“This isn't possible,” he whispered.
“It is,” I said. “It's not a trick. Believe me, I wish it were. Do you think I enjoyed feeling those things? Or seeing you like that? Seeing myself like that? Now, I know why I freaked out about Re's chains. You had me bound like an animal.”
Anubis swallowed roughly. “I admit that I'm a traditional god; I believe in the proper order of things. Humans should not mingle with gods. I can imagine how I might become furious with one for overstepping her place, but I don't want to believe myself capable of such... evil.”
“Did you see how you came through it?” I softened my tone.
“The Fountain?” He asked. “Yes.”
“Will that help you?” I asked. “Can it actually heal your pain?”
“The Fountain washes away any kind of illness or infection,” he said. “Even that of the mind. I believe it will restore me to the man I once was.”
“Then why haven't you done it already?”
“I've grown accustomed to the malaise, I suppose,” he admitted. “Apathetic to my own discomfort.”
“That malaise will become much more if you don't act soon,” I said. “Go home and have a swim, Anubis. Please.”
“All right.” He sighed and started for the door. “I will—”
Before Anubis reached the door, my new husband stormed in; his eyes alight and furious. Re set that burning stare on Anubis and started for him with hands curled into claws. Trevor surged in behind Re and did the same.
“Stop!” I shouted, and the men froze; all of them. “I'm fine; we were just talking.”
Re and Trevor glared at Anubis and then turned to look me over. They shared a relieved look between them and relaxed.
“You had to talk to my bride behind a closed door?” Re asked Anubis. “Why?”
“I wanted to know about the visions I'd seen,” Anubis admitted. “Vervain cleared some things up for me, and now, I'm leaving.”
“You're leaving?” Re frowned. “Why?”
“I feel the urge to go for a swim.” Anubis sent me a secret smile and eased past Re. “Congratulations, Grandfather; I wish you the best with your lovely bride.”
“Thank you,” Re said in confusion as he watched Anubis go. Then he turned to me. “Vervain?”
“I'm fine,” I said again. “It's been handled.”
“It looks as if we have one of those women who saves herself,” Trevor said to Re.
“Give it time,” Re said. “I'm sure we'll come in handy one day.”
“Men.” I rolled my eyes and strode out the door. “They all want to be heroes.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Before we reached the ballroom, Re took my hand and pulled me to a stop.
“It's time for the honeymoon, La-la,” he said.
“What?” I asked. “But we've only been celebrating for an hour or so.” And then I remembered. “Right; we don't have a lot of time.”
“I've packed a bag for us,” Re said. “Trevor will let our guests know so that we won't be delayed by well-wishers.”
I kissed Trevor goodbye, and then he passed Re a leather duffel bag.
“You've got two hours, lovebirds,” Trevor said.
“We won't be late,” Re assured Trevor as he led me to the tracing chamber.
“Where are we going?” I asked him.
“You'll see,” Re said with a grin. “Hold onto me, La-la.”
I went into his embrace, and Re traced us away. We reformed in another Egyptian palace; this one was also on the banks of a river, but it was much closer to the water than Re's palace. Re escorted me out of the palace and down a set of stairs that were bracketed by a pair of enormous statues. I glanced up at them in curiosity.
“Those are Horus' parents,” Re said and then waved his hand outward. “Welcome to the Kingdom of Osiris.”
“Is this...?” I walked forward in a daze; staring at the fields of velvety grass that rolled over gentle hills.
The river widened into a lake in front of the palace; its banks furred with reeds. Long-legged birds picked their way through the shallows, and the sun glinted off their snowy feathers as well as the water. A gentle breeze blew through the nearby palm trees; rustling their sharp fronds and carrying the scent of lotus and amber oil to me. Directly before us, a path led down to a dock, and a magnificent boat was moored there. It had white sails and a shallow hull adorned with golden suns.
“Heaven,” Re finished my sentence. “This is where souls come to find their peace.”
“It's lovely,” I whispered.
“And it's where we shall first make love as husband and wife,” he continued with a sexy smile.
Re picked me up and carried me down the path to the boat. He set me down once we were aboard and then undid the ropes that tied us to the dock. The sails cracked as they caught the breeze, and I realized that the scent I'd noticed earlier was coming from the fabric. Scented sails; how luxurious. I stepped across the polished planks in a daze as we began to drift down the river.
“Do you like it?” Re asked softly as he came to stand beside me at the railing.
“I love it,” I said with a smile.
The Egyptian landscape was spotted with gleaming palaces of gold, silver, and clear crystal. Enormous statues were set among the palaces; their faces painted with such detail that they seemed to be alive. In the distance, sparkling cities gave the horizon a jagged edge, and the sky was patterned with the flight of jewel-toned birds. A road paved with gold bricks ran alongside the river a bit before it curved off toward the cities.
“Does that road lead to Oz?” I asked with a little smirk.
“I suppose gold can be considered yellow,” Re mused. “And there is a jewel city at the end of
