Lord of the Desert by Nina Bruhns

Author:Nina Bruhns
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2010-10-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

I dream lying dreams of your love lost,

And my heart stands still inside me.

—Song of the Birdcatcher’s Daughter

Rhys felt like a bastard. There were no two ways about it—he’d misled Gillian, gotten her here under somewhat false pretenses. Which in itself was nothing new. But feeling like a bastard about it was.

He did not like that feeling one bit.

But did he have a choice? No. He was fulfilling his duties as master steward of Khepesh, something he’d done countless times before. So what was different about this time?

Foolish question.

Gillian. The fact that he desperately wanted her for himself.

That had never happened before.

As he watched Seth take possession of her, he had to physically restrain himself from stepping between them. Luckily, Nephtys did it in his place.

“My lord, allow me to take Gillian to the temple. The ceremony is in five short days. She must be quickly taught our ways and prepared.”

“Yes, of course,” Seth said, though Rhys could tell he was loath to release his hold on her.

“I promised she’d be shown around the palace,” Rhys interjected, mindful of the deer-in-headlights look she was now giving him. “So she can see how we live, and what to expect of her future here with us. I know she has many questions.”

“That I’ll leave in your capable hands,” Seth told him, finally letting her go of hers.

“But, Rhys—” she began to protest.

He cut her off. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Haliday. Tonight just relax and settle in.”

“But—”

“Nephtys will take good care of you. We’ll talk in the morning.”

Rhys smiled reassuringly at her as the priestess led her away, already calculating what excuse he could concoct to break protocol tonight and see her.

The crowd dispersed, and he and Seth set off for the council chambers, where they were to meet with the rest of Khepesh’s leaders to update the plans for the ceremony, now that the sacrificial vessel had been chosen. He must also inform Seth of Haru-Re’s threat.

“She’s perfect,” Seth said as they strode along. “As usual you manage to exceed my expectations, Kilpatrick. I couldn’t have asked for better.”

“I’m glad you’re pleased,” Rhys returned, then cleared his throat. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you, my lord.”

“Very pleased,” Seth continued, brushing off his request. “Did you hear Nephtys had a vision of the woman?”

Rhys frowned, a tingle of foreboding trickling through his veins. “Indeed?”

“She says Miss Haliday will come to be greatly respected by the people of Khepesh. And that we will be happy together, she and I, as true lovers.”

Rhys’s heart nearly stopped beating. That changed everything. If it was true, Rhys had no chance at all to claim Gillian as his own. “Is that right? Nephtys saw this?”

“Earlier. Just before you arrived. It’s why there were so many at the gate to receive you. They wanted a glimpse of the woman the god has smiled upon.”

Pain and jealousy raged through Rhys, but he forced himself to say, “That’s wonderful news, Seth. It’s about time you found a woman of your heart.

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