AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes dropped to me, and she smiled as the room broke into a thunderous applause. I blushed wildly, not expecting to be singled out, and I felt Jack slide his hand into mine and squeeze gently to reassure me. I smiled at him, and then looked back at Neith.
“The goddess Hathor,” she announced. More thunderous applause, and I turned my head, scanning the room for someone who might be the goddess I had apparently been close with. The applause faded into a low muttering, and Neith frowned. “And the God Horus,” she called out over the chatter. Applause broke out again, this time not quite as loudly as people still discussed Hathor’s absence. I watched as a man in a green linen robe on the other side of the room pushed forward through the crowd to Neith’s platform. His collar bore green and blue gems, and a cloak of beautiful blue feathers hung from his shoulders. This must be Horus.
“Was I supposed to go up there?” I whispered to Wesley, but he shook his head.
The man stood in front of Neith, and I saw her bend down to hear him. She looked greatly disturbed, and a heavy feeling settled in my stomach. Something wasn’t right. She nodded at the man and stood back up.
“Lord Horus informs me Hathor is still feeling a little shaken by the return of her memories, but that she will attend the next gathering with pleasure. Now, no more delays. Open the doors and let us begin the banquet.”
The crowd erupted again as the wide doors at the end of the ballroom opened to reveal another large room beyond. I could just about glimpse long tables, and the notes of music drifted out over the crowd. Everyone began to turn towards the doors, but I stayed, frowning as I watched Neith climb down from the platform and head straight for Horus who waited for her there.
“What’s wrong?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know. Something’s not right. I think Neith just lied to us.” I frowned, watching her a little longer. She seemed quite upset, and from his body language, so did Horus. I couldn’t quite make out his face from this angle, but something seemed familiar about the way he held his shoulders.
“Shall we go eat?” Zayn queried.
I nodded. I was just turning to follow him towards the banquet hall when Horus finally turned around and I saw his face clearly. I froze, my hand reaching out to grab Jasper.
“What’s wrong, Tory?” he asked, taking my hand.
I couldn’t speak for a moment, but I didn’t need to. He followed my gaze over to Horus, staring at us in shock. Not Horus to me, but Jasper’s best friend since childhood and Hattie’s fiancé, the Viscount Edward Claremont III.
“Teddy?” Jasper said slowly. “What the fuck?”
Chapter twelve
JASPER
Emotionragedthroughmeas I grabbed Teddy’s arm and dragged him out of the ballroom, away from the crowd. I pushed on a couple of doors until I found one that opened, and I pulled him through it. Tory and West followed us, but the others stayed in the ballroom, for which I was thankful. The room turned out to be a snug little area with an open fireplace and a couple of squashy sofas. I didn’t take a seat. Instead, I released Teddy’s arm but continued to glare at him.
“What the hell is going on, Teddy?”
“I might ask the same thing,” he retorted, his eyes moving from me to Tory. “I see you two are back together. Happy for you.”
“Yes... Thanks... That’s not important right now,” I spluttered, well aware my normally cool demeanour was fast heating up, and I hated the fact that West was here to see it.
Teddy raised his eyebrows. “Really? So the fact that your girlfriend is an ancient goddess and you are one of her reincarnated priests isn’t important, but the fact that I am one of the gods is? You’re not making much sense, Jas. Sit down before you really freak out.” He planted one hand on my chest and shoved me backwards. I landed squarely on one of the sofas, and he calmly lowered himself gracefully onto the other.
Tory sat next to me and threaded her fingers through mine, squeezing gently.
“Did you know?” I asked him. “Did you know what I was from the start?”
“Of course not,” Teddy replied, leaning back and crossing his legs. “I only found out about myself five years ago. My memories returned gradually, and I’ve been at court for the last four. I maybe had a slight sense about Tory, but I wasn’t sure.” He looked over at her and smiled. “Bastet and Sekhmet. Well, that makes a lot of sense.”
“Why? Why does that make sense?” I asked, my mind still reeling from the fact that my best friend was a god and hadn’t told me.
Teddy shrugged. “Well, the cats for one. Plus, Hattie...” His smile faded.
“Where is Hattie?” Tory asked, leaning forward. “I thought you were both still in the South of France. She hasn’t replied to any of my texts or calls in the last couple of weeks. Is she okay? And does she know about you?”
Teddy sighed. “Hattie is... missing.”
“What?” Tory jumped to her feet. “You could have opened with that. Where? Why? How? Have you told the police?”
“I’m sorry, it’s a shock, I know, but if you calm down, I’ll tell you everything,” Teddy said, his gaze moving from her face to mine. I saw the seriousness of his expression and tugged on Tory’s hand, pulling her down into my lap. Teddy took a breath. “I said it made sense that you turned out to be Bastet. I don’t know how much you remember, but do you remember Hathor?”
Tory opened her mouth to answer, then paused. She thought quietly for a few moments. “I didn’t think so, but I’m starting to. The memories are hard to pin down, it’s like they are drifting in a fog and I can’t quite catch hold of them. All I remember is laughter and a feeling of comfort. The guys told me a little bit about her just before the ceremony.”
