When he settled into his own natural form, she asked, “How many other species have you exterminated this day, that you can take their shape so easily?”
Seth folded his arms across his chest while his nostrils flared. “Let’s see,” he answered with a mix of pride and mockery. “A woolly hippo, the desert bull, and the white-tailed oryx, which, incidentally, I unmade just to pass the time, which was entirely your fault. A wife shouldn’t leave her husband on their wedding night.”
“And a husband shouldn’t commit murder on his.”
Seth’s eyes darted to hers. “You knew what I was going to do when you agreed to accompany me to their celebration, didn’t you, my little visionary?”
Nephthys stared at him stonily, her lips pressed into a tight line. Instead of answering him, she asked, “Does it give you pleasure to cause such wanton destruction?”
A small sigh escaped him and he looked away.
Do I see regret there? she wondered.
He spoke softly, but there was an underlying hardness to his tone. “Despite what you might think, no, destruction and chaos bring me no pleasure. They are a means to an end. There is purpose in what I have done. But you know that better than anyone, don’t you, little wife?” Seth seized her arm and drew her toward him to stroke the short hair away from her face roughly. “I don’t like what you’ve done with your hair, by the way.” Pressing his palms against her cheeks, he squeezed. Not tightly enough to hurt her, but there was no escaping his grasp either.
Seth’s gaze drifted to her mouth, and before she could react, he kissed her. His lips moved against hers in a hungry, powerful, and dominating fashion. He seemed surprised when she responded to him. His kiss softened then, and Nephthys trembled with the knowledge of what the two of them could be, would be, if what the stars told her came to pass. But then he abruptly ended it, wrenching himself back as if she was a temptation that he wanted to thrust as far away from himself as possible.
A line appeared between his brows but it vanished with a smirk, twisting his otherwise handsome face into something ugly and cruel. Seth took hold of her chin. “Now. Are you going to share your secrets with me, or am I going to take them? I promise you that I’ll enjoy it either way.”
Nephthys jerked her chin from his grip and stepped back. “How quickly you have discarded your cloak of charm.”
With flashing eyes he said, “You knew what I was. You’ve always known. I think it’s time that both of us stop pretending to be something we are not.”
“Perhaps you are right,” she said with a demure nod.
Seth’s eyes bored into hers as if willing her to spill her secrets. He paced a few steps away and then returned. “Tell me what you have seen.”
“You’re not ready to hear all of what I’ve seen.”
“Do you think to deny me?” Seth took hold of her arms and tugged her close. “We are wed, Nephthys,” he murmured. “Submitting to your husband goes hand in hand with making vows. You and your visions belong to me now. Lest my willful wife forget, marrying was her idea.”
“Yes,” Nephthys admitted. “I wanted to marry you.”
Seth lifted an eyebrow. “That much I know. What escapes me are your motives.”
Nephthys was quiet for a moment, and when Seth seemed content to let her go, she stepped away again. She found it interesting that despite his obvious resistance to being close to her, he kept coming back, as if he couldn’t help it.
After considering a moment, she let out a soft sigh. “You are right that there is not enough energy left in the Waters of Chaos. The gift you wield is an important one, and one not to be dismissed. Your power is necessary to bring balance. It is just as important to the care of the cosmos as is Amun-Ra’s.”
He blinked, astonishment evident on his face.
Quickly, she continued, “But your power, if wielded incorrectly, will destroy us all.” Nephthys nibbled on her bottom lip and then came to a decision. Reaching out, she took his hand. “Seth, I am sorry for the suffering you’ve borne and for the loneliness you’ve felt. I know you are a man of great ability. You are clever and passionate, but as of late your passion has turned into obsession and jealousy.”
Seth’s face went blank and Nephthys shivered.
“You need to know that Osiris lives,” she said bravely. When he didn’t stir, she pressed on. “You have not destroyed him as you intended. Isis has created a new body for him, and their bond has allowed him to return. I know you hate him. His booming laugh feels like mockery. When you see them together it hurts you. You feel diminished when he is near. I also know you think you love Isis, but if you saw them together you’d understand that she can only be happy with him. She will never feel the same way for you.”
“He lives?” Seth demanded her confirmation with feverish eyes.
“Yes, but you’re missing the point.”
“And what point is that, dear wife?”
“That it’s a good thing. You haven’t gone too far that you can’t come back. Amun-Ra will forgive this. What you’ve done has been fixed. I fixed it for you.” The smile she gave him was too forced to be natural.
A muscle twitched in his jaw and she hurried to finish.
“I beg you, Seth, walk away from this path. I know what motivates you. You crave acceptance. To be respected, valued, and loved. You desire the admiration that has been long denied you and wish to feel as if your opinions matter just as much as everyone else’s. You will get all of those things. I promise you. All you have to do is bide your time.”
“And why should I wait when I have already waited so long? Why should I put faith in your visions? Trust you? Especially when I can see that you do not hold me in the same esteem as you do the others. You look down upon me, too. Don’t deny it.”
Nephthys hesitated, unsure of what to say. Carefully, gently, she proceeded. “You are right,” she confessed. “Though I do not love you as a wife should a husband, the stars have shown me that there will come a time when I do. Someday we will be very happy together, the cosmos will be harmonious, and all the desires of your heart will be yours. Surely with that end in sight, you can find the strength within you to be patient with the others, to give me time to become the wife you need. Let Isis and Osiris have their happiness, husband.”
Nephthys fell silent as she stared into Seth’s hooded gaze. Finally, he spoke. “My earnest bride,” he began, stretching out his fingers to stroke her feathers, “I want to thank you for sharing your feelings. I can tell they come from your heart. But you are wrong. Your visions have misled you. Not about me. All the things I want, will, of course, come to pass, but it won’t happen if I sit back and rest upon my laurels.