Pharaoh's Desire (30 page)

“If?” Meketen prompted. “Why do I have the feeling we are about to be asked to make an unyielding sacrifice for the Pharaoh’s paramour?”

Latmay shrugged. “She will be queen. There is no doubt about it. Even now, she carries his child. The sacrifice you refer to is a small price to pay for what you have done. But, what do I know? I value my life far more than my pride. Perhaps your life is of no consequence to you.”

Hai blubbered, tears in his eyes. “I never wanted to do this.”

“You’re just as guilty as the rest of us,” Nadesh bit out. “We never forced you.”

Latmay cleared his throat. “Kama has laid out specific terms that you are to abide by if you wish to save your sorry hides.” He glared at each one of them. “If I were you, I’d do exactly as she commands.”

Chapter Twenty-three

Amonmose closed the door to his chambers and slowly turned to face Kama. “Who are you?” he asked.

Their eyes locked, but his gaze still showed little recognition. Cool disappointment slipped through her veins. She thought surely the shock of seeing her would cure him of his amnesia.

“I am Kama,” she answered gently.

“You know my advisors,” he said. It was more of statement, than a question.

 
“Nadesh and I are old acquaintances,” she offered. Amonmose lifted an eyebrow. “We have not always seen eye to eye.”

“I see,” he said, and he did seem to understand more than she had said. “Who are you to me?”

Kama gazed into his eyes and spoke softly. “I am your lover.”

He stared at her, his expressions transforming from surprise to acceptance and then to anger. “Where have you been?” he demanded. “Why did you not come to me all these weeks? Did you know I’d lost my memory?”

“I was told you did not wish to see anyone. I just learned of your amnesia yesterday,” she replied. Kama did not elaborate on her prison confinement, as part of her deal with Amonmose’s advisors.

“I gave no such order,” he said, growing thoughtful. “I believe my advisors were operating without my knowledge.” He sighed. “The fault lies with me. I should have taken control sooner.”

Kama’s heart grew heavy. “You cannot blame yourself. You have known those men your entire life. You had no reason not to trust them at the time.”

Amonmose walked to the window and stared out into the garden. “I saw you one night, down there,” he told her. “I dreamt of you many times. I wish you had been here to help me. He turned to look at her as she took her place beside him. “The garden was our special place,” she said, caressing his face. “I am heartsick that we could not be together when you needed me most. But I am here for you now. And I will never leave your side. I made that promise to you once, and I intend to keep it.”

“There is still so much I do not know. Tell me everything about yourself…”

Kama sighed and gazed out the window. The past…she wanted to forget the past and instead talk about their future. She wanted him to hold her. She wanted to believe this nightmare was over. She looked at him. “I was born Kama Nubemheb,” she said. “I lived with my parents in Nubia until I was twelve. My father was a very cruel man. So, one day my mother and I ran away to Kerma.”

Amonmose had a look of melancholy in his eyes. “We have something in common. I also lost my father when I was twelve.”

A flurry of hope surged through Kama. “You remember that?”

“No, it was told to me by Latmay. Please, continue.”

“We lived comfortably due to the hospitality of my uncle. He provided for us and educated me until I turned twenty.”

“And then what happened?”

She smiled. “I met you.”

Amonmose returned her smile. “And what of your mother? Is she as beautiful as you?”

“You asked me that when we first met,” she said, smiling. “Yes, she is beautiful, inside and out. She is a wise woman who passed along her streak of independence to me.”

Amonmose gazed fondly at her. “You speak of her with great reverence. She sounds like someone I would very much like to meet.”

Kama grinned. “You already have. In fact, you were so worried that I would be homesick for her that you went to Kerma to bring her back and unite us together. She lives in the palace now.”

“Truly, did I do that?” He seemed surprised.

“Yes.”

He gazed into her eyes “Then, I must be in love with you.”

Kama returned his look. Any other time she would be lost in the bottomless depths of his honey-colored eyes. “Only you can know the answer to that, though you did profess your love to me. We’ve shared many intimate moments, and you let me see a side of you that no one else was privy to. You have a tenderness that melts my insides. When you touch me, I know no greater pleasure. For me, there is no other that can lay claim to my body or my heart.”

Needing no further convincing, Amonmose pulled her against him and captured her lips with a heart-stopping kiss. His tongue swept inside her mouth, taking command and reclaiming her as his. She let herself be ravished by his touch as his hands roamed across her body.

Somehow, they ended up on the bed, and in one swift movement, he’d pulled her tunic up to her waist. She found herself lying beneath him, legs apart, welcoming him into the soft folds of her womanhood. She gasped with pleasure as he entered her. His stroke was just as she remembered. Bold and powerful. Yet, tender and caring. She clasped her legs around his back and pulled him inside her, wanting to feel every inch of him.

