bit of self-control he could muster to keep from kissing her. He could feel his body react to her closeness as he sighed, allowing himself to rub his cheek against the top of her head. Finally, pulling his thoughts away from Emma, he concentrated on what she had told him about Imhotep. The mysterious winds that had begun to blow again now made sense. If Emma was right they had three days to dig through to the ceremonial chamber and find the book of Amun-Ra. They would have to go for Evy and that could take time. It was at least a 4-day trip to Cairo and back if they rode hard, but if Imhotep was still mortal then his men could keep him at bay until he arrived back with Rick and Evy.
They arrived back at Hamanaptra just before dawn. The bodies of the dead had been buried and there was no evidence that anyone had ever been there.
"It's time to wake up, Emma." Ardeth spoke softly in her ear. He was loath to release her, but he had many things to do before they headed to Cairo.
Emma awoke slowly from a deep sleep. She had burrowed herself into the folds of Ardeth's robes and she was quite comfortable. "What?" She asked sleepily.
Ardeth chuckled, "We are back at Hamanaptra, my little lilith. It's time to wake up, I've got some things to do before we go to Cairo."
Emma frowned, "We are going to Cairo?"
Ardeth swung down from the horse, "Yes, we have got to go get Evelyn and Rick." He placed his hands on her hips and carefully lowered her to the ground. Ardeth purposely allowed her to slide down the length of his body. Her hands on his shoulders, he watched her expression turn from surprise to desire.
Emma's heart was caught up in her throat and she had difficulty breathing as she felt herself slide down the hard length of Ardeth's body. Their eyes met and she saw raw desire in the depths of his dark eyes.
"Oh." She managed as he began to lower his head.
"Ardeth, your back."
Ardeth muttered a few curses in Arabic as Emma jumped back. He turned to face Abdul.
"Yes, we just returned." Ardeth glanced back at Emma. "Stay here, I will be back shortly."
Ardeth started off with Abdul, explaining to him all he had learned from Emma. Emma stood there brooding over the missed kiss and the fact that Ardeth was bossing her around as if she were one of his men, when it suddenly occurred to her what he had called her a few minutes before.
She gasped, "Hey, I am not a night demon!" She shouted angrily at his retreating back.
Never breaking stride, Ardeth threw his head back and laughed. He had wondered how long it would take her to catch that.
Abdul paused to look at his leader with curiosity. He had known Ardeth all his life and never had he heard him laugh as he was now. He glanced back at the woman who stood there defiantly glaring at Ardeth, and then he returned his gaze back to his leader. Abdul smiled a knowing smile. As Med-jai warriors, they had the special right to choose whomever they wished to marry. It was one of their many rewards for their loyal service. And although an American woman would not have been his personal choice, Abdul knew that his beloved leader was smitten, even if Ardeth didn't realize it yet himself. Abdul was no fool, he knew Ardeth was restless and had been since returning from battling against Imhotep a year ago. Ardeth had returned changed. Now he sought a friendship with the American and his leadership, though it was still as good as before, it was different. He seemed almost more compassionate with the men, more understanding when the married ones missed their wives and families. Abdul liked the man Ardeth had become and he hoped that finally, just maybe, Ardeth would find some well deserved happiness.
Returning to her a half hour later, he was leading a white Arabian mare and some supplies. He had spent the last half hour making sure his men understood the importance of what they needed to do. They had their orders and now he and Emma needed to go get Rick and Evy. The sun was now up and it was getting hot. Ardeth found Emma had led his horse over to some shade and was sitting down.
"Are you ready?" He asked as he approached.
"As ready as I will ever be." She answered standing up.
"Here, I brought you a horse to ride." Ardeth said handing her the reins at the same time he scooped up the reins to his own horse.
"Oh, I'll have my own horse?" She asked, rather disappointed.
Ardeth heard the disappointment in her voice and it strangely pleased him. He turned to her to help her mount the mare.
"Yes," He answered, hoisting her up into the saddle, "as much as I enjoy your body up against mine, we will make better time if we ride separately."
