Chenery, Marisa - Turquoise Eye of Horus [Egyptian Shifters 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  As the sun slowly climbed higher in the sky, Horus tried to will Codie to sleep, the only time he could come to her, but she refused to give in. He easily read the worry she felt. She worried that if she slept, those who would come looking for her would miss seeing her.

  By the time the sun rose to its hottest, Horus could no longer stand by and watch helplessly as Codie suffered. There had to be something special about this mortal woman that made him want to protect her as if she belonged to him. Using the only option open to him, Horus embraced the falcon in him.

  * * * *

  The day continued to torment her. The heat coming off the sand rolled over Codie in hot waves, sucking all the moisture out of her. Dying of thirst, she wouldn’t allow herself to drink the amount of water she would need to quench it. The few sips of water she had each time had been barely enough to wet her tongue.

  Shading her eyes with her hand, Codie scanned the endless sea of sand. “Where can they be?” She couldn’t understand why no one came for her. They surely had to have noticed her missing by now. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone, or something, purposely kept her out here in the desert.

  She closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than to lie back down in her sleeping bag and go to sleep. She fought the urge. She needed to stay awake, to keep looking for any signs of a rescue party. She now knew why the local tribes did nothing during the hottest part of the day. The heat became almost unbearable. Just breathing felt like a chore. The heat, so intense it felt as if a heavy weight sat on her chest, didn’t allow her to take a deep breath.

  The cries of a falcon had Codie searching the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of it. When she spotted it, she watched in surprised as it set a course toward her. It circled above her twice before it landed on one of the branches of the tree she sat under. Craning her neck, Codie looked up at it.

  It was a sooty falcon. A population of them could be found on Wadi El Gemal Island, so seeing one at the national park would not be much of a surprise. What really surprised her was seeing one so far out in the desert. The falcons usually kept to the rocky coast of the Red Sea.

  The falcon hopped to the end of the branch it had perched on and stared back at her. From its size, Codie guessed it to be a male of the species. The females were larger than the males. She smiled up at it, welcome for this small distraction. “Hello, there.” The falcon let out another cry, then jumped off the branch to land on the ground at Codie’s feet.

  Codie blinked in surprise. This had to be a wild falcon. It should have wanted to move farther away from her, not want to get closer. Slowly, to avoid startling it, she pulled her legs up and under her. She kept an eye on his sharp beak and talons. She didn’t want to be on the receiving end of either of those. They could quite easily rip her skin to shreds.

  Unbelievably, the falcon hopped even closer. He came so close Codie could reach out her hand and stroke the slate-grey feathers covering his chest. As that thought came to mind, Codie had the urge to do just that. Licking her dry, cracked lips, she cautiously held out her hand. Before her fingers made contact, the falcon hopped onto her outstretched arm.

  Stunned, Codie froze. She had a wild falcon perched on her arm. She waited for his talons to dig into her wrist, but the falcon only gripped her lightly. Her arm soon grew tired of being held out for so long. Smoothly as she could manage, Codie pulled her arm back up against her side with her forearm still held out. The falcon stayed where he perched, unperturbed by the movement.

  Codie shook her head and smiled. “Have you come to keep me company, or are you as lost in the desert as I am?” The falcon shifted on her arm and turned his head to stare at her. “You’re obviously not afraid of humans. I wonder why.”

  Looking into the falcon’s eyes, Codie thought she saw intelligence lurking in their depths. She shook her head. The heat must be getting to her if she thought the falcon had understood what she had said. But she wished he could. How much easier it would be to be able to tell him to go and get help for her, instead of sitting here waiting for help to come to her.

  As the minutes ticked by and the falcon didn’t seem to have any interest in leaving, Codie decided he was more than welcome to stay with her. Needing to have some more water, she reached for her backpack one handed. She managed to unzip it and take out the water bottle, but with the falcon sitting on her arm it made it difficult for her to get the lid off. Shifting once again so that she now sat on her bottom, Codie held the bottle between her legs and twisted off the cap.

