Ahmose Read online

  AHMOSE

  A Novel By

  E.L. KEEN

  ©2018 Published by After Hours Publications, Inc. www.afterhourspublications.com

  All rights reserved.

  Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Contains explicit language & adult themes suitable for ages 17+

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  Chapter One

  It was raining.

  Rachael stared outside and onto the beach that now looked like something out of a V.C. Andrews novel. Her entire day was ruined, okay...so maybe the beginning of the trip had already started turning this graduate school getaway into something she could have missed out on.

  Her boyfriend who was supposed to come had dipped out on her and then while in mid-flight had sent her a text message stating that they didn't suit each other and that they should take a break. She hadn't been the least bit surprised. It was to be expected of Luke’s shallow, and often ignorant behavior. In fact, she was happy to break up with him; it hadn't been like he was dating her because he liked her. He’d only taken an interest in her because she was the Professor's favorite in their Social Economics Class. She’d ignored the eye’s he’d made to other girls, eager for someone, anyone to take an interest in her through the dirty clothes and tight natural curls. It’d help that his blue eyes were bright and smile handsome. Like an idiot she’d fallen for the walking, talking Ken doll. Now, by her third glass of wine she’d convinced herself he’d been a snake in human clothing.

  By her sixth glass, she was the innocent red-riding hood and Luke, the snarling wolf.

  She shifted her bottom in the chair, leaning forward, she laid her chin miserably on her arms. The inside of the fine restaurant she was inhabiting, was filled with lovers of different types. Everyone escaping the rush of wind and rain outside. Apparently, the Island of Sardinia was in its romantic season, and here she was... alone.

  She lifted her arm and immediately a waiter came over. She wasn't sure, but he seemed weary. She spoke after an embarrassing hiccup, "I'll take another glass of Moscato," and with a wave at the empty plate she added, "And some more fried crab thingies."

  He nodded, muttering a quick assent in Italian.

  She let her head fall back down and stared out into the stormy weather. She should have listened to her mom. She told Rachael that Luke wasn't any good and that he was a narcissistic idiot.

  But he'd been the first guy to talk to her. Every other guy she dealt with had either spoken to her chest first or had made it clear he was far more interested in her bed game, than in her thesis for class.

  He'd been the first to ask her about her dreams, and... well, he'd done a great job in pulling her well-kept passion to the surface. She flushed thinking about it, but once she remembered he'd be practicing his moves on another female, she felt indignant and snatched the wine cup from the approaching waiter and gulped it down.

  The one good thing about this trip was the wine and the fact that she could sleep the night away in her bed safely tucked in away from any idiotic man who caused women pain.

  She finished the rest of her wine, and after paying, she made her way to her cold and lonely room above.

  ~LBK~

  The first thing that alerted him he wasn't in the cold crypt any longer was the sound of a loud horn. His body tensed as a sudden awareness of his surroundings burst forth, his body tensing as blood rushed through his body, pumping information throughout.

  How long had he been sleeping? This thought arose as he slowly started to move his fingers and toes. His eyes remained closed, but he could sense that he was no longer in the place next to his beloved.

  Blindly lifting his arms, he failed to control his strength. With a loud screech of protest, the cover above him tore open. The smell of metal filled his nostrils, something about the scent stirred a distant memory. Suddenly, a loud blaring sound caused his eyes to widen, and in confusion, he winced at the glare of red light that beamed down upon him.

  Hearing human shouts, he concentrated, removing himself from the box he lay in. The stuffy feeling abated immediately, as he staggered outside. Gasping at the feel of cold water hitting his skin, he moved forward falling into the railing. His nude chest was cut into by bits of raised steel. Lingering disorientation made him struggle to lift his head. His eyes could barely see through the blackness that surrounded him. The floor beneath him rolled. He soon realized he was on a ship. A large ship, after seeing a circle of light appear on the surface of the dark-black water that rolled below. Hearing a shout behind him, he turned around though still discombobulated, Ahmose felt his senses sharpen when an arrow pierced his shoulder.

  Reaching up with a shaky hand, he brushed a hand over the wound and felt something slick and oily. Lifting his hand, he frowned at the color of his amber blood.

  "Don't move!"

  He lifted his eyes from his blood coated fingers to the men who stood before him, that had aggressive and disturbed looks of fear.

  Ahmose could sense it. Their fear caused the warm air to stink. Seeing he had no choice but to retreat and recover, he leaned back and fell into the dark murky waters.

  ~LBK~

  Rachael was safely tucked away in her bed when she heard it.

  "Help..."

  At first, the low whisper was barely heard. Rachael snuggled deeper into her covers. She didn't want to help anyone. She just wanted to dig deeper into this heavenly bed.

  "Someone...please..."

  She groaned as she pressed her head into the covers. Why couldn't whoever it was, just call the front like everyone else.

  "I....ble-...help

  Jerking up, Rachael glared into the blackness of her room. Her drunken mind was not gathering the impossibility of hearing a voice in an empty room. Getting up, she shoved her feet into her shoes and stumbled from the room grabbing her key card on her way out.