Emma glowered down at him, "You are an arrogant bastard."
Ardeth chuckled as he walked over and mounted his own horse. "Come on, lilith." He called to her as he spun his horse around and galloped off.
"Oooooo, he is so maddening." Emma said frustratingly to herself as she urged her own horse into a gallop.
They traveled in relative silence, only speaking when there was a need. Both were lost in their own thoughts about the up coming battle with Imhotep, but both very aware of the other nearby. It was almost noon when Emma began to sway in the saddle. She put the back of her hand to her sunburned forehead. They had stopped earlier for a break, but that had been several hours ago.
"Ardeth?" Emma called softly as she fought to stay conscious.
Ardeth thought he heard Emma call to him and he turned to look just in time to see her sway dangerously in the saddle. "Sons of the Pharaoh's!" He cursed softly as he jumped from the saddle and caught Emma just as she slid from her own saddle in a dead faint.
Looking around to see where he was, Ardeth remembered that there was an oasis a few miles further. Grabbing the reins to her mare, he carefully swung back up onto his own horse holding Emma carefully. As they neared the oasis, Emma began to regain consciousness.
Ardeth grabbed his canteen and unscrewed the lid. "Here, drink this, my little lilith." He placed it to her lips. Emma tried to gulp it. Ardeth snatched it back. "No." He said harshly. "Slowly, little sips. If you gulp it, it will make you sick."
Emma raised her hand and weakly tried to swat him. Ardeth easily caught her hand and pushed it down. "I am not your little night demon." She croaked.
"Hush and drink some more." Ardeth commanded, smiling inwardly. "I ought to wring your neck for not telling me the sun was getting to be too much." He scolded lightly.
Emma sipped the cool, but stale water. "I didn't want to slow us down." She finally answered.
"There is an Oasis up ahead where we can rest for the afternoon. We will continue on after the sun goes down." Ardeth said as if he didn't hear her.
Suddenly there was a shrill whistle. Ardeth tensed, but then relaxed. Up ahead at the Oasis, he saw Rick and Evy. Raising his hand up he waved and urged his horse into a canter.
Rick and Evy hadn't been able to get out of Cairo as quickly as they had hoped. By the time they did leave it was the middle of the next day. They had traveled hard to make up for the time lost, but their horses were exhausted when they had finally reached the Oasis that morning, for Evy's sake, Rick decided to rest. She had not complained once for which he dearly loved her for, but he knew she couldn't go on much longer without a good rest. So they had set up a small camp and decided they would continue on after dark arriving at Hamanaptra just before midnight.
"Do you think Emma is alright?" Evy asked from the blanket she laid on.
Rick starred off into the distance. "I hope so, Evy. I certainly hope so."
"Well we still have two days before Imhotep rises. They won't risk hurting her if they plan for her to read from the book of Amun-Ra." Evy tried to brighten Rick's hopes.
Rick sighed as he brought his attention back to his wife. "It's not what I am worried about."
"I know, I know." Evy stood up and went over to comfort her husband. "But Ardeth is a smart man. He'll figure it out."
Rick put his arm around Evy's shoulders and drew her closer, kissing her. Raising his head back up, he smiled, "I hope your right, sweetheart."
Evy nodded her head, "I know I am. In fact I would even venture to say that Ardeth is on his way right now bringing her back to us."
And as if to affirm this, the horses nickered softly, announcing that someone was coming. Rick and Evy stood up quickly. Rick shielded his eyes with his hand and watched as a rider leading a white horse drew closer. Rick immediately recognized Ardeth and then he spotted his baby sister sitting in front of him.
"I'll be damned." Rick said softly.
Evy smiled. "I told you."
Rick put his fingers to his lips and blew a shrill whistle to get their attention. When Ardeth looked up, he raised a hand to wave and urged his horse into a slow canter.
As Ardeth reined his horse in, Rick was there helping Emma down. He hugged her tight, planting a kiss on top of her head.
"Are you alright, Em?" Rick asked softly.
"Yeah, big brother, I'm fine." She answered, hugging him back. Rick released her and Emma went right into Evy's open arms.