Amonmose felt currents of excitement ripple through him. His body was already lingering over passion’s precipice from the moment he laid eyes on her. Her touch had only served to ignite the smoldering fire within him. He groaned with pleasure as he entered her warm haven. Kama’s body was made for his. She smelled like fresh jasmine and she tasted like deep, burgundy wine.

Her velvety skin clung tightly to his as if they were one entity. As he thrust deeper and deeper, he felt her hips grind against his, matching the intensity of his stroke. The soft warmness of her core consumed him, and he could feel her sinewy walls tugging on him, coaxing his essence from his manhood. He buried his face in her sweet smelling hair, and within seconds, he found himself engulfed in a red-hot chasm of ecstasy. His body was wracked with forceful spasms as he emptied his seed into her.

Kama immediately followed. She bucked and clung to him, panting, squeezing, drawing out the last thread of euphoria. Then, he felt her body finally relax as the last of her passion ebbed away.

Afterwards, they lay nestled in each other’s arms. Amonmose held her tight in his embrace. “I am fortunate to have you, Kama. And now that I have found you again, I will let nothing separate us. Any man who tries to do so will pay with his life.”

“I believe you,” Kama said solemnly. If only he knew how close he’d come to fulfilling that very prophecy.

Sometime during the night, Amonmose heard a light rapping on his door. He frowned in irritation at being awoken from his pleasant slumber. He reluctantly left the warmth of Kama’s tender flesh to answer the insistent summons. He found Baal outside his door holding a note.

“A thousand pardons, Sire,” he whispered. “This note was delivered by a royal page who requested that you read it immediately.”

Amonmose sleepily rubbed his eyes as he accepted the delicate piece of parchment. He unrolled it and read it slowly.

Pharaoh, you are encircled by a ring of deceit. There is a traitor in your midst who seeks to destroy you and seize your crown. Meet me in your private temple and I will reveal this treacherous snake to you.

Your Humble Servant, Meketen.

Amonmose’s eyes narrowed as he read the note again. He turned to Baal. “I must go,” he said curtly. “I will return soon.”

Baal jerked to attention. “I will come with you.”

“No.” Amonmose held up his hand. “I need you to keep vigil over Kama while I am gone.”

Baal placed a strong hand on the Pharaoh’s arm. “It is foolish to go alone,” he said. “I cannot, in good conscience, agree to this. Especially not after your
accident
with the snake.”

Amonmose’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What encounter do you speak of?”

Baal’s face darkened. “Before you lost your memory, you were attacked by a poisonous snake while you were hunting. You killed the serpent, but you were lucky to escape with your life. You confided to me that you believed your life was in jeopardy. You told me to keep my eyes open.” He paused and looked at the note in Amonmose’s hand. “My eyes do not like what they see right now.”

Amonmose let the information sink in. There were probably those among him who viewed his amnesia as a blessing. If there was someone close to him who was trying to harm him, he or she would be grateful that he did not recall past events. A lapse in memory would alleviate any previous suspicions he harbored. It could also give an enemy a dangerous advantage over him.

There were few people he felt he could trust, including his advisors. Nadesh was the most ambitious, shamelessly putting his agenda before everyone else’s. The way he constantly peddled his niece, Zahra, was evidence of his single-minded aspirations. Hai was a good man, but he was soft. He could easily be manipulated. Someone with no backbone was the worst enemy to have. Lastly, there was Meketen. He ranked somewhere in the middle of the other two. He was intelligent, he was observant, and he was usually the mediator amongst the three. If Amonmose had to trust someone, it may as well be him. If Meketen had come into possession of some information that would give him the upper hand, he had a duty to learn what it was.

“Thank you for your concern, Baal. I will heed your warnings in the future. Tonight, however, I will go alone.” He shook his head when Baal prepared to speak. “You need not worry,” he assured him. “I am meeting with Meketen at my temple. He is one of my closest advisors. What harm could come to me?”

Nadesh paced back and forth. He had not yet left the palace as Kama had instructed. He couldn’t believe this was the end. He was done. Finished. Disgraced. His wives would be livid that he’d been relieved of duty. He could not tell them the truth, of course. Everything he’d worked so hard for was ruined. Thanks to Kama.

He smiled ruefully. He had to admit, she had been a worthy adversary. He’d underestimated her from the beginning. She’d outwitted him. At first, he blamed her good fortune on her ability to seduce Latmay. But the more he talked to the old doctor, the more he realized the man loved her like a daughter. The advisors had relied on Latmay to keep his mouth shut, but they hadn’t counted on the budding relationship between the two of them.

She’d surprised them all with her ingenuity. She fought like a warrior, taking no prisoners. And in the end, her only request was that the council leave. She had spared their lives. And she had spared Amonmose the painful knowledge that his advisors were guilty of treason.