  After taking a few small sips, she held the bottle up to see how much water remained. She had drunk over half the bottle. Codie turned to look at the falcon. It appeared as if he too peered at the water. She shook her head. “Sorry, my friend, but that’s all I have. I can’t give you any of it. There is barely enough there for me as it is. If you’re thirsty, you’ll have to go find some for yourself. Same goes for food. I haven’t had anything to eat since early yesterday.”

  The falcon let out a cry before he launched himself in the air. Startled by his sudden leave-taking, Codie just about jumped out of her skin. She watched the falcon fly off until it appeared to be nothing more than a small speak in the sky. “Was it something I said?” she called after him.

  The day grew later and Codie resigned herself to spending another night out in the desert. She gathered some more of the wood around her and got it ready to light once darkness fell. Her stomach rumbled, protesting the lack of food. Codie didn’t know if she could survive another day out in the baking sun with no food and little to no water. It would be a matter of time before she broke down mentally. If only the falcon would come back. She hadn’t felt so alone with him near her.

  * * * *

  Horus soared through the air, quickly winging his way to the Red Sea coast. Codie’s plight could only be described as dire. She needed food and water if she hoped to survive many more days out in the desert. As an Egyptian god he didn’t need neither food nor water, but he knew mortals needed both to sustain their lives.

  Seeing the sparkling water of the sea ahead of him, Horus increased his speed. He flew over the water to a spot where it would be very deep. Hovering over it, he used his powers to call a fish to the surface. A true falcon didn’t catch fish. They mostly ate insects and lizards, but Horus didn’t think Codie would eat any of those things, no matter how hungry she became.

  It didn’t take long for a large fish to answer his summons. As it came to the surface, he snatched it out of the water with his sharp talons. Flapping his strong wings, he rose up into the air and used his sharp beak to kill the fish.

  Darkness had slowly started to descend when he reached Codie’s small camp. She sat before the fire she had built, staring forlornly at the flames. At his cry, she looked up and smiled brightly. He circled her once before he flew close to the fire and threw the fish into the hot coals at the very edge of it. Satisfied that Codie would easily be able to retrieve the fish after it cooked, Horus carefully landed on her shoulder. Codie tentatively reached up and stroked his chest.

  “You came back, and you brought me a present as well. I’m beginning to think you’re no ordinary falcon.”

  Horus rubbed his feathered head against her ear. For now, he would let her believe he was one of the many wild falcons in the area. When the fish had sat long enough in the coals to be fully cooked, he watched Codie drag it out and hungrily pull it apart with her bare hands to get at the meat. As she ate, he sent out his senses. There had to be something not right about this whole situation. He knew this area belonged to the national park. There should have been other mortals around, at the very least some of the local tribes should have been nearby, but there appeared to be no one else around. Searching deeper, Horus stiffened. His senses picked up something that shouldn’t have been there.

  Something invisible, like a shield, surrounded Codie and her camp. The shield would be enough to physically stop others from coming near her, and for her to be overlooked, as if she really wasn’t the
re. He picked up on a spell that had been added to the barrier, one that would make anything or anyone coming near it turn away before they got too close. The whole thing reeked of his uncle’s handiwork. Seth had for some reason singled Codie out. Why he had done so, Horus could not say.

  After Codie finished her meal, Horus hopped off her shoulder and fluttered to the ground. She placed more wood on the fire before she climbed into her sleeping bag. Once she fell into a deep sleep, he closed his eyes and joined her in her dream.

  Chapter 3

  She found herself back in the room she had dreamed of the night before. Everything about it appeared to be exactly the same, even down to having the god Horus who stood near the large platform bed seemingly waiting for her. Codie reached up and touched her pendant. He had said the last time that she had called him by using his eye. Codie didn’t think she had done so this time. She had hoped she would see him in her dreams again just before sleep claimed her. That could be one reason why she found herself here once again.

