zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Her prayers interrupted, Hatshepsut looked up sharply. Someone was snoring in the sacred temple! How discourteous! One of the priestesses should wake the offending person up and toss him or her out in the street. She could order that it be done immediately, but she was incognito today, humbling herself in the presence of the goddess she worshiped. Dressed in a white silk kalisaris adorned only with a belt made of multicolored beads, she resembled a noblewoman or a wealthy merchant’s daughter more than a Queen. This was what she wanted, to kneel at Hathor’s altar and pray without all the pomp and circumstance that came with her exalted position.

Ordinarily, the temple would be cleared so that she could worship alone and guards would be stationed at the doors to make certain no one else entered. The priestesses gave her every comfort, including a soft cushion on which to kneel. Today, her knees rested on the hard floor and though it was a bit painful, it was what she deserved for wishing that her husband would be poisoned or die in battle. Hatshepsut had come to atone for those thoughts and open her mind to Hathor’s guidance in the matter of her marriage.

There were guards waiting outside for her, but they weren’t wearing their usual armor. Inside, she knew she was safe and did not need their protection. To further hide her identity, she wore a semi-sheer veil draped over her head to cover her face. She didn’t even feel like a Queen. No god or goddess was fond of arrogance and conceit, and she came before Hathor today as a simple newly-wed woman. She didn’t even wear sandals on her dainty feet.

Hatshepsut prayed that she would be granted the strength to accept the husband who had been selected for her, and to learn to be the kind of wife Iahotep wanted her to be. His expectations confused her. He seemed to hold her privileged birth against her as well as her youth, but sometimes she wondered if he was envious of the easy life she had led. Unlike him, she had not had to work her way up to become Queen of Egypt. It was known from the moment she was born that the title would one day be hers … a day that come much sooner than she had liked.

She also asked Hathor for the willingness to respond to Iahotep in bed without feeling that she was betraying Osorsen. Hatshepsut knew that part of the reason her husband despised her was that she just lay still when he made love to her. It didn’t stop him, but he didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as he would if she returned his passion. She froze up whenever he touched her. It was an instinctive reaction, one that she could not control. Hathor was not only the goddess of fertility and love, but of sexuality, and could help her enjoy his attentions rather than just endure them.

And then there was the matter of fertility. The young Queen prayed that she would become pregnant quickly so that the succession would be secure. And then Iahotep might leave her alone, not wanting to risk her miscarrying. She was afraid of ...

zzzzzzzzzzzzz

How could she concentrate on her prayers when that annoying noise kept distracting her? Hatshepsut sighed and stood up, determined to find the snorer herself. Following the sound, she discovered it was coming from a tall Greek dozing with his back against a pillar. Leaning over him, she reached out and gently shook his shoulder. “Wake up,” she whispered in his native language.

The snoring stopped only a heartbeat before the man gripped Hatshepsut’s arm and pulled her close to him. She was so shocked that she didn’t try to pull away. The warmth of his body awakened emotions that she never felt unless she was in Osorsen’s arms. They were very pleasant but equally as baffling. Who was he to stir her so?

She was quite effectively imprisoned, and she looked down at his tanned fingers wrapped around her darker wrists. Maybe it was the contact itself that caused such strange and pleasurable sensations to shimmer through her. Nobody … absolutely nobody … touched her without her permission and she was unaccustomed to physical contact with strangers.

Her gaze rose to his face and she stifled a gasp. Lukos! The pirate who had saved her from being ravished by his first mate last year and had assisted her in finding a litter of kittens. She had never thought she would see him again. The last place she would expect him to visit was an Egyptian temple. What was he doing here?

For some reason, watching the recognition dawn on his face fascinated her, as did the sound of her fake name whispering from his lips. He immediately let her go and she stepped backward, feeling oddly bereft for some reason she couldn’t understand.

The young Queen studied him as he glanced around the temple. He looked much the same as he had the year before. Some people were easily forgettable, but his face and form had remained in her memory, to be taken out and recalled at will. She always thought of him whenever she saw Mischief roaming the halls with her head and tail held high, as if she was the queen of all the cats in the palace. Perhaps she was.

