Natti hardly slept through the night. She just laid in bed, staring at the ceiling and listening to the music pounding through her ear buds. Though the steady beat eased her a bit, she was still consumed by the date she had agreed to and what possibilities awaited her.
Her heart summersaulted in her chest in anticipation, yet fear continued to gnaw at the pit of her stomach. Natti was frightened by Seth’s reputation and charm; his ability to turn women into jelly with just one smile and seduce them with a touch. She didn’t want to fall into that trap and be counted among his concubines. She seriously hoped that Seth wouldn’t try to lead her down that path, but she knew it could be a possibility.
Is this a mistake? She asked herself, pulling Anubis to her side.
She had been going hot and cold ever since she first met Seth, her heart flipped back and forth, confused. There was definitely something disturbing about him. That constant heaviness weighing down against her chest; the was scepter honoring Set; and the things that occurred whenever she was around him: the mind-boggling fog, the overpowering tingling feeling of his touch, the strange heat which seemed to heal her. Then there how he would swoop out of thin air at the last minute—like he had at Haunted Pyramid and when Wanda was drugged—becoming her knight in shining armor. And how he refused to let her involve the police or tell her what was going on. It was all very strange, yet she didn’t think he was trying to be menacing or creepy in any way. Actually, she felt as if he was trying to protect her, especially after that scene in front of his mother. But what could he so scared of, particularly at his own home?
All these thoughts were all logical reasons to just stay away like her gut had been screaming all along. However, there was something else. Another factor which was screwing with her emotions. It wasn’t something she could explain, but she had felt it since the day she came home from the nurse’s office. It was like . . . an addiction, maybe? She couldn’t get enough of Seth. His touch. His voice. Then there was the comfort and warmth of his eyes, the near kiss, and the thought of his beautiful lips. Even when she was boiling angry at him, she couldn’t resist him.
Please, God, don’t let me be making a mistake.
Quieting her mind, she tried to keep her thoughts blank while her stomach knotted up, trapping the butterflies that fluttered inside. Her emotional roller coaster weaved its way through her system. It slithered; up, down, and around in terrifying loops. Excitement, fear. Happiness, doubt. Joy, anxiety. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She pulled her pillow closer with a frustrated groan and buried her face in it.
The sun’s rays reached through the window, touching her weary body. Natti threw aside her pillow, her blurry eyes landing on the clock. She moaned, wishing her body wasn’t running purely on adrenaline. She forced herself up, her iPod shuffle dragging across the bed as she made her way to the shower. Bastet pounced onto the little player, making the headset plug pull free from the speaker port and jerking Natti back into some form of consciousness. She smiled at the cat and pulled the buds from her ears.
“Silly little sphinx.” She tossed the wire over the cat. Bastet jumped back.
Natti walked into her bathroom, peeling off her thin set of pajamas. They fell to the floor in a neat little pile next to the hamper. Turning on the shower, she stepped inside the tub to let the warm water pour over her body and rejuvenate her heavy muscles and restless mind. She ran her fingers slowly through her hair, massaging the shampoo into her scalp. The suds gracefully slid down her bare back as she rinsed. She then scrubbed her entire body into a thick lather before shaving her legs. Once she was finished, she wrapped a towel around her body and stared into her closet trying to decide what to wear.
After several long minutes, she pulled on a simple black top with a pair of jeans. She moved in front of the mirror, messing with her hair. She held it in a bun, let it fall over her shoulders, and even pulled it back into a ponytail. She eventually let it hang free, running a comb through it while it air-dried.
She heard a ruckus in her room and peeked inside. Bastet had knocked open the cedar box and was dragging the Eye of Horus chain to the bed. She batted it about on the cover. It slipped and slid between the pillows and iPod shuffle. Natti rushed forward, grabbed the necklace, and patted the cat on the head. Bastet took a swing at the toy dangling from Natti’s fingertips. Bringing the pendant into her palm, Natti stared at the necklace. A smile tugged at her lips. She opened the latch, gazing at the hieroglyphs inside.
Seth’s smile grew wider, “And see, I’m the opposite. The magic, the curses, and all old texts. They fascinate me.”
“Why?”