Rick walked up to Ardeth, who had dismounted from his horse and they shook hands. "You don't know how much this means to me, Ardeth. Thank you."
Ardeth smiled, "Your welcome."
Ardeth turned and led the two horses over to the water to drink. Rick turned back to Evy and Emma, who had moved to the shade and were sitting down. Ardeth returned from attending the horses to hear Emma telling Rick and Evy her story. She gave a general synopsis, but gave enough detail to explain everything.
"So you don't know whether or not this Gerald Tate is dead or not?" Evy asked.
"No. He tripped over me when Ardeth hit him and Gerald fell and hit his head on a rock. We didn't stay long enough to check." Emma answered purposely leaving out the fact that they'd been too busy arguing at the time to check.
"Ardeth, old buddy, you slipping up?" Rick asked teasingly. "Seems to me you used to be a real "kill 'em all" kind of guy."
Ardeth gave Rick a hard glare, that would have sent any normal man running, but Rick only laughed. "Just wait till you are asleep, my friend, and we shall see who is slipping up." Ardeth growled.
"I really hate to break up the male bonding thing you both got going on there, but I could really use some sleep." Emma replied yawning.
"I thought you might like to sleep, so I laid a bedroll over there in the shade." Ardeth pointed a short distance away. From where he was sitting, he'd be able to keep an eye on her, but he didn't bother to mention that.
Emma glanced over at Ardeth, meeting his gaze. "Thank you, that was very thoughtful." Getting up, she walked over to where the blankets were and laid down. She was sound asleep moments later.
Once he was certain Emma was asleep, Rick turned to Ardeth. "Alright, now I want the gruesome details that Emma left out."
Ardeth raised an eyebrow in surprise. Shrugging his broad shoulders, he answered, "Not too much more to tell, though she did leave out the part where she had saved my life."
This time it was Rick's turn to raise an eyebrow in surprise, "Really? Oh, I've got to hear this."
"There is not much to tell. One of Tate's men tried to shoot me in the back. Emma shot right through the forehead." Ardeth replied, "She's a good shot, did you teach her that?"
Rick smiled, "Taught her everything I know."
"I guess that explains the attitude too." Ardeth shot back.
Evy listened to all this with mild curiosity. She had gotten used to the conversations between Rick and Ardeth long ago. Rick enjoyed nothing more than to yank Ardeth's chain. Ardeth had had little exposure to American humor, so Rick was constantly ribbing him. It didn't take Ardeth long to catch on though, now he could hold his own fairly well.
"Eventually we are going to have to talk about Imhotep." Evy butted in.
Rick and Ardeth both gave her a look of 'do you mind?'
Evy shook her head, "I swear, the two of you act like children sometimes."
Ardeth stood up and pulled his turban off. He ran his fingers through the thick unruly curls. "We will have plenty of time to talk about Imhotep later." Letting his eyes wander over to where Emma slept, he continued, "But right now, I need a few hours of sleep, myself."
"Go get some sleep, buddy. I'll hold down the fort." Rick told him.
"That is very comforting." Ardeth quipped back and headed over to where Emma was sleeping. What he really wanted to do was lay down next to her and pull her into his arms, but since he didn't think Rick would like that too much, he ended up settling down a few feet from her with his back propped up against a tree. He too was asleep a few minutes later.
Evy leaned over to Rick and said softly, "I think Ardeth likes Emma."
"He does not." Rick answered a bit too quickly. But he was afraid Evy was right. He had noticed the way Ardeth watched Emma, especially when he thought no one else was looking.
Evy put her finger to her lips, "Keep your voice down, Richard."
Rick scooted closer to his beautiful wife, "Evelyn, you know I love you dearly, but stop with the matchmaking already."
"What do you have against Emma and Ardeth being together?" Evy asked.
"Nothing. If Emma wants to see Ardeth that is up to her, but I'm just saying, don't push." Rick answered exasperated.
"Alright, alright. I won't push." Evy smiled.
"Evy?" Rick threatened, knowing his wife all too well.