Hatshepsut shrugged when he smirked at her and called her devout and mischievous. She supposed she was both, but she rarely got the chance to explore the latter trait. Queens were not permitted to be impish. Only with her beloved General could she show her playful, humorous side. With him, she was not shy at all. With him, she could truly be herself.

She had felt free that day she had met Lukos too, except for the kidnapping incident. She had been able to do what she had wanted to do for once, without approval from the Council or her mother. Neither would have given her consent to gallivant through Cairo with a pirate searching for kittens. Slaves would have been deployed to find them and bring them back to the palace.

“Mischief is still full of mischief, and her kittens turned out just like her,” she grinned. “They have taken well to their new home.” She could not tell him that their new home was the Evening Star Palace. The little calico was not content to be a pampered pet. Most likely a stray for most of her life, she preferred prowling around the palace, gardens, and grounds. Though she could have her pick of delicacies that most commoners would never be able to afford, her favorite food was raw rat, plain and simple. She and the rest of the palace cats kept the rodent population in check.

“How is your cat doing? What did you name her? Does she like life on your ship?” Most cats detested water but many ships kept them to control vermin. She did hope that Greeks treated their felines well. They didn’t worship them the way her people did, but she hoped that they didn’t mistreat them. She had seen the way Lukos had looked at his chosen kitten. Pirate he might be, but he was a cat lover too.


Hatshepsut rubbed her wrist, which stung slightly from his grasp. She would probably have bruises later. “And what about you, Lukos? I cannot imagine why a Greek pirate would frequent an Egyptian temple.” Her grin returned. “Has your cat inspired you to convert to the worship of our feline-loving gods?”

Hatshepsut remembered his little gray kitten well. She had been a feisty little thing, the closest to her mother in temperament. Her siblings lacked the daring and stubbornness of their sister. They were quiet and sweet little furballs who had attached themselves to some of the palace servants. Even slaves were allowed to keep cats. Those that felines were drawn to were often given less taxing jobs, for they had the favor of the goddess Bastet.

Born in an abandoned warehouse, Mischief’s kittens had not lived on the streets and didn’t feel the need to hunt like their mother. Every now and then, Mischief sought out the Queen’s company but most of the time, she preferred to be independent. Cats in Egypt didn’t actually belong to individuals and were free to come and go as they pleased. One was considered blessed when a feline chose to live with them.

She laughed at Lukos’ description of his cat. There were fat cats in the palace and even on the streets. Cats didn’t starve in Egypt. If one showed up at the house of somebody who had barely enough food to feed himself, he would still share his meal with the cat. They were also quite trusting as they were treated so well. Kicking or otherwise harming one was considered a crime, and the punishment was severe.

Hatshepsut supposed that Lukos’ cat fed mostly on rats, just like her mother. She was glad the gray kitten enjoyed her life. He seemed quite fond of her. She chuckled when she found out her name. Cat. Simple and to the point. Perhaps pirates didn’t have very much imagination. Names were not important to cats anyway. They didn’t always come when you called them, as they only answered to Bastet. “So she is roaming the streets of Cairo now? She might be even fatter when she returns. Is this the first time you’ve been in Egypt since we first met?”

As always, she was curious about him and his way of life, so very different from her own. The young Queen had not expected to see him again and she was glad that their paths had crossed today. Lukos was very attractive and exceedingly captivating in a manner she had not recognized a year ago before she had discovered the delights of sexual intimacy. Her eyes appreciatively roamed over his fine masculine form, wondering what it would feel like to find pleasure in his arms.

Shaking her head to clear it of those provocative thoughts, she thought she saw a smirk upon those well-formed lips. Why, she wondered? Was he mocking her lack of freedom? Or had he sensed her thoughts? A soft blush colored her golden cheeks but she did not look away from him.

Poison !?! Hatshepsut managed to control her shock. The priestesses of Hathor manufactured toxins and sold them to Greek pirates? She knew they made medicinal herbal concoctions but she had never dreamed they made poison. To distract herself, she watched Lukos as he rose … which was actually extremely distracting. Her blush deepened. She had forgotten how tall he was. “What do you do with the poisons once you have them? Do you keep them or do you sell them?”