  Walking out into the hall, her wig twisted on her head. She muttered a curse when the elevator took too long to arrive at her floor. Giving up on waiting for it, she went to the stairs, and after running down six flights of stairs, she pushed open the exit door.

  "...hurry..."

  "Shut up, I'm coming." She snapped walking past the outdoor pool and empty poolside bar. As she made her way to the beach, she squinted out and realized she couldn't see. She'd taken her contacts off and left her glasses on her side table.

  The sands seeped into her slippers as she walked out onto the beach. Her eyes were searching the water’s edge.

  "Here....over..."

  Letting out an annoyed huff, she saw a slumped figure on the edge of the beach. The waves of moving water slapped into the person, who lay still on the sand. Shocked by the appearance of the person, she ran over. Her drunken fog dispersed suddenly.

  Reaching the person's side, she fell to her knees beside them and started looking the person over. "Hello! Can you hear me?!" She said panicking, her mind not wondering how she'd come to be outside. Her wig fell into the ocean water as she bent forward to place her ear against the person's chest. A large hand reached up and laid on her head. She jerked up. Her eyes clashed with bronze colored eyes that swallowed her vision causing her to tumble forward in a faint.

  ~LBK~

  Ahmose took as much mana as he could from the woman lying on his chest, but he stop
ped just short of a deadly amount. His breathing became normal, and his strength returned as the wound on his shoulder slowly healed. Lifting up, he gently held the woman's head letting it lay on his thigh.

  He'd been lucky to find someone who could hear him in such an isolated area. As he looked over the beach, he felt his senses expand. There were others, he glanced over his head and felt his eyes widen at the sight of the tall building with its many lights that seemed to reach the sky.

  Turning his attention to the female in his lap, he frowned. He would have to use her to learn what he'd missed over these many years.

  Laying a large, but soft hand on her head, he closed his eyes and delved deep into the place where humans kept their knowledge. The lessons became more of an instinct. As her thoughts

  and emotions overflowed him, his heart pounded as a familiar feeling caused his body to stiffen and his arm to jerk away from her.

  With his eyes wide, he stared down at her with his heart racing. He hadn't thought it possible. Even as the lifetimes had rolled forward, he'd never thought to find another to be his Amouri...a True One.

  She moved then, snuggling into him her cheek rubbed against his bared thigh. Her hands curled against her cheek.

  Confused and truly thrown off kilter, Ahmose slowly situated her so that he could pick her up as he stood. Which this he was able to do easily. He would follow her memories and use them to return to her rooms and learn more from her.

  He turned his dark, stormy eyes to the sea... He would need to know why he ended up on the ship and not in the dark crypt he had demanded to be buried in.

  Chapter Two

  Something was holding her down. Rachael shoved at it, but it wouldn't move. She frowned, shoving at it once more. The thing shifted, but it merely shifted its massive weight on her. Groaning in annoyance, she opened her eyes halfway, only for them to widen at the sight of the large tattooed male in her bed.

  Screaming she scrambled backward, only to hit the ground rolling. "Ow!" She cried out, hissing as she rubbed at her bottom.

  The large male shifted. His eyes opened at her scream of pain. Seeing that he was watching her, she struggled up, "Wh-Who are you?!" Rachael demanded. She then searched her room in horror seeing that her clothes were covering the floor, "How did you get in here?! Oh my god!" She exclaimed, as her hand rubbed through her hair in a show of frustration, "I didn't have drunk sex? Oh my god! I had drunk sex!"

  She shook her head, muttering under her breath as she started walking back and forth, "Okay, Okay Ray... what happened last night?" She said aloud crossing her arms. "You-you went to the bar, because of that Luke bastard! That’s right!" She said brightly, "You went to the bar and —?" She trailed off, as she couldn't quite remember what happened after that. She glanced at the large male who hadn't spoken, before she cringed, "No... Tell me we didn't sleep together..."

  He didn't say anything, she whined.

  "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She shook her head, twisting her body around as she covered her face.

  Ahmose watched the young woman and her actions in confused amusement. She had not yet, allowed him to speak. She kept asking and answering her own questions. Then she would mutter under her breath. Deciding he had enough of her amusing one-woman show, he spoke, "We did not consummate our bond."

  Rachael had been ready to dive headfirst into her self-made shame pool when she paused. Her eyes whipped towards the stranger, "We did not consummate....We didn't have sex?" She asked loudly with hope filling her up to the brim so that her brown eyes fairly shined with it.

  He nodded, "I would not avail myself on a sleeping woman."

  Her legs weakened in relief. Rachael caught herself on the side table. "Thank god."

  Having confirmed that she hadn't had sex with a total stranger and that she wouldn't ever drink so much again, she finally brought her confused gaze to the man in her bed, who didn't seem eager to leave it anytime soon.

  "Who are you then?" She demanded a bit more in control.

