“You know, convince him he’s been compensated.”
The driver, who knew enough English to get the drift of what we were saying, began to make a scene about us taking advantage of him, but Asten quickly raised his hand and put the man in a trance. After a few murmured words, the driver happily left us to our own devices.
After a little more hypnosis, we found ourselves in a lovely balcony room. “Okay, let’s heal Amon,” I said, and knelt next to him on the floor where Ahmose had set him down. I was extremely worried because I couldn’t feel a wisp of a connection between us. When I touched him there was no warmth. I couldn’t taste his emotions, and mine had been relatively stable of late.
Ahmose was leaning over his brother, hands pressed against Amon’s chest. “Not yet, Lily. I have healed him enough to ensure his survival, but to transfer your energy will be a delicate process. If I make a mistake, it will likely kill you, so I need you to be as strong as possible before we make the exchange.”
I blew out a breath. “Okay. So what do you want me to do?”
“Eat,” he said frankly. “Rest. Bathe. Whatever you must do to relax your mind, nourish your body, and prepare your soul.”
“You make it sound like this is going to be my last meal.”
“I will do my best to ensure it is not.”
Biting my lip, I reached out to stroke Amon’s hair. “You’re sure he’ll be okay while I reenergize?”
“You may leave him in our hands,” Asten said. “We have watched out for each other all our lives and we will continue to do so.”
“Okay.” As I pressed a kiss on Amon’s forehead, I caught a whiff of myself, and said, “I’ll be in the shower. Dr. Hassan, can you order a room service feast?”
“Of course.”
We had two connecting rooms, so I left the men in one bedroom, crossed the connecting section, and headed into the second. It took the better part of a half hour before the water cascading over my scalp and down my body ran clean. By the time I was done, I was so tired that I felt like a zombie myself. Still, I efficiently wiped the steam from the mirror, applied lotion liberally to every exposed bit of skin, examined my various new scratches and scars, and brushed my hair.
With no clean clothes to change into, I wrapped myself in a robe and sought out the men to tell them the shower was open. When I entered the room, I found only Ahmose and Amon. Ahmose was sitting on the floor next to his brother’s body, elbows resting on his knees, hands covering his head.
“Catching a quick nap?” I asked.
“No, I—”
Ahmose lifted his head and sucked in an almost indiscernible breath. There was the tiniest flash of something in his gray eyes, but he closed them quickly and turned his head. “Asten and the doctor are seeking some clothing for you.”
“Oh. That’s nice. I just wanted to let you know the shower is free.”
“I will bathe after Asten returns.”
Ahmose still wouldn’t look at me. “I’m making you uncomfortable, aren’t I?” I said. “You probably aren’t used to seeing a woman in just a robe.”
“I am respecting the boundary that exists between us.”
“Boundary? What do you mean?”
“It is not right to look upon my brother’s woman when he cannot. Especially if that woman is as beautiful as you are.”
I smiled. “And I thought Asten was the flatterer.” Putting my hands on my hips, I said, “I’m not sure Amon feels as strongly about me as you believe, but regardless, I’ll leave you in peace.”
“Lily,” Ahmose called out just as I was about to close the door. “If Amon does not feel that way, then he is a fool.”