A thought was formulating in her mind. She wouldn’t mind having a vial of poison with which to eliminate Iahotep so that she could marry Osorsen. Asking a priestess for it would be foolish. Her husband had spies everywhere. She couldn’t send a slave for it either. However, nobody would suspect a noble girl of purchasing poison from a pirate. Assuming he would be willing to sell it to her.

Hatshepsut had no idea what caught Lukos’ attention outside the temple, but she doubted his view was better than hers. Watching him was quite fascinating and sent pleasant little thrills shimmering through her small from. She had always thought of pirates as ugly, dirty, and foul mouthed. The man before her was none of those things. She wasn’t completely sure that he was a pirate. He could be a legitimate merchant. But then why would a member of his crew kidnap her and take her to his ship? He had to be a pirate.

A soft breeze swirled through the temple. The young Queen lifted her head and closed her eyes, enjoying it while it lasted. Having lived in Egypt all her life, heat didn’t bother her much, but she felt hotter now than she usually did. A year ago, she wouldn’t have known why, but now she recognized the stirrings of desire.

Watching Lukos rise, her blush deepened. By the way he looked at her, Hatshepsut wondered if he had read her thoughts. Her mother always admonished her for not being able to hide her feelings. She thought she had learned to conceal them, but maybe they were still written across her face. Her expression changed to one of curiosity when he told her he was waiting for poison, curiosity as to why the priestesses made it and if he sold it.

Assuming he was willing to sell her a vial, would she have the courage to kill Iahotep with it? He had a taster just as she did, but Hatshepsut didn’t think he would be wary of a glass of wine pressed into his hands by the wife he considered too foolish and childish to come up with the idea of eliminating him.

If she didn’t succeed, what would happen then? Could he accuse the rightful Queen of Egypt of attempted murder? It was possible that she could even get the Council’s permission … and her mother’s … if she showed them the bruises he left on her skin. Iahotep had slapped her the day after their marriage and he was consistently rough with her in bed. He would be cruel to his subjects as well.

Those amorous stirrings returned when Lukos glanced at her lips. She watched his tongue glide across his teeth and wondered what it would be like to lie with him. Her heart belonged to Osorsen, but her body belonged to herself. She only felt that she was betraying her beloved when she slept with her hated husband. Otherwise, Hatshepsut was Egyptian to the core. Even Queens could take lovers without raising any eyebrows.

“They’re not for me. They’re for a client. I have no use for poisons. I prefer to be a little more direct.”

He was a pirate. He had to be. Why else would he admit to preferring a direct method to rid himself of his enemies? Running them through with a sword was quicker and more certain than poison. An image of herself stabbing Iahotep pushed itself into her mind, and she couldn’t say it horrified her. However, she knew she didn’t have the strength to do it. He would be able to overpower her and would take great pleasure in making her suffer before she died.

“Why? What do you need with poison? Rats? I’d have thought Mischief could take care of that for you.”

The way his gaze roamed over her made her entire body tremble. She stretched luxuriously, not knowing or caring why she did it. Did he believe her capable of killing? Would he think more highly of her if she was? Hatshepsut was not the Queen of Egypt today. She was Khema, a young noble girl who was newly betrothed. As long as she was in disguise, why not admit the truth?

“She does, but one rat is too big for her to catch.” She looked straight into his eyes. “I do not want to marry the man my parents chose for me. He is abusive.” Hatshepsut held up her right arm so that he could see the bruises … both fresh and fading … that marred her golden skin. “My parents won’t listen to me because he will bring influence to my family. I don’t know if I am brave enough to kill him, though.”

She sighed. “I wish I could run away.”

Hatshepsut had no idea why she showed Lukos her bruises. Sympathy was not exactly what she wanted from him right now. She wasn’t sure what she wanted from him. Understanding, perhaps? Everyone believed that wealthy nobles lived happy and carefree lives. Nothing horrible ever happened to them. That, of course, was a myth. There were some things that money couldn’t buy, and a way out of an abusive marriage was one of them. She was the Queen of Egypt and even she was powerless against the forces that had joined her with Iahotep.