Evy harrumphed, "Oh alright, I promise I won't push."
Chapter 9
A few hours later, Emma woke with a start. It took a few seconds to remember where she was and she sighed as she sat up. She saw Ardeth sitting a few feet from her, leaning back against a tree. He was watching her and she wondered if he'd been watching her the entire time she slept.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked.
"About as well as can be expected under the conditions." Emma answered, noticing for the first time that he had removed his turban. If she had thought he was gorgeous before, he was simply breathtaking now. His dark thick hair was in desperate need of a brush hanging in disarray to his shoulders in thick curls. She also noticed the tattoo across his forehead. She wondered briefly where else he might have tattoos then blushed.
Ardeth noticed her blushing and wondered about it. He was about to ask when Emma asked a question first.
"What do the tattoos mean?"
"They are blessings, each representing a blessing to a particular part of the body." Pointing to the one across his forehead, he said, "This one is for wisdom, the two here and here," he pointed to the tattoo's across each cheekbone, "are for the four senses. The two on my wrists," he stretched out his arms for her to see, "are for swiftness of hands, I also have one on each upper arm that represent strength and power. The ones across my chest," he said placing his hand against his chest, "represent courage and strength of heart. The last ones are across my ankles representing swiftness of feet. Only a direct descendent of the Med-jai to Pharaoh Seti I can wear the tattoo's and serve as a Med-jai warrior."
"So then you're a descendant?" Emma asked fascinated by what Ardeth was telling her.
"Yes. I am a direct descendant of Kazeem, the Med-jai warrior who led the Med-jai during the time of Imhotep." Ardeth answered proudly.
"Wow, so are you leader because you're a descendant of Kazeem or because you were the best qualified?" She asked.
"Both." Ardeth sounded arrogant, but it was the truth.
"So, you have tattoo's all over your body?" Emma asked, trying desperately not to blush again, but failing.
"Yes." Ardeth once again, noticed her blushing, and then he understood. She was curious about his body. Heat curled deep within him as the desire to ravage her suddenly came over him. Standing up, he walked over to Emma.
"Would you like to see them?" He asked reaching out his hand.
His dark eye's seemed to burn into her soul. Placing her hand in his she breathed softly, "Oh yes."
Ardeth almost growled as he pulled her to her feet. His left hand started to slide around her waist when they heard Rick from behind them, "It's about time you two lazy kids woke up."
Both of them jumped and Ardeth said roughly, "Remind me to kill your brother."
Emma pulled away from Ardeth, "If I don't kill him first."
Ardeth caught Emma's hand and tugged it. She turned back to him and her knees went weak at the promise she saw in his eyes. "Later, lilith." He promised, and then let her hand go. She glared at him, but was actually beginning to like his little pet name for her.
Evy had set out some food to eat. Emma didn't realize how hungry she was until she took a bite of some bread. She devoured everything on her plate and drank a lot of water.
As they sat and ate, they talked about what needed to be done once they arrived at Hamanaptra. There was little time left and they needed to have a plan. The main concern was digging through to the ceremonial chamber. There was no telling how much debris was between them and the room they sought. The ceremonial chamber itself could be buried, but somehow they doubted that. Finally after talking at length, they had a plan. Emma was tired of sitting and she need to go to the bathroom. She stood and started to wander away.
"Where are you going?" Ardeth demanded.
"None of your damn business." Emma snapped, tired of his bossiness. "But if you have to know, I am going to find a private place where I can go to the bathroom."
Ardeth had the decency to look embarrassed, "Oh." He answered, looking at Rick.
"Don't look at me, my friend, you asked." Rick replied laughing.
Ardeth gave Rick a dry look, then turned his attention back to where Emma had disappeared behind some bushes. "I swear she can be the most infuriating woman I ever met." Ardeth finally grumbled to Rick.
Evy hid a smile, but said nothing. Rick laughed again and nodded, "I know what you mean, buddy. I'm married to one."
Evy's smile turned to a frown as she realized she had just been insulted. "I resent that." She said and smacked Rick across the arm.
