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“Tory... Tory, it’s okay. You can let him go now.” Wesley’s hand slid over my head, stroking me, his fingers threading through my fur. The rage dropped to a simmer, and I slowly lowered West back to the ground, releasing my teeth gently from his throat. I backed up, my entire body trembling. Wesley stood over me with his hand still on my head, stroking and rubbing. The effect was calming.
In front of us, West rolled onto his hands and knees and looked up at me. A smile spread across his lips, and the pride and love on his face filled me with joy. His features melted away, his hair growing and lightening, and then his limbs lengthened and shortened, reforming as his eyes grew warm and golden. He was still bigger than me, though not by much, and he came towards me slowly, lowering his head in submission. I moved forward, trusting my body to know what to do, and rubbed my head against his own.
Wesley laughed, and I looked up as I heard Jack roar. Wonder and pride flowed through me in place of the fear and anger I had felt only moments before as I saw my priests, all four of them, drop their weapons and become the supernatural guardians I was now remembering them to be—four huge, regal lions with sharp teeth and claws, and a strength beyond anything natural. They all raised their heads, looking at me, and I took a deep breath and roared.
The noise rebounded through the cave, and rocks and dust splashed into the water. My pride joined me, turning on the hatay and roaring their challenge. This time I joined them, facing the dark beasts across from us with hatred and the thrill of the chase running through my veins. The tables had turned, and we were no longer prey. We were the hunters, and the hatay knew it.
We launched ourselves at them, our teeth and claws ripping and tearing. Black ichor spilled over my tongue, a nasty taste as I ripped their hearts from their bodies, but the bloodlust was on me, so I tore through them even faster than my priests. None could withstand us, and the hatay knew it. Even demons can learn to fear, and we taught them well. The rest began to retreat back into the tunnels, falling over each other and turning on one another in order to get away from our teeth. When the last one had been chased from the outcrop, the largest lion turned and looked straight at me.
Now, my beautiful goddess, let’s go home, he growled. His voice was inside my head, and I could hear him as though his human form stood beside me. He turned and led the way, bounding swiftly along the stones. I followed, keeping pace with no problem, the other three hot on my heels. I didn’t hesitate when I reached the edge, feeling my muscles bunch under me and sending me sailing through the air to land effortlessly on the rock that I had never thought I would reach. West turned and looked back from the next rock farther out, and I knew if he could have laughed, he would have.
We leapt easily from boulder to boulder and climbed the scree slope, our claws giving us easier purchase on the loose ground than hands and feet would have.
As I pulled myself over the edge, I blinked. The sun was rising, and golden light suddenly fell across the land like some kind of omen. All around us was grassland, and I stretched, loving the feel of the warm sun on my fur. A head butted against my shoulder, and then another. My priests, my pride surrounded me. Their joy and relief at being back in their supernatural forms was evident not only from the emotions I could feel from their hearts, but in the way their chests rumbled with deep purrs.
West shifted back to his human form. My eyes ran over his naked body, his skin even more golden in the sunrise. He knelt and took my head in his hands, gazing down at me. “Well done, my queen. Well done.”
I felt my body flow and shift until I was kneeling before him as a human, and just as naked as he was.
“West,” I breathed, and he bent down and kissed me.
“Hey, where’s mine?” Jack’s voice interrupted us, and as I pulled away from West, Jack took my hand and pulled me into his arms. He grinned at West. “I can do one better.”
“I’d like to see you try,” West muttered, getting to his feet.
Jack smiled at him, then down at me. Suddenly, he swept me to the side and bent me over his arm for a Hollywood style kiss. I might have slightly ruined it by giggling when I heard West mutter, “Show-off.”
Jack straightened us up, laughing. Wesley and Zayn were climbing to their feet. Wesley was grinning like mad, but Zayn looked anything but happy as he walked back to the edge of the cavern and peered inside.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, suddenly worried.
Zayn straightened. “Nothing of importance, my queen. I just... really liked that khopesh.”
Jack laughed and took him by the arm, leading him away from the cavern. “You can get a new one made. And maybe one for me too.”
West shook his head and looked at me, his smile warm and teasing. “Well, Lady Victoria, now that you’ve had your adventure, can I please take you home?”
I closed my eyes and pretended to think about it for a few moments. I opened my eyes again and looked at him, gracefully inclining my head towards him. “Yes, West. You may now take me home.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he muttered, turning to follow Jack, Zayn, and Wesley.
“Just... one thing,” I added.
He turned back, one eyebrow raised. “And what’s that?”
I gestured towards the rather impressive and attractive display of men’s buttocks in front of me. “Can we find some clothes first please?”
West laughed, and Zayn looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes travelling slowly from my feet up to my head, lingering in certain areas. To my surprise, I felt absolutely no shame at his admiring gaze.
“Hmm,” he murmured. “Clothes first, definitely.” He winked at me and turned back to the front, adding, “They can always come off again later.”
West went to join them, but I hung back for a moment, basking in the growing warmth of the sun. A small sound came drifting through the fresh air, and I spun around and moved back to the edge of the cavern entrance. A dark form scratched and scrambled its way up the scree slope, and as it reached the top, I reached out and scooped it up into my arms. A wide smile spread across my face as the little creature yawned and immediately curled up in my arms and closed its golden eyes.
I closed my eyes and reached out with my mind. Time spun backwards in my head, and I could see the grasslands around us as they had been—endless farms of rich black silt and grain fields, the workers bringing sacks of grain home to their families and to the temple that lay several miles behind where we stood. I saw the temple come alive with the people that had flowed through its gates for blessings, thanksgivings, favours, and celebrations. I saw the village grow, and its families and livestock wander the earth around where I stood. I felt their energy, the adoration of my people, and the love of my priests. I felt power surge inside me and my lioness roar within my heart. I could feel the woman, the goddess I had been, and the one I could be in this lifetime. A whole new world of opportunity lay ahead of me.
I opened my eyes and grinned at the sight of my four hot, naked mates stalking through the grassland like we owned the place.
“I can’t wait,” I murmured and hurried forward to join them, the small furry bundle snoring quietly in my arms. “Come on, kitty, let’s go home.”
Asthesunclimbed higher in the sky, a man climbed out of the ground and into the grasslands to the south of Zagazig. He stared after the five figures that he could just make out in the distance, blurring into the heat haze as the sun grew in power. He stood watching them for a few moments then pulled a mobile phone out of his pocket and made a call.
“Yes, yes. No, I’m afraid they made it out of the tunnels. Yes, I did think that it was a long shot. I’m afraid she regained her powers faster than last time. It would appear she is getting stronger.” He paused as the person on the other end spoke, shading his eyes from the sun with his other hand. “Yes, I agree. Inform our lord that we are moving up to the main part of the plan.”
The man took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the woman that lingered where he stood. A slow smile spread across his face. “Yes, I agree. It’s a dangerous world out there.”
He turned off the phone and returned it to his pocket, pulling his headscarf up and over his head to protect him from the fierce rays of the sun. As the sun climbed higher, the servant of Apophis began to cross the grasslands, following the goddess his master had sworn vengeance against thousands of years before...
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