It was fortunate that she didn’t expect sympathy because he didn’t give it to her. Her arm seemed to burn in a very pleasurable way when Lukos lifted it so that he could see the marks on her skin better. Hatshepsut’s heart skipped a beat as his rough palm slid up her forearm and it pounded loudly when he pressed his fingers into her bruises. Was he as cruel as Iahotep? He was a pirate, after all. Pirates weren’t known for their kindness and compassion. Did he want to hurt her, even knowing what she had already been through?

Surprisingly enough, she did not find the gentle pressure revolting. Fire blazed through her young body along with the pain he inflicted upon her. It was a rather thrilling combination and she began to tremble all over. The look on Lukos’ handsome face was not full of suppressed rage like Iahotep’s. His eyes did not glitter with fury. He seemed more curious than anything. As she finished speaking, she closed her eyes, her full lips parting slightly. A long sensuous sigh followed her spoken wish to run away.

“So kill him,” he said simply.

Would that it were that easy, she thought. Before she could reply, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her further into the temple. Hatshepsut could do nothing but follow, blinking her eyes to adjust them from the sun outside to the darkness within. Her back hit a cold marble wall and Lukos' hands braced against it on either side of her. Her breath caught in her throat. What did he plan to do with her now? What did she want him to do with her? She wasn’t trapped. If she wanted to, she could slip away from him and flee. But did she want to?

It should be cool here in the shade, but she was burning up. The young Queen was caught in a whirl of emotions and she could hardly think straight. She had been forced into a marriage she loathed, forced to submit to a man who could barely tolerate her. Her lover was in Greece and out of reach. She was sixteen years old and her hormones were constantly raging. And here was this gorgeous man … this intriguing and alluring pirate … close enough to touch, close enough to …

“You’d be surprised what you get away with if you just do it and are clever about it.”

To her young mind, that sounded like an invitation. Stepping forward, she stood on tiptoe so she that she could wrap her golden arms around his neck. “Like this?” she whispered and then captured his lips in a tentative but enthusiastic kiss.

Hatshepsut had no idea what had come over her, but she didn’t regret that kiss. Neither did Lukos, apparently, for he returned it with a passion that took her breath away, plundering her mouth like he plundered the ships who had the misfortune of encountering his own. Her knees felt so weak that she feared she would collapse until his arms moved around her and lifted her off the floor. Instinctively, she hiked up her kalisaris and wrapped her legs around his waist. The most exquisite and intense sensations flowed through her nubile young body that she thought she might die of bliss.

This is meant to be, she thought. It was always meant to be. That they were in Hathor’s temple was no coincidence. Their meeting had not been accidental. The goddess had arranged this encounter; she wanted it to happen. For what reason the young Queen couldn’t even imagine, but it was not her place to question the will of the gods. Her only task was to follow their direction wherever it may lead, and today Hathor had led Hatshepsut to Lukos and this dark corner of the temple where nobody would ever find them.

She couldn’t tell him any of that, though. He didn’t believe in Egypt’s gods and she doubt he answered to the Greek gods either. Lukos was wild and free and did as he pleased, something she had always longed for in her own life. But she’d had the responsibility of a kingdom resting on her shoulders since the age of six. This splendid spontaneity she was experiencing now was precious and rare. She wished she could remain like this forever, her soft curves pressed against his muscular body, their tongues dancing together in a rhythm all their own.

Yes, this was definitely meant to be. Hatshepsut had been attracted to him from the moment they had met, when she had stood defiantly before him on his ship and demanded that he let her go. She had not recognized it for what it was a year ago when she had not been ready to give into the desires she had only recently began feeling. Now she was a woman in every sense of the word and she wanted Lukos to make her his own, if only for a day.

She didn’t pull away. Instead she drew him nearer. She wanted to be as close to him as possible, so close that there was no space between them at all. Engrossed in the ardor of their kiss, she didn’t hear the footsteps approaching, but she did see the long shadow darken their hideaway for a heartbeat or two. Lukos broke the kiss to look behind him, but nobody approached.