Rick slipped his arm around Evy's waist, "Now Evelyn, you know that is why I love you so much."
Batting at his chest, Evy smiled, "Flattery will get you no where, Richard O'Connell."
Turning his attention back to Ardeth, Rick said, "What you need to do is to drop the 'I'm Tarzan, you Jane' act, my friend."
Ardeth looked at Rick confused, "The what?"
"I think what Rick is trying to say, Ardeth, is you need to stop treating her like she is one of your men. Talk nicely to her instead of always barking out commands." Evy butted in.
Ardeth frowned, "I bark orders at her, because she doesn't listen.
Rick snorted, "Welcome to the world of women, ol' buddy."
Ardeth saw Emma reappear and head away from them towards where the horses were. He stood, excused himself and headed over to where she was patting his horse. He was angry that she had wandered away. It's not that he wanted to boss her around like she was one of his men, but he had to make her understand that the desert was a dangerous place. Thieves roamed the desert looking for easy prey. They could snatch her away and he and Rick wouldn't know until it was too late.
"You should not wander away like that, Emma." Ardeth said coming up behind her.
"I will go where ever I please." Emma answered angrily turning to face him. She gasped softly at his closeness.
"The desert is dangerous." He softened his tone. "I do not mean to treat you as if you were one of my men. I am only concerned for your welfare."
Emma sighed, her anger gone as quickly as it had come. "I know. It's just that you can be so exasperating sometimes."
She looked up into his face and knew by the look in his eyes that he was going to kiss her. "I know the feeling." He said softly, leaning closer. "Half the time I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you."
"I'd prefer the kiss." She managed just as Ardeth's mouth came down on hers.
Ardeth's hands came up to frame her face, his tongue tracing the contour of her lips. Emma clutched at the front of his robes with her hands and moaned softly, her lips parting. Taking advantage, Ardeth thrust his tongue inside her mouth and began to duel with her own tongue as if they were having a sword fight. His hands slid down her neck, over her shoulders and circled around her back pulling her against his hard body. Ardeth broke away from her mouth, nipping at her jawbone, leaving a trail of kisses to her ear.
"I have never met a woman who can infuriate and inflame me all at the same time." He whispered gruffly in her ear, while leaving feather light kisses up and down her neck.
Emma was in no position to respond. She was utterly speechless. Her breath caught in her throat as he trailed his kisses down her neck. She giggled softly as his beard tickled her neck. Ardeth moved his mouth lower. The first few buttons on the front of Emma's blouse were unbuttoned allowing Ardeth to slip his tongue quickly between the soft mounds of flesh.
"Ardeth!" Emma yelped.
Ardeth chuckled and raised his head and cut off her protests with a kiss. Finally he broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers, their noses touching. Both of them were breathing hard and Emma was glad that Ardeth had his arms around her other wise she thought she might sink to the ground.
"When this is over, we must talk." Ardeth breathed giving her another quick kiss, then releasing her. He stepped away from her reluctantly, their eyes still locked on each other.
"Hey, you guys want to stop fighting long enough for us to get going?" Rick said coming up behind Ardeth.
Ardeth held Emma's gaze a moment longer, then turned and left. Emma hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath and she let it out in a whoosh.
Rick came up beside her a frown on his face, "Is everything okay between you two, Sis?" He asked, noticing she was rather flushed. "I mean we aren't going to have two separate battles going on here are we?"
Emma glanced up at Rick and gave him a quick, dreamy like smile, "No, everything is fine." And she walked off to help Evy, leaving Rick to wonder what he'd just missed.
They'd been traveling for a few hours. Emma and Evy were up a head, while Rick and Ardeth lagged behind. Rick had noticed that Ardeth was unusually quiet, which for Ardeth was quite an accomplishment, since he was such a chatty fellow.
"What's on your mind, Ardeth?" Rick finally asked.
Ardeth didn't answer right away, but finally said, "I kissed your sister."
Rick's head snapped around. He had a comically look on his face, "I beg your pardon?"