  Horus reached a hand out to her. “Codie, come to me.”

  The sound of his deep, accented voice saying her name sent shivers of awareness through her body. Codie crossed the distance between them and slipped her hand into his. Horus pulled her close, holding her tightly against him. Codie closed her eyes, savoring the feel of just being held. She needed this more than anything—the contact, the feel of someone wanting to hold her protectively.

  He soon released her and pushed her to sit down on the bed. Horus then set to work removing her hiking boots and socks. Pulling her to her feet once again, he slowly stripped off her shirt and pants. His eyes greedily took in the sight of her standing only in her bra and panties. When he moved away and went to one of the smoking braziers, Codie wondered what Horus could be up to.

  He picked up a large bowl. He soon returned to the bed and placed the bowl on the floor at their feet. Codie realized what Horus intended to do when she saw the steaming water in it. A lotus bloom floated on its surface, filling the air with its scent. Horus plucked out the cloth that had been soaking in the water and wrung it out. Turning to her, he gently ran the wet cloth against her face.

  Codie felt her body flare to life. She found the simple task of this man, this god, washing her face, to be highly erotic. Her pulse quickened as he slowly moved the cloth down her throat to her chest. He dipped the cloth back into the bowl and wrung it out before swiping it across her upper chest. He seemed to falter when he encountered her bra. She had a feeling he wanted to remove it, but didn’t have any idea how to go about it. Codie took matters into her own hands. Reaching behind her, she quickly unhooked her bra and let it drop to the floor.

  Horus wiped the wet cloth over both her breasts. Her nipples tightened into buds, begging for attention. Codie wanted to feel his mouth on her skin, but he frustratingly continued to touch her only with the cloth.

  He thoroughly washed each of her arms before he once again focused his attention back to her breasts. Codie took her bottom lip between her teeth as Horus bent and swirled his tongue around each tight peak. She tried to press her body closer to him, but he didn’t allow it.

  “Let me do this first for you, Codie. It will make you feel better. Lie down on the bed.”

  Codie did as he asked. Horus dipped the cloth back into the bowl and continued to wash her. It did feel good, but Codie wanted more. As the cloth moved across her ribcage and down to her stomach, she clutched at the sheets beneath her. Goose bumps broke out along her skin when Horus blew across her damp flesh.

  At her hips, Horus shifted the cloth to wipe one of her legs. Codie barely suppressed a groan of frustration. He looked up at her and smiled knowingly before turning back to run the cloth over her other leg. Once he finished with her legs, he urged her over onto her stomach.

  Pushing her hair aside, he washed her back and the back of her legs. At the feel of the cloth being run along the inside of her thighs, Codie held her breath, waiting for Horus to touch her in the most intimate of places. She gasped as his knuckles brushed up against her hot opening.

  Having finished the task at hand, Horus dropped the cloth back into the bowl and had Codie turn over onto her back. He stared down at her with longing in his eyes. Codie reached up, wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him to her.

  Aroused from his ministrations with the cloth, Codie pressed her lips to his. Slanting her mouth over his, she kissed him deeply. Still kissing her, Horus shifted until he lay on his side next to her. Codie moaned into his mouth as one of his large hands covered her breast.

  Horus increased the pressure of his lips and used his tongue to urge her to open for him. Parting her lips, she moved her hands to his wide shoulders, holding him close. He stroked the inside of her mouth, thoroughly tasting her. In response, her pussy pulsed with need.

  Dragging his lips from hers, he moved them down along her jaw to her throat. As he pressed against her, Codie felt the hard length of his cock against her hip. He continued downward. Cupping her breast, he lifted it to his mouth. With the tip of his tongue, he flicked it a couple of times against her nipple before he sucked it deep inside his mouth. Codie moaned again.