Hashepsut wasn't overly worried about discovery. The priestesses of Hathor were devoted to her, not to that despicable bastard she had been forced to wed. Hathor was the goddess of pleasure and her attendants would never seek to break apart what their mistress had brought together. Nor would they speak of anything that happened in their sanctuary to the outside world. They would be safe here, but she didn’t want to remain in the temple.

“So what are your plans for the rest of today?”

Hatshepsut looked up into his eyes, her own dark orbs glittering with passion. “Whatever you wish them to be,” she replied with a sultry smile. Nobody would miss her until nightfall. Spending a day worshiping in various temples was not unusual for the Queen of Egypt, the gods’ chosen representative on Earth. Reaching up, she traced the outline of his lips. “I think I should like to visit your ship again.”

Her suggestion seemed to please him, for Lukos kissed her yet again. Hatshepsut was beginning to crave his kisses. They were addicting, as were the delightful sensations he evoked in her. When he pulled away, she felt deprived, and her lips turned down into a playful little pout. She truly was willing to do whatever he asked of her, as long as it was pleasurable for both of them. The young Queen was not very experienced in the art of lovemaking, but she was an eager and passionate student.

He took her hand and she entwined her fingers with his as he led her around the outskirts of the temple so that they would not be seen. A moment of panic seized her as she remembered her guards standing out front. They would not stop her from doing whatever she wished, but they would follow her and that would ruin this lovely rendezvous. Lukos would discover who she really was. Who else but the Queen of Egypt had the royal guards at her beck and call? Perhaps she could tell him that she was one of the Queen’s handmaidens, but he was too smart to believe that royal guards would be sent to protect a mere handmaiden.

Hatshepshut began to breathe easier when she saw he was heading toward the entrance on the other side. Her free hand trailed over the carvings on the columns they wove around, engravings praising the divine glory of Hathor. As soon as they stepped out of the temple, she felt a cooling breeze waft over her. Was that the goddess giving her approval to this choice that she had made?

She fell into step with Lukos as they headed toward the Nile, squeezing his hand every now and then. The sun was bright and would have enveloped her with its heat if her body had not already been burning for the handsome pirate beside her.

He led her through a maze of alleys and back streets in the shadier parts of the city. For a foreigner, he seemed to know the city well. Eventually, they emerged onto the main road that led to the Nile, joining a crowd that was so thick it could even hide a Queen.

Hatshepsut could see the ships in the distance and her heart leapt in her chest when she recognized the huge vessel that belonged to him. The first time she had seen it, she had been upside down. It looked so much more impressive right side up. But not nearly as impressive as its captain.

This time Lukos led her up the gangplank instead of down it. If anyone had told her a year ago that she would board his ship voluntarily, Hatshepsut would have scoffed at them. But here she was again, enthusiastically anticipating what this new adventure would bring.

There was nobody on deck but an old man who looked at them dispassionately. Did Lukos regularly bring noble women to his ship? Why did that notion displease her? The Queen didn’t have a jealous bone in her body and it was not her business what he did, but all young women like to feel special.

“I remember it well,” she replied with a low, sultry chuckle. "In truth, I never thought that I would see it again."    She followed him over to a hole in the floor that led to the lower decks. Hatshepsut had read about such things in books but the authors had never described them as so dark. She paused, looking down into the murky depths, before obediently descending the stairs with small and careful steps. The stench made her stomach lurch, bit after a few minutes, her nose became accustomed to it and it no longer bothered her.

She turned right as Lukos instructed, wondering where she would end up if she took another direction. Perhaps later she would ask the intriguing pirate to take her on a tour. Now, though, she had more pleasurable pursuits in mind. Finally, they reached a narrow hallway that led to his cabin. Hatshepsut stepped inside, not knowing what to expect. It was a small space and the furniture was bolted down in case of storms. The Nile was a placid river, but the open seas were anything but. Or so she had been told.

Glancing over at the bed, she pulled Lukos toward it. Her body was humming with impatient desire, and with a coquettish grin, she pushed him onto it, climbing atop him and straddling his waist. Pinning his hands on either side of his head with her small hands, she leaned over and crushed her lips against his, her tongue questing gently against his teeth.