Ardeth glanced over at his friend and repeated, "I kissed your sister."
"So that explains why she was acting so weird just before we left the oasis." Rick said more to himself than to Ardeth. "Why are you telling me this, by-the-way?"
"You are my friend and she is your sister. I do not wish to step were I may not be wanted." Ardeth answered.
"Well, did she kiss you back?" Rick asked.
"Yes." Ardeth smiled, remembering.
"Then I would guess you aren't stepping were you aren't wanted." Rick stated. "Listen, Emma is a big girl. I gave up long ago trying to tell her what to do. If it's my blessing you want, you got it. You're a good man, Ardeth. I know you'll be good to her, because if your not, I'll have to hunt you down. But I'll let you in on a little secret."
"What's that?" Ardeth asked leaning towards Rick slightly.
"I'd advise against the multiple marriage thing. Emma has never been one for sharing. She was the worse at sharing when we were kids." Rick smiled.
Ardeth laughed, "I'll have to remember that."
Chapter 10
It was almost midnight when the four arrived back at Hamanaptra. The warrior on watch greeted them as they approached and Ardeth stopped to talk to him as the other three went on into the ruined city. As they rode in, one of the men shouted in Arabic and Abdul appeared from one of the tents.
"You've returned." Abdul said as he approached. "Where is Ardeth?"
"He stopped to talk to the man you have on guard." Rick answered.
Abdul nodded, then said, "Please come. We will get you set up in tents where you can clean up and rest."
"Thank you." Evy and Emma said simultaneously as they dismounted.
Abdul led them to the far side of the camp. He stopped at a large tent, "You and Miss Evelyn may stay in this tent. Miss Emma, your tent is across the way there." He pointed to a smaller tent a short distance away.
"Thank you, Abdul. You've been very kind." Emma said.
Abdul nodded his head once accepting her thanks, and then said, "Are any of you hungry?"
"I'm starved." Evy answered.
"Me too." Emma replied. Her stomach growled loudly at that moment as if to verify the fact.
"I will have one of the men bring you some food. You have fresh water in your tents to clean up. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go find Ardeth." Abdul excused himself.
"Well, I will see you two in the morning." Emma turned to leave.
"Will you be okay over there by yourself?" Rick asked.
"I will be fine, brother. Goodnight both of you." Emma smiled.
"Good night, Emma." Evy gave her a quick hug.
Rick bent over and kissed her check. "Good night, Sis. Glad your safe."
It was several hours later when Ardeth finally made it into the camp area. Abdul had been updating him on their progress and they had gone to the dig site to see how it fared. As he approached his own tent, he saw that a candle was burning in Emma's tent. Surely she wasn't still up, he thought. He approached her tent and debated whether he should call out to her. He really should check on her, he decided.
"Emma?" He called softly pulling his turban off. "Are you still awake?"
"Yes." She answered. "Come on in."
Ardeth opened the tent flap and looked inside. Emma was sitting on her pallet looking at a book. As he entered her tent, he noticed her hair was no longer in a braid, but hung loose. It looked slightly damp and he guessed she had washed it. She was also wearing a white nightgown.
"Why are you still up?" He asked curiously.
Emma glanced up at him and smiled, "I was studying through this chapter on the hom-dai again. I wanted to make sure that we don't leave anything out this time."
Ardeth was breathless at the sight of her sitting in the candlelight. Her eyes reflected the flame that was beginning to burn deep within him. Slowly, he began to move towards her.
"This chapter on the hom-dai is truly fascinating, Ardeth. When Imhotep rises he will still be mortal. He can still be killed like any mortal, just as Rick killed him last year. But no matter how many times he is killed he will rise one year later until he is either permantely destroyed by reading the other two incantations or he is immortal again by the same reading, but by a different person. He will oh," Emma gave a small yelp as Ardeth yanked the book from her hand and tossed it to the side.