  "My name is Ahmose," He said simply, and this time he did move. He slipped his legs over the side of the bed as he stood, and the sheet fell to the ground. Rachael felt her eyes widen at the sight of his long-, she choked, averting her eyes. She could feel heat coming to her cheeks, and she prayed her melanin plus her well-gained tan hid it well.

  "You saved me last night." He murmured.

  Hearing this, she turned her eyes to his serious face, purposely not looking down. For some reason, she felt this was a mistake as his eyes were the color of molasses, with flecks of gold, so the all-around effect was the look of a sun shining behind rich chocolate. He lifted a tanned hand to his hair, "I could have died if you hadn't heard my call. I thank you."

  She'd saved his life, "I-I saved your life?" She felt more confused now than she had before. Everything he said, she repeated blankly. "Wait how did I do this saving thing?"

  He walked forward, and she took a step back. He was too big. He filled the space of her hotel room. "I called out, and you were the only one who heard me." His voice was thick. It held a tinge of Italian accent but also something else that she couldn’t place.

  Quite frankly everything about this male in her hotel room was weird and off-putting. Rachael couldn’t help wondering why she hadn’t kicked him out yet. She wasn’t a patient person, and this was the highest form of patience she had ever shown.

  "Heard you?"

  Before he could respond, he jerked his head up. His gaze moved to the door and suddenly narrowed. “Go to the bathroom now!" he barked.

  She flinched at his sudden command, "What?! Why would I?!"

  Before she could continue to argue, he appeared before her. Grabbing her arms, he jerked her close as he spun away. The door exploded. She screamed as he brought his arm up to block the shards of wood.

  A second later she lifted her head, only to see a group of people dressed in all black combat gear rushing into the room.

  "Hold tight," He whispered into her ear, and a sudden wave of dizziness hit her hard. She felt like her stomach had been pulled back and replaced.

  She staggered, but he caught her. His hands grabbed her hips. They stood not in her hotel room, but outside in front of the hotel. People screamed at their sudden sight before he snarled, and they moved again.

  She leaned into him, clenching her eyes shut, as the spinning motion took hold of her once again. When they finally landed, the echoes of wildlife were all around. She pushed away from him as her stomach rebelled. Bowing her head, she bent forward and expelled the left-over wine and fried crab thingies she'd eaten the night before.

  Once she was done, she turned her narrowed eyes on the Ahmose guy, "Who the fuck are you? And why the hell did-did..." she paused, taking in their surroundings, "How, um, how did we get here?" They were in the center of a thickly wooded area. She whirled around in a circle. No sight of the hotel or manmade paths that lead to civilization.

  She turned her attention back to him, as he seemed preoccupied with digging in a bag that she hadn't noticed before... It was hers.

  Rachael decided against freaking out over the whole moving from the hotel room, to the hotel front, to the wooded area... thing. She was still recovering from drinking her pathetic situation away. Leaning back against one of the trees, she asked the easiest questions first, "What's your name?"

  "Ahmose," He said, as he re-zipped her bag.

  "Okay, Ahmose... not a weird name, at all," She mentally groaned, "Who were those guys that blew my door in and-,” She paused while swallowing,” Who blew my door in?"

  "I'm not sure. From what I could read from them, they are tasked to recapture me." Ahmose said standing and turning, facing her completely nude. His eyes were narrowed, "I've not been able to learn much, but I know if they recapture me, they will imprison me."

  "So, they are after you and not me?" she wanted to know, so if she took off screaming now, she wouldn't be caught in his too over the top situation.

  "Your plan will not work. T
hey plan to kill all who have come into contact with me." He said as he walked towards her. His height forced her back against the tree, "You are not safe alone."

  "I-I'm sure they wouldn't..." he shook his head, "But I don't even know you! How do I even know that what you’re saying is true! You could or should be locked up." She said defiantly. She'd had enough excitement to last her a lifetime, thank you very much!

  He reached out a hand and cupped her chin. Rachael was immediately captured by the intensity of his eyes. Heat resonated throughout her body immediately. A strange attraction erupted within her, something she'd never felt even with her previous boyfriend.

  Looking into his eyes, she shivered, "What are you doing to me?"

  He didn't speak, but he leaned in close. his forehead was touching hers, "The question Amouri-,” He said after a long second, " -is what you will do to me?"

  Suddenly he pulled away and grabbed her hand as he started walking once more. "There is a house not too far from here. I cannot take us there immediately, as I would need more mana, but you are far too weak."

  Mana?

  Rachael kept her eyes high on his broad shoulders. She couldn't help wondering why she wasn't fighting him like crazy and running. She argued with herself, saying that she would abandon the big hulking male once they found civilization. She wasn't up for surviving in the woods alone, no matter how she'd claimed to be a feminist before.

  She would allow him to escort her, and when they arrived, she would get her bag, that looked small on his shoulder, and run for the nearest police officer.

  ~LBK~

  She was falling behind.

  Ahmose had paused several times to see her wince. Looking down, he'd realized she had no shoes. He had removed them, along with most of her clothes. She only wore shorts and a T-shirt, with a laughing clown on it.

  Stopping, he turned to face her. She gave him a wary look, "W-what?"