  Moving to her other breast, Horus stroked his hand down across her flat stomach. He pushed his hand under the waistband of her panties, then delved deeper. Using a finger he stroked her clit before he pushed it slowly into her wet opening. Codie arched her hips. Squeezing down on his finger, she rode it as he moved it in and out of her.

  Claiming her lips in a searing kiss, Horus removed his finger, took hold of the top of her panties and pulled them all the way off. Codie could no longer hold herself back from touching him. Shifting so she lay on her side, she reached between them and stroked his cock through the material of his kilt. It jumped beneath her fingers.

  Horus lifted himself slightly away from her as he made short work of removing his kilt and the loincloth he wore beneath it. Now completely naked as she, he took her hand and led it to his fully erect cock. He groaned when Codie wrapped her fingers around his thick shaft and squeezed him.

  Codie stroked her hand up and down him, moaning at the thought of how good it would feel to have his hard length buried deep inside her. Wetness pooled between her legs. She ached to have him possess her.

  Horus soon pulled her hand away and rolled her onto her back. Releasing her mouth, he slid down the length of her body, placing kisses across her stomach and hips as he went. Using his upper body, he spread her legs further apart, exposing her slick opening to his view. Cupping her bottom in his hands, he lifted her to him and licked her pussy with the flat of his tongue.

  Codie let her eyes fall shut as he licked and sucked. Moaning, she rocked her hips into him as he alternated between flicking her clit with his tongue and sucking on it. Not until he pushed two of his fingers inside her, moving them in and out as he sucked on her clit, did Codie feel the pressure build inside her. She knew she couldn’t take much more of this without climaxing. But she didn’t want to come this way. She wanted him inside her when she found her release.

  Yanking on Horus’ hair, she pulled him back up her body. Threading her fingers through his black hair, she kissed him passionately. With her free hand, she took hold of his hard cock and led it to the opening of her body. Horus rubbed the head of it against her, coating himself with her juices. Then inch by slow inch, he pushed inside her. They both moaned once he had completely sheathed himself to the hilt.

  Codie luxuriated in the feel of him stretching her, filling her to capacity. It felt so good. Then he moved inside her and she forgot to breath. Pressing the flat of her feet on the mattress, she matched his strokes. He pumped into her slowly at first, until he had her clawing at his back.

  Increasing his pace, Horus placed his hands beneath her, and angled her hips so his hard shaft rubbed her clit with each stroke. Codie clutched at him as she squeezed her inner muscles around him. She could feel her release inching ever closer.

  Horus rode h
er faster, and she felt his cock grow even harder. She whimpered as her release crashed through her. Horus continued to move inside her as her body rhythmically squeezed his thick length. When her body started to come back down to earth, he pumped his hips into her twice before he found his own release. His cock pulsed deep inside her, filling her with his cum.

  Keeping their bodies joined, Horus rolled them to their sides. He pulled Codie close and kissed her sweaty forehead. “You are mine now.”

  Codie snuggled close, but now that they were no longer making love, she felt a chill come over body. Not wanting to leave Horus, she looked up at him. “I feel the cold. The fire must be out. I don’t want this dream to end. What if I can’t come back?”

  Horus stroked the side of her face. “You will come back to me.” He placed his hand on the turquoise eye she wore around her neck. “As long as you wear this, I can find you. Don’t fear, Codie, you aren’t alone. Whenever you sleep I’ll be here waiting for you.”

  She could feel herself slipping away. She quickly pressed her lips to his, hoping that what Horus said wouldn’t turn out to be untrue. That she could return to him whenever she slept. He had become her lifeline now. If she lost him, she didn’t know what she would do.

  * * * *

  After Codie disappeared, Horus let out a groan of frustration. He wanted her still. The one time had not satisfied his longing for her. He wanted her here, lying in the bed next to him as she pressed her naked body to his. He could still taste her on his tongue, and smell her scent on his body. Yes, his turquoise eye tied them together, but it was much more than that. Codie completed him. Making love to her had proved how right it felt to have her in his arms, their bodies joined as one.