Dropping to his knees before her, his mouth came down on hers. He continued forward, until Emma was on her back and he was stretched out on top of her. Emma parted her lips in a soft moan and Ardeth slipped his tongue in to plunder the inside of her mouth. Emma's hands came up and she thrust her fingers into his thick curls. Ardeth left a trail of wet kisses across her jaw to her neck, where he nipped and sucked at the tender skin.
"Does this mean your going to show me your tattoo's now?" Emma asked breathless.
Ardeth choked on his laughter. "Yes, my sweet lilith, I am going to show you all my tattoo's now." And much more than that, before this night is through, he thought to himself.
Rolling away from her, he stood and removed his robes, leaving him only in his pants and boots. Emma's eyes grew larger as she saw his bare chest and the tattoo's that ran across the upper half. He was all hard muscle and she watched those muscles flex as he sat back down to remove his boots. Ardeth glanced over at her and almost came undone by the look of heated passion that was reflected in her deep blue eyes.
"Allah help me." He whispered softly in Arabic as he almost lunged at her.
Their mouths met in a heated kiss that threatened to burn them both. Breaking away for only a brief moment, Ardeth blew out the candle that sat nearby, and then he was back for more. His hands roamed over her body, causing Emma to gasp often. It wasn't long before he had her nightgown removed and he was kissing her all over. Emma was lost in the feel of him. She was burning up inside and there was an ache between her legs that threatened to consume her if Ardeth didn't finish this soon. Ardeth was quickly loosing control. That seemed to happen a lot when he was with her.
"Ardeth," Emma pleaded, "please hurry."
Ardeth rolled away from her muttering a few curses in Arabic. He removed his pants, then was back, moving over her, settling himself between her legs. His last conscious thought before he was swept away by his release was that he'd finally found what he'd been looking for.
A short time later, Ardeth watched Emma sleeping. He could just make out the outline of her face from the moonlight that crept in from the entrance of the tent. He had never felt more content than he did right then. Emma opened her eyes and looked into Ardeth's face. She smiled when she saw him watching her.
"How long have you been watching me?" She asked a bit shyly.
"Not long." He smiled back, and then frowned with concern. "Did I hurt you?"
Emma stretched, shaking her head, "No, well just a little at the beginning, but it was wonderful after that." Emma began to blush, "Did I," she paused then tried again, "Did I please you?"
Ardeth reached for her and pulled her to him, "More than you'll ever know." He said gruffly, kissing her firmly on the mouth. Emma snuggled up to him happy, her fingers tracing little circles across his chest.
"And did I please you, my little lilith?" Ardeth asked
"Mmmmm, quite so." Emma answered, tracing lazy circles lower to his stomach.
"We should get some sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Ardeth rubbed his hand up and down Emma's side. His other hand came over and caught her fingers just as they began to trace light circles down to his private area.
"Party pooper." Emma teased closing her eyes.
Ardeth gave an exaggerated sigh, "Allah help me, I have created a monster." He heard her soft chuckle as he drifted off into a restful sleep.
Just before dawn, Emma awoke and found Ardeth gone. "Ardeth?" She called softly sitting up.
"I am here." She saw his form in the darkness. He knelt down and kissed her passionately. "It will be dawn soon. I didn't think it would be wise to be seen leaving your tent after daylight." He said after he lifted his head.
"I know your right, but I wish you could stay." Emma felt her insides turn to mush after his kiss.
"Me too, kalila, me too." Reaching out, Ardeth gently caressed her check with his fingers. "When this is over, we will talk about the future, but for now we must concentrate on defeating Imhotep, alright?" He told her, wanting her to know that this was not just a one-night stand to him.
"Alright." Emma answered. Ardeth kissed her once more, and then he moved away. Opening the tent flap, he looked around to make sure no one was watching. He turned back to Emma giving her a long look, and then he disappeared into the early morning darkness.
Emma sighed happily as she lay back down. He had called her "kalila." She was his sweetheart, his beloved. Her thoughts turned to the night she had just spent with Ardeth. He had been so gentle, but yet so wild in his lovemaking. She could tell that he had held back, not wanting to hurt her. Emma sighed again, crossing her arms over her chest and hugging herself, she smiled. She was in love.
